War was a matter of vital importance to the state, the realm of life and death, the path to survival or ruin. It could not be undertaken without careful consideration.
Even without having studied The Art of War or the Thirty-Six Stratagems in any depth, Allen knew that launching an offensive war with his own country as the principal force required an enormous amount of preparation. This was unlike passive defense, where all he had to do was repel invaders on familiar ground. Nor was it like the battle at the Lonely Mountain, where he had viewed everything from an omniscient perspective. He had known the outcome and what reinforcements his side would receive. All he had needed to do was minimize their losses.
This time, however, things were completely different. Because of Allen's own actions, the arrival of the Easterlings had strayed entirely from the course he knew. The outcome of this war would therefore depend on his own efforts.
For that very reason, Allen felt there was a great deal he needed to prepare before the war. His first task was to gain some understanding of the enemy's current situation. As the saying went, know yourself and your enemy, and you would never be defeated in a hundred battles.
To that end, Allen dispatched all his mounted scouts, along with some of the children who could communicate freely with animals, to investigate the Easterlings' actual strength in eastern Rhovanion.
The children who had graduated from Beorn's Garden over the past few years varied greatly in age, ranging from ten to eighteen. Those aged twenty or above were exceedingly rare. So far, only one had graduated, and that one was exactly twenty. There were also seven children aged fifteen to eighteen. These eight were the oldest of the group.