Chapter 264: The Lax Border Army
Having crossed the border and stepped onto the territory of the Empire, Owen, who had been immersed in farming in the Northland for several years, did not feel as excited or apprehensive as he had imagined.
Now he was no longer the insignificant nobody he once was. With Hydra’s current influence in the Northland, even the Emperor would have to consider the gains and losses before trying to eliminate him. Moreover, he was not without means of retreat or retaliation. If it really came down to a desperate struggle, the Empire would also suffer. This was the confidence of having the system.
As for other forces, except for the Demon’s Head and the Flesh and Blood Church, no one was willing to offend an enemy who was geographically remote but had development potential. The best approach was to become friends, even if only on the surface.
Owen collected himself and began to appreciate the differences between the Empire and the Northland. Along the way, he first understood why the Empire’s border had not been pushed further north.
The main reason was that there were no geographical advantages past the border pass. The entire Northland was vast and flat, with no natural barriers to defend. Even if hundreds of thousands of border troops were deployed, there would be loopholes everywhere, making it pointless.
The current border of the Empire was chosen based on the terrain. It was not a straight line, but rather a winding path with treacherous terrain that was difficult for both humans and animals to traverse. This was the true natural barrier. Therefore, it was only necessary to build checkpoints at key locations or station troops for patrols, which could save a lot of manpower and resources. The hundreds of thousands of border troops could even be distributed across three lines of defense, creating greater depth.
Recalling the imposing pass he had just seen, as tall and wide as a mountain, and the vast number of border troops, Owen shook his head. Logically, even if he assembled a hundred thousand firearm troops, it would not be easy to conquer the Empire’s border. After all, the Empire was not without firearms, and there were still many heavy cannons placed at the checkpoints.
The only fortunate thing was that although the Empire’s border army had a considerable number of professionals, the long period of peace had led to a general laxity in military preparedness and discipline. Under these circumstances, their combat effectiveness could not even reach 30% of their potential.
Owen was not skilled in military matters, but he was not blind. He could see that the equipment of many soldiers was likely ancestral, barely holding its shape. Using it in battle was practically asking for death.
Everyone knew this, but the problem was that without war for many years, who would allocate funds to this area? It was better to use them for embezzlement.
As for the armory, well, judging from the current situation, it probably only existed on paper. The real situation was something that both the rats in the warehouse and the upper echelons of the border army knew in their hearts.
The soldiers were like this, and the officers were even too lazy to come to work. Those on patrol were slightly better, showing up once every three to five days. The officers guarding the pass were much more comfortable. Firstly, there was no shortage of commercial and entertainment options nearby. Secondly, being within the pass was safe enough, so it was common for them to be absent for ten days or half a month.
As for military training, it was perfunctory from top to bottom, with only a small number of elite troops maintained as a facade. Most of the rest were either on the roster in name only or simply receiving pay without working.
Owen estimated that out of the hundreds of thousands of border troops, excluding logistics and auxiliary troops, it was questionable whether there were even a hundred thousand actual combat troops. At most, there were one or two thousand elite troops, a figure far lower than the number officially claimed by the Empire’s border army.
There was no other way. In the past, the Northland Barbarians had posed a threat, but since the battle twenty years ago, even the shadow of the barbarians had disappeared, making their existence meaningless.
And in twenty years, no matter how long one’s service was, they should have retired.
After losing that batch of veterans, the only ones with actual combat experience, as the backbone of the army, the current border army was merely a shell of its former self. Even its ability to conduct expeditions was questionable.
Expeditions were not excursions. Even with only a thousand people, logistics posed a considerable challenge, let alone an army of tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand.
Once they left their established bases, the mere act of marching and setting up camp would be enough to make many people cry.
However, this was none of Owen’s business. Although he currently had no intention of conquering the Empire and becoming Emperor himself, as the military group closest to his territory, the weaker they were, the better.
With this thought, Owen’s mood lightened considerably, and he readily agreed to the private gathering invited by Ferrier and Solari.
In fact, Owen had long anticipated the purpose of this gathering, which was to form an alliance.
In the Northland, even with the influx of so many outsiders, they were still the three giants. However, in the Empire, they were nothing.
Furthermore, among the enfeoffment group, only the three of them were true Northland nobles. The others were all outsiders who had come to reap the benefits. It was strange if they could get along.
However, Solari probably did not expect that Ferrier was also Owen’s person. Owen smiled and went to the meeting with Charle.
As soon as the three of them met, Ferrier’s familiar attitude towards Owen made Solari feel uneasy. The subsequent conversation further confirmed his premonition.
With a two-to-one advantage, there was nothing left to discuss. The small group of three quickly determined who was the boss, who was the second-in-command, and who was the third. Solari could only smile wryly at this.
However, Solari had no intention of going back on his word. Owen’s strength was indeed the strongest. The elite soldiers and powerful warriors he had brought alone made him understand this, let alone the fact that he had just learned that the unbelievably strong maid was actually a Legendary Warrior.
There was no point in competing anymore. Solari thought highly of himself, but he also had self-awareness.
Moreover, although he had not confirmed Owen’s extraordinary background like the envoy mission, Solari still had some suspicions and vaguely sensed Owen’s inexplicable confidence.
Most importantly, Solari understood Ferrier. Unless someone was several times stronger than her, she would not have such a good attitude.
As soon as the three-person group was formed, Owen saw Marquis Bergasos’s meaningful look the next day. He had obviously noticed something from Solari and Ferrier’s attitude towards him. However, Owen simply smiled back. After all, those who understood, understood. No one would directly ask about it.
In fact, the alliance of Owen, Ferrier, and Solari was not an isolated case, but a beginning. The other members of the enfeoffment group were also testing and communicating with each other. However, the relationships between them were too complex, unlike the simple situation of Owen’s group, or rather, they had no choice. Therefore, it was still early for them to successfully form alliances.
As they were traveling on the official road, and most of them were cavalry, the envoy mission and the enfeoffment group progressed at a considerable speed, covering over a hundred miles a day.
This was not the desolate and empty Northland. Even in the border region of the Empire, there was no shortage of towns along the official road. With the privileges of the envoy mission, their journey was smooth, and they only needed to focus on traveling, so naturally, their speed was fast.
Traveling at such a fast pace, it was inconvenient for Owen to even inquire about intelligence along the way. He could only be patient for now.
However, even with horses and carriages, they could not withstand such a fast pace. After passing the border and gradually approaching the heartland of the Empire, the envoy mission slowed down. Naturally, the enfeoffment group following them also slowed down, giving Owen time to organize his findings along the way.
