King Lenord Asput

"You seem to be in a good mood, Lord Arok," I said as my captain strode into the room. This was unusual. There had not been too much cheer in his countenance lately.

"And with good reason, Your Majesty," he said in his booming voice. "Your stirrup invention is working out better than expected. I received reports on three battles that turned into a complete rout for our enemy. I know that you do not appreciate the details of the battles, but our ability to flank and then quickly reposition has decimated the enemy lines. Then, once they begin to flee, we can quickly ride them down and slaughter their remaining troops.

"It used to be nearly impossible to use bows on horseback, but after seeing the stability of our men riding on the horses, General Harkcom decided to try it. I do not know if you remember the Gigket Tribe your father conquered in the Yaris Mountain range. They used a short bow that was good but not as effective as our longer bows. However, the general adopted them for horse archers, giving them a weapon that is easier to wield from horseback. With their mobility, they can quickly fire and then reposition.

"My king, I believe that if we hurry, we can push all the way to the Hitub capital by the time the rainy season starts."

This was excellent news. Showing the people that the war was nearing its end would surely help to erode the rebels' support. People would see our progress and know that we could start bringing their people home within a year—sooner if we could get them to surrender their king.

"We must spread this news among the people. This will quiet down those rebels and boost my position. We will squash them beneath the weight of my kingdom's greatness. I need to have a council with my magisters. Could you please send in a servant?"

"At once, Your Majesty."

Amos

"Congratulations, my lord," Lord Plimgus said as he welcomed me into his great hall. His whole family was there to greet me. "We have prepared a feast in your honor. But first, let me and my household swear allegiance to you."

"Thank you for your welcome, Baron Plimgus. I will gladly accept your oath of vassalage."

After the family had sworn their allegiance, we feasted. I tried not to eat too much, but they had really pulled out all the stops with this party. It was very good. I was getting used to a blander fair than I was used to on Earth, but this fair was far from bland. I tasted salt, pepper, and several other spices that were considered a luxury even in Kimton. The conversation was pleasant and light for the most part. Of course, I had to tell the story of how I became a count. At first, I had been hesitant to tell people, but then I realized that avoiding the topic would only create rumors.

"I am still amazed at your rapid rise to power. Such a young man being given a county is unheard of. You cannot be over twenty."

I laughed on the inside at that. I was once again grateful that my large stature made me seem older than I was.

"It is probably even more amazing to me than it was to you."

"How is Count Vaspar taking the news?"

"Surprisingly well. Of course, he does not think that I will be holding on to the county for long," I laughed. "I intend to surprise him."

Curtis smiled. "I am sure you will. I assure you all of the household is happy for your elevation. Well, everyone but Krissy, that is. She was hoping to be a potential match for you."

This caused the girl to turn bright red.

I smiled. "I am sure that such a beautiful young lady will have plenty of suitors, especially since I plan to help you make this barony prosper."

"Speaking of help," Plimgus said, suddenly turning serious. "A bandit problem has arisen in the barony."

This caught me by surprise. "Tell me what is going on. I will help eradicate the problem in any way I can." I hated bandits.

"I believe it has to do with all the people traveling to your barony. Groups of people are plundering my villages and waylaying travelers on the way to and possibly from Bicman. According to reports coming in from my villages, the number of bandits has begun to swell."

I was ready to kill those mercenaries and that caravan leader. They had spread rumors and caused all this. What did they do with the men I had sent back with them? Chuck would not have simply allowed this to happen. The mercenaries wouldn't have dared kill them. If they did, they would not just be criminals in the eyes of the law; they would be hunted down and killed. As it was, they would probably just have to return my money and pay a fine. If I actually caught them.

Focus, Amos, they are waiting for a response.

"So you are requesting help in dealing with this bandit issue?" I asked.

"If we want to clean it all up quickly, then yes. The bandits may all starve during the winter, but so will my people. I just don't have enough guards. I should have a couple of knights by next spring, but right now, I only have about forty to cover everywhere. I know you don't have many yourself, but if you could send a few, it would be very helpful."

This wouldn't be a bad way to give the Bicman defense force some experience before the raiders come. I was worried they weren't ready for this type of thing, but as Benjamin constantly reminded me, this is what they were there for.

"Okay, I will gather my men and prepare to assist in cleaning out your barony. I will write to Malcomp and tell him that travel down the road in our County is restricted to merchants and nobles. Peasants are to be told they have been lied to and that they need to turn back. From now until things settle down, expect county military forces to patrol the main road," I said confidently. I really hoped we could make this happen.

Kevin, Curtis's son who was interested in my paintings, said, "My lord, forgive me for my impermanence. But I have a request of you." He did not look me in the eyes as he spoke.

"What may I do for you?" I asked.

"Would you be willing to take me under your tutelage? I desire to learn the art of painting."

I looked at both him and his father. He seemed nervous, but his father seemed hopeful. I would have thought the baron's expression was strange if I hadn't been dealing with a lot of nobles lately. There was an ulterior motive here, and it was that the baron wanted a spy. I did not doubt that Kevin really did want to learn to paint, but his father would never agree to this unless his son were reporting on my activities.

"Unfortunately, I will have very little time next year to assist you with your efforts. I, however, will have you accompany me on my next year's trip to the festivities, where I can instruct you. If I end up staying in my county, I will invite you next year to come and learn. Right now, I will be spending all my time dealing with the affairs of my county." I tried to sound truly sorry that I could not help him.

Both father and son seemed disappointed, but I didn't really care. I had a feeling I had enough rats in my county as it was. After a delicious dinner, I was ready for bed. Tomorrow, I had a long day of traveling before I reached the Nore River.

In the morning, we headed off with as many of Plimgus's guards as he could spare. I also ordered Malcomps guards to continue with us until we reached the border. I was really starting to become curious about how many people ended up in Bicman and how much money the mercenaries got. Even if he brought an extra two hundred people, it wouldn't be a huge hit to my finances. A half-gold crown. That would be able to do a lot for a small mercenary band, but for me, it was a drop in the bucket. What was going to cost me were all the extra mouths to feed.

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The only thing that really saved me so far from being bled dry was the low amount of expenses I had. That was about to change, but I was sure we could make it to the next harvest with the funds I had. With the publishing house profits increasing, we may even have a surplus. If I lived closer to civilization, I would have to spend money on all the extravagances that all the other nobles had. Hosting events and feasts and, in general, keeping up with the Joneses. And it wasn't something I would be able to ignore. Not unless I wanted to be ostracized. The fact that I had just a small manor with little maintenance fees also helped.

This was about to change, though. I was a count. I needed knights or to build my own military force. I needed to build a defensible home near the northern cove. That meant a keep at a minimum. That would require a lot more servants to maintain. The cost would be astronomical to the point where I may have to take out a loan. I would also have to host other nobles as we grew.

The fact that I didn't have a wife currently was a bonus, but soon I would have to marry to some rich snob and pay for all her crap. Now that I was a count, she couldn't just have a servant. She would have to have multiple attendants. Needless to say, my expenses were about to skyrocket all because some idiot decided to make me count.

The day went by smoothly, and we began to see groups of people heading south or just camped along the side of the road, looking lost and confused. I had the guards ask people what was going on. Apparently, my people had built a guard station on the Bicman side of the Nore and were turning people away. They were giving them small sacks of barley and telling them that until the baron returned, no one was allowed in. Well, at least my men were doing that for people. I started handing out copper crowns to help people on their way back south.

My men told people I was the Count of North Cove. But that made no difference to them. These were peasants who didn't know who all the counts were. They would just return, saying that Bicman was closed and that the Count of North Cove had given them some assistance on their way back south.

We saw no sign of bandits on the way north, but with a large party like ours, the fact that I was a count may have deterred them. They were not insane enough to attack nobility like the thieves on the road to Kimton. However, some people reported being robbed of their goods. I would have to get my defense force down here quickly.

We made it to the Nore just as the sun was beginning to set. We had pushed ourselves to make it here because I now knew Draves had guards stationed here. What I didn't expect was guard towers on either side of the bridge.

As we exited the forest that was situated before the Nore, we found two tall guard towers erected on the Bicman side of the bridge. They were made of wood, but they looked well made. A wooden gate had also been positioned between the two towers. It looked solid.

I sent a rider ahead to announce us so my men didn't think we were invading. There was some shouting back and forth, and then the gates began to open.

Rick came back and reported. “Sorry, my lord. When I announced Count Amos Bicman had returned, they told me their lord was a Baron. I tried to explain, but they were suspicious. Better than being lax, I guess. There were some new guys I didn't recognize, so I asked them if any of the original Bicman guards were there. Fortunately, Vance was there, and he recognized me.”

So they really didn't receive any news that I had been made count. I did want to surprise them but I thought at least someone had spread the news to them. This was odd.

When we made it through the gate, we found that a proper fort was being built there. There was a barrack that could probably fit thirty people right now. Guards that had been getting ready for bed were pouring out of it as others shouted for them to line up.

I needed whistles. I wonder when militaries first started using them. That would be a great way to give out orders without all the shouting.

I got out of the carriage just as the last of them got in line. As soon as I got out, all the men dropped to one knee, bowed their heads, and put their right palms over their hearts. It actually was pretty cool, even though I felt a little awkward.

“Thank you men. I am proud of your efforts to protect and maintain order here in Bicman. It is because of you that our people can sleep peacefully at night. Carry on.”

I didn’t know what else to say, so there was an awkward pause before Vance finally said, "Rise and back to your posts. Baron, sorry, I mean Count Bicman. Please let me show you to your room. You must be exhausted from the journey. Would you like anything to eat?"

"No, I need a report on what has been going on. Let us go to whatever you have for an office here and have some food brought in." Vance bowed. And with that, everyone departed while we made our way to the lieutenant's office.

"Congratulations on your elevation of status," I said as he, Benjamin, and I walked towards his office.

"Thank you, my lord. It still amazes me that we now have enough men to have platoons now."

"How many men do you have here?"

"Currently, we have fifty. We are under Captain Rylie. He has us rotate with Lieutenant Hale every two weeks."

"So we have a hundred trained men," I said in surprise.

"Forgive me, my lord, but we actually have four hundred who have made it through basic training. Most are in reserve and are not what I would call battle-ready, but they all have spears and know how to take orders.

"Captain Chris and his men are training the next one-hundred."

I had to laugh. Before I left, I gave Draves some names and various titles that I remembered from watching military movies on Earth. I mixed them with the ones they already had here. I had no idea if I even had the names correct from Earth. But I did explain that some men had administrative roles while others were actual troops. I had Draves figure it all out. Apparently, a lieutenant was someone who led a group of around fifty. I didn't know if the role of captain had changed.

"So, explain how General Draves has divided up our forces."

"We have companies of one hundred led by captains, platoons led by lieutenants, and troops led by sergeants."

"We have four companies currently. We are in the third, and the new trainees will be folded into those four."

"How are we paying them?" I was worried about this. Men not taken care of would flee.

"We provide food and clothing for their families, and we are not charging them rent on their homes or lands if they have them."

"Hmm. That will change. After we get things in order, they will be paid five copper crowns a day for a soldier, seven for a sergeant, nine for a lieutenant, and eleven for a captain. That means you will be making…" It took me a moment to do the calculating. "Three-hundred and 24 silver pennies a year, lieutenant. Nothing will be free anymore, but at least you will be paid well."

His eyes went wide at this. I did not want to spend all this money, but it would be necessary. A trained soldier was welcome anywhere, and I wanted to keep mine happy. A noble could pay their men whatever they wanted, but I found out the stipend I told him was standard in most baronies to the south of us. I also wanted to change to a currency-based economy to attract more people. So, regardless of how well the current system worked, it needed to change. Bartering could be done on a local scale but not for those employed by the barony or county.

"My lord, your generosity is…" He trailed off as he couldn't find the words.

"Serve me well, Vance, and I will take care of you and your men. Now, it will be different for those you call the reserved forces—the ones we used to call the militia. They are not full-time, so we will give them a much smaller stipend and bonuses during wartime. How many would you say are part of the reserve forces?"

"About three-quarters. Most of the active ones are here or at what used to be Cove Village."

"What used to be?" I said in surprise. I was now concerned. Had we forced them out? "What happened to the village?"

Vance smiled. "Most are still there fishing, but some have relocated to Barim. It is just that it is now quite a bit larger. It has become a fort and the main base for the defenses along the coast. There are about thirty soldiers and their families that live there now, and the land around there is being drained into the cove. There are many additional workers. Once the new channel for the river is finished, the land will really start to drain. At least, that is what the guys up there are saying."

Looks like we will have a spot for my keep or castle.

A thought struck me when I realized how many people we had that were training to fight.

"Have you guys done mock battles?"

"I have never heard of that, my Lord."

"Basically, instead of fighting man to man or as a small group, you pit one platoon against another and practice large-group tactics."

"That… I don't think I have ever heard of an army doing that. You want one group to pretend to be the force that is attacking us and another to defend?"

"Exactly, it will train not just the individual troops but also all the Lutenents and Captains to think of strategies."

"That would be interesting. I have been nervous about the attack and how many men we would have to defend against."

This solidified the idea that my messages weren't getting through.

"Did you not receive my communications?"

"The last communication we received was from a messenger sent back when you were halfway to Kimton, saying that you had been attacked and Drake had died." He looked sad at the thought.

I then realized that if my messages hadn't reached them, something much more sinister might be going on than just bandits. I hadn't sent news that I had become a count because I thought the reaction to the news would be fun to see. But when Baron Plimgus found out about my elevation in status, I thought everyone must know by now. This made me think something had been going on North of Plimgus for longer than just the last few days. He might even be encouraging these bandits.

I would need to send men south to flush out the bandits. If Plimgus was involved, I may even need to get rid of him. I knew he was a pawn of the council. It looks like they are raising the stakes.