Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Showing off new stuff(2) Chapter 175: Showing off new stuff(2) As the group stood waiting for the next new introduction ,Jarza furrowed his brow as a thought crossed his mind.

He glanced toward the young men , his expression slightly concerned.

“Alpheo,” he began cautiously, “this all sounds impressive, but can we really afford to do this right now?

I’ve heard we’ve had some… financial troubles lately.I mean , not even a month ago you were running your head around the fact we were as poor as beggars…” Alpheo didn’t seem fazed by the question, his confident grin still intact.

“It’s true that we’ve faced some tight spots recently,” he admitted, his voice calm.

“But things are changing.

We’re not as strapped for coin as we were a before.” He straightened in his seat, crossing his arms.

“Part of the ransom for Sorza has finally come through,” he explained.

“And with the loot we took from the siege of Confluendi, we’ve managed to amass about 23,000 silverii.” The group exchanged surprised glances.

Alpheo’s tone was reassuring, almost casual, as if this large sum was just another detail in his grand plan.

Jarza, still skeptical but less so, raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a decent amount,” he conceded,  Alpheo’s grin widened.

“It’s enough to get started,” he said confidently.

“We’re not going to transform the entire army overnight, but we now have some solid ground to stand on.

With careful planning, we can afford to commission the halberds, recruit and train new soldiers, and make the necessary upgrades.” He paused, scanning their faces to ensure they were following.

“Think of it as an investment.

We need to spend some coins if we want to make sure we are protected. And as we expand our influence, the silverii will keep flowing in.Trust me,” Alpheo continued, “we’re not just spending blindly.

Every coin is going toward something that will strengthen us in the long run.” As the group continued their conversation, the sound of soft footsteps echoed from the far end of the hall.

A servant returned, holding something carefully in his arms.

He approached Alpheo with a respectful bow, his arms cradling a folded garment-its fabric pristine and bright even from a distance.

Alpheo gestured for the servant to come closer, and as the man stepped forward, he offered the item with both hands.

Taking the garment with a casual air of excitement he , then turned to face his companions.

With a slow, deliberate motion, he unfurled it, letting the fabric drape from his hands for all to see.

The surcoat was striking in its simplicity.

Completely sleeveless, it was a brilliant white, the kind of white that almost gleamed under the dim light of the room.

Two bold black stripes cut diagonally across the surcoat, starting from the shoulders and crossing downward in a perfect line to the waist, giving the garment a sharp, angular appearance.

The design was clean, minimal, but commanding “Well,” Alpheo said, turning the surcoat so everyone could get a better view.

“What do you think?” His eyes gleamed with pride as he showed off the garment, clearly expecting an impressed reaction.

“Every man who serves me,” he declared, his voice confident, “will be equipped with one of these.

It won’t just be for me or my commanders” Egil, always practical and straightforward, raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“What’s the use of it, though?” he asked, his tone skeptical.

“It’s not armor, and I can’t see how it helps on the battlefield.

Feels like you’re just wasting money on fancy cloth.” Without a word, Alpheo slipped the garment over his shoulders and stood tall, adjusting it so the black stripes lined up perfectly.

He looked straight at Egil, his gaze sharp, unwavering.

“Think about another thousand men wearing this,” he said slowly, his voice carrying a quiet intensity.

“Marching together, side by side.

A wall of white and black, a force that looks unified, disciplined, and unstoppable.

The enemy won’t just see soldiers-they’ll see an army that’s more than the sum of its parts.And before the clash even begin they will feel small compared to their opponent” Egil stood silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he considered Alpheo’s words.

He glanced at the surcoat again, then back at Alpheo, finally understanding the impact of such a sight on the battlefield.

After a brief pause, he gave a nod.

“I get the message,” he said simply, his voice carrying a note of respect.

Alpheo smiled, satisfied, as he removed the surcoat and handed it back to the servant.

“Good,” he said softly.

“Because it’s not just about armor, Egil.

It’s about the image we project.” Jarza, after a brief moment of silence, scratched his head thoughtfully.

“You know, Alpheo, that surcoat… it’s the same as our banner.” His voice was casual but carried a hint of something deeper.

“The white and black stripes, just like we’ve always flown, back when we were mercenaries.” Alpheo nodded, not knowing where this was going.

He met Jarza’s eyes with a confused look.

Jarza hesitated, clearly unsure of how to phrase what he was about to say, then continued, “It worked well for us then, when we were just a band of sellswords.

But now… well, things are different.” He paused, scratching his head again, as if the words were reluctant to come out.

“With you being about to marry Jasmine, and all.

Shouldn’t we be considering a change?

Maybe taking up the banner of her house?

” “That banner,” Alpheo began, his tone carrying a certain pride, “is Jasmine’s banner, not mine.

While I’ll take the Veloni-Isha name through marriage, this army-this force we’ve built-is mine alone.” He straightened up, glancing at the surcoat draped over his chest.

“Our banner, the one we’ve fought under, the one we’ve bled for, that will remain.” He gestured toward the surcoat with its clean, simple design of black stripes cutting diagonally across the white fabric.

“This,” he said, tugging on the material, “this is easy to replicate, to put on the surcoats of a thousand men without complication.” He paused, imagining the logistical nightmare of attempting to replicate a more ornate design.

“Now, picture trying to outfit every one of our soldiers with the symbol of a bird surrounded by six fists.

Every detail, every stroke-it’d be a damned mess.” Egil snorted a quiet laugh beside him, and even Jarza, though still scratching his head, couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image.

Alpheo’s gaze softened, but his voice remained resolute.

“The banner we have now, the one you see on this surcoat, it’s who we are.

Not just me, but all of us.

We aren’t the Veloni-Isha-at least not this army.

We’ve built something different.” He looked at each of his companions, his expression unwavering.

“So, the stripes stay.

They’re ours, and they’ll march with us into whatever battle comes next.” Then all of a sudden his expression turned more serious as the conversation shifted back to military matters.

“Jarza,” he said firmly, “I’ll need you to promote some of our best soldiers to officers.

We’re going to need at least twenty new ones.” Jarza nodded, already thinking of names, but before he could respond, he asked, “How many men are you planning to expand to, exactly?” Alpheo crossed his arms, calculating the numbers in his head.

“Right now, we’ve got a solid core-100 bowmen, 150 light riders, and about 400 infantry.

But it’s not enough.

I want to bring our bowmen up to 150, give us more reach in battle.

As for the infantry, I’m planning to recruit and equip 200 of them with halberds, ready for the new tactics I’m putting in place.” Jarza, ever the pragmatic, nodded thoughtfully.

“Makes sense,” he replied, scratching his chin.

“It’s a good start.

We’ll have to drill the officer before promoting them, I have some names in my head I will however discuss with my lieutenants and request their opinions” As Alpheo spoke with Jarza about expanding the army, his mind turned inward, calculating the costs.

He knew well enough that increasing the forces would come at a price.

If I expand the bowmen to 150 and equip 200 men with halberds…

he thought, the monthly expenditure will rise to around 5,175 silverii.

Not small, but manageable.

He weighed the numbers carefully,as he knew better than to create a military that he cannot sustain .

But he had already planned for this.

The increase in production and sales of his goods, would more than cover the additional costs.

The profits are steadily growing, he reassured himself, which means I’ll not only be able to sustain the army, but also pocket a decent amount of silver each month.

This thought gave him a sense of relief.

The army would grow stronger without sinking the coffers.

Making use of the silence, Egil never one to keep his thoughts to himself, asked rather loudly, “And when will you increase the riders, Alpheo?

You’ve been talking about infantry and halberds-what about the cavalry?” Alpheo turned sharply toward him, narrowing his eyes.

“Shut up, Egil,” he said, half-joking but with a pointed tone.

“Do you have any idea how much one of your men costs me?” Egil raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Alpheo continued, his voice growing more animated.

“To feed a horse, pay a rider, and maintain their equipment?

I could easily pay for two footmen even there with that!

Cavalry doesn’t come cheap, my friend.” Egil, undeterred, smirked.

“Can your footmen move across an entire battlefield in fifteen minutes?” His tone was teasing, but there was a point behind it.

Alpheo, now chuckling, pulled off the white surcoat he had been wearing and, in one swift motion, threw it directly at Egil’s face.

The cloth fluttered in the air before landing squarely on Egil’s head.

The group burst into laughter, the tension instantly broken by the lighthearted gesture.

Egil, pulling the garment from his face with a grin, joined in the laughter, as for one moment the small group of ex-slaves felt like the emperors of the entire world