Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

In the dim light of the evening, the merchants who had come to visit Simon gradually departed.

Simon had instructed Joan to hand over the recorded donations to Percival. These merchants had only made verbal promises, and whether they would fulfil them remained uncertain.

However, Simon wasn’t worried about them breaking their promises. The introduction of the membership system had stripped these merchants of any excuse to use the names of feudal lords or princes to curry favour.

Through this system, Simon had not only set the status and code of conduct for merchants within the chamber but also secured substantial benefits for his domain.

The news of the membership system spread rapidly among the merchants.

Eager to secure early access to the distribution rights for glass, many merchants were willing to donate generously to the chamber in exchange for priority access to goods.

Those without sufficient funds could only watch enviously, hoping to accumulate enough resources to one day join the ranks of chamber members.

In a short time, the influx of merchants brought a flood of donations to the chamber, and various resources began pouring into Brambleford.

"My Lord, this move of yours is truly brilliant. Just by introducing the membership system, you’ve managed to extract a significant amount of silver from these merchants. I didn’t expect the Fletcher family from Bristol City to also get restless and directly donate for a bronze membership." Percival said excitedly to Simon as they stood at the Dew River dock, watching the continuous stream of cargo ships.

Simon hadn’t anticipated that the glass would lure the Fletcher family, a major player, into the fold. For a long time, the Fletcher family had kept their distance from Simon, but now even they couldn’t remain indifferent.

"The Fletcher family used to look down on small profits, but with the emergence of glass and the promise of technology sales through the membership system, they naturally became interested," Simon said.

A bronze membership required a substantial donation, and the Fletcher family’s contribution had significantly enriched Brambleford’s treasury.

"However, the Fletcher family’s business spans the entire empire. If they gain early access to glass, they’ll undoubtedly reap substantial profits in the short term." Percival remarked. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"That’s not our concern. No matter what, they’ll have to pay us for the goods they take. The more they sell, the more we earn." Simon said, his mood buoyant. The combination of glass and the membership system had provided him with a fresh influx of funds and labour.

Brambleford’s development could now continue to move forward at a steady pace, rather than crawling along.

Simon had come out today for two reasons: to inspect the donated resources and to check on the training of the army.

After chatting with Percival at the dock and instructing him to organise merchant ships for the sale of glassware as soon as possible, Simon rode his horse to the Brambleford military camp.

During this period, the steel workshop had not stopped production. On the contrary, as the craftsmen became more skilled, production speed had increased significantly. So far, the workshop has delivered three thousand sets of plate armour and weapons to the Brambleford Army. In another month or two, every soldier in the army would likely have a set of plate armour.

In addition to plate armour, the workshop had also delivered one thousand long swords, five hundred sets of crossbows, and several shields and swords.

As Simon approached the military camp, he heard the shouts of Lancelot and the soldiers from outside the gates.

Entering the camp, he saw Lancelot leading the soldiers in drilling battle formations.

In ancient warfare, combat effectiveness was largely determined by battle formations. The role of individuals in such melee combat was minimal.

Thus, the difference in combat power between well-trained soldiers who could form battle formations and a disorganised rabble was immense.

A disciplined formation of five thousand soldiers could easily defeat an enemy several times their size. Many instances of winning against overwhelming odds stemmed from this.

Lancelot was currently drilling the soldiers in the square formation, one of the most basic battle formations. Other formations included the circular formation, the wedge formation, and the goose formation. On the battlefield, commanders would change formations according to the evolving situation.

This was where a commander’s skill was truly tested.

However, while Lancelot was drilling the square formation, Simon noticed that this particular square formation wasn’t intended for ordinary combat.

Seeing Simon approach, Lancelot shouted. "Halt!" and then walked over to him.

"My Lord, you seem troubled. Is there something wrong with the formation?" Lancelot asked, bowing.

As the feudal lord of the six cities, Simon held the title of Grand Marshal, overseeing all military affairs in the region. His status as a prince also allowed him to manage all administrative matters in his domain.

Lancelot, as the captain of Brambleford, was directly subordinate to Simon.

Thus, Simon had the authority to oversee military training.

"The front line has crossbowmen, the middle line has spearmen, and the rear line has long sword wielders. This formation is designed to counter cavalry, isn’t it?" Simon said.

"My Lord understands battle formations?" Lancelot asked, surprised.

Simon smirked. "I am well-versed in all types of battle formations, Captain Lancelot. Don’t underestimate me."

Lancelot looked astonished. "Does that mean Your Highness also knows how to train troops?"

Simon hesitated. Knowing battle formations and actually training soldiers were two different things.

He dodged the question. "I’ll discuss that with you another time. Today, I’m here to inspect the soldiers’ equipment."

At this, Lancelot’s face lit up. "My Lord, look at these soldiers in their plate armour. Just their presence is enough to strike fear into the enemy."

On the training ground, five thousand soldiers stood in ten neat square formations, resembling a school assembly during morning exercises.

However, what set them apart was the plate armour they wore and the cold gleam of their weapons, which gave them an intimidating aura.

Seeing these heavily armed soldiers, Simon felt a surge of pride.

From now on, he would no longer need to fear the powerful families of Brambleford or make concessions to appease them. The formidable Brambleford Army was more than capable of crushing any family that dared to threaten him.

"Indeed, they look impressive. But this isn’t enough. Training must keep pace. We can’t waste such excellent equipment." Simon said.

The plate armour was made from the highest quality steel in the steel workshop, forged through countless hammer strikes. Simon was confident that the quality of this plate armour was on par with, if not superior to, that of 17th-century plate armour.

"My Lord, leave the training to me. If you’re not satisfied in three months, I’ll offer you my head. However, the second batch of recruits is about to join the camp. What about their equipment?" Lancelot asked, rubbing his hands together with a grin.

Simon sighed. Lancelot had become single-minded, always asking for equipment whenever they met. He spoke. "There will be no shortage of equipment. Every soldier will be fully outfitted. Moreover, in a few days, we’ll receive a thousand warhorses. Set aside some soldiers to form a cavalry unit."

"A thousand warhorses?" Lancelot’s face lit up with joy. "My Lord, where did you manage to get so many warhorses? Horses are what I’ve been lacking the most. In past battles against the reavers, we suffered greatly because of their cavalry. The reaver cavalry was fast, and their archers were accurate. We couldn’t catch up to them, nor could we fight them effectively. The casualties were devastating."