The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 336 Knights' Squires! Assemble!
"Those with riding experience, step forward!" Adile said, looking at the large group of people.

Only a handful of people came out this time.

"Um... does it count if an adult has ridden a donkey?" someone asked cautiously.

“…Fine!” Adile’s face contorted, but he ultimately decided to give her a chance.

The man immediately joined the queue with great joy.

"Sir! May I ride an ox?"

"Can!"

"Sir! Have you ever ridden a deer?"

"Row!"

"Sir, may I ride over my wife?" someone asked shyly.

"roll!"

"okay!"

……

After a chaotic scene, Adilé picked out the reasonably tall ones from the group of short people, and a total of twenty people stood crookedly in front of him.

"Fine! We still need to train their mental attitude!" Adile covered his face, feeling utterly dejected and indignant.

(As for why knights' squires weren't selected from the existing cavalry, it can only be said that these cavalrymen were originally defeated knights' squires.)
"Now is your first lesson upon enlisting! Oath and pledge of allegiance!" Adil addressed the reserve knights and squires with a solemn expression.

……

"All done?" Roland asked, looking at Yun Feng who walked in looking exhausted.

"Hmm...the registration process almost killed me! Not to mention the subsequent allocation of supplies! By the way, when was our horse farm built?" Yunfeng asked, puzzled.

“A horse farm? Oh! That’s nothing! It’s just a place where horses roam freely!” Roland shook his head and smiled.

He had accumulated a batch of military equipment and warhorses over the long period of time he had been signing in. At least five hundred Shire horses were still without their own owners. Roland could only leave these warhorses in the Tuput Forest to be raised by Baldr's tribe.

"Tsk tsk tsk! I didn't realize we were so well-off!" Yun Feng chuckled. "Of course! We're short-handed right now, otherwise we could easily support a 500-man knightly order!" Roland said proudly.

"Forget it, a 500-man knight order would bankrupt you!" Yun Feng bluntly exposed Roland's words. After all, knights are an incredibly expensive profession, and only the most powerful nations can afford to support them in large numbers. Smaller nations simply cannot afford to maintain a knight order. If it weren't for Yun Feng's wisdom and Roland's possession of the system, he wouldn't have been able to afford the expenses of a 100-man knight order.

"Heh heh... I hope His Majesty Adile can hurry up! We don't have much time left!" Roland said solemnly. He already sensed that the role of his hundred-man knight order was becoming less and less effective in the face of an increasingly powerful enemy.

“These things can’t be rushed! It takes time for a knight’s squire to be trained into a knight!” Yun Feng shook his head.

"Sigh..." Roland sighed, his eyes still filled with worry. Although the orcs in the southern part of the North had been defeated in the Battle of Omske, the enemies lurking in various places still gave Roland a huge headache. To the west there was the Gambada Fortress, to the east there were the various tribes of Dongyi, to the south there was the Dolgodo Fortress, and to the north there was the Orc Tribal Alliance... Good heavens, what a battlefield!
"Don't worry, we're not fighting alone. At least our allies can hold off some of the enemy for us!" Yun Feng analyzed.

“Look, the Singari elves are keeping an eye on the Dolgodor Fortress, the Woodland Kingdom is blocking the Gambada Fortress, and the Lonely Mountain Kingdom can fight the Northern Orcs. Our main enemy is now the Eastern Yi tribe in the east!” Yun Feng shook his head and said.

"The tankers are not easy to fight!" Roland was extremely distressed.

"Just think of those human-powered hordes of indigenous tribes..." Roland broke out in a cold sweat. To be honest, those Dongyi tribes weren't all that great, and their chariots weren't advanced either, but no one could withstand those light cavalry of tens of thousands! In a head-on collision, even the glory of a thousand-man knight order could be destroyed.

“Actually, I suggest you consider using the Swift Infantry to stop those tribal people!” Yun Feng analyzed rationally.

After all, the dense and orderly formation of the Swift Infantry would terrify even the Knights, and their massive Swift Infantry phalanxes would even dare to launch a counter-charge against the Knights! Not to mention these ordinary light cavalry... But the only drawback is that these ordinary Swift Infantry would suffer heavy casualties!
"How much will we have to sacrifice? How many brave young men will die on the battlefield? How many families will be broken? They are not just citizens of the kingdom, but fathers and sons! That's not how you calculate it!" Roland resolutely refused. Compared to trading lives with those tribespeople, Roland preferred to use an army of all-professionals to crush them.

"Sigh... If our two dragon riders could grow into dragon rider commanders, we could have an easier time!" Yun Feng smiled wryly and suggested another solution.

"This is still negotiable, I'll think of a way!" Roland nodded, he thought Yun Feng's suggestion was acceptable.

“Well, Caslo is already at the peak of the fifth rank, but whether he can step into the sixth rank really depends on luck! After all, how many people are stuck at the fifth rank!” Yun Feng recalled his past and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Everyone who can step into the sixth rank not only has outstanding talent, but also needs a bit of luck.

"Tsk! What a hassle!" Roland shook his head. He hated this kind of life-or-death gamble; the feeling of being out of control was too unpleasant!

"If you're lucky enough with this batch of promising youngsters, you'll be able to recruit your first batch of trainee knights in three months, and then a batch every month thereafter!" Yun Feng nodded to Roland as he gazed into the distance. Adile used a monthly recruitment method, recruiting a batch of trainees each month. The advantage of this was that it provided a continuous supply of fresh blood, and most importantly, each trainee could receive more guidance time. After all, once the framework was in place, the veterans could mentor the newcomers, allowing Adile's time to be allocated to where he was needed more.

"Hehe, I'll be waiting patiently... I'm really short of knights right now!" Roland laughed happily. After all, he had now achieved knight freedom. As long as old man Adile was alive, he could continuously acquire knights. Although most of these knights would only reach the second tier of knights in the future, it was enough for Roland! At least these were the only two regenerable troop types under Roland's command at present, and they were the most cost-effective!

"Tsk! We're still missing a warrior instructor and an archer instructor! It would be even better if we had a mage..." Roland muttered to himself, stroking the stubble on his chin.

“The requirements for warrior and archer mentors are not high; generally, fourth or fifth rank is enough. The most crucial things are the Conqueror's Certificate and the Hunter's Certificate… As for mages, although I can awaken spellcasting talents for those without the Sage's Certificate or the Wise Man's Certificate, the probability is too low!” Yun Feng frowned. Warriors and archers are not high-end professions; anyone can become a mentor. However, their job change certificates are hard to obtain, and it is even more difficult for mages.

"..." Roland was speechless. He really didn't have the Proof of the Overlord or the Proof of the Hunt, let alone the even rarer Proof of the Sage.

(End of this chapter)