Chapter 191 - 168: Preparing Military Affairs
Chapter 191: Chapter 168: Preparing Military Affairs
Just when everyone thought Prince Noah was about to force them to obey his commands, he suddenly changed his tune.
"Of course, I understand that everyone has their own difficulties. But even if you won’t obey every command, the Magic Crystal Cannons and Mages Sir Robson just mentioned...
...and even the Priest Corps—these are all of paramount importance in a war. These people must obey commands at all times!
No objections, right?" Prince Noah asked, looking around.
Robson watched Valentino and Prince Noah’s performance and couldn’t help but feel that having a good teammate made all the difference.
Prince Noah had been by Robson’s side for several days now. He understood deeply what Robson truly needed and what could be given up.
Thanks to their coordinated performance, the once-precious Magic Crystal Cannon Team and Mages, both highly valuable units, no longer seemed completely out of the question to hand over.
Prince Noah’s move was a divine assist.
"Of course, His Highness Prince’s words are reasonable."
"I agree..."
Sure enough, just as Robson had predicted, some people heard Prince Noah’s words and didn’t even realize what was happening. They thought the Prince was speaking up for them and immediately nodded in agreement.
Some of the smarter ones might have realized something was amiss, but they were swept along by those who had already agreed and nodded as well. As for the truly clever ones...
...the truly clever ones wouldn’t object. Just as Robson had said, with the kingdom in peril, these petty squabbles could be set aside for the time being.
Otherwise, when things went south, no one would have an easy time facing the thunderous wrath of the entire kingdom.
"Second, all supplies and resources in Thermopylae must henceforth be centralized—centrally managed, centrally distributed, and centrally allocated..." Robson stated his second point.
These two points basically covered everything Robson wanted.
The first point was mainly to get his hands on the Magic Crystal Cannons, Mages, and Priest Corps. As for the grunts...
To be honest, after the battle last night, Robson held no hope for the combat effectiveness of the grunts.
The coming Beastmen—let alone being on the same level as the previous Beastman Wolf Cavalry, even if they were only three-quarters as strong and well-rested—would still be a thorny problem for Robson.
Their numbers were estimated to be in the tens of thousands! Once a force reaches a certain size, it can trigger a qualitative change.
If this new group was on the same level as the previous Beastman Wolf Cavalry, Robson felt that he and Prince Noah would most likely die for their country. The probability of a successful defense was minuscule, to say nothing of the grunts.
Of course, every type of soldier has its use.
Robson happened to be short on logistics troops anyway. Having them do the work of laborers would be perfect, saving the main force a great deal of time.
The second point was exactly what it sounded like: a demand for supplies. After all, Robson had to ensure that superior armor and weapons were put into the hands of those who could use them effectively.
Only Robson himself could ensure this was done precisely.
This time, no one stood up to object. Although everyone looked reluctant, no one voiced their dissatisfaction. Presumably, with the groundwork laid by the first point, this one passed much more efficiently.
Robson looked at these nobles of Thermopylae who seemed to think they could oppose him with silence and suddenly found them laughably childish.
It seemed the generations weren’t so monolithic after all. Not everyone in the old guard was a Viscount Fuman, nor was everyone in the new generation a Valentino or a Prince Noah.
Previously, Robson had dealt with either the Patriarchs of the great families or the meticulously groomed elites of those families. This had given him the false impression that people like Knight Ed were the minority.
Now it seemed that not only were the Knight Eds not a minority, but they might even make up a significant portion.
’It makes sense when you think about it. The truly capable people have long since gone to the front lines to earn merits. Most of these people left to guard the rear are the second-generation nobles from various families—the ones who aren’t that important but are still somewhat pampered.’
He didn’t waste any more time giving useless explanations to this group. These guys were destined to amount to nothing.
The most important thing for Robson now was to quickly consolidate command over all of Thermopylae, making it easier for him to direct the overall situation.
What Robson said next were mostly minor details. The nobles of Thermopylae continued to resist with silence.
When they didn’t respond, Robson and Prince Noah just took it as tacit approval.
"Good! Sir Robson’s proposals are quite reasonable!
Now, let’s put these plans into action.
Everyone, time is short. The Beastman army is only a few days’ march away. Acting quickly is the greatest loyalty you can show the Frank Kingdom!" Seeing that everything had been covered, Prince Noah stood up and declared the meeting over.
Although Prince Noah had called for a brainstorming session, in reality, the entire meeting was Robson’s one-man show.
When they encountered a problem, the three of them would coordinate to take down the troublemakers, cut to the heart of the matter, and pull back as soon as their goal was achieved.
So far, the meeting had gone very smoothly. You could say they had overcome all obstacles in their path.
In truth, there was one person with real influence in Thermopylae: Viscount Sriwizi. He wasn’t just another second-generation noble; he truly understood the current situation and knew what was going on. That was why Viscount Sriwizi had basically been nodding along throughout the entire meeting.
There were also various honorary Viscounts sent by other great nobles, and even one with a true fief. They had all been essentially cowed by Valentino.
Even among the second generation, there are big and small fish. Someone of Valentino’s level was the pinnacle of their kind, one of the people who truly had a voice in the kingdom.