The moment that was supposed to come would eventually come. When the sky brightened in the east, fierce voices rang out in the army, and the officers who brought them here began to wake these people up with sticks.
"Everyone, get up! Don't you know what time it is? You're still thinking about sleeping. Go east. There's breakfast and water there. Drink and hit the road immediately. We still have a long way to go today. If anyone wants to escape, don't blame our archers for being rude. There will be some archers following around the army. I advise you not to trust your chance. The moment you make a move, they will shoot you. Moreover, everyone has been registered. If anyone wants to desert, then your family will become slaves of the empire from the moment you run away. How miserable the slaves of the empire are, you understand even if I don't say anything..."
Over twenty officers were repeating the same thing, and Sambik and the others were all frowning. "No one deserted last night, so how could anyone possibly desert today?" "Your words are insulting!" Although no one wanted to fight, they didn't want to desert either. After all, they were soldiers themselves, and they still had a sense of honor.
But the reason why the officers in charge of recruiting said this is because they have seen these people with a sense of honor run away. If you run, you will run faster and more capable than ordinary people.
When ordinary people run away, they just want to go home. But it’s different for those of you who used to be in the army. You are more organized when you run away. Some of you specifically block the pursuers, and some of you shoot arrows back on horseback, causing heavy losses to the pursuing army. So when facing these people, you must be careful, otherwise you will be the ones to die.
When they arrived at the place where breakfast was distributed, they looked at the dough in front of them and felt that it was harder than stone. After filling their water bags, this was their water source for the day. The water was extremely dirty and they would never drink it at home.
But now they have no choice. If they want to travel under such scorching sun without enough water, they will die. Camels can persist, but humans do not have that ability.
So even if the water source is very dirty, these people still honestly fill the tank with water. Try not to drink water in the morning because no one knows where the next water source is. If you drink all the water in the morning, you will be thirsty in the afternoon.
In such a marching column, the water supply locations are generally calculated, and only when everyone reaches their limit will everyone be given a second water compensation. If you can hold on, then your life is saved. If you can't hold on, your camel or warhorse may become someone else's on the road.
Sambik was very clear about a theory, which was that when they first set out, everyone had a camel or a warhorse, but when they arrived near the warring country, the number became one to two, or even one to three, and those who were missing died on the way.
As for the reasons for their death, thirst is definitely the first one, and there are some other reasons. Anyway, as long as your physical fitness is not strong enough, let alone persisting to the battlefield, you may not even be able to persist for the first three days. These people are all veterans in the army, and naturally know how difficult it is.
"This is your mission. There are two tribes ahead. Bring your men over to recruit soldiers. There's a list of recruits on it. Be sure to bring every one of them. If you can't, then you haven't completed the mission, and their fault will be on you. Think about your parents and relatives at home. You don't want them to become slaves, do you?"
Sambik thought there would be a forced march today, so he made preparations early. However, when he was less than thirty miles away from the royal capital, he was immediately assigned a task. He had to take more than fifty of his men to a nearby tribe to carry out a conscription mission. Just like those conscription officers who took him away, he has now become the person he hates.
"But……"
"There's no need for a "but." Everyone must quickly enter their roles. I've already recorded all your subordinates. You must bring them all back when you return. If even one is missing, your entire team will be punished. You understand the laws of the empire; no one can escape them. Do your best, and you might even be more glorious than your father."
The leading officer did not give Sambik a chance to explain. After a few words of encouragement, he immediately went to find other people. Now they could finally feel a little more relaxed. Before, they had to do it themselves. You know, conscription is not an easy task, especially for some villages that are more martial. If you anger them, they might start fighting directly. By then, you might not die under the swords of the Tang Dynasty soldiers, but at the hands of your own people. It would be very aggrieved to tell others about it.
"Don't ask any more questions. Let's go."
Seeing that Sambik was about to ask, Raf quickly grabbed him. "Didn't you see the officer's annoyed look just now? If you had continued to run over and ask, you might have gotten a slap in the face. In the army, if you get hit, you'll become a laughing stock, especially for junior officers. They won't accept your insults. That's why Raf grabbed this guy. Don't go and ask for trouble. You have more than 50 men under you."
Sambik looked at the guy gratefully. If he hadn't held him back, he might have gone to argue with his superior. What would have been the result then, perhaps only the Lord knows.
More than fifty of his men rode various animals and arrived at the designated small village, but unfortunately there was no one there. All the people in the village had disappeared. They had received the news long ago, earlier than those people in Sambik, so when the conscription team came, they chose to flee directly.
"According to the rules of the Empire, the entire village must be burned down."
Seeing that Sambik didn't make any move, Rafe reminded him what to do next.
