65th Ymiden, Arc 717
Xander stood at the head of the force, examining the many troops that stood at attention before him. Each one of the soldiers had a role and each one of them knew what that was. There were archers, light cavalry, heavy cavalry, infantry with spears and/or swords. Each of them knew their role and only their one role and although this was good, it was not what Xander, the new marshal, wanted from his forces. After finding himself in the position of Marshal he had done research, read books and talked to tacticians and strategists. From his research he had discovered something that could make a small army much more effective and stand up against a larger army, a very useful discovery it was.
"Multipurpose." Xander spoke loud so they could all here him, there was a slight murmuring for a moment before he continued and the whole force fell once again silent. "For a long time you have all had one job, one role and one purpose. Archers shoot, cavalry charge, infantry are the most multipurpose of you all and that is only because you defend and attack." He paced a little back and fourth on his raised platform as he spoke, making sure to project his voice out over the many men before him.
He cleared his throat as it sunk in to them all and he prepared to speak again. "Not any more, now your jobs will begin to entail much more than now. Archers, you will begin to train not only with bows but also spears, all archers will be required to have a good grasp on the use of spear combat, especially against mounted units." He walked from standing in front of the main body of archers and to the infantry units. "You will all be required to know how to use sword, spear and shield as well as being able to use a javelin." Again he moved over to finally stand before the cavalry, sometimes the more difficult to deal with but still not knights as he had found that knights could be quite frustrating to deal with.
He looked at them, currently all unmounted and looking very much like infantry men. "All light cavalry will be required to be able to shoot from a horse as well as use a lance and sword. All heavy cavalry will be required to be fully capable of unmounted combat and competent also in the use of a crossbow." There were no complaints much to Xander's surprise although it was a welcome turn of events, however, he was sure this was just them being polite and they would quickly go to complaining behind his back.
"Questions?" It was probably a bad move to ask such a large body of people for questions but it was done now and so he would answer as many as he could. Hands shot up and some people shouted out, they were ignored by Xander who looked around and spoke again. "If you have questions raise your hand, do not yell your questions out like children all at once." A hush came over them and hands came up as the group murmured but otherwise stayed quiet, impressive for a large force. Xander pointed to one of the men and his question was simple.
"Why my Lord?"
Although a simple question it was perhaps the most important and to the point. "Think about you as an archer. What is you greatest weakness?" The man thought for a moment and then answered. "Cavalry, they can run us down and we cannot outrun then or bring them down at close range." Xander nodded and the man had albeit answered his own question. "That there is the answer why. Archers can be wasted if caught out by a cavalry charge in which nearly all the cavalry will remain when the archers will be slaughtered. Now if you factor in the spears you must learn to use you will at least take out some of them in the process of being wiped out and maybe even defeat them if you train hard enough. Battles are often won by numbers so if you can nearly always take one of their men for one of yours it is a good advantage."
The men seemed satisfies by the response. However, some hands remained up and these questions were less welcome to Xander as Marshall. "Will our pay be increased for having to work harder to learn a new skill?" Xander considered how to respond diplomaticly. "No, your pay will remain the same, however, you will receive the weapons free if charge and be trained by the best available tutors." Xander could tell this was not the desired answer and there were a few sighs and muttered objections but no open refusal or shouting.
One seemingly smarter soldier now came to cause the trouble though. "Are we just numbers to you, Marshal Andaris?" Xander bit his tongue fighting back a rash retort. "Of course not, consider it this way. Would you rather stand a chance and come out victorious and hero's against a unit that would normally be your weakness or would you rather stand no chance. War is a question of numbers but also if skill and intellect. If we are the best trained most intelligent forces we could beat armies twice our size but without multipurposing it is much more difficult. More power to you comes from this change making your chances greater, you are not numbers your are men and you are the ones brave enough to defend what you care for."
The men fell silent they looked from one to another soon seemingly convinced others not so much. Some seemed confused while others quite certain. Still the large group of gathered men seemed at once to agree that this was for the better if themselves, although, there were a few who clearly did not agree. Still they kept their mouths shut knowing better for the time being than to oppose their commanders.
As it all settled Xander looked out over them and nodded his head contently. "Now you can return to your usual duties, the training will begin next trial." The men, knowing this was dismissal, relaxed and began to disperse. The young Andaris commander scratched his chin and then walked over to a door in the side of the barracks building. Opening it he entered into a room designed for the commanders of the Astedian forces, of which he was the head. They turned and faced him standing straight and tall as he entered, a sign of respect.
"They seem to have taken the announcement well, if there are any trouble makers or problems with the training and transition please let me know." Each of the three men in the room nodded and waited to see if anything else might come from their leader. "That is all for now but keep a close eye out that your designated forces do as they are told. Also, make sure the message gets out to all of Astedia's forces I know this was only the main full time garrison and many of our levied troops are out in the villages." Satisfied he dismissed them with a smile and allowed them to return to work on their maps and plans.
One of the men, commander of the cavalry forces, approached him looking somewhat concerned. "My lord, I am concerned that we might find some issues with the cavalry, they often consider themselves better than the rest of the army and I worry that ego will make them lazy. They will be less inclined to learn these new skills you have assigned them." The Marshal looked at the commander and thought for a few trills, looking to the ceiling for a moment as he searched for an answer. "Well, perhaps try appealing to that ego, tell them it will only make them better. Training in these extra skills will only make them stay further above the other troops. Maybe that will give them some incentive to do as they are told. If that does not work there are many ways you can make them train properly I am sure."
The man nodded, apparently fully understanding what needed to be done. "Of course Marshal, I shall make sure it goes smoothly and your plans are effective, any issues and I will inform you immediately." Xander was satisfied by this and nodded too, knowing that this may not be effective and would definitely take some time to properly implement. "As always, I appreciate your service, make sure you keep control of those serving under you at all costs and you will be successful."
Them man backed off and Xander moved over to the table in the middle of them room. A map of Astedia rested on it and he looked it over, small figures were scattered around to represent forces. The main bulk were in Drakengard but a few smaller groups were scattered around in villages and on the boarder with Venora. The naval ships were patrolling the bay and some were still in the ports as not all were needed at once. Overall Astedia was in a good way but it could always be improved, all he needed to do was keep striving to make the place safer and stronger.
Xander stood at the head of the force, examining the many troops that stood at attention before him. Each one of the soldiers had a role and each one of them knew what that was. There were archers, light cavalry, heavy cavalry, infantry with spears and/or swords. Each of them knew their role and only their one role and although this was good, it was not what Xander, the new marshal, wanted from his forces. After finding himself in the position of Marshal he had done research, read books and talked to tacticians and strategists. From his research he had discovered something that could make a small army much more effective and stand up against a larger army, a very useful discovery it was.
"Multipurpose." Xander spoke loud so they could all here him, there was a slight murmuring for a moment before he continued and the whole force fell once again silent. "For a long time you have all had one job, one role and one purpose. Archers shoot, cavalry charge, infantry are the most multipurpose of you all and that is only because you defend and attack." He paced a little back and fourth on his raised platform as he spoke, making sure to project his voice out over the many men before him.
He cleared his throat as it sunk in to them all and he prepared to speak again. "Not any more, now your jobs will begin to entail much more than now. Archers, you will begin to train not only with bows but also spears, all archers will be required to have a good grasp on the use of spear combat, especially against mounted units." He walked from standing in front of the main body of archers and to the infantry units. "You will all be required to know how to use sword, spear and shield as well as being able to use a javelin." Again he moved over to finally stand before the cavalry, sometimes the more difficult to deal with but still not knights as he had found that knights could be quite frustrating to deal with.
He looked at them, currently all unmounted and looking very much like infantry men. "All light cavalry will be required to be able to shoot from a horse as well as use a lance and sword. All heavy cavalry will be required to be fully capable of unmounted combat and competent also in the use of a crossbow." There were no complaints much to Xander's surprise although it was a welcome turn of events, however, he was sure this was just them being polite and they would quickly go to complaining behind his back.
"Questions?" It was probably a bad move to ask such a large body of people for questions but it was done now and so he would answer as many as he could. Hands shot up and some people shouted out, they were ignored by Xander who looked around and spoke again. "If you have questions raise your hand, do not yell your questions out like children all at once." A hush came over them and hands came up as the group murmured but otherwise stayed quiet, impressive for a large force. Xander pointed to one of the men and his question was simple.
"Why my Lord?"
Although a simple question it was perhaps the most important and to the point. "Think about you as an archer. What is you greatest weakness?" The man thought for a moment and then answered. "Cavalry, they can run us down and we cannot outrun then or bring them down at close range." Xander nodded and the man had albeit answered his own question. "That there is the answer why. Archers can be wasted if caught out by a cavalry charge in which nearly all the cavalry will remain when the archers will be slaughtered. Now if you factor in the spears you must learn to use you will at least take out some of them in the process of being wiped out and maybe even defeat them if you train hard enough. Battles are often won by numbers so if you can nearly always take one of their men for one of yours it is a good advantage."
The men seemed satisfies by the response. However, some hands remained up and these questions were less welcome to Xander as Marshall. "Will our pay be increased for having to work harder to learn a new skill?" Xander considered how to respond diplomaticly. "No, your pay will remain the same, however, you will receive the weapons free if charge and be trained by the best available tutors." Xander could tell this was not the desired answer and there were a few sighs and muttered objections but no open refusal or shouting.
One seemingly smarter soldier now came to cause the trouble though. "Are we just numbers to you, Marshal Andaris?" Xander bit his tongue fighting back a rash retort. "Of course not, consider it this way. Would you rather stand a chance and come out victorious and hero's against a unit that would normally be your weakness or would you rather stand no chance. War is a question of numbers but also if skill and intellect. If we are the best trained most intelligent forces we could beat armies twice our size but without multipurposing it is much more difficult. More power to you comes from this change making your chances greater, you are not numbers your are men and you are the ones brave enough to defend what you care for."
The men fell silent they looked from one to another soon seemingly convinced others not so much. Some seemed confused while others quite certain. Still the large group of gathered men seemed at once to agree that this was for the better if themselves, although, there were a few who clearly did not agree. Still they kept their mouths shut knowing better for the time being than to oppose their commanders.
As it all settled Xander looked out over them and nodded his head contently. "Now you can return to your usual duties, the training will begin next trial." The men, knowing this was dismissal, relaxed and began to disperse. The young Andaris commander scratched his chin and then walked over to a door in the side of the barracks building. Opening it he entered into a room designed for the commanders of the Astedian forces, of which he was the head. They turned and faced him standing straight and tall as he entered, a sign of respect.
"They seem to have taken the announcement well, if there are any trouble makers or problems with the training and transition please let me know." Each of the three men in the room nodded and waited to see if anything else might come from their leader. "That is all for now but keep a close eye out that your designated forces do as they are told. Also, make sure the message gets out to all of Astedia's forces I know this was only the main full time garrison and many of our levied troops are out in the villages." Satisfied he dismissed them with a smile and allowed them to return to work on their maps and plans.
One of the men, commander of the cavalry forces, approached him looking somewhat concerned. "My lord, I am concerned that we might find some issues with the cavalry, they often consider themselves better than the rest of the army and I worry that ego will make them lazy. They will be less inclined to learn these new skills you have assigned them." The Marshal looked at the commander and thought for a few trills, looking to the ceiling for a moment as he searched for an answer. "Well, perhaps try appealing to that ego, tell them it will only make them better. Training in these extra skills will only make them stay further above the other troops. Maybe that will give them some incentive to do as they are told. If that does not work there are many ways you can make them train properly I am sure."
The man nodded, apparently fully understanding what needed to be done. "Of course Marshal, I shall make sure it goes smoothly and your plans are effective, any issues and I will inform you immediately." Xander was satisfied by this and nodded too, knowing that this may not be effective and would definitely take some time to properly implement. "As always, I appreciate your service, make sure you keep control of those serving under you at all costs and you will be successful."
Them man backed off and Xander moved over to the table in the middle of them room. A map of Astedia rested on it and he looked it over, small figures were scattered around to represent forces. The main bulk were in Drakengard but a few smaller groups were scattered around in villages and on the boarder with Venora. The naval ships were patrolling the bay and some were still in the ports as not all were needed at once. Overall Astedia was in a good way but it could always be improved, all he needed to do was keep striving to make the place safer and stronger.
