Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 574 Military Reform
"come in."

Vaughn pushed the door open and walked quickly to Harvey's desk. He put his legs together, clenched his fists and saluted, "Your Majesty!"

As the deputy commander-in-chief of the Northern Army, Vaughn led an elite battalion of soldiers to the valley outpost just before the start of spring plowing. With the cooperation of the navy's ironclad ships, they headed north along the Ice River, dealing a heavy blow to the evil orc tribes on both sides of the river who were migrating southward.

The scale of this mopping-up operation was much larger than the one before winter last year. Almost every one of the 2,000 soldiers in the first battalion had double-digit gains. The ruins of the settlements along the north bank of the Ice River were built into hills of evil orc heads.

"This sweep went very well." Harvey smiled and gestured to a stack of documents on the table. "Pierce went to the Ice Sea Base, and you missed the high-level military meeting a few days ago... Hurry and catch up, and tell me what you think."

Vaughan took the document respectfully, but replied, "Your Majesty, I have already reviewed the general contents of this document on the way back, and I have no objection to it."

The high-level military meeting not long ago was about the formulation and implementation of the second round of military reform plan for the Northern Army... With Harvey's official coronation and actual control of the entire Principality of Saint Valen, the size of the army reached an unprecedented large scale.

In the northern border alone, Spark City, the new capital, has nearly 15,000 soldiers stationed there. It can be said that in a city with a population of just over 100,000, there must be one enlisted soldier for every ten people.

In addition, there are also many defense forces scattered in the other administrative regions and important cities of the principality. Half of the soldiers are recruited locally, and the other half are dispatched from the north on a rotating basis. The total number is also more than 10,000.

For a central principality like Saint Valen with a total population of less than 500,000, being able to support nearly 30,000 unproductive professional soldiers is already a rather shocking thing... and His Majesty the Emperor's conscription order has not stopped.

"The military and I are preparing to restructure the army, completely changing the previous battalions, teams, and groups into regiments, battalions, battalions, and squads." Harvey raised his hand to motion Vaughn to sit down and listen.

In Vaughn's view, as the size of the army surges, expansion is inevitable...Upgrading the battalion headquarters, which used to be seriously overstaffed, to a regimental headquarters is also something that this group of senior officers have already discussed internally.

A corps, the basic tactical unit of the army, has a staff of about 3,000 men and is composed of six battalions, each with a staff of 500 men. Each battalion is composed of five battalions of 100 men, and each battalion has a squad of ten men as the minimum operational unit.

In this way, Saint-Valen and the North will have ten fully-staffed army corps, while the navy, air force and special operations departments will each be organized into independent regiments, and will unconditionally cooperate with the army in launching military operations according to the strategic dispatch and tactical tasks of the military.

"After all, military restructuring has been discussed for a long time. It's normal that you have no objections to it." Harvey picked up his teacup and took a sip. "What about the introduction of the military rank system? What do the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers think?"

Vaughn's spirits trembled, and he quickly straightened his posture and replied, "Soldiers are only required to obey the orders issued by His Majesty, and they dare not openly disobey or oppose... It's just that the new military rank system is indeed a bit complicated, and many people..."

The Northern Army has always prioritized veterans. Soldiers naturally stood and saluted when meeting officers, and new recruits received the same treatment when meeting veterans. However, the introduction of the military rank system significantly disrupted this simple tradition. To advance in rank, ordinary soldiers had to achieve certain combat merits or meet a certain number of years of military service. Yet, a veteran "City Guard" who had served in the defense force for over three years had accumulated fewer military merits than a new recruit who had just joined the army for a year and had the privilege of participating in the Isengard Expedition. A chance encounter between the two outside the officers' club created a somewhat awkward situation.

Not to mention those young people in the General Staff of the Military who have just graduated from academies and are parading around with officer rank, it is hard not to attract private complaints and dissatisfaction from veterans.

Harvey nodded. "I've heard of the situation you're describing. It's fine. Don't deliberately suppress the soldiers' opinions. The Propaganda Department will continue to educate them until they fully understand the true meaning of the military rank system."

In principle, military ranks and military positions correspond directly to each other. On this point, Harvey strictly followed his memories from his previous life...Except for slight differences between different military departments, it is basically impossible for ranks and positions to be reversed within this department.

The Defense Force rarely experiences combat, and internal promotions are basically completed through seniority. As a result, they naturally cannot compete with "new recruits" who have joined the army not long ago but frequently participate in combat operations. After all, risks and benefits always coexist.

Military positions may undergo various adjustments during wartime, but military rank is an honor that accompanies a professional soldier throughout his life. It represents both his qualifications and his military exploits. After retiring, soldiers can still receive a generous "pension" from the military and the government according to their rank. The higher the rank, the more they will receive.

Vaughn nodded rapidly, having already decided in his heart that upon his return, he would immediately arrange for officers at all levels to re-study the military structure and rank regulations promulgated by the military department, and would never let the soldiers' private murmurs and confusions reach the ears of His Majesty.

"Very good... Also, you should already know the border operation plan, right?"

His Majesty's thoughts were so erratic that Vaughn was stunned for a moment before quickly replying, "I heard from General Pierce that the Northern Army is dispatching two divisions, totaling 6,000 men, to Wolf Fang Ridge, on the border between Saint Varen and Isengard, to completely blockade the border area... and be ready to deal with the demonic lizardmen heading south from the north!"

He subconsciously addressed his immediate superior by his new rank, which made Harvey smile with satisfaction. "Then... Colonel Vaughn, is it okay for you to take full responsibility for the border operations plan?"

Vaughn quickly stood up, gave Harvey a standard military salute, and responded loudly: "I will definitely live up to your trust, Your Majesty!"

Then he suddenly remembered...why didn't Commander Pierce lead such a large-scale battle himself?

Harvey, of course, saw the confusion in his expression and explained with a smile, "The border operation plan is time-consuming, and with your calm personality, you're the most suitable person to take command... Pierce has a more important mission at the Ice Sea Base."

Vaughn's eyes widened in disbelief. "Your Majesty, are we also going to attack the second floating island at the Ice Sea Base at the same time? Fighting on two fronts... that would involve mobilizing nearly ten thousand troops."

(End of this chapter)