The Second Battle of Cairhien was fought during the Shaido War of 999 NE. The 160,000 Shaido Aiel under Couladin, marching at a furious pace, had surrounded the city of Cairhien and besieged it, but the presence of not only native Cairhienin forces but also Tairen reinforcements sent into the kingdom at the order of Rand al'Thor prevented them from breaching the walls or capturing the city.
Background[]
After Rand al'Thor was acknowledged as Car'a'carn by all the clan chiefs present during the events at Alcair Dal, Couladin led nearly the entire Shaido clan out of the Aiel Waste and into Cairhien. The Shaido laid waste to several towns and strongholds in eastern Cairhien, among them Taien[1] and Selean, before reaching and besieging the city of Cairhien.
Cairhienin forces, already weakened by famine and civil war, were hard-pressed to defend the city. Despite the lack of miners and siege engines, the Shaido almost breached the city walls twice after burning the wooden Foregate outside the city walls.
However, they were strengthened by the presence of Tairen forces initially sent to Cairhien by the Dragon Reborn to distribute food and keep the peace. Also, Idrien Tarsin had constructed something like a ballista and oversaw the use of it from the top of Cairhien's walls.[2]
These combined forces managed to keep the Shaido at bay for over two weeks until Rand and his forces arrived.
After learning that Couladin was leaving for Cairhien, Rand al'Thor gathered the Aiel who had acknowledged him as Car'a'carn and set out in pursuit of the Shaido. The remaining undeclared Aiel clans followed Rand's Aiel at a distance.
In Cairhien, Rand's Aiel rounded up numerous Tairens and Cairhienen, some of whom Rand sent to notify the city's defenders of his imminent arrival.
Battle plans[]
Couladin had approximately 160,000 Shaido surrounding the city of Cairhien, including an unknown number on the Western bank of the River Alguenya to ensure no supplies would get to Cairhien. Because Couladin brought the entire clan across the Dragon Wall and was joined by many additional fighters from other clans who rejected Rand’s revelations of Aiel history, his forces far exceeded that of the other individual clans.
Rand’s forces consisted of seven Aiel clans with roughly double the Shaido numbers. In addition, some Cairhienin and Tairen forces had also gathered to his banner including roughly 900 Tairen cavalry, a similar number of Cairhienin cavalry, and several thousand mostly Cairhienin infantry.
A third force consisted of the four remaining Aiel clans. It roughly equaled the Shaido force in size, and stood apart from both sides. Their apparent lack of commitment to either side dictated the strategy employed by Rand’s forces; what may have been a straightforward confrontation to crush the Shaido forces instead became one to drive the Shaido away from Cairhien and north across the river Gaelin.
The battle plan was for Rand’s forces to be divided in two: one half was to engage the Shaido, the other half was to be divided into three parts, with one third to prevent the Shaido forces moving east and funnel them across the river, and the other two thirds divided in halves to guard against an attack by the undeclared clans.
The battle[]
Due to the hilly terrain of the region, the sheer size of the battlefield, and the use of the One Power from distance observation points, the battle itself soon degenerated into smaller bands trying to maneuver and engage each other among the foothills, rather than a straight frontal confrontation between the Shaido and Rand’s forces.
Rand al'Thor, who intended to lead the battle in the field, found himself coerced into helping from his observation tower using the One Power, alongside Egwene and Aviendha. Throughout the day, Rand was attacked sporadically by Sammael from the direction of Illian, but refrained from going after Sammael after being convinced he would be severely disadvantaged by his physical exhaustion and the possibility of traps set by Sammael.
Mat Cauthon left Rand's camp on the morning of the battle with the intention of avoiding the battle and setting out on his own. Instead, he found himself able to either prevent the slaughter of some Tairen and Cairhienin forces or else watch them be destroyed by a Shaido ambush. Surprised and annoyed at finding himself getting involved, Mat rode to warn the allied forces. Using his position as a friend of the Dragon Reborn to gain the attention of the Tairen lords, Mat outlined a plan using a double pincer maneuver to defeat the Shaido ambush. The Tairens agreed, but Talmanes only agreed to lead one pincer on the condition that Mat lead the other. Reluctant but left with little choice, Mat agreed and led them to defeat the Shaido ambush entirely, using the Cairhienin pikemen to hold the Shaido at bay while dividing the horse to swing wide and attack the Shaido flanks, routing them. Tairen cavalry who refused Mat's advice to stay within the protection of the "hedgehog" pike formation were slaughtered to a man by the Shaido.
Despite his efforts to escape the battlefield and avoid further entanglements with the Shaido, two subsequent engagements both saw Mat victorious. Mat considered the victories narrowly won, but his success raised the westlanders' esteem for his abilities. Eventually, Mat observed a band of Shaido led by Couladin seeking to sneak through the lines, probably to assassinate Rand. Mat, left with no choice, engaged Couladin’s force, and personally slew Couladin after being unseated from his horse.
With Couladin's death, the Shaido soon withdrew from the battle and retreated across the river Gaelin towards Kinslayer's Dagger.
Rand's observation tower was eventually destroyed by Sammael. The channelers were dazed and injured, and many Maidens were killed. Nevertheless, the battle was a victory for Rand and his forces.
Aftermath[]
Towards the end of the battle, which took the entire day and continued into the night, the undeclared clans signaled their willingness to negotiate and joined Rand’s forces not long after.
20,000 Shaido were taken gai'shain during the battle, and thousands more had been killed. The remaining Shaido forces retreated to Kinslayer's Dagger without significant engagements. They remained there until the events of the Battle of Dumai's Wells. Sevanna assumed control of the Shaido clan, though not without contention from Therava and other Wise Ones
Rand marched into Cairhien and, seeing the Cairhienin treated as second-class citizens by the Tairen forces sent there to help them, enacted a number of measures to put Cairhienin on an equal footing with Tairens. This earned the approval of the Cairhienin population, and a rare display of emotion by Cairhienin nobles. Rand was also offered the crown of Cairhienin, though he declined and left it for Elayne to claim.
Due to his successes in the battle, the Cairhienin and Tairen forces led by Mat largely decided to remain with him and formed the core of what would become the Band of the Red Hand.