Reward strategy

The currency differences in the Holy Roman Empire were vast. Since no one had the authority to coin money except the emperor, various monasteries across the land had their own minting privileges.

Because of this, although not usually mentioned, Damian had all kinds of gold and silver coins in his possession. From Nomisma to Solide and even French sou, there was no way to give a unified name.

Nevertheless, offering hundreds of gold coins to reward the entire army was still a wild and daring decision. Starting from scratch to equip a knight with armor, helmet, sword, spear, and warhorse, even with high standards, only required around twenty gold coins.

In other words, Damian offered enough to make five people knights. Throughout the territory, apart from Countess Conosa and the monastery's leader Andreas, no one else could mobilize such wealth. The knights were puzzled, wondering where Damian got this money from.

However, Damian didn't offer an explanation; he straightforwardly stated, "Without a doubt, I know you all are struggling, suffering under the rule of Howard and the Skoke brothers. Many people's hard work of half a year has been plundered. I promise here that one-third of these hundred gold coins will be used to reward the disciplined soldiers. As long as the front line doesn't collapse, and the enemy can't breach your iron wall, these rewards are all yours!

The remaining one-third will reward soldiers who inflict casualties on the enemy. Whether archers or spearman, as long as they pass certification by at least three people and have their names carved on arrows or weapons with identical wounds, they will receive double rewards!

The final one-third will be used to honor the brave knights who kill or capture enemy knights. These are noble and courageous individuals who deserve fitting rewards."

Damian announced his reward strategy to everyone.

To be honest, the knights were very eager for such substantial rewards. Just knocking down one enemy knight would earn them several gold coins, enough to buy a helmet with many accessories or a good sword. However, they also had some dissatisfaction. How could he reward these lower-ranking soldiers so much? Was there no longer a hierarchy of respect?

But Damian had just demonstrated his authority in the castle hall, so no one wanted to come out and protest against him. Moreover, Damian offered enough, so after some hesitation, the knights accept his strategy finally.

Then, the army moved out.

Damian led over five hundred men, and the remaining eighty knights followed their feudal obligations, leading their own retinue, men-at-arms, and peasant soldiers into battle.

At this critical moment, when Damian's army had marched five miles and reached the river crossing, he suddenly proposed, "How can the army proceed without unified command? Since we're crossing a river, why not appoint commanders here and have them lead the soldiers across?"

Damian's suggestion had depth. The Wagner Knight and Baron Kenan understood immediately; this was to divide the center, left, and right, for a conventional three-pronged attack.

"I believe I have some say among the knights. I will take command of the left flank and protect the line for everyone," Baron Kenan spoke, and many knights stepped out of his camp, with another batch joining.

If one observed closely, most of the departing knights were young and strong, with many followers and horses. The knights joining were older, with less impressive equipment, and mostly foot soldiers.

This was because in the clash between the center, left, and right flanks, the left flank was often defensive, and the right flank was typically offensive.

Although this rule wasn't mandatory, many commanders organized their armies this way. The most basic reason was that most people are right-handed, making the right flank more suitable for attacking.

Just like the spiral staircases in medieval churches, all built in a clockwise direction. This way, a thug's right-hand sword would get stuck in the middle wall, and the defenders, positioned higher, would have the advantage of mobility to counterattack.

After Baron Kenan proposed the left flank, the Wagner Knight suggested leading the right flank, which was also unanimously accepted.

Thus, this army took shape.

The center was Damian's peasant army and Conosa's household knights.

Left wing, it's Baron Kenan with a group of elderly but experienced knights.

Right wing, it's the Wagner Knights with a group of aggressive and young knights.

"What are you sighing about?"

During the march, Joan looked at Damian strangely. A commander cannot be dejected in front of his soldiers.

Damian shook his head slightly and whispered, "If my prestige was enough, and my command skills were strong enough, I wouldn't need to set up separate commanders."

Obviously, why have three commanders for a battle of a thousand men?

It's simply because Damian's reputation isn't high enough to command the masses. Moreover, the quality of soldiers from various territories is uneven, so they can only rely on these knights with reputations to unify the command.

Damian himself only needs to manage the central army.

However, it's worth noting that not many knights join Damian's central army; everyone is tacitly divided into two sides.

"One day, I will make you all submit." Damian gazed straight ahead, his eyes sharp and determined.

...

A day later, Damian's army encountered the Schmalen army in a place filled with dense forests and earthen hills.

Damian's peasant horse archers, because of the horses, quickly discovered the enemy in advance and gained the upper hand in the shooting.

When Schmalen arrived on the scene and found that several of his soldiers were dead, he flew into a rage: "What's going on here? Who was responsible for the reconnaissance? Why didn't you say there was a mysterious cavalry force of the enemy!?"

The captured Henrik, of course, tearfully defended himself: "My lord, I did say it! Damian has a bow rider squad made up of peasant cavalry!"

However, Schmalen didn't believe a word of it.

The noble knight master needs at least a dozen years of cavalry training to master the mysteries of group action. This is the basis of cavalry combat. Otherwise, they're just a scattered sand.

How could Damian's group of peasant soldiers possibly understand this?

"I don't believe it! Give him twenty lashes as a warning to others!" Schmalen ordered his men angry.

And poor Henrik was pinned to the ground by the legitimate knights, his pants pulled down, and mercilessly whipped with a leather whip.

Twenty lashes passed, but they didn't stop, appearing as though they wanted to beat Henrik to death.

This made many onlookers among the bandit knights unhappy, and they rushed forward to grab the whips and push and shove with the knights.

Schmalen hadn't expected to encounter such a situation before even reaching the battlefield. He hurriedly intervened personally to calm the situation and only then managed to disperse the two groups of knights.

Count Milhaus gradually realized that legitimate knights and bandit knights couldn't be gathered together, or conflicts would easily arise.

So he made a decision that might be considered either genius or foolish— he dispersed the two groups of knights into two separate teams.