The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 420: Volume 8 Gathering of the Storms - 10 Expanding the Army and Training the Soldiers

Chapter 420: Volume 8 Gathering of the Storms Chapter 10 Expanding the Army and Training the Soldiers

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"Fran, how do you think the situation looks now?" After inspecting the entire Guard’s combat training, 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, but their nature determines that they need to focus on resolving their style and discipline issues to train as a disciplined Army. Solonberg and Vladimir Koff have been very effective with the soldiers’ individual skills and weapon combat training, their abilities are improving quickly. Baoling and I are focusing on their formation drills and adherence to military discipline. Overall, they are progressing rapidly, and these half-beasts are gradually adapting to the strict military discipline of the Army. At this rate, they will soon become a qualified Army."

Fran was not an officer who liked to praise others; if he commended someone, it surely meant significant progress had been made, and Komer understood this very well.

"Hmm, however, Fran, I’m afraid we don’t have as much time as we would like. Although these five hundred soldiers look sufficient for Caucasus now, if an unexpected situation arises, I’m afraid they would be hard-pressed to bear the responsibility," Komer said with an implied meaning.

"Sir, are you suggesting that the situation in Leon might affect our Caucasus?" Fran replied after a moment of silence.

"Correct. The number of troops stationed at Homer by Bruce has already reached three thousand five hundred, and there are signs of further increase. You know the relationship between Grand Duke Philip and me is not very harmonious. Leon is now the barrier for our Caucasus. Once Leon falls back under Homer’s control, I’m very concerned that Grand Duke Philip will seize the opportunity to declare the removal of my control over the territory. If that happens, the development of our Caucasus would be ruined."

Komer spoke calmly, but the undeniable attitude was evident in his words.

"Sir, you are already an ennobled noble lord, surely Grand Duke Philip wouldn’t have the authority to remove you from control of your fief?"

Looking at the other party with some puzzlement, Fran, as a knight, had some knowledge of the laws commonly recognized across the Continent. A lord could only be deprived of control over his fief if he had committed a serious crime, and such a stripping of rights would only take effect with a ruling from the Kingdom Star Chamber Court. Even his liege could not directly deprive him of his rights.

"Fran, what you refer to is the usual procedure under normal circumstances. However, in times of war or if a lord commits the crime of treason or defecting to the enemy, it is possible to temporarily strip their control over their land, to be temporarily managed by the one who does the stripping. Do you really think that after taking control of Caucasus, Grand Duke Philip would return control to me? Even if the Kingdom Star Chamber Court ruled in my favor, he would likely find another excuse to refuse, wouldn’t he?"

Shaking his head, Komer was all too familiar with this so-called flexible and adaptive approach. Once Philip made his move, he wouldn’t give Komer any chance again. Sending him to the Caucasus probably already made him regretful enough; given another opportunity, he certainly wouldn’t let it pass.

Fran lowered his head and remained silent. He certainly knew the irreconcilable state between Komer and Philip. The previous blockade on food imports had sufficiently proved this point, and luckily, Komer had finally opened up Mattdam Port.

He did not know what kind of agreement Komer had reached with the islands of the Nether Sea, but those Pirates actually used their ships to help transport grain to Caucasus. Moreover, they finally agreed to open a port right under their noses in Mattdam. Fran did not want to know the peculiarities of the situation, but it showed the vast capabilities of his noble lord.

"Sir, just speak straight about what you intend to do. If there is anything Fran can do, I will not shirk the responsibility," Fran knew that the other party was pressing him to take a stand, but he had already devoted himself to Caucasus.

Ever since the influx of so many refugees from the Myron Duchy, Fran had considered Caucasus his homeland, unwilling to let any foreign aggression disturb the peaceful environment here.

"Good, I’m going to need your help, along with Baoling’s. I plan to recruit three to four hundred people from Myron Duchy’s immigrants to form a self-defense Army for the territory to supplement my Guards. Additionally, recruit one to two hundred archers, mainly from the Prairie Elves of the Meine City-State. With this, our Caucasus’ armed forces could double in strength, ready for any unforeseen necessities."

Finally, Komer disclosed his army expansion plan. Faced with the pressure of increased troops at Bruce Fortress, he had to prepare early. Nothing was reliable; only what he entirely controlled was trustworthy. "I want you to take full charge of training this self-defense Army. If you feel understaffed, Ilot can assist you. He can take on the training of the soldiers’ individual skills, but don’t expect too much from him."

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Although he was prepared for Komer’s idea of military expansion, Fran was still taken aback when the other party doubled their military strength in one go. A thousand-man army was undoubtedly a bit more than necessary for Caucasus, and with Caucasus’s economic capacity, it was clear they could not sustain such a large force.

"Sir, have you consulted with Lord Puber on this matter? In my opinion, considering the current situation, it is probably very difficult for our Caucasus to support a thousand-man army. If we could postpone this military expansion plan for a year, the situation might improve considerably."

Fran shook his head, not quite agreeing with Komer’s opinion; the financial issues had always been a difficulty plaguing Caucasus. Without solving this problem, expanding the army would only be an empty talk.

"Sir, instead of tightening our belts to expand the army now, consider putting more effort into those mages and Dark Knights. They seem very satisfied with life in Damarlinsk Castle, and they find the living environment in the entire Caucasus quite comfortable. If we can delve further, perhaps some of their friends can also move to Caucasus. As long as we supply them with good food and drink, I believe they will draw their swords to assist us when Caucasus is in trouble. Compared to military expansion, their consumption is negligible and much more cost-effective for us."

"Ha ha, it seems like you, Fran, can finally look at problems from a higher perspective. Indeed, our finances are problematic, but the military expansion plan cannot be changed, otherwise, we will become increasingly passive and might end up paying a greater cost. As for the friends of those guys you mentioned, of course, I will consider it. What you need to do now is to recruit four hundred infantry soldiers from your compatriots and another hundred archers from the Prairie Elf Clan. Training must commence immediately, we can’t delay any further. Baoling will be responsible for the daily training of the guard, and Ilot will assist you in your work."

Komer waved his hand to stop Fran, who still wished to persuade him otherwise, and resolutely made his decision.

"I will communicate again with Sir Solonberg and Sir Vladimir Koff, and hope that they can spare some time to advise our soldiers. Fran, I have heard that the soldiers from Myron Duchy are renowned throughout the Continent. I hope you can train your compatriots into a force of Caucasus Warriors that is no less formidable than Myron’s. Caucasus is now our new homeland, and as a part of it, it is our responsibility and duty to protect it from foreign invasion, even at a great cost!"

Feeling a stirring sense of pride, Fran was no naive young man. The trials and tribulations he had experienced in Myron Duchy had shown him too much hypocrisy and deception. Initially, his .following the Lord to Caucasus was purely out of a sense of gratitude, but now he had to admit that, at least, his current Lord was genuinely concerned for the well-being of the Caucasus people.

Although there were some personal grievances involved, for the Caucasus people, allowing those Noble bureaucrats from the Homer region to return and resume their rule over Caucasus was definitely not a good choice. And his compatriots had also become members of this land, so choosing to defend the sovereignty of Caucasus was an undeniable duty.

"Sir, since you have put it this way, Fran has nothing else to say. I will meet your requirements, and within half a year, five hundred qualified soldiers will be before you." With no more idle talk, Fran could only conclude this conversation with the etiquette of a knight.

"No, Fran, I think we cannot wait that long. Three months, within three months I hope to see a batch of preliminarily qualified soldiers, especially the archers. I trust you won’t disappoint me." Stopping in his tracks, Komer’s deep gaze lingered on Fran’s resolute face.

Things progressed just as Komer had anticipated. The Half-Beast Mob in the Leon region, after gaining access to the supply channel of food and weapons from Caucasus, rapidly built up their armed forces.

Several mobs exceeding two thousand people were active from the Edge of the Nether Sea to the Greenland Great Forest. Under guided intentions, the mobs changed from their former habits of only knowing how to loot and then flee; they began establishing logistics bases on the northern foothills of the Volt Mountains and even conducted some basic training. They also consciously combined forces to coordinate their military actions.

The changes soon took effect.

Two mines, each with over a thousand private soldiers, were breached by an alliance of the mobs. The Nobles’ private soldiers were defeated, and just from the Iron Mine owned by a Viscount, over ten thousand slaves were liberated, with over a third joining the rebel army, significantly bolstering its strength.

Although the Viscount himself had been staying at Bruce Fortress for a long time, his luxurious Manor near the mines was looted. A vast treasure was carried away by the Half-Beast mobs to Muscat, becoming Puber’s largest transaction at his fencing operation in Muscat.

Because of the massive amount involved, Puber was momentarily unable to muster enough food and weapons to make the payment. Fortunately, due to the rebels’ consecutive victories in Leon, their financial status had improved greatly, so they agreed to Puber’s proposal of using other goods like armor, salt, and fabrics as compensation.