Not long after the first snow fell, the Dar Territory winter clearing army left the city.
The core of this army was Baron Dar's private force: one hundred professional soldiers in total. Do not underestimate those hundred men. Not only did they train full-time year-round, every one of them was fully armed. Baron Dar had never been stingy with military spending, and all his soldiers had been outfitted with the simplified full-body armor introduced by the Northwest Republic in recent years. Built around a one-piece breastplate, this armor added waist, arm, and leg guards, as well as helmet visors, all made of stamped steel plates. It was genuine heavy full-body armor. Moreover, it was considerably lighter and more convenient than traditional full-body armor. While wearing it, one could not march long distances, but one could at least raise a spear and charge—something old-fashioned heavy full-body armor could never hope to match.
As for their weapons, they were naturally all fine military-grade arms: spears, broadswords, shields, battle-axes—everything one could need.
Besides these professional soldiers, there was an equal number of archers. They were part-time soldiers who received regular pay but had to provide their own equipment. In battle, they were mainly responsible for rear support. These seasoned marksmen could often kill weaker Demonic Beasts such as goblins with a single arrow, and a hundred of them formed a force to be reckoned with.
This army of two hundred was Baron Dar's true foundation. The remaining three hundred-odd people were merely there to handle miscellaneous work. About a hundred of them were militia—mostly hooligans and ruffians gathered from various villages. Baron Dar did not expect them to fight hard battles, but beating the drum from the sidelines and helping wipe out enemies such as goblins when they held the advantage was well