“Let’s go guys.”
Early in the morning, I headed to the west gate of the Kara Castle with two camels. Today was the test day.
I handled the camels very carefully.
Camels looked docile but actually, they were very sensitive animals
One of the most sensitive livestock was a horse but actually, a camel was even more sensitive than a horse. Also, these big ass camels spat saliva everywhere. They probably became sensitive and strong to survive in the harsh desert environment. Thus, I should handle them carefully.
In fact, one of the most important pieces of knowledge I gained was the usefulness of camels. They were a little bit slower than horses but their stamina was great. With good training, camels could travel 100km a day for several days. It’s unbelievable.
It seemed that they would be very useful for humans during the Era of Destruction.
‘Well, they’ve all come earlier than I thought and been waiting for me.’
As I arrived at the west gate, I could see a crowd of thousands. They all looked very nervous because this test was a chance to turn their lives around.
“So, is everybody here?”
“Yes, sir!”
They all shouted aloud simultaneously. Since they were not an heir in their families, they ended up as commoners. They were looked down on by people in their families because they were sons of concubines. It was no wonder they were very enthusiastic and serious about this test.
I nodded my head delightfully because I liked their spirit.
“Before starting the test, I will give you guys a piece of advice. Do not outrun me. That’s a waste of your energy. Just try not to get caught.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good. The test will last quite a while. Do not rush or outpace yourself. Just run as usual.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Oh, there’s another thing. Those who get in the top 30 will be granted the title of a ninth rank aristocrat. And anyone who outruns me for one lap passes the test right away. So, do your best.”
I told them not to rush yet I gave them the reason to do so. I loved people who were focused on their desire but I hated people who ruined their lives due to their desire. These people were like bombs. They unwillingly took their families and friends down when they went down.
Thus, I must weed out these kinds of soldiers as soon as possible.
Not surprisingly, some of them looked very motivated.
“Then start now!”
After the start signal, I also began running. I ran at a little slower speed than an average man walking so my camels didn’t have a hard time following me.
Not long before, a group of men started outrunning me very fast. Their eyes must be on the title of a ninth rank aristocrat. I told them not to outpace themselves but they were too stubborn.
On the other hand, there was also a large group who trailed very closely behind me. Their number was around hundreds. The frontrunners were Nazia and Bayan.
I looked at their faces carefully. There must be two types of men in that group. Either they were very smart or they just tried to stay with their group.
The latter ones were actually not that bad because soldiers must have discipline. But the former ones could have a chance to become very successful.
After about an hour since we started riding, we already circled one lap. During the time when giving them out stamps of certification to participants, I took some rest and gave my camels some water. They were all breathing heavily yet looked not much tired.
They had probably been training hard in their families at a young age.
I got on one of my camels after drinking some water and continued circling around the castle at a little bit faster speed because I could see those, who rushed from the start, outrunning me nearly by one lap. I must ride a little faster because I could not let those stupid guys pass the test.
“Let’s go!”
I rode my two camels in turn. And sometimes, I ran by myself to make the camels less tired.
After about three laps, some of the guys began falling behind.
Most of them rushed too much and lost their paces at the beginning. Some of them were those who weren’t serious about their training. There were quite a lot of people who only brought one camel due to financial situations. Yet, I could see some good soldiers among the eliminated ones. I must distinguish those who were capable but poor from those who were stupid and lazy.
The latter ones were completely useless but the former ones were totally capable of doing their assigned jobs. Kara needed every capable man right now. Even though they failed the test, I should give them another chance.
For now, I must enforce the rules strictly and eliminate them from the test for the sake of fairness. But I could select them later when recruiting extra members.
“Giddy up! Giddy up!”
I kept looking behind while riding my camel. After six laps, most of the participants got eliminated yet a few of them were still chasing closely after me. Among them, Nazir and Bayan were most noticeable. They were outrunning each other alternately for many times.
As Nazir got outrun by Bayan, I got off from my camel again and began running.
But soon, Nazir caught up and outran Bayan. It seemed Bayan had a better camel but Nazir was better at riding a camel.
‘Well, Bayan’s grandfather is Uddin so…’
Uddin was the head of the Ibrahim family which had a long tradition and history in Kara. Bayan’s camel must be much better as well. Meanwhile, Nazir was from the family of a ninth rank aristocrat but still neck and neck with Bayan.
“You’re eliminated!”
By the late afternoon, many of the guys were eliminated. They made it until pretty late. I wasn’t sure it was because of their riding skills or stamina of their camels but anyway it was later than I expected.
So, I felt quite satisfied.
With three months of good training, they would become very good special forces who might be able to give a serious blow to Duke Wastein. I slowed down my camel a little bit because I had to recruit around 4,000 soldiers. I should not eliminate too many of them.
By the time the sun was setting, I could see a dust cloud rising from afar in the west. With their camels and carriages, tens of thousands of people were coming towards here in Kara.
It must be the Great Desert bandits and their allies. Ostensibly, they were the first target of the Robros army so they had to rely on Kara at this point.
‘Finally, the Great Desert bandits have arrived.’
The last piece of the puzzle was those Great Desert bandits. It was quite a problem that they loved raiding houses and villages yet they were very strong soldiers. Their combating skills were pretty decent and they were very familiar with the Great Desert areas. Their survival skills were also good and their traveling speed was fast.
Moreover, they had nearly 5,000 men who could fight in battles so they would contribute a lot in improving Kara’s troops in terms of both size and quality.
* * *
The Palace of Kara was very busy. They were preparing for a large feast to welcome the leaders of the Great Desert bandits, the commander Akam and some others who arrived in Kara a few days ago.
Uddin and I were heading to the main palace while having some important conversation. A lot of topics were included but the main point was the population problem because a huge number of people came to Kara recently.
“Sir, the total number of troops is 56,000. We might be able to feed them enough but the problem is their shelter.”
“For now, just let them stay outside the castle. They are used to roaming around places and living in tents.”
“But when the enemies arrive here, what should we do?”
Actually, it was a reasonable concern. After the enemies’ arrival, those outside would be killed or captured. However, we still had enough time to make a plan.
“They will arrive by winter so we don’t need to rush too much. But the real problem is a possible epidemic afterward.”
“An epidemic, sir?”
Uddin looked very troubled. In fact, Kara had greatly suffered due to epidemics in the past.
“Yeah. When you defend a castle, the most serious problem is epidemic since many people gather around in one place. Thus, the chance of an epidemic breaking out increases.
“I understand, sir.”
“That’s why we should also build many sanitary and health facilities in the city. Don’t forget to make isolation zones where we can quarantine sick people. Check waterway facilities and do repairs if needed.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you should appoint executive officers as well. Give out citizenships of Kara to everyone. After winning this war, Kara has to govern the entire Great Desert so you need many people. Seriously, Kara must grow its population.”
Uddin opened his eyes wide.
“But sir, they are bandits…”
“But also they are warriors who will fight for us. And until when are you going to let those bandits raid merchants and innocent people? No matter who wins this war, those bandits are still a huge problem. It’s better to give them titles of nobility for their contribution in this war. Then they will stop raiding houses and villages.”
My plan was to build the Kingdom of Kara after winning this war. At least, the entire western part of the Great Desert would be under Kara’s rule. If the Great Desert bandits kept causing troubles through the Devil’s Trade Route, Kara would suffer great damage. Therefore, it was better for Kara to embrace them right now for the future.
At last, Uddin accepted my order and moved on to the next topic.
“Our intelligence agency says the Robros navy arrived at the Ramis Tribe’s village not long ago. And right now, they are building a port.”
The Ramis Tribe’s village was located on the southern coast and it took one and a half months to get there from Kara. The Robros navy was trying to build a base there to supply the Robros army which was heading to Kara.
“How many Robros troops are there?”
“They say 200,000 but we think it’s about 40,000. And half of them are civilians such as technicians, laborers, and merchants.”
Then their combat force must be only about 20,000. In fact, these numbers were identical to the numbers in my past life.
“That’s good.”
“What? Master, we are completely surrounded now because of their navy.”
“I know. I’m saying it’s lucky for us because things are not worse than I thought. We still have a fighting chance.”
“I understand, sir.”
I stopped walking and got lost in thought for a little bit. As Kara had enough troops to defend itself, I could think of some tactics against the Kingdom of Robros.
“Oh, by the way, you should send ambassadors to the Kingdom of Robros.”
“Sir, are you trying to sign a peace treaty?”
“Of course not. Seriously, do you think they will sign?”
“Then how come…?”
I made a fishy smile.
“You should order our ambassadors to tell the Kingdom of Robros about the fact that Duke Wastein has offered us a secret deal and ask them what they can offer us.”
Uddin opened his eyes wide.
“Are you trying to make mischief, sir?”
“Yeah, exactly. Our troops are now over 30,000 and Duke Wastein’s troops are over 200,000. If these two join their forces, they might be able to take over the Kingdom of Robros.”
“It might be possible but do you think they will trust what we say? During war, enemies frequently make mischief against each other so I don’t think they will easily get deceived by us.”
“Trust me. It will work. The Robros king is very old and distrustful of people. If we’re lucky, Duke Wastein will get removed from his position. And even if they don’t fully trust what we say, he will still seem a little bit suspicious to those in the Kingdom of Robros.”
“I understand, sir. I will start working on it as soon as possible.”
Uddin willingly obeyed my order. The only thing he should do was to send ambassadors. If my plan failed, Kara still got nothing to lose. On the other hand, if it worked, Kara would be in a very good position to win this war.
* * *
In the main palace, the Emir’s vassals were standing in rows at both the right and left sides. Padilla was sitting at the throne covered with silk. She gently looked down at the generals and commanders kneeling down in front of her and pledging their allegiances. Among them were the commander Kasim, the leaders of Great Desert bandits, and the commander Akam who led the defeated troops of Braham.
Upon my signal, Padilla spoke in a very serious voice.
“Commander Akam and Deputy Commander Kasim, come forward.”
Both men came forward and prostrated themselves simultaneously.
“It’s an honor to present myself to you, your highness.”
“First I speak to you, Commander Akam.”
Akam bent his waist forward.
“Yes, your highness.”
“I will grant you the title of the first rank aristocrat and the right to command 4,200 soldiers as well. You must do your best to win the battles against the Robros army.”
“Your highness, it’s a great honor to serve you and fight to the death for Kara.”
His troops were made of 1,400 defeated troops of Braham and other warriors who just came to Kara. His job was to command these 4,000 troops as the commander of the 4th Army.
Shortly after, Padilla spoke to Kasim.
“Now I speak to you, Deputy Commander Kasim.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“I will also grant you the title of the first rank aristocrat and the right to command soldiers who came to Kara along with you. You must do your best to win the battles against the Robros army.”
“Your highness, it’s a great honor to serve you and fight to the death for Kara.”
His troops were made of 4,890 members of the Great Desert bandits and they were the 5th Army. They were not completely obedient to their orders all the time yet their combating skills were pretty good. Thus, it would probably play some important roles.
I exchanged glances with Padilla and made a satisfied smile.
‘The reformation of the Kara army is done now. I bet Duke Wastein will be at his wit’s end. Hehehe.’
The First Army led by Razal had 4,123 soldiers in total. The Second Army led by Shura had 4,102 soldiers and the Third Army led by Adan had 4,108 soldiers. Also, there was the Orc unit led by Zenbe which had 4,393 members. Moreover, with 2,230 people who were eliminated in the recruitment test and other 2,745 warriors who came from other regions but were not assigned their positions yet, Kara had 4,975 reserve troops in total.
With the newly created 4th and 5th Armies, the total number of Kara troops was 34,691. It was quite a huge army.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Robros could send only about 50,000 troops to Kara this winter because of supply issues. Given the fact that it would usually require a double number of troops to those of enemies when attacking a castle, Duke Wastein must be at his wits’ end. There was no guarantee of conquering Kara with only 50,000 troops but he had no other options. Otherwise, the war would be prolonged for many years.