Robbing Robbers! Robbing Highwaymen!

Tommy thought about it and said to Claude, "I understand what you mean, but even so, we can't put all our energy into military affairs!"

Tommy glanced at Henry, who was directing the serfs' training, and said, "Claude, the master is a noble, not a general or military officer. What the master needs is a prosperous territory, ever-increasing taxes, and a decent daily life."

Claude raised his hand to interrupt Tommy, saying, "Alright, that's enough. I won't try to persuade the master anymore. The master must have given this a lot of thought. What we need to do is complete the tasks assigned by the master."

Tommy sighed. If you don't persuade him, then I won't either. Anyway, he was the internal affairs steward, and his main job was to manage internal expenses.

"Training serfs can improve their combat effectiveness, which is very helpful for defending the territory and expanding our power," Claude said seriously.

At this moment, a new recruit rushed over to report the latest situation on the border to Tommy.

Tommy had not had his authority to control the forty new recruits taken away. Anyway, Tommy was also in charge of the internal affairs of the Fortified Manor, so it was fine for him to have some people under his command. Besides, these new recruits were very loyal.

After listening, Tommy frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "It seems we must strengthen our patrols. Earl John's men have withdrawn, and some wild dogs are eyeing us again."

The two reported the situation to Henry, wanting to ask what to do.

"How many are there? How many groups? What are they after?"

"The specifics aren't clear, maybe a few dozen? Just a band of Robbers, probably wanting to loot some grain from the Farmsteads."

Henry nodded, only telling Philip, Vasco, and Bain to strengthen their patrols. A few dozen Robbers were not even enough for him to kill himself, so there was no need to make a fuss.

Unless, he let them slowly gather together, and then fight a big one!

Originally, Henry had planned to find an excuse to declare war on the surrounding nobles, such as saying he had lost a sheep, or that serfs and soldiers had gone missing.

But then Henry suddenly realized that there was nothing decent around West Lyme. Apart from Audoh, there wasn't even a proper settlement, just some Barons huddled in their Fortified Manors, eking out a living.

If those Highwaymen wanted to Rob, they could only come to West Lyme to join in the fun.

Once he finished training his troops this month, he would go out and seize territory, at least occupying the three Knight territories next to him that no longer had rulers.

Stick in a flag, station troops, build houses, and it's mine!

"By the way, have the merchants' goods been delivered?"

"Master, the handover is complete."

Henry put his hands on his hips. It seemed that the merchants' actions had attracted the attention of these wild dogs.

Outlaws were like that. Even if the nobles in this place had castles, armored soldiers, and cavalry, they would still dare to try to Rob them.

"Let's go, my training for today is over. Let's take a walk and see how to develop the city in the future."

Tommy and Claude were amazed to see the serfs, who had only been trained for four or five days, obeying Henry's every word.

Accompanied by several soldiers, the three climbed onto the walls of the Fortified Manor and began planning the vast expanse of land outside.

"Claude, how about we build a tavern here? This will be the center of the city in the future."

"The blacksmith shop can be built by the river, so it will be easier to put out fires if problems arise. We can build a waterwheel next spring. If the tailor shop also makes leather goods, it can be placed downstream, making it easier to soak hides and dye cloth. Next to it, we can build a horse market, making it convenient to buy horses and saddles. In the future, we can build an open-air square there."

Henry pointed to the large open space near the Fortified Manor, enthusiastically planning the future city.

He planned to build more houses there, and gradually create a group of urban commoners in the future. These people would be the main source of tax revenue, while the tenant farmers would be the basic guarantee against drought and flood.

Henry pointed to a distant open space and continued, "We can build an open-air market there in the future, making it convenient for commoners to trade goods."

He turned to look at Tommy, "What do you think?"

Tommy nodded and said with a smile, "The master's idea is very good. However, we must plan carefully."

Henry smiled, confidently saying, "Don't worry about the funds. The city will definitely develop, and more merchants will come naturally. By then, it will drive the growth of currency."

Claude interjected, "Moreover, we can also increase our income through taxes."

"Yes… that's right."

In the following twenty days, West Lyme's high-speed development got on the right track.

And after a month of special training, the serfs under Henry had been completely transformed.

From speeches and mobilization to military training, the speed of progress of these serfs was simply outrageous. Henry even suspected that these serfs were Green Skins?

Why was the training speed of mutual combat so fast?

The Grassland Warriors were as steady as if walking on flat ground while on horseback. They galloped, swift as the wind.

Their curved bows could easily hit targets twenty paces away from horseback, and each swing of their scimitars carried a deadly threat, chilling to the bone.

These bastards are highwaymen!

The Empire Archers also demonstrated competent shooting skills, effectively hitting targets within fifty paces.

While not always hitting the bullseye, at least their arrows didn't fly wildly.

The twang of bowstrings and the sound of arrows cutting through the air intertwined, reminding Henry of his childhood memories before he transmigrated. The 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' of those Vigia Archers was still fresh in his mind.

The New Recruit Squad, needless to say, were the front-line troops once they donned armor!

Henry looked at these fellows who had transformed from Serfs into soldiers and nodded in satisfaction. They were ready for the battlefield!

For the past half-month, Henry had been carefully manipulating those desperate outlaws, preventing them from looting anything, but still keeping them eager.

This led to their numbers growing larger and larger, just like when Henry had first arrived a few months ago.

Desperate outlaws, wave after wave, with no memory. Even if they knew many had died here before, they wouldn't retreat unless a group of them actually died.

"Master, your methods of training soldiers are truly admirable, turning these Serfs and herdsmen into such soldiers in just a month."

Henry smiled and suddenly asked Tommy, "By the way, what about those bandits? It's a good opportunity for these new recruits and your men to practice and see some blood."

Tommy immediately replied, "There are no Highwaymen, just robbers and bandits. The Robbers number over a hundred, but they are not a concern. Giving the Serfs spears is enough to defend against them. It's the Bandits who are a bit more capable, numbering over forty."

Bandits generally referred to desperate outlaws with leather armor, iron weapons, and the ability to use throwing axes, javelins, or short bows – what Henry internally called elite monsters.

"Good, we'll rob them this time."