Chapter 130: Reorganizing the Stragglers and Inquiring About the First Mission

After gaining a general understanding of the situation, Velen abandoned his initial plans for reorganization. He chose to retain the nobles' command over their respective contingents but decided to appoint two flag officers to each unit to supervise and control the troops.

The combat effectiveness of this group was already dismal; if he were to break them apart, they would truly become nothing more than a disorganized mob.

Velen explained the reorganization plan to Kyle, then sat aside to wait quietly.

Seizing this valuable opportunity, Kyle began the step-by-step reorganization of the 3,200 men, simultaneously arranging suitable personnel to serve as flag officers.

From initial awkwardness to final composed execution, the entire process took only five hours.

"My Lord."

Velen took the roster from Kyle, which listed all officers from the squad level and above.

The 800 men of his original force were designated as the First Battalion of the 13th Transport Regiment. The remaining 3,200 were organized into the Second Battalion, the Third Battalion, and the Cocalos Behemoth Transport Battalion.

Except for the First Battalion, every company in the other three battalions was assigned two flag officers.

As for the commanders of the Second and Third Battalions, they were to be led by Imogen and Greg, while Velen himself would concurrently serve as the commander of the Cocalos Behemoth Transport Battalion.

Velen scanned the names of the flag officers on the roster. Most were reasonable, with only a few minor, temporary adjustments made. He then signed his name on the cover.

"Make a copy of this roster for the records."

"Yes, my Lord."

Kyle took the roster and stood silently behind Velen.

Velen looked around the formation. Not a single noble youth dared to meet his gaze; they all kept their heads lowered.

"Lift your heads."

Hearing the authoritative voice, the men puffed out their chests and stared at Velen’s silhouette.

"From today on, you are my subordinates, I am your commander, and my word is military law."

"If one man retreats, those on his left and right shall be executed."

"No matter who it is, if you disobey my orders..."

"You will be beheaded."

The scene was deathly silent; no one dared to utter a word.

A chilling atmosphere instantly descended. Many legs trembled, yet no one dared to lower their heads.

In this camp, even if Velen were to execute them on the spot under some pretext, no other noble would stand up for them. Their own families would likely apologize to him overnight to ensure he didn't vent his anger on their entire house.

"Imogen, Greg."

"At your command."

Two fully armored, imposing Silver Knights stepped forward and replied in loud voices.

"In ten days, I want to see them completely transformed."

"Understood."

After one final glance, Velen departed with Kyle and the surrounding guard of knights. As a commander, he did not need to handle every minor detail personally; such tasks were meant for his subordinates.

The next morning, the camp training ground was filled with noise. It was easy to guess that Imogen and Greg were drilling the 3,200 men.

Velen did not expect a massive leap in their combat prowess within ten days; he only required them to march in step and obey orders, rather than behaving like a rabble.

"My Lord, the copy of the roster is complete."

At the entrance of the tent, Kyle was waiting with the original document.

"Good, come with me."

Satisfied with Kyle’s efficiency, Velen gave his instructions.

Because only logistics units remained in the Basia camp, there were many vacant areas, and each transport battalion’s grounds had expanded significantly.

Passing through the grounds of two other transport battalions, Velen arrived at the logistics headquarters.

Entering a tent, Velen saw Flora meticulously verifying data. He stood quietly to the side, not wanting to disturb her.

Ten minutes later, Flora signed the bottom of a supply manifest and handed it to a messenger to be delivered to the commander of the 7th Transport Regiment.

"Good morning, Aunt."

"I am not good at all. Checking supply data all day is boring me to death," Flora stretched, unable to suppress a complaint.

"It may be boring, but it is safe, isn't it?"

Velen took the roster from Kyle, placed it on the table, and pulled up a stool.

"But I still want to go to the front lines. I love the feeling of battle."

Having to stare at documents and verify supply data all day was giving Flora a headache.

At that moment, the tent flap opened, and Leila walked in carrying a tray of snacks. She smiled at Flora and said, "Alright, alright, stop complaining. I could hear you from outside."

"Leila, you are so thoughtful. You knew I was hungry so quickly."

Flora stood up, took the tray from her friend, and popped a pastry into her mouth with a look of pure bliss.

"Heh, heh, heh, after all, I am going to be your sister-in-law."

"If you didn't have a brother, we wouldn't know who would be whose sister-in-law."

"Blame yourself for being born a year after your brother, little Flora, my dear sister Flora."

"Ahem, Aunt, Leila, I am still here. Perhaps you could save the bickering for later?" Velen watched the two of them and couldn't help but interject.

The two women suddenly looked at Velen, then immediately shifted to an expression of "nothing happened" and sat down quietly.

Seeing the awkward silence, Velen coughed a few times to break the tension.

"Leila, when does my 13th Transport Regiment head out on its first mission?"

"Oh, let me see." Leila pulled a notebook from her satchel and flipped through it carefully.

A few minutes later, she found the information regarding the 6th Legion.

"According to current reports, the 14th Transport Regiment will deliver the first batch of supplies to the 6th Legion in thirteen days. Your 13th Transport Regiment is scheduled to transport supplies to them in twenty-eight days. There are no other missions in between."

"I understand."

Velen was not surprised by this result.

In the early stages of the war, the 6th Legion’s combat strength was relatively weak, and they were generally assigned only cleanup tasks, so their consumption of military supplies was not high.

To his knowledge, there were as many as five transport battalions supplying the 17th Legion; they were the busiest transport troops in the entire logistics camp, bar none.

Moreover, the specifications of the supplies they transported were extremely high, making those five battalions collectively just as formidable—if not more so—than the 6th Legion itself.

Velen sometimes wondered if it weren't for the higher-ups wanting to give the nobles of the Cadro Province an opportunity to earn significant military merit, most of these nobles would likely be doing nothing but wasting time in the logistics units.

"Velen, since you have no tasks for a while, you could go check it out. You can just grab a spot. It's about fifty kilometers west of the Basia camp."

"An auction? This place, is it really..."

"Hahaha, one look and I can tell you're new to large-scale military operations," Flora laughed as she saw Velen's bewildered expression.