The snow was still falling, but it had shifted from great feathery flakes to fine, powdery snowflakes, shrouding heaven and earth in white.
The great tent was as warm as spring. A large brazier at its center glowed with blazing charcoal that radiated scorching heat. An enormous copper kettle hung suspended over the brazier, its water gurgling and steaming.
Serdkampf lifted the copper kettle and filled the teacups set out before it, carrying them one by one to those who needed them. Once the water was used up, he refilled it, added Moccyx tea to the copper kettle, and hung it back over the brazier to brew. Before long, the tent was filled with the fragrance of Moccyx.
"From a logistical standpoint, yesterday's great battle was a case of costs outweighing benefits. Although our losses were light — we sacrificed only seventeen crossbowmen to eliminate nearly three thousand enemies — our spoils were meager. In fact, we've taken on a heavy new burden. We killed over sixteen hundred enemies, captured over twelve hundred, and rescued more than twenty-three hundred able-bodied men. It was a magnificent victory, but we didn't capture much in the way of food and supplies. We now have to feed all three thousand-plus people and provide them with warm clothing. Based on current estimates, our food and supplies can barely last another month or so."
"In yesterday's battle, we lost seventeen crossbowmen. In addition, forty-eight were wounded — thirty-four of them crossbowmen. Terman's knight order sustained four minor casualties, Yuri's light cavalry had seven wounded, and the spearmen suffered three injuries. The low personnel losses are something to be glad about, but what we need to pay attention to is the heavy consumption of our combat supplies. Take crossbow bolts as an example: we had prepared twenty thousand in advance, but only eight thousand remain now, and that's only after recovering usable bolts from the battlefield. The rest either had shattered shafts or damaged heads and will need to be reforged."
"Then there are the bolts and bowstrings consumed by Dolas's wagon-mounted crossbow team. We still have one spare bowstring, but the bolts will have to be remanufactured — otherwise those wagon-mounted crossbows are nothing but empty frames that can't make it to the battlefield. As for captured equipment, we didn't get any food or supplies, but we captured over three thousand sets of weapons and leather armor. We also took over two thousand warhorses — all reserve mounts belonging to the lancers, plus survivors from the battlefield. Fortunately, the camp already had large stores of fodder, otherwise we'd have had to consider slaughtering the horses."
"In addition, we found valuables worth nearly ten thousand gold Fordes in the enemy's main camp, along with nearly a thousand long spears, three hundred long swords, over six hundred longbows, nearly ten thousand long arrows, and over five hundred round shields. There were one hundred and thirty-two four-wheeled wagons, three hundred and forty-one two-wheeled carts, and one thousand two hundred and fifty-two draft horses. According to the prisoners, these wagons had been used to transport logistical supplies and were left behind in the main camp after it fell to us. Everything else is miscellaneous sundries."
"Now we face three problems. First, what do we do with the thousand-plus prisoners? Once we resume our march, do we release them or bring them along? Second, of the four hundred-plus rescued from this camp and the two thousand-plus from the main camp, at least half will want to join our army. Their relatives were killed, and they want vengeance upon Count Corbilly. After all, we annihilated this sweep force of Count Corbilly's, so they've placed all their hopes on us. Should we accept them or not? And there's one more issue — among the several hundred who want to leave, there's one led by a viscount's son. They hope we'll give them a batch of captured weapons and equipment. Do we give it to them or not?"
As soon as Fatty Shi finished his report, the main tent erupted in commotion, everyone discussing the three problems he had raised. Regarding the prisoners, some advocated releasing them to be done with it and save on rations. But others pointed out that releasing the prisoners risked their turning right back around and joining Count Corbilly's ranks, selling out every detail of the family's northbound caravan. Since they couldn't be killed and couldn't be released, it was better to take them along — there was no shortage of hard, grueling labor for them, like hauling supplies and setting up camps.
As for the young men who wanted to join the family's army and seek vengeance upon Count Corbilly, the majority favored letting them in first and dealing with the details later. As for that viscount's son who wanted a batch of free weapons and equipment, the consensus was simple: on what grounds? He had no kinship or connection to them whatsoever, yet he opened his mouth with an outrageous demand. No matter how many weapons and how much equipment the caravan had, they couldn't just give them away.
When the discussion had mostly run its course, Lorist clapped his hands to bring the tent to order, then spoke up. "Regarding the three problems raised by Sir Shi, I've listened to everyone's deliberations. As for the prisoners, I agree that we cannot release them now. If we're going to let them go, it should wait until we're well out of Count Corbilly's sphere of influence, to avoid unnecessary trouble. As for the young men who wish to join, we must first ask them clearly whether they're willing to follow us north, and make sure they understand the conditions of service in our family's forces. Those who are willing, we let join. Those who aren't, we don't force — otherwise we'll end up with deserters."
"...We must take stock of the experience and lessons from every battle, so we can avoid repeating the same mistakes."
"In yesterday's battle, we paid a very light price and annihilated over three thousand enemies. It was a remarkable victory — a complete rout, one that could even be recorded in the annals of history. But we must not forget that a victory like yesterday's actually hinged on several coincidences. Heaven's timing, geographical advantage, and human unity were all on our side. By heaven's timing, I mean the sudden drop in temperature and the coming snow, which forced the enemy, short on supplies, to launch a frontal assault on our camp. As a military commander, throwing everything into an attack with such reckless abandon — committing all one's forces to an all-out offensive — is extremely unwise. In the fog of war, it's the easiest way to fall into a trap set by the enemy. Yesterday, Count Corbilly's army gave us an excellent lesson."
"Then there's the geographical advantage. The camp sat on the high ground in the area, with well-maintained defenses — easy to hold, hard to storm. Combined with our timely response, we managed to delay the enemy until nightfall and the snowfall before they breached the camp. Their fury, compounded by the poor visibility from the snow, led them straight into our trap, step by step. If the enemy had broken into the camp in the afternoon, what would they have done when they saw the wooden barriers lining the road? Would they still have massed their lancers into a tight formation and ridden straight down the lane? The outcome would have been entirely different. Even if we could have annihilated them, it would have required a brutal fight and exacted a heavy toll in casualties. So the great victory last night certainly contained an element of luck."
"And then there was the human factor. We set the trap, lured the enemy into the camp, and used the wagon-mounted crossbows against their lancers with devastating, unexpected results — wiping out nearly their entire lancer force. Behind the wooden barriers, we used crossbowmen to engage the enemy's garrison troops, seizing the initiative on the battlefield. That's how we achieved this great victory. But yesterday's triumph must be seen together with the attack on our caravan two days ago and the capture of the camp — only then does it form a complete campaign. And the beginning of that campaign was our caravan being ambushed by lancers, suffering a devastating blow, and even losing one of our companions."
"Looking at the campaign as a whole, we can see that our family's armed forces face an awkward predicament. The heavy infantry — the backbone of our family's military — had virtually no role to play in this battle, reduced to nothing more than a showpiece. We won this battle thanks to the light cavalry scout squad, the knight order, the crossbowmen, and the wagon-mounted crossbow chariots. This is not Sir Bodfenger's fault — he didn't fail to train the heavy infantry properly. On the contrary, the heavy infantry are the elite of our family's forces. The problem is that when we originally established them, we overlooked one critical thing: the caravan is mobile, and the most important quality for an escort force is mobility — which is precisely what heavy infantry lack most."
"In this campaign, the outstanding performance of the knight order and the light cavalry scout squad gave us the greatest pleasant surprise, but both units also laid bare their shortcomings. The knight order's critical weakness lies in insufficient manpower, which prevents it from delivering a decisive blow. The light cavalry scout squad, too few in number, couldn't carry out assaults against entrenched enemies. Last night, for instance, when the outcome was already decided and the light cavalry took the enemy's main camp, they still suffered seven wounded against a single squad of enemy garrison troops guarding the position — that was entirely unacceptable. Therefore, while the snow over the next two days makes the roads difficult to travel, I plan to reorganize our family's forces and establish a new unit composition."
"First, the knight order must be expanded. The caravan currently holds eighty-eight spare sets of full knight armor with matching barding. Combined with the forty-six sets the knight order already possesses, we have enough to expand the order to a full complement of one hundred and twenty knights. Each knight will be assigned three horses: one war mount, one daily riding mount, and one rotation mount. Every knight will also be assigned a squire — a boy of fifteen or sixteen recruited from among the campaign families — as well as a servant responsible for tending the horses and handling miscellaneous tasks. The squires and servants will each receive one mount but will not be expected to fight. Sir Terman, the expansion of the knight order is your charge. I hope you can forge a
Terman rose to his feet and bowed respectfully. "My lord, I will not disappoint you."
"Second, Sir Yuri, your light cavalry scout squad will be expanded into a scout squadron of four scout squads, each at a full complement of one hundred and twenty men. Each man will be issued two horses, along with a crossbow, javelin, longsword, arm shield, chainmail, and leather armor. A squad of servants will also be assigned to tend the horses and handle miscellaneous tasks. You are to train them rigorously — not only must they excel at ranged combat, but their close-quarters fighting must be strengthened as well."
"Yes, my lord." Yuri also rose and bowed.
Lorist glanced at Bodfenger, who gave a slight nod. Lorist continued, "Next, I will reorganize the heavy infantry. The lancers we faced in this battle have given us a great deal of inspiration. After consulting with Sir Bodfenger and the others, we plan to restructure the heavy infantry into heavy lancer cavalry. They will first be expanded into two squadrons, each comprising four squads, with each squad at full complement of one hundred and twenty men. Each man will be issued two horses, and each squadron will additionally be assigned a squad of servants. The newly formed heavy lancer cavalry will be placed under the charge of Sir Bodfenger and Sir Ross."
Bodfenger and Ross rose to their feet. "Your orders will be carried out, my lord."
"You will take charge of the enforcement squad and serve as the family's law enforcer."
Mont Stallack rose to his feet and placed a hand over his heart in salute. "My lord, it is my honor to serve you."
"Furthermore, the main camp guard will also be expanded into a squadron. They will be responsible not only for the main camp's security, but also for guarding the prisoners. El, I'm entrusting this to you."
"Understood, my lord."
"Lastly, regarding the spearman battalion. I have decided to merge the crossbowmen and spearmen into a single unit. Each spearman squadron will be composed of five squads: one sword-and-shield squad, one crossbow squad, one longbow squad, and two spear squads, each with a full complement of one hundred and twenty men. This spearman battalion, I plan to hand over to..."
Lorist's gaze fell upon Inderlich. "Inderlich, you'll be in charge of this."
Inderlich had never expected Lorist to hand over the largest battalion — the spearmen — to him. His weathered face flushed crimson. "My lord, I — I'm not fit for this..."
"How are you not fit? You've served as a town garrison officer, and no one here has more experience than you. Besides, you've been bored out of your mind in the caravan lately, creeping up to Sir Shi's tent every night to eavesdrop through the walls. I've caught you several times. As a Gold-tier warrior, it's time you did something worthwhile. As for your granddaughter, you can put your mind at ease. Sir Shi has already spoken to me about it — he intends to marry her once we reach the family's domain. For your granddaughter's sake, you should put in some real effort for the family caravan."
Lorist's words left Morlis, the old man's granddaughter, blushing furiously and hiding behind her grandfather's back, while Fatty Shi shamelessly stood up, walked over, and pulled Morlis into his embrace. The entire tent erupted in laughter and uproar — some teasing Inderlich, others congratulating Fatty Shi on finding true love.
Inderlich was mortified by what Lorist had said. He had only been keeping watch out of concern that Fatty Shi was bullying his granddaughter. But if his granddaughter and Fatty Shi were genuinely fond of each other and she was willing, there was nothing he could do about it. Still, hearing Lorist say that Fatty Shi intended to take his granddaughter as his wife filled him with joy. "Very well, my lord. I will carry out your orders without fail."
Lorist waved his hand at the crowd in the great tent. "That's enough, everyone — dismissed. Time is short. We have only two days to restructure the family's armed forces. Make sure you work quickly and cooperate with one another."
"Pat, go bring that viscount's son over here. I want to hear what he has to say."