After finishing the inspection of the first village, a group of armed men appeared ahead on the way to another village.
Noticing us, the armed group stepped aside to wait and gave way.
As we passed by, I called out to them.
“Any issues?”
When I asked, a soldier responded tensely, “No issues, sir!”
Not wanting to make them overly nervous by asking too many questions, I offered a few words of appreciation and continued on my way.
They were soldiers from my domain who patrol the territory on a regular basis. They move in small groups of about ten, doubling as a form of marching training.
Normally, a knight would lead such a group, but since we have dedicated soldiers, our patrol units function even without knights.
Occasionally, I assign them to escort caravans from the Golden Sheep Trading Company.
This arrangement is quite efficient.
It serves as training for the soldiers, provides safe and cost-effective escort services for the caravans, and the experience of protecting supply convoys will be invaluable in the future.
Though not yet established, I plan to create a logistics—or supply—unit. When fighting against the aristocrats surrounding us, battles will not always occur within our own domain but sometimes in others. A logistics unit is essential for waging prolonged and low-risk campaigns.
By the way, logistics have benefits not only from a military perspective but also from an administrative standpoint.
In this world, pillaging is the norm. However, building a system that doesn’t rely on pillaging makes governance in occupied territories much easier.
Given our shortage of knights, this approach is particularly advantageous for us. While I intend to begin developing civil officials, cultivating intellectuals is not something that can be done quickly. To efficiently govern vast lands, it’s best to avoid provoking resentment among the populace as much as possible.
In addition to logistics, I also need to establish military discipline—a set of rules for the soldiers. Even if we claim to abstain from pillaging, if soldiers commit acts of violence against villagers, it will breed resentment among them. For now, I’ve entrusted Erich and Herbert with drafting these rules.
Well, both the logistics unit and military discipline will require considerable time and effort to realize.
Still, I believe they are essential and must be implemented. Many of the soldiers were orphaned by pillaging and warfare. When I think about them, I want to create a framework to prevent such tragedies from happening again. Even if it’s challenging in this chaotic era, I want to see it through.
Well… the road ahead is long.
Letting out a single sigh, I gazed at the road stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
