Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

"Viscount Fuman sent me to find you. All the officers are here—we’re just waiting on you," Turalyon said.

"Alright. I’ll be right there," Robson said with a nod.

"What’s this about? May I come and watch?" Valentino asked with a smile.

"Of course, if you’d like." Robson nodded. ’It’s not as if it’s a state secret.’

....

The main purpose of this officers’ meeting was to discuss the issue of establishing a complete military system.

This wasn’t some sudden whim of Robson’s. In fact, he had already started doing this back at Sunset Fortress.

The main issue was the severe mismatch between Robson’s own noble rank and the army under his command.

Such a situation wasn’t unheard of in the entire Human World, but it was exceedingly rare.

It wasn’t that no one was willing to serve as a regiment-level officer. The main problem was at the non-commissioned officer level—the noble lords couldn’t bring themselves to stoop to such a grassroots position.

For this reason, Robson was finding it difficult to get the nobles of Qimo Fortress to serve as his non-commissioned officers. After all, even though Robson was the leader of Qimo Fortress, the aristocratic political system dictated that Robson ultimately just had more of a say than the other nobles.

Getting them to join Robson’s army, however, had an entirely different meaning.

Robson, after all, was known for being strict with his men. Military orders were absolute, and anyone who failed to complete their mission would have to face his judgment.

This would completely alter their original relationship, turning them into mere subordinates. Besides, for these noble lords, if they were to serve at all, they would have to start as a regimental commander at the minimum.

Where was Robson going to find so many regimental commander positions? This led to the current situation: the entire army was short on non-commissioned officers at the lower levels.

Of course, a contributing factor was that Robson didn’t want nobles in his army in the first place. ’After all, an army is only reliable when you’re the one holding the reins.’

"In that case, let’s hurry," Valentino said with a laugh.

It wasn’t that Valentino wanted to meddle; he was simply curious. He wanted to see for himself what caliber of men served as Robson’s non-commissioned officers.

He had heard that most of them only held the rank of Knight, which he found hard to believe.

In reality, even in the Kingdom’s Standing Army, non-commissioned officer roles were primarily filled by the sons of nobles loyal to the King, who were considered part of the royalist faction.

This wasn’t because the royal family looked down on the common Free People; it was a limitation of the era. Only the nobility possessed an education.

"This way, please," Robson said, gesturing with his hand.

.....

The meeting was held in the fortress’s conference hall.

Inside the conference hall were Viscount Fuman, Claude, and a few other nobles who had been recommended to gain experience in Robson’s army.

Robson hadn’t arrived yet, so Claude was in the middle of a crowd, bragging about his achievements. During the last pursuit of enemy forces, he’d fought so hard his ass was sore. He’d even had a breakthrough in the heat of battle, reaching the Silver Fourth Tier.

Viscount Fuman was slumped over a table, looking exhausted. He had been incredibly busy lately. Ever since learning that Robson had caught the Marquis’s attention, Viscount Fuman had made inquiries everywhere and discovered it was indeed true.

Originally, Viscount Fuman had planned to let Bo Yang train for a while, pay a "tuition fee" for the experience, and then quietly make his exit.

But now, it seemed he had to hold on to this connection with Robson.

’At the very least, there’s huge room for this investment to appreciate.’

If he was going to continue investing, he had to put up the capital and help solve the man’s problems. So, for the past few days, Viscount Fuman had been racking his brain and using his personal connections. He didn’t just procure the grain Robson had requested; the Viscount had also subsidized a considerable amount out of his own pocket.

Hearing footsteps outside, Viscount Fuman put away the letter in his hands, and Claude quieted down considerably.

The door opened. Viscount Fuman was about to greet Robson as he entered, but then he saw the man chatting and laughing warmly with him—Count Valentino.

’Count Valentino!’

"Sir. My lord Earl." Viscount Fuman bowed to the two of them.

Robson didn’t reply, but Valentino spoke, telling Viscount Fuman to rise.

’Although Viscount Fuman is usually quite respectful,’ Robson thought, ’he wouldn’t take the initiative to bow to me on my own.’

"My lord Earl, what brings you here?" Viscount Fuman asked, puzzled.

"It’s nothing in particular. I’ve often heard Marquis Oscillate mention Sir Robson’s name recently, so I thought I would come by to have a look and get acquainted," Valentino said with a smile.

"Don’t mind me. Carry on as you were."

’Does the Marquis value him that much?’

In truth, Valentino had fabricated that statement. Although Marquis Oscillate had plenty of free time, he wouldn’t go so far as to keep his eyes fixed on Robson. Of course, it wasn’t a complete lie; whenever Valentino was with the Marquis, Marquis Oscillate did indeed mention Robson quite a bit.

But those words landed differently in Viscount Fuman’s ears.

Who was Valentino? As a member of the southern inland faction, Viscount Fuman knew perfectly well. Valentino was the Marquis’s own maternal grandson, and a Count with real power in his own right.

And now, according to Count Valentino, the Marquis held Robson in such high regard that he had personally sent Valentino to investigate the situation.

’It seems I’ve still underestimated how much the Marquis values Robson.’

He’d had his doubts before, but now Viscount Fuman was certain: when Robson left this post in the future, he would be a Viscount at the very least.

’It seems my investment still needs to be strengthened.’

"Is everyone here?" Robson asked, looking around. He saw that nearly all of the army’s officers were present.

"Everyone’s here, Sir," Viscount Fuman said with a nod.