In the middle of the camp, a young soldier barreled through a group of soldiers squatting around a campfire. Metal and charcoal scattered all over the ground burning several soldiers that were unfortunate to be too close. He himself tripped over one of the men and the two of them rolled into a ball for a dozen feet.
"What the hell!"
"You messed up our lunch!"
"Can you pay us for our lost rations?"
"Take it out of his flesh."
The frazzled soldier put his hands together in a prayer motion and bowed repeatedly. "Brothers, forgive me. I'll repay you later. I have to get to the lieutenant."
One of the men snatched him up by the collar of his tunic and gave him a shake with his legs dangling in the air. "What's your hurry, little bunny?"
"Let me go." He tried to twist his tunic out of the man's iron grasp. "I need to report. The empress is here."
The man let him go and he tumbled to the ground. "The empress!?"
One of the soldiers cleaning up the charcoal liquid mess dropped the sludge in his hands and stood. "For true?"
The soldier nodded his head. "Yes, sir."
The men cleared a path and he rushed all the way to the lieutenant's tent.
"Lieutenant, quick!" Ignoring military protocol, he barreled into the tent. "The empress is here!"
In his mid-forties, the lieutenant had been in the military since his early teens. He'd served under the previous emperor and had been in several wars. He was ambivalent towards the younger emperor and looked down on him for marrying a doujshua and making him the empress.
Annoyed at the lack of discipline and respect of the young soldier, he was even more annoyed at what the soldier said. He threw his steamed bun down on the table and rose from his chair. The table and its contents rattled from his momentum. He grasped his sword and tied it to his belt. "What does he think he's doing showing up in a military camp? This isn't his harem where he can just run around flaunting himself."
The soldier tried to appease the lieutenant. "The empress was a healer. Maybe he came to speak with our doctors."
The lieutenant snorted. A healer was not the same as a doctor. A doctor had formal training and was certified and tested by the best doctors in the empire. A grassroots healer was nothing but a quack. "For what? He's never cared before. Selfish aristocrats. The emperor dotes on his pets too much. His ass should stay in the palace warming the emperor's bed like he bloody belongs."
The soldier's jaw fell to the floor. He could never be so bold to say such nasty things about the empress.
The lieutenant picked up a cup of water and downed it in one gulp. His finger tapped with impatience on the side as he stared off into space.
The soldier shifted from one foot to the next as he waited in the tense silence.
After some time, the lieutenant's eyes narrowed and the finger stopped tapping. His voice was low and deep. "The general should be back shortly. We'll let him deal with this nosy little duju."
"What do we do with him in the meantime?"
"The same thing we do with those nosy little court ministers that come to visit. Show him around, give cursory information, tell him a sob story or two." The lieutenant chuckled and stroked his goatee. "Maybe we can milk a few extra coins out of our oh so benevolent empress."
*******
The first thing that struck Shaugn was the ineffective layout of the camp. Just inside the gate was a barn on one side with all the horses and on the other side appeared to be a meeting area. Beyond that, a sea of tents with fires here and there filled the eye. With his hands behind his back, Shaugn walked around and inspected a few tents and spoke with the shocked soldiers.
Many of them didn't know who he was until they saw the royal guards beside him. Shaugn stopped them from saluting and asked them about the conditions of the camp and their army experiences. Only, when had anyone of the upper ranks of society, let alone the empress, askedd them their opinions on anything? It was instilled in them their lives were to serve the empire without question or fail. Honor, glory, and duty were drilled into them from the moment they were born or joined. They would voice their displeasure in groups of twos and threes but never to anyone in power.
The first few soldiers he spoke to did the 'he looks at me and I look at him' but didn't answer Shaugn's questions. Someone pushed out a young one known to talk a lot but he stuttered so bad no one could understand what he was saying. After several moments, a hot-tempered archer pushed him aside and began to speak.
His voice was low and he kept his eyes on the ground. "If there is one thing the empress and the court can do for us lowly soldiers, it's we need shoes."
"Shoes?"
"Yes, your majesty. We march daily and when dispatched, for long distances. We are allocated one pair of shoes per season."
Shaugn glanced down at the boots the men wore and frowned. The bottom was so thin, how could they only be allocated one pair per season? Let alone their shoes being inadequate, even their clothing seemed inadequate. Taking note of the state of the soldiers' clothing and weapons, he nodded to show his understanding.
"Anything else?"
Once one person spoke, others found courage and added their two cents. There seemed to be a general lack of everything. Many didn't have season appropriate clothing. Some clothing was so worn it was thin and could no longer be patched. With only one blacksmith, many weapons were dull or broken. Meat and vegetables were scarce not to mention grains.
How could this happen?
He had seen some of the financial records. There was more money allocated to the military than all other departments combined. With so many forces to take care of, the money was supposed to be tightly controlled. Shaugn had no doubt someone was pulling the wool over their eyes and taking the money as their own. For the soldiers to be in such a state, it wasn't a small sum nor had it only been a short while.
At this time, the young man that ran from them at the beginning, ran forward and belted out,
"I have seen Lieutenant Ming."
The soldiers in the camp filed into ranks and stood at attention. The lieutenant's cold gaze raked over his men, then the empress' guards, before finally landing on the empress. He put his hand over his heart and bent with a hidden sneer.
"Greetings, your majesty."
Shaugn gave the shifty-eyed man in front of him a half nod. "Sorry to come unannounced. I was... in the neighborhood and wanted to see how the camp was doing."
Lieutenant Ming stood and crossed his arms over his chest. "The empress is kind to be worried about a few rough men like ourselves."
"Of course. " Shaugn poked out his chest and raised his chin. "You are pillars of the empire. Our most trusted and...loyal army."
Several pairs of eyes landed on him. Why was the empress putting on airs and acting with arrogance? What happened to his normal meek and indifferent act?
Shaugn continued as if he didn't see their faces. "We must do all we can to ensure our beloved soldiers are well taken care of."
The lieutenant was vain and proud. He enjoyed flattery the most. His vigilance dropped by three points. "This camp is the finest of all the empire's forces. Thank your majesty for your praise."
"I know the lieutenant is a busy man so I ask you to ignore us and allow one of your men to show us around the storage, arsenal, and training ground."
The lieutenant stiffened and narrowed his gaze. "What is it your majesty wishes to see?"
Shaugn looked around as if he didn't understand anything. "Oh, I dunno. We'll just observe a little bit of everything."
"Any particular reason?"
"I'm thinking of rectifying the palace guard. They seem a little...ill equipped to serve."
Radagar clenched his teeth. Lieutenant Ming glanced at the guard and smirked. "Aren't these guards chosen by the empress himself?"
Shaugn raised his hands and gave a helpless shrug. "I wasn't well versed on what qualifications the guards should have." He clasped his hands in front and gave a slight bow. "Please. Ask the lieutenant to enlighten me."
Lieutenant Ming's eyes shone with pride and ridicule. How could he let go of an opportunity to openly mock the empress and the royal guards?
Said palace guards gnashed their teeth in anger. Even Radagar had a look of displeasure. Shaugn turned and glanced at them throwing out a wink. He'd have to make it up to them later. He turned to the lieutenant and gave a slight smile.
Radagar gave a salute and bowed. "Please, lieutenant. Share your wisdom with us so we may better serve the empress."
If he could make himself look good in front of the empress maybe he could get a few extra perks. Lieutenant Ming rubbed his hands together with a devilish grin. "My pleasure."
*****
After two hours at the camp, Shaugn and his group left without seeing any of the camp's major leaders. They walked around the camp and endured Lieutenant Ming's tiresome dribble about how great their camp and soldiers were. He had the soldiers put on a combat demonstration and a weapon demonstration before showing off the speed of their war horses. Shaugn maintained the clueless empress act until it was time to go.
Leaving the camp, Shaugn tapped the fan against his thigh. Although things seemed to go smoothly at the camp, he knew there was something amiss. Why didn't the general in charge of the camp come forward and receive him? He had to know they had arrived. It was a naked provocation letting him know he was not important enough for them to show any respect.
Shaugn gave a cold snort. It didn't matter. They'd all be rectified soon enough. It would be his hand that did it too.