Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 468 New Chivalry

After a full day of marching, the Northern Army found a camping site not far from a water source before it got completely dark.

Dickinson sat somewhat stiffly beside the huge campfire, watching the soldiers around him busying themselves in an orderly manner.

The young officer named Wayne came over and handed him a heavy metal box. He said politely, "Mr. Knight, field operations are short of supplies. Please make do with these emergency rations for the march."

The chief knight took the box in a daze, and after touching it, he realized that it was not made of ordinary iron sheets, but was actually made of fine steel pressed into a thin sheet... Such precious steel was not used in knights' armor and weapons, but was used by these soldiers as lunch boxes to hold food?

The rations these civilian soldiers received when they went out to fight were nothing more than dry and hard bran cakes or dried bacon, which was not even one thousandth of the value of this lunch box. It was simply a bizarre act of putting the cart before the horse.

But when he completely opened the steel lunch box and saw the hot and sumptuous food in front of him, he fell into silence - a simple staple food and side dishes, including two slices of grilled pork chops with thick oil edges, half a fried fish that was slightly dried but still golden in color, some easy-to-preserve root vegetables that were actually fried in honey, and some dry bread slices that were obviously baked with refined flour... There was a little extra space in the corner of the lunch box, and a few milky white lumps were stuffed in. Dickinson picked up a tiny bit of it with some curiosity and put it in his mouth. It turned out to be malt sugar with the aroma of milk.

He couldn't help but swallow his saliva secretly, and immediately felt ashamed of his behavior that violated the spirit of chivalry.

He subconsciously raised his head and found that Captain Wayne, who had just brought him food, had already walked away on his own, as if he didn't take him, the chief knight, seriously at all.

However, Ivan, another young officer who had been gentle to him along the way, sat down next to him with a food box made of the same material and a smile on his face. Dickinson remembered that the other party's position was very strange, called "political guidance".

"Captain Ivan, with all due respect... there's no need to provide such sumptuous food to a captive like me."

Ivan smiled and said, "It's just marching rations. How can it be that rich? Everyone eats the same thing. You are not treated differently..."

Dickinson's mouth dropped open in astonishment. He pointed at the lunch box in his hand and said dryly, "This...is this your ordinary marching rations? All the soldiers eat the same thing?"

Ivan seemed to have misunderstood him and explained with some pride, "Why? Are you surprised by our food preservation technology? This is not a military secret. I can tell you... The food you see now is all sealed in tin cans and transported from the northern border to the front line, but it tastes as fresh as if you bought it just from the market yesterday. Isn't it amazing?"

Although it was a bit exaggerated, Dickinson had to admit that these so-called "canned rations" were indeed a hundred times more delicious than bran cakes and bacon. He was also surprised that the other party would spend huge amounts of money just to let their soldiers eat the freshest and most delicious food possible.

He seemed to vaguely understand why this army, composed entirely of refugees from the wilderness and civilians from the southern border, dared to confront the Pope's Knights of the Inquisition head-on and was not at all inferior in the battle.

The military discipline was strict, the style was harsh... the orders were obeyed so strictly that he was dumbfounded. After two days of marching, Dickinson did not find any soldiers leaving the team at will and running to the villages and towns along the way to loot and extort.

These northerners seemed to have no interest in money or women. They just kept sending out scouts and sentries, climbing high points along the way to scribble on the map, and after setting up camp at night, the officers gathered in the tents to talk, as if only things related to battle could make them excited.

Seeing him fall silent while holding his lunch box, Ivan took the initiative to strike up a conversation, "Why do you always act like a captive in front of us? Even the city lord doesn't treat you as a prisoner. You don't have to be like this..."

Dickinson immediately recalled the scene when he met the King of the North in person not long ago, and his heart felt a little warm.

"The Lord Mayor has praised you more than once in public as worthy of the title of Chief Knight, a rare breath of fresh air among the royal nobility..." Ivan smiled, using Harvey's tone to flatter the knight. After all, this was one of the key targets that the General Staff and the intelligence system had identified as a potential target for "rebellion and recruitment."

Dickinson shook his head slightly, not letting his arrogance show. "Your Excellency, the City Lord, is merely exaggerating. As the Chief Knight, I not only failed to protect the Grand Duke to whom I swore allegiance... Your Majesty, but I even surrendered to you without even fighting for him."

Ivan tilted his head, his face devoid of disdain as he objected, "You're doing this to prevent fighting from breaking out in the city and harming innocent civilians, aren't you? A knight serving the nobility doesn't count for much in my opinion... Only a knight fighting for innocent civilians and the weak is worthy of this glorious title, right?"

Dickinson never expected that one day he would hear an ordinary young officer teach him what true "chivalry" was. He couldn't help but feel a little funny, but he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

Even a low-level soldier of common origin has such a profound understanding of the two most important chivalrous virtues of "mercy" and "justice"... However, those nobles in the royal capital who are blessed by hereditary status and enjoy the glorious title of knight do not pay attention to the code of chivalry at all.

……

After dinner, there was a short walk as usual. Dickinson knew that his current identity was sensitive and he could not wander around the small camp at will. Fortunately, he had Ivan, a civilian officer, by his side, which saved him from the embarrassment of being questioned.

From the moment he followed the army to the border, he was amazed at the cultural level of these soldiers and low-level officers - they had received basic grammar education in literacy and reading and writing, just like ordinary nobles!

After they became more familiar with each other, some officers would even come to him to ask him about some tactics and strategies for commanding the army during the march or when they were camping at night... This really shocked the Chief Knight.

This army was truly bizarre, not only was everyone literate, but even low-level officers who led only a few dozen men had to learn tactics and strategies for marching and fighting... At first, those who came to him for advice were only concerned with simple matters like choosing a site for camping during a field march, but these gradually evolved into complex issues such as the tactical arrangements and deployment of troops for both the attacking and defending sides in infantry and cavalry confrontations.

It was only the third day, and Dickinson was already finding it difficult to cope.

He had always been proud of his experience of leading the Royal Capital Knights in battles with His Majesty the Grand Duke... But now, a low-ranking officer in the Northern Army could ask a tactical question that stumped him, which really made him feel a little embarrassed.

No! To uphold my honor as the leader of the Knights, I must put aside my personal prejudices...

Dickinson turned his head and asked, "Do you civilian officers... also need to learn how to command operations?"

"Of course!" Ivan raised an eyebrow. "The political guidance work will only last for a year. After that, I will be transferred back to the General Staff Headquarters as a combat staff officer. Like all other staff officers, I will be responsible for formulating the army's combat plans and completing the tasks and orders issued by the city lord."

"Can you... tell me how you customized the battle plan?" Dickinson was silent for a long time before asking this question nervously.

Ivan smiled and said, "If it doesn't involve any specific combat mission, it doesn't violate the principle of confidentiality. You must be interested in our unique combat methods and weaponry, right?"

He paused, winked, and hinted, "I'm still a newcomer, and I know very little... If I join the General Staff, I'm afraid I'll gain a deeper understanding, and it will overturn all the noble knights' combat command methods you've learned so far!"

(End of this chapter)