Military
“The North is currently recruiting soldiers. I must say that the North’s official military enlistment this time has been effective. Lots of young men have rushed to enlist. They are all but ordinary citizens; however, after they undergo training, they should be reliable soldiers.”
The vassals in the conference hall were silent for once. Though the general labelled as the most important report, nobody present dared to criticise it. If it wasn’t news from the North but any other nation, vassal state or even elves, who recruited military personnel, Rosvenor Empire would be jumping with excitement, for the reason that war was their only opportunity to make a name for themselves. This time, however, nobody dared to thoughtlessly speak up about the North. The reason for their reluctance was because it was King Troy’s nation.
The North still didn’t have a name. It was still referred to as “the North”. Troy didn’t like the idea of using his name to name a nation.
From behind the black veil, Elizabeth expressed, “Why are you all silent? Generals, the North will soon have their own military; I want to hear your opinions.”
Elizabeth’s voice was the same as usual. In fact, there was a tinge of pleasure in her tone that she derived from their misery. She was eager to know what her vassals thought of the North for her own pleasure.
The generals exchanged looks. Normally, they would sneakily ruin the enlistment in the North or watch over the North’s goals and training. At the same time, they’d try and plant spies in the army to acquire their military documents. Not this time, however. Not one of them dared to opine. All they did was look at each other.
“Since none of you are going to say anything, let’s move on. Oh, wait, we can’t just move on. Did any of you fight in the war ten years ago? Has anyone else fought in other wars? As you have war experience, gather some talented sergeants. Pack your luggage and prepare to assist with the North’s military building. While their morale is high, they can never fight if they lack experience. Instead of exchanging blood and failure for experience, it’s better to let you guide them. Don’t worry. All sergeants who go to the North can return after a year. I’ll handsomely reward them three hundred gold empire coins and grant them half a year vacation.”
Elizabeth was satisfied with their reactions. The generals, on the other hand, were absolutely stunned. If the North’s military was allowed to develop and expand as a result of Troy’s efforts, then they could understand. Howbeit, Elizabeth’s command was not to allow them to develop on their own but to assist the North. She just asked them to help turn a newly established nation rapidly grow into a powerful military. That wasn’t Rosvenor Empire’s modus operani, and it certainly wasn’t Elizabeth’s idea.
“Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness. The leader of the North is Prince Troy, which is why I can understand your decision. Still, why do we need to help them establish a military? His Majesty’s relationship with the elves creates a lot more questions compared to his relationship with us. That is why we must be wary of the elves if not His Majesty.”
“Because I trust my son. Is that not a good enough reason? Troy City is a present I gave my son, yet our church ran it into the ground. I must compensate him for that, and I am sharing our battle experience and skills to that end. In short, you just need to arrange it. I trust my sergeants.”
The sergeants were humanity’s military’s foundational pillars. They were the most experienced veterans selected from the pool of soldiers. The sergeants were the leaders of the infantries, the important factor in maintaining the competence from their run to their successors. They were also the armies’ morale.
The sergeants were capable of training any soldier and taking care of any soldier. Generals taught soldiers how to manage armies, how to command armies and how to win battles. In saying that, sergeants were the ones who could manage soldiers, maintain their morale and use their leadership to, at least, no end up wiped out.
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
Since Her Majesty had made the decision, nobody dared to say anything else. All they could do was order their best sergeants and generals to train the soldiers and commanders who lacked experience. The aforementioned members were the true most important members of a team. The North’s amazing rifles, cannons and whatnot weren’t their primary concern.
Over the next year, the North’s army underwent a complete transformation.
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Although my two armies combined only made up the size of one human army, I only had so many men in the North at the present time. I couldn’t sacrifice labour workers for the military as that would impact our development. I could only recruit about five thousand young men. The soldiers had to serve for five years before they could retire as that would allow soldiers showing potential to replace them.
The military enlistment I set up was comprised of volunteers and those obligated. It was compulsory for all men who had come of age to enlist. After serving for two mandatory years, they could be promoted to professional soldiers to enjoy the treatment, pay and provisions soldiers enjoyed. Alternatively, they could ask to be discharged. They were permitted to retire after ten years of service. In addition, they were awarded a block of land and a house.
A nation’s military was its foundation. At the same time, it was the most difficult faction for a nation to control. As such, Freya was very dedicated to its development. Freya already began preparing for the job. Thanks to her efforts, the first enlistment went smoothly. From the start, Freya worried about me having misgivings, but she no longer did.
“Your Majesty, our military set-up is perfect. The North’s residences have resoundingly responded to our calls. Lots of people have taken the initiative to ask to join our military. We, therefore, have to increase our requirements for selecting soldiers. I believe our military will soon begin training. As per what you asked for, our first army will be split into two teams: North and South. Two thousand will be assigned to the North; three thousand will be assigned to the South,” reported Freya, looking proud.
“By the way, Your Majesty, Empress Elizabeth is sending us highly-experienced generals and sergeants to assist us in training our military. Are you all right with them getting involved with our military? Do not mistake this as me suspecting Empress Elizabeth. Nonetheless, you, too, are aware that, while she may be very nice to us, lots of people from Rosvenor Empire do not consider us friends.”
“Let them in this time. After all, their experience and methods are crucial to us. I want to have a military on par with Mommy Elizabeth’s. I really want to.”
“Understood.”
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