For this strict regime of control to succeed the soldiers had first to be “fixed” in positions assigned to them. This was done through a number of techniques. First the soldiers were each given a number by which they were identified. It was not enough simply to register the names and physical descriptions of the soldiers in every regiment to be able to control them; each soldier came to be identified by a number he was given, i.e. the place he occupied in the bigger unit. The army payrolls were also numbered accordingly and when these registers were not properly prepared, it proved impossible to know how much every soldier was to be paid as well as how often to issue him a new uniform.

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 711