Chapter 38: Expansion of the Army

Returning once more to Ireland, John felt completely different. What he had gained in Rouen was not just funds, but also support and permission from Henry II. Therefore, when he returned to Ireland, he appeared full of vigor and spirit.

"It seems the Prince has encountered something good," Little Roches said to Guillaume. "What do you think it could be?"

Guillaume scratched his head and pondered, but in the end, he couldn't figure it out. "If it were before, it would probably be His Majesty the King giving him some extra spending money. But now it's different, and I can't guess."

Just as their conversation ended, Silvio hurried past them, a gust of wind in his wake. Lately, this purchasing officer seemed very busy. He was constantly coming and going, dealing with countless account books. His team had also expanded, with a Frenchman and two Flemings joining.

Silvio didn't know how John did it, but Dublin had ships arriving every day with money, leaving this seasoned merchant dumbfounded.

Not even thieves could rob so quickly.

With the funds came almost endless affairs. Silvio had to match the money with the recipients and beneficiaries, and also collect their family crests. For this, John even hired an old herald from Oxford to verify the crests.

With the massive injection of funds, it was impossible for the soldiers not to know. All kinds of rumors confirmed one piece of news: the House of Plantagenet was going to take real action in Ireland.

"Your Highness," Silvio placed a stack of documents on John's desk, "this is the latest batch of lists I've compiled. Do you need to review them?"

John picked up the top sheet and began to carefully check. Unlike those extravagant nobles, he personally approved almost all the documents to ensure no mistakes occurred.

Silvio glanced again, and this should be the last batch of documents.

"So, how much money have we raised in total?" John asked as he flipped through the documents.

Silvio, who had just finished the calculation, almost blurted out the data: "We have raised a total of 810 pounds."

810 pounds might not seem like much, but in reality, it was quite substantial. The entire Kingdom of England had an income of only 22,000 pounds in 1183. John had managed to raise such a large amount of funds solely with the support of Norman and Breton nobles, which was an unimaginable number for most people.

Currently, John also controlled the tax revenues from Watford, Wexford, and Dublin, as well as the financial income from Lancaster and Gloucester.

And, John's ability in squeezing every last drop of resources far surpassed that of his contemporaries. This meant that John had a large amount of funds at his disposal, to the extent that he even felt he couldn't burn through it all in Ireland. His main purpose was still to train troops in Ireland, cultivating a batch of soldiers loyal to him for future conflicts with Richard.

"In that case, let's give all the knights an extra day's pay to make them happy," John casually remarked, which was a two-digit expenditure, "then we need to consider the next step of the plan."

Upon hearing John mention the next step of the plan, Silvio instantly understood. He took out a list from his pocket, listing the logistical supplies for John's army.

While John was still dealing with documents, he tapped the table, signaling for Silvio to place the list on it. After Silvio respectfully laid the list on the table, he prepared to leave.

"Don't forget to summon Bruton for me," John suddenly spoke up.

Silvio nodded and left the room. At least for now, this merchant was still diligently doing his job without causing any trouble.

John only spent a moment contemplating further. Anyway, he could think about it when something actually happened. For now, he needed to consider his next move.

Simms had already submitted to him. John could choose to advance westward to Connaught or lead his army north to attack the lords of Meath.

Based on the information John had on hand, he only knew that King Rory's main base was in Connaught. Meath, on the other hand, was controlled by a group of unruly local lords, comprising both Irish and Norwegian individuals, who were notoriously defiant.

After he dealt with them, only Connaught would remain loyal to King Rory. However, those lords in Connaught might not necessarily pledge allegiance to King Rory when the time came.

But for now, John wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to wait in Dublin because he still needed to expand his army.

When Bruton entered the room, John immediately spoke up, "I want to train more phalanx soldiers, at least five hundred."

Upon hearing John's words, Bruton was stunned. "We... need to train more of these soldiers?" His tone carried some confusion. "Your Highness, we can certainly expand this unit, but isn't five hundred too large of a scale?"

John smirked, confirming that Bruton was indeed just a small mercenary leader without any concept of national-level warfare. "This unit will be used in more wars in the future, so we need a larger scale. If you feel your soldiers under you can't handle it, you can select some excellent Irish soldiers to serve as officers."

"The recruitment shouldn't be limited to Irish people; we can also recruit soldiers from other ethnicities."

Bruton listened carefully to John's requirements and took note of them.

"If there's time, teach them some melee skills too, not just how to use long spears. If they encounter a situation that requires hand-to-hand combat, they won't be helpless," John added as a final note.

After noting down everything, Bruton asked, "Is that all, Your Highness?"

John rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before saying, "One more thing: in the future, don't ask so many questions. Just execute my orders."

Although John didn't mean anything else when he said this, it sounded like a warning to Bruton.

Bruton respectfully and cautiously left the room, leaving John alone inside. John stood up from his desk and looked into the distance. Outside the window, he could see the bustling streets of Dublin, the fields beyond the city, and the forests faintly visible on the horizon.

What was his elder brother in Aquitaine doing now?