But town by town, the militia soldiers caved in to local pressure.
However, as peace-time militia soldiers, they were both highly successful.
The action followed an attack near the town in which a militia soldier was killed.
"Do you know if any of the militia soldiers at the monastery tried to surrender?"
He glanced at the militia soldiers who stood barely paces down the dock from them.
Later, he said, the militia soldiers threw water over him and left him without clothes all night in the bare room.
The militia soldiers had thrown an old blanket over him and said he was a sick friend.
As we approached it, a militia soldier carrying a spear stepped out into our path.
Very few of the vehicles assaulting the wire were a match for even a single militia soldier.
As one, the militia soldiers dotting the icy hills around the target dropped to the ground.