"Ugh," I groaned as bright sunlight hit my eyes the moment we exited the prison chambers, and out into the fort grounds, where tens of thousands of troops had lined up, likely for the same reason as us, to head to the southern front.
"Stop dilly-dallying and go get your weapons from the armory. I want all of you back here within 30 minutes," the hundred-man commander said as he went into the crowd of soldiers, likely to give his report to his superiors.
Following his orders, we went into the barracks, and I proceeded to get myself a spear and an axe, along with a few knives in case things got rough. I strapped them onto a belt and left the armory, as did a few other people who seemed more sure of what weapons they would be needing.
It took all of us, at least those of us who were in the same unit as me, about 20 minutes to get our weapons and gather where we were told to. At a glance, I could tell there were now thousands more standing here than there were earlier.
"Good, at least you know how to be punctual with your time," said the hundred-man commander, ordering us to stand in 5 lines of 20 and line up behind him.
"Try not to hold your own weight," he said with audible annoyance. At this point, the more impatient prisoners among us had started to get increasingly agitated at the constant belittling by the hundred-man commander. Come to think of it, I still didn't know his name or actual rank. I had so far only inferred what I could from the way he dressed and acted, that he was a hundred-man commander. It was difficult to say if he was that, as there was nothing that proved what his actual rank was.
"Not that it matters anyway," I said to myself, sighing a little at the exhaustive situation we were in. Of course, I was concerned about the future, and what kind of situation we were in, but having an asshole for a commander made the whole process far more annoying than it ever needed to be.
Then, as we followed our commander, as annoyed as we may have been, "MEN!" came a commanding but familiar voice from the very front of the massive army.
***
"GENTLEMEN, BRAVE SONS OF OUR LAND, FATHERS AND BROTHERS STANDING UNITED, TODAY WE FACE A PERIL UNLIKE ANY BEFORE, A THREAT THAT IMPERILS NOT JUST THE SOVEREIGNTY OF OUR BELOVED KINGDOM, BUT THE VERY EXISTENCE OF MANKIND," I proclaimed, my voice resonating across the ranks as I surveyed the sea of soldiers from atop my horse. According to what my generals said, we had about 60 thousand soldiers here, including the 10 thousand prisoners we had just freed.
"FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS, WE HAVE VALIANTLY RESISTED THE ONSLAUGHT OF DEMONS FOLLOWING THEIR CATACLYSMIC INVASION. TIME AND AGAIN, THEY HAVE SOUGHT TO OVERRUN THE WESTERN WALL – OUR BASTION, OUR SHIELD THAT HAS SAFEGUARDED OUR FAMILIES, OUR CHILDREN, OUR FUTURE. TODAY, HOWEVER, THAT BULWARK FACES ITS DIREST HOUR," I continued, my gaze sweeping across the assembled men. As I finished what I said, I looked beyond the fortress, as did the soldiers who were listening to me my speech was working.
"THE DEFENSES TO OUR SOUTHWEST HAVE CRUMBLED. THE SOUTHERN BASE OF OPERATIONS LIES IN RUINS, AND A VALIANT FEW STRUGGLE TO STEM THE TIDE OF CORRUPTION THREATENING TO OVERRUN THE MAIN FRONT" I shouted, turning my head south.
"I STAND BEFORE YOU, NOT JUST AS YOUR GENERAL BUT AS A FELLOW SON OF THIS LAND, FULLY AWARE OF THE IMMENSE SACRIFICE I AM ASKING OF YOU. THE PATH AHEAD IS FRAUGHT WITH PERIL, AND THE ODDS OF OUR RETURN ARE UNCERTAIN. YET, THE CALL OF DUTY, THE CALL TO PROTECT OUR HOMELAND, OUR FAMILIES – MOTHERS, FATHERS, SISTERS, BROTHERS, AND CHILDREN – IS A CALL WE CANNOT, WE SHALL NOT IGNORE," I said firmly, returning to the front where I had started my speech.
"THIS PLEA, THIS ENTREATY I MAKE, IS NOT AS A COMMANDER TO HIS TROOPS, BUT AS A MAN WHO SHARES YOUR LOVE FOR THIS LAND AND ITS PEOPLE. LET US MARCH FORTH, NOT IN FEAR, BUT WITH THE COURAGE THAT HAS DEFINED US THROUGH THE AGES. LET US DESCEND INTO THE HEART OF DARKNESS, NOT WITH TREPIDATION, BUT WITH THE RESOLVE TO ENSURE THAT OUR CHILDREN, OUR DESCENDANTS, SHALL LIVE IN A WORLD FREE OF THIS BLIGHT," I said, slightly bowing my head towards the soldiers, catching everyone by surprise.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
***
"FOR THE KINGDOM, FOR MANKIND!"
"FOR THE KINGDOM, FOR MANKIND!"
"FOR THE KINGDOM, FOR MANKIND!"
Following the great general's rousing speech, a loud chant had spread among the soldiers. Even I, who would generally be rational and not get roused by such pep talks, was fired up. Why, of course, I would be; I too had a family outside these walls that I would give anything to save.
"FORWARD MARCH!" the great general announced as we started to move through the paved way to the southwestern front, a journey that would take an entire two days.
Of course, while the general had indeed managed to raise morale, there was one major concern on almost every semi-intelligent individual's mind, 'Would the south be able to hold out until we arrive?' The answer to that we would know after our long trek south.
***
"Sir, I don't get it. Why did you tell them so much information? Wouldn't it have been smarter to let them think we were going to win once we entered the fray?" my grandson asked, Arthur Maximus, a smart young man, a little hot-headed maybe but a talented kid.
"Arthur, do you think the people behind you are so stupid as to not have figured out the situation we are in by now? They may be commoners, most of them, however, none of them are stupid enough to not realize by now the meaning of taking along prisoners with us," I said to him as I gestured to him the 10,000-strong army block made mostly of prisoners that would be fighting directly under my command.
"Given there are going to be quite a few who certainly are unwise, even among these men, to not yet have realized their fate, however, even they, when told by the wiser many what they understood of the situation, would start to panic. And once panic starts, so would rumors, which tend to exaggerate the situation, making the panic only worse," I continued as a certain young man in the prisoners' division caught my eye, the same one that we had sent to prison three days ago, due to the suspicious nature of his arrival at the camp front of the forest.
"Which would mean the best way to handle the situation at hand was to let the peasants know of their fate and use their love for their family to rouse up morale," my grandson said, bringing my attention back to him.
"It is as you said. I am relieved that you are getting smarter quickly. You will have to, for likely after this battle, you will have to inherit my title as Duke, and without such knowledge, you won't be able to survive in the world of politics… Child, always remember the reason why nobility exists is because peasants exist. Take from it what you will. Now return to your position."