On the second day after returning to Kitzby from Aosta, Ate took the caravan and prepared to return north to the County of Burgundy, leaving Saltlavin and a few capable caravan backbones to form the Southern Caravan of the European Trading Company in Provence. The subsequent grain transported from the outpost to Aosta will be transported by this southern caravan, and Ate will also send an army to protect the safety of the grain caravan.
On the way back through the wilderness north of Kitzby, we were no longer harassed by the group of "savages". These bandits were not stupid. The bloodstains of the outpost cavalry killing the "savages" were not dry for more than ten days. No matter how hungry they were, they did not dare to look at these bloodthirsty guys again.
The trip south to Provence was not an exciting one, but Art's goal had been basically achieved. Not only was he able to purchase grain from the north at low prices and transport it to Provence to sell at high prices, he also obtained a license to enter the southern goods market in Provence with the help of Bellion. This thing may not be of much use during the war, but once the war subsides, he will be able to legitimately enter Provence and run the southern goods trade.
The group returned to the border post in a carriage. They did not stop at the border to rest. The convoy picked up a batch of southern goods that had been "intercepted" recently and then continued to drive to Jushi Town. The convoy would rest in Jushi Town for a few days before continuing its journey north to buy grain.
When we returned to Jushi Town, it was a busy scene. Dozens of captured bandits were being imprisoned in the Jushi Town camp, and several large carriages of property and supplies were also being stored in the Jushi Town camp.
It turns out that a week ago, Redoan sent a secret message reporting that a group of powerful bandits had recently appeared in the county and were contacting the scattered bandits to rob several wealthy estates in the county.
After receiving the news, Odo and Angus carefully discussed and planned. When the group of bandits captured a wealthy manor in the county and prepared to retreat, they "surprise" annihilated the group of bandits and seized the money from the bandits. Some of the supplies were returned to the manor owner, but the "irrecoverable" property had to be abandoned...
Since then, there have been no large groups of bandits in Tyniec County, and the "Prosecutor" has perfectly fulfilled the duties assigned to him by the palace.
At the Boulder Town camp, Art was enjoying the food specially prepared for him by the kitchen while listening to the two confidant officers sitting on the low stool in front of him reporting on the situation of the bandit suppression. He boasted: "The bandit suppression was done very well this time, especially the timing. Well done, we drove away the bandits for the manor owners, and we were able to get some harvest from the bandits to supplement the military expenses. It’s a win-win situation. When you go down, you can distribute military rewards to the soldiers who participated in the battle to suppress the bandits.”
The two Odo Angus in the tent laughed softly.
Matt waited for the two to stop laughing, and then asked: "Angus, how is the legion training going?"
Angus replied: "Sir, the reorganization and training of the soldiers has been basically completed. The soldiers of the four squadrons have begun to coordinate with each other after more than a month of joint training. During the training, two new soldiers were laid off because they failed to pass the training and were sent to the garrison as peasant soldiers. We selected two more recruits. The other soldiers have met your requirements. Now the soldiers have begun to enter actual combat training. The main force of this bandit suppression is the rebuilt 1st Squadron and the newly built 4th Squadron. Their combat power is slightly worse than that of the 2nd 3rd Squadron, but they should be able to catch up with them after training for a while. "
"How is Ron's performance?" Art asked, he was very concerned about this confidant who was specially sent to the legion infantry for training.
Angus glanced at Odo, who nodded. Angus replied: "Ron still has some knightly heroic spirit. During this suppression of the bandits, he abandoned the squadron soldiers and led three of his men to chase the bandit leader with his teeth in his mouth. Although in the end, The bandit leader was captured, but one of his soldiers was killed and one was slightly injured. He himself was slightly injured and is currently recuperating in the military tent. "
"No wonder he hasn't come to me. It turns out he made a mistake and lost face. Come and see me. Did you give any orders not to pursue privately? "
"That's not true, so Ron doesn't break the military order."
"Well, Ron did not violate it. He disobeyed military orders, but his stubborn temper and stupidity caused us to lose an elite soldier. We fined him half a month's military pay and asked him to reflect on it. "
"Yes, in addition~" Angus stopped talking.
“What else?” Art motioned for Angus to continue.
"In addition, Viscount Pierre sent someone to check the number of our soldiers ten days ago. The county seems to be a little concerned about our unauthorized expansion of the army. Viscount Pierre hopes that we can reduce the number of troops to make the county feel more at ease."
Angus replied: "Yes, I think so too, but Viscount Pierre seems to be really worried about us causing trouble in the county. Viscount Pierre scolded us for suppressing the bandits this time. He said that we deliberately waited for the bandits to capture the manor before going to suppress the bandits. The purpose was to use the hands of the bandits to "rob" the rich households in the county. Anyway, the county will not report credit to the palace for us for this bandit suppression..."
At smiled, "I have no comment on this matter. Anyway, even if the palace issued a reward, the money did not reach my purse in the end, so it doesn't matter."
"However, too many troops will indeed attract suspicion, and we have to find a way to hide it."
After pondering for a while, Art thought about sending an army south to protect the food in the near future, and said: "In this way, I will send an army south to Provence to escort the food in the near future. We will send the second and third squadrons to protect the food, and declare to the outside world that these two squadrons are mercenary guards hired by the caravan. Anyway, the caravan is under the name of Baron Galvin. He can't say that Baron Galvin's caravan is Is hiring mercenaries an act of arrogance? So, I immediately wrote a private letter to Viscount Pierre, saying that I had reduced half of the army..."
After arranging the "disarmament" matter, Art turned to Odo and asked: "How is the recruitment, training and equipment and equipment going?"
Odo wanted to stand up to answer, but Art waved his hand to stop him.
"Sir, after the reorganization some time ago, there are basically no people in the legion's recruit team, so recently I have selected five young adults from the residents to enter the recruit team for training. At the same time, the border outpost and Jushi Town are also recruiting a group of young refugees suitable for training as combat soldiers to enter the recruit team. At present, we have twelve more recruits. They are receiving basic recruit training at the training ground outside the wooden castle in the valley. The third squadron is in charge of training."
"In terms of weapons and equipment, after the caravans went out to purchase and the valley craftsmen's workshops cast and repaired themselves some time ago, our weapons are basically enough for the soldiers. There are also some spare swords, spears, axes, shields, bows and arrows in the wooden castle arsenal. But we are very short of armor. Since we ended the Eastern Campaign, we have not captured much armor in almost all battles, such as mail armor, iron scale armor, and leather armor. Armor such as armor is not easy to purchase, and it is very difficult to replenish it. Fortunately, during this period, the craftsmanship workshop began to make some simple iron helmets and breastplates (this plate armor is not a full-body plate armor, but more similar to iron armor pieces). "
"Other items such as military tents, robes, boots, quilts, water bags, tableware, etc. are also gradually being prepared."
"But Sir, our military expenditure during this period has been too great. Should we simplify the legion's armament a little? Can we temporarily not equip all soldiers with heavy equipment such as armor, and wait until we have enough money to discuss it later?"
Ate also sighed after hearing this, and replied: "Yes, We haven't fought with regular armies for more than half a year. The weapons, armor, money and supplies obtained by clearing out bandits are too weak. The caravan has just started, and the pressure of raising troops is really too great."
Odo replied smoothly: "Sir, since we are sending troops south to Provence to transport food, why not go to Provence and accept their employment to fight for the Provence people? The Lombards are very rich, and their army should be well-equipped."
Angus was awakened by Odo's words and said: "Sir, do you still remember the news from the "Eagle Eye" in the north? The Besancon Palace is currently recruiting a group of troops to go south to Provence for reinforcements. If we can take advantage of the opportunity of the palace sending troops south, we will not only be able to fight south in a legitimate manner, but also receive food, salary and military expenses provided by the palace. If we can achieve military exploits in the future, the palace will surely recognize it. "
"However, if we become a conscripted army of the palace and receive food and salary from the palace, we will have to be dispatched everywhere, and we will lose a lot of freedom, and our actions in the future will be quite restricted~"
Matt closed his eyes and thought about what Odo and Angus said. After a long time, he opened his eyes and replied: "What you said makes sense, I can fight for it~"
I will do this later. Odo, you will send someone back to the valley quickly to bring Lawrence to Boulder Town, and tell Lawrence to let him temporarily build the building. I'll leave the management to Geer, and I'll let him take over the caravan for a while. In addition, I'll let Bass select a few honest and reliable garrison soldiers to accompany Lawrence to escort the caravan northward."
"Yes, I will send someone back to the valley immediately to deliver the order."
…
Two days later, a caravan headed north with Art's private message to Earl Baldwin. At the same time, Art also returned to the valley with his army, prisoners of war, and trophies to repair. Perhaps after a brief period of repair, he would have to lead the army to fight again.