Free Web NovelChapter 138: Chapter 129: Lord Robson’s Army
A fervor had recently swept through everyone in Qimo Fortress, from the officers to the common soldiers.
The army radiated a newfound vitality, like that of spring—a level of energy unimaginable for an army composed of peasants.
Robson’s military reforms had sent shockwaves through the entire officer corps of the fortress.
Initially, many of the nobles had resisted the idea of commoner officers. While Robson had appointed many commoners to officer positions before, those were essentially temporary appointments that carried no official standing.
Now, it was clear Robson intended to make these appointments official.
The only positions left for the nobles were the handful of corps commander roles.
Unfortunately for them, their objections were useless.
The entire army was firmly in Robson’s grasp. With logistics handled by Viscount Fuman and Robson himself, it was effectively Robson’s private army, leaving the other nobles with no say in the matter. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Among the upper echelons, the matter became little more than a temporary topic of conversation. But for the common soldiers, it caused an uproar.
Every last common soldier in the fortress was cheering for the reforms.
Aside from the most elite Heavy Infantry Corps in the First Corps, the others were all striving to be selected as officers.
The men in the other corps were all training hard, hoping to get into the First Corps.
And when Robson, to spur everyone on, fulfilled his promise ahead of schedule—awarding twenty Gold Coins to the twenty best-performing squads from the last war—the men began to train even harder!
In the eyes of these peasants, what was most important?!
Private property, of course!
The peasants of this world were not like those from Robson’s previous life.
Due to the power of magic and the vastness of the land, many Knights had hundreds or even thousands of subjects under their command, to say nothing of Barons.
Peasants were not treated as harshly as they had been in Robson’s previous life. In order to keep their fiefs running, lords allowed peasants to possess their own private property to a certain degree—though it was, of course, very little.
Now, Robson hadn’t just promised them an unprecedentedly large pie. More importantly, this noble lord didn’t just talk a big game; his "cooking" was excellent, and he had served up that pie in just a few days.
Now, the entire army, from top to bottom, trained with a feverish intensity. Some wanted a bigger piece of the pie, some wanted the money, and some wanted to climb to the next level.
But regardless of their individual motivations, every single soldier was giving it 120 percent, and the entire army’s rate of experience gain nearly doubled.
In particular, the army’s attitude toward war underwent a complete 180-degree shift.
Before, the men had been largely apathetic toward war. Deep down, they certainly resisted it, but the constant oppression from the nobility had made them grow used to it.
’Life was just an endless cycle: farm, fight, farm, fight.’
Why did they march so obediently onto the battlefield? It was mainly due to generations of propaganda from the kingdom, coupled with such long-term oppression that everyone had simply grown numb.
But things were different now. War meant tangible rewards!
If they could get on the battlefield, they could earn military honors. With enough honors, they could get paid! If they were skilled enough, they could even climb the ranks and become a respected officer!
The Franks were an inherently martial people, and now, everyone was eagerly anticipating the next war!
This was also why Robson had wanted to reform the army’s structure.
Under the old system of appointments, even though Robson was free to choose his officers, the common soldiers saw no hope for themselves.
Although the officers Robson usually appointed were all exceptionally capable, in the eyes of the common soldier, it just seemed like the noble lord appointed whomever he happened to like.
’Now things are different! If I’m good enough, I can become a big shot, too!’
The most common topics of conversation throughout the army were now about when the next battle would be and when they could earn more Gold Coins!
This fervor was so intense it even startled Robson, forcing him to work overnight to codify a set of military laws just to keep everyone’s enthusiasm in check.
Fortunately, these soldiers were originally peasants. With the authority Robson had built up recently, combined with the inherent power a noble held over a peasant, it was easy enough to keep them in line.
Of course, the most important thing for Robson was still the Heavy Cavalry he had been so eagerly anticipating.
On the last day of the deadline for the mobilization order, Robson went to check on his new Heavy Cavalry.
"My Lord! You’re here!"
When Robson and Valentino arrived at the cavalry barracks, Claude was training the troopers Robson had previously selected.
It was unclear if Viscount Luke was simply trying to curry favor or if he had gotten wind of something.
Although the deal for Robson to train his soldiers had fallen through, Viscount Luke had not been remiss in delivering the equipment he had promised Robson.
Not only had he not been remiss, but he had even provided some extra compensation.
For example, of the fifty sets of heavy cavalry armor he had promised, he sent over a dozen extra. He also sent more than ten extra warhorses, and there were still several hundred crossbow-cavalry mounts that Robson had ordered waiting in Sirich City.
Robson didn’t know the reason for this generosity. According to Viscount Luke, war was imminent, and the Gutierrez family had many business ventures they could no longer continue, so they were giving the goods to Robson, part as a sale and part as a gift.
Of course, Robson didn’t quite believe that.
After all, everything Viscount Luke said implied that he had spent a great deal on the matter, clearly letting Robson know that he was now in his debt.
Robson didn’t mind, of course. This was how it was among nobles: you help me, I help you; you help me again, I help you again. After a few generations, families became close allies.
"Not bad," Robson said, turning to Claude. "Are the men getting used to everything?"
"More or less. My Lord, you truly have an eye for talent. Every single man you picked is an elite of the highest caliber," Claude said, his tone tinged with admiration.
While Claude prided himself on his insights into training cavalry, he had to admit that when it came to identifying talent, he was simply no match for Robson.
’Perhaps some people in this world are just born geniuses.’
Robson raised an eyebrow. ’I know my own secrets,’ he thought.
’The Heavy Cavalry he had selected were basically all Tier Six. Those who weren’t Tier Six Cavalry were peak Tier Five, on the verge of a breakthrough.’
’These soldiers were always meant to be Heavy Cavalry; they had only been held back by Lord Robson’s financial limitations.’ ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"Good. Since they’re proficient, have them put their current duties on hold and get ready to pack up," Robson said with a nod.
Lately, a steady stream of messages had been arriving from Earl Wei Man, urging all local armies to waste no time in gathering and preparing.
The news had reached Qimo Fortress long ago. By his reckoning, it was almost time to depart.
"Actually, there’s no need to be in such a rush," Valentino said casually from the side.
"Oh? And why is that?" Robson raised an eyebrow, looking at Valentino with curiosity.
Ever since Valentino arrived at Qimo Fortress, Robson had not stopped trying to learn more about her.
Whether Valentino was deliberately leaking information or it was due to something else, Robson’s efforts to gather intelligence on her had been remarkably smooth.
After getting a clear picture of Valentino’s background, Robson had more or less guessed what her intentions were.
Otherwise, none of it made sense. Why else would Valentino come all the way out to a place like his with seemingly nothing to do?
The Marquis hadn’t just sent verbal encouragement; he had also sent a letter and a detachment of soldiers.
A letter from the Marquis was very telling in itself, especially one sent on his own initiative.
Although Robson felt he had achieved some military success, he didn’t think it was enough to warrant a proactive show of favor from a Marquis.
Of course, his suspicions were one thing, but life went on as usual. It just meant her presence was no longer so unsettling.
"In fact, even if Earl Wei Man and the others set out on the campaign, someone still needs to guard Sirich City. We can simply stay behind as the last ones," Valentino said slowly. Seeing her confident air, Robson figured she had probably already arranged everything.
"I see." Robson nodded, sighing inwardly.
’It really is good to have friends in high places.’
Earl Wei Man hadn’t specified where they were going to fight the Beastmen, but one thing was obvious: it certainly wouldn’t be as comfortable as staying inside Sirich City.
No matter how accommodating the wilderness might be, out there, it was the Beastmen’s domain.
