Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 290

Chapter 290: Improving the defence Chapter 290: Improving the defence Rykio sat atop his horse, gazing down at the village that had once been the scene of his triumph against the pirates.

The charred remnants of the old skirmish were mostly gone, replaced by the beginnings of new wooden structures.

The village hummed with the sound of labor as men and women worked in unison, their faces etched with determination.

Villagers hauled logs, their shoulders straining under the weight as they carried them toward the village center.

A group of workers, armed with axes, set about cutting off the ends of the logs, their rhythmic chopping filling the air.

The freshly sharpened points gleamed in the sunlight, a rudimentary yet necessary effort to prepare the timber for its defensive purpose.

Nearby, others wielded shovels and hoes, digging furiously into the earth to create deep, narrow trenches.

Sweat dripped from their brows , as they worked in order to ensure the logs could be driven securely into the ground.  What they were building right now were not houses but palisades and trenches.

Rykio sat astride his horse, observing the organized chaos.

His gaze swept over the bustling workers, mentally planning the palisade’s construction.

The design would be simple-a sturdy defensive barrier encircling the inner part of the village.

It would never be enough to protect the entire settlement, but it wasn’t meant to.

The palisade’s purpose was simply to safeguard the central area where the warehouse containing all the food stood.

By protecting the stored food and grain, Rykio knew he could at least make sure the village did not starve.

A week ago, he , like many others had received a royal decree-though he thought of it more as Alpheo’s decree-addressed to all captains charged with defending the coastal regions.

The instructions had been precise, ambitious, and firm.

Each captain was to oversee the construction of defenses in every village within their jurisdiction.

Villages would also form militias, composed of able-bodied locals that would defend the village until help arrived, so at least the amount of damage they would receive would be lower.

What caught Rykio’s attention most was the clause granting him expanded powers over nearby city garrisons.

With this authority, a military captain could requisition up to half their soldiers from any town and castle , either to bolster defenses or to serve as laborers for construction efforts.  Alpheo’s decree came with a private addendum addressed to each captain.

In it, he assured them that the militias they formed would be equipped with weapons and armor sent directly from the capital.

For Alpheo, this was no empty promise; a steady stream of equipment flowed into Yarzat every month from the Empire, and diverting it to the coastal defenses posed no logistical issue.

Rykio’s feelings on the matter were mixed.

On one hand, he couldn’t deny the logic behind the plan.

Every village equipped with basic defenses and a militia capable of holding out for even a few hours would reduce the devastation of future raids.

In most cases, help could arrive from nearby garrisons in time to prevent total disaster.

On the other hand, the decree demanded immense effort from his already stretched forces.

For at least a month, his men would be consumed by construction and training duties.

To manage the workload, Rykio had divided his lieutenants among the villages in his jurisdiction.

Each lieutenant was instructed to oversee the training of village militias, teaching them the fundamentals of defense-how to hold a line, wield basic weapons, and act in coordination.

Meanwhile, villagers worked tirelessly to erect palisades and trenches under the supervision of Rykio’s soldiers.

Despite his reservations, Rykio understood the great importance given by the prince to the initiative.

Villages that could defend themselves, even for a short time, would no longer fall victim to the complete destruction that typically followed pirate raids.

The fires that gutted homes and granaries after every attack would be less frequent.

And with fortifications and training in place, there would be less need to send costly aid from the capital to rebuild what was lost-a burden the prince had vowed to reduce, since it amounted at a good 2,000 silverri per month.

As Rykio’s eyes moved from the villagers to his right, he saw the face of his young squire coming forward, with his his horse’s hooves kicking up light puffs of dust along the village road.

His posture was slumped, his gaze fixed downward in an unmistakable display of discontent.

Being demoted to the role of private messenger between Rykio and Joanne was a far cry from what he imagined his duties would entail.

As they passed a line of villagers working on a palisade, Svenn broke the silence.

“Joanne wanted me to ask if you’ll be home to have supper together,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of resignation.

For all his complaints about the more work, Rykio did find some solace in the current arrangement.

Settling in the village wasn’t all bad, particularly since he and Joanne had taken the mayor’s house for themselves.

A smug thought crossed his mind: At least we’re not stuck in the barracks like the others.

“Tell her I’ll be home immediately after dawn this time,and that I want meat today” he said, his words steady as if to leave no room for interpretation about his craves .

Svenn let out a small sigh, tugging on the reins to turn his horse around.

“Fine, fine,” he muttered, more to himself than to Rykio.

With a reluctant kick, he urged his steed into a brisk trot back toward the village to deliver the message, leaving Rykio to his thoughts.

With Svenn going away , the captain stood at the edge of a makeshift training ground, his arms crossed as he surveyed the forty men assembled before him.

They moved in rough formation, each gripping a spear.

At his command, they stepped forward in unison, thrusting their weapons forward with uneven but determined precision.

The dull thud of wooden shafts against straw targets echoed across the area.

A second group of twenty stood farther back, clutching slings crafted from strips of leather and woven cloth.

With practiced movements, they loaded stones into their slings and hurled them at makeshift hay targets scattered around the field.

The stones sailed through the air, striking the targets with satisfying cracks, though not every shot hit its mark.

Rykio’s sharp gaze noted their efforts.

He had chosen to focus on the simplest and most effective tactics: teaching the men how to thrust with spears and training a second line to pelt attackers with stones.

Spears were straightforward to use, and even the untrained could quickly learn to deliver a deadly thrust.

Slingers, meanwhile, could easily gather piles of stones, which were both abundant and cost nothing.

From behind the walls, they could provide crucial support by harassing and weakening the flanks of any attacking force.

The results weren’t perfect, but Rykio had little choice.

Supplies were limited, and he had to work with what he had.

The first batch of equipment had arrived a week ago-a modest delivery of twenty chainmail shirts and fifty spearheads per village.

It was hardly sufficient, but it was something.

For the slingers, Rykio had ordered the villagers to fashion their own tools using whatever materials they could find.

Ropes with strips of cloth or cured hides had been turned into serviceable slings.

They were crude but effective, and that was all that mattered.

Rykio walked steadily along the line of villagers, his boots crunching on the hard-packed dirt as he observed their movements.

Each man clutched a spear, their grips uneven, their stances wavering.

He stopped in front of a wiry young man, whose trembling arms barely kept the spear level.

“Stop shaking,” Rykio said sharply.

“This isn’t a toy, and your life will depend on it.” The young man froze, straightening his back and tightening his grip.

Rykio nodded and stepped closer.

“Your spear is an extension of your arm.

If you hold it like a loose branch, it’ll betray you.

Grip it firmly, but don’t tense up.

Find balance.” He placed his hand over the villager’s, adjusting his grip.

Then he stepped back and motioned for the man to thrust.

The spear shot forward in a jerky motion, but it landed squarely on the straw target.

“Better,” Rykio said.

“Do it again.” He turned his attention to the others.

Some were faring better, their movements more fluid.

Others still struggled, their stances wide and clumsy.

“Don’t plant your feet so close!” he barked at another the end of the line.

“You’ll trip over yourself.

Shoulder-width apart, like this.” He demonstrated, planting his feet and stepping forward in a smooth, deliberate motion, thrusting his spear toward an invisible enemy.

The man nodded and adjusted his stance.

His next thrust was noticeably improved.

Rykio moved to the back of the group, where the slingers were practicing.

The rhythmic whirl of leather slings filled the air, punctuated by the sharp crack of stones hitting hay targets.

Rykio cast a glance at the slingers as they struggled to master their weapons.

Their movements were clumsy, with some barely managing to launch their stones beyond a few paces.

He sighed quietly and turned his back on them.

Slings were not his expertise, and he saw no point in wasting time pretending otherwise.

Despite the grumbles and doubts of some of his lieutenants, who had dismissed the idea of training peasants with spears as a waste of time, Rykio remained resolute.

He understood the broader strategy behind this effort, even if they did not.

The pirates who plagued these coasts were not hardened soldiers.

They were opportunistic sailors,maybe some were even peasants who in winter seeking easy plunder and vulnerable targets took up the seas.

Villages with no defenses offered them everything they wanted-food, livestock, coin, and the satisfaction of seeing their victims flee in terror.

But Rykio envisioned a different reality.

He saw villages fortified with simple palisades, each with a core of defenders who could hold spears steady and hurl stones from behind makeshift walls.

When pirates landed on such shores, they would find resistance where there was once none.

“They’ll think twice,” Rykio muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the villagers’ progress.

“When they see walls rising, men and boys stands ready with a spear, and slingers rain stones on them like hail…” He turned his eyes toward the sea “They’ll realize it’s not worth it.

Losing men for scraps of food and a few copper coins?

They’ll take their ships elsewhere.” He knew it wouldn’t stop the piracy entirely-nothing ever truly did.

But as more and more villages became fortified strongholds, the pirates would begin to avoid these shores.

Their focus would shift to easier targets: other princedoms, or the unprepared coastal holdings of lords who hadn’t taken the same precautions.

In any case it would not be their problems anymore.

Of course not everybody could employ such tactics.

First and foremost, it necessitated arming peasants-an inherently risky endeavor, provided one had such a GREAT deal of weapons.

Providing arms to common folk could easily backfire if they found sufficient cause to rise in revolt.

The dangers were undeniable, but Alpheo carried this risk with confidence.

Unlike most lords, whose incomes were heavily reliant on land taxes, Alpheo’s financial stability came from alternative sources.

The royal fiefs, therefore, operated under a much lighter tax burden.

While the villagers in other lords’ domains often groaned under a crushing 40% tithe on their harvests, Alpheo’s subjects paid only 25%.  The second requirement was no less daunting: having enough capable men to train the villagers in basic combat skills.

This was no simple task.

While many lords depended on local militias or conscripts during times of war, Alpheo was unique in maintaining a standing force of professional soldiers.

It was from this core of disciplined men that he drew the trainers now scattered across his lands and that were teaching to his subjects how to defend themselves until help arrived..