novelraw Chapter 23: Reselection
Chapter 23: Reselection
After learning the full story, Henwil appeared quite hesitant.
He had realized that Count Obiken valued his talent and potential, wanting him to become an assistant to Fabio.
A young man cultivated from childhood, possessing intelligence, talent, and courage - this was clearly the ideal candidate for a retainer.
This might be an opportunity for Henwil, if following his pre-war way of thinking.
If everything went according to plan, he would need to wait until at least twenty-five years old before possibly becoming nobility.
Of course, that was only if everything proceeded smoothly.
Now things were different. If he followed Fabio to Worui Duchy and waited for Fabio's heir status to be confirmed...
His growth environment would definitely be much better than in his original family, and achieving knight status upon adulthood was certain.
By then, he might attain knighthood before twenty years old.
Then by relying on Fabio as his powerful backing and assisting him to reach the position of Earl...As a "dragon-following minister," he would certainly receive greater rewards, and becoming a Baron wouldn't be difficult later.
More importantly, he wouldn't be struggling alone anymore - he would have powerful backing and protection.
The first hurdle after becoming nobility was how to integrate into aristocratic circles.
If rejected, it would require two generations of effort to overcome this.
But Henwil wouldn't face this trouble later, as the entire duchy's noble network would be open to him.
As for accusations of betraying Ika Kingdom, honestly, Henwil didn't feel much attachment to this feudal kingdom.
He never intended to pledge loyalty to anyone - only himself was worth serving!
After thinking throughout the night, Henwil finally made his decision.
Since fate offered this opportunity, he would reach out and seize it.
But due to his limited worldly experience and past-life assumptions, he overlooked one extremely important matter.
This ultimately led to his subsequent nightmare experiences!
The next day, Henwil requested an audience with Fabio: "Sir, there are some matters I'd like to consult you about."
Fabio understood his meaning and dismissed everyone from the tent: "Speak! What ideas do you have?"
Henwil organized his thoughts: "Sir, what do you think are the main differences between professional armies and noble private armies? Why is there such a big gap in combat effectiveness?"
"Training! Equipment!"
Henwil shook his head: "No! The new serf army under your command now doesn't lack equipment and receives plenty of training!"
"But those three thousand-plus soldiers can't even stop five hundred professional soldiers!"
Fabio frowned: "Continue!"
"It's the treatment! Sir, you gave them equipment and trained them diligently, but didn't provide sufficient compensation.
No military pay! No settlement allowance! No pension! The food is much worse!"
"As the saying goes, you can't make a horse run without feeding it grass. How can this make them train diligently and focus, let alone risk their lives in battle?"
Fabio rubbed his temples: "I know this too, but currently military supplies are insufficient! There's nothing I can do!"
Henwil lowered his voice: "Sir, how long do you think until the decisive battle begins?"
"Uh... at most two months!"
Henwil neither agreed nor disagreed, asking the next question: "Then sir, do you think the Allied Forces will win the decisive battle?"
Fabio remained silent this time, though he wanted to say the Allied Forces would certainly win.
But he understood military affairs and had served in a regular legion for over a year.
He couldn't possibly say such words, knowing the Allied Forces were close to retreating!
Henwil continued: "Sir! The decisive battle won't last more than a month, maybe not even half a month!"
"Our provisions only last three months. During retreat, there are no major cities for supplies for hundreds of miles."
"Once this hundred-thousand strong army moves, the consumption of food and fodder will be extremely rapid!"
"When the Allied Forces retreat, they must ensure sufficient provisions and supplies, so it won't exceed a month!"
Hearing this, Fabio didn't refute but signaled Henwil to continue.
"As for the Allied Forces, they must retreat! The only difference is whether it's voluntary retreat or defeated retreat!"
"Regardless of the outcome, a significant portion of the serf army will be used as abandoned pawns for rearguard action!"
Hearing this, Fabio's expression changed dramatically.
He knew Henwil wasn't exaggerating.
The Allied Forces would certainly preserve their elite troops, and leaving rearguard units to delay pursuit was inevitable!
"Henwil, are you suggesting we need to build a strong enough army to make ourselves valuable and avoid being used as abandoned pawns?"
Henwil shook his head: "Of course not! We should voluntarily stay behind to cover the retreat!"
"Sir, you're the private army's overall Commander! Others can flee, but you cannot!"
"Speaking of this, I just want you to understand that we're very useful to the Allied Forces now."
"So when you make some requests, the Allied Forces won't refuse!"
"For example, if you ask for military funds, weapons, and equipment - as long as it's not excessive, the Allied Forces will agree!"
"Actually, the Allied Forces aren't short of these now. Many legions suffered heavy losses, leaving plenty of military supplies behind."
"Rather than being discarded as burdens during retreat, it's better to give them to you to lead the serf army and delay the Allied Forces' pursuit longer!"
Fabio suddenly understood, then grew tense again: "But wouldn't we still be abandoned pawns? We might still die here!"
Henwil walked to the map, pointing south of Plains City: "We stop at Six Bay Mountain here and establish defensive works."
"Intercept the pursuing Allied Forces here. The serf army numbers over thirty thousand, with at least twenty thousand reaching here."
"In passive defense, we can hold for at least five days!"
"Beyond that is uncertain. The Allied Forces' cavalry might detour to south of Six Bay Mountain."
"Then we'd be completely surrounded and trapped there!"
Looking at the map position, Fabio thought for a moment: "It is indeed a defensive strongpoint, but how do we escape?"
"The southward routes ahead are only those few marching paths."
"Once the Allied Forces engage us, we'll have no retreat opportunity!"
"Sir! Does the Allied Forces side know we're abandoned pawns?"
"Of course! No matter how well-equipped we are, once combat begins, we'll be exposed as definitely being the serf army."
"Then sir, what's the Allied Forces' pursuit purpose? To exterminate us serf soldiers?"
Fabio shook his head: "Of course not, they want to eliminate the Allied Forces main force here!"
"But if we're on their pursuit route, they won't just let us pass!"
"Besides! If they can't catch up to the main Allied Forces ahead, turning back to eliminate us would be natural!"
Henwil showed a meaningful smile: "Then why must we go south? Since it's retreat, doesn't anywhere work?"
Saying this, Henwil raised his short sword and drew a horizontal line across the map: "For example, why don't we retreat eastward? We can still withdraw back to the duchy!"