At noon on the third day, a large crowd of onlookers gathered again in front of the tavern near the square.
Inside the tavern, Angus held the innkeeper by the collar with one hand and pressed a bartender's head with the other. "Fatty, hand over the money or I’ll beat you up, strip you naked, and throw you into the street."
Angus had originally intended to go to the tavern to borrow some fenny from the innkeeper to buy a suitable set of clothes and a short sword in the city, and then go find Art. He couldn't possibly go to someone empty-handed, could he?
However, when he arrived at the establishment, he learned that Art had already repaid his debts, and the innkeeper had extorted a considerable amount of money from him. Angus was so enraged that he severely beat several bartenders and cooks in the tavern.
"You can kill me, but you won't get a single copper coin from me even if you kill me…" The fat innkeeper, with swollen, bruised eyes, said to Angus through gritted teeth. Then, the sound of fists hitting flesh and the innkeeper's screams echoed from the tavern…
A moment later, Angus emerged from the tavern, wearing a worn linen outer garment, coarse cloth shorts, and a cloth belt around his waist. He held a stoneware ale bottle in his left hand and a money pouch containing twenty small silver shillings in his right, heading towards the tailor and weapon shops in the city.
West of the Besançon Cathedral Square military camp, inside Art's military tent, Cooper and Sartre, the supervisors of the accompanying merchant caravan who had just completed their southern goods trade in Lucerne, were reporting their trade situation in Lucerne to Art.
"My Lord, this time we sold most of our goods in Lucerne, totaling thirteen thousand two hundred fifty-three fenny. After deducting the principal, we earned a total of nine thousand one hundred eighty fenny. The remaining spices, silk, and a small amount of porcelain are estimated to sell for eight thousand fenny, which should yield a net profit of six thousand fenny. Originally, I had planned to clear out the southern goods in Lucerne and then buy more, but the profit was too small, and we were in a hurry to meet with you in Besançon, so the Old Butler and I decided not to stay longer in Lucerne."
"You weren't subjected to any difficulties while trading in the city, were you?" Art asked, as they were, after all, foreign merchants.
"There were no difficulties, as southern goods are extremely scarce right now, and we have few goods."
Sartre provided Art with a detailed report on the merchant caravan's trade profits.
After listening, Art instructed the two from the merchant caravan: "Good. For the next week, we will be training in Besançon. You should dispose of the valuable southern goods as quickly as possible, then purchase goods from here to sell in various places in the South. However, it's unlikely you'll be able to return from the South to Besançon before the army departs. So, if the army leaves by then, you should depart directly from Besançon and pursue us along the King's Road towards Talburg in the southeast. Remember, when you leave Besançon to catch up with us, all the merchant caravan's goods must be exchanged for food supplies and weapons. Discuss the exact quantities with Odo later."
Cooper and Sartre acknowledged and left the military tent.
On the open ground outside the city, thirty armed farmers were undergoing training led by Odo. They were farmers separately conscripted from Baron Baldwin's direct territory. Most of these individuals were self-cultivators who brought their own food and weapons to fulfill forty days of military service. Their weapons were not uniform; apart from a few wealthier farmers who carried short swords, short spears, axes, and hammers, most farmers only brought agricultural tools like sickles and iron forks as weapons for combat. As for the farmers who came for labor service, they didn't even bring a wooden stick; they simply brought a package of miscellaneous grains and broken wheat wrapped in a piece of tattered burlap to serve.
"Listen up, everyone! Since you've been assigned to us, you must follow our rules. Anyone who doesn't will be severely punished."
"For the next week, you will undergo my training. I will select twelve outstanding individuals from the training and organize them into two separate small teams. These farmer-Soldiers will not only receive ample food and weapons from us for free, but they will also earn a weekly salary of four fenny. Go ask around—where else can you find such a good deal, providing food and paying a salary? You've all stumbled upon it! So, for the next few days, train like your lives depend on it! We will only choose the twelve most excellent individuals!" Odo stood before the farmers, who were barely arranged in three rows, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Odo then turned to the laboring farmers, who were standing haphazardly on the other side, and said: "The twenty of you are the same. If anyone is willing to undergo training and selection, you can also stand with the farmer-Soldiers and train together. If you are selected in a few days, you will also receive special treatment."
Several young men among the laboring farmers were eager to try, but they were stopped by some older men. This was because the older men knew that serving as laborers allowed them to stay further away from the fighting and avoid the conflict. If they became farmer-Soldiers, they would not dare to flee the battlefield, or they would be beheaded on the spot by the military judge.
"Alright, since none of you want an easier life, then so be it. But you can't be idle during the period before the army departs. Six of the stronger ones will stay here for basic training. The rest will all be sent outside the city later to clear the moat. This is a task assigned by the Court…"
…………
Art paced back and forth in his military tent. He hadn't overseen the training of the army and farmers today; he was waiting for someone to arrive.
Three days had passed since he saw Sergeant Angus, but Angus had not stepped foot into the military camp.
"Did I misjudge him?" Art's doubts grew heavier, and his sense of loss deepened.
After waiting for another half an afternoon, Art finally gave up. Perhaps he had indeed misjudged the person, or perhaps his current conditions were insufficient to attract an excellent warrior to join him voluntarily. So, Art put on his armor, strapped on his weapons, and left the military camp, arriving at the open ground outside the East Gate. Three teams of Soldiers from the Patrol Team and one team of Sentry Cavalry were conducting battle formation training there. Thirty farmers, too, were swinging and thrusting with sticks and wooden forks, mimicking the Soldiers' movements amidst Odo's roars.
He did not bother with the Soldiers' training, as they had their respective Squad Leaders to supervise them. Art went directly to the farmers' training area.
Odo left the farmer's ranks and went straight to Art. "My Lord, these fellows were farmers tilling fields just a few days ago. Training them like Soldiers is extremely difficult. If we had one or two months, I could barely get them through basic training, but now we only have a week, I'm afraid—"
Art glanced at the exhausted and disorganized group of farmers. He thought for a moment and said to Odo: "You won't be able to train them alone. Here's what we'll do: have all the Soldiers from your Third Squad come out and train these farmers. Five Soldiers, each training six farmers. You will be solely responsible for guiding and supervising the Soldiers as they train the farmers. If anyone trains well, or if the farmers they train have more people selected after a week, I will give them military rewards. For each farmer selected, their Soldier instructor will receive five fenny as a military reward."
Odo lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up with a smiling face. "My Lord, this is a good method. The Soldiers are familiar with our training, so having them train the farmers would be excellent. Besides, one person training six is much better than one person training thirty."
"Hmm, let's do that!" Art commanded.
Odo acknowledged the order and ran to the Third Squad. Soon, the Soldiers of the Third Squad began selecting their respective six farmers to train.
Seeing the Third Squad's Soldiers leading the farmers into training, Art then went to guide Bastu Ba and Kazak's teams, and afterwards, he went to Lawrence's Sentry Cavalry, personally leading several Sentry Cavalry in practicing archery from horseback…
Just as Art and the Sentry Cavalry were training and sweating profusely, Quartermaster Spencer ran to the training ground outside the city. He found Art and reported that a person resembling a ranger had entered the military camp and was looking for him.
Art quickly mounted his warhorse and galloped back to the military camp in the city.
A fellow wearing a hooded travel cloak, with a leather belt around his waist, a short sword slung across his hip, and a long-handled battle-axe on his back, stood at the entrance of Art's military camp, shaking his head as he observed the six laboring farmers being trained by Lawrence inside the camp.
Art dismounted his warhorse and came before Angus, embracing him tightly for a moment. "Sergeant, you finally came!"
Angus patted Art's shoulder and said, "Art, you say you only have about ten farmers under you, who don't even have complete weapons, yet you've set up several military tents. Who are you putting on a show for?"
Art looked at the laboring farmers training nearby and said awkwardly, "These are all military laborers. My Soldiers are training outside the city."
Angus turned his head for a glance and said, "That's more like it. Oh, and don't call me 'Sergeant' anymore. Just call me Angus."
"Then take me to see your Soldiers. I need to know if I can trust a group of strangers with my back."
"Of course, Sergeant, follow me." Art stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.
"Spencer, go find a tavern in the city. I want to host a banquet for my Sergeant from the Holy Order, my benefactor, Baron Doyle."
Angus stopped and turned to Spencer behind him, saying, "Buddy, you don't need to go to the one east of the square; I don't think the innkeeper will welcome me."
Spencer was puzzled. Art guessed that Angus might have lost face at the tavern east of the square and didn't want to go back, so he quietly instructed Spencer to find another tavern…
…………
Angus looked at the thirty or so black-robed Soldiers, splendidly dressed and mounted, before him, somewhat disbelieving that this was the army of an apprentice knight. "Wasn't the Wells Family stripped of their titles and lands? Are these all the Soldiers your father left behind?"
"Sergeant, these in the black cloaks are Soldiers I began recruiting and training last winter. Most of them have already experienced combat, though mostly against bandits and marauders. They've only fought one ambush battle against the Lombardy army. The thirty next to them are farmers assigned to me by Lord Deputy of the Court, Baron Baldwin; they just started training today. What you saw in the camp were laborers assigned to me by the Baron and my own accompanying laborers. Additionally, I also have an accompanying merchant caravan…" Art also felt an uncontrollable sense of pride.
Angus was still somewhat skeptical. "Where did you get so much money to support so many people?"
"Mostly by robbing mountain bandits and marauders. I also worked as a merchant caravan guard and traded southern goods myself to earn some money…"
Angus clicked his tongue in amazement, looking at the Soldiers before him and asking, "How many times a week do your Soldiers train?"
"Except for Sundays and during periods of combat, they train every morning, noon, and night. The main focus is individual combat skills and battle formation combat training."
"Where did you gather this group of people?"
"Most of them are refugees fleeing from the South, along with many laborers, miners, and a small number of subdued mountain bandits and marauders…"
"Amazing! You're training these farmers and refugees with the training regimen of Holy Order Knights!"
"Sergeant, would you like to test their strength?"
"Of course!"
…………
After nightfall, a secluded tavern in western Besançon was bustling with activity. All the military Squad Leaders and Commanders, as well as Cooper, Sartre, and Lawrence from the accompanying merchant caravan, attended the banquet Art held for Angus. The dinner wasn't lavish; the small tavern had limited dishes to offer, mostly bread, roasted meat, and onion-stewed pears with meat, along with some minced meat and peas. However, the drinks were good, and everyone had already consumed two full barrels of ale.
Apart from Art, everyone present was of commoner origin, with few reservations or pretenses. After several rounds of hearty drinking and clinking glasses with Angus, the military Commanders began to address him as a brother. Angus, accepting all comers, quickly blended in with everyone.
"Sergeant, what do you say? Are you willing to join me?" As the banquet drew to a close, Art explicitly extended an invitation for Angus to join him.
Everyone quieted down, staring at Angus, awaiting his clear answer.
Angus looked at everyone, raised his cup, and declared loudly, "In the name of God, I, Baron Doyle, am willing to fight alongside Art Wood Wells and his brothers until the last drop of blood is shed."
"In the name of God!"
"In the name of God!!"
"Cheers!!!"