Riot and Suppression

There were 268 people in total. Some must have died on the way; otherwise, there should have been three hundred.

More than two hundred strong men with no attachments could form two companies of a hundred.

Under normal circumstances, Derek would never have supported so many soldiers. It was far too expensive.

But war was coming, and every investment made now would bring extraordinary returns.

Thus, Derek once again took command at Deep Mountain Base and began training them.

This time, the training was more intense and even stricter.

Fortunately, supplies were plentiful. Otherwise, training at this intensity would have exhausted them to the ground.

He consciously began grooming his Knight Squires, teaching them basic military knowledge.

Formations, commands, and tactics.

Even how to judge morale, raise fighting spirit, and respond to different situations.

Derek regularly simulated battles, assigning both sides different roles and having them conduct tactical exercises against each other.

Squires like Simon might nominally bear the title of Knight Squire, but their class had already changed on the Panel.

Simon

Class: Knight, Level 9 (85/100)

Experience Pool: 0/100

As for some of the Knight Squires, although they failed to meet certain standards, their combat ability and basic military knowledge were absolutely up to par.

Only with a group of capable subordinates could Derek divide his attention and remotely oversee production and training in several locations.

He even began traveling back and forth, taking several squires with him as he constantly moved between sites.

This was also a form of training for the Knight Squires.

That day, he once again left Deep Mountain Base in full view of everyone.

This time, he left Simon behind to oversee the situation.

Before leaving, Derek quietly instructed him.

"Keep an eye out. I can see that some among this batch of slaves are still dissatisfied. Loosen the supervision a little and give them an opportunity."

Simon had also noticed a few troublemakers among the Slave Soldiers, but he had never thought they would dare take such a risk.

"Those idiots probably won't dare do anything, right? They've seen our strength, and their treatment isn't bad. They'll even have a chance at freedom in the future."

Simon did not believe it. He felt the base's treatment was already excellent and had considered every aspect.

This was a good opportunity. Derek knew that people had to make mistakes in order to grow.

"Remember, always prepare for the worst. If they're dissatisfied even with such generous treatment, doesn't that make it even more likely that they'll cause trouble? And power can cloud some people's minds. You can't apply the thinking of normal people to everyone. Before considering victory, consider defeat. Make preparations and think it through."

Derek left after saying that, leaving Simon deep in thought.

Simon took Derek's warning very seriously, but he still found it hard to believe.

Still, he made preparations in secret. Sure enough, when the base's defenses appeared to weaken, someone began entertaining other ideas.

"We want to go home. How are these people any different from the Slave-Hunting Team? They treat us as slaves all the same."

Someone began spreading rumors among the slaves, trying to recruit helpers.

After spending some time together, they all knew who harbored resentment and who was wavering.

Under targeted persuasion, many of them were tempted.

"Their strength is terrifying. Have you forgotten what happened to the Slave-Hunting Team?"

"Hmph, they've only trained a few more days than us. I'm not weak now either."

After training for a while, their progress could not compare to that of the new recruits enhanced by the Panel, but their confidence had swelled enormously.

In truth, the widening gap was also why some people began harboring other thoughts.

No matter how they looked at it, those like them who were dragging everyone down would become discarded trash.

If they did not take a gamble, were they supposed to wait to become cannon fodder?

After two days of plotting together, they finally agreed on a time.

Once the riot began, could the others really stay out of it?

If one person rioted, everyone would be suspected. They believed that many people would come to their senses and join the riot then.

As for what happened afterward, why think that far ahead? At worst, they could run home.

But Simon soon received word. These people had underestimated human nature.

The treatment on Derek's side was not bad, and their military strength was ample. Not everyone wanted to die with them.

Using these fools as a stepping stone was far easier than joining a riot.

After hearing the Informer's report, Simon was completely dumbfounded.

The lord had guessed right again.

After this incident, he finally remembered those words for good.

Then... Simon angrily made a ruthless decision.

"If the lord hadn't warned me, we might have suffered a loss this time."

He soothed the Informer and promised him the position of Decurion.

Those who actively sought to align themselves with them had to be rewarded.

Perhaps those below disliked Informers, but those above did not necessarily feel the same.

In the dead of night, a group of Slave Soldiers who had made arrangements quietly slipped out of their barracks, planning to steal weapons and start the riot.

But they had barely gone far when torch after torch lit up.

Then they saw a group of fully armed soldiers surrounding them.

"Kill them!"

Simon gave the order coldly, not giving them the slightest chance.

He even woke everyone up and told them the consequences of betrayal.

Back at the Estate, Derek noticed a change on the Panel. Several new names had suddenly appeared.

"Looks like something happened."

Then he forgot about it.

It was only a minor matter.

Of the two estates transferred by the family, one became a large military camp.

The other became a Blacksmith Shop.

Besides the original residents, the families of some craftsmen and officers were also settled there.

For example, Little Tru's Father had also become part of the Estate.

They could live with peace of mind.

It reassured those beneath him, and it reassured Derek as well.

The Panel was not omnipotent. If something unexpected happened and people changed their loyalties, they could disappear from the Panel at any moment.

Even if he reacted in time, it would still be a loss.

But now, the chance of such changes had been cut in half.

At the same time, the Panel opened its third page.

The first page was the personal Panel.

The second page was the army.

The third page became the Estate—or rather, civil administration.

The effect was the same; it was merely a different method of classification.

After studying it, Derek discovered that farmers were included as well. This meant an even more solid foundation.

With the same land, if my yields are thirty to fifty percent higher, the accumulated difference will not be a small number.

What he valued most now were, first, the army, and second, military equipment.

It just so happened that the entire Northern Province was preparing for war, so restrictions in this regard had become much looser.

Otherwise, if the Ferrera Family trained troops on such a large scale, it would have drawn attention long ago.

Perhaps the Royal Legion would even come by for a look.

After all, although nobles had the right to raise armies, the kingdom was not defenseless. Building an army within reasonable limits was fine, but what were you trying to do by suddenly engaging in massive militarization?

Derek even took the opportunity to train blacksmiths on a large scale. They only needed to reach Levels 4 or 5, enough to forge simple weapons and assist the Master Smith.