"Alright, I’ll take all of these. I’ll leave it to you then, Viscount.

"Oh, and if you can, help me order another batch of Magical Beast Meat. I want a higher-tier kind," Robson said.

Now that he had money, Robson was feeling flush. The barding, warhorses, and packhorses would add up to around two thousand Gold Coins.

One hundred warhorses cost about eight hundred Gold Coins. The packhorses were much cheaper, basically one Gold Coin each, and in some places, you could even buy them with Silver Coins.

Of course, that wasn’t the usual price. Under normal circumstances, the price difference between a warhorse and a packhorse wouldn’t be as great as eightfold, no matter what.

But what could you do? There was a war on.

In a wartime economy, what isn’t distorted?

This was mainly thanks to the Frank Kingdom’s economy still running smoothly and the fact that most people looked down on packhorses.

After all, it was rare to see someone like Robson raising such a large force of commoner Cavalry. Usually, the ones who could afford warhorses were Knight Lords.

When it comes to the warhorse you ride on the battlefield, who would dare be careless? It’s a matter of life and death.

Later in the war, when the supply of warhorses dwindles, the price of packhorses would rise even further.

Of course, by that point, the price of everything would probably be on the rise.

"High-Tier Magical Beast Meat? If you need it, Sir Robson, I can give it to you for five Silver Coins a pound."

TSK!

Robson was taken aback. He had already inquired about this beforehand.

The price wasn’t a huge bargain, but it wasn’t a rip-off either. It was the normal market price.

Given the current situation, it was definitely a favorable price.

Robson, who had just been feeling like he’d struck it rich, did some quick math and realized he wouldn’t have much left in his pockets.

Then there were the food expenses for the entire army. The rations issued from high command weren’t nearly enough to support such an elite force.

If the food supplies couldn’t keep up and his Soldiers ended up in poor shape, Robson would have no tears left to cry.

He couldn’t skimp on grain. He needed the packhorses and warhorses. Lord Robson was also short on men. And Huang Na was in a crucial growth phase and couldn’t be short on nutrition...

’I’m still short on money.’

As he thought this, Robson grew impatient, wondering when the next batch of walking moneybags would show up.

Right now, there were many mouths to feed, both man and beast.

After procuring everything, Robson led Viscount Luke to the barracks of the Fourth Regiment.

Although he was reluctant to part with them, he had to keep his word if he wanted to maintain a long-term business relationship.

Currently, only the First Regiment of Robson’s army was at full strength. Robson had packed all the non-officer Tier Four troops from the other regiments into the First. It was now a genuinely elite unit, with nearly 600 Tier Four members, 300 Tier Five members, and 70 Tier Six members.

The other two regiments were weaker. The Third Regiment had more elites, with over 600 men and about eighty percent of them being Tier Three. The Second Regiment was a bit weaker but was larger, with over 700 men and a fifty percent Tier Three rate.

But in the last war, it was the Cavalry Team that had gained the most experience.

After all, no matter how fast the Infantry ran, they could never outrun a four-legged horse.

The Tier Five Cavalry now numbered almost 300, with nearly 100 at Tier Four. As for those below Tier Three, they had either leveled up or died gloriously.

There were only a dozen or so Tier Six Cavalry, all of whom Robson had made into Non-commissioned Officers. After the battle, Robson promoted a considerable number of commoner Officers based on their supposed "merits in battle."

This was indeed a rare phenomenon. After all, nobles who could command an army of Robson’s size were usually Viscounts or higher, and they never lacked subordinates to serve as junior Officers.

But while they didn’t lack for them, Robson certainly did. He was now a typical case of being officer-heavy and short on men.

.....

"Baron Dodger?"

Robson led Viscount Luke all the way to the Fourth Regiment’s camp, where he spotted a familiar figure.

Baron Dodger was standing at the entrance to the Fourth Regiment’s camp, though it wasn’t clear what he was doing.

"Sir Robson..." Upon seeing Robson arrive, Baron Dodger instinctively moved to place a hand over his heart as a sign of respect.

"There’s no need for formalities." Robson stopped Baron Dodger.

"Oh... I heard from Viscount Leo that you’re skilled at training troops, Sir Robson, so I came to have a look..." Baron Dodger seemed rather embarrassed as he spoke.

To put it nicely, he was "having a look." To put it bluntly, he was trying to steal training secrets.

"If you want to look, then go on in and have a look. It’s no big deal," Robson said with a laugh.

’Steal my secrets?’ Robson thought. ’I know my own business.’ His, Lord Robson’s, training method boiled down to one thing: keep them well-fed and well-drilled, make sure they can hold a spear, and then throw them onto the battlefield to gain experience.

’The rest I leave to the Mount & Blade system. And if anyone asks me, Lord Robson, how I train my troops?’

’It’s an ancestral secret, not to be shared.’

’Of course, if these bloodsucking noble lords could do what I do—provide three square meals a day—their Soldiers wouldn’t be too shabby, even if they couldn’t reach the level of my men.’

’There’s nothing particularly advanced about it, so Lord Robson isn’t afraid of anyone stealing his methods.’

’Since he wants to see, I’ll let him look his fill. It’s a good opportunity to cultivate Lord Robson’s reputation for being magnanimous.’

"This... Thank you, Sir Robson." Baron Dodger was rather ashamed.

Viscount Luke, who was standing to the side, was rather surprised.

He had seen Baron Dodger’s every move and gesture.

’Is that the proper attitude to have toward someone of equal rank?’

’Theoretically, Robson is the Commander-in-Chief of all of Qimo Fortress, but I always thought he only had the prestige to lead because he was backed by Count Valentino.’

’But now it seems the nobles of Qimo Fortress have been thoroughly brought to heel.’

On second thought, it made sense. Everyone loves a leader who can win battles.

.....

Afterwards, Robson led Baron Dodger and Viscount Luke to the training ground and had the entire Fourth Regiment assemble separately.

Looking at the army before him—ranks orderly, steps in unison, gazes sharp—Viscount Luke nodded repeatedly in approval.

’Not bad. Not bad at all.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As the middleman, Viscount Luke knew full well what these Soldiers had been like when they first arrived. Now, every single one of them was brimming with vigor.

"Sir Robson, you truly have a gift for training men," Viscount Luke said with feeling.

"You flatter me, you flatter me," Robson said humbly.

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell them that the Fourth Regiment was actually the worst unit in his entire army.

Their Tier Three rate was less than thirty percent.

Robson had barely sent them into battle, mainly because the casualties would be too high, and that would be difficult to explain later.

"Viscount, you may take these Soldiers now," Robson said.

....

After seeing off Viscount Luke, Robson was about to look for Falan.

Since arriving at Qimo Fortress, that fellow had hit it off with Kosen and the other Mages.

Although Robson hadn’t let Falan reveal the true extent of his power, Falan’s scholarly knowledge was the real deal.

At least compared to Kosen and his group, Falan was like a college student competing against elementary schoolers.

And perhaps inspired by Falan’s example, Grand Mage Kosen had recently joined the ranks of the wall-builders, lending his strength to the Earth and Wood Mages.

"Is there something else?" Robson asked, turning his head.

Baron Dodger had been following him, looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

"Some of us heard that you... offer paid training for troops, Sir Robson..."

"It’s *assisting*, Dodger. I am *assisting* them," Robson said with a frown.

’Dodger is still too young,’ Robson thought. ’Why does he have to say everything so bluntly? You can know something, but that doesn’t mean you should say it out loud.’

’’Paid training’ implies a transaction. Paid with what? That just gives people leverage against me.’

"Oh, right, right.

"It’s like this. Some of my friends wanted me to come and ask... if we could request you to assist us in training our troops, Sir Robson?" Baron Dodger asked.

Robson finally understood. So that’s what this was about.

’They must have seen Lord Robson’s elite soldiers and skilled commanders dominating the battlefield, and now they can’t suppress their own ambitions.’

In fact, there were already close to 2,000 other Soldiers in Qimo Fortress to begin with.

It was just that they were largely useless, and Robson hadn’t had the time to bother with them.

But things were different now. Robson’s current command limit had shot up to 8,000 men.

It was a number he wouldn’t be able to reach for a very long time.

"That’s possible, but my army also needs enough Soldiers for support duties. If everyone is sent to the battlefield, the entire fortress might fall into chaos," Robson said.

Robson’s meaning was easy to understand. He was willing to help train their troops, but in return, he, Lord Robson, wanted more soldiers for his own army.

"Ah? This..." Baron Dodger didn’t understand. Thinking he’d been rejected, an awkward expression appeared on his face.

Robson was left speechless. ’How did a guy like this become a Baron?’ he wondered.

"In other words, I need you to send five hundred men to serve in my army and maintain its daily operations. Do you understand what I mean?" Robson had no choice but to spell it out.

’I have no idea what the other nobles in Qimo Fortress were thinking, sending Baron Dodger to negotiate,’ Robson thought.

"Ah! I understand."

With it spelled out for him like that, Baron Dodger, though a bit dazed, finally got the message.

"Of course. I think they—no, my friends—will not refuse," said Baron Dodger.

It seemed the other nobles had already given Baron Dodger their bottom line before he set out.

Hearing this, Robson breathed a sigh of relief. If Baron Dodger still didn’t get it after he had laid it out so clearly, then there was truly nothing more he could do.

He couldn’t have been more direct, as this matter also involved Viscount Luke. After all, Viscount Luke didn’t transport many of these goods through official channels.

"In that case, go and make preparations with your friends. Starting tomorrow, send over the auxiliary troops and the units you want trained.

"I’ll make the arrangements. Just remember to bring your own provisions," Robson said.

"Yes, my lord."