Chapter 712: Military Parade Plan
The next day, Luo Lan woke up late as usual. Anna was already gone when he opened his eyes. Only a few strands of flaxen hair remained in the crook of his arm, along with a comforting light fragrance.
A breakfast was placed on the bedside table, obviously brought up from the kitchen. A note was on the plate with a short line of writing: "Knowing you like to sleep in, I won't eat with you."
Still not forgetting work at this time, getting up on the dot... it can only be said that she is indeed a serious person.
Luo Lan shook his head helplessly and got out of bed. Even though the castle was full of warmth, leaving the comfortable bed in winter was a difficult process. The wooden basin that Anna had used to wash up still radiated a gentle warmth. He simply used the remaining warm water to wash his face, picked up the breakfast, and tiptoed to the third-floor office.
Pushing open the office door, Barov and Edith were already inside waiting for him. Nightingale was in her usual spot—on the recliner by the fireplace, chewing on dried fish while reading a witch comic book, her pleasant expression looking no different than usual.
"So early today?" Luo Lan casually greeted them as if nothing had happened. "Let's sit down and talk about what's going on."
"Ahem," the chief of the City Hall cleared his throat, seemingly used to this. "Your Majesty, the logistics preparations for the attack on the Southernmost Region are complete. In addition, the recruitment of reserve soldiers is going smoothly. By next spring, the total number of the First Army is expected to reach seven thousand, which is an unparalleled force in Graycastle."
"Only in Graycastle," Edith interjected coldly. "What His Majesty has to deal with is not that group of stupid knights and nobles."
Luo Lan smiled and opened the report on the table. "That's right. If we want to fight the devils, population expansion and army building cannot stop. Without affecting production, the more soldiers the First Army recruits, the better."
Although slightly unconvinced, Barov had no choice but to respond with a yes since the king had already spoken. At the same time, he glared at the Pearl of the Northern Region.
Normally, matters such as soldier recruitment and war preparation logistics should be completed by the First Army itself, but most of Iron Axe and his generals came from humble backgrounds. They might be good at leading troops in battle, but they knew nothing about finance and administration. Therefore, when it came to money and food issues, Barov still had to cooperate to complete them.
In the future, when the scale of the First Army is further expanded, such a personnel configuration will obviously be difficult to sustain—the simple management framework originally established with a tap of the head can no longer meet the needs of future development. Perhaps it is time to make a new round of reforms to the military system.
Luo Lan turned his attention back to the report. According to the plan formulated by Iron Axe, the soldiers attacking the Southernmost Region would be about a thousand—five hundred veterans from Neverwinter City would join five hundred new recruits stationed at the Dragonfall Ridge, and then proceed along the Silverstream Oasis towards Iron Sand City.
As long as they brought two 152mm fortress cannons, such a force should have no problem conquering Iron Sand City. However, the key to conquering the Sand People is not about conquering cities and territories, but about the Sacred Duel. Therefore, the main role of the First Army is to escort and maintain order.
The logistics work for the expedition of a thousand people was already easy for the City Hall to handle, and the details were becoming more and more complete. The situation where he had to personally instruct on everything one by one was gone. Some details even exceeded his expectations, which was obviously the experience accumulated after several actual battles.
"Very good, let's do it this way," Luo Lan closed the report and looked at the Pearl of the Northern Region. "Do you have anything else to say?"
If it was just to report on logistics matters, Edith should not have come with Barov.
She was never the kind of person who liked to take credit.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Edith nodded. "I heard from Iron Axe that you plan to hold a cannon drill?"
"Yes, that's right."
"What I'm thinking is... can the people of Neverwinter City also participate in watching?" Her second sentence made Luo Lan's eyes light up. "If your people can witness such a spectacular scene, it should greatly increase their enthusiasm for joining the army, and they will definitely be full of confidence in the future battles against the devils."
"How can the public be allowed to participate in this kind of thing?" Barov frowned. "You haven't seen the scene when explosives detonate. What if they are frightened out of their wits and think it is a divine punishment?"
"That is also a divine punishment controlled by Your Majesty. As long as the publicity work is done well, such fright can be minimized," Edith said bluntly. "Even a lord of a fief occasionally holds a public martial arts performance to determine which knight is more brave and good at fighting. In addition to finding some fun for the nobles, it also intends to show the power of force to the people."
"Cannons are not wooden spears in the hands of knights!"
"We can divide viewing positions on the city wall and send police to maintain order. Considering the limited seats, entering with tickets is a more reasonable choice—a ticket price of two silver royals can both prevent the public from flocking in droves and increase an extra income." Edith talked eloquently, obviously having comprehensively considered the proposal. "In addition, the bystanders should also be screened. The age of ticket buyers should be between fifteen and thirty years old, which is also the main force of various industries in Neverwinter City in the future. Enhancing their beliefs will help fight against the Battle of Divine Will. And some key departments, such as City Hall staff, I think should be forced to participate..."
Luo Lan was quite moved. Isn't this a military parade? Being able to link live-fire military parades with performances, earning funding while not lacking political sensitivity, the talent needed for military reform may be right in front of him.
Thinking of this, he nodded and said, "It sounds good, let's do as you said."
Neverwinter City does need some encouraging news.
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Mei was carrying a basket full of bird beak mushrooms when she passed the square and found that it was crowded with people. Even though it was snowing lightly, it didn't stop everyone from gathering around the notice board.
She followed curiously and saw the propagandist shouting loudly in the crowd, "His Majesty the King will hold a public artillery exercise in three days, just west of the city wall area, on the front line against the Evil Beasts! Want to witness how the First Army's newest weapons can blow the Evil Beasts to pieces? Want to feel the shock of a heavenly wrath? Go to the City Hall to register now! As long as you meet the conditions, with an ID card and two silver royals, you can get the opportunity to appreciate the heroic posture of the Western Region people up close! Limited seats, rare opportunity, miss it and you'll have to wait until next winter!"
Is this another new idea from His Majesty? Even the publicity is so unique, Mei curled her lips. Carter would probably be very interested in this. However, she didn't need to go to the City Hall to buy tickets. As the Chief Knight, she would definitely be able to attend this exercise with His Majesty.
As for herself, she never liked these things related to fighting.
Ermu said
Not in good condition today... just one chapter, adjusting the state, apologizing to all the masters, everyone go to bed early tonight.