Chapter 190 - 168: Preparing Military Affairs
Chapter 190: Chapter 168: Preparing Military Affairs
The Kingdom Government had long been monopolized by the Northern Nobles and the royal family, while the southern nobles’ influence was primarily seen in the kingdom’s many merchant guilds and the Kingdom Council.
In the grand scheme of things, this war was a matter of life and death for the entire Frank Kingdom. Whether the kingdom could preserve the fruits of Louis III’s decades of diligent rule and end this conflict with minimal losses—it all came down to this.
After all, the Frank Kingdom was, in a way, Robson’s second home.
"I am honored by your trust, Your Highness. Since you have placed such faith in me, I will not let you down.
From this point on, the defense of Thermopylae is no longer about conventional strategy or tactics.
In the previous battles, we successfully crushed the enemy’s elite forces. As a result, morale throughout the army is high.
I believe our most urgent task now is to accelerate the defensive preparations for all of Thermopylae," Robson said.
Prince Noah nodded in agreement.
"Please continue, Sir Robson," Prince Noah said.
"In my opinion, the current preparations at Thermopylae are far from sufficient.
First, the soldiers lack fighting spirit, and their level of training and organization is low. I consider this a very serious problem!
I hope you will all be willing to relinquish command of the soldiers under you. This will allow us to centralize their allocation and management," Robson said.
When Robson finished, a few people began to whisper amongst themselves, seemingly with some objections, but most of the nobles at Thermopylae remained impassive.
It wasn’t that they had anticipated this; it was simply that they didn’t consider it a big deal. They knew their own business, after all.
’Did they not know what kind of rabble their own troops were? If they had to give them up, so be it. It’s not like they were giving away anything of value.’
"Rest assured, everyone," Prince Noah said. "The kingdom will not shortchange you for your soldiers. A private army is a noble’s personal property, and I, Noah, give you my word that you will be compensated accordingly."
"In that case..." Viscount Sriwizi was just about to agree when he was interrupted by Robson.
"There’s no need to rush, my lord Viscount. The soldiers His Highness and I are referring to aren’t just the peasants.
Magic Crystal Gunners, Mages, Knight Orders, and even the Extraordinary nobles—that is, you yourselves—will all be required to obey commands," Robson said.
Robson’s words caused an uproar. Some began to debate the matter, citing the Noble Council and the kingdom’s established political and military structures.
"That’s not right! This is the Noble Alliance Army. We all should have the right to act independently."
"Sir, perhaps..."
Clearly, these heirs had yet to realize the gravity of the situation. They still didn’t understand what an army of tens of thousands of elite Beastmen truly represented. They were used to a life of privilege and didn’t want to be bossed around by anyone.
’The Prince? Even he was no use. Prince Noah had been abroad for years, and the first thing he did upon returning was to stir up this mess.’
’Many of them were the direct heirs of powerful Counts and had often mocked Prince Noah behind his back.’
The nobles who had followed Robson from the front lines, especially the group from Qimo Fortress, found it utterly bizarre as they watched the defiant ones.
’They weren’t sure when it happened, but following orders had become second nature to them.’
’In their eyes, these people who refused to obey Sir Robson’s command were the strange ones.’
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Valentino, sitting beside Robson, finally spoke. "The Beastman Army is at our gates. I see nothing wrong with Sir Robson’s approach."
Hearing Valentino’s words, a young nobleman in the crowd looked ready to challenge her, fuming, but was fortunately pulled back by Viscount Sriwizi.
"What, you have an objection?" Valentino demanded icily, her eyes fixed on the hothead who had wanted to cause trouble.
"It’s nothing. He was just being reckless. Please pay him no mind, my lady Countess," Viscount Sriwizi said with a placating smile.
A Countess!
At Viscount Sriwizi’s words, the murmuring died down.
’Prince Noah’s title, "His Highness the Prince," sounded intimidating. But in reality, he held no official domestic posts, hadn’t participated in government affairs, and had no formal fief. He did have a military commission, but he was currently busy cleaning up the mess that came with it.’
’Prince Noah’s title was probably less influential than that of a Count with real power.’
’Besides, while they might be playboys, that didn’t mean they were idiots. They were well aware of the goings-on in their social circles.’
’A young Countess... wasn’t this the Marquis’s granddaughter?’
’She was a Countess with real power in her own right, and she was backed by a Marquis who also held significant power. Her status was anything but simple.’
’The wannabes had just run into the real deal.’
The young man who had tried to speak up earlier knew better than to push it and backed down. He didn’t go so far as to apologize, however. His own grandfather was a Count, and he himself was an Honorary Viscount; that was the source of his initial boldness.
Robson looked at the garrison nobles of Thermopylae, who were still muttering amongst themselves, and finally understood why the Kingdom Government had been so frantic when the Beastman Army first arrived.
’So they’d just sent a pile of good-for-nothings here.’
"Enough!" Prince Noah slammed his hand on the table.
"Noble Alliance Army or not, at the end of the day, you are still an army of the Frank Kingdom! You are Soldiers of the Kingdom! Since when have soldiers ever been allowed to disobey orders?" Prince Noah demanded.