Once they reached the estate, Kruger began silently judging its defenses. He was surprised to find they were not as poor as he had expected. After speaking with Carlos, he had imagined the servants would be idle—some even asleep or negligent in their duties—but instead they were alert and active.
His eyes lit up slightly. Perhaps Carlos's treatment of his men could become the foundation of a capable army. Still, as a Prussian, he saw far too many flaws in their organization. Rather than pointing them out himself, he signaled one of his soldiers.
"Tell me," he said, "what weaknesses do you see in the patrols of this estate?"
A scarred veteran named Steinhof stepped forward. He did not even look directly at the servants; he had already memorized their patterns during the ride up the driveway. Standing rigidly at attention, eyes fixed on the horizon, he spoke with the cold, rhythmic precision of a training manual.
