Chapter 712 (1/2)

Chapter 712: Parade Plan

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

On the second day, Roland got up late as usual. When he woke up, he found Anna was nowhere to be found. What was left of her was only a few flaxen hairs on his elbow, with a hint of a relaxing fragrance.

Lying on the bedside table was his breakfast which was obviously brought up by Anna from the kitchen. Beside the dish, there was a note with a short line written on, “I know that you like sleeping. I’ll leave you alone for your breakfast.”

“Even on this occasion, she can’t forget about her work and got up on time… She is a serious about her work.”

Roland shook his head helplessly and got off of the bed. Even though the castle was supplied with heating, it was not easy to leave the cosy quilt in winter. The water in the wooden basin Anna used to wash her face was still warm. Roland used it to wash his face too, then carried the breakfast and walked up to his office on the third floor.

When he pushed open the office door, he saw Barov and Edith were already waiting for him. Nightingale was at her usual place, her exclusive lounge chair by the fireplace. She was reading a picture-book about witches while chewing dried fish. The relaxing expression on her face looked no different than usual.

“Oh, you came early.” Roland casually greeted them as if there was nothing out of ordinary. “Sit down before you tell me what you came for.”

“Ahem.” The City Hall Director cleared his throat, which looked as if he was used to Roland’s reaction. “Your Majesty, the logistics preparation for attacking the Southernmost Region has been completed. The recruitment work for reserve soldiers is going smoothly. The scale of the First Army will reach 7,000 soldiers next spring, which is unparalleled in the Kingdom of Graycastle.”

“It’s only in the Kingdom of Graycastle,” Edith interrupted unexpectedly. “The forces His Majesty has to deal with aren’t those stupid knights and nobles.”

Roland smiled. He opened the report on his desk and said, “Indeed, if we were to fight against the demons, neither the work of population proliferation nor army construction can be stopped. On the premise not to affect production, the First Army should have as many soldiers as possible.”

Although unwilling to submit, since the king had given his order, Barov had to obey while staring at the Pearl of the Northern Region.

Normally, things like soldier recruitment and logistics for combat readiness should be done by the First Army. But Iron Axe and the few generals under his leadership were lowborn, which meant that they might be good at leading troops for military operations, but they lacked the slightest knowledge of financing and administrative management. So when it came to the issues of money and food, Barov had to offer a helping hand to get things done.

As the scale of the First Army further expanded, such staffing issues would obviously prove difficult. The simple management structure that Roland impetuously established would not meet the requirements for future development. Maybe it was time to make a new round of reform of the military system.

Roland resumed his focus on the report. According to the plan drawn up by Iron Axe, 1000 soldiers were to attack the Southernmost Region. 500 veterans set off from Neverwinter and met with 500 new recruits stationed at the Fallen Dragon Ridge. They then charged toward the Iron Sand City along the Silver Stream Oasis.

As long as they took two 152 mm Longsong Cannons with them, there should be no problem for such a force to conquer the Iron Sand City. But the key to conquering the Sand Nation did not lie in seizing the territory, but in the holy duel, so the role the First Army played was more to escort the leader and maintain order.

The City Hall could manage the logistics work of 1,000 soldiers with high proficiency, and the details involved were getting more and more sophisticated. The situation that the leader had to personally attend to everything had long gone. The preparations were so sophisticated that they were often beyond Roland’s expectation, which was obviously a result of accumulated experience after several actual battles.

“Alright, that’s settled.” Roland closed the report and looked at the Pearl of the Northern Region. “Do you have anything else to say?”