The significant movements of the vampires dampened Ryan's holiday spirits. Instead, the baron had to hurriedly celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival before immediately devoting his energies to war preparations.
In the days following the Winter Solstice Festival, towards the end of December, a heavy snowfall blanketed Britannia under Baron Jean's rule. The thick snow not only heralded a bountiful harvest after the New Year but also signaled a temporary halt in the baron's war preparations, as the serfs were not yet robust enough to train in such heavy snow.
Holy Knight Alfred, Holy Grail Knight Ryan, and Steward Carsonberg sat on the balcony enjoying the snow, with a delicious pot of beef stew placed among their spacious armchairs.
"Here's some good news, Tohru. The vampires are assembling their forces much slower than we anticipated. According to scout reports, the Red Duke's efforts to awaken the undead have failed multiple times, with many desecrated graves being washed away by the floods called forth by the Lady," Ryan said, pondering over a cup of wine. "Even with the most aggressive estimates, it would take the Red Duke three months to gather a large army. But I don't understand why he is so desperate to assemble such a force... Carsonberg?"
"My baron," the steward, still sporting a bald head and dressed in a leather coat, holding a cup of elf wine, indicated he was listening when Ryan called his name.
"If I give you three months, how strong a defense can you construct?" Ryan inquired. "Be honest, and work within our means."
"In three months, at most, we could build a wooden wall and wooden outposts, then establish some defensive structures like pits and trenches," Carsonberg estimated the outcomes after some calculation. "Building a stone wall would be too forced in such a short time, my baron, and the cost would be astonishing, affecting the spring plowing."
"I see," Ryan said, after some thought, abandoning the idea of rushing to build walls. The undead army was different from other forces; mere wooden walls couldn't stop them.
"My friend, are you preparing to battle the vampires?" Alfred picked up a wooden bowl filled with beef stew, his prayer full of sincerity, before eating heartily.
The life of a holy knight was quite austere. They required a lot of meat but often didn't have the funds, so they tended to hunt for their food. For Alfred, opportunities to eat beef, a more premium meat, were rare. The money he earned was spent on adding to the chapels in town.
Under Alfred's diligent proselytizing, the Church of Justice began to gain a foothold in Ryan's territory. Several serfs were baptized by Alfred, and with his help, a few children were even transformed into holy knights.
"Yes, this war may not be so easy," Ryan nodded.
"If we are to fight against the undead, please let me lend you my strength!" Alfred earnestly nodded. "Justice is the bane of the undead, and holy water blessed by our Lord can deal significant damage to them. I have plenty stored in my chapel."
"Let's fight side by side, Tohru!" Ryan did not refuse, as there was no need for formalities between him and Alfred.
Outside the balcony, thick snow fell from the sky, covering everything in a blanket of white. Jean's barony turned into a winter wonderland. Buildings and streets in Jean Town were piled with snow, with many serfs clearing it and groups of patrol soldiers walking on the town walls.
"My friend, I must say, the archer battalion under Estelle's training is starting to look decent," Alfred mentioned casually. "Normally, it takes at least one to two years to train a competent archer, but you found an easier method."
"I never intended to train archers, Tohru, as you know. A competent archer needs at least a year or two to ensure accuracy beyond fifty steps, and Bastogne longbowmen even more so, requiring five to eight years to mature," Ryan nodded, speaking softly. "But... crossbows are different."
Indeed, Ryan understood that it would take a long time for serf archers to form an army with enough combat power. Bastogne longbowmen began training from ages 8-11, dedicating their lives to it. Duke Behemond decreed that all qualified serfs between ages 12-65 must practice archery after praising the Lady of the Lake on Sundays.
Ryan couldn't raise a competent longbowman force quickly, but he could rapidly assemble a formidable crossbowman army.
The dwarf-crafted hand crossbows by Dwarven Craftsman Delron-Feynson were precisely what Ryan was satisfied with. These hand crossbows required minimal operational skill, exactly what Ryan knew the serfs needed—a foolproof, step-by-step tutorial: load, aim, shoot, all done seamlessly and brutally efficient.
As expected, under Estelle's training, within just over a month, all the serfs in Jean's archer battalion were able to load, aim, and shoot very proficiently.
Ryan was pleased with this combat capability.
Jean's barony now boasted 1 Holy Grail Knight, 4 Ranger Knights, 13 Knight Retainers, 85 Swordsmen, 201 Spearmen, and 120 Crossbowmen. Compared to typical baronies, Ryan's military force was substantial.
And, of course, two battle mages.
"My baron, Sir Francois sent someone to ask if you need reinforcements?" Steward Carsonberg said softly. "He's concerned you might become a frontline, and also, scout reports indicate that Duke Behemond is aware of the vampire movements and is also preparing for war."
"What about the others? Besides Duke Behemond and Duke Francois, are any other dukes reacting?" Ryan suddenly remembered something, asking with curiosity.
"For now... no. The dukes surely received intelligence about the vampires amassing their forces, but only these two dukes are reacting by gathering their forces. The others, including Duke Bodrick of Boldre, closest to Mousillon, are merely mobilizing troops without full conscription or plans for scorched earth tactics," Carsonberg held a parchment. "The king hasn't issued any new orders either; this is from three days ago."
Ryan sighed, roughly understanding why, apart from Dukes of Winfort and Bastogne, other dukes hadn't taken specific actions.
It wasn't about being hostile towards vampires; it was more about Ryan.
Because of the Knightly War against the Athel Loren Forest over a year ago, nearly all the dukedoms suffered thousands of troop losses. Though a loss of a few thousand men wasn't crippling for the dukedoms, it left them stretched thin, needing sufficient forces to garrison castles and territories. In this situation, the dukes hesitated to conscript more troops, fearing it would affect the spring plowing.
Only the dukedoms of Bastogne and Winfort, led by Ryan on the right flank, suffered minimal losses and captured significant war spoils. These battle-hardened troops had become elites.
Only these two dukedoms were capable of immediately gathering forces.
"My baron? What's your plan?" Seeing Ryan silent, Carsonberg continued to ask.
"What do you think, Carsonberg?" Ryan tested his steward.
Carsonberg
bowed his head, pondering for a moment: "My baron, I think it's not yet time to request reinforcements. Mousillon's intentions are unclear, whether the vampires truly intend to wage war, and if the Red Duke's target is us, based on the current situation, it's all unclear. My baron, you're already under the king's scrutiny, so proceed with caution. Unless Princess Morgiana or the king has explicitly ordered you to lead troops, it's best to remain cautious."
"Good, what we need to do now is gather our forces and prepare for war, but discreetly, to avoid giving others a pretext," Ryan nodded in agreement. "Let's wait and see if our King or Princess Morgiana has any response."
"Understood, my baron!"
As the barony's preparations for war progressed under Ryan's command, the soldiers gradually donned breastplates and more refined dwarven gear.
The army was moving towards semi-professionalization.
In Ryan's vision, separating soldiers from farmers was the first step in his military reforms, but his current financial situation didn't allow for maintaining so many professional soldiers. What he aimed for now was semi-professionalizing these soldiers, making their role as soldiers gradually overshadow their primary occupation as serfs, responsible for military drills for two to three days a week, with the remaining time for farming.
The baron's soldiers enjoyed better food and higher status. More importantly, as a Holy Grail Knight and the Lady's Champion, the serfs in his territory were eager to pledge their loyalty. In this knightly nation, serfs were forbidden from worshipping the Lady of the Lake, so attracting Her attention required special means.
The serfs believed that becoming Holy Grail pilgrims or fighting alongside a Holy Grail Knight was one effective method. Thus, for a better life and the Goddess's favor, the number of volunteers for enlistment was overwhelming.
The baron encouraged the serfs to have devout faith.
Time quietly passed in war preparations. Mousillon's vampire army slowly but determinedly assembled, with powerful undead magic reviving corpses from graves under the Red Duke's command. Blood Knights and dark Holy Grail Knights wreaked havoc on outposts and the Knightly Kingdom's alert forces.
Duke Bodrick of Boldre, just over a hundred kilometers from Mousillon, was the first to sense the danger. The Prince of the Sea God Manann and the Chosen Champion began to mobilize the dukedom's troops in preparation for a potential vampire threat. However, he was still undecided on the best approach to confront vampires: scorched earth, burning all graves, and clearing all skeletons would deprive vampires of fresh blood and troops, a significant drain for controlling an undead army.
The duke hesitated to commit to scorched earth; such a move could cripple him and his dukedom for years.
As Mousillon's vampire army grew, the Knightly Kingdom finally showed a positive sign.
The Lake Witch Morgiana left her tower, appearing in the Lake Church of the Duchy of Carcassonne with a group of Holy Grail Knights, declaring vampires as our common enemy. The knights of the kingdom must eliminate evil, for the Lady!
Thus, as the snow melted in March of the following year, a war seemed inevitable.
Meanwhile, Morgiana on her journey received a strange magical communication signal.
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