sovbooks Chapter 86 Selecting Army Seeds
Chapter 86 Selecting Army Seeds
Chapter 86 Selecting Army Seeds
The tournament on Arran Island lasted for five days, a deliberate arrangement by Baron John, because the longer the participants stayed, the more vibrant Arran Island's economy would become.
This arrangement must have come from the shrewd Baron Steward.
Take the Moulin Rouge for example. From its preparation to the end of the martial arts tournament, the Moulin Rouge was packed day and night. The waitresses could make money just by lying down, making so much money that their legs were sore.
Mrs. Kate had to urgently recruit a group of maids from outside the island.
The Moulin Rouge was a den of iniquity for aristocratic gentlemen, while the brothels in the market town were an Eden for common merchants. The two dilapidated secret doors were almost worn down, and the heavily made-up women were walking unsteadily.
During this period, various lords, led by Baron John, took action, offering high-ranking positions as knights or generous rewards of land and fiefs to recruit many soldiers and gentry sons into the Mordor army.
Although Roger did not participate in the subsequent martial arts tournaments, his schedule was very full.
Brodick Castle hosts banquets every night. Now there are only four "Campbells" on Arran Island: Baron John himself, a dim-witted boy of twelve or thirteen, a pretty boy with delicate features, and Baron John has to pull out the unworthy third one to handle the situation, at least he won't be stage-frightened at the banquet.
When Roger first arrived, he wouldn't have wanted to attend these so-called high-society gatherings, but now that he's changed his mind, cultivating necessary interpersonal relationships is crucial.
Roger's infamy had not yet spread far and wide, and most guests, except for those on the Isle of Arran and near Argyll Abbey, maintained a basic level of politeness towards him.
He also changed his previous approach, using the business etiquette he had developed in his past life. Appropriate flattery and witty conversation made those self-proclaimed noble gentlemen feel quite pleased.
Such banquets are often perfunctory, but they do not lack those with foresight and wisdom.
Roger's deliberate approach led Angus McDonald, the lord of Islay, to show great interest in Roger's salt processing and to decide on the spot to buy a batch of salt to take back to Islay.
A young lord in Ulster, in northern Ireland, also took a keen interest in Roger's wool mill.
Although his territory was rich in wool, he had to buy finished cloth from English merchants at high prices.
In addition, several minor lords in El County and Argyll hoped that Roger's cheap coarse salt could be sold to the highland tribes through their hands, and that the wool and mountain goods they received in return could be supplied directly to Arran Island, so as not to let those unscrupulous middlemen make a huge profit.
Roger also made a verbal agreement with the lords on the spot that when the time was right, they would personally visit each other's territories to discuss trade and commerce in depth.
Although Roger did not participate in the subsequent matches of the martial arts tournament, both Marne and Olaf advanced.
Marne ultimately won third place in the infantry long and short spear competition, and Olaf won fifth place in the sword competition. Roger was very pleased with these results among hundreds of participants.
During the breaks in the duels, Marne, Olaf, and the bald man and the ponytail man each displayed their unique abilities, recruiting more than a dozen wandering knights, professional mercenaries, caravan guards, and warriors of unknown origin who barely met Roger's recruitment criteria.
Most of them ranked poorly in this martial arts competition, and therefore did not attract much attention.
On the afternoon of the fifth day of the martial arts tournament, Roger met with the group of "talented individuals" he had gathered over the past few days at the Moulin Rouge.
A dozen or so men, dressed in disheveled clothes, lacking proper weaponry, and with varying appearances, were already waiting in the lobby on the first floor of the Moulin Rouge. It was not yet mealtime, and the Moulin Rouge was not yet crowded.
As Marne accompanied Roger toward the mill gate, he reported, "Sir, there are twelve in total, all roughly selected according to your standards. One wandering knight, five bounty hunters, three caravan guards, and the remaining three claim to be guards and squires of a gentry family, but Olaf suspects they are likely those kinds of people."
Roger knew that the "those kinds of people" Marne was referring to were pirates, bandits, or mountain bandits, but that didn't matter; there were no restrictions on the composition of his armed forces.
"Is there anyone you're interested in?" Roger hoped the interviews would have a clear focus.
"They're all alright, two of them are quite good."
Roger stopped by the door and peered through the crack in the door frame at the small groups of people chatting in the hall. A few bald men and men with ponytails were also among them. "Just give me a brief overview."
Through the crack in the door frame, Mann pointed to the tall man who was chatting and laughing with Olaf. The man was about the same height as Roger, but even more muscular. "His name is Donald, a mercenary. He claims to have fought against the English. I fought him in the arena, and his moves were indeed deadly techniques honed on the battlefield."
"Look at that lean man again," Ma En said, pointing to a wiry man sitting alone to one side, fiddling with an arrowhead. "His name is Connor, an Argyle, whose ancestors were hunters. He served as a guard for caravans for many years and often fought against bandits."
"Is he an excellent archer?" Roger wondered, noticing the man constantly fiddling with the arrowhead in his hand.
"No, he didn't even make it to the final round in this archery competition."
Roger's forehead was covered in black lines. "Then why bother with arrows? Acting like some kind of unparalleled master."
"He was a hunter by trade, extremely skilled at tracking and hiding, and quite adept with an axe. Olaf was defeated by him when he advanced to the Charge Blade, and it's said he can even write a little Gaelic script."
"He can even write? That's a real talent."
"But this guy is like a mute, he can't say more than three words a day. I don't know how the bald guy managed to get him here."
"Did he recruit the bald guy?" Roger thought that such elites were the kind of people that only Marne and Olaf could recruit.
"Yes, apart from Donald, who was recruited personally by Olaf, the rest were basically won over by the three of them, including that wandering knight. Especially the bald guy, most of them were recruited by him."
I never imagined that bald guy's broken mouth could be so useful.
To Roger's delight, the shrewd bald man, though unable to retain the weapon maker, had taken two of the weapon maker's apprentices with him. While they were not yet skilled enough to independently craft sophisticated weapons, they were capable of making simple swords and knives.
The bald man had already hidden the two apprentices who were supposed to leave the island tomorrow in his dilapidated house in the market town.
Roger stepped through the door and waved away the few female servants who came to greet him. The bald man immediately squeezed out from the chatting crowd, stood next to Roger, raised his hand and clapped it a few times, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, please be quiet, please be quiet. This is..." The bald man started rambling on, telling everyone that the person behind the recent feasts and drinks was the young knight in front of them, and then began to boast about Roger's miraculous transformation into a bandit-slaying hero after being seriously injured.
Roger didn't interrupt the bald man's chatter, but instead carefully observed everyone's reactions.
"Now, Lord Roger, please select the warriors who have volunteered. Lord Roger has said that regardless of whether you are selected or not, he will pay for the food and drinks tonight."
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the hall, indicating that there were quite a few people among them who were just there to eat and drink for free.