An army is a sword.
If it is used poorly, it will only end up hurting the wielder.
Aililan wanted to hold military power in her own hands, so naturally, she could not simply demand it from the nobles. The first step she was currently taking was to distinguish the Noble Army from the Church Army.
The purpose of this move was to tell the soldiers—excluding the Noble Army—exactly whose food they were eating and who they were serving.
After Gareyas finished speaking, he fell back into silence. A man who could become a Legion Commander was naturally no fool. He knew that Aililan was pursuing a specific goal by offering such a generous concession.
Giving half of the equipment to the noble private soldiers was done to keep those men quiet.
After a moment of thought, Gareyas made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, “40%. I only need 40% of the equipment. As for the noble commanders and generals in the army, I will personally convince them.”
Aililan asked with great interest, “Only 40%? Is that really enough?”
Gareyas began to break into a cold sweat again. ‘Is she saying I’m asking for too much, or is it too little?’
However, he had his own concerns. He took a deep breath and said, “Lady Saintess, as you can see, the only soldiers in the army with real combat effectiveness are basically the private soldiers of the nobles. This is not just to appease them; it is also to ensure our current combat strength.”
Aililan smiled and waved her hand. “Fine, 40% it is.”
“Additionally, there is one more thing.”
“The first batch of soldiers sent to the Land of Fallen Demons for rotation should be returning soon, right?”
“I want to implement reforms for the common soldiers. We will improve their treatment and gradually transition the conscripts in the army into professional soldiers.”
After a pause, Aililan added, “At the same time, go and spread the word to the high-level commanders. If any commander is unable to financially maintain their private soldiers, I will allow them to disband those units and receive replacements from the original Church Army.”
Gareyas’s entire body trembled. He asked in shock, “What? Lady Saintess, are you serious? This… this is wonderful! I’m certain the commanders at all levels will be very happy.”
Aililan was slightly surprised by his reaction. She had expected this policy to meet some resistance.
But she quickly understood. While noble private soldiers were called elites, they were actually a massive financial burden for many commanders and noble generals.
This was because most of the money and grain for private soldiers came out of their own pockets.
Therefore, unless someone harbored rebellious intentions, they would not go all out to develop private soldiers.
Otherwise, it was just spending their own money to work for someone else, which would make anyone feel bitter.
If they didn’t intend to revolt, why spend so much money raising private soldiers?
Aililan was currently avoiding the interests of the military’s upper echelons entirely, focusing her reforms on the middle and lower levels.
Aililan continued, “Don’t be happy too soon. For every commander willing to give up their private soldiers and embrace the Church Army, I will assign them a Monk.”
“But you can rest assured. The Monks will not participate in any military decisions. Their responsibility is solely to preach our Church Dogma to the soldiers.”
“That is all.”
“How do you feel about it?”
Gareyas nodded. “Since the Church is covering all expenses, that is only right.”
Aililan smiled again. “In that case, I will leave it to you.”
—
A few days later.
Gareyas had only just released the news when it immediately caused a massive uproar in the army.
Some high-ranking generals once thought that Aililan was going to discard them after they had served their purpose.
However, many commanders at various levels who were struggling financially were watching from a distance with hope.
Several high-ranking officials in the army approached Gareyas to ask what was going on.
“Lord Legion Commander, what exactly does the Saintess mean? Please, tell us.”
“That’s right. Everyone is in a state of panic right now.”
“I haven’t felt at ease lately. I don’t even have the heart to train the soldiers.”
“Is she trying to seize our military power?”
“The Goddess Lady isn’t planning to burn the bridge after crossing it, is she?”
In the middle of the camp, Gareyas had long expected this. He slapped the table and scolded them.
“What are you all blabbering about? The Saintess is brilliant and wise. Everything she does is to lighten your burden, yet here you are slandering her!”
“In the future, 40% of all military equipment will go to you. What more could you want? Do you want all 100%? If so, how are the rest of the soldiers in my Fourth Wing Army supposed to survive?”
“Any commander who feels that the burden of raising private soldiers is too heavy can disband them.”
“For those who feel their financial resources are abundant, the Saintess also allows you to expand your private soldiers to make a greater contribution to the Church in the upcoming war.”
“The Saintess has treated you well!”
“How can you not see that?”
Everyone was stunned.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
Furthermore, Gareyas had reminded them that Atester was currently facing the pressure of war. It was very likely that a single major battle could wipe out their entire family fortune.
No matter how they looked at it, the Goddess Lady was doing this for their own good.
They also understood in their hearts that while 40% sounded like a lot, once it was divided among so many generals and commanders, the amount each person received was just mediocre.
Moreover, Aililan’s follow-up move came quickly. The first batch of soldiers from the rotation in the Land of Fallen Demons returned.
The Sewing Workshop had been working non-stop. In over a month, they had produced 300 sets of leather armor.
Based on the soldiers’ merits, brand-new standard weapons were distributed along with the leather armor.
This was the first move of Aililan’s combination play.
Gareyas soon delivered the second move.
Under Gareyas’s suggestion, two commanders who were already not wealthy announced that they were giving up their private soldiers. One was a Second-level Commander, and the other was a First-level Commander.
First-level Commander: Leading 100 men.
Second-level Commander: Leading 200 men.
According to Aililan’s regulations, they could select personnel directly from the soldiers returning from rotation to fill their ranks. Furthermore, from then on, all expenses for these soldiers would be covered by the Church.
The 300 fully armored soldiers hadn’t even finished warming up before the two of them snatched them all.
The Fourth Wing Army instantly erupted like a boiling pot. The Saintess was really giving out gear? And it was the kind given to fully armored soldiers who had experienced battle and seen blood?
Even though it was only leather armor.
But who dared to say leather armor wasn’t armor?
Many commanders’ eyes turned red with envy, and they began seeking out Gareyas in private to pull strings.
When Aililan went to his home to visit, she caught sight of various gifts piled up in the corner at a glance. She let out a soft laugh. “Legion Commander Gareyas, I should congratulate you on making a fortune!”
Gareyas replied awkwardly, “Lady Saintess, please don’t tease me. Let’s get this straight—this really isn’t me being corrupt. How about I send the list to you later?”
Aililan waved her hand. “No need. You can keep what they give you.”
“Lady Saintess, many of the lower-level commanders are quite proactive. What do you think?”
“I’ve already had the Sewing Workshop working around the clock. At most, they can only produce five or six hundred sets a month. You can release two or three spots every month.”
After a moment of thought, Aililan continued, “You can give priority to commanders who performed excellently during the rotation and even allow them to buy or sell these spots.”
Aililan had arranged the military situation perfectly.
By turning this into a reward, once the majority of soldiers under the middle and lower-level commanders were primarily Church Army troops, she could push back against the high-level commanders.
She would just need to ask them one question: ‘Why are you raising so many private soldiers? Is the Church’s army not good enough for you?’
As for the loyalty of the soldiers under those commanders? Did anyone really think the Monks assigned to do ‘ideological work’ for the soldiers were just there to eat for free?
Those weren’t just Monks.
Those were political commissars.
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