novelraw Chapter 28: A Legion of Their Own
Chapter 28: A Legion of Their Own
After a night of riding, Fabio asked Henwil, “Where are we now?”
Henwil took in the surroundings at a glance. “I followed the river downstream. We’re already over a hundred li past Six Bay Mountain. Sir, order the whole army to rest by the river! We’re safe for now. We’ll march again tomorrow!”
Henwil couldn’t sleep. He leaned over the map, studying the route ahead in detail. Going east from here, it’s at most four hundred kilometers in a straight line to get out of the Ika Kingdom’s territory. But that’s the direct distance; along passable roads, even the best route is over six hundred kilometers. And those roads lead straight to cities and castles. Even though their force is large, they can’t blatantly march along the Ika Kingdom’s official highways. It wasn’t that he feared the cities’ garrisons or the sporadic noble private armies—the latter were barely a threat—but taking the official roads would have a very serious consequence: it would put enormous political pressure on the Ika Kingdom’s government. Which king could tolerate enemy troops running riot through his realm? Besides, the Ika Kingdom is currently the lead state among the Allied Forces; it can’t afford to lose face in front of the other two allied nations. Once reports come in that enemy troops are transiting the realm, the Ika Kingdom would be forced to react. Even if the front-line Allied Forces didn’t want to pursue them, they would be compelled by royal orders to engage. So how to move? Which route to take? Both required careful consideration.
During the past month, Henwil had carefully weighed every option and reviewed large amounts of intelligence about the Ika Kingdom. He finally devised an extremely convoluted route winding around the southeastern part of the kingdom, nearly a thousand kilometers in length. At their current marching speed—traveling by day and night—it would still take almost a month to reach the border area. That only counted distance; it didn’t include difficult terrain that would slow an army’s progress. Along the way there were several key stopover points close to major cities where the troops would need resupply. That inevitably meant contact with the Ika Kingdom’s people. Henwil had no intention of using force. That would trigger fierce backlash from the Ika Kingdom—just like when the Allied Forces first entered the land: looting, burning, indiscriminate slaughter. Not only would it force the allies to pour in more troops, it would also leave the areas they passed through devastated, eliminating any chance of local resupply during their retreat. So Henwil planned to use money to buy what they needed. Although the Plains City camp still held a lot of gold and silver, the amount they carried now was already substantial; after all, they had plundered so many towns and castles.
After a day of rest, when they prepared to set out, Henwil sought out Fabio. “Sir! The army’s morale is a bit low. We need to do something to change that.”
Fabio dismissed it. “We’re running away, retreating. Isn’t low morale normal? We’re not going into battle—why should morale be so high?”
Henwil shook his head and pointed to the troops gathering in the distance. “Sir, what do you see?”
Fabio squinted, puzzled. “What do I see? The army, of course—what else?”
“No. That’s the foundation of your rise. How capable are these men?”
Fabio answered honestly, “They’re far worse than regular troops.”“And compared to those noble serf soldiers?”
Fabio snorted. “Heh! That question insults me a bit! They may not be elite soldiers, but they’re competent—nothing like those serf conscripts.”
Henwil said softly, “But they’re still serfs.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Henwil changed tack. “What if they weren’t serfs anymore? What if you granted them free-person status?”
Fabio scratched his head. “That wouldn’t be proper. You know they’re serfs of other nobles. If I pardon them and make them free, that would be inappropriate, right?”
“What’s inappropriate? Would the other lords dare object?” Henwil smiled. “How could they object? Sir, don’t you forget—you are a Legion Commander commanding more than ten thousand troops!”
Fabio thought that made sense, but he still had doubts. “But pardoning them and boosting their morale—how does that become my power base? I can’t afford to maintain such a force. I don’t even have a fief.”
“Sir, is this legion the worst regular unit in the duchy?”
“Not really. Especially skilled at long-range raids, it’s actually a pretty good field army.”
Henwil narrowed his eyes. “There you go. If you can’t afford them, the duchy will fund them. How much would it cost to raise a unit like this? In the near future, you’ll hand a fully equipped, battle-ready legion back to the duchy. What would the duke give you in return? I’d wager an inherited viscountcy would be a stingy promise from him.”
Fabio began breathing faster. “That would be inevitable! So that’s how it is! Then my promises to them are actually the duke’s promises. Other nobles can’t blame me. Once I hand the legion to the duchy, I can officially enter the ranks of the mid-level nobility. Then who would dare call me a failure?”
“Sir! I don’t think you understand my point! I mean this legion should still belong to you—under no circumstances give up command authority. If you can’t afford them, someone will help fund them. No fief? No problem. With ten thousand trained soldiers in hand, even an earl won’t speak loudly to you.”
Fabio whipped his head around and stared at Henwil. “You can’t tell others this! If word gets out, I can’t protect you!”
Henwil shook his head. “Sir, whether you admit it or not, whether you accept it or not, you have personally organized a legion that is completely yours. This isn’t about being domineering; all nobles will guard against you, afraid you’ll seize their lands!”
Seeing Fabio fall silent, Henwil didn’t press further on that topic. “Back to pardoning them. Give them hope. Give them a goal. They’ll transform from serfs into soldiers. We’ll handle the rest later. For now, if they become soldiers, it will help us both while marching and in combat.”
Two hours later, Fabio rode to the front of the formation and shouted, “Now, in the name of the Worui Duchy and the Rhine family, we announce that you are no longer serfs! From this moment on, you are free people! You no longer belong to any noble! I will take you back to my domain, where you can settle and start families. From this moment you are no longer a serf army—you are a regular legion of the Worui Duchy! You will receive the same treatment as other legions—I guarantee it! Warriors who bled with me, our fighting is finished; we will no longer take part in this war! Now! I lead you home!”
For a long silence, Fabio thought Henwil had misjudged him. Just when he felt awkward, a thunderous roar of cheers filled his ears. Ten thousand voices shouted his name, and the sensation left his body trembling. It was exquisite. Is this the taste of power?! What a man’s romance!