Chapter 1608 A mission is assigned upon arrival
The moment that was supposed to come would come. When the sky in the east was bright, fierce voices rang out in the army. The officers who brought them here began to wake these people up with sticks.
"All of you get up. You don't even see what time it is now. You are still thinking about sleeping. All of you go to the east. There is breakfast and water there. After drinking, get on 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 around the army. I advise you not to believe how high your chances are. When you just make a move, they will shoot you. What's more, everyone has registered. If someone wants to be a deserter, then your family will become slaves of the empire from the moment you escape. How miserable the slaves of the empire are, you know even if I don't say anything..."
More than 20 officers were repeating the same words, and Sambik and the others were frowning. No one escaped last night, so how could they escape today? Your words are like insults. Although everyone is unwilling to fight on the battlefield, they have not thought of becoming deserters. After all, they were originally in the army, so they still have a sense of honor.
But the officer in charge of conscription said this because they have seen these people with a sense of honor running 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 you who used to be in the army are different. You are more organized when you run away. Some people specifically block the pursuers, and some people shoot arrows on the warhorse to fight back, causing the pursuing army to suffer heavy losses. So when facing these people, you must be careful, otherwise you will die.
When they came to 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 already dirty and they would never drink it at home.
But now they have no choice. Under such a scorching sun, if you want to hurry on your way, if there is not enough water, you will wait to die. Camels can persist, but people don’t have that ability.
So even if the water source is very dirty, they still honestly fill it up, and try not to drink water in the morning. No one knows where the next water supply is. If you drink up the water in the morning, you will be thirsty in the afternoon.
In such a marching column, the water supply is generally calculated, and when everyone reaches their limit, they will be compensated for the second water source. If you can hold on, your life is saved. If you can't hold on, your camel or war horse may become someone else's on the road.
Sambik is very clear about a theory, that is, when they just set out, everyone has a camel or war horse, but when they arrive near the warring countries, the number becomes one to two, or even one to three, and those who are missing will die on the road.
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 they naturally know how difficult it is.
"This is your mission. There are two tribes ahead. Take your men to recruit soldiers. There is a list of recruiters on it. You must bring all of them. If you can't bring them, then you have not completed the mission. Their fault will fall on your head. Think about your parents and relatives at home. You don't want them to become slaves."
Sambik thought there would be a forced march today, so he made preparations early. Who knew that less than thirty miles away from the capital, he was immediately assigned a task by the superiors. He had to take more than fifty people under his command to a nearby tribe to carry out the recruitment mission. Just like the recruiting officers who took him away, he has now become one of those people he hates.
"But..."
"There is no but. Everyone must quickly get into their roles. I have recorded all your men. You must bring them all back when you come back. If one is missing, all of you will be punished. You know the laws of the empire. No one can escape. Do your best. You may 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. They can finally be a little more relaxed now. Before, they had to do it themselves. You know, conscription is not an easy thing, especially for some villages that are more martial. If you anger them, they might just start fighting. At that time, you will not die under the sword of the Tang soldiers, but under the sword of your own people. It will be very aggrieved to say it out.
"Don't ask, let's go."
When Rafe saw Sambik and wanted to ask, he quickly stopped him. Didn't you see the bored look on the officer's face just now? If you continue to run over and ask, you may get a slap in the face. If you are slapped in the army, it will become the laughing stock of others, especially for junior officers. He won't be convinced by you, so Rafe held this guy back. Don't ask for trouble. You still have more than fifty people under your command.
Sambik looked at this guy gratefully. If he hadn't stopped him, he might have gone over to argue with his superior. What the outcome would be at that time, only Allah may know.
More than fifty of his men rode various animals and then arrived at the designated small village, but unfortunately there was no one here anymore. All the people in the village had disappeared. They had already received the news, and those people in Bisambique They knew the news early, so when the conscription team came, they immediately chose to flee.
"According to the rules of the empire, the entire village must be burned down."
Raph saw that Sambic didn't make any moves and reminded him what to do next. (End of chapter)