Cavalry? Surprise Troops
Ron left Victor's tent, carefully hiding his water bag, and returned to his regimental camp under the guidance of Victor's guards.
By this time, Jackson had received news of Ron's return and, along with several officers from the regiment, greeted Ron at the camp gate.
Upon seeing Ron, Jackson immediately led the way in bowing to Ron. However, Jackson noticed that Ron did not return the bow immediately; instead, he touched the baggage behind him before returning the bow.
"Jackson, and all the Detachment Commander, thank you for your hard work while I was away."
"Regimental Commander Ron, welcome back to the unit. We have prepared some food in advance. I heard you came back very early this morning. You must not have had breakfast yet. It is getting late. Why don't we have some brunch together before we inspect the troops?"
Ron was about to refuse, after all, he hadn't been back for a long time and he really needed to know about the current situation of the troops.
But Jackson leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Regimental Commander Ron, we've also prepared some drinks. It's not much, but I'm sure you'll like them."
Ron pointed a finger at Jackson, "You're a real sly one. Alright, let's eat first."
Although it is wartime, the troops of Golden Sunflower Territory are well-supplied. In addition, they also use fishing boats and canned fruits and vegetables, so their food is relatively plentiful. This meal is mainly seafood.
Jackson knew Ron's tastes all too well, so this time he went out of his way to get Ron a small barrel of barley wine. Luckily, this kind of wine had a very low alcohol content, so given Ron's drinking capacity, this amount of wine was nothing.
Ron hadn't tried this new wine before, but after his first taste, he found it quite unique. Ron enjoyed his meal very much, and after finishing, he walked out of the tent with a rosy complexion.
"Let's go, Jackson. We've finished eating. It's time to take me on a tour of the troops. I haven't seen my beloved men in ages."
Looking at Ron, Jackson said in a low voice, "Regimental Commander, why don't you take a rest? You just finished eating."
Ron thought Jackson was worried that he was drunk, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, Jackson, I'm fine. Here, I'll wash my face first and get rid of the smell."
After saying that, Ron went to find water to wash his face, while Jackson and the others stayed behind to wait for him.
At that moment, a Detachment Commander approached Jackson and whispered to the deputy Regimental Commander, "Should we still carry out the previous plan? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to keep preventing the Regimental Commander from meeting with his subordinates and inspecting the troops?"
After confirming that Ron had gone far away, Jackson said, "What you're saying is nonsense. The plan is all set. We should try to keep it from the Regimental Commander as much as possible. If he sees the situation of the troops, he'll definitely go ballistic."
"But..."
"No buts, I'll keep thinking of a solution later."
Sure enough, when Ron returned, Jackson still tried to stop Ron from seeing the specific situation of the troops, otherwise Ron would definitely be very excited.
This time, however, Ron remained unmoved and walked straight to the front. Ron noticed the uneasy behavior of Jackson and the others and finally realized that Jackson might be hiding something. He wanted to know what they didn't want him to know.
Ron strode ahead, while Jackson and the others followed obediently, since Ron was their superior.
They arrived at a military camp. Ron was puzzled; everything seemed normal in the camp. It was lunchtime, and the soldiers were all gathered together eating lunch.
Ron arrived at the warehouse, where all kinds of supplies were readily available and there was no shortage. The troops were in good condition, and everything was normal.
As Ron continued his journey to a Cavalry detachment, still puzzled, he noticed a slight disturbance among his men. Knowing this was the crux of the matter, he rushed into the camp before Jackson could speak.
Then, a loud voice rang out from the military camp a dozen minutes later. "Where's my horse?"
Ron stood in front of a group of soldiers, pointed at them, and shouted at Jackson, "Where are the horses? Can Cavalry be called Cavalry without horses?"
Just now, when Ron entered this Cavalry camp, Ron didn't notice anything suspicious.
The soldiers were getting their meals in an orderly fashion under the guidance of officers of all ranks. The food consisted of dried beef sausage, seafood soup, bread, and a portion of pickled vegetables for each person. The amount of food was plentiful, enough for a soldier to eat his fill, indicating that there were no problems with logistical supplies.
In the soldiers' barracks, the racks were full of armor and weapons, and everyone's equipment was neatly arranged, with nothing missing or withheld.
Ron was full of suspicion, hadn't found anything, and couldn't bring himself to ask. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Jackson and the others breathe a sigh of relief.
Just as Ron was about to leave, having found nothing suspicious, Ron walked to the camp gate, sniffed the air, and then immediately ordered the Cavalry detachment Detachment Commander to gather all the soldiers for an armed assembly.
After the troops had assembled right under Ron's nose, Ron's face immediately darkened.
The troops in front of me were in perfect formation, their armor gleaming, and their imposing presence clearly indicated that they were an elite force. From the moment the order to assemble was given, it took them only five minutes to don their armor, grab their weapons, and complete the formation.
Logically speaking, such a speed of assembly is already excellent, after all, although Cavalry armor has a relatively simple structure, it still takes time to put on the armor.
However, what Ron found unacceptable was not these things, but that the Cavalry unit had not assembled on horseback at all; they were not riding horses.
Just as Ron was about to leave, he suddenly smelled the camp. The camp was well-structured, with the toilets and other facilities located downwind, and there was no unpleasant odor.
However, this is the most abnormal thing. No matter how much the Cavalry camp cleans up, it is impossible to eliminate the smell of horse manure. But Ron did not smell it at all. Moreover, Ron had just taken a quick look around and did not find any buildings that looked like stables.
Despite having suspicions in his mind, Ron was unwilling to believe them. When he issued the order to assemble, he still hoped that his suspicions were not true.
Unfortunately, his guess was right; this Light Cavalry detachment didn't have a single horse.
Ron unleashed his fury on the regimental officers, including Jackson, in front of the soldiers; he was truly enraged.
Can a Cavalry unit still be called Cavalry without horses? Are we supposed to send these elite Light Cavalry to fight alongside infantry phalanxes?
After a few minutes, Ron's emotions finally calmed down, and he immediately ordered the troops to disband.
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. After all, it was unusual to see their Regimental Commander get angry, but they were also worried that they might be implicated. Ron used to like to make the troops do extra training as a form of punishment, and they were afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
The soldiers quickly dispersed and returned to their respective barracks, leaving only Ron and the regimental officers on the Drill Ground.
"Tell me! What exactly happened with Jackson?"
Seeing that Ron was finally ready to let him speak, Jackson quickly explained that the reason was actually very simple, and there was nothing shady about it, such as reselling warhorses.
Rather, the transport capacity of the southward fleet was indeed limited this time. In order to ensure that all the equipment of the combat troops was in place, the transport capacity of some non-essential supplies was selectively reduced.
Some Cavalry units became the targets of reduced transport capacity. Many Cavalry's warhorses did not travel south with the troops, and even those that did bring warhorses mostly had only one horse per person, without any spare horses.
Ron's Legion and James' Legion were the two largest Cavalry units in the Golden Sunflower Territory. Ron's Legion had two Light Cavalry detachments. They did not bring warhorses this time, but fortunately, these Cavalry were all skilled archers and could serve as archers.
"As for James's troops, they can't just target my troops!"
"No, Regimental Commander James's unit also has two detachments that didn't bring warhorses, the situation is the same."
Ron was finally able to calm down a bit. Although he was still very angry that his troops hadn't brought warhorses, he was at least not at a disadvantage compared to others.