Chapter 91: Company
The manpower from the town proper arrived in Landi by mid-afternoon. It couldn’t be helped. Capitan Sadiwa had, in fact, acted on my orders without delay, but gathering the scattered recruits, briefing those who had been left behind, and locating the proper tools still took an hour or two.
To their credit, they immediately joined the others in the mud and muck as soon as they arrived, no complaints or hesitation. Don delos Santos was very pleased when I returned a little while later, having eaten and rested at Don Suarez’s residence.
Capitan Sadiwa was out in the fields himself, sleeves rolled up and getting dirty like everyone else. The officer cadets and NCO candidates coordinated closely with Don delos Santos’ assistants and directed their men with remarkable clarity. I didn’t see Adan or Severino—likely, they were among those left behind to help oversee the town.
"I like these young men, Heneral," the juez said, beaming with satisfaction as he watched the dikes being dismantled and the ditches dug in precise, systematic rows. "Your training makes them faster, stronger... and very quick to follow orders."
"You are very welcome, Señor," I replied, smiling faintly. In truth, trained soldiers were overqualified for this kind of work. But they were also perfect for it. I remembered how, in Korea, our undermanned battalion of hungry, exhausted men dug over a mile of trenches in six hours. Of course, the fear of being caught in the open by advancing Norks had been a powerful motivator.
Still, the discipline and coordination ingrained in soldiers made them ideal for manual labor—efficient, uncomplaining, and cohesive.
By the time the sun dipped low on the horizon, the rice field by the road was ninety percent finished. An impressive feat, though I failed to fully appreciate it. Even if everything was done by tomorrow, we’d still need at least two days just for the drying. That would only leave Sunday—one day before Monday—to complete the construction of the stations.
Despite my concern, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Capitan Sadiwa organize the withdrawal from the fields. His men fell into formation, leaving the area in an orderly march back to town. In contrast, the civilian laborers—tired, scattered, and muddy—headed off in the opposite direction, clearly outclassed in every way by the disciplined recruits.
Perhaps they were beginning to wonder if we still needed them. And indeed, we did. I would do anything to shorten the timetable—even by just a bit.