Golden Dragon City, the palace hall.
The splendid hall was filled with a depressing atmosphere, and Ren’s worries were completely reflected on his face. With Ren’s demeanor, he could keep his emotions and anger indistinct most of the time, which made him The ministers below always speculated on his mood to maintain the mystery of his superiors.
But the recent spate of bad news has made him too lazy to maintain his composure. From the defeat of the army in the middle to Thor’s life and death, as well as the bad news about the departure of the golden dragon and the large number of white dragons assisting the orcs in fighting, Renn instantly Ten years older, in the face of the orc crisis, other things are not important. After all, the orcs will not care about his kingly demeanor and will only talk to him with the battle ax in his hand.
What Ren did during this period was to continuously transfuse blood towards Longxi Pass and use the power of the entire kingdom to increase the strength of the defenders of Longxi Pass. But while continuously supporting Longxi Pass, Ren actually also did The expectation that Longxiguan would be lost was resolved, as evidenced by the continuous training of the local garrison.
“How is the work of sorting out the garrison in Under Armor City going?”
Because Renn himself is diligent in his work, the order of business in the Golden Dragon Kingdom has always been that the ministers wait below. Renn will ask questions and discuss first. After Renn has discussed and decided on the matters he considers important, the ministers in the hall will They come out to supplement, and if there is nothing to discuss, they will disperse directly.
At this time, the first thing Ren asked about was the garrison. The military system of the Golden Dragon Kingdom roughly divided the army into three categories. The Royal Guards, which were directly commanded by Thor, was considered the third member of the Kingdom. The first-level army is different from the useless Forbidden Army in most countries. The Guards under the command of Thor have always maintained good combat effectiveness, use the best equipment, and receive undeducted military pay.
The second tier belongs to the Kingdom’s regular armies stationed across the country. These armies are fully funded by the Kingdom and provided with equipment. From time to time, they have to train to deal with the Kingdom’s inspections, so most of these armies still have sufficient combat capabilities. The bottom line is that the officers may be on the hook for free, but they can still mobilize the troops when the war actually comes. Now half of this part of the army has been pulled up to the battlefield of Longxiguan to receive the baptism of actual combat.
The third type of army is the garrison army in various cities in various places. This part of the army is jointly funded by the kingdom and local officials and nobles. The number accounts for most of the country’s army, but the level of combat effectiveness is a little erratic. .
There are also some private soldiers of the nobles. Typical representatives are the former Lanster family, the current Ross family in the West, and the Hunter family, which is currently at its peak. Let’s not mention these for now.
Part of the garrison in some places has been completely reduced to paper soldiers. This person was there when the kingdom paid per person. During the war, this person will probably disappear out of thin air. A small part will also serve as a facade. It’s okay to hang around for inspections every now and then, but it’s definitely not okay to fight.
There are still a very small number of people who are particularly capable of fighting, which may not give the kingdom peace of mind. In the case of the kingdom’s regular army with abundant military morals, the local garrison does not actually receive much attention. They are all owned by local officials. Money tree, if the garrison of any small town has sufficient soldiers, well-equipped, and well-trained soldiers, then it is very likely that the church has used its influence to secretly infiltrate the nobles and officials here and use the kingdom’s garrison to Pi Bo raised his own army, just like Richard was attacked by the small town garrison when he first entered the royal capital.
After all, no matter how you calculate it, the Golden Dragon Kingdom can be called a vast territory. This kind of land has exceeded the limit of national control in the feudal era. It can maintain the central authority for hundreds of years and ensure the long-term obedience of all regions. , the regular army has basically maintained its combat effectiveness. It can be considered that the monarchs of the Charman family have good skills in governing the country. They cannot ask the king of Jinlongduli to control the local area with the strength of a modern country.
So, in the past, the kingdom’s senior officials didn’t care much about how bad the local garrison was, and they couldn’t control it. But it’s different now. The war has lifted the lid, and basically all the regular armies that can be mobilized have been mobilized. , the kingdom is currently in a situation of shortage of troops, so it is natural to use the garrison force which takes up a lot of the kingdom’s military expenditure.
This part of the military expenditure was once a cash cow for local officials and nobles, and they could not be moved easily. However, under the pressure of the general situation, they had to move even if they did not move.
The person responsible for this matter is Ren’s eldest son, the eldest prince Wolf.
At this time, the eldest prince was dressed like a real general, standing in the main hall in a general’s uniform. Hearing Ren’s question about the garrison, he immediately stood up in line and replied to Ren:
“The reorganization work of the Under Armor City garrison is still in progress, and it will take at least a month to form combat effectiveness.”
“Why is it so slow?”
To be honest, the eldest prince Wolf has some abilities, otherwise Richard would not have put him on the same level as Pare and judged him as a man of power. You know, let Richard It is not easy for such a demanding person to give such a high evaluation.
But Ren still thinks that the opponent is a bit slow. After all, judging from the previous military situation, the situation at Longxi Pass is definitely not optimistic. The orcs breaking through the pass may happen at any time, and they do not have enough time. .
And Under Armor City is a large city lying across the central plain. It is three to four hundred miles east of Golden Dragon City and radiates to several small cities around it. There were originally several legions of the Kingdom’s regular legions stationed around it, but they have long since After being transferred to the front line of Longxiguan, only half of the flag regiment remained. If there was an enemy attack, the main task of defending the city would have to fall on the garrison.
Faced with Ren’s doubts, the eldest prince Wolf had to quickly explain.
“When I took over the Under Armor City garrison, its normal number of soldiers in the camp was less than 5,000, and the combined armies of several surrounding cities were only 10,000. After excluding the old and weak, all the soldiers were usable. It was less than five thousand, and all the remaining gaps were filled later. At this time, the training time was only one month.”
“His~”
After the eldest prince Wolf told the specific situation, Renn really took a breath of cold air. Although Renn is the master, human energy is limited after all, and Renn cannot know everything about the kingdom. , or in other words, the greed of local officials and nobles in the kingdom completely broke Ren’s understanding.
In Under Armor City and the surrounding small towns, the garrison should have numbered 100,000. In addition to paying full military expenses to the regular regiments with serial numbers every year, the kingdom also provides half pay to these garrison troops.
It is said to be half pay, but this half pay is not a small amount. The kingdom has always treated the army preferentially. The pay of a regular soldier directly under the army is enough to barely support a family. Although the garrison is half pay , but there is absolutely no problem in supporting oneself and one more person, and according to the regulations of the kingdom, the local government should also contribute part of the money to maintain the garrison.
The annual salary for the garrison that the kingdom pays is definitely not a small figure. Thinking about it in Rennes, after spending so much money, there must be a sound. He has never imagined that one hundred thousand people can be fully trained and trained. There are well-trained garrison soldiers, but they must have the airs of twenty or thirty thousand people.
In the final analysis, Renn still had a lack of understanding of the greed of the bureaucrats and aristocracy. He knew that these people would be greedy, but he did not expect that they could be greedy to such an extent that they could directly wipe out an army of 100,000 people.
To be able to pull out these five thousand people, the center of the Golden Dragon Kingdom is somewhat of a deterrent, and it must be prepared to deal with inspections from the kingdom from time to time.
In this way, the eldest prince Wolf, who was responsible for reorganizing the garrison, was naturally troubled. He could only recruit a new group of young men to pull up the team. Such a large proportion of recruits was equivalent to the entire army. Start training from scratch, and training has a direct impact on the combat effectiveness of the army. The army has only been trained a month ago. It is still in the recruitment stage. It is estimated that various weapons have not been used yet. It is already difficult to say that it will take another month of training to form combat effectiveness. My husband said it with great confidence.
“Those officials responsible for this matter…”
“Already executed.”
Ren is already angry, but Wolf has obviously taken things a step ahead and physically sent away those greedy officials and nobles. The Golden Dragon Kingdom may not be able to use the same method to eliminate all similar officials and nobles in the country. Nobles, but the power of the royal family allows them to verify and process batches.
“Yeah”
Hearing Wolf’s answer, Ren just nodded and said no more. Wolf did what he wanted to order. But behind this calm, at least a thousand heads fell to the ground, and many ministers in the hall were worried. Renn completely acquiesced and supported Wolf’s killing behavior.
“If you have any need, you can ask local officials to cooperate. If you encounter any obstruction, you can kill first and then attack. Let the garrison have the strength to fight as soon as possible.”
“Yes!”
After a brief reply, Wolf stood back in the queue. At this time, Wolf’s speaking and acting style became more and more like an officer’s martial arts. I don’t know whether he got it during the process of reorganizing the army, or because he wanted to be with other people. The officers mingled…
However, Renn doesn’t care about Wolf’s slightly excessive behavior. He gave up the power on his own initiative. He is not afraid of his sons seizing power, but is afraid that these people will not use it well. Now it seems that Wolf has obviously used it. good.
After discussing a few more minor matters, when Rennes was about to end this semi-monthly meeting, an ordinary official stood up.
“Your Majesty, the internal officer Peggy falsely conveyed an order from His Majesty, ordering the nobles to hoard the autumn grain stored in the castle into the big city. This has caused dissatisfaction among many nobles on the Great Plains. Please deal with Peggy…”
Although Ross’s order was to prepare for the fall of Dragon Breathing Pass and to minimize the source of supply for the orc army, this order actually harmed the interests of the nobles on the Great Plains. Naturally, it will cause widespread dissatisfaction. Using this excuse, someone will come out to make trouble. There is a serious error in the order procedure.
Everyone knew who had given the order in advance in the name of Renne. However, no one dared to stand up and accuse Rose. After dealing with Peggy and blocking the order, the goal was achieved.
Some of the better-informed officials in the hall already had some understanding of the matter. At this time, they all lowered their heads in silence and waited for Ren’s reaction.
When Ren heard someone mentioning this matter, his expression moved slightly. He knew about it. After all, the black prison under Varys was not a decoration, and Peggy later explained the situation with a flying bird letter.
Ren, as the king, was instinctively disgusted with Rose’s behavior of pretending to be in his name and acting first and then making up votes. However, he also understood the principle of obeying authority in emergencies, so he had no intention of pursuing it, but he didn’t expect it to be so. It was quickly mentioned at the court meeting.
After a slight pause, Renn still replied:
“Pecky did not pretend to convey the decree. It was me who gave the order. Let the nobles on the Central Plains fully cooperate with the action without delay.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
The process of this matter is definitely wrong. This kind of order usually has to be announced by Ren in public at the court meeting, but now it is implemented without this step at all. There must be something wrong.
But with Ren’s endorsement, no one dared to stand up and question it.
After the court meeting dispersed, Renn gave Varys a warning.
“Let the Black Prison investigate that person just now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
……
Longxiguan
The fighting is still fierce, and the orcs are attacking the pass almost day and night. A large number of corpses were dropped along Guancheng on both sides, and even occasionally a few white dragon corpses could be seen among the layers of corpses.
The human resistance is not unyielding. Even with the help of the white dragon, the orcs fought with each other for several days at the first pass. They used their lives to withstand the breath of the white dragon, and even relied on their divine power. The crossbow shot down several white dragons.
However, at this time, the defenders of Guancheng had reached the end of their strength. Almost all the powerful crossbows and other large instruments had been destroyed. Bailong once again took the risk and rushed to the city wall with the orcs.
Several wells suddenly fell down with planks of wood. The orc warrior was the first to land on the city wall and smashed several soldiers away with an axe. There were more orc warriors who completely ignored the hot oil splashed down by the stones dropped from their heads. , use a dense formation to attack with a long ladder.
“General Taize, the southern section of the city wall has been lost. Do you want to send a reserve team up?”
“It’s useless, order the army to withdraw and abandon Guancheng.”
“Let the reserve team organize a defense line in the trench and cover the retreat.”
“Lord Taize, this?”
Taize’s order to abandon Guancheng made the officers next to him hesitate. After all, in the eyes of many people, Guancheng is the strongest barrier. You can’t just give up.
“Execute the command!”
“Yes, General!”
Under Taize’s strict order, the human army gradually withdrew from the surrounding city. After grinding the orcs in this flesh and blood grindstone for several days, they finally captured the first pass of Longxing Pass…