Chapter 130: Preliminary Plan Before the Journey North

Seeing George’s reaction, Sir Val felt it was no longer interesting: “I will let you go this time, considering that because of you, I will be able to go to the battlefield again this year!”

“To the battlefield?” George immediately understood the secret. “Mr. Val, are you going to the Northern Fortress again this year?”

“Yes! This is all thanks to you. If you hadn’t gone to the Northern Fortress for border defense for the first time this year, Lord Viscount wouldn’t have been so worried and arranged for me to go there.” Sir Val’s eyes sparkled with excitement, showing his longing for battle and achieving great deeds.

George raised his question: “What about Sir Ahuatan, who was supposed to take the shift this year?”

“Of course, he went with us! Otherwise, both Lord Viscount and I would have been driven crazy by that guy.” Sir Val spoke as if he had gotten rid of a huge trouble.

George thought for a moment and then said: “In that case, it seems sending 500 people from our territory to the battlefield this year, which is the usual rotation, might not be appropriate. We need at least 600 people to form six complete companies of one hundred. It would be more convenient if you and Sir Ahuatan each had three companies under your command.”

The regular troops of Bolerum Territory have always remained stable at around 2000 people. However, among these 2000 people, about 500 need to be stationed at the Northern Fortress, leaving only about 1500 people in the territory. These 500 people are not permanently stationed at the fortress but follow a yearly rotation system.

After all, the Northern Fortress is known for its harsh environment. Even with extra subsidies paid by His Grace the Duke, it is hard to guarantee that the soldiers won’t harbor resentment. More importantly, it is far from the soldiers’ own homes. In today’s social environment, there is little entertainment in military camps.

Under such conditions, the soldiers’ longing for their hometown and relatives would become even stronger under the pressure of loneliness and combat. Although regular caravans, circuses, and theater troupes coming to make a living there could help relieve their stress, this is only a temporary fix, not a fundamental solution.

In this world, people’s connections were not as convenient as they were before George transmigrated, especially for commoners. Before transmigration, soldiers guarding the borders of Tianchao could spare time to call their families to comfort their homesickness. In the era of developed internet, this was even more convenient.

But here, even letters, which most people had already stopped using before transmigration, were considered luxury items. After all, both pens and paper and ink were expensive. Generally, the price of a single sheet of parchment rolled up and sealed with wax was equivalent to about 60-70 pounds of wheat. Even the soldiers of the Duchy of Nohan, who enjoyed good treatment, could not always afford to use them comfortably. Usually, the cost was about the same as what a waitress in a tavern paid to spend time in a small dark room, or even a bit higher.

The most critical point is that most soldiers could not read or write. Even after George established a basic officer education training system, it was still impossible to let all lower-level officers write family letters normally. In this aspect, George spent a lot of effort, not only in money but also in energy. For example, regarding the problem of flat surfaces that could be written on repeatedly, since George could not find a suitable substitute for chalk, he chose a simpler and more practical ancient Chinese teaching tool—the sand table—to solve the problem. However, suitable teachers were too few, and textbooks were practically non-existent. Three years of effort were indeed fruitful, but it was still far from George’s expected goals. Only at this point could George understand the difficulty and courage required for the large-scale literacy campaign in the early days of the founding of New China.

Even if you are an officer who has written a letter and your family is a intellectual who can read and reply, the next steps are not as easy as imagined. In this world, there isn’t even a dedicated postal system. Most letters still rely on passing caravans to carry them to their destination. Why would those caravans help you carry letters for free? Although carrying a piece of parchment might not be a big deal, delivering the letter to the right person at the destination requires a lot of effort. So, you either need to ask a familiar acquaintance with connections, or you have to pay extra money. Of course, this is also a way for caravan members to earn extra income within the rules.

Moreover, the speed of caravans is not as fast as a military march. Plus, they might have to stop at various towns for trade along the way. Taking the route from the Northern Fortress to Bolerum Territory as an example, it takes 20 days at best and over a month at worst. Furthermore, even a professional postal system sometimes experiences delays or lost letters, let alone this unprofessional method.

This inconvenience in communication made the soldiers’ homesickness even harder to resolve. According to a survey by a dedicated scholar, to maintain morale and fighting spirit, one year is the longest term of border defense.

Similarly, there is another reason for this matter. A true iron-blooded army must see blood often to maintain its combat effectiveness. However, now it is a time of peace without war. Relying solely on suppressing bandits and training exercises is completely insufficient. Moreover, in recent years, Bolerum Territory has suppressed bandits too aggressively to ensure commercial prosperity. After all, this is not a game where bandits can respawn at fixed points. Now, in Bolerum Territory, not only are there no fixed bandit strongholds, but even roaming bandits tend to avoid the area. For a long time, there have been no news of caravans or travelers being attacked. Therefore, the path of suppressing bandits and training troops seems unfeasible in the short term. Training exercises without bloodshed are not strong enough in terms of practical combat, so the old tradition of rotating border defense became the last weight to ensure the combat effectiveness of the territory’s army.

In short, George carefully arranged every personnel rotation, after all, who doesn’t have unavoidable urgent matters? For example, soldiers whose wives are pregnant need to be arranged separately. There are many such things, and they must be done to win the hearts of the people.

Hearing George’s words, Sir Val replied with a slightly cautious tone: “Suddenly adding 100 people is not quite the same as the usual practice in previous years! You should discuss this with Lord Viscount before making a decision. After all, this involves a joint action of all territories in the Duchy. The relationships involved are quite complex!”

“Alright, I will talk to my father about this. I think there shouldn’t be any major problems. After all, this is just a special case for us this time, and we won’t make it a norm. At the same time, this will somewhat relieve the guard pressure on other territories. Once explained clearly, I think they won’t object.” George touched his chin and said confidently.

Sir Val smiled: “It seems you have a clear idea in your heart. As for the matters within the territory, we don’t need to worry. You always do better than we imagine.”

George changed the topic: “So, Sir Val, where do you think I should treat everyone?”

“You’re really planning to treat us?” Sir Val was clearly surprised.

“That’s right. Let’s celebrate my completion of the Path of Questioning the Heart! Although it has been a while, it’s still not too late to make up for it. But you must remember to bring a gift!” George said, deliberately making a playful expression like a child. However, in terms of cuteness, he was far behind Craig.

“I knew you wouldn’t be willing to lose out.” As soon as he finished speaking, Sir Val touched his chin, fell silent for a moment, and then continued, “If I really have to choose a place, it would be one of these three: O’Holly, Mobosa, and Caphra. But since this is a celebration for your passing of the Path of Questioning the Heart, it shouldn’t just be for me, right? In that case, it would be better to organize a small banquet at the Manor. I think His Grace the Duke would agree.”

“My father would be happy to hear about this; he likes lively occasions like this! I will discuss the details with him.” Saying this, George, for the first time, made a funny face at Sir Val: “I promise you won’t be disappointed, Sir Val.”

Sir Val smiled and said: “Then I look forward to your dinner, George. If you personally arrange some delicious food we haven’t seen before, I might just grant your wish you’ve been wanting for a while!”

Hearing this, George said excitedly: “Oh! You must keep your promise. So I will set the time for the day after tomorrow evening!”

“I can’t wait anymore.” Sir Val said, swallowing his saliva.

Fortunately, today was the third day after the Autumn Hunt, and nobles seemed to treat these days as rest days. Karada’s official business suddenly seemed to decrease significantly. Thanks to this, Viscount Bolerum could now leisurely read books in his study. In the past, at this time, he would have been busy handling his official duties in the Karada City Hall or the Parliament Hall.

Hearing the knock on the door, Viscount Bolerum replied: “The door is open, come in!”

“Father, it’s me!” George entered the study and immediately greeted him.

“Oh! George, you have time to visit me in the study at this hour. Didn’t you say you were going to demonstrate your newly acquired abilities at the training ground in the courtyard this morning?” Saying this, Viscount Bolerum put down the book in his hand.

“The demonstration is already finished. To be honest, there has been significant progress!” George showed his smile without hiding it, showing no sign of humility. After all, the cultural atmosphere of this world was closer to the West before transmigration. In such cases, something was either true or false. Even if one wanted to pretend to be weak to eat the tiger, one had to consider the target and the occasion. What was wrong with pretending to be modest in front of his adoptive father to make him happy?

“Can you tell your old dad exactly what aspects have improved?” Viscount Bolerum’s expression seemed more curious than concerned.

But this was not surprising. In Viscount Bolerum’s opinion, his child had too many mysterious things. Although they might not be earth-shattering secrets, for a parent, not knowing much about his son was indeed a strange feeling.

‘I should tell my father part of it! It’s good to satisfy his curiosity occasionally!’ George touched the hair on the back of his head and said with an embarrassed look: “My eyes can now see through some illusions, and I can also detect the Spirit Light on others—whether it is from spells or Magic Items. At the same time, I feel that my swordsmanship has improved, and this time the progress is probably significant. At least, even without sparring with others, I can clearly feel the obvious changes.”

“Huh! Didn’t you say it was about spiritual cultivation before? I thought it was just something like becoming more perceptive! I never thought it would be such a direct improvement affecting material things. You are indeed my good son; your luck and talent are truly remarkable.” Viscount Bolerum showed a sincere smile, clearly very happy. After all, no normal parent would not be happy about their child’s achievements. This is an instinct, for the sake of the race’s reproduction, it has been engraved in the blood of most animals since non-intelligent creatures.

“Just luck, just luck.” Seeing Viscount Bolerum’s beaming face, George did not want to pour cold water on him, nor could he openly reveal his secrets. So he made an embarrassed look, as if he were a shy child who had just been praised by an adult.

However, in Viscount Bolerum’s eyes, George’s behavior was unprecedented! For a moment, he was stunned. Since practicing the Doumu Yuanjun Visualization Method, George’s control over his own emotions and thinking patterns had become more smooth and natural than before. Especially after the initial condensation of the Nine Emperors, behaviors that were previously hindered by his sense of face could now be performed skillfully. One could say that only from yesterday did George truly and completely integrate into his identity. The previous banter with Sir Val was just an experiment. Although some deep-rooted thinking patterns were still difficult to change at once, with the deepening of cultivation, they should improve.

“Alright! I know you well; what do you want to discuss with me? I don’t think you came here just to let me know about your progress.” Viscount Bolerum said with a hint of annoyance, showing that he had some resentment about this matter.

Hearing the resentment in the words, George deliberately made a sad expression: “Does that mean I won’t come to visit my father if there is no business? Your words really hurt me.”

“I told you to stop pretending. Just say what’s on your mind!” Viscount Bolerum was amused by his behavior.

George made his expression more serious and said: “The first matter is this. Are you planning to have Val accompany me to protect my safety when I go to the Northern Fortress this time?”

“That’s right. Not only Sir Val, but Hiren will also go. After all, not many people know that he has become a Formal Knight. With Sir Ahuatan, there will be three Formal Knights present, two open and one hidden. I think this should be enough to protect your safety.” Viscount Bolerum said while picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

Hearing this, George immediately felt a “Genghis Khan” sweat drop on his head. He stammered: “This is too, too exaggerated! I remember that when heirs from other territories went to the Northern Fortress for the first time, they didn’t have such a grand entourage as me.”

“Who says there isn’t? But generally, they send two knights to protect you because you are inexperienced the first time. This is the norm in the Duchy. As for Hiren, let’s say he is on the verge of breakthrough, and this time he is preparing to seek a breakthrough on the battlefield. Even if he reveals his Knight strength during combat, it can be covered by the excuse of a breakthrough on the battlefield.” Viscount Bolerum’s decision, although not flawless, looked quite perfect on the surface. Anyway, the most important thing is that it looks good on the surface.

However, George firmly refuted: “Father, you are being too exaggerated in this aspect! What if it gets out and people laugh at us?”

“What is there to laugh about? You know this is a time of trouble. To the east, the Kingdom of Lucia is eyeing us greedily, and to the south, the Kingdom of Coruz is stirring up trouble. At a time like this, is there anything more important than one’s own life? As for if it leaks out, so be it. Losing face is better than accidentally losing one’s life.” Viscount Bolerum’s attitude was quite firm. It seemed that the events of this period had also made the Secretary of the Duchy feel concerned.

George, who had brought up the topic, threw out the plan he had previously discussed with Sir Val: “In that case, let’s follow your plan! But with a 500-person team, two knights would find it hard to distribute command. How about we add 100 people to form six companies of one hundred, with each knight in charge of three companies? In this way, both knights can save face more easily.”

“Okay, this needs to be discussed with other lords and His Grace the Duke. I cannot give you a reply on my own right now.” Viscount Bolerum looked a bit troubled.

George started to encourage him: “I think there shouldn’t be any problem with this. We will send 600 people this time and bring back 600 people. The 500 people stationed at the Northern Fortress will still be on rotation. We are just adding 100 more people during the barbarian invasion. His Grace the Duke doesn’t need to pay extra salary, so why would they disagree?”

“Since you have explained it so clearly, if I cannot do this, wouldn’t I lose too much face? Don’t worry, I will guarantee this for you.” Saying this, Viscount Bolerum laughed, “I didn’t expect you to be so careful about your life! This is the first matter. Is there a second matter?”