Currently, only the three major corps and the Northern Sea Fleet of the
This was also one of the reasons why the First Guard Corps had been so easily seized by Steward Hanske and his conspirators. After all, the soldiers in the guard corps were mostly conscripted young prisoners of war, part of the family's strategy of turning enemies into assets. Their duties were primarily to garrison territories, maintain stability, and handle logistical support, which led to some entanglement with the local administrative departments in terms of command and management.
As long as they gave a heads-up to the corps' high command, dispatching several guard battalions to follow the orders of a family's civilian official seemed perfectly reasonable—after all, it was all for the family's cause. Just as Steward Hanske had once requested troops to suppress a rebellion of captured barbarians, Steward Sper had demanded guard battalions to escort family assets, and
Lorist planned to establish a specialized military affairs department to handle all matters related to the family's armed forces. Everything from military equipment and weaponry replacement, logistical supply, and family soldier conscription, to salary and welfare distribution, as well as troop deployment and assignment, would be under this department's responsibility. As for troop deployment and combat planning during wartime, that went without saying.
However, Lorist hadn't yet settled on a name for this department. Military Affairs Office? Military Administration Ministry? General Staff? Ministry of Defense? The names all sounded awkward to him. After pondering for a long while without coming up with a good name, he decided to set it aside for now. When the time came, he could simply let everyone brainstorm a suitable name.
As for the head of this department that would oversee all matters concerning the family's armed forces, Lorist had two candidates in mind: Bodfing and Malek. In a sense, becoming the head of this department would make one almost the superior of all knights in the family—the de facto First Knight of the Norton Family. This position was indeed quite glorious and dazzling.
Take Fatty Shi, for example. Although he was known as the Norton Family's Chief Knight, everyone knew this title wasn't based on martial prowess or combat force cultivation. On the contrary, Fatty Shi had earned this honor through his outstanding administrative coordination and management abilities. Among all the Gold Knights of the Norton Family, Fatty Shi ranked last in terms of combat power, with a combat force level of Gold One-Star and mediocre swordsmanship, even though he had a Sword Saint as his grandfather-in-law.
If judged solely by combat power, among the Family Knights, Tiger Ross would absolutely rank first, just as Lorist had bestowed upon him the title of "Tiger." When it came to offensive capability, no one excelled more than him. Whether in personal duels or with the Flying Tiger Corps he led, the only battle plan against the enemy was to attack—relentlessly attack until the enemy was utterly crushed. Tiger Ross's combat force cultivation had already reached the peak of Gold Three-Star, and if he could find the right opportunity, his promotion to Sword Saint would come as no surprise.
But what Lorist worried about was that Tiger Ross's personality wasn't exactly likable. Arrogant and prideful, apart from Lorist and a few close friends within the family, he didn't put any other Family Knights in his eyes—even Fatty Shi didn't merit his respect. Beyond that, his fondness for wine and women was another major flaw, and the fact that he had previously disobeyed orders and led troops to attack the Commerce Alliance on his own was the main reason he couldn't advance any further in the family.
What Lorist feared was that appointing Tiger Ross to head this department overseeing all of the family's armed forces would be difficult to justify to the others, and given Tiger Ross's temperament, he would hardly be able to settle into the role of managing the tedious and complex daily administrative affairs of this new department. So Lorist quickly ruled out Tiger Ross as a candidate.
Aside from the offensive-minded Tiger Ross, the only one capable of holding the position was the defense-oriented Bodfing. He was the only Family Knight in the family who could be mentioned in the same breath as Tiger Ross, and he was the one Tiger Ross openly declared he had no interest in dueling. There was no mystery to it—Bodfing's swordsmanship was truly specialized in defense. While he couldn't defeat Tiger Ross, he could use his defensive mastery to drag the fight on until Tiger Ross grew utterly frustrated and had no choice but to abandon the duel.
Whatever style a corps commander possessed, he would imprint that same style on the corps he led. Compared with the Flying Tiger Corps, which excelled at seizing opportunities, striking like fire, and pressing the attack in relentless waves until the enemy crumbled, the Boulder Corps was equally renowned for its defensive prowess. In particular, two years ago when it faced alone the frenzied assault of three hundred thousand Commerce Alliance troops, the Boulder Corps stood firm as a mountain, holding their camp for over a month and inflicting devastating casualties on the Commerce Alliance forces, who ultimately withdrew in failure. This bought time for the crumbling Andinack Kingdom's armies to regroup and mount a comeback. The Boulder Corps had become famous throughout the world on the strength of that single battle.
Having Bodfing serve as the head of this new department overseeing all family military affairs seemed like the natural choice, and it would win the genuine respect of the vast majority of Family Knights. But in Lorist's heart, he believed the most suitable candidate was Malek. Compared with the arrogant Tiger Ross, Bodfing's personality was perhaps a bit too modest. What Lorist worried about most was that Bodfing would be the type to smooth things over and play the peacemaker when dealing with certain military matters.
Malek, on the other hand, was known for his iron-clad impartiality and meticulous attention to detail in execution—even Tiger Ross couldn't escape punishment if he broke military law under Malek's watch.
Moreover, Malek was extremely decisive in his dealings, resolute in character, and unwaveringly loyal. Lorist's trust in him far exceeded what he held for Tiger Ross or Bodfing. It was just that Malek's reputation among the Family Knights wasn't particularly good—which made sense, since no one was fond of a man who refused to bend the rules out of personal courtesy. Aside from a few close friends, Malek kept only casual acquaintanceships with most of the Family Knights, their relationship limited to recognizing each other's faces.
Putting Malek in power would cause an even greater stir within the family. Out of a desire to protect Malek, Lorist felt he couldn't stubbornly insist on pushing him into this position. After much deliberation, Lorist decided to make Bodfing the nominal head of this military-administrative department while also retaining his role as commander of the Boulder Corps. In practice, however, all of the department's major daily affairs would be handed over to Malek to manage. This was a brilliantly elegant solution.
Establishing the new department and implementing the separation of military and administrative functions was one side of the equation. The other side was that Lorist intended to reduce the family's armed forces—this was a change he had no choice but to make. Over the past few years, the family's forces had been constantly at war, and before anyone realized it, their numbers had swelled dramatically. Although most of the newly added soldiers were recruited from captives who had completed several years of penal servitude, which hadn't affected the development and operation of the family's territories, two-thirds of the family's annual revenue had already been consumed by military expenditure. That was already a staggering sum.
This recent internal rebellion orchestrated by Steward Hansk served as a wake-up call for Lorist. The five corps of the garrison army, nearly two hundred thousand strong, were actually responsible for regional defense, escorting logistical supply convoys, and maintaining order in newly conquered territories. Was it truly necessary for their compensation to be as generous as that of the family's three main field corps? The Norton Family had used generous soldier benefits to win over these former enemy captives and flip their allegiance, but the fact that the First Garrison Corps had been so easily taken control of by Steward Hansk and his cohorts during this family upheaval finally jolted Lorist into clarity—things that came too easily were rarely cherished by anyone.
Since those conscripted into the garrison corps viewed serving as Norton Family soldiers as nothing more than a way to make a living — following whoever paid them — there was no need for the Norton Family to spend so much keeping such unreliable men on the payroll. Five garrison corps, nearly two hundred thousand conscripted captives, comfortably stationed in the rear while enjoying the same treatment as the family's three main field corps — it really was rather absurd when you thought about it.
Lorist pulled a sheet of paper from his desk and wrote down the names of four corps: the Boulder Corps, the Flying Tiger Corps, the Hunter Cavalry Corps, and the Garrison Corps. Then came the North Sea Fleet, the Wrathful Bear Knights, the Guard Battalion, and the Artillery Battalion. These were the mainstay fighting forces of the family's military in Lorist's mind. He planned to merge the five garrison corps into a single unit, elevating it to field corps status, while downgrading all the rest to regional garrison troops.
The Boulder Corps, forty-eight thousand strong. The Flying Tiger Corps, forty-eight thousand. The Hunter Cavalry Corps, forty-eight thousand. The Garrison Corps, forty-eight thousand. The North Sea Fleet, twelve thousand. The Wrathful Bear Knights, fifteen thousand. The Guard Battalion, three thousand. The Artillery Battalion, three thousand. Tallying it all up, the family's main fighting force came to only two hundred and twenty thousand — a reduction of more than half from its current size. That would be welcome news for the family's finances.
Lorist had originally set the establishment of all three main field corps at sixty thousand men each. It had to be said that Lorist suffered from a mild case of compulsiveness — he liked round numbers. But several consecutive campaigns abroad had finally taught him something: in an era where communication relied on shouting, the nations of the Galentea Continent setting their corps at no more than fifty thousand was not without good reason.
Across the Galentea Continent, corps organization generally consisted of one regiment of ten to twelve thousand men, with two to four regiments forming a single corps. This was, in practice, the maximum force a corps commander could effectively direct. Lorist had assembled corps of sixty thousand, but in actual combat, whether it was the Boulder Corps or the Flying Tiger Corps, they would always hold one regiment of fifteen thousand in reserve, with only three regiments — forty-five thousand — actually deployed for battle. This was a waste of combat power.
Though it seemed like only an extra ten thousand or so, when it came to actual battlefield deployment, it added considerable difficulty to the command system. Communication delays were only one aspect; the most troublesome problem was that orders couldn't keep up with the rapidly changing battlefield situation, causing missed opportunities. People like Bodfing and Ross the Fierce had complained to Lorist several times — sometimes having more soldiers wasn't necessarily a good thing.
This time, Lorist decided to cut one battalion from each five-battalion regiment, removing twelve thousand men per corps. At forty-eight thousand per corps, they would be no different from the corps of other kingdoms. It so happened that the family's military had taken considerable losses in the recent campaign against the Trade Alliance, and after accounting for fallen soldiers and discharging the wounded, they might well need to draw some reinforcements from the garrison corps anyway.
Once the establishment of these main fighting forces was settled, Lorist turned his attention to the officers who would command them. The Boulder Corps was straightforward — Corps Commander Bodfing, who would concurrently serve as the nominal new head of the soon-to-be-established military-administrative department, while also holding the position of first regiment commander of the corps. Deputy Corps Commander Malek, as the actual head of that department, would need to relinquish his regiment command, which meant the Boulder Corps would need another Golden Knight transferred in.
Wilson and Sebra were the candidates. But Wilson had just taken leave to prepare for his promotion to the Golden rank, which left the Boulder Corps short yet another regiment commander.
After some thought, Lorist decided to transfer Jeds — the former Golden Gladiator who currently commanded the Third Garrison Corps stationed in the Dremck Province — over to fill the position. The garrison corps were being merged and downsized regardless, so Jeds wouldn't be a corps commander for much longer. As compensation for the demotion from corps commander to regiment commander of the Boulder Corps, Lorist would see to it that Jeds was also granted the title of territorial Baron during the New Year celebrations.
The Flying Tiger Corps saw little change in its command structure. Tiger Ross remained as Corps Commander and concurrently served as First Regiment Commander, while the Second Regiment Commander was still Mason, the Golden Gladiator rescued from the Slave Kingdom years ago. The Third Regiment Commander was Dolus, and the Fourth was yet another old alumnus of
The Hunt Riders Corps, on the other hand, would undergo major changes. Lorist planned to transfer Falaya, the Golden Mercenary who currently served as Corps Commander of the Fourth Imperial Guard Corps, to take over as Corps Commander of the Hunt Riders Corps. The incumbent Corps Commander, Golden Marksman Josk, would be demoted to regiment commander. It was entirely his own fault for acting recklessly — ignoring orders and marching the corps straight to the front lines. He was nothing like Tiger Ross. The Flying Tiger Corps had been escorting migrants to Winston Province, so returning to the front could be excused. But Josk had outright abandoned the defense of Muye Plains Province, so being demoted only a single rank was already Lorist being remarkably lenient with him.
The First Regiment Commander of the Hunt Riders Corps would be Corps Commander Falaya himself, the Second Regiment Commander was
The Imperial Guard Corps would also become a main field corps, while the rest would be downsized into local garrison forces. For this corps commander position, Lorist decided to appoint Ale. The Boulder Corps excelled at defense, the Flying Tiger Corps had made its name through offense, the Hunt Riders Corps was a light cavalry force whose specialty lay in raiding and sweeping operations, and as for the Imperial Guard Corps, Lorist hoped it would become a well-rounded force capable of both attack and defense.
Ale served as Corps Commander and First Regiment Commander. The Second Regiment Commander would be Ovikis, the former bandit leader. For the Third Regiment Commander, Lorist planned to recall Pacchico, the Golden Knight currently stationed on Shilovas Island. The Fourth Regiment Commander would be selected separately. With this arrangement, each of the four main field corps would have three Golden Knights in its command, ensuring their elite combat power was no weaker than anyone else's.
The Northern Sea Fleet would continue to be led by Admiral Sembawood, and the Rage Bear Knight Order would likewise remain under Terlman's command. However, the Rage Bear Knight Order would henceforth fall under the direct jurisdiction of the newly established department, while also taking on the military police duty of enforcing martial law.
The Guard Battalion would still be commanded by Reddy. His deputy Park had taken leave two years ago to attempt his advancement to the Golden rank, fortunate to have avoided the turmoil of the family's internal strife. Word was that he had succeeded in his breakthrough and would return by year's end. The Artillery Battalion would be led by Shward, and his deputy
Having settled the main plan for the military reform of the family's armed forces, Lorist let out a sigh of relief. He was still pondering whether there were any oversights when Genorio knocked and entered to report, "Your Highness, Baron Christon requests an audience."
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