Chapter 47 Jadeite Gem (18)
◎The Army and the Crows◎
Due to backward productivity and working methods, the armies of various countries are still mainly based on the mercenary system. When a war breaks out, farmers are hired to join the army. After the war, they are given food and money and allowed to return home. Sometimes they even have to prepare their own dry food and weapons during the march. Therefore, it is common to see spears and rakes flying on the battlefield, and wooden sticks and dung forks dancing together. This form of military composition cannot guarantee that the army has a fixed training time, let alone stable combat effectiveness.
Coexisting with the recruitment system is the conscription system for training professional soldiers. Adult males of appropriate age are selected to be stationed in military camps all year round to receive military training. The army provides them with salary and food and takes care of their basic needs. Everyone knows the benefits of the conscription system. It can train soldiers with strong combat effectiveness, stabilize the combat effectiveness of the army, and enhance morale and cohesion...
But along with the benefits is a "big disadvantage" that cannot be ignored: it is expensive.
The cost of supporting a group of adult men who basically do nothing all day cannot be underestimated. Money is spent like water, and there is no guarantee of return. An army of a thousand people requires an investment of about 100,000 gold florins a year. Such expenditure is enough to drag down a small country with insufficient strength. Most royal families can only support a regular army of several hundred people to protect the royal family and the capital, and the rest depends on the conscription system.
The great powers such as Roman, Calais, and Assyria all had their own standing armies, which is why they were able to occupy an important position in the world for a long time.
Raphael was determined not to hand over his life and the safety of Florence to mercenaries whose morals he had no idea whether they had any. In history, how many mercenaries took money from their employers and then stabbed them in the back? The reason why mercenaries in the Black Sea region are notorious has a lot to do with the mountains of heads of their former employers beneath their mountains of gold coins - so now in the mercenary industry, no organization is willing to accept people from the Black Sea region, and many employers run away as soon as they hear about the Black Sea, so that the Black Sea mercenaries who still want to take jobs honestly have to change themselves to a sufficiently "good" background.
No matter where or in what era, an army directly under one's control, loyal and with stable combat effectiveness is a priceless treasure. Even if feeding them requires cutting meat and bleeding, Raphael will grit his teeth and carry on, not to mention that he has found enough funds - the wool comes from the sheep, although the lords who died in the square in front of the Great Court would not be happy to hear such words. ◎
Raphael assigned several black monks recommended by Ferrante to Leshet, asking them to take over the task of counting and distributing all property after the army captured the territory. Leshet acquiesced to this arrangement, and Raphael was relieved.
Since ancient times, burning, killing and looting after occupying a castle has been the soldiers' favorite thing to do. They can obtain huge wealth that is unimaginable in their lifetime. However, if an army wants to have long-term vitality and stability, it will definitely not last long relying on such looting. The ancient Assyrian cavalry that once dominated the world fell into this trap. Their commander was accustomed to letting the soldiers loot and do evil in the city unscrupulously after capturing the city. Their lack of discipline and overly radical and greedy character made them extremely resistant to tactics other than attacking. In the end, they were patiently dragged to death by the Knights Templar in a long battle.
Rigorousness, purity, integrity, patience, and self-discipline are the foundations of the Knights Templar. Raphael has no intention of tempting them with abundant wealth, so he simply cuts off these possibilities at the source. He is very happy that Leshert is a rational and sober military leader, and he does not need to waste any more effort to argue with him about the subtleties.
——Of course, it is not ruled out that he wants the Arbitration Bureau and the Knights Templar to check and balance each other.
One side has money, the other has powerful military force, and the ropes of both are undoubtedly held in the hands of the Pope.
In August, the conscription in Florence came to an end, with the number of applicants reaching 18,000, nearly 90% of all the able-bodied men in Florence. Excluding those who were not suitable for military service due to physical fitness and family circumstances, Leschert selected 3,500 people to form an army as the next team for the expedition. These people will be slowly consumed and polished in the war, and eventually the remaining backbones will be strictly selected and assessed, and will be added to the Knights Templar to become the cornerstone of the future protection of the Pope and Florence.
And this is only the first batch of conscriptions due to time constraints. With the development of the Assyrian civil strife in the future, the movements of Roman and Calais will become clear, and the number of conscriptions will gradually increase. Eventually, as Raphael envisioned, a permanent army of at least 8,000 people will be established in Florence and even in the Papal States.
Although the number of 8,000 may not seem that large, you should know that the king's army stationed in the capital of Calais has only more than 3,000 people, and those huge armies of tens of thousands are semi-scattered throughout the country.
If he is given this opportunity to develop quietly...
Raphael thought silently that if he was given the time and opportunity, he would make Florence have the most indestructible fortress and the sharpest sword in the world.
In mid-August, the weather was getting hot. When everyone took off their thick cloaks and put on a variety of light clothes, Lesherte led the newly formed Florence army to go to war.
Their first target was Casso, which was closest to Florence. This name meant "Pearl of God" in the ancient language. After the split of the Papal States, after several twists and turns, the Quentin family established its leadership here. For two centuries, the Quentin family was the undisputed lord here.
However, Quentin was killed by the Pope in Florence, and was deprived of all his titles, honors, and territories before his death. The legitimacy of Quentin's family's rule over Casso was immediately destroyed, and Leshert conquered this fertile city with almost no effort.
In the subsequent battles, Leshet adjusted his strategy and used them as training opportunities for the new recruits. No amount of training could compare to the death that one has just passed by. Actual combat is the greatest teacher. This group of soldiers grew up at a horrifying speed. They quickly learned how to use weapons they had never seen before, how to take the enemy's head in the most economical and labor-saving way, how to hide when the shells fell, and of course, they also learned the skills of playing dead and stabbing in the back.
In each battle, fewer and fewer people survived, but it was undeniable that the surviving soldiers more or less had their own life-saving skills and developed a unique temperament.
"...They have their own judgments on when to attack and retreat, and most of the time they can follow the slogans. When they move, they are like wolves running in the wilderness. Their enemies collapse at the touch of their courage and determination...Living together for a long time has given them very similar temperaments. They have a desire for victory that transcends everything. This desire has nothing to do with money or plunder, but is more like a simple yearning for honor..."
The black monk who accompanied the army wrote in the letter that as the Pope's special legate, he had
The obligation to report everything in the army to His Majesty, no matter how big or small, has always been a disliked position since ancient times. They are what the soldiers call "informers", but unexpectedly, the black monks were welcomed in Leshert's army.
This "Holy Crow" has a very young appearance. Ferrante does not care about age and appearance when selecting his subordinates. It is better to say that he prefers those who have ordinary looks and cannot be found in a crowd. Such harmlessness and ordinariness help the crows to blend into various places and perform different tasks.
However, this time to follow the army, Ferrante chose healthy, young and lively children - this name was invented by the Pope. He called these dark and ominous crows his own children, and sincerely loved and listened to them, so they repaid their respected Majesty with a hundred times and a thousand times more loyalty and love.
The young "Little Crow" had a pair of round blue eyes, like cornflowers blooming under a clear sky, a few freckles on his face, and the characteristics of the Black Sea region - a flat nose and a broad forehead. "I think it might be because the commander had been preaching to them during the truce. He was a respectable and devout believer. The soldiers loved to listen to him, and he also did everything he asked the soldiers to do, whether it was not taking a penny from the city's property or insisting on eating the same food as them."
He thought for a moment and picked up the pen again: "... His prestige in the army is unshakable. The original members of the Knights Templar believed in him as if he believed in another saint, and this trend has gradually spread among the lower-level soldiers. He seems to be aware of this. In recent conversations, he has mentioned Your Majesty's name more often. As an envoy representing Your Majesty, I have also gained the respect and love of many people in the army..."
He wrote down everything he had seen and heard, inevitably mixing in some of his personal thoughts; he soon discovered this when he went back to reread the letter, and uttered a long groan of annoyance.
According to Lord Ferrante's teachings, they do not need to express any of their own ideas. A qualified crow is a spy, a killer, an assassin. It is eyes, ears, and a nose. They can see, hear, and smell. They can become any kind of organ extended outside of Your Majesty, conveying messages, monitoring, and investigating for Your Majesty. But the only thing they cannot be is the brain - they cannot think for Your Majesty. Even if they just express emotional preferences, it will interfere with Your Majesty's judgment.
How could they have the qualifications to think for His Majesty?
They only need to complete the task when it is given, no matter what the content is, no matter how ridiculous the content is, without asking, questioning or hesitating.
He had made a mistake, he whispered to himself, but that was only because he was inexperienced.
The blue-eyed crow tore up the report, carefully considered the words, deleted all the words that expressed personal emotions, and recited the letter again. This was not a difficult task for him, as one of the prerequisites for them to be selected to serve the adults was to have a good memory.
Similar letters were delivered to Raphael's desk every day through special channels, and of course there were also battle reports from Lesherte.
The leader of the Knights Templar is a very smart and rational man. His battle reports are never the same as those of the Crows, even if they are in the same team, which would be much more convenient.
Although he was an upright knight, it didn't mean that Leshert was stupid. He just didn't want to get involved in those complicated intrigues, but he also knew the importance of avoiding suspicion.
Raphael first opened Leshert's battle report.
He started with the same elaborate and ornate greetings as before, and simply omitted this part: "...The morale of the army is high, and our advancement is very smooth. We did not encounter any major resistance along the way. Of course, there were scattered battles, many of which were caused by the remaining forces of the lords. They are not willing to hand over power just like that, but these are small problems that can be dealt with. It is expected that before the end of the year, we will be able to completely clear the twelve cities and bring you a glorious and great victory..."
"According to your previous speculation, Roman will invite you to the capital in the second half of the year. I am afraid that I will be too busy to attend to you. Your safety is above all else. I request that the battle be slowed down, or that you dispatch another trustworthy general to take control of the army, so that I can lead the Knights Templar to follow you to Roman and protect you..."
Raphael sighed when he saw this. Julius, who came in with a battle report and some information, pushed his glasses across the table and glanced at the letter in Raphael's hand. His eyes were cold, but there was a slight smile in his tone: "What's wrong? What difficulties did our Knight Commander encounter?"
Raphael didn't look up at him, so he didn't notice the fake smile on his lips: "No, Leshert said he wanted to go to Roman with me."
Raphael hesitated.
The queen has not submitted the formal document to him yet, and he is not sure when the invitation will come, but according to the news from Assyria, the civil unrest in Assyria has gradually expanded to the point of sweeping the entire country. There is no more time left for the queen to make arrangements. She will definitely arrange everything for Roman in the shortest time possible, and then go to Assyria in person to suppress the rebellion - this is something that actually happened before, but last time Raphael did not distract too much energy on such a distant matter. He is still groping for his own path, trying to solve all problems in a more gentle way.
At that time, it was Julius who handled everything.
Thinking of this, Raphael glanced at the Secretary General in front of him. The Secretary General, who was neatly dressed with his shirt buttoned up tightly, tilted his head slightly in confusion, and a small question mark seemed to appear above his head. He had a snow-white scarf tied around his neck with a huge emerald inlaid on the knot. The soft silk scarf hung down, covering the last bit of skin on his neck.
Julius, who was used to wrapping himself tightly in any weather, looked at Raphael: "Rapha?"
Raphael came back to his senses: "Oh...I want to hear your opinion."
"My opinion," Julius paused. It seemed like he hadn't heard this sentence for a long time. He thought about it in a daze, and then remembered the knight who was fighting for Raphael. A trace of boredom flashed across his brows. Lesherte was galloping on the lords' lands, and the Papal States now had only one lord, Portia, besides Florence. This made him feel threatened instinctively. Julius forced himself to suppress this instinctive warning. "His opinion is very reasonable. You need strong enough military force to protect your safety when you go to such a far place like Roman. I... I don't want to see another coffin sent back to Florence."
His tone was a little vague.
Both of them fell silent at the same time.
The last pope to leave Florence and return in the form of a coffin was Raphael’s father, Julius’ cousin.
It was Julius himself who collected the body of Saint Vitalian III.
Julius said sincerely, "I hope he will keep his promise and protect you well."
The author has something to say:
Julius: Beware of that golden-haired knight.
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