(12)
The general looked up when he heard the news. He wasn’t smiling. ‘Very well. You can come back, but don’t think that you’ll be fighting. Polo and war are different. You’ll work in my office and learn how to move fighting men and horses quickly and to find food, weapons, and a safe place for them to sleep. Remember that brave soldiers and fast horses are only half the story. We only win wars when strong men are ready to fight in the right place at the right time.’
Yusuf was in the army now, but life wasn’t easier. Every day he made sure that the soldiers and their horses had good food to eat. He counted weapons and made sure that they were strong and clean. He paid soldiers and kept the army’s money safe.