227
Soon the village of Uzam is little more than a dot on the rain swept horizon behind you. The highway ahead is filled with refugees and the column of people and wagons has slowed almost to a halt. With Lieutenant Quang in the lead, you push your way through this jam until you can go no further. When you reach the head of the stagnant column you quickly discover why the flow of traffic has ground to a halt.
You magnify your vision and, in the middle distance, you see several dozen Chagarashi have set up a road block where the highway crosses the open plain north of Vabou. They are accompanied by other creatures you have never encountered before. You inform the lieutenant of what you can see and his face drops; his worst fears have been confirmed.
‘They are sealing off the highway to prevent reinforcements from reaching Pensei from the south,’ he says, in a grave tone. ‘Some of Zashnor’s horde must have penetrated the Szuchow hills and come around our flank. We’ll not reach Vabou by the highway now. We’ll have to make a detour around this roadblock and try to get to the town before nightfall by some other way.’ Quang scours the surrounding countryside but he cannot decide which way is best to avoid the enemy.
If you wish to advise the Lieutenant to go east, using the sparse cover of the trees that border the highway, turn to 137.
If you choose to advise him to go west and try to make best use of the cover afforded by the hills bordering the Chai Plain, go to 239.