Chapter 10: Expanding the Forces and Training the Troops

“Fran, what do you think of the current situation?” After inspecting the entire guard’s combat training, Komer walked while crossing his arms and casually asked the guard commander following behind him.
“My lord, these half-orc soldiers have excellent physical fitness. However, their nature means that to train them into a disciplined army, we need to focus on addressing their attitude and discipline issues. Sorenberg and Vladkov have been very effective in improving the soldiers’ individual skills and weapon combat training; their abilities are improving rapidly. Fran and Bao Ling have been focusing on supervising their tactical drills and adherence to military discipline. Overall, progress is fast. These half-orcs are gradually adapting to the strict military discipline, and it won’t be long before they become a competent army.” Fran wasn’t the kind of officer who liked to praise others—only those who had achieved significant results deserved his compliments, and Komer was well aware of this.
“Hmm, but Fran, I’m afraid we don’t have much time left. Although these five hundred soldiers seem sufficient in the Caucasus for now, if unexpected circumstances arise, they may not be able to take on the responsibility.” Komer’s words carried underlying implications.
“Are you referring to the situation in Leon affecting our Caucasus?” Fran remained silent for a while before answering.
“That’s right. Bruce’s forces in Homer have now reached 3,500, and there are signs of further growth. As you know, my relationship with Duke Philip isn’t very good. Leon is currently our shield in the Caucasus. If Leon falls back under Homer’s control, I’m worried that Duke Philip will use this opportunity to declare me unfit to rule my territory. If that happens, the development of our Caucasus will be ruined.” Komer spoke calmly, but his tone made his determination unmistakable.
“My lord, you are already a noble lord with a fief. I doubt Duke Philip has the authority to take away your control over your territory, right?” Fran glanced at him skeptically. As a knight, he knew something about the laws of the continent. A lord could only have his control over a fief taken away if he committed a serious crime, and it required a ruling from the royal court to take effect—even his own lord couldn’t simply strip him of that control.

“Fran, what you’re referring to is the usual procedure. In times of war or if a lord commits crimes of rebellion or treason, his control over the territory can be temporarily taken away, with someone else taking charge in his place. Do you really think Philip would give me control back after taking over Caucasus? Even if the Royal Court rules in my favor, he’ll surely find other excuses to refuse.” Shaking his head, Komer knew well these so-called compromise tactics. Once Philip took action, he wouldn’t give him any chance. Sending him to Caucasus must have already made him regret it; if given another chance, he definitely wouldn’t miss it.

Fran lowered his head and remained silent. Of course, he knew Komer and Philip were enemies—this had been clearly proven by the blockade on food supplies earlier. Fortunately, Komer had finally opened the port of Mardan. He didn’t know what kind of agreement Komer had reached with the islands in the Abyssal Sea, but those pirates actually used their ships to transport food to Caucasus and even agreed to open a port right under their noses in Mardan. Fran didn’t want to know the details, but it showed just how powerful this lord was.

“Lord, just tell me what your plans are. As long as I can do it, I won’t refuse.” Fran knew this was a way to force him to make a decision. But he had already dedicated himself to Caucasus. Since the fall of the Duchy of Mellen and the influx of refugees from various duchies, Fran had regarded Caucasus as his homeland. He couldn’t tolerate foreign invaders ruining the peaceful environment here.

“Hmm, I need your help, along with Bauling’s. I plan to recruit three to four hundred people from the immigrants of the Duchy of Mellen to form a territorial militia as a supplement to my guard. Additionally, I want to recruit one to two hundred archers, mainly from the Grass Elves of the City-States of Main. This way, Caucasus’s military strength can double, just in case.” Komer finally revealed his plan to expand the army. Facing the pressure of increasing troops at Bruce Fortress, he had to prepare early—nothing was reliable; only what was under his own control was trustworthy. “I want you to take charge of training this militia. If you think there aren’t enough people, Ilot can help. He can handle individual soldier training, but don’t place too much hope in him.”

Although he was prepared for Komer’s plan to expand the army, the sudden doubling of troop numbers still took Fran by surprise. An army of a thousand men was undoubtedly more than necessary for the Caucasus, and given the region’s economic capacity, it was clearly impossible to support such a large force.

“My lord, have you consulted Lord Puber? In my personal opinion, given the current situation in the Caucasus, it will be very difficult to support an army of a thousand men. If we could delay this expansion plan by a year, things might be much better.” Fran shook his head, disagreeing with Komer’s view. Financial problems had always been a major challenge for the Caucasus, and without resolving this issue, any expansion would remain just theory. “My lord, rather than tightening our belts to expand the army now, perhaps you should consider finding ways to utilize those magicians and dark knights. I see that they are quite satisfied with life in Damoronsk Fortress and also find the overall living conditions in the Caucasus comfortable. If we can further encourage them, some of them might even decide to settle in the Caucasus. As long as we provide them with good food and lodging, I believe they will come to our aid if the Caucasus faces trouble. Compared to expanding the army, the cost they represent is negligible, and it’s much more beneficial for us.”

“Heh, it seems Fran has finally learned to think from a higher perspective. Indeed, we do have financial problems, but the expansion plan must go ahead—otherwise, we’ll become increasingly vulnerable in the future and may have to pay a much higher price. As for your suggestion about those guys’ friends, I’ll certainly consider it. For now, you need to recruit four hundred infantry soldiers from your compatriots and another hundred archers from the Grassland Elves. Start training them immediately; there’s no time to delay. Baoling will be in charge of the daily training of the guard, while Ilot will assist you.” Komer waved his hand to stop Fran from further arguing and made a firm decision. “I’ll talk to Knights Sorenberg and Vladkov again, hoping they can spare some time to train our soldiers. Fran, I’ve heard that the warriors of the Principality of Mellen are renowned across the continent. I hope you can train your compatriots into Caucasus warriors who are no less skilled than those of Mellen. The Caucasus is now our new home, and as its inhabitants, we have the responsibility and duty to defend it from foreign invasions, no matter the cost!”

A silent surge of emotion welled up within him. Fran was no naive young man; the trials and tribulations in the Duchy of Mellen had exposed him to far too much hypocrisy and pretense. He had initially followed this lord to the Caucasus out of a sense of gratitude, but now he had to admit that at least this lord cared for the people of the entire Caucasus. Though there were also personal grudges involved, for the people of the Caucasus, allowing those nobles and bureaucrats from the Homer region to return and take control was by no means a good option. Since his own compatriots had also become part of this land, it was his duty to defend the sovereignty of the Caucasus.

“Lord, since you say so, Fran has nothing else to add. I will follow your orders—within half a year, five hundred qualified soldiers will be before you.” With no further words, Fran could only end the conversation with a knightly gesture.

“No, Fran. I don’t think we can wait that long. In three months, I want to see a group of initially qualified soldiers, especially archers. I trust you won’t disappoint me.” Stopping in his tracks, Komer fixed his intense gaze on Fran’s resolute face.

Things unfolded as Komer had predicted. With the supply of food and weapons from the Caucasus, the half-orc mobs in the Leon region saw their military strength grow rapidly. Several groups of over two thousand members operated in the area between the Coast of the Abyssal Sea and the Greenland Forest. Guided by those with ulterior motives, these mobs changed their usual habit of merely looting and fleeing. They began establishing logistical bases at the northern foot of the Volt Mountains, undertook basic training, and started to unite and coordinate their military actions.

These changes quickly yielded results. Two mines, each with over a thousand private soldiers, were captured by the combined forces of the mobs, and the nobles’ private armies were defeated. In just that iron mine owned by a viscount, more than 10,000 slaves were freed, with over a third of them joining the rebel army, significantly strengthening its strength. Although the viscount remained in Bruce Fortress most of the time, his luxurious estate near the mine was plundered, and a large amount of treasure was taken by the half-orc mobs to Muscat, becoming the largest shipment for Pupber’s smuggling operation there. Due to its sheer volume, Pupber could not immediately provide enough food and weapons to pay for it. Fortunately, thanks to the rebels’ successive victories in Leon, their financial situation had greatly improved, so they agreed to let Pupber compensate with other supplies such as armor, salt, and cloth.