"Hah, what a weakling! He didn't even lift his head once during the entire encounter; he didn't dare to meet my eyes," Count Osborne scoffed disdainfully.
"Even so, my lord, I implore you not to underestimate him. His ambitions are grand, and his strategies deep. He possesses a maturity far beyond his age," Boone cautiously advised in the hall.
"Are you suggesting that a mere baronet could pose a threat to me?" Osborne was dismissive.
"Don't worry. I'll strip him of his title sooner or later and bestow it upon you. Frankly speaking, his father was somewhat formidable during his lifetime, commanding both courage and cunning, which made me wary. It's surprising to see that the tiger father has begotten such a mouse, ha ha ha..."
"In the end, it's just the young man's bad luck. Among all the baronets under my command, he seems the easiest to manipulate, ha ha."
"By the way, those two half-elf female slaves you sent over were quite delightful..."
...
Three days had passed since their return from the Count's domain. The entire journey took Gwyneth and his companions seven days. When they returned to Targas, the autumn planting was nearing its end. Under the watchful eyes of the guards, all the peasants had sowed the new rye seeds.
Returning to his territory, Gwyneth resolved to reorganize the military. His observations in the Count's domain had left a deep impression on him. He knew that many of the guards stationed in the Count's castle were merely ceremonial, appearing formidable and imposing, but their actual combat ability and experience remained questionable.
Nonetheless, the memory of his own guards' performance during the raid on the poachers' camp made him anxious. It was time to start drilling them properly.
Firstly, Gwyneth split the guard into two groups. One, including the captain of the guards, Jervis, was expected to be equipped with chainmail, cavalry spears, and longswords, training in horsemanship and reconnaissance, primarily for scouting and small-scale raids. The other 64 foot guards were to be equipped with leather armor, light shields, longswords, and spears, forming the bodyguard unit, mainly for defending the main force and ready to strike opportunistically, acting as his last resort.
Both the light cavalry scouts and his personal guards were assigned critical roles, requiring extensive training to ensure they were always in elite condition.
For the cavalry, the most important skill was undoubtedly horsemanship. Thus, Gwyneth allowed them to train extensively, pushing them hard from dawn till dusk. The horses, besides getting sufficient rest, were now fed with juicy, fresh grass.
Normally, to save on grass, war horses were fed hay and straw. Now, all the horses' feed was switched to fresh, juicy grass.
What to do if there wasn't enough grass? Slaughtering the surplus cattle and sheep was the answer, which also served to provide the guards with a protein boost. With the increased intensity of daily training, the usual barley porridge and black bread could no longer guarantee sufficient protein intake, necessitating an enhanced diet.
Thus, under Gwyneth's instructions, the manor slaughtered nearly half of the beef cattle and sheep, a decision that greatly pained Baldwin. Such a bold move was unheard of during the previous baron's time.
Of course, he dared not voice any opposition.
With a large number of cattle and sheep slaughtered in a short period, the manor also preserved the meat by drying, curing, and salting, to prolong its shelf life and ensure a continuous supply.
For the cavalry scouts, verbal reporting alone was inadequate. Sometimes they needed to draw maps and make annotations, so they had to learn basic literacy, a task entrusted to Baldwin.
The cavalrymen would start their day with horsemanship training, then move on to physical training in full gear, including armor and weapons. They would rest a bit at lunch, then study with Baldwin, followed by basic hand-to-hand combat. Near dinner, as the sun set and light faded, they would ride around the manor and castle three times as a review, then return for dinner, concluding the day's training.
However, as the planner of this training schedule, Gwyneth wouldn't spend all day supervising them. He delegated the oversight task to Jervis, periodically checking on their progress. If he found overall progress lagging, Jervis would be held accountable.
Of course, if all the cavalrymen progressed evenly, without anyone falling too far behind, and met Gwyneth's expectations, he wouldn't hesitate to reward them, with extra bonuses for Jervis.
As for the foot guards, Gwyneth also devised a detailed training plan.
Unlike the scout cavalry, the bodyguard infantry didn't require high levels of literacy. They just needed to faithfully execute Gwyneth's orders and be combat-ready.
Thus, eliminating literacy and horsemanship training, their main focus was hand-to-hand combat and teamwork.
Gwyneth trained them to form formations, ensuring they always remembered who was on their left and right. At any moment, when Gwyneth blew the whistle, they had to assemble as quickly as possible, form ranks with shields raised, and swords drawn.
Not just single-line formations, but Gwyneth also taught them to form multiple lines and shield walls. The first row would kneel with shields protecting their feet and legs; the second row would stand behind them, placing their shields atop the first row's to protect the torso; the third row, standing behind the second, would raise their shields over their heads, resting on the second row's shields to protect from arrows.
This was the shield wall, which, if coordinated well, could even withstand a hail of arrows. This tactic was borrowed from the Romans or Vikings of Gwyneth's past life.
However, if the enemy didn't use dense formations but instead charged in dispersed fashion, considering the limited numbers on his side unable to fully cover the flanks, the lower and overhead layers of the shield wall would be removed, switching to single-line formations for combat.
This would truly test their strength. For this, the guards needed rigorous training and learning to ensure they could handle such situations effortlessly.
All of these were merely Gwyneth's plans or fantasies, as he lacked the necessary armor and weapons. Without them, any form of training remained on paper.
Yes, Targas was that impoverished.
To strengthen the army, Gwyneth even had to start from the basics of weapon procurement and manufacturing.