Sep 21, 2026 · 44 min · 10 segments
Here's the next exciting installment of *The Alchemist and the Eagle* audiobook. In chapter 34, "The Sack of Tuko-Go," the resistance takes a bold chance of taking the battle to the outskirts of the…
Martin BallHost
The outpost city of Tukogo appeared to the majority of resistance fighters as a great edifice of metal and glass rising up out of the semi-desert landscape.
It reached out across the silted yellow waters of the Avendlith and stretched from the inner desert to the western seas, opening up into the mild waters of the western archipelago, the heart of the Jalau Empire.
A lone city, It spoke of power, strength, and ominous presence, looking out as it did to the east, the gateway to all that lay beyond and as yet unconquered.
Those few Runtai who had joined the resistance movement had all escaped from the Jalau slave ships due to the work of the rebel fighters.
Those who remained of their kind, worked either in the mines or as servants, both here in Tukogo and beyond in the homes of wealthy Jalau and in the factories and industries that drove the Jalau empire forward, always requiring more resources, more power, and more workers.
Their fate had not been a happy one, but it was little different than the fate that had already befallen so many in the west and threatened to befall those who still remained free in the interior and the east.
Select groups of scouts, Kaljat and Ohara included, had come down the Yellow River with their Runtai guides to learn as much as they could about the massive city.
They were fortunate that the Runtai knew all the routes about the city and could lead them to and fro in secrecy and safety.
Mostly, they came down from the north, circling around the city and following the southward course of the Avendlith, riding in Runtai cottonwood dugouts and scurrying over the hillsides to peer down at the city from high vantages.
What they learned was that despite the imposing presence of the city, it was not without its weaknesses.
Though it loomed tall at the eastern edge that spanned over the Yellow Waters, the western half of the city was largely exposed, especially at the westernmost edge.
Here is where all the traffic flowed in and out of Tukogo, the ever-present river of commerce, labor, and goods that traveled between the outpost city and the heart of the empire.
the layout of the city bespoke of a certain sense of invulnerability of the Jalau.
The eastern facade imposed itself on the outside world, yet the back lay open, exposed, and easily penetrated.
It was as though the Jalau thought it simply impossible that anyone would be able to cross the Yellow River and attack from the west, from the direction of their own empire.
The great walls of the city only faced east to the open expanses of the plains and the unknown.
Calls out reasoned that the Jalau most likely thought themselves invincible from any foe, and thus the city was more show than anything else, and reasonably so.
Who could really directly challenge the Jalau and their war machine? Only a fool would attempt to do so, or someone who felt he had nothing left to lose.
After days of careful observation, it became apparent that the time to attack had come, if it were to come at all.
Strangely, large numbers of Jalal ships that were stationed at the city withdrew to the west, including many of the large transport ships that the resistance fighters had come to know as troop vessels, as opposed to the even larger slave ships.
Their conspicuous absence left the city even more vulnerable than before, though not completely empty of military vessels.
The outpost city of Tukogo appeared to the majority of resistance fighters as a great edifice of metal and glass rising up out of the semi-desert landscape.
It reached out across the silted yellow waters of the Avendlith and stretched from the inner desert to the western seas, opening up into the mild waters of the western archipelago, the heart of the Jalau Empire.
A lone city, It spoke of power, strength, and ominous presence, looking out as it did to the east, the gateway to all that lay beyond and as yet unconquered.
Those few Runtai who had joined the resistance movement had all escaped from the Jalau slave ships due to the work of the rebel fighters.
Those who remained of their kind, worked either in the mines or as servants, both here in Tukogo and beyond in the homes of wealthy Jalau and in the factories and industries that drove the Jalau empire forward, always requiring more resources, more power, and more workers.
Their fate had not been a happy one, but it was little different than the fate that had already befallen so many in the west and threatened to befall those who still remained free in the interior and the east.
Select groups of scouts, Kaljat and Ohara included, had come down the Yellow River with their Runtai guides to learn as much as they could about the massive city.
They were fortunate that the Runtai knew all the routes about the city and could lead them to and fro in secrecy and safety.
Mostly, they came down from the north, circling around the city and following the southward course of the Avendlith, riding in Runtai cottonwood dugouts and scurrying over the hillsides to peer down at the city from high vantages.
What they learned was that despite the imposing presence of the city, it was not without its weaknesses.
Though it loomed tall at the eastern edge that spanned over the Yellow Waters, the western half of the city was largely exposed, especially at the westernmost edge.
Here is where all the traffic flowed in and out of Tukogo, the ever-present river of commerce, labor, and goods that traveled between the outpost city and the heart of the empire.
the layout of the city bespoke of a certain sense of invulnerability of the Jalau.
The eastern facade imposed itself on the outside world, yet the back lay open, exposed, and easily penetrated.
It was as though the Jalau thought it simply impossible that anyone would be able to cross the Yellow River and attack from the west, from the direction of their own empire.
The great walls of the city only faced east to the open expanses of the plains and the unknown.
Calls out reasoned that the Jalau most likely thought themselves invincible from any foe, and thus the city was more show than anything else, and reasonably so.
Who could really directly challenge the Jalau and their war machine? Only a fool would attempt to do so, or someone who felt he had nothing left to lose.
After days of careful observation, it became apparent that the time to attack had come, if it were to come at all.
Strangely, large numbers of Jalal ships that were stationed at the city withdrew to the west, including many of the large transport ships that the resistance fighters had come to know as troop vessels, as opposed to the even larger slave ships.
Their conspicuous absence left the city even more vulnerable than before, though not completely empty of military vessels.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
