Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 121: Army Logistics
The day after seeing Viscount Luke off, Robson went to find Viscount Fuman.
"Baron, what brings you here?" Viscount Fuman was rather surprised to see him.
Robson was a busy man. He was usually either in the barracks, surveying the surrounding terrain, or studying maps.
Even when he wasn’t doing any of that, he was typically training intensely or practicing his combat techniques. He had almost never sought out Viscount Fuman on his own initiative.
"It’s about some military matters. I was hoping you might have a solution," Robson said.
When it came to military matters that involved Viscount Fuman, the topic was, of course, logistics.
"Please, Baron, speak freely," Viscount Fuman said with a nod.
Robson found a random place to sit.
"You saw for yourself how intense that last battle was, Viscount. After giving it some thought, I want to expand the army to seven thousand men." Robson took a sip of water, getting straight to the point.
They were all on the same side here; there was no need for concealment.
According to Robson’s plan, Viscount Luke would send two thousand men, and Qimo Fortress would absorb another thousand on its own. Robson’s army consisted of three legions, but all of them were currently battered. He decided to use the troops provided by the nobles of Qimo Fortress to reinforce the 2nd and 3rd Legions.
As it stood, he could likely bring their numbers up to around two thousand five hundred.
According to Count Valentino, Marquis Oscillate had also arranged for a contingent of reserves for him, a thousand men in total.
Ideally, Robson’s personal army would reach three thousand five hundred men. Adding the soldiers from Viscount Luke, the total number of troops could approach the seven-thousand mark.
"Seven thousand?!" Just as expected, Viscount Fuman was invigorated by the news.
"Baron, if you’ll forgive my bluntness, the fortress in its current state is simply incapable of supporting a seven-thousand-man army.
"If you continue to provide for the soldiers at the same standard as before, Qimo Fortress’s logistical demands could rival those of Mold Castle," Viscount Fuman said with a frown.
Robson cleared his throat.
"Don’t be alarmed just yet, Viscount. Take a look at this document. The numbers aren’t set in stone," Robson said, pulling out a letter.
It had been delivered overnight by griffin from Count Valentino.
"The future of the entire Western Front may be grim," Robson said.
This was precisely why Robson had come to see Viscount Fuman. A simple army expansion would have only required his command.
But after such an expansion, their logistics would be completely unsecured.
The main problem stemmed from Viscount Luke.
Originally, Robson’s plan had been to continue doing business with Viscount Luke. That way, he could not only support a sufficiently large army but even turn a small profit.
But with the situation on the Western Front changing, the soldiers from Viscount Luke might not be sent over.
If the deal with Viscount Luke fell through, Robson would instantly face a massive grain shortage. Furthermore, the situation at the front was growing more tense by the day. The news hadn’t spread yet, but once it did, grain prices were sure to skyrocket.
Moreover, Robson now had a new batch of troops to account for. If the Western Front were to collapse in the future and no one was managing logistics, then Lord Robson’s army would be in deep trouble.
Of course, this was all based on a worst-case scenario. For now, at least, the Beastmen had yet to reach the walls of Devil City, and the entire Western Front was still functioning normally. It was perhaps a bit premature to be discussing such things.
But it was Robson’s habit to always prepare for a rainy day. Since the possibility existed, he had to start preparing immediately.
He had 800 Gold Coins left from his previous deal with Viscount Luke. The main issue was that those prime warhorses had been too tantalizing, and the allure of Heavy Cavalry was too great for Robson to pass up.
So now the question was, where would he get the grain?
If the Western Front truly collapsed, Robson would need at least a month’s worth of rations for his entire army to weather the storm safely.
Even with rations of just one pound of wheat per person per day, there was still a massive shortfall.
It was impossible for Robson to give up on expanding his army. If he let this opportunity slip by, there was no telling how long he’d have to struggle before another one came along.
Therefore, Robson had no choice but to take the initiative and solve the food problem himself.
The Odogin Family’s connections were of little use here, so his only hope was Viscount Fuman.
Viscount Fuman took the correspondence and found that there were two letters inside.
The one on top was not the situational briefing from Count Valentino.
Marquis Oscillate!
Viscount Fuman was utterly shocked!
Looking at Robson sitting before him, calmly sipping his tea, Viscount Fuman frowned, his mind reeling with disbelief.
’Could it be?’
"To the valiant Baron Robson:
Baron Robson..."
The contents were a string of pleasantries, mentioning support for Robson in the form of a contingent of reserves. But the most important part was the name written at the bottom.
Oscillate, November 30th. freewebnøvel.com
Written by the Marquis himself!
Viscount Fuman glanced at Robson, slid the letter back into the envelope, and then began to read the second letter from Valentino.
The first letter had been stunning enough, but the second was no less so.
"Devil City is about to be besieged?" Viscount Fuman felt like he was on a roller coaster today.
"Yes. I’m sure you understand the implications, Viscount," Robson said with a smile.
His purpose in coming today was to squeeze a bit more out of Viscount Fuman.
In truth, it wasn’t really ’squeezing’ him. Viscount Fuman was currently helping Robson manage logistics, but in reality, he was just crunching numbers. He provided little substantial help, yet he’d certainly reaped his share of the benefits.
This could be considered a request for investment, in a roundabout way.
Viscount Fuman slipped the two letters back into their envelope, his expression unreadable.
"So, what you mean to say is, Baron..."
"As you’re surely aware, Viscount, the current food reserves at Qimo Fortress can only sustain us for two weeks. And that’s without factoring in the new recruits. If we include them, we might not even last a week before our food is completely gone.
"I’ve been worrying about the food problem for days...
"But as you know, Viscount, I’m a newcomer to the kingdom. I don’t know many people, so I have money I can’t even spend...
"That’s why I came specifically to see you, hoping to stockpile some military rations," Robson said.
Viscount Fuman finally understood and began to ponder.
To be fair, Robson’s approach was the right one. At least he didn’t think that winning a single battle entitled him to make endless demands on his superiors. He was still trying to solve the problem himself within the established framework.
Without a doubt, in the current situation, help from above would likely be limited to just these reinforcements.
Of course, Robson wasn’t really looking for anything else. As for leather armor, they could simply strip it from the dead Beastmen and repair it. The builds of the Gnolls and the Fox Race were similar enough to humans.
The Beastman Empire’s leather armor was far superior to what humans used, anyway.
In terms of weaponry, there were the crossbows from the Fox Race. Robson had already equipped his High-tier Archers with them. Those crossbows were practically semi-magical items.
The only remaining problem was food.
"As for the food, you needn’t worry, Baron...
"I may not have great abilities myself, but I do know a person or two.
"If your funds are insufficient, Baron, I can even subsidize a bit..." Viscount Fuman said with a smile.
"That’s good. I have 800 Gold Coins on hand right now. I estimate we’ll receive the summons to assemble within a week, and by then, the situation in Devil City probably won’t be looking too good..." Robson said with a smile. As for the question of whether his funds were sufficient...
Robson simply ignored that part.
Clearly, the letter from Marquis Oscillate was already working its magic.
Throughout the year, there were very few people who earned the Marquis’s favor, let alone received a personal letter from him.
In other words, Robson’s future was likely to be championed by the Marquis. He was now a blue-chip stock, a sure bet that was guaranteed to pay off.
But Robson didn’t want to owe too many favors. In the future, such things would only hold him back.
