Chapter 31 Forming a New Army (Part 1) (for further reading)
Chapter 31 Forming a New Army (Part 1)
As a traveler from another world, Bruno clearly understands the principle that "every man is not guilty but the one who carries the treasure is guilty".
Since the profits from sugar and sea salt can make the butler Old Ford ecstatic, once the news is revealed, it will naturally make other nobles extremely jealous.
In this case, you must have enough strength to protect your own interests and ensure your own safety.
After all, the Norman Empire was an empire with relatively decentralized power composed of countless nobles. In this environment where viscounts were everywhere and there were as many barons as dogs, if there was a small-scale conflict or even a small territorial war between the nobles, the royal family would
and the Regency Council were too lazy to intervene.
As for the so-called aristocratic decency and chivalry in this world, to be honest, Bruno has never believed in it. He only believes in one sentence: political power comes from the barrel of a gun.
In the long run, Bruno's vision across the ages allows him to clearly see the shortcomings of this decadent empire. In his view, the prosperity in front of the Norman Empire is just the last afterglow before its decline.
When more and more civilians lose the land they depend on for survival, and when more and more serfs suffer oppression, one day, a spark will burn across the continent.
And if we only focus on the present, the dispute over the ownership of the Glen Highlands between the Idar Territory and the Earldom of Sauron in the north has never stopped, and small-scale conflicts break out every year between the private armies of the two nobles. (Note: There are some in the book circle.
hand drawn map)
Therefore, the army owned by Idar is undoubtedly the most important basis for ensuring Bruno's safety.
The Norman Empire did not have a clear limit on the number of troops that nobles could possess, because the output of a territory was only a little. It would be extremely difficult for an ordinary noble to maintain a large number of troops.
matter.
So far, the army of Idar Territory is mainly divided into three parts. One is Bruno's lord's bodyguard, which has about a hundred people;
The threat from the Earl of Lun is about 200 people; the third is the newly formed salt field guard, with a total of 50 people.
In other words, the current total number of soldiers in the Idar Territory on paper is about three hundred and fifty.
However, in addition to the Guards and Saltworks Guards, the Idar City Defense Force, which has the largest number, is not satisfactory, because most of the soldiers of the Idar City Defense Army are part-time...
This is somewhat similar to the Tang Dynasty's military system. They worked as farmers in peacetime and as soldiers in wartime. Two hundred soldiers took turns to be on duty. The actual number of soldiers on duty every month was about forty or fifty.
In addition, it was winter at this time, the weather was relatively cold, and the possibility of small-scale conflicts was very small, so there were probably no more than thirty or forty soldiers on duty.
Bruno didn't like this kind of soldier system very much, so he decided to take advantage of the winter to make some reforms and implement a recruitment system in Idar, so as to establish a professional army with more combat effectiveness.
It was out of this consideration that Bruno ordered the Guards Commander Sam Layton to summon all members of the Idar City Defense Army and personally came to the military camp outside the city.
only……
Looking at the team in front of him, Bruno found it difficult to connect them with the army.
Rather than saying it is an army, it is more appropriate to say it is a gang of beggars.
The two hundred soldiers did not have uniform clothing. Some were wearing old cotton-padded jackets, some were wearing rags and short jackets, and even more outrageous, some were barefoot. It was winter.
As for the weapons, some were holding spears, some were holding hoes, and some were holding daggers. Although they looked a bit weird, they were all acceptable, except... who the hell is that guy holding a piece of black bread?
?
Although thick and hard black bread can indeed be used as a weapon in some cases, it is too much to go to the battlefield with a piece of black bread!
No, it cannot be said to be a battlefield. The conflict between the Idar Territory and Sauron City was at best a fight or a group fight between two villages. Everyone rushed forward without any structure and had a chaotic fight. The outcome was almost the same.
Out.
Bruno couldn't believe that this was the legendary army that belonged to him. He felt that his expectations were a bit too high.
Seemingly seeing the regret in Bruno's eyes, Captain Sam Layton of the Guards, who was also the commander of the city defense force, said: "Sir, even though they don't look like much, they are still very effective when fighting."
indeed!
Bruno could imagine a formation of two hundred soldiers in messy clothes charging with black bread!
The picture is so beautiful that I can’t even imagine it!
Then he looked back at his personal guards. Each of them had a short sword. Although the clothes were not very good, they were at least neat. These personal guards who had previously been barely noticeable to Bruno, at this time
In contrast, he was shown to be extremely heroic and extraordinary.
Sure enough, everything needs comparison.
"Actually, I don't need to pay too much attention to these soldiers. If there is a real conflict, we will mainly rely on the Guards."
Bruno looked at Sam deeply and said nothing more.
In fact, Sam's view is also the view of most people in the world. The so-called Idar City Defense Force plays more of a cannon fodder role.
After all, the Idar City Defense Force is an army composed of civilians, while the Idar Guards is an army composed entirely of knights!
Although in Idar, knights are not very valuable due to the generous rewards given by their original members, they are still the lowest noble class.
Although Sam Layton, the commander of the Guards, is a fool, he is a genuine baron and also owns his own land.
However, Bruno knows that only an army from the people has unlimited potential!
The civilians of the Norman Empire were extremely poor and faced hardship, but it was precisely because of this that only a few gold coins were needed to transform a poor civilian into the most loyal soldier! They would scream and move forward indomitably, and
The reason for all this may be just because you can fill his stomach and feed his family.
After trying hard to calm down, Bruno cleared his throat and stood on the high platform in the center of the military camp: "Soldiers, I am your lord, Count Idar, Bruno Stuart!"
After speaking, he looked at a soldier under the high platform: "Are you a serf or a civilian?"
"Plains... civilians! Lord Bruno, every soldier present... is a civilian."
"Well, what I need are civilians. No matter what your fighting methods and training methods were before, starting from today, the Idar City Defense Army will no longer exist, and will be replaced by the First Battalion of the Idar Standing Army!