The Duranabad Campaign(2)

Currently the prince was reading about the new reforms that his father has recently implemented which he suggested to him last time when they met. The reforms in question is as follows

1) The entire royal army has been re-organized into squad at the lowest level to army corps at the highest level.

2) The men in the army will be given salary on monthly basis and a sum of money as pension will be given when they retire instead of land.

3) No more hereditary title and large swath of land will be awarded to any new citizens by the crown for their service instead all the people in service under the crown will be given monthly salary with pension when they retire from their service.

4) In the lands directly administered by the crown or royal family a police department will be built in each city, towns and villages and five thousand men from Royal army has been shifted to this department to maintain law and order.The police department will be given authority to even prosecute the Nobles within the crown administered land if they break the law.

A few moments later

Colonel Virendra entered the command tent with news of count Durani gathering his forces of about 10000 men to attack his position. This was good news for prince Viraja, so he opened a map to find a defensive positon from where he can destroy rest of the count Durani's army. As colonel looked at the map he pointed to a location a little farther from the current location of their camp which will give them a high ground with the forward facing gentle downward slop. The army can be placed on the high ground while a section of the army could be put in reserve in the rear which will be hidden from the count eyes thereby giving the count a false idea of their number.Hearing this the prince nodded and ordered the colonel to move the army as per this plan. 

As the colonel was leaving he suddenly stopped and asked for permission to speak freely, as the prince nodded the colonel said "Your highness we have already captured his son why not use him to force the count to submit to you instead of challenging him to a battle". Hearing this the prince had a smile on his face and said "colonel the count is a tyrannical, egoistic man with a arrogant disposition. He may love his son but when push comes to shove he will always choose himself over anyone else especially when he knows he can have more male heirs. So that is why I challenged him to a battle instead of demanding him to submit to me for treason and asked my father not to intervene in this matter so that the count personally comes out and fight me. Besides I need his county for all the resources it holds and so I want to completely erase any opponent within the county who are loyal to the count or related to him and cause problem latter on and I can justify it by showing the count's treasonous act of attacking me the prince of the kingdom". Hearing this colonel nodded and left the tent.

On another corner of the camp Megha the girl from the town where the count's son was kidnapped was sitting silently as she thinks back to the talk she had with agent Vasuki, he offered her relocation and job as a agent for the prince, if she agrees then she will be moved to the headquarter in the capital and will be trained as a agent to fight the enemy of the kingdom to protect its people.As Megha thought she slowly came to the decision to joining the prince organization as an agent though it will be harsh but remembering the death of her family she hardened her resolve and went in search for Vasuki.

After sometime agent Vasuki is seen standing in-front of the prince, he came to take permission to report back to the third eye headquarters in the capital and also take the girl called Megha to the capital, whom he has brought back from the town instead of leaving her at the mercy of the count's people there.The girl has already agreed to be trained as the agent of third Eye.The prince gave his permission and handed him a letter addressed to his father the king .It outlines his intention to install a governor for the county once he has defeated Count Durani which will be a salaried post instead of hereditary one as per the new reforms and he also requested father to increase the garrison with soldiers of royal army at the border with Bengal to deter the enemy troops from entering the kingdom when the news of failure of their plans to divide the kingdom reaches Bengal sultanate.