ATPnovel Chapter 68 The Lord's Return
Chapter 68 The Lord's Return
The midday sun was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes. Roger squinted slightly as he looked at the three groups of people standing in front of him.
Twenty-seven men stood in three straight rows, and all eyes were fixed on him.
How can we determine which group has made the most progress?
"You won't be convinced by just saying which group is better, so let's let the on-site test speak for itself!"
Roger's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear.
"Three groups, step forward one by one and follow my instructions!"
There's only one performance evaluation criterion: the number of people who made mistakes and whether anyone disobeyed instructions!
After Roger finished speaking, everyone tensed up. Everyone knew that whether they could drink that pot of hot mutton soup depended entirely on the result of this assessment.
The first group stepped forward first.
As Rogge shouted commands like "Turn left, turn right, shield wall formation, dispersed formation," the militiamen, seeing initial success, executed Rogge's instructions admirably.
Only one young man turned in the wrong direction during the entire journey, but he immediately corrected himself.
The second group completed all the instructions without a single error!
The third group encountered a mishap; two young men, under immense psychological pressure, repeatedly made mistakes in their movements and turned in the wrong direction.
Unsurprisingly, they were ranked last by Rogge for the day.
Everyone present could clearly see how wrong they were, so no one objected.
When it was time to eat, the third group of students were all dejected.
He stood to the side, clutching the black bread in his hand.
Watching the best group, each person holding an earthenware bowl, heartily devouring mutton and drinking rich broth, their lips slick with oil...
Satisfied smacking sounds rang out continuously, as if they wanted everyone to know they were eating meat.
The members of the third group were all furious, and they complained even more about the two members of their team who kept making mistakes:
"They can't even make a simple left or right turn, and now look what's happened! The whole team is at the bottom, and they can't even get a sip of hot soup!"
You've completely disgraced us!
The two young men who made the mistake lowered their heads even further, their faces flushed red, their eyes filled with shame and regret.
They made a solemn vow in their hearts.
Next time, I'll practice my moves with all my might to make sure they're accurate. I absolutely cannot let the team down again, and I absolutely cannot let my teammates suffer this humiliation because of me...
The three teams were competing with each other, and an indescribable feeling gradually took root in these three teams.
Team members share both honor and disgrace, and the team's cohesion quietly takes shape in this training program with its clear rewards and punishments.
Roger leaned against the barn doorframe. He knew better than anyone that without a team that could follow orders and fight tough battles, all plans were nothing but castles in the air.
The training days unfolded in a flurry of activity.
Roger's rule for everyone was repetition—repeatedly practicing basic fighting techniques over and over again.
Parry, thrust, slash, shield.
Repeat a movement hundreds or thousands of times until it is completely etched into muscle memory.
When you're on the battlefield fighting for your life, no one will give you time to think about your actions. Only instinctive reactions can save your life.
Virgil taught the villagers every move, from power techniques to fighting secrets, without holding anything back.
Rogge himself focused on two things: ensuring strict adherence to orders and ensuring teamwork.
He divided the nearly thirty people into three independent combat units and assigned them tasks in a way that best suited actual combat.
A sturdy build, equipped with a wooden shield and a one-handed sword, serving as a front-line shield bearer;
Those who were tall and had long arm spans, whether wielding battle axes or two-handed swords, were made by Rogge to hold the weapons with both hands and serve as the main source of damage.
The training for joint operations in small groups is not just about practicing movements, but also about getting to know each other's comrades, understanding each other's habits, and developing a tacit understanding.
Everyone trained diligently during the day.
As night fell, Roger discovered that several groups of people refused to rest at all, and some were even repeatedly practicing the moves they had done during the day in a corner.
The changes are visible to the naked eye.
In just three short days, when Rogge gave the order again, the morale and spirit of the entire team had been completely transformed.
Rogge included Virgil, Gode, and young Ragnar in the team as well, and they were also required to participate in training.
At the command "Turn left," the group of thirty people turned in unison without making a single mistake.
With Rogge's systematic training, Virgil's professional combat guidance, and ample nutritional supplementation from meat,
The villagers are making rapid progress, which is visible to the naked eye.
Their levels rose rapidly, with many villagers reaching level three or four in just a few days!
More importantly, Roger extracted six or seven experience candies from almost each of them!
In no time, Rogge's accumulated experience candies exceeded one hundred!
Rogge had already made plans:
He kept 50% of the experience candy for himself.
One-tenth is sealed and stored for future use.
The remaining 40% will be distributed among the 30 people on the field.
Although one's own strength is the foundation for success,
However, one man can't fight against many others. Only by cultivating his subordinates can the overall strength achieve a qualitative leap!
Rogue never intended to provide an unlimited supply of experience candies to all the villagers.
Initially, all villagers received the same share.
Under the premise of equal training intensity and equal resource supply
Whoever improves faster and masters combat skills more thoroughly will have higher training value, and Rogge will allocate corresponding resources accordingly!
With training at maximum intensity, Rogge's daily expenses were equally staggering.
To rapidly improve the strength of his men, Roger would prepare a sheep for them every day as an extra meal to supplement their nutrition.
In addition to unlimited rye bread and oatmeal,
In total, Rogge's daily expenditure is a full ten dinars!
But the returns from this investment were equally astonishing.
With the tiered reward system keeping everyone on their toes and the added boost of experience candies, everyone was focused on training and dared not slack off for a moment.
In just a few days
These farmers, who previously couldn't even distinguish left from right, have now reached the level of regular recruits!
This rate of growth is simply phenomenal.
Just as Rogge's training was beginning to show results, the situation in Sene, Ganders City, suddenly became tense.
The pirates suddenly intensified their attacks on the village!
Several villages that had let their guard down were successively attacked by pirates.
Fortunately, the villagers retreated into the mountains as soon as they saw the pirates, so they didn't lose many people. However, the pirates looted all the village's grain and livestock.
That afternoon,
Roger had just finished half a day of training and was wiping his sweat as he walked towards the barn.
Dust billowed on the road as squads of militiamen in leather armor and carrying spears rushed out from the fortress of Ganders, forming two lines along both sides of the road. Their spears were planted heavily on the ground, and their expressions were solemn, clearly welcoming some important figure.
Roger's heart skipped a beat. He reached out and stopped a villager, asking:
"Brother, what's going on here? Why are you making such a scene?"
The villager's face showed excitement.
You don't know yet, do you?
Same as always
"It's the lord, he's back!"
……
In Pendor, a lord's strength depends not only on his individual abilities, but also, and always on the wealth of his territory.
Stable tax revenue provides the foundation for maintaining and expanding the military.
Without income, even the most elite troops will gradually fall apart.
Rogge huddled behind the surging crowd, all eyes fixed on the potholed dirt road outside the city.
At the end of the dirt road is a gentle slope.
The first thing to appear was not a human figure, but a faint sound.
The noise subsided, leaving only the muffled thud of horses' hooves on the ground.
The next moment, a flagpole with a green background and a black axe was the first to pierce the horizon at the top of the hill.
Next to appear were two tall, jet-black horses.
Two armored knights sat atop the horse, their full suits of plate armor peeking out from beneath their dark green standard robes.
Their hands gripped the horse's reins tightly, their eyes sweeping across both sides of the city gate like those of hawks.
In their hands, the flagpole stood straight up to the sky, the wind whipping the flag fluttering loudly.
Against a bright green background is a pattern of a black battle axe.
Nearly a hundred cavalrymen followed closely behind, surging out from the bottom of the slope like a tide.
The cavalrymen were all dressed in dark green cloaks and chainmail.
The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the dirt road was continuous.
As the procession drew closer, Rogge finally saw the man surrounded by layers of cavalry at the very center of the column.
The lord was not wearing a helmet; his long, light-gold hair was tied back with a headband, revealing his well-defined face.
He wore a set of ornate plate armor with intricate carvings, which was completely different from the standard equipment of his knights, making his noble status immediately apparent.
The lord stared straight ahead, not glancing to the side, showing no intention whatsoever of getting close to the people.
Even when he was just sitting on horseback, he exuded an aura of authority that kept strangers at bay, as if all the gazes and noise around him were insignificant to him.
Nearly a hundred cavalrymen slowly walked through the city gate.
Behind the main force was an even larger infantry formation.
Two hundred soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder in neat rows, their spears held upright at their sides. Their steps were somewhat synchronized, and the combined sound of hundreds of footsteps formed a muffled torrent that flowed through the city gates into the castle.
Rogge stood there, watching the troop slowly pass by until the last soldier disappeared in the direction of the main castle, before he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
With his Eye of Insight, he could see the team's strength clearly.
Lord Harald has over eighty third-tier noble knights under his command!
There are a full twenty fourth-tier noble knights!
There were also thirty Fieldsway rogue knights mixed in with the group!
Those were elite private troops loyal only to the lord himself, and they were also genuine Tier 4 troops!
This means that, in the cavalry alone, Harald has fifty Tier 4 warriors!
The two plate-armored knights leading the way were none other than fifth-tier noble knights!
There were also two hundred infantrymen, all of whom were third-tier regular army soldiers.
This is worlds apart from the first and second tier conscripted militia in the fortress before.
Roger clenched his fists instinctively.
Thinking of the new recruits under his command who had just completed their training, a strong sense of loss welled up in his heart.
His strength was like that of a child wielding farm tools compared to the lord's regular army.
With such formidable military strength, they could easily defeat not only three hundred pirates, but also a main force of over a thousand men.
……
Ganders Fortress, Main Castle Council Hall.
The firewood in the fireplace was burning brightly, its orange flames dancing.
It reflects Harald's angular profile.
Two attendants stepped forward and removed the heavy plate armor from his body.
Several days of continuous travel had left a trace of fatigue in the eyes of this middle-aged lord.
He rubbed his temples, waved away the attendants on either side, and spoke in a low voice.
"Get out, everyone."
The servants bowed and withdrew, leaving only the steward Terry standing to the side.
Harald walked around to the throne and sat down, casually placing one large hand on the table, his gaze fixed on Terry.
"Tell me, what happened in the territory while I was away?"
Terry immediately bowed respectfully, not daring to conceal anything, and reported in detail all the changes that had occurred in the territory during this period:
"My lord, after you left, the Vanskerry pirates appeared on the west bank of East Lake."
The main force of the pirates currently wreaking havoc in the territory numbers approximately three hundred.
Duanpo Village and Gangde Village were successively massacred and looted by pirates.
Most of the people in Duanpo Village fled into the mountains and forests to escape the disaster.
The remaining dozen or so villages were also attacked, and most of the villagers fled into the mountains or poured into the fortified city.
He paused, then quickly added his response.
"Upon receiving the request for assistance, my subordinates immediately dispatched scout cavalry to ascertain the pirates' movements."
At the same time, the city fortress was strictly guarded, and able-bodied men from surrounding villages were conscripted to assist in the defense.
During this period, the garrison commander, Sigurd, repeatedly requested permission to engage in battle, but his subordinates only allowed him to lead small cavalry units out of the city to harass the enemy. The main force remained firmly entrenched in the fortress, ensuring its safety until Sigurd's return.
Harald's fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped, and his brows furrowed sharply.
"Three hundred pirates?"
He repeated the number, his voice devoid of emotion.
Terry bowed even lower and quickly began to explain:
"My lord, these pirates are extremely elusive. They never confront the garrison directly, but instead target remote villages."
Your subordinates dare not mobilize the main force without authorization; we can only hold our ground and await reinforcements, waiting for your return to make a decision.
Harald remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the map of his territory on the table, his eyes unreadable.
After a long silence, the lord's voice slowly broke the stillness in the council chamber. "Terry, you did the right thing by guarding the fortress."
"But now, I'm back."
He looked up at Terry:
"These villages are the foundation of my Harald's tax revenue and the source of my army's wealth."
If we let these pirates continue their burning, killing, and looting, this year's autumn harvest will be ruined. How will we feed these hundreds of knights and soldiers next year?
"I just returned from the Alliance Council, and all the lords around here are keeping an eye on me, Harald."
"If I can't even wipe out three hundred pirates, my people will question whether I can protect them, and outsiders will only think that I, Harald, am weak and easily bullied."
Upon hearing this, Supervisor Terry cautiously asked:
"My lord, what should we do next?"