Part 7 - War Clouds Gather
The years passed all too swiftly for Range and Oma. Now, in their sixties their family of
five sons and two daughters gathered about them with their children.
The following are the names of their sons and daughters in order of oldest to youngest:
Ghadir (Sword)
Hafsa (Cub, young lioness)
Jabbar (Mighty)
A’Mal (Hope, aspiration)
Coman (Noble)
Raaqeen (Writer)
Jabir (Conforter)
One of Range’s grandson’s climbed up on his lap and asked, "Grandfather, won’t you tell us about a battle?"
"Your grandfather is tired," said A’Mal, the boy’s mother.
"Not so tired that I can't spend my time in telling of our glorious history."
"Or, retelling a tale," joked Ghadir. “Maybe you should tell them how you took the fort in Asir with only one hundred men.
“Who did?” Range asked, as if forgetting his historic exploits when he was a much younger man.
“Why, you did, of course ... at least, that's a tale you told me when you returned from war.”
“Well, it was a long time ago and my mind is a little fuzzy,” said Range. “But, let me see, Asir…we were at war with Hedjaz….”
Tale Number 4
This is a tale of great valor and deception
(The Asir region is situated on a high plateau. It receives between 12 to 20 inches of rain each year…in the morning the fog can get so thick that visibility can be near to zero percent. There’s a lot of natural vegetation and areas of dense coniferous forests.)
In the days of Yemen's first war with Hedjaz, the Yemeni forces were winning the battle on
the Asir plateau. But, the fort was yet to be attacked and it was known to be well provisioned.
From the start of the war the Yemen army needed a quick victory as their country had very little funds to support the war. Time was not on their side. If a miracle did not soon arrive the Yemen army would have to retire from the war in disgrace. The war had been a matter of pride for the Yemenis, as the war was brought on by a Hedjaz insult.
Miles away as the main battle of Sair was taking place, a man named Range of the Yemeni army had advanced on the fort with 100 men.
One man among the small force, asked Range their commander, "Are we expected to blow our horns as we march about the fort until the walls fall down?" The men all laughed. "And what of the army inside ... they outnumber us ten to one.”
Range pondered their position for a moment, before answering quite confidently. "We'll take the fort with our few ... for they have no idea of our number... and, this thick woods that completely surrounds the fort shall assist us."
It was morning when they arrived. Each man could barely see a few feet ahead of them due to the dense fog. So, it was impossible for fort’s defenders to know the number that were facing them.
Taking this thought into account Range had formed a plan of deception.
A day earlier, Range and his men had captured a merchant with a delivery of fine linen of all colors. From these linens, Range had his men cut banners of all colors. He then ordered his men to prepare many poles and then had them tie one cut banner to each pole.
Range broke his men into small groups between 3 and four men and sent them to take up different positions about the fort. Each group had a different color banner that was to be planted in plain view of the defenders of the fort to see ... as if to signify that were different regiments, or at least a company for each banner.
The fort’s commander was suspicious, so he sent out two scouts to learn the Yemeni forces actual strength. Both men were killed before they could share what they had learned. One was killed by an arrow; the other had his head severed from his shoulders. Learning of their deaths Range thought to use to their demise to further his plan.
By the next afternoon, once the fog had burned away by the heat of day the defenders got a taste of what might lie ahead for them. In a show of deception, Range had one man’s dead body placed in the Merchant’s cart and set ablaze. From their vantage point, the defenders in hearing the screams, they could not tell that it was Range’s men doing the screaming and not the dead scout.
As for the severed head of the other scout, it was also placed standing upward position in plain view in a pit of sand.
The word of the sighting of the two scouts quickly spread throughout the fort’s forces and its inhabitants…fear abounded. “…And, they buried the other up to his neck,” they cried, “…What would they do to us if we do not surrender the fort?” The people, as well as many of the officers pleaded with the commander of the fort, “Send the Yemeni commander a proposal" they pleaded, "tell them we surrender the fort if they will spare our lives."
The fort’s commander fearing he was in an impossible position soon gave in, surrendering the fort without a fight. Two days later, after hearing that the fort in Asir had fallen to impossible odds, the Hedjaz King ceded Asir to Yemen to end the war.
Thus, deception can be mightier than the sword.
Shortly after Range finished his tale word arrived that we were at war with Najd.
“Well, it’s about time,” yelled Range.
“Father,” said Ghadir, “this will be a war for the young.”
“Would you deprive your father from defending his country?”
Ghadir did not reply. Instead, he hung his head.
Oma moved up to her husband and asked, “Is this how it ends?” She then embraced him as if she’d never let him go, before sharing a kiss.
The next morning, before we went to war, Father and Mother had words to share with their warrior sons. But, it was words that she shared with Ghadir, our oldest brother that has always been pressed deeply in my memory.
“Ghadir,” she said, “do not listen to the ding of war and block out the world around you ...Keep a keen watch this day forward for those that in war that will prove their worth and make them your friends. In quiet times, listen to them with your eyes closed ... before you look into their eyes to make sure they are what they profess to be. Maybe then you will see something in them that reminds you of your father and me."
Hafsa (agile and well schooled with the sword) and A’Mal would remain to protect mother and the flock while the men were away.
The following are Raaqeen’s words detailing what took place during Yemen’s war with Najd, Algiers and Adel:
We fought several battles to secure Najd as ours.
Their troops would not surrender. At the end we had to wipe them out to a man.
Our Father, learning that Mocha was under attack by Adel troops rode hard to save our defenders in the fort. He arrived too late to save the denfenders.
Our main force remained behind to take the Najd fort.
Our provinces were under constant attack from troops of Adal, Najd and Algiers which hindered our attempts to take the fort in Najd.
When we arrived to join father's troops, he told us that we must carry our fight to Adal.
Due to our Father's urgings we have gained Tajura.
Sadly, with victory came bitter news. Shortly after taking Tajura...we learned that Father had fallen in retaking the fort in Mocha.