Conscription orders for the Republic were posted in every street and alleyway.
The orders required residents who had signed labor-for-grain contracts to report to the docks to sign in.
Conscription officers would then select suitable candidates to be incorporated into the Governor’s Thousand-Man Legion.
The conscription order did not specify exactly what the Thousand-Man Legion would be doing, but everyone sensed that something was wrong.
Historically, the Republic rarely expanded the size of its land army.
The current army organization was almost no different from how it had been several hundred years ago.
First was the Republican Guard, consisting of twenty battalions.
At full strength, it would number over 3,000 men.
Of course, reaching full strength was impossible.
There were also several hundred tax cavalrymen.
In cases of staff shortages, men who could ride horses were temporarily reassigned from the battalions to perform tasks.
In this context, ‘being able to ride’ did not mean being able to charge on horseback; it simply meant being able to sit on a horse without being thrown off.
The battalions within the Republican Guard responsible for guarding the Governor’s Mansion, the docks, and the heavy artillery on the city walls were, relatively speaking, much better trained.
Secondly, there were the town militias.
They were responsible for dealing with potential harassment from bandits, river pirates, and mercenaries.
Nationwide, they numbered roughly ten thousand people.
However, it was nearly impossible for them to leave their towns.
They had very little armor and possessed no field combat capabilities.
The navy had far more sailors, drawn from the poor across the country, various settlements, colonies, and ports.
Generally speaking, it was very easy for a Landingst local to find work if they wanted to be a sailor.
Therefore, it was a rare event for the Governor’s Mansion to suddenly conscript one or two thousand men.
A group of people gathered in front of the public notice wall, chatting noisily.
“Old man, I told you we couldn’t take the bread from the Governor’s Mansion! They didn’t sell it on the black market but gave it to us for free instead. The price has come so quickly! Luckily, we didn’t take any.”
“Hmph. In the past, we didn’t even have the chance to become soldiers. We could only be sailors and drink low-quality wine. Now they’re suddenly so kind. I bet we’ll be dragged off to be cannon fodder tomorrow!”
“Eh? Cannon fodder? Where is there a war to be fought around here lately?”
“You don’t know? My relative living at the border told me. She heard from a distant relative in the Grand Duchy of Tiro that the Kingdom’s army is stationed all along the Tiro border in massive numbers. I think it was called Ku… something, or maybe Ellen… berg? Anyway, the army is pressing down on the border!”
“Nonsense. I have relatives in the Grand Duchy of Tiro too. He saw with his own eyes that Grand Duke Maximilian hosted his daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony. Even the Kingdom sent a duke to offer congratulations.”
“Believe what you want. Just watch, the Thousand-Man Legion will definitely be sent to the border to fight.”
“I signed the contract. Is it too late to buy a ship ticket to the Southern Archipelago now?”
Domenico reorganized the Ten-Man Committee with extreme efficiency.
He did not even go through the Council for a secondary review.
Theoretically, maintaining the original members of the Ten-Man Committee did not require a review, but unfortunately, he had not done that.
As for how to handle the replacement of committee members during his tenure as acting governor, Domenico did not care.
If the Council or the High Court determined that this session of the Ten-Man Committee was illegal, then the Council could simply elect another one.
Regardless, the only people who would actually be able to meet in front of Marino were those he designated.
The Ten-Man Committee consisted of Domenico himself, Emilia, Vittorio, Cosimo, Luca, Alessandro, Savonarola, Borgia, and Francesco.
There was also Julia Laguangsi, his own daughter.
However, Domenico did not intend for her to participate in the meetings.
Not only that, he required her to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the launch of the navy’s new warship.
Marino tacitly allowed Domenico’s actions.
At this time, without relying on Domenico’s prestige and connections, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to send an order out of the Governor’s Mansion gates.
Moreover, it was wonderful that someone was willing to take charge of such a serious internal and external crisis.
The only thing Domenico needed to be mindful of was the financial expenditure and the probability of success for this military adventure.
However, Domenico’s Ten-Man Committee still included Vittorio, who was responsible for the capital’s defense; Emilia, who was connected to the navy; and Cosimo, who handled mercenary relations.
It even included the former mercenary leader and current rising noble rooted in Landingst, Cesare Borgia.
Vittorio and Cosimo would analyze the logistics plans and costs for the army, while Emilia would analyze the plans and costs for naval transport and escort.
Finally, Borgia would command the entire operation.
This was the shared vision of Marino and Domenico.
Vittorio and Cosimo were the first to begin analyzing army costs.
They believed that a force of light infantry, equipped with light chainmail, iron weapons, and a small number of muskets, could fulfill their supply needs through looting after landing.
At the same time, the warships should carry enough army logistical reserves to at least support transport to the banks of the Kingdom’s Great River.
Of course, if the expeditionary force was to be brought back, even more logistical reserves would need to be prepared.
Regarding the issue of paying wages, they leaned toward issuing a larger, one-time payment before departure.
This way, the men could use the money to settle their families or spend it all on debauchery, both of which would help boost morale.
As for afterward, they would not need to be paid like mercenaries.
Allowing them to plunder along the coast would be sufficient.
Thus, between weaponry, logistics, and wages—and because the price of grain had risen—they believed the cost would be at most thirty ducats per person.
Therefore, a 1,500-man expeditionary force would cost 45,000 ducats for the army alone.
Domenico immediately vetoed the idea.
He believed there was no need to pay wages.
Nor was there any need to prepare high-quality weapons and equipment.
Since they were going there to loot anyway, a blunt knife could kill herdsmen just as well.
There were plenty of old weapons in the Landingst armory that could be given to them.
He asked if the cost could be compressed to 20,000 ducats.
Bauer had sold her own stocks and gained 15,000 ducats, yet Domenico wanted to use 20,000 ducats to buy an army of beggars.
Vittorio looked troubled.
He did not believe such an army would have any combat effectiveness.
As soon as the steppe cavalry’s horses let out a neigh, the legion would likely fall apart instantly.
Cosimo believed this was little more than a tide of displaced people and could hardly be considered an army at all.
Domenico said:
“Correct. Against cavalry, even the Republican Guard cannot maintain its formation for long, let alone them. What I want is for them to burn, kill, and pillage before the cavalry arrives. Kill as many as possible, poison their wells, burn the village fields, and slaughter all the livestock.”
The room fell into silence.
Finally, Marino spoke up.
“Lord Domenico, a suitable amount of combat power is still necessary. Otherwise, they might not even be able to defeat a local militia. I believe it is best to approve a budget of 35,000 ducats.”
Domenico eventually agreed.
Then, the discussion turned to the army’s plan.
Since the budget of 35,000 ducats was barely sufficient, Vittorio and Cosimo discussed it for a long while.
Finally, they presented a plan.
The legion would land next to a relatively large town in the Kingdom called ‘Puvoning’ on the upper reaches of the Great River.
They would loot Puvoning directly and then use it as a base to continue harassing and looting the surrounding towns.
The general strategy was to follow the tributaries of the Great River near Puvoning, penetrating inland and using small boats to quickly raid the towns and ports along the rivers.
After all, many towns in the Kingdom were established near these tributaries.
Domenico knew nothing about this field and had intended to nod his approval since it sounded good enough.
At that moment, Borgia spoke.
“This is too slow. We can use the rivers to send small groups of soldiers to every town. We can throw severed heads into those towns along with notes demanding that they must gather at Puvoning. Otherwise, no one—man, woman, old, or young—will be spared. Then, only a small force will be needed in the town to slaughter the people being driven there. For those who refuse to come, we can take our time cleaning them up later.”
“Furthermore,” Borgia continued, “a legion that has coerced forced refugees into its ranks will be much harder for the Kingdom to strike. If necessary, we can place the civilians outside Puvoning to act as human chevaux-de-frise. If the steppe cavalry wants to trample over them, they are welcome to do so.”