Chapter 27 - Establish a Territorial Armed Force!

Chapter 27

Establish a Territorial Armed Force!

Since the plan was set, it was natural to first conduct an investigation on the Swamp Witch.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles!*

[*An idiom meaning “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.” It emphasizes the importance of understanding both oneself and one’s adversary to ensure success in conflict.]

He immediately ordered the secretary to meet him. After informing the secretary, Rhodes, of the order, Richard left the castle and went to see the townspeople.

At that moment, the gathered townspeople were whispering to each other.

“I wonder what orders the lord has for us today.”

“Anyway, it can’t get any worse. As long as there’s food, I don’t care.”

“You’re easy to please. After all, you used to beg at my doorstep and even stole quite a bit of my food. I used to be the wealthiest person in Long Eagle Territory, and now I’ve fallen to your level.”

“I didn’t steal it, you left it out there yourself; wasn’t that practically giving it to me?”

“You two better stop arguing, or you’ll get whipped! I’m only worried about my child; he’s only seven years old, working every day—can he handle it?”

“….”

“Silence!”

Charles, with his full beard, drew his longsword and pointed it at the crowd, shouting.

When the crowd quieted down, Charles sheathed his sword and bowed to Richard.

Richard stepped forward and said, “All boys and girls between the ages of six and fifteen, step forward!”

The crowd was stunned. They suddenly recalled rumors about evil rituals that used the blood of young boys and girls. They feared that the lord might intend to sacrifice their children in such a wicked way.

For a moment, everyone stood frozen in place!

Richard spoke again, “In three seconds, I want to see someone step forward, or else…”

He lightly placed his hand on the hilt of a greatsword being carried by two people beside him.

Finally, there was some movement.

As the first child stepped forward, more children began to slowly come out.

Some children broke free from their parents’ grasp and walked forward.

“Dad, let me go! I think the lord won’t kill us!”

“Dad, step forward, and you’ll be safe!”

“….”

The scene was filled with the sadness of parting.

Richard frowned, wondering what made these people misunderstand him like this.

Am I really that much of a villain?

He rolled his eyes and said, “You foolish swine, do you want your descendants to be as ignorant as you? I’ve arranged for someone to teach them how to read and write!”

“From today, those who can recognize more than ten characters will get to eat black bread!”

“Those who can recognize more than a hundred characters will get to eat jerky!”

“Those who can recognize more than five hundred characters and learn basic arithmetic can become my attendants!”

“Anyone who becomes my attendant will receive a salary! There might even be rewards like the knight’s breathing techniques!”

Richard had no other way at the moment; everything was just starting, so he could only keep things simple.

He couldn’t set high standards for these fools yet; he needed to gradually motivate them to develop an interest in learning.

As Richard’s words echoed in their ears, the crowd erupted with excitement.

The initially reluctant scene suddenly turned into parents pushing their children forward. Some even hugged their children and rushed out, placing them in the open space ahead before running back quickly, fearing the children might cling to them.

“Darn, who would want to miss out on such a good deal!”

“Oh my god, the lord is so generous!”

“Is the lord sent by the gods to save us? We used to misunderstand him, thinking he was…”

“Thank you, Lord! I hope my child will make something of himself! He must study hard, learn well, and become the lord’s attendant in the future!”

“If my child becomes the lord’s attendant, our family’s good days will come!”

“I’m going to perform well today; maybe if the lord sees how hard I work, he’ll favor my child too!”

“There are so many people, how can the lord possibly notice everyone?”

“How dare you question the lord’s abilities? He’s our god, he knows everything!”

“Too bad I don’t have any children, or else…”

“At least you’re better off than me. I had a child a few years ago, but the witch took him away and ate him…”

“Not having kids doesn’t matter; I can work hard for the lord. I believe the lord is so kind that there will surely be other opportunities for rewards!”

“Weren’t you the one who cursed him the most yesterday?”

“Nonsense! Yesterday, I was cursing the old lord! Our current lord, I can’t praise him enough!”

In no time, everyone started showering praise.

They all began dreaming of the good days that would come after their children learned and succeeded.

In these times, getting an education wasn’t easy. Everyone knew that literate people had skills and prospects, but not everyone could afford it.

People were struggling just to survive, let alone learn to read.

Even if they could read, before the new lord arrived, they had no motivation to make their children study because there were no job opportunities.

For a literate person to find good work, they had to travel to a larger territory ruled by a lord and earn his favor.

The journey alone was perilous, almost impossible for them to achieve.

With just a few words, Richard had changed the fate of countless people. Such immense kindness couldn’t help but earn their devotion.

The children standing at the front showed various expressions: some were confused, while others were eager, but all of them understood they were facing a great opportunity.

Seeing that the children had gathered, Richard called out to Sinton and a few others, saying:

“Take the children to their lessons. For now, find an open space to use as a classroom! Conditions aren’t ideal right now, so make do; later, when we have more manpower, we’ll build proper classrooms.”

“Yes, my lord!” The knights and attendants responsible for teaching the children all lowered their heads.

Richard looked at Sinton and said, “Sinton, you’ll be responsible for reporting the daily teaching progress to me. The others will support you in this!”

“Also, every month I will evaluate everyone’s teaching results. The top five will be rewarded!”

“Those at the bottom won’t be punished, but if the results fall below my expectations, I’ll disband that class and merge the students into others.”

“Anyone failing to meet the standard will lose their teaching role and return to serve as my guard!”

“Understood?”

“Understood!” they all answered in unison, though a few of the knights and attendants seemed dissatisfied, secretly vowing to outshine Sinton and force him to step down.

Richard noticed their expressions but didn’t say anything. In fact, he was pleased. Competition would only improve the quality of education.

Then, Richard addressed the townspeople, “Besides the children, you all also have the chance to earn rewards!”

“Next, I will select five hundred of you to serve as militia*!”

[*Militia refers to the territorial armed forces]