Don't be afraid, confront it head-on.

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

After the demonstration of new weapons, the soldiers were left behind for further training. Paul, Sir Schroder, and officers of rank lieutenant and above gathered in the castle hall for a meeting.

In front of all the officers, Paul announced the appointment of Schroder as his chief of staff, explaining that this position was equivalent to the chief of staff in other armies. After introducing the military system he had established, Paul promoted Schroder to the rank of major and assigned his attendant Joyce the rank of captain, temporarily serving as a regular staff member.

Next, they summarized the reasons for the previous failure. The officers each took out hastily written drafts and one by one read their insights on the last battle.

Finally, the young count said, "Everyone's summaries are very detailed. Basically, there are two main reasons: new recruits hesitating in battle and acting without orders. To address this issue, I have decided to introduce drummers and buglers into the army, so that soldiers develop a habit of marching to the beat of the drum."

"When advancing on the battlefield, soldiers will all march to the drumbeat, neither advancing recklessly on their own nor retreating in fear. Buglers will sound two types of calls: charge and retreat. When the charge call sounds, even if ahead are mountains of knives and seas of fire, they must charge with all their might; when the retreat call sounds, even if ahead are mountains of gold and silver, they must not pause for a moment."

"During combat, each unit's inspectors will be responsible for supervising battlefield discipline. Violators of the above disciplines will face punishment, up to the most severe penalties depending on the seriousness of the offense."

"Bryce, please draft detailed regulations. I expect every soldier to remember them and begin training immediately."

"Yes, my lord," Bryce responded promptly.

The old knight was surprised. Although this young rural lord was not yet of age, he had quite a few insightful ideas about military affairs.

He suggested, "My lord, I have already reviewed the previous battle. Please identify the soldiers who disobeyed orders and retreated without permission, and publicly execute them to boost military morale."

"Ah... I have already sentenced them to hard labor in the mines..."

"Very well, since you have spared their lives, we'll let it pass this time. But next time, do not show such unnecessary mercy. Continuing to lighten their punishment for the same mistake will obviously affect your authority."

"Let's discuss how to approach the next battle..."

After witnessing the power of firearms, the officers were all very excited. Most of them believed that with ample equipment, they would surely win the next battle.

However, Schroder held a different view. "Gentlemen, the Earl showed us the firearms to boost our confidence, not to make us arrogant. Remember, 'Pride in arms leads to defeat.'"

"This old knight truly understands my heart," Paul silently gave a thumbs-up.

Schroder continued, "Gentlemen, I believe in the next battle we must not rely on firearms. We must let the soldiers defeat the pirates solely through hand-to-hand combat to overcome their inner fears and establish true confidence and honor."

"Well said," Paul agreed. Wasn't there a saying from Suvorov on Earth, 'Bullets are fools, bayonets are heroes'? Soldiers who dare to fight with bayonets are the best soldiers.

Note: Alexander Suvorov, a Russian General.

This meeting decided to appoint signalmen and drummers and proposed four temporary bugle calls: assembly, advance, retreat, and charge, to be gradually supplemented as the army develops.

Adjust the daily training regimen to intensify bayonet combat training. In addition to training, establish an officer's advanced class during spare time, personally taught by the old knight, to impart military knowledge of this era, such as encampment, ambush and counter-ambush, reconnaissance, and counter-reconnaissance.

Of course, firearms must continue to be manufactured and trained with, as we do not know the strength of the pirates in the next encounter, and it's necessary to be prepared with essential trump cards.

...

At the pirate camp, the pirates were also discussing their plans.

"Quirk, Shark sent me to deliver a message, advising you all to stop."

"Stop? He's sitting on plenty himself. I haven't even gotten my hands on much yet."

"You've ventured so far from the coast and openly clashed with the lords here. That's quite audacious. Robbing a few civilians, hurry back to Port Frand."

"Taking advantage of unarmed peasants isn't much of a skill. Besides, there's nothing worthwhile to plunder there. We should aim for something bigger. Old Grayman fell into Shark's ambush, causing turmoil throughout his territory. It's a perfect opportunity. Yesterday, that arrogant little noble led troops against us. He's not much of a fighter. It's a disgrace not to seize this chance for piracy."

"Hmph, speaking of Old Grayman, that bastard Shark even killed a legitimate noble of the fief. Isn't he afraid of sparking the collective wrath of the lords of the Northwest Bay?"

"What's there to fear? Old Grayman broke the 'understanding' between us and the lords, disrupting the rules of the Northwest Bay. It's his own fault. Besides, the Grayman family, exiled here, has always been at odds with neighboring families. Some are probably secretly enjoying the show."

"You pirates were the first to break that 'understanding,' running so far from the coast to stir up trouble..."

"Hmph, then why did you come all this way? To uphold justice for the noble lords? Enough talk. In a few days, I'll lead my men straight to the heart of the town to collect what's ours. If they don't cooperate, I'll engage their main forces, while you quietly sneak in from the other side of town..."

...

Nine days later, the pirates themselves came to collect the goods requested in the previous message.

The pirates gradually approached the town center of Alden in their small sailboats. Upon receiving the report, Paul immediately ordered the army to assemble on the shore in a strict formation and sent out an internal guard platoon to go door-to-door, advising residents to lock their doors and prepare their kitchen knives for the worst.

"These are truly audacious thieves. It was one thing to plan a sneak attack last time under cover of night, but now they dare to provoke the center of a Earl's rule in broad daylight," the old knight found it incredibly unbelievable.

"Bad move. We've been too careless. If they trap us with their advantage on the water, it won't be good. We should have evacuated the residents from the island earlier." The old knight deeply regretted his oversight. Initially, the Grayman family built the castle on the island to defend against enemies on land, but today's enemy came from the water, becoming their biggest vulnerability.

"Are there any locals familiar with naval warfare?" Schroder asked, but from the looks exchanged among the group, he quickly understood the answer.

"Then we'll have to goad them into a decisive battle on land..."

The pirates first sent several small boats to cautiously probe not far from the shore. After confirming that the defenders lacked projectile weapons like crossbows, they brazenly began to land. It seemed that after their recent victory, they no longer regarded the local guards with much concern, which relieved the old knight.

Seeing that the pirates outnumbered their last encounter, there was initially a plan for an "ambush halfway." However, after consulting with the old knight, this idea was opposed. He believed that pirates were adept in water and would retreat if the situation turned unfavorable. Moreover, during the landing, encountering obstacles would likely result in them using their ships to block Lakeheart Island, slowly trapping the soldiers and civilians on the island. What would they do then, engage in fishing boat skirmishes with the pirates?

"Well, let's have a straightforward decisive battle then," Paul gritted his teeth and reiterated battlefield discipline in front of the entire army.

Optimistically thinking, they still had a good chance of winning this time. Even if the soldiers couldn't match the pirates, they had plenty of hand grenades and had successfully rushed six muskets. Somehow, they could make the pirates regret their actions.

Just as they were thinking, most of the pirates had already landed and were heading their way.

"Grayman's boy, have you prepared what your grandfather requested in the letter?"

It was that big-bearded man again, his voice as loud as ever.

"Keep calm, keep calm..." the young earl silently repeated to himself.

"Last time you overestimated yourselves, trying to resist us. Originally, we should have demanded a bit more respect. But looking at this pathetic place of yours, I doubt you can produce anything beyond a few baskets of fish. Grandpa here is generous; quickly hand over what was requested before."

The big-bearded man sneered arrogantly.

Paul ordered the buglers to sound the advance call. Bryce shouted loudly, "All troops, prepare to slaughter these bastards today! Avenge our fallen brothers from last time. Forward!"

The drummers began beating the march, and with the rhythm, soldiers from three companies raised their spears and began advancing slowly.

Paul and Bryce intended for all four companies to press forward, but the old knight insisted on keeping one company as a reserve, along with some of the inspectors, for enforcing battlefield discipline.

"Haha... Haven't learned your lesson, have you?" The big-bearded man laughed heartily. "Brothers, since we're in their backyard now, if they don't give it, we'll take it ourselves!"

His comrades burst into laughter around him. "Quirk's right. Nobody's allowed to steal my trophies later." A pirate cheered, gripping a steel knife tightly, his expression growing increasingly fierce and terrifying.

As the two sides drew closer, they finally clashed...

(End of this chapter)