Chapter 10: House Clemp Will Reclaim the Old Lands
*Crack, crack...*
*Whizz, whizz!*
The Thorn Corps, 120 strong, unleashed a volley of arrows, the whistling sound ceaseless in their ears.
*Thwack!*
*Thwack! Thwack!*
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
A black rain of arrows descended from the sky, continuously piercing the advancing Wildlings, who fell screaming, their wails echoing everywhere.
The Wildling chiefs had never witnessed such long-range arrow volleys. In their terror, they roared even louder, constantly urging their Wildlings to quicken their pace.
Knight Ma gazed at the death zone created by the Thorn Corps' volley about a hundred meters in front of their formation, a sight that secretly shocked him.
After a period of rapid, continuous volleys, Glyn distinctly felt the Thorn Corps' rate of arrow fire slow down.
After over 200 Wildlings fell in the continuous volley, the Wildlings began to fall into disarray. A small portion of them, heedless of their chiefs' shouts, screamed and fled backward.
After another few dozen fell, the Wildlings' ranks completely broke. Glyn decisively ordered the arrow fire to cease.
Knight Ma commanded the 200 House Clemp soldiers (main weapons: shields, longswords, longspears) holding the line to advance towards the scattered Wildlings.
The House Clemp soldiers strode forward with unified shouts, their momentum like a torrent.
The House Clemp soldiers had an average of over ten years of service, each one a veteran who had survived a hundred battles.
The House Clemp soldiers were elite warriors who, since Glyn's mother's time, had survived years of constant warfare with the Mountain Clansmen. They were the foundation of House Clemp.
As the House Clemp soldiers advanced with unified strides, the Wildlings, their courage already shattered, grew even more terrified and chaotic.
Occasionally, a few chiefs gathered some men and charged towards the House Clemp formation, but they were instantly swallowed.
In Glyn's view, these Wildlings waiting to be slaughtered or captured were all his future subjects. Based on their performance today, the moniker 'Wildlings' was indeed fitting.
To manage these Wildlings in the future, Glyn's only method was a strict legal code.
Glyn sighed inwardly, thinking that in the future, regulations might even dictate which foot a man should step out the door with first.
The game of thrones was about to begin. Military strength was the true foundation. To achieve results quickly, Clemp Territory could become a vast army camp for all its people.
Glyn had confirmed the development path suitable for his territory and no longer hesitated.
***
The Thorn Corps had only been established for a few days, yet they were able to complete continuous volleys. Their performance today was truly astonishing, and Alpasia had indeed displayed her talent for commanding troops.
While the Thorn Corps was resting, some 'spear-women' directly... it triggered a chain reaction. Glyn didn't know how to describe it, only that it was too hot, *bare-chested*?
A expanse of pale flesh met his eyes, and Glyn intuitively sensed the physical attributes of the Clemp Territory's 'spear-women'... large.
As Glyn's gaze followed, Alpasia, standing solemnly beside him, also noticed the situation. Thinking of something, her cheeks flushed crimson.
Some of the 'spear-women' who noticed Glyn's gaze, instead, stared back boldly and even more daringly puffed out their chests.
If he were in his previous life, Glyn might have whistled and even given a thumbs up.
A lord needed to pay attention to his image. This was a memory from Glyn's original body's mother's teachings. At that moment, Glyn very much agreed. Moreover, in Westeros, a thumbs-up does not signify praise.
Unfamiliar gestures could easily be misinterpreted. In Clemp Territory, men must learn to protect themselves!
Glyn simply showed a slight smile, his gaze naturally shifting elsewhere.
It was hard to explain to her why soldiers needed to pay attention to their image. Besides, it wasn't the right time to discuss such things.
Glyn thought that in the future, he would add the issue of soldier's image to their training content. Over time, everyone would get used to it.
The Thorn Corps rested for a while. Under Glyn's command, they joined the Clan Soldiers in pursuing the scattered Wildlings.
***
Knight Pell's Scouting Party had already taken down a tribal encampment. The initial battle was extremely successful; in a surprise attack, only a few people suffered minor injuries, with no fatalities.
The Scouting Party had massacred over 300 people in the first captured tribal encampment.
Mountain Clansmen relied on hunting and gathering wild fruits for a living. The main spoils of war were pelts and dried meat. The Scouting Party could only find a small basket of gold dragons in the tribal chief's tent, numbering a dozen or so, fewer than twenty.
The spoils were immediately loaded onto the backs of the captives. Knight Pell ordered the tribal encampment's dwellings to be burned.
They then executed a portion of the captives on the spot. When the burning encampment incited resistance among the captives, the Scouting Party dispatched 20 men to escort these captives to the territory.
Knight Pell said to the small captain escorting the captives: "Someone will receive the captives near the territory. If you get hungry, you can chew on dried meat, but you cannot stop. After handing over the captives, return directly to rejoin me. Be careful on the road. I will wait for you at the second tribal encampment."
"If the captives show any unusual movements on the way, kill them immediately without hesitation."
Knight Pell finished his instructions, patted the small captain's shoulder, and finally said: "Go."
Knight Pell continued until nightfall, finally resolving three large tribal encampments.
The Scouting Party rested directly at the third tribal encampment. The next day, they returned to the territory with the captives and spoils.
During their return to the territory, the Scouting Party encountered a few scattered groups of Wildlings and captured a few dozen more.
The Scouting Party's first battle resulted in 23 casualties.
***
After two days of simple reorganization, the soldiers of House Clemp, divided into groups of 30-50, began to systematically attack the remaining small tribal encampments.
All the captives were escorted to Clemp Territory. All the dwellings of the Wildling tribal encampments were burned.
Knight Ma personally escorted the last batch of captives back. He happened to see Steward Hershel, belly bulging and smiling gleefully, standing in front of the warehouse door.
Knight Ma was also in a good mood and joked, "Old fellow, your mood seems pretty good."
Steward Hershel still smiled and replied: "Good day, Knight Ma. The warehouse is almost full of pelts; it's been a long time since we've been this prosperous."
Knight Ma said emotionally: "Indeed. The lord seems to be born for war. The Wildlings haven't even gotten close to us, yet the Thorn Corps' volleys have already slaughtered them. This is the first time we've had so few casualties."
"Hershel, I have no doubt about the lord's decision to reclaim House Clemp's Old Lands. I am full of confidence."
"Yes, Knight, I am also full of confidence. House Clemp will ultimately reclaim its Old Lands!"
"Knight, go in and prepare. For tonight's victory feast, Surana and I have prepared for several days. It will be very, very lavish. Tonight, we can drink to our heart's content."
***
Light Whisper City, inside the Lord's Study.
Glyn, Maester Al, and Kalina had more or less tallied the spoils from this battle.
There were a total of over 2,500 captives, with the elderly, weak, women, and children numbering almost 700.
Of the remaining 1,800-plus people, 1,200 were women—truly more women than men.
To prevent the captives from colluding, they first had to be completely dispersed. Each person's immediate surroundings had to be mostly made up of individuals from unfamiliar tribal encampments.
To smoothly absorb this population, careful arrangements were needed. There was no rush; everything was for stability.
Once dispersed, they would be sent in batches to various labor assignments across the territory.
Initially, all military corps needed to cooperate with peace officers for supervision and deterrence.
Glyn leaned tiredly against the back of his chair.
He was indeed tired, but Glyn's mood was very happy. With the captives filling the labor force, Clemp Territory could free up a large portion of its able-bodied men.
Clemp Territory could immediately launch a second conscription. For now, Glyn's source of happiness was 'exploding soldiers'.
'Exploding soldiers' makes me happy!
(end of chapter)
"Access the first 100 chapters of this novel for free on my Patreon. Patrons get exclusive access to 50 advanced chapters, with at least 50 new chapter posted every week."