Post-War Summary

Victor had sent people back to the shore to notify Powell and the others, arranging for them to bring a group of serfs to the chosen site for the inland river dock to construct the pier, and also asked Powell to accompany them to see Victor.

Today's battle wasn't intense; it could be described as an armed parade, with virtually no casualties, except for a few individuals who sprained their ankles while walking.

In the evening, Victor ordered some captured sheep to be slaughtered, giving the soldiers an extra meal. The troops were in high spirits. Victor then invited a few people to his tent for a discussion.

"The troops are in good shape, and this battle went very smoothly. We are still at war, so any rewards will have to wait until all potential threats are resolved. However, as the main officers of the troops, you can inform everyone that this month's salary will be triple the usual amount, to lift their spirits. The subsequent rewards will not disappoint."

"Jack, you don't need to worry either. Your knight knighting will also take place then," Victor hadn't forgotten his promise to Knight Jack.

"Everyone should have noticed some issues during this battle. I've called you here mainly to gather feedback on the problems encountered during combat. You can discuss them openly so that we can avoid their negative impact on future battles."

Victor had wanted to hold such post-battle summary meetings for a long time, but he hadn't fought many battles before, nor was he the overall commander. Now that he had both the title and the authority, these military reforms could finally be implemented.

The men looked at each other. It was their first time holding such a discussion, and no one knew where to begin. Fortunately, Santos, the most experienced and prudent, took the initiative to share his findings: "Lord Victor, and my esteemed colleagues, I was in charge of the infantry this time. I discovered an issue: the infantry's organizational structure is too large. During the battle, we mobilized a total of 350 men from the territory and 200 men under Lord James, making a total of 550. However, an infantry squad is typically composed of 100 men, with the squad leader directly adjusting deployments when adjusting formations. It's manageable for one's own squad, but coordination between two squads becomes difficult, especially between different branches of the military. A single squad leader cannot command a unit of 100 men, particularly our territory's troops, which require high standards for formations. My suggestion is to add a level of command below the squad leader, with this commander overseeing 30 to 40 men. This would allow for faster formation changes, and our soldiers can handle this requirement."

"This is indeed a problem, but my next reform plan involves adjusting the army's organization. This will take time. I will inform everyone of the organizational plan later. Alright, one issue has been raised. Everyone else, please share your thoughts," Victor encouraged them to continue speaking.

Knight Jack couldn't wait and raised his concern: "My Lord, and my colleagues, I also made an observation. We used a large number of messengers in this battle, which did ensure the transmission of orders. However, it also wasted a lot of manpower and horses. The Duchy's standing army has specialized flag language units. Could we establish one as well, to reduce the number of messengers and improve efficiency?"

"Well said. The territory's army will only grow larger in the future, so these matters need to be considered. I have studied flag language, and I will compile a relatively simple set of flag signals based on the situation of our territory's army." Victor hadn't actually studied it, but what was so difficult? With Number 1's calculation module working tirelessly, such things were readily available.

"Ron, do you have any suggestions?"

"There are too few cavalry. The territory is too large, making it difficult to meet the demands for patrolling the territory. Even with the 200 light cavalry rented from Edelweiss Territory, it's not enough. I suggest we directly select men from the captured Barbarian cavalry to form a vassal army specifically for patrolling the surrounding areas of the territory."

Victor's interest was piqued. Insufficient troop numbers had always been a problem for him, but Golden Sunflower Territory had a limited population. If he kept expanding the army, troop recruitment would become an issue later on.

If he could directly draw from Barbarian captives, it would indeed solve a significant problem.

"Uncle Ron, is this plan feasible? Will these Barbarians resent us because we fought them? Are there potential hidden dangers?"

"Victor, you brat, you only call me 'Uncle' when it's convenient. Don't worry, many nobles in the North use Barbarians as cavalry. Barbarians are different from us; their tribes often fight each other. The victors annex the defeated tribes. One moment they are enemies, and the next they are companions within the same tribe. They adapt easily to such role changes. Even Count Colt's Iron Knights have a considerable number of Barbarians. However, I suggest we wait until the Green Grass Tribe is completely cleared out before doing this. We can use their relatives as leverage to minimize potential risks to the greatest extent."

"That's an excellent suggestion, Uncle Ron. You will be responsible for this matter. Also, you need to find me a Barbarian language teacher. Jack, James, and Santos, you will learn the Barbarian language with me. You will have Barbarian warriors under your command in the future, so not knowing the language won't do."

"Heavens, I'm about to become a lord, and I still have to learn a new language," James let out a mournful cry.

"What's there to complain about? I'm already a Baron, and I have to learn it. If you don't learn it, you'll face consequences," Victor wasn't worried. With Number 1 around, learning languages was incredibly easy. If necessary, Number 1 could even provide simultaneous interpretation.

Victor looked at James, who was still shaking his head, and sighed with a dark expression. This guy probably wouldn't come up with any good suggestions.

So, Victor directly announced the end of the meeting.

Over the next two days, Powell led Engineering Team One to the dock, and they began working with great enthusiasm. Victor divided the serfs into two teams: Engineering Team One and Engineering Team Two. Engineering Team Two continued to work on construction along the coast. Currently, Victor planned to establish two settlements: Wood Fort Town and Sea Song Town on the coast.

For now, due to a lack of manpower, Victor couldn't consider widening the Little West River. Transporting supplies currently relied on rafts. Fortunately, the Little West River had a gentle current, and by lashing multiple rafts together, capsizing was rare.

Moreover, with over 1,300 Barbarian captives, excluding children who couldn't work, over 1,000 people could participate in labor. With the efforts of these people and the auxiliary troops, the construction of Wood Fort Town progressed rapidly.

At the same time, thanks to the efforts of Ron and Jack, and based on the confessions of the captives, they had located the Green Grass Tribe's encampment. It matched the confessions, with only 200 soldiers stationed there. Even including potential young and strong fighters, the number was less than 500, and they lacked weapons and equipment.