You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 216 Give the Militia Crossbowmen Some Face
The crossbows were mainly provided to farmers.

Of course, not everyone gets a share.

Instead, it provides a training venue.

The crossbows were placed in the training ground, and the farmers would go there periodically to put the crossbows back in their original positions before leaving.

There will probably be about ten of these training grounds.

Each settlement consisted of one hundred brick houses, and four or five settlements shared a training ground, where they would train whenever they had time.

Roman only provides crossbows and training grounds.

As for the rest, I'll ignore them.

Trainees are responsible for making their own targets, collecting crossbow bolts, and, if necessary, learning how to repair and maintain crossbows.

Two police officers were dispatched to regularly count the number of crossbows each day.

Roman didn't think the farmers would reject it.

They didn't have the qualifications or access to weapons in the past. It's not that they disliked weapons.

Humans, as intelligent beings, are born with a craving for weapons of mass destruction.

Once they mastered how to use crossbows, they gained another means of killing, and their previously hunched spines slowly began to straighten up.

In the past, when they faced nobles and knights, they would at most fantasize about killing them with pitchforks.

But now, they fantasize about shooting those lords with crossbow bolts.

If they are desperate and actually have a crossbow, they will pull the trigger without hesitation.

I'm not going to survive!
You won't live either!

And this is exactly the kind of martial spirit Roman wanted to see!
The more martial virtue one possesses, the stronger one's fighting power!
Even if Roman were to take all his troops to war someday, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone raiding his base.

Thousands of farmers who possess crossbows will tell them what it means to "defeat any who invade the lord's territory."

Roman would also gather the more outstanding farmers to form a militia of crossbowmen.

There's really no barrier to entry.

As long as you shoot accurately and move quickly, you can become one of the militia crossbowmen.

Within a year of development, it's easy to gather two to three thousand people.

However, the militia crossbowmen also received no salary.

Why do we need salaries to defend our homeland?
I'm already being lenient by not charging you training fees.

Of course, if Roman were to conscript these crossbowmen to fight, he would have to pay their wages and provide them with pensions.

But that's another matter.

Light crossbows were given to the militia.

Heavy crossbows were given to the army.

The heavy crossbow is characterized by its powerful penetrating force.

It can also inflict effective damage on conquering knights, and in some ways, it is no less destructive than Roman drawing his armor-piercing bow.

However, the downside is that heavy crossbows are inconvenient to carry; they should only be equipped as needed.

After all, the opposing side couldn't possibly have many knights.

Generally speaking, longbowmen are sufficient.

Archers have a longer range, faster rate of fire, and wider coverage than crossbowmen.

In open field battles, archers are far more agile than the former.

As for the knowledge of making bows and crossbows, Roman also passed it on to his carpenter apostles through the power of the sapphire.

The woodworking factory now employs nearly 700 people.

Three hundred apprentices made furniture, while the remaining experienced carpenters began mass-producing crossbow parts.

……

Trek is one of the Broken Archers of the Cracked Armor family.

Now they are responsible for escorting the prisoners of war from Bucks Highlands to see the Grand Duke of Cracked Armor.

He was also a son of the previous Grand Duke Ulster.

In terms of blood relations, he is Roman's half-brother.

The initial Broken Archers were drawn from the followers of the first Grand Duke of the Broken Armor.

After a century of development, most of today's Broken Archers are descendants of the Broken Armor.

Because the previous duke had many illegitimate sons, and the eyes of the Cracked Armor Heirs were exceptionally sharp, they were naturally destined to be master archers. They were both war knights and broken archers, invincible on the battlefield, almost unmatched—ranged units were simply too formidable.

Even the most outstanding offspring of the Broken Armor lineage, like Roman, will surely become qualified Broken Archers after the age of twenty.

For the Broken Archer, a sniping range of 150 meters is just the basics.

The Broken Archers were instrumental in quelling the rebellion in the Bucks Highlands.

That day, Lord Owen went up to the city wall to boost morale, only to be shot dead by a broken archer standing more than 300 meters away.

The entire Stag Castle was thrown into chaos and was eventually breached by Trek.

But now, Trek is somewhat uneasy.

It wasn't because of the stag riders secretly watching, but because of an army that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere following behind them.

Their banners are made of thorns, iron rings, and gleaming spears.

Forgive my poor eyesight, Trek, who is nearly forty years old, for I have never seen such a coat of arms before; it seems quite unfamiliar to me.

When he sent someone to inquire, one of the men rushed over and told him that they were the army of the King of the Valley.

King of the Valley?

Where did this king of the valley come from?
He must have heard of this nobleman of royal rank.

There are only three dukes in the Black Iron Lands.

This might mean that the latter comes from a foreign land, perhaps Cangyue, or Iceland, or Wandong... but none of those foreign lands have such a noble family.

After all, those were a thousand elite soldiers.

He asked the messenger's purpose, but the messenger avoided answering, claiming that they were on their way for a merchant named Morey Perea.

The messenger also said that the King of the Valley was a close friend of Morey and was willing to offer a hundred gold coins to ransom Mr. Morey, hoping that Lord Trek would grant him this favor.

This request was immediately rejected by Trek Riftarms.

According to the clues, the lord of Buck Highlands colluded with the witch, and the merchant was not clean either.

They want to set things right.

Owen's sons can succeed him, and as long as they submit to the Grand Duke of Gael, the Owen family will remain the rulers of that land.

Even if they refuse to be dogs, it's fine; at most, they'll be placed under house arrest, but they'll still have to be fed and cared for.

There's only one condition: they cannot be taken away by the Buck Riders, otherwise the mission to quell the rebellion will have failed.

But that businessman was somewhat complicated.

Perea had a contract with the Oak family.

The son of Selin has a bright future, yet he colludes with the witch; this seems completely abnormal.

This matter is of great importance and should be personally handled by Grand Duke Gael. Perhaps by following the clues, we can catch the big fish.

After receiving his reply, the messenger didn't say much more and rode back immediately.

……

Then, late that night, he saw the army several hundred meters away begin to move; their banners of thorns and iron rings fluttered in the darkness. They were getting closer and closer.

Moreover, he saw antlers appearing in the forest, and the figure of the stag rider was faintly visible.

"Damn it!" Trek cursed under his breath, and began to wake up the soldiers and have them form ranks for battle.

His forces suffered losses during the siege of Bucks Castle.

After all, they've been attacking for over two months, and now they only have about three thousand conscripted soldiers, some of whom are wounded or disabled.

The Stag Riders were never even considered a threat by the Broken Archers.

Although they only had twenty Broken Archers on this mission, they were able to kill fifty Stag Riders on the battlefield. Once the enemy was dead, they wouldn't be able to touch a hair on their heads.

But the key point is those thousand elite soldiers who appeared out of nowhere.

He had excellent eyesight and could clearly see that the army was well-disciplined, advanced and retreated with great discipline, and was well-equipped.

Six hundred heavily armored infantrymen took their thick, wide shields off the supply wagons, carried the fifty-pound shields on their backs, and began to march in silence, making his eyelids twitch.

The night was still and quiet, with only a faint moonlight.

The highlands are covered with dense forests, and the shadows of the trees are ever-changing.

But the lower the terrain, the sparser the forest.

A war is inevitable.

(End of this chapter)