Alright, these 500 Conscript Light Infantry might have been a bit of a joke, but they still counted as qualified recruits. Even if he had to equip them through tears, it was better than having nothing. Roland truly wanted to disband this bunch of militiamen. Keeping them around was simply a waste of food! Wait? Food!
"Fuck me! Doesn't this mean I suddenly have 500 more mouths to feed?" Roland's eyes widened as he finally realized what kind of useless burden the system had given him. These light infantry were useless even for defending a city. After all, no one could expect unarmored infantry armed only with one-handed swords to hold the walls. Using them as construction workers would be too wasteful, too! They were the very definition of tasteless to keep, but a pity to discard!
"Sigh..." Roland let out a helpless sigh and slumped down against the base of the wall. No one knew just how despairing the future Lagrange Emperor was on this day.
"Your Majesty..." Reno had barely opened his mouth before Roland cut him off with a wave.
"Tell me... Are we short on food, or short on clothing?" Roland raised his head weakly.
"Uh... Your Majesty... We're short on both..." Reno said cautiously.
"Mm, got it!" Roland grunted. His head throbbed terribly. It seemed he would have to go shake down little brother Thorin again.
Roland and Caslo led 500 Conscript Light Infantry onto the northbound road. Along the way, the performance of those Conscript Light Infantry could only be described as shattering Roland's understanding of how low imperial soldiers could sink.
Could anyone imagine it? More than a dozen Wasteland Orcs wielding wooden clubs had actually chased 500 Conscript Light Infantry into fleeing. Those fleeing light infantry had even scattered the accompanying Knights. Caslo and Roland were completely dumbfounded.
Holding a bloody Orc head, Roland stood before the light infantry with a face of ice. He angrily hurled the head to the ground and roared, "This is the Empire's army? This is your glory?"
"I can understand you! Without fine equipment or proper training, you can say that your combat strength is poor. But I never imagined you could be this poor!" Roland continued roaring furiously.
"Five hundred men! Chased by sixteen Orcs holding wooden clubs! And dozens of you were actually injured by those clubs? Are the things hanging from your waists fucking firewood?" Roland raged.
After venting his anger, Roland immediately wheeled his horse around and galloped toward Erebor, leaving those hopeless light infantry far behind.
"Follow His Majesty!" Caslo frowned and hurriedly ordered the ten accompanying Knights to follow Roland in case anything happened. He himself stayed behind to escort the light infantry to Erebor.
Sitting atop his warhorse, Caslo looked over the dense mass of Conscript Light Infantry. His gaze swept across their frightened eyes, their ragged clothes, and the barely useful one-handed swords on their bodies. Then he muttered quietly, "Which fucking idiot armed these civilians? Can these people even go onto a battlefield? Sending them into combat is practically a crime!"
"Thorin, I need your help!" Roland got straight to the point the moment he met Thorin Oakenshield.
"..." Thorin's heart could not help but tremble when he saw Roland's serious expression. The last time Roland had cleaned him out, Thorin had been heartbroken for ages. He still had not recovered from it.
"What is it? Have the Orcs attacked?" Thorin asked tentatively.
"No, it's an issue with our wandering people returning." Roland frowned.
"What is it? Not enough food and clothing? Dain from the Iron Hills just sent over quite a lot, saying it was meant for our people in the Blue Mountains when they arrived. But they have not come yet. If you need it urgently, you can take these supplies. After all, you need them more than we do." Freed from the curse's influence, Thorin was once again warm and friendly.
"No! You need to see this!" Roland dragged Thorin outside a hall. From the doorway, Thorin clearly saw a group of ragged humans wolfing down roasted meat, bread, and Dwarven rum. Judging from their starving appearance, they seemed to have gone hungry for a very long time.
"By my beard! Did you move your whole household into Erebor?" Thorin stared at the huge crowd stuffing themselves. Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought Roland had literally moved his home inside.
"No, these are the Lagrange Light Infantry who just returned..." Roland's face immediately reddened. This was too damn embarrassing! Those people were cramming food into their mouths like they had not eaten in eight lifetimes.
"By my beard! They're soldiers? This is practically a crime!" Thorin's focus was clearly different from Roland's. He stared at the ragged Conscript Light Infantry in utter shock. Aside from their broken swords, there was not a single thing about them that looked remotely like soldiers.
"Roland, you didn't actually lose your mind and recruit these civilians as soldiers, did you?" Thorin abruptly turned his head, looking at Roland as though he were meeting him for the first time.
"No, they really are soldiers. They're just conscripted militia..." Roland did not even dare call them light infantry anymore. He could only call them militia. After all, these Conscript Light Infantry were truly far too light!
"So?" Thorin seemed to have guessed something.
"Make use of your specialty and put together some equipment for them. It doesn't need to be too good; their physical condition isn't enough to support heavy gear." Roland knew there was no one better at forging than Dwarves.
"Come on, tell me what you need. As long as it's ironwork, I can provide whatever you name!" Thorin proudly slapped his chest and led Roland into the Dwarves' armory.
"Look around! See what they need. Take whatever catches your eye; consider it my gift to you, my friend!" Thorin said generously.
Roland felt a wave of envy. Was this the legendary true meaning of having mines at home? Other than the Dwarves, no faction seemed capable of casually giving away complete equipment for 500 men.
"Then thank you so much!" Roland could not help thanking Thorin. His earlier investments had been so worthwhile. In this war-torn Middle-earth, what was most valuable? Weapons! A force that possessed a large supply of weapons and equipment could raise an army at any time. Its quality might not be guaranteed, but it would still be highly advantageous for defending cities and fortifications.
"Uh... Right, Dwarven weapons and armor are a little small for them. I'll have Balin and the others measure them and make some alterations." Thorin smacked his forehead, recalling the difference in height between their races.
"Then many thanks." Roland nodded.
"Do you have any recommendations, Thorin?" Roland felt that this Dwarf king, born for war, surely understood better than he did what equipment his men needed.
"How do you intend to use them?" Thorin looked up, his expression serious.
"Defensively, I suppose! Given their qualities and ability... Charging an Orc battle formation would be too difficult!" Roland said bitterly. These Conscript Light Infantry had taken being useless cannon fodder to the absolute extreme...
"Alright. My suggestion is to arm them with three-meter Dwarven long spears. That will give them enough distance to keep the Orcs at bay! It should be more than sufficient for defense." After some thought, Thorin still recommended spears. The barrier to using spears was truly low; they required no real skill.
"That works. Good suggestion." Roland approved. Weapons like lances and spears were indeed excellent. The five-meter Anti-cavalry Pikes wielded by the Swift River Infantry had left a deep impression on him.
"As for armor... Given their role, thick leather armor would actually suit them best. It would let them remain more agile when defending. Unfortunately, we do not produce much leather armor here. How about fine iron chainmail?" Thorin pondered for a while before finally settling on chainmail, which would not hinder mobility while still offering solid protection.
"Alright." Roland nodded.
"For shields, iron kite shields." Thorin did not have much else to recommend for shields. They could use standard kite shields; surely they could not expect these men to carry Tower Shields. They would not be able to handle them.
"What do you want for sidearms? Longswords, hand axes, war hammers, something else?" Thorin asked.
"Battle axes. They're easier to use." Roland had originally wanted Longswords, but after considering their performance, he gave up on that thought... Simple, brutal hand axes would be far more practical.
"Alright! Is that everything?" Thorin looked up to see whether Roland had anything else to add.
"Do Dwarves make bows and arrows?" Roland suddenly asked.
"Oh! By my beard! Dwarven archers may not be as famous as Elf Archers, but surely we're not that lacking in presence! Dwarven bows may not compare to Elven bows, but they are just as reliable!" Thorin's eyes widened. Roland's question had thoroughly stunned him.
"One bow per person." Roland thought it over. Archery could be trained, after all. Winter was just the right time to have them practice. He did not expect them to reach the level of Erlino Ranger or Bannaria Archers; he would be satisfied if they had the accuracy of Lagrange City Guards.
"Fine, and add 100,000 arrows! They're all old stock sitting in storage anyway. You'll need them!" Thorin said half-jokingly.
"Kili! Prepare enough food for 500 people for six months!" Thorin called down to Kili, who was passing through the hall below.
"Hey! Kili! Taulier?" Roland was surprised to see an Elf in the Dwarven city. It seemed this ill-fated couple from their past lives had finally found their way together.
"Hey, King Roland! Great to see you! Why not come have a few drinks with me?" Kili invited him warmly.
"No, I won't disturb you two. I wish you happiness!" Roland winked suggestively at them.
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