Chapter 327 327-The Choice of Troops
Charles, seemingly oblivious to Howard's subtle move, began to expound his observations, "Howard, perhaps you've not paid enough attention recently. The craftsmanship in our realm has seen tremendous advancements. The chainmail we used to have, at the same price now, can be procured with small reinforced plates embedded within it."
Howard, admittedly ignorant of this enhanced chainmail, found himself intrigued and unexpectedly in the midst of a crucial military technical discussion.
Initially, Howard had assumed Charles was merely overstating the significance of cavalry, but now he sensed an opportunity to learn something valuable from the dialogue.
This realization sparked an impulsive thought in Howard - to invite Resarite to this high-level military discourse.
After all, Resarite was to be Howard's military commander; the more he knew, the better it would serve Howard's purposes.
As this idea took hold, Howard's chest heaved with deep breaths, a physical effort to maintain his composure.
As a lord, he was acutely aware of the importance of his vassals' perspectives.
He could not, at this moment, bring Resarite into this circle without potentially giving the other vassals the impression that they, too, could seize a similar opportunity for insurrection without consequence.
Howard inquired, "What exactly are these small reinforced plates? And what sort of protection does chainmail with these plates offer?" As the servant brought in cake and strawberries, Charles, tasting the fruit, made an analogy, "Is Plate Armor strong?"
Without hesitation, Howard replied, "Indeed, it is. Nobles often survive in battle, even when surrounded and defeated, largely due to the near-impenetrable defense offered by Plate Armor."
Charles elucidated, "These small reinforced plates are essentially miniature versions of Plate Armor. Imagine, if you will, the heart covered not by mere rings or scales of chain or scale mail, but by a solid protective plate. Even if it's chainmail, wouldn't its protective capability be significantly enhanced, especially in critical moments?"
Boshni nodded in agreement, and Howard concurred.
Charles, eating a strawberry, commented, "This strawberry is slightly sour, not as delicious as those from my father's court." He continued with a sense of pride, "Think about it. Chainmail with key areas reinforced by these small plates – can it still be considered mere chainmail? Wouldn't its defense drastically improve in battle? Now, even standard chainmail can be equipped with these mini-plates. Doesn't that significantly strengthen cavalry?"
"And, maintaining a cavalry unit has become much more affordable than before. Therefore, I believe the era of the cavalry is just beginning."
Boshni agreed with Charles's assessment.
Howard held a differing opinion, articulating, "It's not that I see cavalry becoming weaker, but rather the advent of the musket, which could make musketeers stronger than you imagine." He added, "Moreover, for cavalry, while armor is indeed expensive, the right kind of horses are rare and valuable. With such economics, it seems more prudent to develop musketeers."
"If the fundamental issue of the high cost of maintaining cavalry isn't addressed, then their role will inevitably be supplanted by musketeers. As musket technology improves, ordinary troops are becoming increasingly incapable of countering them. Thus, for the current situation, ordinary cavalry holds little value to me."
Charles continued to speak at length, but his words lacked the impactful revelation that chainmail could now incorporate solid metal plates for protection, which had initially struck Howard.
Patiently listening, Howard realized that these were merely Charles's bold conjectures.
In essence, Charles proposed investing more money and employing advanced forging techniques to equip heavily armored cavalry.
However, two insurmountable challenges remained: one was the inability to change the increasing instances of pikemen, halberdiers, and musketeers triumphing over cavalry, with the latter being severely countered.
The other was the impossibility of obtaining a large, terrain-flexible cavalry force.
The funds of the continent were limited.
Every lord must consider how to maintain a substantial army with these finite resources.
It's common knowledge that Plate Armor is expensive, but chainmail isn't exactly cheap either.
Even Charles, who avoids discussing the combat capabilities of light cavalry, acknowledges that without heavy equipment, a mere cavalry unit has no remarkable fighting prowess to boast of.
Pike and other infantry units don't need chainmail, yet they can still effectively engage in combat.
The heavy equipment essential for cavalry units undoubtedly can't be funded by the soldiers themselves.
Thus, it falls upon the lords to subsidize them substantially.
Even more so, if there's an intention to expand the cavalry forces, lords face the challenge of fully financing these endeavors.
The cost of equipping an army is immense.
The Fran Kingdom issued an edict mandating that every knight must possess five horses: four for the knight's use and one for the squire.
The daily expenses of maintaining a horse, especially a warhorse, are substantial.
In this era, horses are categorized into four types: pack horses, hunting horses, riding horses, and warhorses.
Only warhorses, the highest category, are suitable for knights, and they are costly.
A warhorse requires over 25 pounds of feed daily, and not just any feed – it needs a diet consisting mostly of high-quality grains like barley or oats.
This expense is even greater than the daily sustenance of an average villager.
The financial burden of feeding five horses daily is considerable; while a knight might manage this out of his own purse, other members of the heavy cavalry, especially those not of knightly rank, would need financial support from their lords.
Therefore, it's evident that equipping heavy cavalry on a large scale is financially unfeasible.
Given their limited numbers, if heavy cavalry is to be effective, they must maintain a significantly high casualty-to-kill ratio.
However, the presence of pikemen prevents cavalry from charging directly into enemy lines to wreak havoc.
This inability to directly confront and break enemy ranks is the crux of the problem – why, despite the substantial investment, victory remains elusive.
Having grasped the crux of the discussion, Howard politely smiled at Charles from the Fran Kingdom and, holding his glass of wine, excused himself from the banquet.
Upon seeing Howard, Golan expressed his puzzlement, "My lord, weren't you enjoying the feast? Why have you left the gathering?"
Howard replied with a wry smile, "Golan, I've been reminded once again of the limitations of being a lord. They are still dreaming of knightly charges." This cryptic remark left Golan quite perplexed, but Howard patted his shoulder and instructed, "Starting tomorrow, let's not change anything with our existing cavalry units. However, for new recruitments, shift our focus away from cavalry and towards other military units."
Midway through the banquet, an envoy from Castile arrived at Lagusa.
Howard welcomed the diplomat to the banquet hall.
Bosiden, as usual, inquired about the man's noble rank.
The envoy introduced himself, "I am Heede, sharing the name with a historic hero of Castile. However, my family is nowhere near as illustrious as that of the heroic Heede, and I am merely a knight at present."
Bosiden's eyes widened in surprise and he repeated, "Merely a knight?" To which Heede nodded.
Bosiden glanced back at Howard and approached him, whispering, "He is just a knight. His military and political influence are too limited."
Howard pursed his lips, inquiring if Heede was Castile's foreign minister or a member of a regular diplomatic delegation.
Heede confirmed he was the latter.
Howard felt a tinge of disappointment, having hoped for an alliance proposal from the Kingdom of Castile, but it seemed he had set his expectations too high.
Heede greeted Howard, "Duke of Lagusa, greetings. Your military exploits and renowned fame have even reached the ears of our King."
Howard's mind drifted to the words Nora had earnestly spoken to him on her special visit, casting a shadow over his thoughts.
He asked, "Your visit wouldn't happen to be about discouraging me from aiding Nora, would it?" Heede nodded humbly and said, "Duke, your wisdom truly shines bright. My sovereign's full name is Charles V. Habsburg. Moreover, as the eldest son of Fritz III, my king is the primary heir to the empire. Legitimately, my king's accession to the imperial throne and the establishment of a unified rule over Oli and Castile is entirely lawful."
Howard thought to himself, "Another Charles?" He had just encountered the bold Charles from the Fran Kingdom, and now here was a Charles from Castile.
Howard almost voiced this observation as a jest or a joke, but a sudden sense of alertness surged within him.
He remembered his time perusing the library at Fernsouth Castle.
Throughout the lengthy annals of history, King Charles was undoubtedly a powerful ruler.
He founded the vast Charlesman Empire and was crowned Emperor by Leo III.
His achievements in administration, legal systems, military organization, and economic production were remarkable, not to mention his substantial contributions to cultural and educational advancements.
His status in history was immensely high.
His existence was known to all, especially among the nobility.
This explained why so many parents named their children Charles.
Everyone revered strength and power.
To mock someone for this reason would be unbefitting of his status.
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