Chapter 78: The Birth of a Infantry Regiment

Since becoming members of the Merlin family and arriving at Nightfall Manor in the North County, the lives of these two men had completely changed. They could eat and dress warmly every day, their work was not strenuous, and the living conditions at the manor were comfortable and luxurious—everything that satisfied the refugees who had fled from the northwest border.

Yet Barn and Tik were not content with such a life. Ever since they were appointed as leaders of the twenty-some mountain people, having tasted the flavor of power, they no longer wanted to return to their old lives—especially Barn, whose mindset had become even more mature.

But these days at Nightfall Manor, it seemed their master had forgotten about them. Aside from participating in the guard patrols, the two spent their time doing various chores and helping with the management of the manor and farm. As the new territory was being established and many people were promoted, their anxiety grew even greater.

At that moment, Barn and Tik were in the farm, tying up hay along with other servants and farmers. But they stayed apart from the others, working together while whispering to each other.

“Brother Barn, when do you think we’ll get our chance? It’s been almost a month. Has the lord forgotten about us?”

The impulsive and restless Tik already wanted to escape the manor. Living in such a limbo was worse than being a free adventurer outside. But the calm and experienced Barn had his own plans. It was he who persuaded the increasingly impatient Tik to wait patiently. Such an opportunity was rare; giving it up now might mean regretting it for life.

“I’ve told you many times—be patient. Consider this a test from the lord. Once the time comes, it will be our chance to shine. With the new territory being established, I think that day isn’t far away!”

“Oh! Since you say so, Brother Barn, I’ll wait a few more days as you advise!”

As they were talking, a servant came over and told them that the lord wanted to see them.

Barn was overjoyed, thinking that the moment to change their fate had finally arrived. Whether they would be given an important role or forced to leave would be revealed soon. Both of them went to Donald, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Donald was quite satisfied with these two talents he had chosen from among the refugees when he returned from the northwest border. Barn had a steady personality and, as a descendant of the beast tamer profession, he had great potential for growth. As for Tik, his talent was extraordinary, and at such a young age, his future was unpredictable.

Donald then said seriously, “I am quite satisfied with your behavior since you arrived at the manor. Even though you were assigned to work on the farm, you remained calm and composed. As for whether you are dissatisfied or not, that’s beyond my knowledge!”
Barn quickly bowed and said, “We believe the lord is extremely wise and far-sighted, and surely has his own plans, so we dare not be dissatisfied!” Donald watched Barn with interest—he had become much more sophisticated and cunning since their first meeting. Donald had high hopes for this subordinate; more than his talent, he valued his hard work. Unlike those mountain folk who followed trends, Barn had been secretly striving to learn everything he saw upon arriving at the manor and often sought advice from learned people. Donald had learned a lot about this from Clinton and the other summoned soldiers and stewards.
Ambition is not a bad thing, as it provides motivation to improve. The key is to keep ambition within healthy bounds, and Donald was confident he could manage that. After all, this man was already his nominal servant. Even if he were promoted to a household retainer or granted a noble title in the future, losing loyalty to his master would mean he could lose all the results of his efforts at any time. He must be a smart man and know how to make choices.
Therefore, Donald called these two over and appointed Barn as the captain of the territorial militia guard, with Tik as the deputy captain. The two were overjoyed upon hearing this. Barn remained calm, while the impulsive Tik couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
At the same time, Donald promoted Clinton to the commander of the territorial militia guard. George and Bush, two experienced warriors, served as his personal guards while also acting as instructors for the militia, teaching them discipline, swordsmanship, and combat skills.
As for the Silver Hand Knights Order that Donald had intended to establish through Uther, the requirements for being a holy knight were quite strict, and those capable of sensing holy light were already rare. Thus, no suitable candidate had been found yet—Uther was the only one so far.
Donald could only temporarily appoint Uther as the family’s guardian knight, the supreme commander of all armed forces in the territory. With his knightly status, he was well-suited for this role. Clinton’s infantry soldiers had an innate tendency to obey heroic figures, second only to their master Donald, making them easy to control. With Uther’s status as a knight, he could easily suppress those soldiers as well.

As for granting fiefs to knights, since the territory is still in its infancy and centralization is crucial, distributing some lands would inevitably hinder its development. Therefore, Donald has no such plans for now. At the same time, Donald has expanded his entourage, with George as the chief of his guards and Bush as the deputy, along with ten newly recruited human infantrymen. An orc invasion has provided him with a large amount of soul power. Aside from what’s needed to keep two hero units temporarily, the remaining power is sufficient for him to summon an army composed of second- and third-tier troops. However, everything must proceed slowly—introducing these new recruits gradually into the territory and blending them in so that their origins won’t arouse suspicion. Early the next morning, Barn and Tik, dressed in the uniforms of the guard captain, looked completely refreshed, resembling elite soldiers. Under their leadership, thirty guards were divided into two groups to patrol the three settlements in the territory. After finding nothing amiss, they returned to the guard post arranged for them by Donald to train under warriors like Clinton. After the morning training session and a lunch break of an hour, afternoon training began. After two hours of training, they rested before resuming patrols of the territory. By evening, this was how the entire guard force spent their day. William’s two sons, Eric and Eli, also trained alongside the guards to prepare for future promotion to knights. According to Donald’s plan, the number of militia guards would continue to increase, as these guards would serve as the source for the infantry corps he intended to form. After systematic training, the best soldiers could be selected to build his own army. Donald knew he couldn’t rely indefinitely on creatures summoned from the Book of Truth as his military force. A developing territory required many more people, and even with the soul power he now had to consistently summon demon creatures, it would likely not meet the growing demands. Thus, training local recruits had to be part of the plan. He could use summoned soldiers like Clinton as commanders for the local troops, ensuring that his army’s combat strength wouldn’t suffer too much. With the constraint of having summoned subordinates, the loyalty of the army could also be largely guaranteed.

In just half a month, two villages in the territory had been fully established—Windbell Village, located along the main road near Redmaple Town, and Ashwood Village, situated beside Twilight Forest. Donald ordered several of his officials to accompany him on an inspection of these two villages. They first arrived at Windbell Village. Windbells symbolize the arrival of travelers. This village was relatively small, with a population of less than two hundred. In addition to cultivating dozens of acres of farmland, it served as a necessary stopover for other territories in the North County on their way to Dalaran. There were inns and taverns run by Donald, the lord, employing villagers to serve passing travelers. Donald turned to William and the others and said, “When trade becomes more active in the territory and more people come here, this place will surely become a place where great wealth can be made.” Tik, the deputy head of the guard, spoke up, “Then why not build more inns and taverns, so as to earn even more income?” Donald shook his head. “Two businesses are enough for me. In fact, this place will also serve as a base for the territory’s intelligence network, allowing us to monitor incoming and outgoing people and detect threats to the territory in advance! If it weren’t for the fact that these villagers currently don’t have the means to run inns and taverns, I wouldn’t have started them myself. After all, only when the people are prosperous can a territory truly be prosperous! Take from the people, use for the people. Remember these principles for now; you’ll understand them gradually later!” William exclaimed in admiration, “The lord is truly wise and kind. It’s a great fortune for us to be able to follow him!” The others also praised him in turn. Seeing this, Donald waved his hand and smiled, “Enough! Stop flattery. Let’s move on to the next place!” Ashwood Village, located in the heart of Dalaran, controlled more than half of the arable land in the southern part of the territory, totaling over three hundred acres. It was also the most populous village aside from Twilight Town. Apart from the villagers of Windbell Village and those living in Twilight Town, the remaining more than five hundred people were settled in Ashwood Village. The farmland was distributed equally among the villagers, ensuring that each family had at least three acres of land. Donald pointed to a fertile area outside Ashwood Village and said, “This place will become Dalaran’s main grain-producing area in the future. Sixty percent of the harvest from these fields must be given to the lord, while the remaining forty percent goes to the villagers as their income!” “Lord! Isn’t this too lenient toward these villagers?”

Born among the mountain people, Barn understood the conditions of the lower classes best. Twenty percent of the yield from three acres of land was enough to sustain a family, while an additional ten percent could greatly improve the living standards of farming households. Such treatment was already considered quite generous among lords everywhere; some nobles even preferred to use slaves to work their estates, providing them with only substandard food without any payment.

Now, Lord Donald was offering forty percent, far exceeding what those subjects expected. If disasters such as famines occurred in the future, the region’s food reserves might be sufficient, which could significantly impact the stability of the territory. These were the concerns of Barn, William, and others, but Donald paid little attention to them.

Only when the subjects became prosperous would they develop demands, and those demands would foster trade. Given the shrewdness of outside merchants, they would surely not miss such an opportunity to make money, thus greatly promoting economic development both within and outside the territory.

William and the others considered things based on the norms of ordinary territories, failing to realize that Dalarn was completely different from other lands. There was no need to worry about natural disasters or famines—thanks to the natural barrier of the Tree of Life, such disasters were unlikely to occur. Even if crop yields declined for other reasons, the territory had a small population and vast land. With just under a thousand people, halving the existing arable land would still be enough to feed twice as many people.