The victory of a religion in another world is so easy?

It's likely the same with the Third Prince; otherwise, the assassination attempt would have already begun.

Mutual attrition and attrition are far less efficient than directly eliminating the opponent's king, but there's currently no hope of doing so.

However, even though the forces are concentrated in one place, there are still different corps under separate command, which is a top-down pyramid command structure. Otherwise, if everyone were under unified command, chaos would ensue.

The Second Prince's faction comprises eleven powerful earls and one grand duke. The Second Prince himself also has a real fiefdom, roughly equivalent to that of an earl.

In the Frostmoon Kingdom, the title of Marquis is mostly an honorary position, with actual strength being similar to that of Earl, so in war, Marquis is also considered Earl.

The Third Prince's faction consisted of ten powerful earls and a Grand Duke.

The two sides are actually quite evenly matched. In the Frostmoon Kingdom, a standard baronial territory has a population of around 1,000 to 2,000 to 4,000 people, while a standard earlial territory has a population of around 10,000 people, with a population of around 60,000 people.

A powerful earl would typically grant titles to eight to ten barons.

In short, both sides in this civil war had a combined force of several thousand cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry.

The second prince divided the army into five corps, each with 5000 men and 500 cavalry. The extra men were the second prince's own troops, which served as reserves and fire brigade and did not participate in the formal war.

Earl Blackbrown, due to his good record in previous local conflicts and his brother-in-law relationship with the Second Prince, became the commander of the 5th Army Corps.

One of the lieutenants was another count in the legion, and the other was someone who surprised everyone—Rand.

Moreover, in terms of troop allocation, at least during the march, Rand was authorized to command a standard infantry regiment of 5000 men plus 1000 mercenaries, totaling 6000 men. Many minor nobles, such as viscounts and barons, were also assigned to Rand's command.

Another count and the Black-Brown Count himself, along with some other relatively brave minor nobles, were in the cavalry. It seemed like a standard 500 cavalrymen, but with the nobles' personal contributions, it was quite normal for a legion to have 600 or 700 cavalrymen.

This heavy responsibility left Rand sweating profusely; he had no idea he was so capable of commanding so many people.

To be honest, the highest position Rand ever held in his past life was class monitor, managing a class of thirty-odd people, which sometimes gave him a headache. Now that he's transmigrated, he's only managing a crescent-shaped territory with a population of a few thousand.

However, Crescent Moon Territory is easy to manage. The villagers are mostly self-sufficient. As long as he doesn't cause trouble, the villagers don't have much to do. The main problems are concentrated in the hideout.

Because of his high reputation at the hideout, he was quite like a sage king, and playing a simulation management game wasn't too difficult. The Adventurers' Guild also helped manage the affairs of the upper and lower resorts.

But now, being the commander of a 6000-strong legion is really beyond his capabilities.

It was also quite obvious that this made many viscounts and barons assigned to this legion resentful. Rand was not really famous before, and the most famous incident was the conflict between Tanl and the Marquis of Greenleaf.

Apart from Earl Blackbrown, most nobles were unaware of the details of that battle, at most knowing that they had won by fighting with fewer troops, and they could not comprehend the tactical complexity involved.

What's even more outrageous is that Rand isn't even a proper nobleman; he's just tacitly acknowledged as one. Although as a lord, Earl Blackbrown's agreement to grant him a fiefdom is practically a done deal, it hasn't been personally approved by the king yet, has it?

There isn't even a king yet.

In contrast, these noble families with long histories and ancestors who had produced some remarkable figures were forced to obey the commands of this wild man from the mountains who had appeared out of nowhere.

Moreover, although Rand had anticipated that he would be entrusted with an important task from the beginning, he did not expect it to be this exaggerated. Did Earl Black Brown trust him so much?

Rand encountered trouble on his way back to the camp.

Several people who looked like nobles blocked the middle of the road, making it impossible for them to pass.

Ellie whispered from behind, "Is this the classic scene from the web series you mentioned before?"

Rand nodded wearily. It seemed that this was indeed the case. It was completely understandable that these nobles wanted to cause trouble like thugs, after all, Rand himself felt that he was unworthy of his position.

However, now that he has obtained formal command authority, prestige is extremely important. If he is trampled on, then it is wishful thinking to try to command the army.

Now we can only deal with whatever comes our way.

Rand stopped and said, "Get out of the way."

Ellie whispered to Rand that the leader was a viscount and the other two were barons, and all three of them had been assigned to Rand's command.

Clearly, these three people had no intention of moving aside.

Rand sighed. But it's better this way. It's better to come looking for trouble now than to disobey orders after a fight breaks out. If that happens, then it's a real problem.

A pair of white gloves were thrown over from the other side.

"Is this going to be a duel?" Rand secretly turned around and asked Ellie behind him.

"Yes."

Should I go pick it up?

"Need not."

Unable to bear Rand's whispers any longer, the leading viscount spoke up: "Are you trying to provoke us?"

“You’re the one who’s provoking me.” Rand sighed again. “A duel doesn’t prove leadership.”

“Coward,” the leading viscount scoffed without hesitation.

Rand raised an eyebrow, about to accept the duel, when Olena walked up to him and threw a white glove on the ground.

Ellie then explained from behind Rand, "Duels among nobles can be proxies."

In fact, if Rand were to fight personally, he would have a high chance of winning. Although he couldn't beat Olena or Ellie, even Ellie was a legitimate advanced professional.

The chances of these nobles being able to train to a higher level on their own are extremely slim, and with Blessing 1, Rand will recover quickly unless he suffers a fatal injury, making his chances of losing the duel extremely low.

But Olena still stood in front of Rand and whispered, "What I'm best at is dueling."

Rand didn't actually agree with Olena's words. He felt that Olena's greatest strength was taking care of people. At least, he had never directly faced Olena's sharp and assertive side.

Moreover, Rand was itching to get his hands dirty. Back at the hideout, he couldn't beat anyone with any skill, but now that someone was coming to get beaten up, he was quite excited.

Chapter 80 Death or Social Death

In Count Blackbrown's tent, another count from the 5th Legion, Count Stag, sat by the fire, facing Count Blackbrown.

He poured himself a cup of what appeared to be tea and asked, "Are you sure it's okay for you to hand over command of the infantry to that Rand guy?"

“His command skills are competent, far better than most nobles. Why not do it this way?” Count Black Brown also poured himself a cup of the same liquid, took a sip, and said.

"But the people below don't seem to be convinced?"

“If you can’t control him, then we’ll find someone else,” Earl Black Brown said nonchalantly, seeing it as a good opportunity to test this Rand.

Tanl, one of his subordinates, is quite capable. If he didn't look like someone from the Torch Church, he would have already poached him.

As for this Rand, it's clear from the previous Q&A session between the commander and the second prince that he's quite capable.

However, their specific abilities still need further testing, and the heavy responsibility of commanding a legion should be taken very seriously.

Therefore, although handing it over to Rand now may seem like child's play, it is actually just an observation. If he does well, he will continue; if he doesn't, he will be replaced.

"Then why Rand?" the Earl asked again.

"The Torch Church, can't you tell?" Count Black Brown said nonchalantly, "Those iconic armors, whether painted black or white, can't be faked."

Moreover, it's easy to tell at a glance whether the soldiers from Crescent Moon Territory have any faith.

"Since the Torch Church wants a piece of the pie, the commander they send must be quite capable. We have talented people to use, so why not?"

The Earl of the Bucks was completely convinced; indeed, such talent would obviously increase the chances of winning the Civil War.

The Earl of the Stag was completely inept at military strategy, but he excelled in personal bravery, banquet skills, domestic affairs, and seducing noble ladies.

But if it involves military strategy...

All he knew was how to summon his knights and charge into battle. This tactic always worked against bandits and rebels, but when it came to civil war, he readily joined Count Black Brown's ranks and had no intention of seizing command.

……

Black Brown City was relatively prosperous; at least the roads were paved with stone bricks, and the lower and upper districts were strictly separated. Clearly, the nobles did not want to live in the same area as the commoners.

Rand is currently on a road in the upper town, where there is a faint smell of horse manure. It is clear that even the nobles of the upper town do not pay much attention to hygiene.

Rand required manure bags to be provided for livestock at his resort and hideout.

As Olena stepped forward, the nobleman's personal guards also stepped forward.

Clearly, the other side initially intended to test the waters with their own men, since they believed their family had a long history and their personal guards were carefully selected. How capable could a country bumpkin's guards be?

She looks like a woman, but she's not particularly attractive and her figure isn't great either.

Olena raised her sword with graceful bearing, though the fabric around her waist made her appear somewhat bulky, and the makeup on her face made her look rather ordinary.

However, her elegant demeanor and composed temperament still attract considerable attention.

In Rand's view, Olena was still gentle at this moment, but the guards opposite her were already somewhat uneasy.

Clearly, the nobles opposite could not truly sense Olena's restrained threat, so once their guards were in position, they ordered, "Teach them a lesson."

Rand didn't pay much attention, and continued to whisper to Ellie behind him: "What a pity, I wanted to show off my skills, but Olena stole the opportunity."

Ellie muttered under her breath, "What kind of strength do you have? You shouldn't embarrass the hideout."

Because Rand always referred to the area down the mountain as the resort and the area up the mountain as the hideout, the people in the hideout naturally started calling it that as well.

A few veins popped out on Rand's forehead. Indeed, his combat strength was the weakest in the hideout, except for those ordinary believers, but he would still practice his professional skills in his spare time.

Although no one in the hideout understood why Rand wanted to learn this, they let him be. With everyone's guidance, Rand can now be considered an ordinary-level warrior.

These are the common-level warriors, categorized as ordinary, elite, superior, and top-level.

Generally speaking, anyone who can wield a weapon can enter this level.

"I'll give you a chance to see my strength sometime," Rand said in a low voice, somewhat unconvinced.

"Pfft." Ellie chuckled, though it was unclear what she was laughing at.

At this moment, Olena had slowly sheathed her sword, and on both sides of the road lay the groaning noble guards.

However, to avoid making things too ugly, Olena did not kill him, but only touched him.

At this point, these nobles should have realized that Rand was clearly no ordinary person.

It's already quite impressive for an ordinary baron to be able to hire elite professionals, and even though Olena deliberately held back, she could still sense that this female swordsman possessed at least the strength of a superior.

Given Earl Black Brown's attitude and the fact that he entrusted Rand with important responsibilities, any intelligent person would know it was time to back down.

For example, people speculate whether Rand is the illegitimate son of some important figure, or an outside help invited by the Earl.

The nobles on the other side also seemed to want to back down, but they couldn't withstand the increasing number of lesser nobles who came to watch.

Many minor nobles were also dissatisfied and wanted to cause trouble, but seeing that someone had already taken the lead, they just watched from the sidelines. Some might be preparing to take advantage of Rand when the opportunity arose, while others were simply watching the show.

Rand thought that the nobles' armor was really good, and that it would definitely be more useful to put them at the front line than ordinary conscripts or mercenaries.

The nobles who had started the trouble hesitated for a moment, but ultimately lacked the thick skin to back down. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they blushed for a while but still did not immediately back down.

The leading viscount hesitated for a moment before saying, "What ability do your men have? What are they worth?"