Volume 12 Chapter 8 Margrave South District Military Leadership Conference
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The members in the meeting room sighed at what Marietta said.
I had never heard of building a fortress like that before.
”Is Lord Kent planning to use the wagons as disposable? We need at least a few hundred. Depending on the fortress size, it could be over a thousand. If we throw them away, won’t that be very expensive?”
Charlotte seemed worried about the costs after hearing the plan to stack wagons for the outer wall.
”About that, Sir Kent has already discussed it with the bureaucrat. It seems the fortress can be built for about half the usual construction cost. They’ve decided to use about 12 hundred wagons, including spares, and since it’s disposable, they are making the outer wall strong but focusing on minimal performance for mass production. We, the supply team, will leave the vehicles and supplies at the site and then rush back to Abyss Vena on horseback to return to normal supply duties.”
If Marietta builds the fortress as instructed, the costs for keeping troops will be significantly reduced, and we’ll be able to build the base and fend off monsters within a day or 2 of arrival, minimizing human losses.
It seemed like a perfect plan.
”So, all we have to do is make His Excellency Kent’s vision a reality… Once the base is done, General Garvey will keep the monsters away, so the success rate of this operation should be quite high.”
Ane praised the General’s plan as very feasible, and it seemed everyone at the meeting felt the same way.
”As expected of Sir Kent… It’s flashy, but the cost-effectiveness is great.”
”The lord’s ideas always go beyond our expectations.”
Akebus and Fristoph seemed to admire how the General’s ideas weren’t bound by military norms.
I also felt again how amazing the General was.
Normally, he’s an ornamental boss who only looks at women and throws the tough work on me, but sometimes his grand strategies and plans impress me as a soldier.
General is good at doing things if he put his mind to it, but his weakness is that he tend to just dump work on his subordinates unless it’s really urgent or there’s no choice. Well, that’s partly why we’re free to do what we want…
General’s way of managing talent is to give the capable people more work so he can relax, and he rarely complain about the tasks given. He even give them decision power, so everyone works as hard as they can and tries to get good results. When they do, they get rewards, and that makes everyone want to work harder──it’s a good cycle.
Thanks to that, the South District margrave’s army has many talented young soldiers, and the average age is only in the early twenties.
”We just need to do our best to carry out Lord Kent’s plan. First, we should prioritize figuring out how big the escort should be.”
Charlotte, the guest commander, asked how big the army needs to be to escort the supply convoy as per the general’s plan.
”If we’re escorting 1,200 wagons, we probably need about 5 thousand soldiers.”
Fristoph quickly calculated how many soldiers are needed for the escort and gave an estimate.
His opinion was reasonable, considering how dangerous the area is.
”If we think about setting up the wagons, I think we should use troops as labor to move them. That way, we save the trouble of moving people around, and the number of targets to guard decreases, making the whole unit more mobile. Also, no soldier in our army would complain about building field fortifications, right?”
Ane suggested that soldiers should act as labor to guard fewer targets and speed up the march.
Certainly, none of our soldiers complain about building field fortifications.
In the Kingdom’s army, it’s normal for commanders to pocket part of soldiers’ pay, but now they face strict penalties, and soldiers’ salaries are increased by over 20%. Morale is high, and even officers do field work alongside soldiers, making harsh instructions less likely.
”Ane’s plan is a good idea. If we use the extra labor to give soldiers bonuses, they’ll be even more motivated. I’ll talk to the Bureaucrat about it.”
”Oh, that’s a good idea. The soldiers will be happy.”
It seems Akebus also thinks giving back to the soldiers will help push the south campaign even more.
”Still, the Margrave South District Army is a strange kind of army… I’ve never seen a force that cares so much about their soldiers.”
Charlotte, who is staying with the Margrave South District Army as a guest officer, told me that she gets paid by the army, but she’s surprised at how much her salary is.
I am also called a General, and I was surprised at how high my salary is too.
One reason the salary is so high is that the Margrave South District Army is actively hunting monsters under the name of training, and they sell monster materials to the Hunter Guild for a lot of money, which makes the soldiers’ pay high.
Also, many officers in the Margrave South District Army are not nobles, but officers promoted from lower ranks or commoners.
They tend to understand the soldiers’ feelings well, so officers look out for the soldiers more kindly.
I myself am a commoner officer who was once in the same situation as the soldiers.
”Well, the General in charge has ordered that the soldiers be cared for. It’s natural that they feel motivated. Plus, the soldiers know they can earn more if they work hard.”
”Maybe it’s the regional differences… The South District seems to have monsters and ‘another world monsters’──non-human enemies.”
Charlotte is also working as the General’s concubine and, along with her 2 thousand subordinates who defected from the Kingdom army, she’s volunteered to join the southern campaign to develop her nephew’s new territory.
My guess is that the General might plan to bestow Charlotte with the fortress they are building if she earns enough military merit.
The Southern Region is an untouched, fertile land.
If the south campaign succeeds and they drive out the monsters, the South District could get a huge amount of farmland, making self-sufficient food possible.
The General is probably thinking about giving the fort that protects the farmland to Charlotte, who is a guest commander and shows excellent skills in both attack and defense, to ensure peace in the area.
Considering the Kingdom’s push for Noble land to be directly controlled, it seems better to give up the low-potential lands near the Capital City and call her nephew’s family to Abyss Vena, which would make Charlotte feel safer.
”Lady Charlotte will gain glory on this southern expedition. If so, the General will surely make good arrangements for her.”
”I understand. I see this as a good opportunity to solidify our foothold here before our family’s decline, so I will do my best.”
Charlotte seemed very motivated, her fighting spirit shining brightly.
”We’re getting off track. So, are we thinking of sending about 7 thousand 5 hundred as human workers? It should be more efficient to build the base quickly and start hunting?”
Akebus brought the conversation back to the main topic.
”According to the documents, Black Wing, under Lady Delprius, is designated to lock about 4 hundred members along the new village of the Red Ogre as a hunting area in the southwest. The General will lead his personal Hunting Group and Monster Hunters, advancing from Godard in the southeastern coastal area. Our military is locked in the central area from Godard to the Nirei River. Given that, as Lord Akebus said, it might be safer to prepare our base first and expand the hunting range…”
Everyone focused on the documents, confirming the designated hunting areas of the military.
The military had been assigned the largest hunting area as the main force for this southern expedition.
”As Lord Akebus mentioned, our main force of 7 thousand 5 hundred will guard the supply units, while Lady Charlotte’s troops of 2 thousand 5 hundred will systematically crush the monster gatherings confirmed around Godard and move south. What do you think?”
Charlotte looks at me with a bright face.
She is a succubus by type, but usually hides her horns and wings, dressing in a Majin Clan style, but she can’t hide her beauty as a beautiful succubus.
”Lord Garvey!! Can I crush the monster hideout as a vanguard!! I can reward my subordinates with this!!”
”Yes. The vanguard is Lady Charlotte, the main force is Lord Kondrad, me, and Lord Akebus, the front squad is Lady Ane, and the light cavalry is Lady Marietta. Lord Kondrad will also come back, so once the fortress is completed, we’ll attack fiercely. First, securing the Town area and setting up a base is the top priority. Lord Fristoph will lead the security team to maintain order while defending Abyss Vena as a caretaker.”
”Understood. I will take on the task. Sir Kent can also be recognized for his support from behind, so I have no particular complaints.”
Fristoph usually handles the home guard during expeditions, but out of consideration for Fristoph, who mostly works behind the scenes, he was given a high salary, knight title, and the family name Godard, and he was welcomed as a vassal family of Blackdagger.
Fristoph, moved by this, works harder than ever before.
”If the plan is decided, let’s move into preparation. We should identify the monster hideout, supply points, and intercept locations. Also, we need to research retreat routes ahead of time. I think it’s wise to send out a small scout team for information gathering before the southern march is ready.”
Akebus, with years of monster hunting experience, recommended thorough pre-preparations.
I also fought monsters plenty of times at Felward Fortress, so I understood the importance of information gathering beforehand.
”Alright, let’s do the hunting training with a squad size. We’ll send about 50 scouts south of Godard for information gathering. Each army, pick your candidates! Now, let’s start our work.”
””””Understood!””””
The top leaders of each army all left the meeting room at once.
The South District army moved out for the large-scale monster hunt led by the General.
After leaving the meeting room, I headed with Mira to negotiate with Helga, the Minister of Finance, to secure payment for the soldiers’ labor.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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