Everyone a Longbowman

A month later, beneath a clear blue sky with the sun high overhead.

Outside Whispers, at the Thorn Legion's training ground.

As Amparo watched in shock, Gryn effortlessly drew the bowstring to its full length.

The longbow in Gryn's hands was a specially made one with a draw weight of around 200 pounds.

Whoosh! The arrow Gryn loosed made a skin-crawling sound as it cut through the air, stunning everyone.

Lena's eyes widened in shock. Her expression froze, and her little mouth formed a huge O. She stood rooted to the spot like a wooden doll.

Every day that month, Gryn had set aside a little time to practice archery.

Gryn's original body had already been highly skilled with a bow. On top of that, since arriving in this world, his physical abilities had continued to improve in every way. He felt that the day he became a sharpshooter capable of hitting targets at extreme range was drawing closer and closer.

The 200-pound longbow had been specially made by artisans at Gryn's request. He estimated that with this bow, the effective killing range was about 300 meters.

Beyond 300 meters or so, the arrows' penetrating power would begin to plummet.

After shooting, Gryn felt the fear of dragons buried deep inside him ease considerably.

Gryn knew all too well how terrifying dragons' flames would become later on. He certainly didn't want to see the soldiers he had worked so hard to train wiped out by a few blasts of dragonfire.

Gryn had carefully studied House Crabb's family tree and confirmed that the family had no Targaryen dragon blood. They couldn't tame dragons.

Since he'd confirmed that he couldn't become a dragonrider, Gryn had no choice but to become a dragonslayer.

The rational thing for Gryn to do was avoid direct conflict between his legion and dragons. But if it became unavoidable, then aside from the cumbersome Dragon-Hunting Ballista, Gryn himself would be the most dangerous dragonslayer.

Gryn could tolerate the existence of dragons, but if they threatened him, he was prepared to destroy them at any time.

He would begin preparing now.

The carpenters would continue making bows with even greater draw weights. As long as Gryn could wield one easily on his own, the more powerful it was, the happier he would be.

Clap, clap, clap!

Hooray!

The people around them applauded and cheered for their lord's archery.

Gryn quietly instructed the carpenter, "Make another one with about the same power. Leave extra thickness in the wood for carving the design, and make sure the carving doesn't affect the longbow's strength. As for the design, make the Marsh Marigold the main motif."

From now on, Gryn would generally use a 200-pound longbow in public. He wouldn't show off anything stronger, and he would practice with those bows in secret.

The standard-issue Crabb Longbow was too plain in appearance. When Gryn went to King's Landing, he would need to bring a bow with him.

With some exquisite carving, the longbow Gryn used would look much more elegant without affecting its practical use.

Everything Gryn used reflected on House Crabb. In a world where nobles cared about their reputations, it would be easier to get along if he did his best to play along.

Gryn was preparing to conquer the world. He couldn't let his energy be wasted on trivial matters and unnecessary conflicts.

Lena bounced excitedly. "My lord, my lord! You're naturally strong!"

"Wow, following your training methods, the sisters have all gotten much stronger, and drawing a bow is getting easier and easier! I'm the only one who hasn't made much progress!"

"Lena, you need to be patient. You're still young, so don't rush. Besides, you're a commander now. Your voice carries a long way, something other people don't have. That'll help you command the soldiers."

Though short, Lena was by far the loudest person in the Thorn Legion. In a world where battles were won by shouting, that was a great advantage for a commander.

"Yes, my lord! Just you wait. I'll work hard—Together We Stand!"

Gryn smiled and nodded. "I'll be watching. Together We Stand."

Amparo's voice rang out. "Lena, fall in for formation training!"

After Lena left, Amparo came up to Gryn.

"Lord Gryn, should I arrange a place for you to rest?"

Gryn shook his head. "No need. I'll be leaving shortly."

As he spoke, Gryn reached out and patted Amparo on the upper left arm. "You've done very well. You've always been devoted to your work. Training soldiers is a monotonous routine, repeated day after day. You have to get used to the tedium. If you persevere, more of them will survive the battlefield."

"I'll always remember, Lord Gryn. You said that only by sweating more during ordinary training could we shed less blood on the battlefield."

The Thorn Legion had made a name for itself in the previous battle. It had quickly recruited another 180 Spearwives from the original territory, and later taken in 200 more from among the Mountain Wildling captives. The Thorn Legion now had 500 soldiers.

As the legion's commander, Amparo knew that her lord planned to reclaim House Crabb's former lands, and that another war was drawing near. She was putting her heart into training the Thorn Legion.

After the war, Gryn had immediately established a legion made up mostly of men and equipped with longbows as standard issue. Its full name was the Crabb Longbow Legion, commonly known as the Longbow Legion.

Gryn had selected several Crabb Clan Soldiers to serve as commanders in the Crabb Longbow Legion. After its first recruitment drive, it had a little over 100 soldiers.

In the future, the Crabb Longbow Legion would be the most broadly inclusive legion. As the armory produced more and more longbows, most people in the territory would take up longbow training as a second occupation and become reserve soldiers for the Crabb Longbow Legion.

For example, under the new laws set by Lord Crabb, every resident of Crabb Territory had to set aside one day out of every ten to train as a longbowman. Gryn had laid out detailed rules for the training and its standards. Those who were absent, disobeyed, or failed to meet the standards would face the corresponding punishments.

Gryn also planned to hold an archery competition for longbowmen across the territory every three months, with different skill divisions and generous prizes to inspire the residents' enthusiasm for longbow training.

This was exactly what Gryn envisioned: a territory where everyone could use a longbow.

After completing recruitment for the Crabb Longbow Legion, Gryn established the Crabb Spearman Legion, commonly known as the Spearman Legion, with three-meter-long spears as its standard equipment.

The Crabb Clan Soldiers were loyal and reliable veterans with plenty of combat experience. Gryn treated them as reserve commanders.

Gryn personally selected the commanders of the Crabb Spearman Legion from among the Clan Soldiers. After a period of recruitment and equipment replenishment, the Spearman Legion had around 200 soldiers.

Crabb Territory lacked warhorses, so it couldn't form a cavalry regiment for the time being. The Spearman Legion had been established to protect the longbowmen in the field with tightly packed formations, especially from cavalry charges.

Aside from cavalry, Crabb Territory now had a fairly complete range of troops. With daily training and strict discipline, the Crabb Legion's overall combat strength continued to grow.