manynovel Chapter 43 Tiberius's Conscription Plan
Chapter 43 Tiberius's Conscription Plan
The training ground temporarily allocated to the "Lightning Brigade" (actually a piece of land on Tiberius's farm) was dusty and glaringly empty.
The wind blew by, swirling up a few withered grasses.
With a blade of grass he'd plucked from who-knows-where dangling from his mouth, Vito crossed his arms and asked in his characteristic, slightly reckless voice, "Hey, 'Lightning Boy,' where's your army? There's not a soul in this warehouse except for the shadows of the two of us."
Tiberius shrugged helplessly, his gaze sweeping over the empty space. "Right! The plan is to start recruiting now." He paused, then suddenly felt something was missing, and turned to look at Vito.
"By the way, where's Old Tom? Shouldn't he have come to meet us first? I'm counting on him to train my spearmen!"
Vito's playful expression vanished instantly. He spat the foxtail grass in his mouth onto the ground with a "pui!" and his expression turned serious. He lowered his voice and said, "I was just about to tell you this. Something terrible has happened! A really big deal!"
He leaned closer, his voice urgent: "I just received an urgent military report. A large number of enemy outposts and light cavalry have suddenly appeared on the border with Valantis. It doesn't look like a small-scale harassment! There's been a lot of skirmishing; several patrols have already engaged them. Old Tom and his pikemen were on patrol in that area yesterday and ran right into them! Martial law has been declared over there, and the messenger says they can't withdraw anytime soon, and we can't make contact! 'Redhead' Calvin has already advanced with his legionary cavalry!"
The news struck Tiberius like a thunderclap.
Old Tom was the key figure appointed by his uncle to assist him and be in charge of training the pikemen. His absence disrupted Tiberius's entire plan.
More importantly, the sudden escalation of the border conflict means that the shadow of war between the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and Valantis has fallen, and he may have far less time left than he imagined.
The war may begin at the end of this year, in winter, or next spring!
Tiberius took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his eyes sharpening again: "It seems we don't have time to choose slowly. Vito, we need to adjust our plans..."
He looked at Vito, and at the empty training ground. A more radical conscription and training plan, born under intense pressure, began to take shape rapidly in his mind.
Vito curled his lip: "Let's fight then. We're all seasoned veterans, who's afraid of who? The Valantis also have two shoulders carrying one head; they'll be wounded if hit by a crossbow, and killed if slashed by a machete... But Tiberius, let's get to the point, how are we going to recruit soldiers? How much did that young master Lisanro give you? Don't tell me we have to find a way to scrape together the money ourselves, borrowing from loan sharks to build a mercenary army! Let me make it clear, I'm packing my bags and leaving!"
"That's exactly what I've been waiting for! Look at you, you pathetic creature!" Tippi revealed a bright smile, then kicked open a box behind him.
"Holy crap..." Vito was instantly blinded by the golden light emanating from the box. "How much money is in here?"
Tiberius recounted with great familiarity, "Lisanro's private stash of money, the gold coins he borrowed from his family treasury, and the 'support' from his friends... all in all, I counted, more than eight thousand gold coins!"
"Eight thousand! By the Seven Gods, the Rogal family truly lives up to their reputation as a wealthy family capable of rivaling the Iron Treasury!" Vito gasped, covering his mouth upon hearing the number, but immediately began calculating in his mind. "However, if we deduct equipment, horses, food, resettlement allowances, daily military pay... the cost of feeding the people and horses, and the daily wear and tear..."
"Good news, Vito," Tiberius said with a beaming smile. "All of this you mentioned, Lisanro is providing it all free of charge! It's supplied free of charge from the Rogal family's estate and workshops!"
"These eight thousand gold coins are solely for recruitment, additional incentives, and any special expenses we may need!"
"Damn, I've never fought a battle with such a rich reward!" Vito grinned. "But I bet those eight thousand gold coins weren't given out all at once."
"It is indeed given out in batches, like milking a cow, but you know my relationship with Risangro... if I really ask him for more, he'll just ask me if I have enough!"
"Alright, this is certainly a costly battle! But Tiberius, don't tell me we're really going to use those glittering coins Young Master Lisanro gave us to conjure up hundreds of lively soldiers out of thin air?"
"Otherwise what?" Tiberius rolled his eyes at Vito. "Otherwise, he could recruit soldiers himself; why would he need us?"
"Fine," Vito said, pursing his lips. "How do you plan to recruit soldiers? Go to the docks, find those pathetic losers in the bars? Or are you going to just throw money at them and build two seasoned mercenary groups for that young master to have his fun?"
"No, Vito, I don't want either of them!" Tiberius stroked his chin, smiling as he rejected Vito's suggestion.
Tiberius also had his own decision: training mercenaries was not just about standing up for Lisanro and finding a way to avoid military service.
More importantly, if it is truly unavoidable and the Flash Boy really has to go to the battlefield, then this army must obey him completely!
After all, once on the battlefield, he would be nothing more than one of Jules' personal guards. The only thing he could command would probably be his own horse.
That would be absolutely terrible. If I were to go to the battlefield in this capacity and win, that would be fine, as "Lightning Boy," I could at least benefit from it. But if I lost, I would truly be destined to become rotten meat in the bellies of wild dogs!
Alas, for a nobody like him, his fate is like a leaf in a storm, drifting with the tide, his life and death completely out of his own hands.
Tiberius hated this feeling, so he needed to have his own army so that when he entered the battlefield, he would be a commander of three or four hundred men (even if he was attached to the White Legion) to fight against Valentis, rather than as the private army of his uncle Jules.
The difference between the two is vast. If Tiberius had three or four hundred men, at the very least, his chances of survival on the battlefield would be much greater!
Moreover, I really should cultivate some of my own confidants... Hmm, this is an opportunity.
Something's not right. Isn't this just using someone else's resources to achieve something?
"So, kid, what's your plan? Not going to bars or docks, not recruiting mercenaries, where are you going to find soldiers?" Vito asked, rather curiously.
"Slave market!"