Translator: Cinder Translations
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Led by Claude, the instructors from Alden threw themselves into their work with great enthusiasm, spurred on by the generous treatment of King Rodney XVIII.
For nearly half a year, they lived and worked alongside the officers and soldiers recruited by the king, meticulously analyzing the current problems of the kingdom's army and proposing suitable solutions.
The instructors soon realized that the experience gained in the Northwest Bay could not be directly transplanted here.
It had to be acknowledged that the military practices implemented by Paul Grayman under his command were unequivocally an "elite force" strategy for this era.
With strict organization, intensive training, ample material support, and substantial education efforts, Paul's methods set a high bar.
The last point, education, was particularly crucial. After overcoming the initial phase of forming his army, Paul raised the cultural requirements for his soldiers beyond mere literacy.
He increased educational investments, requiring soldiers to not only strengthen their reading and writing skills but also learn mathematics and other knowledge—something many found unbelievable.
Specialized branches like artillery, surveyors, meteorological units, engineers, and clerks were expected to master skills that seemed highly advanced, the kind typically reserved for scholars and intellectuals.
Paul even encouraged his officers and soldiers to read poetry and watch plays, cultivating their cultural sensibilities.
This approach puzzled many. Why invest so much in a group of soldiers, seen by many as expendable lives on the battlefield?
Even Paul himself couldn't fully justify it. His instincts, shaped by his experiences in a previous life, told him that enriching soldiers' minds, enhancing their education, and broadening their horizons would ultimately improve combat effectiveness.
While he could only speculate about the specifics—faster adaptation to new ideas, better execution of orders—Paul felt confident enough to persist.
Would it be possible to overinvest? Would allocating 50% of the resources achieve nearly the same results as spending 100%? Paul didn't dwell on such questions. Winning several wars with his approach validated his choices, so he decided to stick with them.
Perhaps Paul's deeper motivation was an intrinsic perfectionism. For matters he held dear and considered important, he sought to achieve perfection in every aspect, even if complete perfection was unattainable.
Though individual soldiers were diverse in nature, Paul believed that a disciplined and culturally educated army could embody noble qualities, selflessness, and loyalty.
A well-trained army could serve as not only protectors but also artists, explorers, and role models for society. Soldiers, upon retiring, would use their acquired knowledge to benefit their communities.
Absolute perfection might be unattainable, but Paul saw no harm in striving for it. Even incremental improvements were worthwhile.
As for concerns about fostering revolutionaries, Paul was unfazed. His realm had not yet faced irreconcilable internal conflicts.
If such a day ever came, it would be a failure on his part. Fearing potential risks wasn't reason enough to avoid doing what was right. Proactively embracing change now was better than resorting to desperate measures later.
Under Paul's persistent "nurturing," the Alden army became drastically different from its contemporaries.
This transformation was facilitated by the peaceful environment of the Northwest Bay—a stability that allowed Paul the leisure to refine his methods. Furthermore, the relatively small size of the Alden army made its maintenance manageable.
Things were different in the Crystal Glare.
King Rodney XVIII needed a military force that could not only fight as effectively as the Alden army but also be rapidly assembled on a large scale and recover quickly from significant losses without compromising combat readiness.
Clearly, directly copying the Northwest Bay model was impossible. The royal treasury, even with the aid of military bonds, couldn't sustain such an approach.
The instructors had to adapt their methods, designing a more universally applicable and scalable model based on Paul Grayman's prototype.
For instance, the educational requirements for soldiers were greatly reduced to basic literacy. Specialized knowledge was limited to a select group of elites.
Certain essentials, however, remained indispensable. The royal army was divided into levels—first-tier units, second-tier units, and reserve forces, similar to the classifications in the Northwest Bay.
First-tier units maintained training intensity on par with the Alden army, second-tier units received reduced training as needed, and reserve forces were non-active duty. Equipment and supplies were allocated accordingly.
The king's royal domain was divided into recruitment districts, and local officials were tasked with conducting population censuses and establishing records for all men of service age.
While this was a monumental undertaking for the kingdom's government, it was deemed worthwhile. A system capable of quickly replenishing military losses would prevent wars from being decided by a single battle.
As the instructors compiled their experiences, they began drafting a manual of guidelines for infantry training.
Initially a slim volume, the manual grew over time as the royal army expanded and improved. New equipment, including gunpowder weapons, brought from the Northwest Bay, added more content.
Eventually, this document evolved into a comprehensive guide covering drills, training, combat, and daily conduct—the Infantry Regulations.
While King Rodney XVIII's military reforms represented a step back in quality compared to Paul Grayman's forces, this "scaled-down" version was more suited for a vast and populous kingdom to quickly assemble a powerful army.
Historians later regarded this as the dawn of large-scale modernization of human armed forces.
The Infantry Regulations, along with subsequent texts like the Military Discipline Regulations, Conscription Act, War Mobilization Act, and War Economy Control Act, outlined the foundational structure of a vast war machine.
This efficient system inspired widespread emulation among other territories. Using the Alden army's manuals as blueprints, they adapted the methods for their own modernized forces. Despite variations in implementation, these reforms consistently demonstrated their superiority over traditional armies.
(End of the Chapter)
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