Merchant Noble is out (2/3 chapters for today)
Report on the Strength of Leo’s Army
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From Arc Warden
To Tyr Warden
Dear Tyr-niisan,
How are you?
I’m sorry for not contacting you since I left Mikanda and headed for the meeting. Since then, I’ve been serving under His Majesty Leo, busy fighting against the rebellious nobles across the land. Though I try not to stand out, it’s inevitable since I am responsible for logistics and supplies in Leo’s small army.
By now, the nobles across the kingdom probably believe that the Warden Household has joined Leo’s camp. In truth, that’s exactly the case. As long as His Majesty Leo continues to shine, we will keep accumulating resentment from the people, and the moment he falls from power, the nobles will turn their fangs on us.
I deeply regret that my poor negotiation skills have dragged the Warden Household to the forefront of the royal succession war.
For the inevitable time to come, we must focus on strengthening the military in Mikanda.
Leo’s army is overwhelmingly strong. I’m sure you’re aware that they defeated the former King Zerold’s army of 500,000, but even now, they continue to defeat the armies of tens of thousands of nobles with just 2,000 soldiers. Yesterday, they crushed a coalition of southern nobles led by Count Tennessee in just half a day.
From the rear of Leo’s army, I observed the secrets behind their strength this time. I’ve noted a few things that I’d like to report to you. Of course, all military matters are entrusted to you in Mikanda, so it’s entirely up to you whether to act on my observations.
- Standing Army
Honestly, this concept never crossed my mind. Like most nobles, I have relied on mercenaries and peasant soldiers.
Certainly, mercenaries have the advantage of not requiring maintenance costs. However, as mere hired hands, their morale is low, and they tend to flee quickly, sometimes even plundering the territory. Peasant soldiers are even worse. They know nothing of combat, and their cowardice makes them quick to flee. Moreover, conscripting peasants negatively affects the territory’s grain production.
However, Leo’s soldiers are different. It seems they all receive military training from a young age while living in communal settings. This is likely something His Majesty Leo could accomplish as a former commander in charge of kingdom defense. Because of this, each soldier possesses exceptional skill, far surpassing peasant soldiers or mercenaries. Additionally, their camaraderie and loyalty to His Majesty Leo are strong, and even when outnumbered, their morale remains unshaken.
When speaking of combat professionals, one might think of soldiers and knights. Soldiers usually serve as commanders, while knights act as bodyguards for nobles. But in Leo’s army, even the lowest-ranking soldiers have abilities equal to soldiers and knights.
Just imagine it. Your trusted subordinate Hal who I’ve heard graduated from a military academy. Now, picture all 2,000 of Leo’s soldiers possessing the same level of skill as her. Naturally, a noble leading peasant soldiers would stand no chance against them.
- Mobility
They have overwhelming speed. They begin their attacks before the enemy is ready and quickly dismantle their formations. How is this possible? The answer is simple. They can all ride horses.
Generally speaking, few people can ride horses. Aside from us merchants, the only ones who can are nobles, soldiers, and a handful of adventurers. Among them, those who can fight while riding a horse are even fewer. However, Leo’s soldiers shoot arrows from horseback and wield swords and spears to bewilder the enemy. This overlaps with my previous point, but it must be due to their daily training. It’s a feat that conscripted soldiers who only fight during wars could never achieve.
- Command Structure
Their command structure is clear. They only have three ranks: regular soldiers, two officers, and the commander. This is a stark contrast to the noble armies, which have many commanders.
The two officers are a child-like Leopold (an archer) and a bear-like Kureo (an axe wielder). However, they rarely interfere, as His Majesty Leo, the commander, makes all the decisions. With such a clear command structure, there’s no confusion on the battlefield. This may be one of the reasons why Leo’s army operates with so few soldiers.
That’s all I have to report.
As I mentioned before, military matters are your domain, Nii-san. It’s up to you whether or not you find my report useful.
I will send further reports through Yuna if necessary. Please give my regards to Yanna-neesan and Minerva.
Yulia and I won’t be able to return to Mikanda for a while.
Best regards.
Arc
—
To Arc,
I was worried when you didn’t return to Mikanda after the meeting and immediately started acting under His Majesty Leo. However, now that I’ve received your letter, I am somewhat relieved.
By the way, Minerva kept your letter close to her, so I didn’t get much chance to read it. She’s been insisting on exchanging letters with you regularly, but I had to stop her since it would place too much burden on Yuna and the other church members.
Well, knowing you, I’m sure you’ll be fine under His Majesty Leo.
As for the negative impact on the Warden Household, you needn’t worry. It’s true that merchants from our trading company were harassed by nobles when they thought we joined Leo’s camp. However, the merchants’ guild is practically under Warden’s control now. The nobles soon realized that harassing us would only bring them harm, and since then, there haven’t been any issues.
Her Highness Casablanca is still staying in Mikanda. She seems quite comfortable here, as she shows no intention of leaving anytime soon. Having a royal family member with us has been helpful both diplomatically and politically. Yanna-neesan and Minerva are handling internal affairs. Thanks to you, peace continues in Mikanda as usual.
Your letter was quite informative.
- Standing Army
This is worth considering. I, too, had a fixed idea that lower-ranking soldiers should be peasants or mercenaries. Since the military academy has just been established, forming an elite unit consisting entirely of combat professionals, even among the rank-and-file, might be an interesting idea.
- Mobility
This is also a highly attractive concept. However, it would take considerable time to raise and train a large number of horses and soldiers who can fight on horseback. I’ll consider establishing a cavalry department in the military academy.
- Command Structure
We currently don’t have much of an army, so I’ll leave this for when we have a more established military.
Arc, as a Warden Household lord, always seek the best path. Do your best in the situation you’re in now. You needn’t worry about Mikanda.
Tyr
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