Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 144: Eastern Roman Empire Designates the Immortal of Bad Battles

"Not bad, it's worth looking forward to," Tia said with satisfaction, while also asking a question, "How do you want to match your weapons and equipment?"

"I asked someone to make a new large shield. It's thicker and can withstand almost all projectile attacks. It has a bracket that can be placed on the ground. Soldiers can hide under the shield and shoot at people, which compensates for the lack of firing rate. Melee weapons can be long swords or axes. I haven't thought about the situation yet, but it shouldn't be a big deal."

He borrowed the equipment and combat mode of the later Genoese mercenary crossbowmen. These archers, nicknamed "turtle crossbowmen", were actually not bad and were widely praised during the Renaissance and the Middle Ages.

After actual combat testing, this thing is at least not too difficult to describe, and the shield can also be partially adapted to the Romans' own legion combat system, so it is relatively not so abrupt.

The other party nodded slightly, which was considered as approval. This set of combinations didn't sound too bad, but the specific results would depend on actual performance.

"I noticed that most of the locals use simple wooden bows. Do you think it's necessary to equip them with horn bows?"

"It's not cost-effective. The ordinary horn bows we use won't last long in Britain. The climate there is very strange. Rain or fog is common. The weather is humid and not hot enough, which is not friendly to the maintenance of bows and arrows. I found that using a kind of paint from the East can alleviate the situation and facilitate maintenance, but it is too expensive and I can't buy so much. Instead of spending money and manpower on this, it's better to buy more war horses from the Gauls."

Military weapons require a proper balance between performance and price. British history has proven that wooden bows are sufficient there. They can penetrate the protection of unarmored infantry and lightly armored infantry, but are useless against heavy warriors. However, he is not going to fight against heavy cavalry armed to the teeth, so there is no need to spend money on it.

"I see. That's a good and thoughtful move. I have no objection. Just follow this plan. Once your army is ready, we can go out. Where do you want to attack first? I heard there are seven or eight small kingdoms and a bunch of warlords there."

"Wessex, a small kingdom in the southwest of Britain, should be the most powerful among the many kingdoms. I think it is better to solve the biggest trouble first and cut off the head of the snake."

…………

Finally, after discussion and planning, Orville conducted an experimental military reform and added more auxiliary infantry to the army. The legion infantry is still the core backbone and enjoys the best treatment, but in addition to this, the positioning of auxiliary infantry is no longer dispensable.

The spearmen, who had the lowest quality requirements and relatively the highest risks, were composed of the Parfis and a small number of provincial residents recruited locally. They numbered less than three thousand and were responsible for maintaining the front lines on battlefields that were less intense and relatively static. They were considered "consumables."

Skirmishers using projectile weapons such as short bows, slings, and simple javelins are still retained, but their number has been reduced to around two thousand. Too many of these people are useless, the level of productivity is getting higher and higher, the armor and horse riding rates of the troops are also increasing, strong bows and crossbows are also being developed by people all over the world, and their room for display is being compressed. Although they will not disappear completely, too many of these skirmishers are not a good choice. This is a problem recognized by Orville and Tia.

The legionary infantry is still the blade of attack and the strongest shield of defense. Their technical and tactical level is good enough, their equipment is versatile, and their organization is flexible and mobile. They can deal with almost all emergencies on the battlefield. Orville will deploy them in places where the war is really fierce, and at the same time reserve the legionnaires as reserves and mobile forces.

The cavalry was not well equipped, mainly light cavalry, plus some Gauls, numbering less than a thousand, barely enough, but not strong. Finally, the long-range force we are discussing now. According to the plan, there will be about 1,500 people using large-pound single wooden bows, and the remaining 500 will use crossbows. The ideal state is to replace all of them with crossbows, but the craftsmen are not familiar with this thing, and the workload is too much, so we can only partially meet the requirements first, a little bit is better, and see the difference between the two.

The scope of military reform was limited to Orville's own Ninth Legion. Orville changed the acting commander of the legion to Belisarius, because Belisarius understood his reform ideas better than old Trajan. Orville's private legion was handed over to Stilicho, who was a perfect choice with neither merits nor demerits. He was highly qualified and decisive, and would not be a drag in any way. It was a good opportunity to exercise his abilities.

The army has more or less some habits of ranking by seniority. Old Trajan was the man sent by Vespa to tutor Orville. Now his nominal position has become tutoring Belisarius, a newcomer from the Guards system. It is inevitable that he must be a little unhappy.

However, Orville later let him take charge of the command and dispatch of the naval fleet, which was considered as compensation for him. After in-depth contact with Belisarius, old Trajan could also see that the other party had good abilities and talents. Being pragmatic and reasonable, he finally accepted this dispatch and continued to work hard.

In addition to being most familiar with the other party and believing that Belisarius is the most trustworthy, Orville also had reasons for making such arrangements. He was indeed suitable for this kind of job.

In less than a year, Belisarius' military ability increased from 18 to 21. This effect was achieved even without fighting any battles, which shows that his acquired talent in marching and fighting may be really good.

First-class commanders all possess excellent military qualities, but they do not necessarily have a unique combat style, and most of them are not good enough to form their own style.

If one must give Belisarius a military evaluation, Orville would describe him as a "master of bad battles" who has led his troops for decades and has specialized in fighting against unfavorable situations.

This is probably a true portrayal of the strong not complaining about the environment, they take what they have and can adapt to it and the results are generally good.

No matter whether they are local militia, civilian soldiers, defeated soldiers or surrendered soldiers, they can all perform beyond their level and display unexpected abilities in his hands.

Despite the emperor's suspicion, they were able to use a small force to hold back the powerful army of the Persian Empire, and finally even maintained the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire.

With only 4,000 old, weak and sick people, he was able to fight back and forth with the Gothic King Totila, and his military strength grew like a snowball. This ability is very rare in history. Orville believed that Belisarius could be called an advanced form of fire captain.

A general is one who can use the necessary troops to achieve the necessary results. A general is one who can use relatively weak troops to achieve unexpected results, that is, to defeat the enemy with fewer troops. That is why Orville thinks highly of him. He believes that if Belisarius levels up enough, he will eventually develop this ability.

(End of this chapter)