Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: A County Ahead of Its Time (4)
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After inspecting the training camps, I summoned the vice-barons from each territory to gauge the state of the county and convened a meeting.
The eldest among the vice-barons, Heinz, stepped forward as their representative and began to speak.
"At the Blueport training camp, we're training 4,000 infantry. At the Nant camp, 9,000 infantry and 2,500 men-at-arms. At the Kroitel camp, 3,000 infantry. And at the Helsman camp, 5,000 infantry and 1,700 men-at-arms. To train them, we've drafted 2,500 infantry and 200 knights."
"How's the supply situation?"
"We've arranged for weapons and armor through merchant guilds with strong influence in each region. For food, we're buying about 1.3 times the required amount from local rural areas, even though it's a bit pricier than from large guilds."
"And what's the plan for the soldiers' training regimen?"
"Recruits entering as infantry get 5 weeks, while those commissioning as men-at-arms follow your instructions with 16 weeks."
"Give me a detailed report on the training process."
"Yes, my lord."
With that, Vice-Baron Heinz stood, handing me a scroll neatly outlining the training regimen, and continued.
"First, the 5-week basic training was planned jointly by myself, the other vice-barons, Viscount Kroitel, and the discussions in Helsman. It's the same for both infantry and men-at-arms recruits. Though their combat proficiency differs greatly, we deemed it essential for instilling absolute obedience to superiors and truly forging them into soldiers."
"I see. But before diving into the training details, could you tell me about the treatment and backgrounds of the men-at-arms recruits? I've left this entirely to my father, so I'm not fully up to speed myself."
Normally, I'd involve myself in even the smallest details of the army's basic systems.
How much so? When some field-grade officers tried to settle on the average rations per soldier, I personally reviewed every document.
But for men-at-arms—knights without lands—I stayed hands-off.
Because while I had the skills and experience for knightly combat or paperwork, I was a novice at training knights.
Stepping in blindly would've been a disaster, worse than doing nothing. So I just tossed some simple ideas to my father and the other nobles.
Then told them to draw up the recruitment and training processes and report back.
Assuming I'd read the documents, Heinz opened his mouth and began.
"Primarily, we're recruiting wandering knights who've been knighted but have no lands to inherit. At first, they resisted starting as NCOs treated like freemen, so enlistments were slow. But word spread from Ensign Mark, Lieutenant Short, Major Frost, and Baron Baldt, and applicants increased."
"I see."
"However, most applicants had arrogance and showmanship beyond basic knightly prowess. It made sense for tournaments or mercenary work as wandering knights, but now, those types are worse than useless."
Think of men-at-arms candidates as jobless grads with all the personal skills but zero personality or teamwork—like lone wolves.
"So they'd ignore even commoner superiors."
"Yes. They often disdain NCO instructors just for being commoners. Training hasn't started yet, so no incidents during sessions, but... a few days ago during enlistment exams, Sergeant Major Lawrence was slapped by men-at-arms candidate Gallion Herheim."
"How was it handled?"
"We immediately expelled Gallion and banished him from the county entirely. He won't set foot in Kroitel again."
Banishing a man for assaulting a superior might seem lenient.
But in this honor-obsessed society, it's like a lifetime employment ban back in Korea.
Even in this backward era, dishonorable rumors spread like wildfire.
That guy can kiss knighthood goodbye.
"Wise handling. But if more cases arise, it'll crumble like a riverbank breach. Do you have a plan?"
"As you previously instructed, verbal abuse or disobeying orders will be punished harshly as insults to Count Kroitel himself. But since subordinates can sometimes be right, even minor insubordination requires a major or higher. For serious cases warranting execution, a colonel reviews secondarily, then a baron or above approves."
"Good. Well done. Anything else on men-at-arms training?"
"After the initial 5 weeks, they do 4 weeks of lance charges and mounted combat. The final 2 weeks cover extreme endurance, marches, and dismounted fighting."
A solid method, but mismatched to the era's changes.
Because once pike square formations like Duke Brussels's spread, knight charges lose their edge.
So I spoke up to tweak the regimen.
"Commendable, but these are already skilled in mounted combat. No need for lengthy cavalry retraining. Focus on drill and combined arms tactics with infantry instead."
"Combined arms with infantry, my lord? Infantry have their battlefield, knights theirs, no? You've fought alongside infantry as a baron, but even then, you commanded infantry as infantry, right?"
I could pull that off before because enemies foolishly bungled infantry handling.
Sure, we formed squares, but serf-heavy lines shatter at the first gap.
But if elites like Duke Brussels's train to lead serfs...
"Schwein was an idiot, so it worked. Enemies won't be so dumb anymore—they'll form pike squares too. Then wars shift: infantry push back enemy infantry, knights hit the flanks."
The other vice-barons erupted in chatter.
"Impossible... Knights fight knights, infantry fight infantry—that's the rule of war..."
"But at Sternheim, infantry beat knights. Used right, infantry could rival knights."
"Honorless, weak infantry...?"
"Frost went from infantry ensign to major. They smashed knights fair and square with spears. No guarantee others won't do the same..."
I clapped sharply to refocus them.
"Thus, we must develop infantry-knight cooperative tactics from now on."
Next, I outlined road construction for internal commerce and off-season side jobs for serfs.
We debated long into the session. As it wrapped, a soldier approached with a report.
"My lord, from Guard Captain Major Gentry: Over the past week, missing persons and unidentified bodies have spiked. Investigation points to a criminal gang likely from the north. Their numbers overwhelm the guard—they request support."
Without thinking, I replied instinctively.
"I'll head there tomorrow morning. Tell Major Gentry to unleash his rats and dig up every scrap of intel."
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At dawn, I moved to the Blueport guard headquarters.
As I entered, Guard Captain Major Gentry rushed over in full armor.
"Major Gentry greets Count Kroitel."
"You've worked hard. So, damage scale and size of this northern crime syndicate?"
"Five nobles lost 10 to 30 gold coins each. One of ten major merchant warehouses burned down. Two merchants, four citizens, and ten serfs missing."
One of ten warehouses fully gutted... That guild and its subsidiaries will collapse, spawning hundreds of unemployed.
What to do with them?
Absorb the capable as low admins, let the rest fend for themselves?
Damn these criminals for forcing this headache.
I suppressed the frustration with a sigh.
"Support timely taxpayers for rebuilding, but we can't let this happen again. That requires intel."
"Yes, sir. Per your orders, our officers' privately funded agents say they hole up in Blueport's Sector 5 corners. They frequent Sector 5 whores and peddle strong northern whiskey on the sly."
"Continue."
"They're short-handed—trying to recruit informants we've just contacted. Made intel easier. And this is unconfirmed, but..."
"Out with it."
The guard captain steadied his breath and spoke slowly.
"Gang members occasionally mention Count Petersburg of the Northern Alliance watching over them."
...
My mind blanked white, like an eraser wipe.
How the hell do I handle this...