The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset
Chapter 88

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 88

88. Expedition

Originally, there was little intention of providing support to the lords of Narva.

Even then, they moved after being promised exemption from the tuition fees, but they really delayed a lot of support, thinking that it would increase the power of Bishop Hou Narva. It goes without saying that it is natural to worry about the future.

This trend changed after it became known that the threat of the pagans was by no means light.

Of course, I could have volunteered and taken command myself. However, my selfish desire not to get hurt or take responsibility made me avoid fighting the pagans, who were likely to lose.

As a result of these reasons, Narva received enormous authority that had never been granted before, based on the reluctant support of the lords. It was such extensive authority that even King Athelstan, who had always been friendly, had to make a heartfelt request with a worried voice.

King Athelstan handed a small ax, a symbol of military power, to the bishop and said.

“Bishop, I hope you will use this power only to eradicate the threat of the Ise.”

“Of course, Your Grace.”

And Narbar laughed as he buckled the ax that symbolized military authority around his waist.

“I swear to use it in the service of mankind.”

Naturally, this meant that Narbar was about to get serious.

Bishop Narbar was the one who was granted absolute authority over the military organization, both symbolically and practically. Now that there was no need to be cautious, Narbar immediately closed his shoulder mantle and went into action.

As soon as he received the military authority, he turned around and declared to the lords.

“From now on, each lance unit will be reorganized from 30 to 50 units. The lances will be led by knights as before, and they will be assisted by squires, but their members will be allocated from the mobilized number as needed. Regardless of the existing vassalage relationship, conscripts will be allocated, so do not cause confusion later.”

The Principality of Powys also followed the general feudal system in this world, so the organization and composition of the soldiers were chaotic.

Depending on how wealthy the family or the territory they belonged to, there was a great difference in the number and level of equipment, and since they had to show that they belonged to different groups, their uniforms were often different. The idea of standardizing equipment was something that could never be achieved.

In addition, there were few people other than knights who had performed enough to serve as commanders or officers.

Due to these practical limitations, not only the Principality of Powys but also most human countries used the lance unit system. It was a unit of knights and their followers, including squires.

However, there was still the problem that the number of knights varied from five to dozens or even hundreds depending on their economic power.

This part was considered a kind of investment among the knights to build up military achievements, so there was a high possibility that they would protest that dividing their troops for the sake of a more systematic organization would be a loss to them.

The same goes for the lords.

There were many cases where they simply turned their backs, saying that it would be better to refuse military service rather than share not only their precious serfs but also the spoils of war.

Such systems and customs encouraged voluntary mobilization of vassals, allowing them to gain a much larger number than their weight class, but at the same time, they created the limitation that the command system was weak and the available tactics were limited.

Originally, it was a sensitive issue that could have caused the lords to let the country perish, but Bishop Narbar cleverly managed to it by making full use of the authority of the church and the opportunity of the pagan invasion obtained.

There is only one reason why I insist on this part in the audience room.

“There will be no objections, right?”

It was just a procedure for Narbar to confirm that his authority was properly recognized.

And this attempt was met with silence from the lords.

Most of them were reluctant to accept it, but they had no choice but to do so, and they were reluctant to answer, so they remained silent. Narbar understood their feelings, so he did not press them any further.

Narbar looked around at the lords who had quietly accepted and bowed his head toward King Aethelstan.

“I will take care of it soon.”

He must have been intoxicated with pride and would have handled everything hastily.

The lords looked at Narbar’s back and thought so, but Narbar’s true intentions were quite different from their expectations.

Narbar, having confirmed the authority given to him, narrowed his brow as he looked down at the map of the Principality of Powys by candlelight that night.

“1682 mobilized troops. Most of them are just gambesons and spears, and there are only about 400 well-equipped regulars with chain mail. The knights’ equipment is decent, but the number of warhorses is insufficient, so it is difficult to expect mobility .”

In the first place, the Principality of Powys was not a country of nomadic people who excelled at horsemanship.

At a time when the enemy was going up and down the river as pirates, a forced march would have been meaningless. Even if they tried to preempt a favorable stronghold, it would be slower than a ship.

Even if they ran out of sleep to save a few possible survivors, it would only tire the unit.

‘Anyway, it’s easy to guess where they will be. Even if they cross the land with their ships, they will eventually have to take their ships to take away the loot. Even if they have other purposes, they couldn’t have been pirates if they were clean enough to hesitate when they had lost property in front of them.’

Even if it was difficult to replace a stopover, it was possible to replace a final port before returning.

When only people were on board, the shallow water depth was not a problem, but a minimum water depth was necessary to carry and transport the loot. It would be located in an area that was less muddy, close to the lower reaches, but safe from storms or possible attacks.

In addition, abundant forests where timber for ship repair could be easily procured were one of the conditions.

As a result.

‘If you look at the map, it’s Kips Hills, where the River Heze bends.’

Of course, the answer doesn’t come out just by looking at the map.

Narbar humbly acknowledged the fact that he had lived a very closed life.

‘I need to hire nearby fishermen to guide me down the River Heze.’

April 1, 1213.

When all the mobilization was finally over, Narva divided the approximately 1,700 troops gathered at Powys Castle as he had declared.

The knights were to each lead a lance of 50 men, and the huntsmen who had spent their lives handling bows were put in charge of the archer units. Even though they were only small units of around 20 men, it was quite a promotion considering their difference in status.

The huntsmen themselves, however, were busy sighing.

It was no wonder, considering the level of the bows the free men with bows had brought.

“The bowstring is all damaged from the humidity. And the bowstring is all worn out?”

“Well, bows and stuff like that are expensive…”

I couldn’t get angry at the freeman who was scratching the back of his head, looking embarrassed. Bows were more weapons than I thought. Especially since the arrows were also handmade, with the touch of a craftsman.

Ten arrows of good quality were so outrageously expensive that they were comparable to a spear.

Of course, we couldn’t just distribute such expensive arrows. The huntsman, who had suddenly become a leader, wiped his forehead with his right hand and said.

“Do you know how to draw a bow?”

“Yes, yes…”

“That’s good enough. Just draw it and shoot it. No one expects you to hit anything anyway, so don’t worry.”

“…? Yes.”

There was no point in giving good bows and arrows to conscripts who couldn’t be expected to be skilled. The strategy of archers in this era was not to shoot carefully one by one, but to gather people together and shoot them randomly, praying that they would hit someone with a volley of fire.

The huntsman went to Narva to report this reality, and Narva closed his eyes and made a counterargument.

“Wouldn’t it be better to save arrows and shoot them well by aiming at the eyes between the shield and helmet?”

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“….”

“No, my words were too absurd.”

Even Narva, who always liked to pressure his opponents, admitted his mistake.

“I understand your concerns. However, the composition of the units will remain the same for now. I don’t expect your shooting skills, which are your lifeline, so I would appreciate it if you could actively teach them how to maintain their bows .”

“Thank you, sir!”

After that, it was a series of work to coordinate and distribute supplies.

Narva pondered how much supplies to distribute to the soldiers, looking through existing records and occasionally seeking advice from King Athelstan. Combined with Narva’s meticulous nature, suffocating discipline was added.

[One loaf of bread and one bowl of soup per soldier per meal, 12 pieces of cloth and 6 pieces of firewood. Cheese and jerky for the knights. When morale is high, or once every three days, the same diet is allowed for the soldiers.]

[We plan to study local specialties in cooperation with the locals. Water mixed with wine is allowed for volunteers only, once every two days.]

[The wine is to be mixed with water to enhance the flavor of the drinking water, to the extent that six drops are allowed per bowl of water.]

[Only one spoon and ladle should be used for distribution. If caught cheating on the amount of distribution, it will be considered a greater crime than desertion and will be punished by burning.]

Some of the measures were shocking even to the knights, while others convinced the soldiers.

In particular, the part about responding with overwhelming force in case of embezzlement of supplies made everyone nod their heads.

“I don’t know about anything else, but I like this…”

“Not water mixed with wine, but wine mixed with water?”

“Why are they giving us cloth? Are they telling us to sew and wear it?”

“They’re giving it to us to wipe our butts with, you idiot.”

“That expensive thing? I’ll have to ask Narrick and use it.”

In fact, some of the soldiers went to the knights and asked them directly.

“Narrick, can I use this cloth in the back room?”

“eeek…! Yes, use it, yes!!!”

There were a few other minor clashes and conflicts, but they gradually subsided in the face of Narva’s icy glare and somewhat reasonable measures.

It took three more days before the army began to resemble an army, even in appearance.

And finally, on April 4, 1213.

Narva, now confident that he had made all the preparations he could, rose from his assigned pew in the cathedral.

And the first person Narva sought was.

“John the Shaveling. Come with me. It is the will of the Church.”

It was a sleek-haired man who had been caught helping to carry supplies with the other servants.

John stood for a moment staring blankly, then looked around, blinking.

“…Me, my lord?”

“John, you have a gift.”

Narva grinned at John, who was looking mulish about going anywhere.

“You are a passable archer.”

***

The day of Narva’s historic first campaign.

The force under Narva’s command had grown to 1683 men.