radicalducati Chapter 98 Tiberius's Team
Chapter 98 Tiberius's Team
"So Vito, they're willing to pledge allegiance to me?" Tiberius put down his water glass, listening to Vito's message.
"Yes, Tiberius, that's great!" Vito grinned. "Putting everything else aside, the hundred or so men Habro still has are all seasoned and capable warriors. If you take them in, the Lightning Legion's fighting strength will rise to a whole new level!"
"Dmitri, although half of his three hundred men are civilian laborers, he's a centurion who actually came from the Mil Army camp! In terms of battle formations, training soldiers, and methods for training junior officers, he's far superior to us! He's a true professional, many times better than us self-taught individuals! Bringing him in will definitely do you no harm!"
"Lezapo, yes, I admit this minor nobleman is indeed somewhat cowardly, and I despise his timid manner! But think about it, the future Lightning Legion is destined to exceed eight hundred men! Even more! As the commander, are you expecting to train soldiers while simultaneously haggling with employers and calculating rations and pay? No, no, no, Tiberius, you're not a three-headed, six-armed man. A commander should act like a commander! Some things can be delegated to subordinates. Your energy is limited, and you need someone to help you with money and supplies!"
[This is indeed a good thing.] Tiberius thought to himself. [Indeed, the Lightning Legion does need more manpower, but the cost and training period of the original debt slave soldiers are prohibitively high, and besides...] Tiberius glanced at the Lightning Legion.
In his view, the Blitzkrieg had many shortcomings: for example, it lacked true assault cavalry and heavy infantry. Moreover, its main force consisted of spearmen, crossbowmen with heavy shields, and wagon battalions, which meant that the Blitzkrieg was actually a defensive mercenary group in terms of combat strength; they were more adept at defense than offense.
For example, in the end, most of the soldiers in the Blitzkrieg were former slave soldiers. Although Tiberius used a quick-fix method to turn them into a fighting army, they were not truly elite.
The true elite of this era are knights riding tall horses, and full-time soldiers who have honed their martial arts skills since childhood.
The first batch of soldiers in the Lightning Legion were, in the end, nothing more than a group of contract slaves. Moreover, their training time was too short, and their numbers have always been a major weakness.
For example, Tiberius himself also needed to study military theory. Relying solely on the whimsical ideas of a time traveler was never enough; through Dmitri and Habro, he could learn knowledge and battlefield experience forged in blood and tears.
“That’s certainly a good thing, Vito,” Tiberius said. “For one thing, with their addition, our Lightning Legion will suddenly expand to nearly eight hundred men!”
"However, joining the Lightning Legion requires a proper ceremony!" Tippi thought for a moment, a cunning glint in his eyes.
"I want even the most foolish soldiers to know that your leader has changed!"
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The following day at noon, a high platform made of rammed earth and wood stood in the open space in the center of the temporary camp.
The platform itself wasn't high, but through clever design, it formed two tiers: Tiberius stood alone on a slightly higher platform at the back, while the lower main platform at the front was reserved for the three new allies. This allowed hundreds of soldiers to clearly see everything on the platform, demonstrating the leader's authority while maintaining the relative intimacy required for the ceremony.
Tiberius was not dressed in elaborate robes, but rather in a set of practical leather armor that gleamed, covered by a dark silk cloak, with a longsword at his waist. His attire was dignified without being overly ornate. His hands hung naturally at his sides, his posture upright, and his young face held a composure beyond his years. His gaze swept over the crowd below, filled with scrutiny and expectation.
Then, Demetrius, Habro and Lezapo ascended the steps and stood before Tiberius. The three men drew their swords from their waists and then planted them into the platform.
As agreed beforehand, Habro, the eldest and most senior mercenary, spoke first on behalf of the three. He stepped forward, turned to the soldiers below, and spoke in a loud voice, making sure everyone could hear him:
"Brothers of the Lightning Legion! My brothers in the mercenary group! I, Habror, swear by my ten years of mercenary service and the sword in my hand! From this day forward, I and my one hundred and seven brothers entrust our lives, honor, and weapons to Commander Tiberius! His will is our direction, and his enemies are our mortal enemies!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dmitri and Lezapo followed suit, solemnly swearing allegiance in their own ways. Dmitri's oath was concise and powerful, with the crispness of a soldier; Lezapo's oath was more refined, and full of rhetoric and aristocratic flair.
After the three men finished their oath, Tiberius personally descended from the platform. Looking directly at the three who had sworn allegiance to him, he said in an unwavering tone, "Very well! From this day forward, you are members of my Lightning Legion!"
"Habroo, I appoint you as the vice-commander of the Lightning Regiment, leading the First Company. The main force remains your old core!"
"Dmitri, I appoint you as the chief instructor of the Lightning Regiment. You will be responsible for training the soldiers of the Lightning Regiment!"
"Lezapo, from today onwards, you are the logistics chief of the Lightning Regiment, in charge of the regiment's provisions, weaponry, and supplies!"
After the oath was taken, Tiberius drew the swords from each of the three men and solemnly handed them to them—a gesture of supreme trust and a symbolic surrender of his own safety. Habro and the other two bowed again, signifying their absolute obedience and protection.
"Roar!" As Lezabo took the sword, the soldiers below the stage erupted in a loud cheer.
From this day forward, the Blitzkrieg will become their common goal!
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"To be honest, kid, I thought you would break up Habroy's old men and throw Dmitry's fellow countrymen from Mil into different companies."
The next day, Vito, watching Dmitri and Habro on the training field from afar, whispered to Tiberius.
"Dmitri has three hundred men, Habro has about a hundred, and you, kid, you only have about two hundred. No matter how you look at it, those two groups combined already outnumber our Lightning Corps! It's like leading a huge bull into your own cramped barn; you have to watch out for it kicking you."
Tiberius watched the new recruits training on the training field, and saw Habro and Dmitri introducing themselves to the former Lightning Legion soldiers, a confident smile playing on his lips.
It was a very calm and confident smile.
“That would certainly be ‘safe,’ Vito,” Tiberius said softly.
"But if we do that, it will only show that I, Tiberius, am a petty and narrow-minded coward who would even scatter soldiers who voluntarily pledge allegiance to a general. It will only bring suspicion and resentment, and they will be so worried that they will immediately start looking for another side."
"In short, this will chill their hearts!" Tiberius concluded.
"Vito, think about it yourself. If you were Dmitri or Habro, and you had just pledged allegiance to a brat, and that brat wanted to infiltrate your old subordinates the very next day, or even worse, break them up and rebuild them! Then Habro and Dmitri would instantly realize that I never truly trusted them!" Tiberius analyzed to Vito.
"They will think: their voluntary surrender will not bring them a path to advancement, but rather the disintegration of their subordinates, a loss of their trust, and their people gradually slipping out of their control. No one can tolerate this kind of humiliation, and it will undoubtedly sow the seeds of betrayal, especially now that we also have to face the invasion of the Valantis."
He pointed his finger in the direction of the two camps and calmly analyzed the situation, every word revealing a pragmatic consideration:
"Furthermore, Vito, think about it. I'm completely unfamiliar with the fighting habits and temperaments of those mercenary brothers in Habro. Forcibly separating them will only cause endless infighting and friction!"
"And what about those soldiers in Dmitri who speak with a Myrian accent? Can our Reis lads accept them immediately? If we mix them up hastily, orders won't be followed, and everyone will dislike each other. We'll be in chaos even before the Valantis attack!"
"Before this, we went through the retreat from Broken Sword Fortress and the Battle of Stone Raven Town together. We had finally developed a little bit of camaraderie, but now I've brutally and directly reshuffled things up, and that camaraderie is gone in an instant!"
"Therefore, the wisest course of action right now is to maintain the status quo! Let them continue to command the soldiers they are familiar with and keep the combat formations they are best at."
"What I need is their fighting strength, not a mob demoralized and resentful rabble born of suspicion and being scattered. Trust, Vito, the trust you give them now is the strongest rope to bind them."
"Finally, and most importantly..." Tiberius looked at the wilderness surrounding Twin Bridges and gave the most irrefutable reason.
"The Valantis haven't retreated. The greatest crisis we face now is still that terrible empire... And on the battlefield, soldiers trust their comrades more than their distant commanders."
"The mercenaries of Habro believed in each other's loyalty and camaraderie, and would shield each other with their chests on the battlefield; the infantry of Dmitri had absolute trust in their fellow countrymen, and they would hold the flanks of the line."
"This kind of micro-trust built up over a long period of living together is the source of the unit's resilience. But to abruptly interrupt it, to reorganize the entire training chain, and to let them work together..." Tiberius shook his head.
"That's taking too long. Who knows, while we're still getting used to each other, the Valantis might attack! That General Marcus is determined to capture us and hang us at the city gates!"
"Alright..." Vito grinned. "As long as you have your own thoughts, that's good! After all, you're the boss now!"