The Saffron Flag

The saffron flag was fluttering proudly in the wind. The flag was a symbol of the bravery of more than five thousand soldiers who had fought a war for just about two hours and won against all odds. The enemy was a formidable, well trained and well-equipped army of over fifteen thousand soldiers strategically divided into three units- an eleven thousand heads infantry, a cavalry of over two thousand five hundred and artillery of one thousand five hundred strength equipped with state of the art weapon systems seen till date. The defenders had hidden behind the forest line flanking the right side of the fort and observed the attackers as they slowly marched into position in front of the huge gates of the fort. The attacking army carried dark green flags with a symbol none of the defenders had ever seen before. The leader of the army rode forward on a dark red stallion, as tall as the tallest of the defendants. The attackers were all tall and broad-shouldered soldiers. The defendants called them Firangis or foreigners. They had heard of these brutes long before they saw them. They had marched from beyond the Heem parbats far north of their kingdom. Right now, just their sheer numbers looked daunting, let alone the size and strength of the soldiers. The defendants had come. To know through the spy network that the Firangis had planned an attack on this Fort. The fort was of strategic importance owing to its geographical location. The fort was located on the coast, protecting the largest port on this side of the coast. Whoever held that fort, controlled the trade route. Every trader, every monarchy that wanted to trade with any kingdom of that vast country, had to pay a hefty tax to use this port. Also, all the goods would first be available to the king controlling the fort. The defendants had freed that fort from oppressors only six years ago, making free trade possible for all. Now, the Firangis wanted to control that fort, so they could easily bring more and more of their people to the country via the sea route. The defendant's leader was a young enthusiastic man and had very craftily emptied the fort before the attackers reached them. He had then used creative tactics to design a strategy, that gave them the benefit of surprise. He had assembled his army just behind the tree line on the right flank of the fort. The soldiers were well camouflaged in dark green clothes and lay in wait for the Firangis. 

The leader of the attacking forces brought his stallion to a halt, about 100 feet from the fort's massive iron gates. Unaware that the fort was empty, he said in a loud voice "We have surrounded the Fort. We have a huge army. You cannot defeat us and you have nowhere to go. So surrender now and we will spare your lives. If you decide to fight back, there is no doubt you will lose and there will be unnecessary bloodshed. So SURRENDER NOW!". He waited for five minutes and again repeated his warning, this time more sternly. He again waited for five minutes. Seeing no response from inside the fort, he ordered the first line of foot soldiers to walk ahead. Seeing no resistance, they got bolder and soon reached the large gates. They pushed the gates and were surprised to find them open. The leader ordered more soldiers to come forward. They all entered cautiously, worried about traps and land mines. But nothing happened. The Firangi forces got more confident and entered the fort. As soon as the leader entered, he realised that the Fort was abandoned. So, he sent a sentry out and ordered his entire army to get inside. He thought the occupants of the fort got scared and abandoned the place. He declared to his army that the Fort was now under his rule. 

Outside, the defendants waited for their leader's order. As soon as the last cavalry unit had entered the fort, a scrawny fellow ran stealthily and locked the gates of the fort from outside. The attackers were now trapped inside. The defendants came out of their hiding place in the forest and attacked the artillery who were still outside. The artillery was easily outnumbered. With their weapons outside and the attacking army trapped inside, the attacking leader had no choice but to surrender. The defenders had turned the tides and used brains over brawns to win a war in just two hours. The young leader of the defendants walked boldly to the top of the gates of the fort and with great pride replaced the orange flag, reclaiming his territory with great creativity and ingenuity, as the winning side cheered on!