For story continuity, please check my previous blogs.

Chapter Seven -Moon Yard
 

         After bidding farewell to Ayanar and Sivagami, Mahendra Chakravarthy and Mamallar turned their horses and left at high speed and reached the palace.  Seeing them, the soldiers who were guarding the palace gate shouted, "Hail! Hail Emperor! Hail Mamallar the great warrior!"  Chanting that, they bowed to them and stepped aside from their way.  The greeting of the guards was accompanied by the neighing of horses lined up there.  When they entered through the front gate of the palace, they saw many soldiers lined up in the spacious moonlit courtyard.  On seeing Chakravarthy and Prince, the soldiers also cheered. A person who was standing in front of everyone came forward and stood humbly.

      The Emperor looked at him and asked, "Commander! Have you told the messengers everything? Are they ready to depart?"

       "Yes, Your Majesty! Everyone has been told. I have told them where to go. Everyone is ready to leave and waiting for their orders," said the commander. 

            The Emperor looked at Narasimhavarmar and said, "Child! Your mother must be worried. Go to her and let her know what the matter is. Both of you finish your meal and go upstairs. I will send these messengers and come there myself."

          Because of his long-time devotion to Jainism, the emperor did not eat food at night.  Even after becoming a Shiva devotee, he did not follow the habit of eating food at night. 

         "Well, father! I'm going, but shall I wait until all the troops arrive? Shouldn't the ready troops go to war straight away?"  
The Emperor smiled and said, "I will think about it, child! Now you go and see your mother now!"  

          After Mamallar had gone, Mahendra looked at the commander and said, "Kalippakaiyar! This is the message to be conveyed to the messengers; an army of a thousand soldiers must be gathered and ready in each division in Thondai Mandalam (which is a historical region located in the northernmost part of Tamil Nadu and southernmost part of Andhra Pradesh) and Chola Mandalam (which is region comprised the modern districts of Tanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, and South Arcot) . The army must be ready to leave as soon as the message is sent again. Do you understand what I am saying?" 

        "I do, Your Majesty!" 

        "Hasn't everything been done to secure the fort?"

         "I have ordered that no one except the monks should be allowed into the fort without being questioned. I have also ordered that those who go out should be watched. If there is any suspicion of anyone in the city, I have ordered them to be imprisoned and detained."  

      "Have all the fort walls been repaired?  Commander-in-Chief! The survival of the Pallava empire may have depended on the protection of this fort of Kanchi."

          "A hundred thousand warriors await from the Kaveri to the Krishna river to protect the Pallava Empire, Your Majesty!"  

         "True, but they can't fight with their bare hands. Could they? Where are the necessary swords and swords for those lakhs of soldiers ?" said the Emperor. 

     The Commander-in-Chief  remained silent. 

      "It seems swords and spears making were well-done in an East Chola country.  Did you see the spear thrown on the elephant?" 

      "No, Your Majesty!"

      "Mamallan  has it. A word 'Mamathirar' written on it  Doesn't the title 'Mamathirar' belong to the tribe of the East Chola country?" 

       "Yes, Your Majesty!" 

         " That boy who threw that spear should be from the East Chola country.  If there are thousands of warriors who could throw such a spear, I would not worry about guarding this fort!” 

         “There are thousands of warriors in the Pallava Army, Your Majesty!” 

         “That lad is the bravest one ;  we must find him" 

         The Commander-in-Chief remained silent.

        "One more thing; we must change the injunction about the saffron robes. As we returned from seeing Ayanar and his daughter, I saw a Buddhist bhikshu standing at the end of an alley. Suddenly he disappeared into the darks."  

         "What's the command, sir?"  

         "Keep your eyes on the monastery and find out who the newly arrived Buddha Bhikshu is." 
“I'll deal with it right away. Your Majesty”.

         Then the Commander-in-Chief called each messenger and informed the emperor  where they were going to today.  The messengers bowed to the emperor individually and hurried away on their horses.

   Here ends the seventh chapter of first volume.

To be continued....