Chapter10:Nadim (Part 2)

The Asele infantrymen strolled around in small steps, shield in left hand, gun in right, as if they had eaten too much and were walking to aid digestion. The Wahan men gathered around the water barrel, taking turns to drink.

"I am here on the orders of Emir Suruk to lead you to the front lines. The Southern Empire has already occupied Razih, and all forces are now gathering there. You will join me in this campaign. Let's depart now!" Nadim then waved his hand backward, signaling the departure.

"Why weren't we notified?" asked the leader of the village militia.

"What kind of dog are you? Do you want the Emir himself to tell you?" Nadim shouted angrily.

　　Suddenly, a long spear pierced the militia leader's side. Before he could turn around, he was kicked to the ground by an Asele infantryman. The other militia members drew their swords and assumed combat positions. The six men from Wahan retreated immediately and leaned against the earthen wall. The bandits crouched on the ground, scanning the crowd.

　　"This man disobeys military orders and deserves to die. Who else refuses to obey commands?!" Nadim stood on a stone mill, holding a bow in his left hand with an arrow nocked.

The remaining village militia members glanced at each other, none daring to act first.

Seeing no one dared to move, Nadim said, "Since that is the case, the situation is urgent. Everyone, depart immediately."

Nadim led fourteen Asele infantrymen, sixteen bandits, twenty-five village militia members, and six fake bandits who had suddenly appeared, marching eastward in a large group.

　　The sun at around four or five in the afternoon cast the group's shadows long and stretched out.

　　Nadim returned the weapons to the six fake bandits, untied their ropes, and whispered to them with a smile, "You can sneak away. Before I catch up with you, you'd better take your villagers with you. Otherwise, they will die more miserably than the bandits in the cave; that child who is not even as tall as a horse will be trampled into the crevices by the horses until even his bones are crushed by the rocks." His rugged face showed no trace of cruelty, and his disheveled beard hid his smile.

　　Then Nadim shouted at the bandits, " You cowards, you only dare to shout at the elderly, women, and children. I hope you won't wet your pants when you see the iron cavalry of the Southern Empire."

"What has made you so weak, hiding in the shade to cool off? You've been hiding in the shadows for so long that you can't see a single ray of light," Nadim shouted at the villagers again.

　　They passed through the city of Yajis, but only exchanged glances with the guards at the city gates in the darkness of night.

　　The bandits held torches to illuminate their path. They did not reach the village of Livas until late at night, where they stopped to camp beside a haystack at the village entrance.

　　Wahan and the others carried water bags to the village well to fetch water. They were now far from the Nasha Desert, and the men easily drew sweet water from the well. They drank greedily, as if they had never tasted such clean water before—soft and cool. They dared not waste it, so after washing their faces with the clear water, they carried the water bags back.

Nadim established a rule for the bandits, the village militia, and the fake bandits. One person from each group—the bandits, the village militia, and the fake bandits—was assigned to guard duty at night. If anyone from one group escaped, the other two groups would be killed. Ten Asele infantrymen had blended into the darkness. The bandits, village militia, and fake bandits were unsure whether the ten Asele infantrymen had gone to find a place to sleep or were hiding somewhere waiting for the fish to bite. They were afraid, afraid of being stabbed to death for no reason, afraid of being pierced by arrows.

The next morning.

The Aserai infantryman frantically woke Nadim.

Nadim followed the Aserai infantryman to the haystack where the bandits were sleeping. All the bandits were dead, with no signs of struggle, as if they had been slit in their sleep.

"Bring those little bastards over here!" Nadim shouted.

Wahan was surrounded by the Aserai infantrymen.

"How did you do it?" Nadim demanded. "Why didn't you run?"

"Our entire village was massacred by them. They deserved to die!" Bog said with a grim expression.

"And the people from our village," Wahan added.

"What did you do to the water?"

"We added mandrake juice, which puts everyone to sleep," Zayin said.

These six fake bandits not only added mandrake juice to the water but also mixed in a lot of dust. Turbid well water was common in this desert fringe area, so no one noticed anything unusual at first.

"How do you know all this?" "

"My father treated the villagers, and I learned from him. My father was also killed by these bandits."

"Why didn't you run? Did you not have the confidence to kill all of us?! Were you worried about endangering the remaining villagers?! Alright, alright. You're brave! You few young ones not going to the battlefield are truly a loss for Asele," Nadim blurted out all his suspicions at once.

"When your lives become unbearable, perhaps you'll end up like them. There are so many bandits and outlaws in the world; you can't kill them all. If you die, you die."

When the early-rising villagers saw the stationed militia, they were all panicked. Upon seeing the Asele infantry, they sighed quietly.

The village leaders organized the villagers to provide food and water. The village militia were left beside the haystacks.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Nadim led several Asereli infantrymen and a few fake bandits on a patrol of the village.

In the village square, he had the village leaders gather the village militia of Livas Village.

The village militia watched this rugged man wearing chain mail, carrying a Mamluk battle axe, holding a nomadic bow, and with two quivers on his waist, wondering how brave this warrior would be on the battlefield.

"You already know that Razih has been occupied by the Southern Empire, and the Sultan is leading the legions to counterattack. To win this war quickly, all the emirs are recruiting more soldiers. I am here to lead you to the front lines on behalf of Emir Tayis, to join forces with Emir Iyalaras' army. From now on, you will follow my orders and march with me!" Nadim spoke calmly to the village militia.

"If there are no objections, depart immediately! Anyone who disobeys Emir Iyalaras' orders will be executed on the spot." Nadim finished speaking in one breath, leaving no opportunity for anyone to respond.

　　That's acceptable! Wahhan was astonished. Ramtu and the others exchanged glances and nodded repeatedly, thinking to themselves, "We have learned, we have learned."

　　The number of village militia increased from twenty-five to fifty-five. Nadim collected pot lids from the village and equipped the village militia with new shields. These village militia were no longer soldiers with only a one-handed sword.

Nadim assembled the troops, borrowed a cart from the village, loaded it with the newly harvested grain, and the group set off in a grand procession toward the northeast, heading for Laqih.

　　Fourteen Asele infantrymen, fifty-five village militia, and six fake bandits formed a seventy-five-person force.

"You fourteen are now Asele cavalry," Nadim said, pointing at the fourteen Asele infantrymen.

"You six are now Asele infantry," Nadim said, pointing at the six fake bandits, speaking clearly, " "Now, the twenty of you will serve as my personal guards, always following me and obeying my orders."

Nadim divided the remaining fifty-five men into five groups of ten, each led by a squad leader.

Nadim handed the trumpet to Rada, "From now on, you are the trumpeter. Practice more when you have nothing else to do. Don't end up blowing it so loudly on the battlefield!"

　　Nadim and the twenty personal guards followed the group from a distance. "Anyone in the group who shows any signs of trouble or tries to escape—don't tell me, just execute them on the spot," Nadim said to the twenty men.

"If any of you six try to escape, you'll have to deal with the consequences yourselves. From now on, you won't be responsible for fetching water either."

Nadim sighed and muttered, "When the blue flags of the Southern Empire are raised over the walls of Asele, our tribe will become their horse pasture..."

"The valley is filled with lonely travelers

They pour sweet love into bottles

Stillborn children spit out fireflies

Guiding the souls on the altar."