Wei met General Mo in the command pavilion. The formation packet lay open on the map table, the transfer lines visible between the provincial road and the command seal.
“I want the consent slips withdrawn,” Wei said. “The soldiers believed they were signing for supplies.”
Mo studied the seals. “The formation is necessary to hold the provincial line.”
“The men weren’t told it would take their future cultivation.”
“Their future progress matters little if the column collapses before the season ends.”
Wei pointed to the form. “The diagram describes what the formation does. The signature line does not say the soldiers accept that cost.”
Mo answered that a commander could not explain every consequence during a short mobilization. He had to make decisions before the enemy moved. Wei said the order did not merely borrow power for one battle. It would alter each soldier’s future for decades.
Mo leaned on the table. “You have never held the province through a storm front with half the troops you needed.”
