Galon did not immediately learn of Catelyn's decision.
For several consecutive days, he had not shapeshifted or possessed a heart tree.
With war drawing ever closer, Galon had recently been fully occupied with drilling the soldiers of Deepwood Motte and coordinating supplies.
Every day was packed to the brim, leaving him mentally exhausted.
As a result, once night fell, he would quickly sink into sleep, with no energy left to trigger his skinchanger abilities.
Near midday.
Galon gathered all of Deepwood Motte's soldiers onto the training ground.
Excluding laborers, servants, and the one hundred men taken away by Newgate, there were a total of six hundred soldiers.
These six hundred were divided into two hundred cavalry and four hundred infantry.
Because of its geography, Deepwood Motte had always been short on horses. The two hundred plus healthy warhorses were a hard-earned reserve accumulated over many years.
At this moment, the six hundred men stood in ranks of ten, forming sixty columns in total, arrayed before Galon.
Behind him stood the Steel Fist Company, the force he had painstakingly trained over half a year.
Galon walked with steady steps through the hundred columns of soldiers and the Steel Fist Company, with Robett following closely behind him in full armor.
All eyes were fixed tightly on Galon, filled with heat and expectation.
Suddenly.
He came to a halt, turning his back to the Steel Fist Company and facing the hundred columns of soldiers ahead.
"The reason I gathered you here today, I trust you have already heard."
"With war approaching, I will select five captains of hundred-man units from among you for formation and drill training."
As Galon's words fell, a low buzz spread across the training ground.
The soldiers grew visibly excited, their eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at Galon, hoping he would choose them as captains of hundred-man units.
Their excitement was understandable.
In this noble-dominated age, where paths of advancement were extremely narrow, most soldiers would remain ordinary soldiers until death unless they caught the lord's eye.
No matter how bravely they fought, the greatest rewards always went to the noble class under the lord's banner.
As for them, at best they might receive some coin or honorary recognition.
It was the same for them, and it would be the same for their sons.
Yet now, for reasons unknown to them, Galon had clearly torn open a path upward. How could they not be thrilled?
"The opportunity has been given. The rest depends on whether you can seize it."
Watching their restless expressions, Galon silently reviewed the overall situation of Deepwood Motte's forces.
The soldiers of Deepwood Motte fell into three categories.
The first were the standing troops before him now, responsible for defending Deepwood Motte, and kept at around seven hundred year-round.
These were the true core forces loyal to House Glover.
The second were the levied troops. Once war began, Galon could levy soldiers from the four major clans under his banner.
However, these levies were almost all clan hunters with no formal military training.
Moreover, to ensure the clans could continue to survive in the Wolfswood, the total number levied from all four clans could not exceed two thousand.
The final group consisted of auxiliary troops, responsible for caring for horses, transporting supplies, and other support tasks, numbering around two to three hundred.
In other words, even combined, the total number of troops Galon could truly bring to battle would not exceed two thousand seven hundred.
Trying to confront the Iron Islands head-on with only two thousand seven hundred men would be nothing short of suicide.
Therefore, before the war began, Galon had to do everything possible to increase his side's chances of victory, such as cultivating an officer corps through the Steel Fist Company and developing composite bows.
Now, while war had yet to begin, Galon intended to use the Steel Fist Company, which had already shown initial results, to integrate the current six hundred men.
Once their drills and formations matured, they could then expand the system to cover the thousand-plus levied troops.
With new weapons in support, Deepwood Motte would then be able to strike the Iron Islands with surprise and devastating effect.
This would, in turn, lay the groundwork for conquering the Iron Islands.
When the noise died down somewhat, Galon continued.
"There are six hundred men here. Each column has ten men, which means each column will have one squad leader.
Every member of the Steel Fist Company behind me will compete alongside one column of ten men for the position of squad leader."
A wave of commotion broke out.
The six hundred men grew even more restless, many turning their gazes toward the Steel Fist Company and whispering among themselves.
Galon swept his eyes across the field with authority, suppressing the agitation, then began to explain the rules.
"The rules are simple. From each column of ten, the strongest individual will be selected to fight the assigned member of the Steel Fist Company.
Whoever wins becomes the squad leader.
As for the hundred-man captains, they will be chosen from among the squad leaders."
"Any objections?"
As soon as Galon finished speaking, the crowd roared in unison.
"No objections!"
Some even shouted excitedly, "If we can't even beat a bunch of greenhorns, we might as well go home and nurse babies!"
The six hundred men burst into laughter.
The Steel Fist Company did not take it lying down. Someone sneered, "If you're old, just admit defeat. Otherwise, you might end up with broken ribs and need someone to set them!"
"Haha!"
The rest of the Steel Fist Company laughed loudly, and even Ghost let out a couple of barks to cheer Jon on.
This immediately enraged the soldiers opposite them.
Insults flew back and forth, voices overlapping.
In an instant, the training ground became a noisy mess.
The contest had not even begun, yet both sides were already bristling with hostility.
Galon did not stop the exchange of harsh words. Instead, he thought silently.
'The Steel Fist Company is something I personally trained, but they are still too young.'
'Assigning them directly as leaders would only breed resentment among these soldiers.'
'They need to prove themselves through combat. That way, victory and defeat will speak for themselves, and everyone will accept the outcome.'
As for whether the Steel Fist Company could defeat these soldiers, Galon was not worried.
While some members excelled more at strategy than personal combat, Galon had already arranged appropriate opponents for them.
With their abilities, as long as they did not act carelessly, victory should come easily.
If they still lost under those conditions, then Galon would simply abandon them.
The opportunity had been given. If they could not seize it, they had no one to blame but themselves.
After a brief consideration, seeing no issues, Galon clapped his hands, forcing the noise to subside.
"Now, begin forming teams!"
"Shanks, step forward!"
Galon looked toward the Steel Fist Company behind him. A well-built red-haired youth with a carefree smile stepped out.
"You will compete against the first column on the left!"
Shanks nodded and walked straight toward the first column.
"Jon Snow, step forward!"
"You will compete against the second column!"
"..."
The roll call continued for a full half hour.
By the time all sixty columns had been assigned, it was already time to eat.
Galon glanced at the forty-plus members of the Steel Fist Company who remained.
Some of them would be assigned to Mihawk's archer unit, which Galon would personally command.
Others were blood relatives of clan chiefs and would be placed under Robett's command.
Once the levied troops arrived, Robett would take unified responsibility for managing and assigning them.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Galon took a deep breath and called out loudly.
"Silence!"
"Starting with the first column, we will now begin the competition for the first squad leader!"
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