"Lord Art, the task assigned to me by the Jonah court has been completed. This is the first batch of food baggage and fodder. From now on, I will take people to transport half a month's supplies of the Border Legion to Bramon every half month. As for the distance from Bramon to your Border Legion station You will need to send it yourself."
In the military camp of the Saints Army in the Bramon City Church, the grain store manager from the palace of Jonah City (Jonah Palace) touched his fat chin with few beards and said to Art respectfully.
Just today, fifteen carts of shelled wheat, barley, rye and other grains and three carts of vegetables and fruits arrived at the garrison camp of the Wells (Border Guard) Corps in Bramont City. These grains are the food baggage of the Wells (Border Guard) Corps for half a month. In addition, five carts of black beans, wheat bran and other war horse feed will be supplied by Bramond City and the surrounding territories. Pasture and hay must be prepared by the Wells Corps itself.
The situation in the east was extremely critical. At the critical moment, officials and lords at all levels from the palace to the county still showed extremely high work efficiency. After receiving Baldwin's order, the food baggage allocated to support the army marching eastward was immediately loaded and shipped out.
The treasury officer opposite Yat was just an ordinary official in the palace treasury granary. He had no honorary status, let alone a high-ranking official. However, he was a person sent by the palace, so he was naturally a bit arrogant. However, this person had heard of Yat's reputation, so he was very polite to Yat. The grain supplies shipped to Bramon were all in full.
They brought all the food and baggage to the camp without any compromise and their attitude was quite respectful. Of course, Art also had to treat others with courtesy. He picked up the wine glass that Ron had filled on the simple wooden table in the tent and handed it to the treasurer. Then he turned around and picked up another glass to raise the glass and said, " Your Excellency, Treasurer, thank you for everything you have done for the Border Legion. If we are lucky enough to resist the invasion of the aliens, it will definitely be a part of your contribution. When the time comes, I will also mention your outstanding achievements in the merit books of the castle court and all the adults. "
The librarian raised his glass very politely in return, took a sip, said a few polite words, and then expressed his intention to leave Bramon immediately and return to the city of Jonah to resume his duties.
"Ron, Mr. Treasurer is busy with business, please send him out of Bramon City for me." Art said, turning his head and winking at Ron beside him.
“Sir, I will send Mr. Treasurer away immediately.” Ron took two steps forward and made a gesture of invitation to Mr. Treasurer. Then he turned his head and made a mouth shape of “How much?” with his lips.
At first stretched out his right hand to make a circle, and then spread out five fingers.
Ron understood what Art meant. On the way to send the treasurer out of the city, he had already "quietly" put five silver marks worth sixty pfennigs into the treasurer's arms.
The Chief Treasurer's unusually cordial attitude when he left proved that Art's "little wisdom" was worth it. I believe that the next food and supplies delivered to Bramon will be on time and in quantity.
Not long after the Liku officer left the camp, the adjutant of the legion, Odo, walked in sweating profusely.
As soon as he entered the door, he grabbed the wine glass that the Treasurer had just finished and drank it down his neck. He put down the wine glass and wiped the corners of his mouth. He said to Art, who was sitting in the tent and looking at calculating the provisions and supplies: "Sir, I led the recruitment team to visit various villages, manors and settlements around Bramon. Not to mention selecting soldiers in accordance with the requirements of the Wells Army. Even if we chose, no one would apply even if we didn’t make any request. When the farmers heard that they were going to follow the army to the east to fight against the Swabians, they left immediately. We only recruited less than thirty young men after one day of traveling. The recruitment point outside Bramon City was similar. We only recruited a dozen young men in the whole day. In the evening, two guys with full stomachs ran away~"
Angus has personally led the cavalry and special forces to the eastern outpost to detect the enemy's situation. Adjutant Odo is in charge of recruiting troops for the soon-to-be-formed Jonah Border Legion. Early the next morning after arriving in Bramon, Odo divided the recruiting team into five recruiting teams and spread them around Bramon to recruit recruits.
The result did not surprise Art. He was unable to recruit even fifty people for the whole day.
Att dropped the carbon rod he had just picked up. There was a row of vertical numbers drawn on the birch bark that Otto couldn't understand.
After hearing what Odo said, Art did not answer. He turned around and came to a map of the eastern territory of Burgundy that was hung on a wooden frame on the left side of the camp. This map obtained from Lord Bramont's hall was too rough and abstract. Art had to modify and improve the map based on the local people's oral descriptions before he could roughly understand the location and layout.
"The nearest castle near Bramon is the city of Tenua, but it is said that the Eastern Border Army stationed there has just been drained of its elite. They have incorporated basically all the young men nearby who can be recruited (forced) into the army into their own army." "
In order to form the "Yona Province Border Army" as soon as possible, Art has lowered the number and grade of the army's recruitment conditions. All men between the ages of fifteen and forty who dare to fight with the army eastward will be recruited. It does not matter whether they are young, strong, and honest.
Even under such conditions, soldiers could not be recruited. The reason is very simple. Men who can and dare to fight have been recruited to the Western Front to compete with the Western Army for the city of Besançon. Men who can and dare not fight were also forcibly recruited by local lords and the eastern border troops to expand their troops when the Swabians invaded the border. There is no need to forcefully recruit those children and old man Art who cannot and dare not fight. There may be some young men hiding in scattered places, but they cannot be picked out one by one and stuffed into the army, not to mention there is no such time.
While Odo was sweating profusely and Art was worried, there was a burst of noise not far outside the tent, which disturbed the two people in the tent.
"Matthew! Matthew!" Art shouted toward the door.
Matthew, Art's personal bodyguard, opened the tent door and walked in.
"Go and see what's going on outside the camp. Those bastards are making noise and making trouble."
Matthew, the guard, ran out of the barracks.
"Sir, do you think we can ask the counties and lords of the Eastern Territory to send troops to us in the name of the Yona Palace? They can always squeeze out another four or five hundred people." Odo thought of pulling out the tiger skin of the Yona Palace to order troops from all over the Eastern Territory.
"If there is no war on the Western Front, this method may be feasible. The problem is that the legions on the Western Front have already deployed a large number of soldiers and taxes in the Eastern Border. Now the Eastern Border is facing a powerful enemy. Who is willing to hand over the life-saving shield to you?" Art rejected Odo's proposal.
"Then what else can we do? Even if we draw troops from the valley, it's too late, let alone we can't drain all the defenders at home."
When the two people in the tent were helpless, Matthew ran in, "Sir, it was the Bramond City security team who carried out executions next to our military camp. They also caught five refugees who were robbing villages and settlements outside the city, and beheaded them all. Just now, the residents were cheering."
"Are these all men who were beheaded?" Odo suddenly asked.
"They are all~ And those guys have fierce faces, they don't look like good things!"
At's eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled knowingly at Odo and Matthew.
"Odo, I think I have found a source of troops~"
"Sir, you mean~?"
...
"You mean to release all the prisoners? No! Absolutely not! Baron Art, have you ever thought about what we should do once those people are released and escape? Then send people to catch them back?" When Viscount Bramont, the lord of Bramont, heard Art's plan to release prisoners from all over the country and fill them into the legion, his first reaction was that Art was crazy.
The name of the lord of Bramont is Jon Bramond. He is an old viscount in his early forties. His immortal father lived until he was almost sixty years old before he was taken away by God. He originally had an older brother before him, but John's brother died before his father died. As the second son, Jon was lucky enough to become the viscount and heir to the territory.
John has inherited this Viscount not long ago. He has been subordinate to others for many years, so he has always acted cautiously.
Matt put the wine glass in his hand on the wooden table and said, "What else can I do? The palace asked me to use Bramon as a station to form the Jonah Border Army, and named Bramon to provide me with a hundred elite soldiers. If not through this method, can you provide me with a hundred soldiers?" There are less than two hundred private soldiers left under your command. How can you make up for my one hundred soldiers? Lord Jon, don't forget that I am defending the territory of the East. If I cannot lead the army to stop the Swabians, you will have to face the enemy's sword."
John's neck turned red. The Jonah court did order Bramont County to provide soldiers for Art's upcoming border legion. However, after being skinned twice by the Liberation Army and the Eastern Border Army Corps, he had less than 300 private soldiers at all levels who could take up arms, and less than a hundred who could fight on the battlefield. And Bramont County still had so many castles, fortresses and villages and manors to garrison, and John was already stretched thin.
"But how can you guarantee that those who are released will obey your orders and follow you to fight? How can you guarantee that they will not escape? How can you guarantee that they will not become bandits and bandits who plunder the county again?" Viscount Yohn asked several "how can" in one breath.
Matt's answer was simple, just two words - "No."
"I can't guarantee everything you said, but I have no other way. Compared with the old, weak, sick and disabled who can't even hold a spear, the prisoners who do evil everywhere are at least elite. I believe that they are more willing to go to the battlefield with me than to wait for death in an iron cage. They will definitely die in an iron cage, but if you follow me You might still be able to save a bad life on the battlefield~"
Viscount Yohn stopped Art, "You just said you could save a bad life, what do you mean?"
"According to the calculations of the magistrates and judges in Bramont, there are more than 230 prisoners in various prisons in Bramont County alone, and 68 of them are about to be beheaded. Most of them are refugee bandits who have robbed property, injured or killed people. Most of them are men, but there are also a few shrews. Tuba and Weitz have taken people to various places in the army to pick up the prisoners, and they will be brought back tomorrow."
"The number of prisoners in the castles in several counties around Bramont County, the cavalry team has already carried your order to deliver the order. I estimate that there can be thousands of prisoners in the more than twenty castles and fortresses in the two counties in the east. According to your request, all those who have capital crimes or are considered young and strong will be transferred. I estimate that there will be at least four to five hundred people."
Otto's analysis makes sense. In this era, no one who can be imprisoned is old or weak. Those untouchables who were arrested for tax arrears or offending their lords have long since become serfs. There is no need to waste money on building prisons. Only those who have committed serious crimes and are extremely dangerous can enjoy this honor.
These people were extremely dangerous, and it was impossible for the lords everywhere to sell them as slaves, so most of them were beheaded in public after being convicted. Therefore, when Art issued an order from various places to escort prison prisoners to the Yona border army, he did not resist. This was different from recruiting farmers, soldiers and laborers to them.
"Sir, Viscount John is right to worry. These guys are easy to recruit, but it is always dangerous to bring wild wolves and jackals with you." Odo was a good citizen, and he had a natural dislike for the prisoners in prison.
"Odo, don't worry. I can't guarantee that everyone will obey, but I can guarantee that most of the people will fight for us. That's enough."
Odo will not ask any more questions as long as Art has a good plan.
"Ron, ask Doctor Thomas if he is ready for what I asked him to prepare~"