Chapter 3 - Of rebel groups and the importance of motivational speeches!

Link to chapter 2

“There are way too many rebels out there and my army needs training.” was all that Lord Grinsal had said to Insolent Man about the topic. Insolent Man knew that Lord Grinsal was right. The lands around the castle needed to be safe. Then again they did not have that many soldiers. To clear out the regions around the castle without heavy losses they would need to send out a majority of the army… and that would make it way too easy for someone to attack and plunder the castle.

The defenses had not been fully restored. They did not even have traps prepared. Well, that would be a project for later. For now Lord Grinsal had given the orders and his men would do as told. Insolent Man had no way to go against Lord Grinsals’ orders.

Later on the training grounds

The army was waiting for their orders. It was a mixed group of all types, Light Infantry, Cavalry, Spearmen and Bowmen. And to be fair it were maybe one thousand five hundred troops in total. A pathetic number of troops. Still, it was a start.

Lord Grinsal was holding a speech that should have encouraged the soldiers. Somehow though it did not work. Maybe it was the talking about losing arms or hands, maybe legs? Maybe it was him telling them that not all might return?

He saw the color in the faces of his men drain. He saw how they were looking at each other, seeming more and more unsure. He had no idea though what their problem seemed to be…

A messenger arrived and Lord Grinsal had to leave immediately. The soldiers, still on the parade ground were a mess.

Luckily one of the trusted commanders took Lord Grinsals place and was able to get the soldiers distracted with the promise of extra beer now and after they successfully killed all the enemies around the castle.

Was it a good idea to send the troops out slightly drunk? It was at least a lot better than sending them out after one of Lord Grinsals motivational speeches. It was said that when Lord Grinsal complimented someone, that person might jump out of the nearest window, crying. Lord Grinsal might be a good strategist but he still had a lot to learn. That was why he had a mentor … and trusted commanders, who could get him distracted and away from doing too much harm.

On the way to the rebel groups

It was decided to start with the free folk. For some reason they only had infantry and their lowest group size was 500 soldiers. It would go up from there but it was good to start small. They would go for the Ironborn and Stormcrows later on.

At the moment Lord Grinsals men had only enough Endurance to go for a total of six groups, maybe eight a day.

The first group was near the castle. It was only a short march and the 500 enemy troops had no chance. There weren’t even casualties on Lord Grinsals side.

It was too easy … maybe they were preparing a trap?

The next few groups were the same. No real resistance, no real fight. At least it was good for morale.

The army had to return to the castle after every group, get new information about the next location to attack and then march out again. It took some time, especially with the soldiers getting beer after every march but the troops were in a good mood. And it was getting better and better after every march. Usually they got more grumpy but easy victories and the alcohol seemed to make them happy. And maybe the alcohol was the reason why the endurance seemed to be such a problem but as long as the soldiers stayed happy and went on fighting, everything was well. Who cared if they took a lot longer for every march now than in the beginning? For sure it was just because of the distance becoming longer to get to the rebel groups.

Back in the castle

“We got the first reports back. The enemy was defeated and we found a few more groups to attack. We will have the surrounding area cleared in no time!” the commander reported to Lord Grinsal. Lord Grinsal was smiling. He knew it was all due to his speech. The soldiers had taken his words to heart and were doing more than just their duty.

That was what Lord Grinsal told Insolent Man too. Insolent Man thought about it for a moment but decided this was not the right time to tell Lord Grinsal the truth. There would be better times to get that sorted. At least for now everyone seemed happy.

Insolent Man checked the reports again. Lord Grinsal was on a good path. If he kept walking that path, he would be useful soon. At least that was what Insolent Man hoped for.

And here is a short screenrecording of the action :)

Link to Story 4