Lorraine, who was closest to him, looked over curiously and asked, "What's wrong, Yun Zhe? What are you laughing at?"

"Ah, no, I was thinking of something happy."

"What's the good news?"

"I know what weapons my troops use now."

"A spear and a shield?" Lorraine saw through it at a glance and said with a smile.

Yun Zhe nodded. "This formation is very good. I think it's very suitable for our troops."

Seeing the light in Yun Zhe's eyes, Lorraine hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "Yun Zhe, I advise you not to consider this formation. It's very expensive, and the lord won't agree to it."

Yun Zhe was taken aback. "Why wouldn't you agree?"

“Because the expenses are huge, it would be a waste for your troops to be equipped with long guns…” Lorraine gritted his teeth and spoke the truth. He wanted to be more tactful, but he couldn’t find the right words.

"But shouldn't the cost of a spear be lower?" Yun Zhe was still unwilling to give up and tried to make a last-ditch effort.

"Lances are cheap, but the armor of spearmen is expensive. Spearmen are all heavily armored, otherwise they would be easy targets for archers, and they would not be able to withstand the charge of cavalry. At the same time, the handling and transportation of spears are also very complicated."

But the Paz family's pikemen? Yun Zhe was puzzled. "I've seen a lot of pikemen in the army..."

“Those are long spears used only when defending the city. They don’t use long spears normally, so they’re not a true spear-wielding unit. The Paz family might have that kind of strength, but I’d say they could only manage a hundred-man squad at most,” Lorraine remarked.

Andrew, who had somehow walked up to Yun Zhe and Lorraine, interjected, “However, both teams are currently understaffed, and their armor is also somewhat damaged.”

Yun Zhe and Luo Lin hurriedly bowed, after all, the topic just now had a hint of gossiping about someone behind their back.

"Your troops also want to recruit pikemen?" Andrew asked curiously, having missed the first few parts of the conversation.

"Forget it, forget it, I'll think about it myself. The spearmen seem a bit difficult to deal with in the short term. The main problem is that without armor, relying solely on shields isn't really suitable," Yun Zhe sighed softly and waved his hand.

“We captured quite a few weapons and shields in this battle, but we don’t need many. Why don’t you lead your soldiers to choose some first?” Andrew said to Yun Zhe with a smile, as if he had just thought of this.

Yun Zhe chuckled. He could see what Andrew was thinking. This time, his suggestion to Andrew had worked very well, and Andrew was pleased, so he was returning the favor. "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Pass. Then I won't stand on ceremony." After saying that, he asked where the captured supplies were stored and rushed down from the castle.

The captured weapons weren't as numerous as Yun Zhe had imagined: a few dozen spears and an equal number of bows, with a slightly larger number of shields, but still less than fifty at a glance. Longswords were the most plentiful, filling three full crates. The guards explained it clearly: most of the weapons and shields had been damaged in the battle and were of little practical use; what they saw were either usable or only slightly damaged.

Yun Zhe, along with two captains and twenty young men, carefully selected and compared the limited equipment, finally taking away twenty spears, thirty shields, over sixty longswords, and over twenty bows.

Yun Zhe carried a bundle of longswords, followed by soldiers returning laden with their spoils. They were quite satisfied with this treasure hunt, especially the soldiers made up of refugees, as it was the first time they had ever acquired real weapons.

However, Yun Zhe was very worried. His soldiers' weapons and equipment were all kinds of things. The spears were of different lengths, and the swords and shields were of several different styles. Only the bows and arrows looked relatively consistent.

How exactly can we maximize our combat effectiveness? More effective protection, and more effective combat. Yun Zhe looked at the jubilant soldiers around the campfire, but his brow was furrowed deeply.

In Yun Zhe's previous life, the army in his world had evolved into an organization that emphasized multi-unit combined arms operations and small-scale, modular combined arms battalions. Yun Zhe was eager to learn from this advanced experience, but their organization consisted of tanks, artillery, drones, and even large robots, etc. Could these soldiers, armed with long spears and short swords, also work?

Yun Zhe's mind was filled with images of war from his past life, the bonfire celebration before his eyes, and occasionally the battle between the two armies that evening. Gradually, Yun Zhe seemed to sort out his thoughts and suddenly felt that he could perhaps form a combined arms force that mixed various types of troops.

Yun Zhe rubbed his hands together, then started drawing on the ground. "Archers, spearmen, shields, longswords, and even crossbowmen..." Yun Zhe muttered, drawing a few lines on the ground, then erasing them with his foot, then drawing again, then erasing again. His obsessive behavior successfully attracted everyone's attention, and everyone stopped celebrating and laughing, looking at Yun Zhe with curiosity.

"How many people should we have? Twenty, ten, or twelve?" Yun Zhe continued to mutter to himself. Caroline wanted to step forward and speak, but Gao grabbed him and shook his head to stop him.

"Don't rush, it'll be ready soon," Gao said to Caroline in a low voice, staring at Yun Zhe. He had a feeling that Yun Zhe was about to come up with another unusual idea.

Yun Zhe tossed aside the branch, a satisfied expression on his face. Looking up, he saw everyone staring at him, and his eyes lit up. "Come on, come on, perfect! I have an idea. Grab your weapons and stand in the positions I'll tell you. Here, four of you with spears, please..."

These days, the area around Perth is bustling with activity. Refugees are clearing land, felling trees, and building houses with great enthusiasm and energy. In contrast, Geraci appears quite deserted.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!