Chapter 69: Basic Officer Training Program

Chapter 69: Basic Officer Training Program

After the lots were drawn, everybody left with cheerful moods. While Marins right-hand man, General Schwartz walked over with a worried face:

Young master, if youve splitted two-thirds of your land with the soldiers, what are you going to do? Privately, Schwartz always called Marin as young master, while calling him Boss in the military.

Its fine Schwartz, Im assuming you dont know this yet? The salt-boiling operations we own is producing 1000 quarts of refined salt every day! Marin revealed.

Schwartz had been spending the days in Den Burg, and was in charge of training the soldiers as well as preparing defenses. Thats why he wasnt well informed about what was going on within Salttown, only knowing that they were boiling salt over there.

1000 quarts? Every day? Schwartz was shook. He knew how high the prices for salt was, and with how much salt they were producing, how much profit would that be

Thats right, now I have 600 gold coins of profit every day, you tell me, do I have to be concerned about the fields? Marin spoke with confidence.

That does make sense, but young master, you dont have to share so much farmland with them. Honestly, 2 morgens per family would have been enough.

2 morgens were about 4 acres, roughly 24 fields, and would be more than enough for a family to be self-sufficient. Of course, based on the current production of Europe, that would only be barely self sufficient.

Aside from that, they wont be having any surplus. If there was a bottomless eater like Kahn in the family, it certainly wouldnt be enough

Its okay, dont worry about that. These soldiers, I want them to put their lives on the line for me, if I dont give them enough benefits, would they risk death to serve me?

But, if youre giving 5 morgens of land for every soldier that join you, we wont have enough land on the island!

Schwartz, I did not promise Ill give land to the new recruits who will be joining us in the future

Your meaning?

These 400 people, Im intending to train them into officers at the level of a squad leader. As for the grunt soldiers, we could always recruit more in the future

400 squad leaders? Are you intending to raise an army ten thousand strong? Schwartz was shook once again. A squad was made up of 25 members, and 400 squads came up to ten thousand people! An army ten thousand strong, no average Duke would be able to muster that. Because, there simply was insufficient money

The nobles of the middle ages, because of how lacking farming was, territorial productions were limited. On top of their own luxurious lifestyle, this caused the financial situation of most nobles to be really terrible. Those who were able to muster an army ten thousand strong were basically very wealthy dukes, or even kings.

Of course, some would also fill the ranks with serfs. But the serfs did not go through any training, and their combat ability was extremely miserable, as they would scatter the instant a trained unit charged through them. Nowadays, between wars of nobles, it was already a popular method have an army consisting of knights, mercenaries and soldiers. As such, even heavy cavalry who were previously squires could be hired. If they filled the ranks with serfs as meatshields, they would definitely get run down, on top of being an extreme waste of rations.

What about it? Our salt-boiling base of operations could churn out 210 thousand gold coins each year, do you think I cant afford an army 10 thousand strong?Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Schwartz thought about it for a moment, that really was enough money to afford an army that large. However, a Baron Lord owning an army ten thousand strong, no matter how you look at it, it feels strange. Unless, the young master wants to expand his territory

Schwartz immediately felt refreshed

But young master, Im still but a squire Schwartz said helplessly.

Squire, not even a noble, compared to the lowest requirement of acting as a Legion commander a Baron, he was extremely extremely lacking

Oh right, I almost forgot. How about this, as the Baron of an independent Barony, it seems like I have the right to knight Knights of the Land. How about this, when we have time, Ill invite my family and your family onto the island, then Ill host an allegiance ceremony as I name you my knight

Thank you young master, thank you young master Schwartz was so grateful that he immediately went down on one knee, intending to swear his allegiance then and there

One must know, a named knight and a squire, was the difference between a noble and a commoner. And that difference, was the distance between the skies and the earth. Being named as a knight was no different that becoming a noble! How could Schwartz not be delighted

Dont swear your allegiance now, we have yet to prepare for the ceremony

Hehe Schwartz stood up, and laughed awkwardly.

Since I will be naming you as my knight, I definitely need to give you a manor. My fief has a small land, so I wont be able to give you a large manor right now. How about this, after some time, Ill get the serfs to cultivate 100 morgens of land to act as your Manor, you wont complain about how small it is, will you?

How could I, thats already amazing, young master, your father only has 100 morgens of farmland.

How could Schwartz be greedy for more? Being able to obtain the status of nobility was already a huge gain for him.

Dont compare with the old man, he has a coal mine under his grasp. However, we werent that rich before the coal mine was developed

Being able to gain the status of a knight is already the greatest reward I can get, young master, I wont be picky.

Hehe, let me tell you this, you arent losing out on much. After utilizing farming technology from the East, the rye harvest for a mou of land would be 200 pounds at the very least

Young master, whats a mou of land? How big is it? Schwartz naturally didnt know the unit of measurement mou

Cough cough one mou of land is equal to one-twelfth of a morgens

Huh? One morgen is 12 mou of land, then wouldnt a morgen produce 2400 pounds of rye? That many? Schwartz was shook yet again. That production rate was definitely a quarter higher than Europes production (during harvest season)

No less, only more!

Then am I going to be rich?

Yeah, you are but stop daydreaming, go and train those bastards!

Yes, young master! As he finished, Schwartz went out to work with a revitalized spirit, swearing to train those soldiers into hell and back