Chapter 579: Militia

Night had fallen, and the interior of the mansion was illuminated by bright, warm candlelight.

“Master! Welcome back!”

As soon as Wu Ming returned to the villa, Amilia stepped forward, gently removing his cloak and taking over the task from Beatrice, who stood nearby with a pout of dissatisfaction.

“Oh! What’s for dinner today?”

Wu Ming seemed completely oblivious, instead pleased that this woman had quickly adapted to her role.

“The main dish is roasted lamb, accompanied by onion soup and toasted white bread. We also have a bottle of wine, and our olive oil produced at the estate is quite excellent…”

“Hmm!”

Wu Ming sat at the head of the table, watching Amilia direct the maids in setting the table and serving the dishes. She herself wore a maid’s uniform, and her every movement exuded a mature grace.

“Godfather!”

Cecile and Sercel, two young girls, greeted Wu Ming with a bow. They were the only ones allowed to dine with him.

“Amilia!”

After finishing his meal, Wu Ming tapped his silver spoon: “I plan to appoint Joe as my militia captain and have him train more than thirty strong young men!”

“My lord!”

Amilia hesitated slightly: “This might interfere with their farming!”

“Therefore, I will compensate them and only mobilize the men after the spring planting season!” Wu Ming replied with a smile.

“Mobilize? Are we going to war again?”

Amilia was deeply fearful of this, as she had just lost her husband in the previous war and did not want to risk losing her stable life again due to another conflict.

“No, merely to suppress bandits! The robbers on the Tak Mountains and the wild tribes frequently harass my territory, raiding my people. As a lord, this is an intolerable humiliation!”

Wu Ming declared, “I will strike back fiercely, slay their warriors, capture their women, and make them our serfs to work for us and atone for their crimes!”

Well, in truth, this was a classic case of “any excuse will do.” Wu Ming’s real intention was simply to increase the manpower in his domain.

“However, I ordered Joe to inspect our armory and received a disappointing report. In the entire weapon storage, he found only five rusted swords, three longbows, a dozen javelins, and a single spear—not even a single piece of leather armor…”

Wu Ming spread his hands helplessly.

“I am very sorry!”

Amilia nervously clutched her skirt: “My husband took much of the equipment with him when he went to war… If you need new weapons, we might be able to afford them after this year’s grape harvest.”

“I do not intend to blame you, merely to state a fact. And relying solely on selling grapes and olives to arm ourselves, we might not be able to launch a campaign against the wild tribes until next year!”

Wu Ming shook his head: “I have brought five hundred golden ducats. Take them with Joe to the nearest city and purchase the necessary equipment!”

He handed Amilia a parchment.

These funds were all a gift from Alfred, and Wu Ming was no miser—he would not miss the opportunity to arm himself properly.

Amilia took the parchment and saw the list: “Five leather armors, preferably iron-reinforced; twenty short swords; fifty javelins; ten longbows; one thousand arrows; some fire oil; and several ropes…”

“Understood. Anything else?”

“Make it quick. Also, let Joe look into buying crossbows. Don’t hesitate to spend the ducats—ask me for more if needed!”

Wu Ming waved his hand generously.

“I understand!”

Amilia replied, though in her eyes, the equipment listed was already sufficient for a hundred regular soldiers.

A few days later, Wu Ming stood in the training ground, watching the farmers arrive at dusk for training.

They were quite shrewd. Although Wu Ming emphasized voluntary participation, those who completed a certain amount of training would receive a loaf of bread and even a free dinner!

The value of this offer made them reluctant to miss a session, and soon it became a habit.

The seeds of the future army were here.

In the training yard, a large pot was boiling, filled with rich fish stew, wild vegetables, and flatbread. Wu Ming had deliberately added plenty of oil and salt, a display of generosity that made Amilia wince.

Any high-intensity training without sufficient food and meat was just bullying! Naturally, Wu Ming would not do that.

Of course, he did not expect much from these farmer-turned-soldiers. As long as they could follow simple commands, become familiar with their weapons, and understand basic formations, that would suffice. He could not ask for more.

This was a world of mediocrity. It didn’t matter much if his army was mediocre, as long as it was better than the wild tribes and rival lords.

“My lord!”

Joe commanded the militia to line up and approached Wu Ming with a salute: “The militia unit is assembled, with a total of thirty-seven soldiers!”

“Excellent!”

Although the training was, in truth, pitiful to watch, compared to their previous performance, Wu Ming could not ask for more.

“Dismissed!”

At his command, the soldiers scattered and rushed to the pot, each receiving a steaming bowl of stew and an oat bread, squatting on the ground to eat heartily.

Wu Ming had issued an order: oat bread could be taken home, but the stew had to be eaten on-site!

This was to prevent the soldiers from taking their dinners home for their families, as the stew contained precious salt, meat, and oil, which would defeat the purpose of improving the soldiers’ physical condition. Thus, he strictly forbade it, while allowing older teenagers from the families to join the training and share the meal.

Frankly, Wu Ming had higher hopes for these youths.

“Joe!”

He turned to the veteran beside him: “What do you think of those boys?”

“They’re very young… very inexperienced!”

Joe thought for a moment and chose two adjectives.

He looked puzzled at the energetic youths, not understanding why Wu Ming said that.

“Teach them the few moves I showed you first!”

What Wu Ming referred to was the same set of techniques he had taught to Ava, but Joe had systematized them further. At this point, only a portion had been passed on.

If he gave away everything at once, it would be too cheap, considering it was a quite effective knight’s training method.

“That’s really a bargain for those brats!”

Joe looked at the boys with a hint of jealousy, fully aware of the value of what Wu Ming had taught him.

In his youth, when he first set out into the world, how much hardship had he endured just to learn a few tricks of the trade?

And now, these boys were getting it so easily.

“Let them try first. If any of them show real promise, bring them to me!”

This was just a basic training method for now, but if they persisted and showed talent, they would gradually rise above the common folk.

In Wu Ming’s view, this was a simple method of selection and evaluation.

Of course, with the population and size of his domain, no amount of internal cultivation would be enough. The most important thing was to go out and seize resources—be it people, minerals, gold, or markets. Only in this way could he develop at the fastest possible speed.

Therefore, two months later, when this small militia was barely ready, Wu Ming was already eager to lead them into battle.

“I know many of you are stepping onto the battlefield for the first time!”

He stood on a platform, looking down at the faces below, which were a mix of expressions but mostly anxious, and shouted, “But the leather armor you wear and the swords, spears, and bows in your hands were all purchased with golden ducats, while your opponents are merely a group of wild tribesmen and bandits dressed in animal skins!”

“Your superior equipment and training are unmatched by them. What are you worried about?”

A great commander could inspire morale with words, and Wu Ming was clearly superior in this aspect.

“I, as your lord, promise that once you achieve merit, you will not only become freemen, but I will also issue a certificate granting you ownership of a piece of land! Even if you fall in battle or suffer injuries, the estate will provide compensation for you or your families!”

This promise of reward and assurance immediately stirred the crowd. Soon, their anxiety faded, replaced by a gleam of desire—the desire to change their fates.

To become freemen, to own land truly their own!

For these serfs, it was a lifelong hope! Moreover, even if they were killed or disabled, their families would be taken care of. What was there to fear?

They had nothing to lose anyway—why not take a chance? Perhaps their descendants would have the opportunity to rise above others.

“Roar!”

Starting with the first militiaman, someone began waving his weapon and shouting, and the expressions of the others quickly changed, leaving Amilia watching in a daze.

She realized that the timid farmers she had known were no more—before her stood a group of trained soldiers!

“I will take thirty men with me this time!”

Wu Ming said to Amilia at this moment: “The rest of the estate’s affairs are in your hands!”

An ordinary lord would not be as leisurely as him. In fact, there were numerous affairs on the estate, mostly trivial matters.

As a lord, he would usually preside over disputes between serfs in the manorial court.

Wu Ming had no interest in such petty matters, but Amilia was quite adept at handling them efficiently, which greatly satisfied him.

After finishing the instructions for the estate, Wu Ming mounted his horse and shouted: “March!”

“Roar!”

The soldiers roared, their faces filled with fervor, following the horse out of the estate, embarking on their journey.