Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest
Chapter 199 - 4: End it all before the summer harvest!

Chapter 199: Chapter 4: End it all before the summer harvest!

Roman’s attitude towards the farmers was one of strong suppression.

But his approach to the soldiers was different.

His attitude was one of encouragement and comfort.

Roman never got angry at the soldiers; he only showed concern.

If there were any blame to be assigned, it would fall on the instructors Dick and Jet.

Hence, his prestige in the army was extremely high. In the eyes of those soldiers, he was much more approachable than the cold-faced Jet.

After the pre-battle speech, he thoroughly aroused the army’s fighting spirit.

It was different from the winter’s end plunder speech.

Last year, the soldiers’ loyalty to Roman was incredibly high.

Because they had nothing, all material needs and foundations came from Roman.

But this time, out of the two thousand soldiers, half were conscripted soldiers from Kant Territory—their physical condition was relatively better, making them easier to train into usable soldiers.

It wasn’t easy to make them fight for Roman.

The Riverbank Defense battle was about defense, so they reluctantly helped Roman; it was forced combat.

No choice, they ate his food, they did his work.

But leading them to counterattack Kant Territory was much more difficult.

Especially with fewer fighting against more.

So, during this time, Roman did many things—

He provided pay, benefits, and treatments.

Intense training made them lose the ability to think, quickly integrate, and blur the imprint of old thoughts.

Using words to entice, badmouthing the nobles, desperately slinging mud, inciting anger, and igniting the will to rebel.

The entire process combined hard and soft tactics.

The stick and the carrot, this group of cuties became dazed and limped along.

...

If you’re going to do it, do it right!

Roman held a pre-war military meeting with senior and middle-ranking officers, confirming the previously established war plan.

But there were no clear tactics.

Even after cramming for two months.

But they had only transformed from a motley crew into a pretentious one.

Roman didn’t expect them to execute complex tactical moves.

The formation needed to be as simple as possible.

In Roman’s eyes, not only were these new recruits unqualified, but even last year’s veterans were not up to the standard of professional soldiers.

You may be professional, but unqualified is still unqualified.

Their military competence had not reached Roman’s standards.

Of course, they achieved command and obedience.

But for an army, command and obedience are just the basics!

What comes after laying the foundation?

It’s battle formation training, coordinated combat, seamless cooperation.

For example, if the enemy makes a major attack, heavy soldiers form a line to intercept in front, while spearmen in the rear are poised to strike.

This is a very standard warfare model.

But how can heavy soldiers ensure they don’t disrupt the thrust rhythm of the spearmen?

And how can the spearmen pierce the enemy that happens to be undefended through gaps?

These combat techniques are very simple, really very simple.

Veterans know, and so do new recruits.

But facing thirty new recruits, ten veterans can kill ten at first glance, then chase down the remaining twenty.

What they differ in isn’t stamina; it’s the judgment to seize the right moment.

Hastily acting gives the enemy an opportunity.

In a turn-based game, if your attack is dodged by the enemy, you’re waiting to get hit.

Don’t be misled by Roman now speaking grandly, rousing morale so high that everyone is itching to chop off Count Kant’s head right away.

But Roman was sure.

No matter how well-trained his two thousand soldiers seemed, once they were on the battlefield, they would definitely panic!

Roman dared to swear.

A small number of soldiers panicking and fleeing on the battlefield would trigger a chain reaction, leading the entire frontline to collapse!

This situation couldn’t be avoided.

Roman could only brace the loose army with steel nails.

The logic was this—a battle-ready elite warrior leading a dozen ordinary soldiers into brutal combat.

As long as this elite warrior didn’t die, the army’s morale wouldn’t collapse.

This was also Roman’s most basic military unit—the squad model.

A squad leader led 11 soldiers into battle.

Roman now had 4 squad leaders, 20 squadron leaders, and 100 squad leaders.

Most of the squad leaders were Angels Envoys, and a few brave and elite non-Angels Envoys officers served as squad leaders.

Squadron leaders and squad leaders were all Angels Envoys.

Roman never trusted or relied on ordinary people.

They were just sheep, susceptible to wavering and fleeing; he couldn’t place high hopes on them.

Rather than believe that ordinary soldiers would fight to the death without retreat, he would rather believe that exploitation and oppression have disappeared from this land.

Human nature cannot withstand testing.

Roman only trusted the Angels Envoys.

His Angels Envoys would fight on the front lines, facing a battlefield environment more treacherous and brutal than ordinary soldiers.

But their survival probability was much higher than that of ordinary soldiers.

There was no other reason; Roman had used all his red gemstones dry these days, exchanging them for dozens of Battlefield Simulation Coupons.

Roman’s battlefield simulation not only allowed him to review those battles with the Angels Envoys but also let him re-examine, observe those combat details.

Who retreated, who attacked, who dared to fight, who was unreliable—it was clear at a glance.

Through dozens to hundreds of simulated battlefields, these Angels Envoys were influenced.

Their eyes grew sharper, their blade swings swifter, and their actions exuded killing intent, as if they truly experienced those wars.

They acquired some veteran traits.

And veterans, in the age of cold weapons, were hard to kill.

However, due to limited resources, a single ruby could exchange for about 3 to 5 simulation coupons, each coupon could hold 12 Angels Envoys.

Roman led the Angels Envoys again and again to experience raid battles and riverbank defense battles.

So mainly experiencing the latter.

Because defense battles were more brutal than raid battles.

In that battle, Roman lost nearly a hundred soldiers—despite looting leisurely for days in Kant Territory, he hadn’t had such battle damage.

Yet the enemy only lost over five hundred; counting captured defeated soldiers, there were only about seven hundred.

The battle damage ratio looked favorable.

But in reality?

Of those over five hundred, at least two hundred were killed by a flurry of arrows.

Roman’s soldiers took full geographic advantage, waiting for labor.

While the enemy paddled against the arrow feathers to the shore, greatly exhausted, needing to assault shield formation.

If Count Kant’s conscript army launched such an offensive... the example wouldn’t hold.

But it must be said, the combat power of the noble coalition was astonishing, forcing such a battle damage ratio in various disadvantageous situations.

Especially the warriors of the Beast Carter Family.

Therefore, he realized the strength of that Beast Family.

If fighting on the plains, with equal strength, both sides would likely be evenly matched, drawing the battle damage ratio to one-to-one, and the opponent would probably win.

Because the opponent’s physical condition was superior to Roman’s soldiers, with more combat experience.

Roman could only strengthen his Angels Envoys and soldiers by any means necessary.

But to this day, he had only barely cultivated a hundred or so Angels Envoys, as for how effective they would be, the battlefield would reveal it.

...

At the end of the first month of summer.

Tomorrow was midsummer.

Roman led two thousand fully armed soldiers out of Sige Town.

During this time, all production stopped.

Everyone held their own weapon, knowing how to use it.

If the noble coalition dared to raid, the laborers and farmers left behind in Sige Town would show them the wrath of honest people.

Working in Sige Town was already very tiring, and you want me to go back to even harsher days? (Angry)

Those farmers had no illusions about nobles other than Roman.

Furthermore, Roman had also deployed scouts upstream.

Once he discovered the enemy gathering boats upstream, he would immediately launch a full-scale attack—a fleet capable of carrying thousands couldn’t be assembled in less than half a month; only part of the elite could come—Roman specifically crafted a few bed crossbows, these things couldn’t be mass-equipped, they were too complicated to make. Against a large conscript army, few bed crossbows wouldn’t suffice, but against a small elite, they were just right.

Deploying all his forces was to give all the nobles threatening his development a good beating.

And coincidentally, due to over-recruitment, he had no cattle or horses to help him harvest crops.

Then he might as well utterly smash Kant Territory!

And seize more labor!

Roman had made up his mind!

To end it all before the summer harvest!

...

[Your trade network has been blocked, development encountered obstacles, and this aroused your fury, determined to make them pay]

[Mode: Integrated Combat]

[Current level: 0—3]

[Level Name: All Forces Deployed]

[Level Introduction: This is an extremely arduous war, only allowed to win, no defeat]

[Recommended Level: ——]

[Battlefield Record: ——]

...

Such large-scale moves couldn’t possibly be hidden from everyone.

As soon as Roman’s fleet appeared, the sentries stationed downstream spotted it.

A bird spread its wings, flying towards Count Kant’s castle.

...

The most difficult, dangerous, and cruelest fierce battle since Roman became a Lord was about to begin!