Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Forging the Red Dragon Legion
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The organization of the Red Dragon Legion proceeded swiftly.
Gerhard, now promoted to Grand Marshal, had to step down from his role as commander of the 10th Legion. Rather than disbanding or reorganizing the 10th Legion—which, even including those recovered from injuries, numbered only about 6,000 men—he decided to merge it into the Red Dragon Legion.
"How did you convince them?"
"Once I told them you were the legion commander, they all nodded in agreement."
Seeking out Gerhard upon hearing the astonishing news, I found him gripping the marshal's baton, chuckling heartily as he greeted me.
"...What was it really like?"
"I figured you wouldn't believe me. The fact that it's His Majesty's direct legion lent it all the persuasion needed. The officers said they had no issue as long as their ranks were preserved."
"I see. Thank you."
"For me, you're the most trustworthy one to lead them, so no need for thanks."
Acquiring elite soldiers like those of the 10th Legion was no easy task, so I expressed my deep gratitude to him.
In the end, the Red Dragon Legion consisted of 4,160 infantrymen from the 1st Provisional Legion, 3,897 infantrymen and 1,890 cavalrymen from the 10th Legion.
A total force of 9,947 men.
It was on the smaller side among legions, but more than enough to shift the tide of war.
After completing all the formal procedures like the official appointment ceremony over a few days, I gathered the officers of the Red Dragon Legion.
"Everyone's here."
"Mm."
At the report from Vice Legion Commander Alexandrov, Victor surveyed the assembled officers in the tent.
Aside from a handful of officers from the 1st Provisional Legion, most were from the 10th Legion.
Only about half of the 10th Legion's officers had agreed to join the Red Dragon Legion, but even that half outnumbered the entire officer corps of the 1st Provisional Legion.
They wore their original uniforms and, without any instructions, had grouped together with those from the same original unit, eyeing each other.
Victor, standing in the center, was also dressed in his existing Imperial officer's uniform as he observed them.
"I've called you all here today to decide the path forward for our Red Dragon Legion. I am Victor, appointed as the legion commander of the Red Dragon Legion."
"..."
"Please come forward one by one and introduce your rank and name."
Victor drew the officers' attention and gave a glance to Alexandrov, who stepped forward hesitantly.
"Vice Legion Commander, Alexandrov Kalichin."
Once he finished, the other officers followed, introducing themselves briefly one after another.
"1st Infantry Regiment Commander, Klaus Schultz."
Forming the 1st Infantry Regiment with the 10th Legion's infantry was Victor's gesture of respect toward soldiers from a regular legion.
The soldiers of the 1st Provisional Legion, who might have felt slighted, were personally persuaded by Victor and accepted reassignment to the 2nd Infantry Regiment without resistance.
"Boris, 2nd Infantry Regiment Commander."
The infantry of the 1st Provisional Legion, which had lacked a dedicated regimental commander, had Boris—who had racked up merits in battle after battle—appointed to the role.
"Cavalry Regiment Commander Heinrich Rauch."
The cavalry regiment remained under Heinrich, who had previously led the 10th Legion's cavalry.
"I am..."
"4th Cavalry Squadron Commander, Hans Meyer. Pleased to meet you."
After the other officers finished their introductions,
"As His Majesty Luise Zeinburg's direct legion, we will carry out battles and strategic missions in representation of His Majesty's will."
Victor began with a standard phrase.
"Since we carry out His Majesty's orders directly, we will operate differently from other legions. This black uniform, bestowed upon us personally by His Majesty, will serve as the symbol unique to the Red Dragon Legion, distinguishing us from others. Adjutant Anna."
"Yes, General."
At Victor's instruction, Anna left the tent and returned with a large box.
-Thud.
"...?"
The puzzled officers awaited Victor's instruction, and he soon opened the box to reveal its contents.
"...Uniforms?"
"That's right."
Inside were neatly stacked helmets and uniforms with a black base accented in red.
Victor picked up the uniform and helmet at the top, embroidered with his name, and showed them to the officers.
"For the successful execution of our missions, we must unite under the name of the Red Dragon Legion and advance as one. This moment marks the beginning."
He paused in his speech and slowly unbuttoned his current uniform.
The officers' gazes fixed on him all at once.
He wore an undershirt beneath, so his body wasn't exposed,
"Legion Commander?"
"...!"
The officers in the tent were flustered by Victor's bold action, and even Anna—who had been forewarned—hurriedly covered her face with her hands.
As he methodically folded and set aside his old uniform, then donned the new one along with the helmet.
The tent fell into silence.
"We are no longer officers of the 1st Provisional Legion or the 10th Legion. From now on, we advance together as officers of the Red Dragon Legion. Vice Legion Commander Alexandrov Kalichin."
"Yes."
Without stopping there, Victor called Alexandrov and handed him the uniform emblazoned with his name.
Alexandrov changed into the Red Dragon Legion uniform right there, just like Victor, and Anna quickly slipped out of the tent.
"Klaus Schultz, 1st Infantry Regiment Commander."
"...Yes."
Klaus stared at the uniform in Victor's hand for a moment,
"If it's burdensome, you can start wearing it from the next meeting."
"No, Legion Commander."
Far from eased by the consideration, he seemed more resolved as he removed his current uniform.
The other officers, seeing this, received their uniforms from Victor and changed as well, and soon all the officers were clad in black uniforms.
"Boris, 2nd Infantry Regiment Commander. I look forward to your performance ahead."
"I won't disappoint you, General."
Victor moved among the officers, personally attaching the badges emblazoned with the Red Dragon Legion's emblem.
The officers' eyes grew resolute with the badges affixed.
It was a stark contrast to how other legion commanders seized control of their forces, but to these officers who had already experienced Victor's prowess firsthand, his leading by example and sincerity resonated deeply.
"We are one. Let us advance together until the name Red Dragon Legion becomes a symbol of fear and respect."
"Understood!"
"Yes, General!"
The officers responded thunderously to Victor's declaration, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, let us discuss concrete training plans and strategies."
All the officers focused on his voice.
"We plan to maintain the organization of two infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment. However, there will be major changes to the armament, strategies, and tactics of those forces."
He retrieved a long box he had set aside at the back.
"You've all seen the cannons used by the 8th Legion. They're expensive and difficult to operate, but their payoff is undeniable."
"Do you plan to form an artillery unit?"
"Correct. But we won't stop there. We will be the vanguard of the Imperial Army's transformation."
Responding to Klaus, Victor confidently opened the box.
"This weapon will replace all of our infantry's arms."
"...?"
Inside the box lay a cylindrical iron tube mounted on a long wooden stock, with a rod connected by strings to various components on one side.
"...Is this a weapon?"
Alexandrov voiced the officers' confusion at the unfamiliar object whose purpose was impossible to discern from sight alone.
"This is a weapon called a musket. It's used by dwarves in the southwestern continent, including the Kingdom of Anchester."
Victor set down the early matchlock musket for a moment and displayed a pouch of lead balls.
"Using the same gunpowder as in cannons, it propels these lead balls at high speed toward the enemy."
"..."
"In a pinch, you can attach a blade to the end for close combat. I plan to equip the entire infantry with this weapon."
Even after Victor's explanation, the officers eyed the device skeptically,
"Shall I demonstrate?"
"...Yes."
"The weather's perfect, so I can show you."
He led the officers to a pre-prepared firing range.
The setup was simple—just poles with targets in an empty field devoid of people—but Victor figured it would suffice to show the musket's power.
"The musket is aimed directly at the enemy. Compared to existing weapons, it's closer to a crossbow than a bow."
He called over soldiers waiting at the range, who brought a crossbow, a bow, and armor.
"These are for comparison. Would you like to inspect them?"
The officers quickly noted that the bow and crossbow were standard military issue and turned their attention to the armor beside them.
Heinrich, who had long led the cavalry, recognized it at a glance.
"...This looks like the plate armor used by the Empire's medium cavalry."
"Correct."
"Haha... If that's the target, no need to even shoot with a bow or crossbow."
Heinrich spoke with a light smile tinged with pride in the armor.
"Is that so?"
"The armor our cavalry uses is superior in thickness and quality to any other plate armor. Are you planning to shoot from a few meters away, by any chance?"
"I'm thinking 50 meters."
"At 50 meters, no bow or crossbow in the Empire could penetrate it. Honestly, I suspect this musket will be the same."
The other officers, though silent, shared Heinrich's view.
Medium cavalry plate armor had never been pierced by arrows unless aimed precisely at joints or seams.
"I'll show you with results. You'll be surprised, no doubt."
"...Understood."
Victor replied with a small smile.
"Here."
"Yes."
At Victor's instruction, a soldier hung the plate armor on a wooden pole about 50 meters away and returned.
"The bow and crossbow demonstration will be done by this soldier in my stead. Ready?"
"Yes."
One of the soldiers waiting at the range stepped forward at Victor's call and demonstrated shooting with the shortbow and longbow.
"Firing."
He fired about five shots each from the shortbow and longbow at the armor.
"Oh, all hits."
"...Impressive skill."
All his arrows struck true, but they left only faint scratches on the armor.
"Firing the crossbow."
The crossbow fared no better.
The high-quality plate armor, nearly 3mm thick, blocked all the bolts.
"A given result."
"Indeed."
The cavalry officers conversed with satisfied smiles, and Victor watched them with pleasure.
"Before demonstrating the musket's power last, we'll replace the target with a fresh suit of armor."
"!"
The officers, who hadn't minded saving the musket demo for last, could sense Victor's confidence in even swapping to new armor.
"For reference, I'll demonstrate the musket shot myself."
"..."
Though doubtful that a small lead ball could achieve what even large arrows couldn't, the officers held their tongues since Victor himself was stepping up.
They silently watched as Victor loaded powder and ball into the musket, rammed it home with the rod, and lit the matchcord.
"Firing. ...Ah."
Having aimed at the gleaming new armor after completing preparations,
"You should cover your ears."
He advised the officers last.
"Do as the general says."
"...Understood."
The officers, familiar with cannon fire from the gunpowder's roar, covered their ears.
-Click!
Confirming they were ready, Victor pulled the trigger.
And moments later,
-Boom!
"Argh!"
"...Ugh."
A massive blast echoed as gray smoke billowed, obscuring the officers' vision.
Some who hadn't covered their ears screamed at the unexpectedly thunderous noise, and others collapsed in place.
A breeze blew through, clearing the smoke in an instant,
"Time to check the results."
Victor walked to the target himself, picked up the plate armor, and returned.
The officers couldn't believe their eyes at the sight.
"What do you think? At this range, you can hit without extreme training. Even if shots miss, volley fire from the unit will amplify the effect."
The breastplate—the pride of the Imperial cavalry—was completely caved in where it had taken the bullet.
The officers could infer that anyone wearing it would surely have died.
"...Incredible."
"Whoa..."
The cavalry officers responded haltingly, while the others admired the bullet's mark in pure awe.
"It's not without flaws, but the version I'll distribute to the legion will be more advanced. Improvements in reload speed, accuracy, reduced smoke obscuring vision, and more."
"..."
"I believe that if our 8,000-strong infantry wields this weapon, we can dominate the battlefield."
Victor said as he ran the ramrod along the barrel.
"What do you all think?"
"..."
The officers alternated glances between the musket, the dented armor, and Victor,
"How will you train with this weapon?"
"How will tactics change...?"
"Can the cavalry use this weapon too?"
before bombarding him with enthusiastic questions.