Kashyyk: because you only have like half your unit left. Go back to your city and reinforce!
A few hundred men stood on the drill square in front of the general's office. Most of them were standing to what they considered attention. In groups of ten they were called forwards and made to march up and down. Then Fierban would send the ones he considered too sloppy away. After an hour there were only two hundred men left. Wooden training weapons were handed round, and Fierban's sergeants went round testing weapon skills. Those who couldn't do it were sent away too. Eventually only a hundred remained. They were given uniforms. And then they were set to training. For the rest of the week they got only a few hours rest a day. Most of the time was spent doing marching drills, sparring, learning meditation, and being shouted at. At the end of the week, though, they were soldiers. In theory.
Better than nothing, at least.
Recruit a unit of infantry. They spend the week training in Shaocoun.
The soldiers who had been drafted to defend the city received the same fate as the new infantry recruits. Every waking hour of their day was spent training. And those waking hours were sporadically placed throughout the day. Midnight archery practice, wonderful. Woken at 4 in the morning by a man shouting to get into gear pack their bags and get ready to march double time for two hours in fifteen minutes, run of the mill. By the end of the week the prospect of marching to war seemed preferable to another weeks worth of training.
The archers do nothing. Except train.
The cavalry share their experience with the infantry and archers. When not doing so, they rest. They need it.
Fierban placed a checkered game board on the table. He then took two bags of carved figures and handed one to Tsoi.
"I assume you play well? I know participation in tournaments is mandatory for my officers, but I fear some regard it as a mere childs game"
"I try my best, sir. I can't say I have great love for the game, though"
"That is bad luck for you, then. Because this week you will be playing three hours a day, and will spend much of your rest thinking about your next game."
"Yes sir"
"Excellent. Now, in this setup, you have one soldier, one archer, and one general. Placed like so. I have three horses, a priest, and a soldier, placed like so. Defeat me."
"That's impossible!"
"No it isn't. It is only hard. Think about it. Meditate, it helps."
After a few minutes, Tsoi moved his archer.
Fierban nodded and captured the archer. Then Tsoi moved his soldier. Then Fierban captured the soldier. Then Tsoi captured two horses and the priest with his general.
Fierban sighed.
He moved his hands in a blur, playing both sides, ending with the soldier capturing the general.
"Discipline. The correct action was to move to F4 after capturing the first horse. You could have seen that if you had being thinking. New setup. You have a soldier and two archers. I have a spy here, and two horses, here and here. Place your troops for victory"
They played for hours, Fierban drawing on a photographic memory of endless set games. Then Fierban had him read a book of battle reports from hundreds of years ago to learn about the relative strength of different troop kinds whilst he dealt with affairs of governance.
The building stank. Obviously. Stacks of incense stood in every corner. Sweet-smelling flowers in various states of destructions littered the tables. Fierban successfully ignored the smell completely. And the man in front of him had probably lost all sense of smell after a few days of work. Fierban watched him grind powders, mix dyes, and carefully package clumps of colourful stench in paper packages. What man would not do in the name of commerce. Man would grow tired of love and dancing before he grew tired of making money in very strange ways, Fierban thought. Unless, of course, he was a professional dancer. Or prostitute. Not that they were very different.
"And so, my lord, we turn the crude incense that one pulls from the bush into a refined package, truly suitable for the noble court. And, of course, much more valuable."
"Excellent work. I will purchase all you have, and I can promise you that all the rest you produce will find a buyer, be it myself or an independent merchant."
"Thank you, my lord"
Fierban had them move the stock from the storeroom to another storeroom, as he did not feel that merchants could travel without supervision to the capital, and he needed his troops here, now. He would arrange it transport later.
Fierban oversaw the other mundane running of the city, and the training of the troops as well. He also taught Tsoi the principles of leadership, and how to behave properly. Despite the lack of military action it was a busy week indeed.
Fierban teaches/tests Tsoi's tactics, leadership, and nobility. Tsoi is taught/tested.
Fierban also oversees Shaocuon's daily running. I don't know if creating, escorting, and selling resources has any use, but I'm doing it anyway, dagnammit!
Author
Topic: Wars of the Celestial Lord - a game of intrigue, strategy and roleplay (Read 22140 times)