The Italian thinker Machiavelli wrote in his book "Monarchism".

　"Mercenaries and foreign troops are really impossible. They're really terrible. They'll do anything for money. Don't trust them. If they're competent, they'll be a threat to the country. If they're incompetent, they'll lose to the enemy. The time has come for home armies, citizen armies, and standing armies, and for monarchs to rely on mercenaries and foreign armies is really disgusting. Rome is great after all!
　I'm breaking it down quite a bit. Machiavelli is not a gal.


　When he remembered this, Hercule thought out of his childish rebelliousness.
　We can't have a standing army, so we rely on mercenaries, don't we?

　The Spanish Habsburgs, who had colonies in South America and amassed enormous wealth from their plantations and the Potosi silver mines, were said to have emptied their treasury many times to maintain Tercio.

　Well, Tercio can be said to be a standing army of "mercenaries," which is a little different from Machiavelli's beloved national army or citizen army.

　Also, compared to the French Guards who betrayed the people during the French Revolution, there is the example of the Swiss Guards who remained loyal to the king until their deaths, so it cannot be said that mercenaries are bad and the national army is good. (For the sovereign, that is. For the French, the French Guards who betrayed him would have been better.

　(For the monarch, that is, although the French would have preferred the French Guards who betrayed them. Probably about a third of it is personal grudge.

　As they say, a fool and his shears are one and the same, and mercenaries can be used in different ways.

　Hercule is indeed a Machiavellian and a strategist, but if you ask me whether I believe everything Machiavelli says, I don't. And if you ask me whether Hercule's personality and thoughts have changed much between before and after he learned about the Monarchy, I don't think so. The fact is that his character and thought have not changed much.

　Machiavelli himself has no great political achievements. ......
　This was Hercule's personal impression of Machiavelli.

　Nevertheless, it is true that mercenaries are generally unreliable.
　So ......

　It's a good idea to have a standing army. Galfis.
　I think so too. ...... mercenaries are useless.

　This makes it sound like the Lemurian Empire relies on mercenaries for everything, but that's not the case.
　We do have a standing army.

　There are 10,000 long-eared elven archers and 10,000 long-eared elven heavy cavalry (cribanarius).

　In total, they have a standing army of 20,000.

　It also has a navy of over a hundred galleys.

　Now, do you understand why the Empire's finances were in flames?

　To begin with, a single warhorse is incredibly expensive.
　On top of that, you need armor.

　The heavy cavalry (cribanarius) was a tremendous burden.

　Originally, the Empire had a standing army of about 100,000 infantry, and the cavalry was supplemented by hiring barbarians from allied tribes.
　However, the mainstay of warfare in the future would be cavalry.
　Thinking so, Hadrian III decided to disband the standing army of infantry and form heavy cavalry (cribanarius) and longbowmen.

　Hercule thinks that this was a wise decision.
　This was a wise decision, because it was obvious that the mainstay of the coming war would be the assault of heavy cavalry.

　In addition, the standing army of the Empire in the past was the Legion, an outdated infantry mainly armed with daggers and shields, although it sounds like the good old .......
　In the past, the legion was the driving force behind the expansion of the Lemurian Empire because it was flexible and could respond to any battlefield, but by the time of Hadrian III, the quality of the legion had deteriorated greatly.

　However, the quality of the infantry had already deteriorated significantly by the time of Hadrian III. In addition, changes in tactics made it difficult to fight in close combat with daggers and shields.

　The Lemurian Empire's armies, with their mobility and flexibility, had an advantage against infantry armed mainly with swords, as in the same infantry ......, and against those equipped with long spears and forming dense formations.

　However, as many of the enemy barbarians began to use cavalry, and the invention of stirrups made cavalry assault easier, it became difficult to prevent them with daggers and shields.

　In this sense, we can say that Hadrian III was able to read the trends of the times.

　The only miscalculation he made was to reinforce the cavalry and archers, but he ran out of money and had to dismantle all the infantry.
　Hadrian III was not an incompetent emperor, but he was a ...... emperor who was lacking in some odd places.

　Now, the question that arises is how he prepares his infantry.
　As a matter of course, cavalry and archers alone cannot fight a war.

　The answer is simple.
　Half of the soldiers are conscripted from the peasants, and the other half are mercenaries of barbarians who have invaded the empire.

　The other half are barbarian mercenaries who have invaded the empire.
　The other half are soldiers who have no intention of risking their lives in war.

　You can't win a war like this.

　We have money because of the financial reform. We may not be able to maintain 100,000, but we can manage 30,000 or so.

　Military spending accounts for about 70% of the Empire's expenditures.
　Thanks to Hercule's fiscal reforms, tax revenue has increased by another 50%, so military expansion is possible.

　"So, Galfis. How many troops do you need to defend the empire's territory and, to some extent, wage a war to recover lost ground?
　I'd like to say that we have enough cavalry, but we don't have enough infantry. As for infantry, you need at least 100,000. If you want to be extravagant, you'll need another hundred thousand .......
　That's impossible.

　Hercule shrugged.
　Then he asks Christos, the other soldier.

　What do you think?　How much more of the navy do you need?
　If you want to maintain the status quo, you can do so. However, some of our ships are coming to the end of their service life and we need to build new ones. If you cut ...... military spending, you may jeopardize your sea control.

　In other words, please don't cut back on military spending.
　That's what I'm saying.

　Galfis was unhappy about that.

　"Your Majesty, ......, there hasn't been a naval battle in twenty years. What we need now is an army.

　Then Christos snapped.

　What do you mean?　If we lose control of the seas, the defense of the Imperial City will be in jeopardy!　Your Majesty, the navy is vital.


　"What's a wasted meal ...... Your Majesty, strengthen the army!

　The two of them started to fight.
　Hercule hugged Karolina, who was staring at him with a wry smile.

　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　"Isn't it your job to mediate?

　Karolina smiles bitterly.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
　It tickled her maternal instincts.

　He's really no good without me. ......
　That's the guy.

　This is probably the psychology of a woman who is parasitized by a bad man.

　"Good luck, Your Majesty.
　"If you say so.

　Hercule has no choice but to get up.
　The reason for his quick recovery was that he had managed to press his face against Carolina's chest in the confusion, and had been able to replenish his energy.

　The Navy will not shrink. If we lose control of the sea, it will be difficult to regain it. The army will increase by 30,000. Be patient, Gulphis. And get along, or I will abdicate.

　Hercule ordered them.
　They realized they had been fighting in front of the Emperor and immediately bowed and apologized.

　"Give them a reconciliatory hug.
　"Oh, you mean that?
　"Huh, Your Majesty?

　Christos and Galfis stared at each other in disbelief.
　But they couldn't disobey the emperor's order, so they hugged each other reluctantly.

　"Give me a kiss on the cheek.
　"......
　"......

　They pressed their lips to each other's cheeks in a heartless embrace.
　Hercule nodded in satisfaction as he watched. ......

　"Oh, my eyes hurt. I feel like I'm going to throw up!　It looks like I've seen something gross. Help me, Karolina!

　Hercule said and hugged Karolina.
　Karolina gently strokes Hercule's hair.

　How are you feeling?　How do you feel?
　"Hmm, I feel purified.

　Hercule stares straight into Karolina's eyes.
　The sight of Karolina's beautiful face overrides the unpleasantness of the previous scene.

　I feel sorry for the two of them, being forced to kiss someone they don't like, and then being called creepy.

　For a while, Hercule and Karolina flirted with each other, while Galfis and Christos looked on uncomfortably.



　"Well, the question is, what would you have in your arsenal with 30,000 standing army lieutenants? Do you have any idea?

　They say that it is easy to get many soldiers but difficult to get one general.
　But in reality, it is the junior officers who are harder to get than the generals.

　It is far more important to have good non-commissioned officers who can convey excellent orders to soldiers than to have generals who can give excellent orders.

　If you are a non-commissioned officer in an army of about 30,000, you should be fine. There are always a certain number of non-commissioned officers to command ...... mercenaries and conscripted soldiers.
　I'm sorry.　That's not a problem. Now let's talk weapons and tactics.

　Hercule had no intention of reviving the good old Legion.
　Legion tactics are very advanced and difficult to begin with, and they're outdated now.

　It is not something to be revived with great effort.

　You can use infantry to catch the enemy, archers to intercept the enemy, and cavalry to pursue the fleeing enemy. Or, use infantry to hold the enemy, use archers to break them down, and then use cavalry to break them down with a charge. This is the ideal form.

　Combine multiple branches of warfare to take advantage of their respective strengths.
　This is the basic form of warfare.

　However, in this world where tactics have been degenerating for a long time, such an obvious thing has been forgotten.
　That is the reason why Hadrian III emphasized only cavalry and forgot infantry.

　The reason why the weak infantry of the empire was able to repel foreign enemies was because the enemies were also weak and disregarded the infantry.

　You know this very well, Your Majesty. By the way, you've been on the battlefield many times, haven't you?
　I've never won.

　Hadrian III was expecting Hercule to be his successor, so he often took him to battle.
　And he lost.
　Thanks to him, Hercule became a first-rate escapist.

　But that doesn't mean that he didn't gain any experience.
　Rather, he used Hadrian III as a role model and studied the reasons for his defeats. I know a lot about war.

　I've never been in command, so this is just a theoretical theory.
　It's just a theory that Galfis can fill in.

　The Legion can't catch or bind them. The combination of a dagger and a shield is powerful, but ...... that was due to the high morale and strength of the Lemurian Empire's military in the past. I'm not sure what to make of it.

　Galfis nodded in agreement to Hercule's words.
　This is because Galfis was thinking about it as well.



　The question is: ......

　"It's the length of the spear, and the presence or absence of a shield. . and how to form a formation. ......




　After that, Hercule and Galfis debated and created a new standing army of the best infantry.
　The infantry they created would come in handy a year later, when Hercule was fifteen.