The Vastness of Magical Destiny-Chapter 215 - 10 Expanding the Army and Training Troops

Chapter 215: Chapter 10: Expanding the Army and Training Troops

Chapter 215 -10: Expanding the Army and Training Troops

“Fran, what do you think about the current situation?” After inspecting the real combat training of the entire Guard, Komer strolled with his hands clasped behind his back and casually asked the Guard leader following behind him.

“Sir, these half-beast soldiers are in excellent physical condition; however, their nature determines that training them to be a disciplined army requires addressing their style and discipline issues. Solonberg and Vladimir Koff have been very effective in training the soldiers’ individual combat skills and weapon fighting. Their abilities have improved quickly. Baoling and I have been focusing on drill exercises and enforcing military discipline. Overall, the progress is swift, and these half-beasts are gradually adapting to the strict constraints of military discipline. At this rate, it won’t be long before they become a qualified army.” Fran was not an officer who enjoyed giving praise, so when he did, it meant there were significant results. Komer understood this well.

“Hmm, however, Fran, I’m afraid we don’t have that much time. Although these five hundred soldiers seem sufficient for the Caucasus now, if an unexpected situation arises, I’m afraid these five hundred will struggle to shoulder the responsibility,” Komer hinted at a deeper meaning with his words.

“Are you suggesting that the situation in Leon could affect our Caucasus?” Fran took a moment before replying.

“Exactly. The garrison of Bruce in the Homer region has already reached three thousand five hundred men, and there are signs of further increases. As you know, my relationship with Grand Duke Philip isn’t too harmonious. Leon is now the shield of our Caucasus. Should Leon fall back under Homer control, I fear Grand Duke Philip will seize the opportunity to declare the revocation of my control over the territory. In that case, the development of our Caucasus would be destroyed.” Komer spoke calmly, but his unquestionable attitude was evident in his words.

“Sir, you are already a noble lord. Grand Duke Philip wouldn’t have the authority to revoke your control over your fief, would he?” Fran glanced at him with some confusion. As a knight familiar with the laws of the Continent, he knew that a lord could not be stripped of control over his territory unless he committed a serious crime, and the decision would have to come from a verdict by the Kingdom Star Chamber Court. His own lord couldn’t simply take away his rights.

“Fran, what you’re referring to are the procedures under normal circumstances. If it’s wartime or the lord has committed the crime of treachery, the control over his territory can be temporarily revoked and managed by the revoker. Do you really think Philip would give back control after taking over the Caucasus? I fear that even if the Kingdom Star Chamber Court ruled in my favor, he would find other excuses to refuse,” Komer said, shaking his head. He was well aware of such so-called compromise tactics. Philip, once acting against him, would not give him any more chances. Deporting him to the Caucasus probably already caused him much regret; given another opportunity, he would certainly not let it slip away.

Fran bowed his head in silence. He, of course, was aware that Komer and Philip were irreconcilable adversaries. The previous blockade on food imports had proved this point, and fortunately, Komer finally opened Mattdam Port. Fran did not know what kind of agreement Komer had reached with the islands of the Nether Sea, but it was surprising that those pirates even used their ships to help the Caucasus with food transport and eventually agreed to open a port right under their noses in Mattdam. Fran did not want to know the intricacies, but it demonstrated the impressive influence of his lord.

“Sir, just speak your plans directly. As long as Fran is able, I will not hesitate to act,” Fran said, knowing that Komer was pressing for a declaration. However, he had long committed himself to the Caucasus. Since so many refugees from the fallen Myron Duchy had come to the Caucasus, Fran had come to consider it his homeland. He could not tolerate any external invasion that would disturb the peaceful and tranquil environment here.

“Hmm, I am indeed in need of your and Baoling’s assistance. I plan to recruit three to four hundred people from the immigrants in Myron Duchy to form a territorial self-defense army as a supplement to my guards, and an additional one to two hundred archers, mainly enlisted from the Prairie Elves of the Meine City-State. In this way, the armed forces of our Caucasus can be doubled, ready for any emergency,” Komer finally revealed his military expansion plan. Faced with the pressure of increased troops at Bruce Fortress, he had to prepare early. Nothing is reliable; only what is fully in one’s own hands can be trusted. “I’d like you to take charge of the comprehensive training of this self-defense army. If you feel you’re short-staffed, Ilot can help you. He can take on the task of training individual soldier skills, but don’t have too high expectations of him.”

Although Fran had been prepared for Komer’s idea of expanding the army, an immediate doubling of forces still came as a shock. A thousand-strong army was undoubtedly a bit much for the Caucasus to need; considering the economic capacity of the Caucasus, it was clear they could not support such a large force.

“Sir, have you consulted with Excellency Puber? In my personal opinion, given our present circumstances in the Caucasus, it’s unlikely we can support an army of a thousand. If we could postpone this expansion plan by a year, the situation might be much better,” Fran shook his head, not quite agreeing with Komer’s opinion. The financial issue had always been a problem troubling the Caucasus. Unless resolved, military expansion would remain a paper tiger. “Sir, Rather than tightening our belts to expand the army now, why not focus on those several mages and the Dark Knight for some ideas? I see they are quite satisfied with their life at Damarlinsk Castle, and they also find the living environment of the entire Caucasus comfortable. If we could entice some of their friends to move to the Caucasus as well, by providing them well, I believe they will come to our aid when the Caucasus faces trouble. Compared to expanding the army, the resources they consume are negligible, and it’s a better deal for us.”

“Heh, it seems, Fran, that you are finally able to see the issues from a higher perspective. Yes, our finances do have some issues, but the plan for expanding the army cannot change, otherwise we will become more and more passive later on, perhaps at a greater cost. As for the issue with those guys’ friends, I’ll naturally consider it. What you need to think about now is recruiting four hundred infantry soldiers from your compatriots and enlisting one hundred archers from the Prairie Elves, and start training immediately. We can’t delay any further. Baoling will handle the day-to-day training here, and Ilot will assist you with the work,” Komer said, cutting off Fran’s further attempts to persuade him, decisively making a decision. “I’ll communicate again with the knights Solonberg and Vladimir Koff, hoping they can spare some more time to guide our soldiers. Fran, I have heard that Myron Duchy’s warriors are famous throughout the Continent. I hope you can train your compatriots into a force of Caucasus Warriors that are every bit the match of Myron’s warriors. The Caucasus is now our new homeland. As part of the Caucasus, it is both our duty and obligation to defend it from foreign aggression, even if it means making sacrifices!”

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Fran’s heart swelled silently; he was no naive youth. The trials and tribulations in Myron Duchy had shown him too much hypocrisy and masks. Initially, he followed this noble lord to the Caucasus purely out of a sense of gratitude, but now he had to admit, at least this lord in front of him did consider the people of the Caucasus. Although there were some private grudges involved, for the Caucasus people, letting those nobles and bureaucrats from the Homer region return to rule the Caucasus was definitely not the better choice. And his compatriots had also become members of this land, so it was unquestionable to choose to defend the sovereignty of the Caucasus.

“Sir, since you say so, Fran has nothing more to say. I will fulfill your request. Within half a year, five hundred qualified soldiers will appear before you,” Fran ended the conversation with the etiquette of a knight.

“No, Fran, I’m afraid we cannot wait that long. Three months, within three months, I want to see a batch of initially qualified soldiers, especially the archers. I believe you will not disappoint me.” Stopping in his tracks, Komer’s deep gaze lingered on Fran’s resolute face.

Things were unfolding as Komer had anticipated. The half-beast mob in the Leon Region, after having secured a channel of food and weapon supplies from the Caucasus, quickly developed their armed forces. Several organizations, exceeding two thousand people, became active from the Edge of the Nether Sea to the Greenland Great Forest. With guidance from certain interested parties, the mob ceased their former habits of looting and fleeing immediately, starting to establish logistical bases at the foot of the Volt Mountain Range in the north while also conducting some basic training. They began to unite and collaborated on coordinated military actions.

These changes soon bore fruit. Two mines with over a thousand private soldiers were breached by the coordinated efforts of the mob organizations, and the nobles’ private soldiers were defeated. Just from one iron mine belonging to a viscount, over ten thousand slaves were liberated, with over a third of them joining the rebel army, significantly boosting the rebel forces’ strength. Although the viscount had long been residing in Bruce Fortress, his lavish manor near the mine was looted, and a large haul of treasures was transported by the half-beast mob to Muscat, becoming the largest transaction of Puber’s established fencing operation in Muscat. The volume was so immense that Puber had trouble gathering enough food and weapons to pay for it initially, but thanks to the continuous success of the rebel forces in Leon, their financial situation had significantly improved, so they agreed to offset the payment with other goods like armor, salt, and fabrics.