"Him? Mindis the Third? "Archduke Roknee shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry." Is he the threat you speak of?
"A docile king who has been dead for more than a hundred years?"
Lampard stared coldly at Archduke Roknee.
His gaze made the latter feel very uncomfortable.
Archduke Lecco sat down at the dark brown rectangular table again and deliberately coughed.
After a few seconds, Lampard finally turned his head.
"Most people, including all of you, may think that his achievements are mediocre, and even a little cowardly." The Archduke of Black Sand Region snorted softly. "Don't worry, I thought so too when I was young."
His gaze turned cold. "Mindis Jadestar the Third."
Trentida, who had been staring at Lampard, could not help but be slightly shocked.
'That gaze …'
"What does it have to do with him?" Olsius questioned.
Lampard took a deep breath and looked at Olsius.
"Do you know him? This so-called 'Virtuous King'? "the Archduke of Black Sand Region asked flatly.
The archdukes frowned almost simultaneously.
"I heard Scholar Costa mention him a long time ago. Not much." Roknee narrowed his eyes and recalled the days he spent in the study. "But I heard that he did not do anything major."
Lampard's gaze shifted, and he snorted coldly. "Did nothing major?"
"I don't have much of an impression of him. It is said that he used various diplomatic means to delay the Fourth Peninsular War," Roknee replied flatly. "A king who does nothing is rare even in Constellation."
Lampard's expression did not change.
"I heard that he was a weak king and compromised with his vassals everywhere." Trentida rubbed his chin and seemed to be deep in thought. "For example, the so-called High Noble Parliament and the National Conference were all left behind by him. He turned Renaissance Palace into a noisy market, which not only reduced efficiency, but also made it unsightly."
"That's all?" Lampard raised his eyebrows. "That's all?"
"He promoted a large number of people to manage his territory, and especially liked to appoint officials from the low-ranking nobles." Archduke Lecco thought about something. "He even made detailed regulations for this, which offended many great vassals with hereditary official positions."
Olsius frowned and continued, "Father used him as an example to warn us to be careful of the merchants. I heard that Mindis the Third borrowed money from the merchants to pay for his finances, and even had to issue franchises to top up the debt. Hence, the nobles mocked him behind his back as the merchants' 'slave king'."
Lampard heaved a long sigh.
"Is this your impression of the Virtuous King?"
The archdukes had different reactions. Trentida shrugged, Roknee still had a cold expression on his face, and Olsius had a puzzled look on his face.
Only Archduke Lecco's murky eyes shone with a strange and unique emotion.
Lampard lowered his eyelids as if he was lamenting. "The captive from twelve years ago, Vlad told me that he used to be a petty tax collector in the Northern Territory. During wartime, he was conscripted to be a grain supervisor. During peacetime, he was a petty tax collector, but during wartime, he was in charge of transporting supplies. He was especially common in the armies in the south and the center of Constellation."
Lampard's eyes flew open.
"But be it tax collector or ration supervisor, these positions can only be obtained after passing the 'test'. Tax collectors must be proficient in arithmetic and accounting."
Before the archdukes' bewildered expressions, the Archduke of Black Sand Region continued speaking. His tone was filled with vicissitudes of life. "Even if one is a noble, if one cannot pass such an examination, one is not qualified to be an official."
"What did you say?"
Trentida asked in confusion, "Assessment?"
Lampard nodded.
"It's very unfamiliar, right?" The Archduke of Black Sand Region said coldly, "I bet that other than being punished in the study for not being able to recite a certain family motto in your childhood, all of you will never hear this word again in your lives."
The archdukes were slightly stunned.
"But this is the ration supervisor in the Constellatiate army." Lampard took a deep breath. There was fear and solemnity in his eyes. "Not only that."
"In their army of officers, there are also military judges, clerks, logistics officers, medical officers … There are too many, I can't remember them all." In that instant, Lampard's expression became very unpleasant, as if he had recalled something unpleasant. "When they are not at war, they are all professional officials with fixed jobs. After going through a specific examination, military judges must be familiar with laws and regulations and distinguish between right and wrong. clerks must be proficient in procedures and identifying information. Logistics officers know all kinds of supplies like the back of their hands —"
Trentida interrupted him.
"I know what you are talking about." The Archduke of Reformation Tower rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows slightly. "You are saying that the core officers of Starlight Brigade are made up of these literate and knowledgeable people? That's why they can regroup so quickly — "
"Bullsh * t," Lampard retorted rudely, causing Archduke Trentida to swallow the rest of his words. "Most of Eckstedt's officers are also nobles. They can read, count, and even read poems. Some can even recite one or two lines of scriptures from the temple.
"But when they are sent to the army to lead those rural recruits, what can they do?"
Archduke Lecco gently knocked on the square table and stared at Lampard from across the table.
The old archduke said softly, "So, you are saying that the key to Starlight Brigade's survival is these insignificant, insignificant officials?"
Lampard glanced at the other three archdukes.
"I remember my uncle Kaslan. When I was young, I often heard him boast about how all-rounded the White Blade Guards were. Their strict and cruel training allowed them to take on almost every position, from death squads, messengers, logistics officers, scouts to supervisors, and so on.
"They were elites rarely seen in the world."
The Archduke of Black Sand Region immediately changed the topic.
"So, every time there is a war and countless warriors are recruited, the king will put his White Blade Guards and nobles who are loyal to him to fill up the positions from low-ranking officers to commanders of the guards. It's just like how we archdukes send our personal guards and trusted aides to various positions. All of you are familiar with this scene, right?"
Lampard tilted his head. His weathered face was illuminated by the firelight, causing it to flicker.
"And what about the Constellatiate army?" he said flatly.
The archdukes' hearts suddenly tightened.
Lampard's deep and coarse voice resounded in the hall.
"A long time ago, they were used to a fixed system.
"Ration officers are only responsible for calculating numbers and transporting goods, logistics officers are only responsible for distributing supplies, military judges are only responsible for beheading according to laws and orders, clerks are responsible for coordination and communication …
"They only know how to do the one thing in their hands well. They have a clear division of labor, each performing their own duties, and not interfering with each other. They also do not need to be restrained by the trusted aides sent by the king or archdukes.
"The logistics and management of the recruits do not need to be decided at the last minute by the people sent by the higher-ups, and will not completely change because of a change in the commander-in-chief."
Lampard slammed his palm on the table. His eyes burned.
He stared at the archdukes, causing them to feel displeased.
"Can you imagine it?"
Lampard gritted his teeth. His expression was ferocious. "We Northlanders, no, almost all armies in the world have been recruiting soldiers from our territories for hundreds of years. We are used to throwing out a handful of gold coins and letting the trusted personal guards we are familiar with, who are also the vassals, discipline the soldiers themselves, provide them with pay, food, equipment, and chop off their heads, chopping wood, and captives, right?"
Archduke Roknee uncrossed his arms and retorted with a frown, "What you just said is a process that only a standing professional army would have the time and effort to refine. And the outcome of a battle is decided in the moment of close combat. Instead of spending energy on these personnel matters and offending countless vassals, it would be better to …"
Lampard raised his head abruptly and swept his gaze over the Archduke of the City of Faraway Prayers.
He shook his head scornfully in his heart.
"That's right. In war, these are trivial matters that cannot be ignored." Although Lampard felt disdain in his heart, he still said patiently, "Only professional soldiers who have been preparing for war all year round and have gone through hundreds of battles can gradually get used to it, get used to it, familiarize themselves with it, and form their own military traditions and rules. For example, the White Blade Guards and the Glacier Sentries."
However, the Archduke of Black Sand Region's expression immediately changed. "But the Starlight Brigade is also a conscripted army!"
Roknee's expression froze.
"But this is how it operates. The efficiency of logistics and transportation is more than twice that of ours. It is easy for them to reorganize their personnel. Military discipline is maintained in an orderly manner. Rewards and punishments are clear and clear. From attacking to retreating, there are clear rules."
Lampard swept his gaze over each archduke solemnly. He looked at their faces, which were either filled with disbelief or bewilderment.
"It is these trivial matters that we have always looked down on, that group of weak, newly recruited child soldiers are doing much better than us. So, even after they are defeated and scattered, they can still follow a set of self-established procedures and habits to immediately connect logistics, regroup, and recover their combat strength in a short period of time."
Lampard took a deep breath. His expression was unpleasant.
"Twelve years ago, in the days at the rear, I heard that useless Poffret complain every day about the injustices they suffered." There was anger in the Archduke of Black Sand Region's eyes. "'Why is it always Beacon Illumination City?' That brat only knows how to curse like that. "
Olsius and Trentida looked at each other. They could feel the uneasiness in each other's hearts.
Lampard's tone became more and more furious. "What he doesn't see is that because of Horace Jadestar's surprise attacks, our entire army of one hundred thousand is now in a state of emergency. Even the siege of the fortress has to stop."
"He can't see that after we got rid of the Butcher of Constellation, we spent a lot of time redeploying manpower, arranging routes, gathering provisions, and arduously reorganizing logistics to provide nourishment for the war at the frontlines despite the nobles' evasions and perfunctory responses from various forces.
"He also does not see that at the same time, using the Starlight Brigade in the south as an example, the Constellatiates, who have fallen into a desperate situation, are still methodically and continuously arranging the army's next supply, the next replenishment, the next resting place, and the next assembly point under high pressure. They quickly and efficiently reassemble the scattered deserters, defeated generals, and stragglers. This is the truth of the 'Inextinguishable Starlight'!"
Lampard exhaled fiercely through his nose, as if he wanted to expel all the resentment he had accumulated over the past twelve years. "King Nuven kept complaining that we were a hindrance to his war. Just because of that brat Poffret's big mouth, Nuven even ordered his grandfather to abdicate as a punishment. Sometimes I think that perhaps, compared to the enemy, we are indeed a hindrance to him."
Lecco's expression was solemn. He stared blankly at the square table, deep in thought.
"If this is what you want to say …" Roknee furrowed his brows. "The Constellatiates have a good logistical operation in the army … but it's still far from enough to convince us."
Lampard's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
His laughter was filled with disdain, contempt, mockery, and a hint of anger.
Lampard slowly stood up from his seat. His figure was projected to the center of the hall, like a glacier bear that had just woken up.
"Do you think this is all?
Your territories are not as close to Constellation as mine. "Lampard put his hand on his saber. His gaze was fierce." Do you know what I've seen in the past ten years? "
Trentida narrowed his eyes.
A faint sense of uneasiness rose in his heart.
Olsius exhaled deeply.
Roknee resisted the urge to interrupt and quietly waited for Lampard to speak.
"No." The Archduke of Black Sand Region's expression was ferocious, and his tone was terrifying. "The Inextinguishable Starlight is just a scale of the Great Dragon, a corner of the light of the galaxy.
"No one knows when it started …
"That's how their entire kingdom operates," Li Tianlan said.
Archduke Lecco stared at Lampard's face and listened to his words. There was an inexplicable fear in his heart.
'Operated like this?
'This is …'
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