The Great Recruitment

Early the next morning, after waking up, Victor received the new recruitment plan and pension plan in his consciousness space.

After reviewing them, Victor was very satisfied. The details were also thorough, so he copied down the contents and arranged for them to be sent to Stone Castle. Civil Administration would make copies and distribute them throughout the territory, while messengers were dispatched to announce them.

Victor then went to the Main Camp, met up with Ron and several Squad Leaders, and headed to the first farmstead. Upon arrival, he ordered the steward to gather all young men between the ages of sixteen and twenty-eight.

There were fifteen farmsteads in the territory, with roughly people among the serfs in total, averaging around two thousand per farmstead. The population was generally young, with those between fifteen and thirty estimated to account for around one-third. Soon, more than four hundred people had gathered here.

Seeing so many people, Victor was very satisfied. He had to recruit six hundred men from among the serfs. From the looks of it, selecting one in ten would be enough to recruit a batch of soldiers with adequate physical fitness.

Victor stood on a temporary platform and swept his gaze across the more than four hundred young serfs standing neatly before him. They wore plain clothes, their faces filled with nervousness and anticipation as they waited for the fate about to befall them.

Victor first had a messenger read out the recruitment plan and the new pension plan. Upon hearing them, all the serfs became excited. No serf wished to remain enslaved.

The farmstead steward immediately led his men to maintain order, punching and kicking the restless serfs.

Seeing this, Victor quickly raised a hand to stop the farmstead steward, then stepped to the front of the platform.

Victor cleared his throat and said in a firm yet gentle voice, "Today, we will select forty of the finest young men among you to join our army. This is not only to defend our territory, but also to give you a chance to change your fate."

Whispers rose from the crowd, and hope gleamed in the eyes of many young men. Victor continued, "I know that many of you have different wishes and dreams. But remember, whatever choice you make, you must face the future bravely."

At that moment, Ron stepped forward with a list in hand. He walked to Victor's side and said quietly, "Victor, I've already made a preliminary selection of qualified candidates." Victor nodded, signaling for Ron to begin reading the names.

As names were called one after another, the selected youths stepped out of the ranks and stood to one side. One young man named Jack appeared especially excited. He stepped forward and said to Victor, "My lord, I've always dreamed of becoming a soldier and serving the lord. I'm willing to accept any test. I only ask for this opportunity."

Victor looked into Jack's determined eyes and said with a smile, "Very good, Jack. Courage and resolve are important qualities for an excellent soldier. I hope you can prove your worth in the coming training."

Meanwhile, some of the youths who had not been selected showed disappointed expressions. A young man named Tom lowered his head and silently returned to the ranks. Victor noticed him and said to everyone, "Those who were not selected, don't lose heart. Not being chosen this time doesn't mean you have no chance. As long as you keep working hard, you will still have opportunities in the next recruitment."

Just then, a little boy named Walker suddenly stepped forward. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "My lord, I want to join the army too. My parents are both serfs. I hope that through my own efforts, I can free them from that status and let them receive land of their own."

Victor looked at the frail little boy before him and said gently, "Walker, your courage moves me deeply. But don't worry. Next, I will improve the treatment of serfs. You're too small and thin. Grow up a little first. When the next recruitment comes, as long as you are willing to accept the challenge, we will give you a fair opportunity."

Tears glimmered in Walker's eyes as he nodded firmly.

Victor turned to Ron and signaled for him to record it. Then he announced to everyone, "Today's selection is over. Those chosen will undergo further training and assessment. Those who were not selected should not be discouraged either. You still have many other opportunities."

He then sorted out the issues that had emerged during this selection and, together with Ron, trained several Squad Leaders. After all, Victor still had much work to do, so Ron would have to lead the recruitment efforts at the remaining farmsteads.

Victor pointed to the list and said, "Look, among the forty serfs recruited this time, the oldest is twenty-four and the youngest is eighteen. Basically, only those in this age range meet our basic physical requirements. Those who are too old will also have poorer learning ability. When you visit the other farmsteads, you can focus on youths in this age range."

The several Squad Leaders all nodded to show that they understood.

Ron said to Victor, "I'll go recruit soldiers over the next few days. The people already confirmed can be sent to the Main Camp first to rest and adjust themselves, so they can prepare for training."

"No problem, Uncle. After all, hard agricultural labor may make it difficult for them to adapt to military training at first. You're right. They really do need some time to rest."

Victor agreed.

Afterward, Victor bid Ron farewell and returned to Stone Castle.

Upon arriving at Stone Castle, Victor summoned the Civil Affairs Director, Financial Director, and Agricultural Director.

Once everyone had arrived, Victor said to the Agricultural Director, "Linde, recruitment has already begun. Follow the plan I sent you earlier. I now need to establish a new farmstead. I need you to coordinate with the various farmsteads to gather supplies and begin construction, so we can settle these soldiers' families. You are to manage them according to the standards for Freemen."

Linde immediately replied, "Rest assured, my lord. We have already begun preparations. The location has been chosen on the newly reclaimed farmland from this year. The environment there is excellent, and there is a large amount of uncultivated land. It is enough to establish a small town for four or five thousand people."

Victor nodded, then said to Civil Affairs Director Powell and Financial Director Robo, "Civil Administration must properly coordinate the settlement of the serfs and organize their household registration information. Finance must prepare a settlement budget. I will allocate part of the startup funds from the Inner Treasury, and afterward, monthly taxes will be used as investment. Calculate everything carefully and minimize waste."

Powell and Robo immediately nodded in agreement.

Victor was very satisfied. He instructed them to go arrange the work at once, then went to find Steward Boon.

"Steward Boon, have there been any new developments lately? Before I returned, Father told me that I should come directly to you if I needed any intelligence," Victor said.

"Yes, young master. The latest news is that both sides have begun withdrawing their troops. Marquis Molen and Count Colt have gone to the Capital City together, while the baron intends to withdraw with the Eastern Allied Army to Blackwater City first. Sir Paul will then lead the main force back to the territory, while the baron will head directly to the Capital City to attend the Noble Council.

There is also new news from the north. Our territory's merchant caravan has made contact. They were previously blockaded in Edelweiss Territory by the Noble Army of Bria County. Fortunately, Viscount Thoros has been confronting the nobles of the Northern Alliance, so there were no losses in money or supplies, and they successfully purchased two hundred warhorses."

Victor was delighted when he heard this. "Once this batch of warhorses arrives, the territory's Light Cavalry force will be complete."

"There is one more matter, young master. Baron Thorne Green Oak from next door has died in battle. At present, it appears that Count Brian is unable to help the Green Oak Family retain their territory. The master sent a letter telling you to prepare early."

Victor fell into thought. "I understand."

"Steward Boon, send someone to deliver a letter to Father and find out Count Colt's true intentions. Is this move south to avoid disaster, or to resist? I think that point is very important."

"Yes, young master. I will arrange for someone to deliver it as soon as possible."

Victor turned and left.

Early the next morning, Victor brought his men to the Main Camp and found that it had become increasingly lively. The formations training in the camp had clearly multiplied severalfold, though they appeared quite disorderly. They were likely all newly recruited soldiers.

After asking around in the camp, he learned that Ron was still leading men at the farmsteads to organize recruitment. More than half of the recruitment task had already been completed. Two hundred Freemen recruits and three hundred and twenty serf recruits had arrived at the camp. While resting and recovering, they were also undergoing relatively light formation training.

Victor intended to observe the training in the camp. He waved for the Squad Leaders of the recruit units to continue leading their training, while he took several guards and watched from around the Drill Ground.

Victor soon discovered some problems. The Freemen recruits and serf recruits were clearly divided. Their expressions, bearing, and clothing made it obvious that the serf recruits wore much more ragged clothes. During breaks, some Freemen recruits even went to provoke the serf recruit units, while the serf recruits clearly dared to be angry but not speak out.

Victor thought, This won't do. These soldiers will be comrades fighting side by side on the battlefield. If this continues, forget cooperation—they might even shoot each other in the back once they get to the battlefield.

"You there, go call the quartermaster," Victor said to his guards.

Before long, the guards brought Quartermaster Blinken over. Blinken respectfully said, "Young master, what are your orders?"

"I previously demanded standardized military uniforms. Where are they? Why have they not been issued to these new recruits?" Victor was furious.

Blinken said, drenched in sweat, "It's like this, young master. This batch of clothes has not been finished yet. Only four hundred have arrived so far, so they have not been issued."

Victor immediately shouted, "Issue however many you have! If there aren't enough, immediately send people into town to press them. Tell them to work day and night. I don't care who you hire. By this afternoon, I want to see every new recruit wearing a new uniform."

"Yes, yes, I'll handle it right away." Blinken hurriedly prepared to leave.

"Wait. I'm not leaving today. I'll be eating at the camp. Later, you'll come with me to inspect the meals. Don't go anywhere. If I discover anything fishy with the food expenses, the Water Dungeon at Stone Castle will make you very comfortable," Victor said viciously.

Blinken immediately dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. "Young master—no, Lord Victor—I would never dare! Rest assured, the meals absolutely follow the standards in your plan."

"I hope it is as you say. Come with me." Victor turned and left. Two guards stepped forward, hauled up Quartermaster Blinken, who was too frightened to stand, and followed after Victor.

At lunchtime, all the new recruits lined up at the edge of the Drill Ground under the guidance of the veteran soldiers to receive their meals. Victor stood nearby with several people and watched the recruits collect their food. Occasionally, he stopped a recruit to inspect the food in his bowl. Only after observing for the entire noon did Victor finally relax. Both the quality and quantity of the food met the standards required by the plan.

Victor glanced at Blinken and said, "You did well this time. I hope every meal will be carried out according to this standard. I will conduct surprise inspections from time to time."

After saying that, Victor also collected a meal, casually found a spot nearby, sat on the ground, and began eating. He had stayed in military camps since the age of fourteen, receiving military instruction and combat training. He had long been accustomed to camp life and did not feel constrained by it. As a result, he earned the respect of many soldiers.

As he ate, Victor spoke with the new recruits around him. At first, they were reserved, but under Victor's guidance, they soon became more animated. Before long, many recruits had gathered around Victor, making his guards somewhat nervous.

Victor nodded to signal to the guards that they need not worry. After all, these recruits had no weapons. Even if something happened, Victor and his guard unit could handle it.

Victor sat in a circle with the recruits. Sunlight fell over them, lending the scene a touch of warmth.

Victor asked with a smile, "You've been here for several days now. How does it feel?"

A recruit named Jack was the first to speak. "My lord, the training here is indeed strict, but we all feel it is very worthwhile. The daily training is hard, but we can all feel ourselves steadily improving."

Another recruit, Amy, added, "Yes, my lord. And the food here is very good too. There is fresh food and plenty of water every day. We never ate anything this good back home."

Victor nodded encouragingly. "Very good. I'm glad to hear that. You must understand that all of this is to make you stronger, so you can better defend our territory."

At that moment, a recruit named Tom said somewhat shyly, "My lord, I also want to thank you for giving us this opportunity. If not for you, we might have been serfs for our entire lives. Now, we have a chance to change the fate of ourselves and our families."

Victor looked at them gently and said, "It is what I should do. You fight for the territory. I believe that as long as you work hard, I will not be stingy with merit or rewards. You will all have the status of Freemen and land."

The recruits all nodded, their eyes filled with gratitude and determination.