Time of Recruiting Army

Time of Recruiting Army as included in chapter II of Book IX in Arthashastra, lays down some of the conditions within which the conqueror can employ different types of soldiers which include hereditary army, hired troops, corporations of soldiers , troops belonging to a friend and troops comprising of wild tribes. According to Arthashastra when the conqueror thinks that his hereditary army is more than required for the defence of his country; and is well known four its attachment to the king and the kingdom they belong to; and when he is confident about the skills of the hereditary army for being sufficient to defend his country from his enemy, then he can recruit these hereditary army as they shall not fall prey to the enemy`s intrigues.

Time of recruiting Army provides a second type of troops which a conqueror can recruit at the time of invasion. When the conqueror thinks that the army he has hired is larger than his hereditary army, that the hereditary army of his enemy is too inefficient and weak to confront the newly hired army of the conqueror, and the actual fight shall be less treacherous and the time and place of war shall not entail much loss of men and money then the conqueror may have the alternative to recruit hired army who are more professional in fighting a war.

Time of recruiting Army further claims that when the conqueror thinks that the immense corporation of soldiers which he possesses can be trusted for both the purposes of defending his country from enemy`s attack as well as marching against the enemy in time of attack , when he shall be absent for a short period of time and his enemy`s army at the same time mainly consists of soldiers of corporation and consequently the enemy is desirous of carrying out a treacherous fight than the actual fight then the conqueror in such conditions can recruit such corporations of soldiers which are also known as Sreni. When the conqueror thinks that the help of a strong friend and his army shall be beneficial for him to win a strong enemy who basically intends to fight a war of treachery than an actual war, then the conqueror can recruit the friend`s army who can be used to occupy the wild tracts, cities and plains and fight with his enemy`s ally. In case the conqueror is away for some time then his incomplete work can be completed by his friend while the friend can also be trusted to fight for both the kingdom and march for its security against the enemy. Within his troops the conqueror can also include the army of wild tribes who shall have prophecy in handling the wild tracts of the kingdom. When the conqueror thinks that the roads which are unfavourable for the enemy`s army to march and that the enemy`s army mainly consists of the tribal men then the conqueror can recruit wild tribes within his army.

Thus Time of recruiting Army suggest the exact conditions when the conqueror can recruit a variety of soldiers in his army and be all prepared to fight against any kind of enemy. Arthashastra mentions that the army which is vast and is composed of various kinds of men and is so enthusiastic as to rise even without provision and wages for plunder and which is capable of applying its own remedies against unfavourable rains; which can be disbanded and which is invincible for enemies; and that of which all the men are of the same country, same caste, and same training, is to be considered as a compact body of vast power which shall overreach any kind of enemy at all conditions.