World Conquest Online

"Prime Minister Shang has had a declaration wrote for us that says. After a conference of the Senior Civil Officials and Senior Military Command, an agreement has been put in place to declare that the Kingdom will be formed as a Monarchy, with Lord Lazarus as the Head of State. He therefore will continue to have final decision and overall command rights of all forces be it Civil or Military. Whilst the Civil arm still grows with the tremendous weight of responsibility of forming our new Kingdom, the Military arm has an even larger task, which is to grow and protect that what we try and govern. I put my full trust in you as always. Prime Minister Shang Yang." Xun You read out loud, his words serious but expected. "To follow from this, the reformation of our ranks and units needs to commence, our Military now eclipses over eight thousand members, a number that dwarfs the amount of non fighting forces that we have within it. There are three key roles that Lord Lazarus needs to declare before we move forwards."

"That is correct, thank you Xun You." Dom declared as he stood up, all of his Generals facing him. "There are three key roles that are needed, before we can reform the rest of our forces. These are the Grand Commander who will oversee the Military and report to only myself and at times Prime Minister Shang Yang. The Grand Commander is in charge of all Generals and is the overall leader of our fighting force, both Land and Sea. The second is the Grand Strategist, who will work alongside the Grand Commander and oversee the day to day running of our forces, an essential role that is needed for us to be able to fight in the first place. The final role is the Grand Admiral, who is in charge of the Navy, both Militarily and Strategically."

The meeting had now fully began, with all of the Officers leaning forwards in their chairs. Meritamen watched Dom with pride as the once nervous person she had met seemed more confident speaking in front of the large number of experienced Warriors around him. He had fought alongside a lot of them, or against them, having earnt their respect and loyalty. Sun Shangxiang also watched on, proud to be a part of the room. She had been informed about her own original path by Gu Kaizhi and had some strong words for her brother Sun Quan if she saw him again.

"For the Grand Commander, I place General Subutai. Not only has he lead our forces since our creation, but his knowledge and understanding is beyond measure. Not only is he a capable commander, but I know that he is acknowledged by everyone else in this room." Dom began, watching as everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Subutai’s two son’s that sat in the room, also seemed to expect it, their father also being the right hand man of who ever he served. "The Grand Strategist shall be Xun You, whose knowledge knows no bounds and loyalty is to not only me, but the people that he serves."

"Thank you for the kind words." Xun You replied honestly, with a slight tear in the side of his eye, whilst Subutai just continued to smile as he watched on.

"For Grand Admiral, it shall be Zhou Yu." Dom declared, surprising some in the room who expected it to be Gan Ning, however Gan Ning didn’t seem to mind and nodded his head in agreement. "I know this will surprise some of you due to him only just arriving, but Gan Ning himself has put forward that Zhou Yu should be in this position."

"I will not fail you." Zhou Yu declared, new but fiercely loyal as his whole family was reunited and together here.

"I know." Dom replied, nodding his head at him, before turning to Xun You who continued the meeting.

"We will now reform our forces. There will be four standing Armies and two Navies." Xun You began. "These Armies will be the North Army that is based in the Forts beyond Renatus at the Mountain Pass. This army is in charge of defending for now, with preparations for the future. The Western Army that will be based in Noctus and the Mountview Fort and will be the forefront of our future raids in the North West and West. The Southern Army will be based in the Infinity Plains with the target of raiding in the South, South West and West beyond, this will be the largest of our armies and has the biggest current task. The final army is the Home Army, which will defend our coast and our forts, whilst training our Warriors for the future."

Subutai then stood, turning to the room as he looked at everyone that was now under his command. His two son’s felt the pressure of his stare as he looked at them, whilst Dom’s original Generals all held in a smirk as they knew he was a genuinely nice person.

"As well as the four Armies, the Two Navies will coexist. The First Navy is our Defence Navy which will be based in Renatus to defend our North Shore, and Serenity to defend out coast. The Second Navy is our Offence Navy, that will be based in Jia and will look south and support with the raids, whilst also being based in Riverside to raid through the Calm River’s many paths." Subutai explained. "Whilst the Armies will have more structure, Zhou Yu will later explain the more loose structure of the Navy."

"We shall start by naming the Senior General of each of these forces, and then explaining what Generals fit in to which area afterwards." Xun You began, turning to Dom who would make the final decision. "There will be some surprises, but please do wait until the end before any questions as it should all make sense by then, or at least I hope it will. I would like to ask for our Grand Commander and Lord Lazarus to begin."

"As our Grand Strategist has explained, there will be four permanent armies being created. These forces will be directly named so that the Generals can be moved around when needed. I also plan for a rotation of junior officers, so that everyone has the opportunity for merits." Subutai explained as he stood up. "The first Army will be the Western Army led by our General of the West, Tomyris. This Army as discussed will be based between Noctus and Mountview Fort, with the aim of raiding beyond."

Tomyris nodded her head, already expecting the role. The other Heroes all agreed, whilst she may not be the highest grade, she was not only an original Hero, but had an experienced head that both her fellow Heroes and Warriors respected. Her son looked at her with pride that his mother was being treated with such respect.

"This army will be known as the Wolf Army, after Lady Meritamen’s Dire Wolves. I intend to fill it with a blunt force of powerful Legionaries and expert Hoplite, as well as our new Wudang Warriors who are built for this time of warfare. I also intend to dispatch half of our Forbidden Guard for this unit as a heavy hitting task force." Subutai explained, whilst Meritamen had a large smile on her face from beside Dom at hearing that this army in essence was named for her. "Numbers will be confirmed later, and Xun You will give Tomyris and her assigned officers some battle plans that have been drawn up."

"The second Army is to be the Southern Army, led by our General of the South, Tomoe." Xun You explained, whilst Tomoe looked slightly surprised by her being named. Whilst she was an extremely talented Warrior, her command skills were not the highest in the group, normally leading from the front rather than directing from the back. "This army will be the largest of our forces and General Tomoe will be our Senior Commander, however she will be supported by other Senior Commanders as we believe this to be a multipronged assault. General Tomoe has been selected due to her unflinching desire to succeed, but she also is aware of her weaknesses and will need the support of those around her."

Whilst all those in the room accepted Tomoe’s might as one of the most powerful Warriors in Riverside, if not the most powerful.

"This is our Tiger Army, named after the Sabre Tooth Tiger’s of Riverside." Subutai continued, "The force will be mainly our fast paced units with a large amount of all of our Cavalry for quick assaults. They will also be backed up by a infantry task force for any siege warfare. The Infantry task force will be specially built for this unit and will be primarily made up of Legionaries."

"The third Army is the Northern Army, led by our General of the North. We have selected our newer General Cheng Pu for this role." Xun You explained. This choice seemed to shock a lot of the Generals, especially those such as Liao Hua and Sun Ce who were currently leading different parts of the army. Whilst neither of them complained, you could see some disappointment on their faces. "This army will hold the Northern Pass, training for our eventual expansion in the future. Whilst not our largest army currently, the defensive need of it will be key. The army will also need to be built to support Renatus on Tongpai Lake, and any potential conflicts that may arise there."

"This is our Horse Army, due to it’s importance to our Kingdom and need for fast response." Subutai stated, "This will be mainly built of Hoplites and the many Legionaries that are being trained. I also intend to dispatch the other half of the Forbidden Guard to this unit, as an elite squad. General Cheng Pu has been selected due to his years of experience, which we believe will be key in supporting the growth and maturity of the other Senior Generals in this army and area."

Sun Ce seemed to feel that this was aimed at him, with his friend Zhou Yu nodding at him from across the table with a smile. Sun Ce felt the irony that he had once commanded Cheng Pu, but that version of Cheng Pu and this one were many years apart. Part of him hoped he was based in the Horse Army so he could learn more from his friend.

"Our Final Army is the Army of our Home, the Shield Army. This will be led by our new General Huang Zhong." Dom declared, himself deciding it was best to speak now so as to not cause any more disappointment. "Not only is he the most experienced General in our army, but his training skills are second to none."

Huang Zhong was surprised by the choice, as he was new and hadn’t had chance to prove himself yet, however he felt honoured by the offer. His son was now being treated by the medical professionals from Riverside and his wife had also joined him. He had taken a big risk to join Dom, however every day that had passed since had proven it worthwhile. The trust being given to him in this role was extremely high and he promised himself he would repay the favour.

"The intention of this army is to train all of our forces before they are then dispatched to the other armies, as well as the overall control of all of our Forts that are not a base of any of the other armies. For example the Westwood Fort on our western border and our naval forts." Xun You explained, before turning to Zhou Yu who would take over on the Navy Generals. Zhou Yu stood, knowing that there were a lot of eyes on him, as this was his first time speaking in front of this army. Some of the Generals knew him such as Sun Ce, Ling Tong, Gan Ning, Cheng Pu and Cheng Zi, but for the rest of them he was pretty much a new face.

"Whilst I have not been here long, I have been given a lot of information from Subutai, Xun You and Gan Ning. I have grown a plan from seeing the maps, however I intend to tour our borders within the next couple of days." Zhou Yu began as he spoke, not betraying any nerves he may have had. "There are four key parts to the Navies role, the protection of Tongpai Lake and it’s natural border and the protection of the entrance to the Calm River between Serenity and Jia. The other key parts are the exploration, raiding and expansion through the Calm River, whilst the other is the southern exploration. Su Fei has been placed as the Mayor of Renatus on the Tongpai Lake, and will therefore also manage the navy that will be stationed there."

"The Louchuan, thirty Mengchong and twenty Doujian will be based at Renatus." Xun You explained, listing the numbers when Zhou Yu finished speaking. "We will also place one Trireme there for now, but will reinforce the lake with another two Trireme within the coming month. If we decide to expand northwards and there is natural borders to protect us, then this fleet will be repurposed in the future."