Tommy thought it over and finally said to Claude, "I understand what you mean, but even so, we can't devote all our energy to military matters!"
Tommy glanced at Henry, who was directing the serfs' training, and said, "Claude, my lord is a noble, not a general or military officer. What my lord needs is prosperous territory, ever-higher taxes, and a respectable daily life."
Claude raised a hand to cut Tommy off. "Enough. I won't try to persuade my lord. My lord must have thought this through carefully. What we need to do is complete the tasks my lord has assigned us."
Tommy sighed. Since you won't persuade him, neither will I. After all, I'm the Chamberlain. My main duty is managing internal expenses.
"Training the serfs can improve their combat ability. It will help greatly with defending the territory and expanding our influence," Claude said seriously.
At that moment, a New Recruit hurried over and reported the latest situation at the border to Tommy.
Tommy had not been stripped of his authority over the forty New Recruits. Besides, he managed the castle's internal affairs, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to have some men under his command. In any case, these New Recruits were very loyal.
After hearing the report, Tommy frowned. After a moment of thought, he said, "It seems we need to strengthen the patrols. Earl John's men have withdrawn, and some stray dogs have started eyeing us again."
The two reported the situation to Henry and asked how they should proceed.
"About how many are there? How many groups? What are they after?"
"The exact number is unclear. Probably a few dozen? Just one group of robbers. They may be planning to raid the grain stored in some farms."
Henry nodded and merely told Philip, Vasco, and Bain to strengthen their patrols. They were only a few dozen robbers—not even enough for him to chop down by himself. There was no need to make a big fuss.
Unless he let them slowly gather together first, then fought a big battle!
Henry had originally planned to find excuses to declare war on the surrounding nobles, such as claiming he had lost a sheep, or that serfs and soldiers had gone missing.
But Henry suddenly realized there was nowhere worthwhile around West Lyme. Apart from Audoh, there was not even a proper settlement. There were only a few Barons hiding away in Fortified Manors, barely getting by.
Even if those vagrants wanted to rob someone, they could only come to West Lyme and join the fun.
Once he finished training his troops this month, he would go out and claim land. At the very least, he would seize the three nearby Knight Territories that no longer had rulers.
Plant a flag, station troops, build houses, and it was his land!
"By the way, have all those merchants' goods been delivered?"
"My lord, the handover has been completed."
Henry stood with his hands on his hips. It seemed the merchants' activities had drawn the attention of those stray dogs.
That was how desperadoes were. Even if a noble had a castle, armored soldiers, and cavalry, they still dared to try their luck at robbing the place.
"Let's go. Today's training is finished. We'll take a look around and see how we can develop the town area in the future."
Tommy and Claude found it amazing that the serfs, after only four or five days of training, already obeyed Henry's every word.
The three climbed onto the castle walls with several soldiers accompanying them and began planning the vast stretches of land outside.
"Claude, how about building a tavern here? This can become the center of the city in the future."
"We can build the blacksmith's shop by the river. If anything goes wrong, it will be easier to put out fires. Next spring, we can build a waterwheel. The tailor's shop, if it also makes leather goods, can go downstream, which will make soaking hides and dyeing cloth more convenient. We can build a Horse Market beside it, making it easier to buy horses and saddles. Later, we can build the open-air square there."
Henry pointed at the broad empty land near the castle, eagerly planning out the future city.
He intended to build more houses there and gradually create a class of urban commoners. Those people would become the main source of tax revenue, while tenant farmers would be the stable foundation that guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood.
Henry pointed to an empty patch of land in the distance and continued, "We can build an Open-Air Market there in the future, making it easier for commoners to trade goods."
He turned to Tommy. "What do you think?"
Tommy nodded and said with a smile, "My lord's idea is very good. However, we need to plan carefully."
Henry smiled confidently. "There's no need to worry about funding. The city will certainly develop. More merchants will naturally come, and that will increase the circulation of coin."
Claude added, "And we can also increase our income through taxes."
"Mm... that's right."
Over the next twenty-odd days, West Lyme's development rapidly got on track.
After a month of special training, Henry's serfs had undergone a complete transformation.
From motivational speeches to weapons training, the speed of these serfs' improvement was simply outrageous. Henry even suspected that they might be Green Skins.
Why were they improving so quickly through sparring with one another?
The Grassland Warriors moved as steadily as if they were on flat ground while mounted. They galloped at full speed, swift as the wind and lightning.
With their Curved Bows, they could easily hit targets twenty paces away from horseback. Every swing of their Curved Blades carried deadly menace, enough to make anyone tremble.
They were damn Horse Bandits!
The Empire's archers also displayed competent shooting skills. Within fifty paces, they could effectively hit their targets.
They could not hit every shot, but at least their arrows no longer flew wildly everywhere.
The vibration of bowstrings and the whistle of arrows cutting through the air intertwined, reminding Henry of his childhood before he crossed over. The "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" of those Vigia Archers remained vivid in his memory.
There was no need to mention the New Recruit Squad. Once they put on armor, they became the frontline force that could hold the line!
Henry looked at these men who had transformed from serfs into soldiers and nodded in satisfaction. They were ready for the battlefield!
For the past half month, Henry had carefully kept those desperadoes on the hook, preventing them from getting anything while leaving them itching for more.
As a result, their numbers kept growing, just like when Henry had first arrived a few months ago.
Desperadoes came in wave after wave with no memory. Even if they knew many people had died here before, they would not back down unless a batch of them died as well.
"My lord, for these serfs and Herding Serfs to become soldiers like this in just one month... your methods of training troops are deeply admirable."
Henry smiled, then suddenly asked Tommy, "By the way, how are those bandits doing? It's the perfect chance to let this batch of New Recruits and the men under your command get some experience and see blood."
Tommy immediately replied, "There are no Horse Bandits, only bandits and robbers. There are over a hundred robbers, but they are nothing to worry about. Give the serfs spears and they can hold them off. It's the bandits who have some skill—there are more than forty of them."
Bandits generally referred to desperadoes protected by Leather Armor, armed with iron weapons, and capable of using throwing axes, javelins, short bows, and the like. Henry called them elite mobs in his heart.
"Good. This time, we'll rob them."
Before you continue