Wizard Farming Guide

Chapter 15 Team Expansion

Five days later, at the camp outside the castle.

Rhodes looked down at the queue from the castle window.

Compared to the 67 people who came with him, the number of people gathered here now has increased sixfold.

Nearly four hundred people gathered here, men and women, young and old, and they came together according to their families and relatives.

Many people looked around, some afraid, but mostly confused.

Rhodes looked at them.

Besides his soldiers, there were more than two hundred village serfs, eighty villagers who were willing to follow him, and twenty-three captured thieves.

Unlike conscription in cities, rural villages lack a safe environment.

After the main breadwinner of the household is lost, it is very difficult for women and children to survive on their own.

Therefore, most of them brought their entire families with them.

Fortunately, there weren't any elderly people inside who were too old to walk, so Rod didn't refuse them.

Although women and children are not able to participate in combat, they can help the team with logistics, such as laundry, cooking, and clothing repair, allowing soldiers more time to train.

Later, they could become the first residents of the territory.

Previously, there were no such conditions, so the soldiers had to suffer and do everything themselves.

But now, with the generous sponsorship of Sir Joseph, Rhodes has the funds and manpower to build up this support team, making the pioneering journey smoother.

In addition to the population, Rhodes also commissioned Viscount Dennis's Ice Valley to transport supplies.

The soldiers' equipment was upgraded, so the village was extended by three days.

Nowadays, soldiers' shields and spears have been replaced with higher-quality steel shields and spears, which can better pierce the enemy's armor and shields.

He replaced his leather armor with chainmail, which offers better protection.

A set of steel shields, spears, and chainmail costs 75 silver coins, and the total cost for fifty-two soldiers is 39 gold coins.

Rhodes also bought a lance for each of his twelve knights, spending a total of 2 gold and 40 silver.

In addition, more draft horses and wagons, emergency food reserves, large quantities of cotton-padded clothes for keeping warm, axes, machetes and other tools for serfs and villagers, sewing needles and fabric for mending clothes, and so on were needed.

After calculating everything, Rhodes sold off the thief's pile of junk, leaving him with a total of 73 gold coins, but only 18 gold coins in the end.

Captives and children received no pay; serfs received 5 copper coins per day, women 8 copper coins, and young adults 10 copper coins. Their monthly wages amounted to 3 gold and 50 silver.

Including the 7 gold and 50 silver for the knights, squires, and soldiers, the total monthly salary cost is 11 gold coins.

Rod patted his head.

He had just squeezed money out of another nobleman, but after calculating the cost, he felt even poorer and could barely afford to pay his salary.

Fortunately, they are about to enter the Northern Frost Duchy.

Due to various historical issues, chaos has never ceased within the principality, with small-scale bandit gangs and armed rebellions occurring frequently.

For merchant groups traveling to the principality to do business, this was an extremely difficult and unfortunate situation.

But Rhodes is different; as long as he has violence at his fingertips, these people are nothing more than a mobile vault for funds.

He put away the experimental data in the castle and went downstairs.

Leaving the castle, Rhodes entered the camp.

At this time, the villagers were in a state of confusion about the future and had not yet realized his arrival.

Suddenly, the soldiers at the very front of them stood up straight.

The sound of their orderly and solemn footsteps echoed throughout the camp.

The army's unified solemnity and oppressive presence instantly put the villagers and serfs on edge.

I involuntarily held my breath, standing still and afraid to breathe too heavily.

After experiencing this difference in status, the young men's previously bewildered eyes began to light up.

They looked at the soldiers with envy.

They crave the weapons of soldiers and yearn for the status of soldiers.

Rhodes could sense that, under the villagers' watchful eyes, the soldiers' morale was noticeably higher, and their movements became much more synchronized.

The expansion of the team brought spectators and competition, which gave the soldiers a stronger motivation, which is not bad.

After counting the number of people and confirming that no one was missing, Rod mounted his horse and went to the front.

"Set off!"

One month later, within the territory of the Northern Frost Duchy.

Along a river in the suburbs, a group of people are busy setting up a temporary camp, with tents being erected one after another.

A meat broth was simmering in a hanging stove nearby. Fresh fish, just caught from the riverbank, were roughly cut into pieces and poured into the broth before being scaled.

Along the riverbank, women washed the clothes that the team had changed out of and looked after the children.

The shouts of soldiers drilling could be heard not far away. The rumbling sound did not frighten the women and children here; instead, it brought joyful smiles to their faces.

It was the protection of these soldiers that kept them safe from several attacks by thieves.

As their husbands and sons joined the militia that was subsequently formed, the increased income and changes in their lives gradually made smiles a common occurrence.

With the militia training over, the arrival of the men brought life to the camp.

Even amidst laughter and joy, there are exceptions.

The former village chief of Pinecone Village, Luke and his family, who later chose to follow the team, were somewhat sorrowful.

After finishing his militia training, Luke, supported by his wife, sat down, clutching his back, and couldn't help but sigh.

He has passed through his most energetic youth and entered a declining middle age.

During training, I simply couldn't keep up with the pace of those young guys.

But he had no son, so in order to provide a better life for his family while he was in this team, he had no choice but to join the militia himself.

The villagers' anger reached its peak when it was discovered that their neighbor Bill's family had conspired with thieves to attack the village.

Despite being the village chief, he maintained a close relationship with the other party.

Feeling resentful, Luke knew he probably couldn't stay in the village any longer.

Therefore, he chose to accept his fate and leave with that unique knight.

His judgment proved correct; powerful soldiers protected them at all times, and the benevolent knight not only took care of everyone's livelihood but also miraculously distributed their wages.

The only problem is himself, Luke sighed.

He's gotten old; he's no longer the young and strong man he was twenty years ago.

"Why don't we just quit the militia? Didn't that knight say that people who are old and frail can quit?" His wife said tenderly, massaging his back.

"It's okay, I'm perfectly healthy," Luke waved his hand in disagreement.

He was well aware that there are differences in status everywhere.

Although there was no oppression under the soldiers' management.

But whether a family has a man in the military or not, people always have two different attitudes.

When Luke saw his daughter Lily return from the river, he noticed her disheveled hair and wet dress.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"No, they just splashed water on me." Lily picked up a towel to dry her hair and replied nonchalantly, "It's okay, I splashed them too, and I took down all five of them by myself."

She said this smugly as she ran into the small tent to change her clothes.

But when he was alone after leaving his parents, his face immediately fell.

He was staring blankly at the tent.

She recalled how she had been verbally abused by her childhood friend and then hid under the covers and cried bitterly.

She recalled the girls from her village who had splashed water on her and mocked her earlier, even though their families had young brothers training in the militia.

I recall the hardships my father endured while persevering in the militia.

Finally, the image of the knight in the castle appeared in her mind, and she couldn't help but bite her lip.

Why is it that in stories, princesses can be coaxed by knights over the smallest things, while I can only hide away and cry?

She was incredibly unwilling to accept this, and finally made a decision in her heart. Clenching her fists, she declared, "I don't care, I demand that you take responsibility for me!"

After changing her clothes, she took out the things she had secretly bought while passing through the city and ran out in a flash.

"Lily, where are you going?" Luke asked, puzzled by her hurried manner.

But as soon as she finished speaking, Lily had already disappeared.

(End of this chapter)