Chapter 12: Refugees from Varna form an army

Chapter 12: Refugees from Varna form an army

"Sir, there have been too many civilians coming from Varna recently. Are the Ottomans about to attack?" Constantine reported the recent situation to Peter.

"It's unlikely. Even Osman can't fight every day. Let's ask someone from Varna."

"yes"

Constantine ordered his men to go to Mangalia to capture a few people from Varna and ask them. Anyway, the two places are less than 50 kilometers apart and they can come back in one day.

Peter was also wondering in his heart, no matter how hard Varna tried, after all, most of the cultivated land was there, and the farmers would not run away. unless……

As dusk approached, Constantine brought a man in.

"Sir, we brought him here. He ran away from Varna half a month ago. He should know what is going on."

The man quickly knelt down and paid his respects to Peter in Bulgarian. And he might also be scared, so he was trembling when he spoke.

"God bless you, my lord. I am your humble servant."

Peter looked at the man kneeling on the ground without speaking, and said after a while. "Are you from Varna?"

"Sir, Xiaomin used to farm in Varna and came to Mangalia with his family half a month ago."

"Why come here? I remember Varna is an important food export region?"

Upon hearing this, the man actually cried.

"Sir, I beg you, please save Varna!"

As he spoke, he crawled forward, and if it weren't for the guards blocking him, he would have crawled to Peter's feet. And this also startled Peter.

"What is going on?" Peter thought to himself. And then the civilians said something that solved the mystery.

In fact, it was five years ago, in 1386. The new monarch of Dobroga, Ivan, succeeded to the throne. This was a child of only ten years old. The power was controlled by those who were close to Genoa. They sold the pricing power of grain to Genoa.

Genoa, of course, Peter could imagine how low these businessmen from northern Italy would drive the price. Coupled with the approach of the Ottomans and the oppression of the Orthodox Church by Catholicism and Islam, everyone had to run away.

"My kind lord, please save Varna and the people there!"

Peter didn't say anything. He asked his men to invite him down and gave him a few gold coins as a gift before leaving.

What he told made Peter's brain start to work at high speed. Although it was exaggerated, it was definitely not false.

To make sure, Peter decided to go to Mangalia himself. He handed over the affairs of Constanta to Alexander and took Constantine to see another supervisor.

Early the next morning Peter headed to Mangalia. This town is located on the border of Wallachia and was developed on the basis of the 2,500-year-old Greek city-state Keratis. It is also the first stop for immigrants.

Upon seeing the banner of Lord Dobroga, the defenders immediately allowed him to pass. Baldovin, who was in charge of immigration work, also came to Peter.

"May God bless you, master of Dobroga and Constanta!" said Baldovin, making the famous sign of the cross with his hand.

"There have been a lot of people coming from the Varna area recently. I came to see if it was true."

"Sir, you really know everything. There are very many immigrants coming from Varna these days, at least hundreds of people come here every day."

Upon hearing hundreds of people, Peter refreshed Varna's situation again.

"Where are these people located?"

“Some stayed in Mangalia, some went to Constanta and Tulcea, and most went to cultivate the land.”

Peter looked at the immigrants entering the city. They arrived with their families and few luggages.

"It looks like there are troops available," Peter thought to himself.

In ancient times, whether in the West or the East, homesteaders were the main source of soldiers. Some local rulers also incorporated them into the army in order to avoid refugee disturbances. But they are only incorporated without training; this not only increases the burden, but also serves as cannon fodder. But the advantage lies in the number of people, which can give the opponent a certain psychological blow.

The same was true in medieval Europe. They had a lot of it that their serfs used to make up the numbers. However, the serf soldiers were not trained, and their combat effectiveness was really poor. They were scattered when they were rushed by regular elites. Nowadays, when fighting among nobles, it has become popular to use a combination of knights and mercenary infantry. Even heavy cavalry who were trainee knights can be hired. If you use serfs and cannon fodder to make up the number, you will definitely be tortured, and it will also consume a lot of food.

Peter planned to train a group of ranged troops, including crossbowmen and musketeers. Unlike cavalry units, these two types of soldiers are very easy to train and can be deployed in about a month.

he said to Constantine and Baldovin. "From now on, except for the craftsmen, all the people who come here will be incorporated into the army."

This order surprised Constantine. It seemed that the lord was planning to expand.

"Sir, how many people do you want to recruit?"

"Recruit four more phalanxes, and then three thousand people will be used to train crossbows."

Four square formations, that is, four thousand people. Adding the three thousand ranged soldiers and the original army, that's eight thousand troops. Well, it's like Chu Bawang.

"Yes, my lord!" Constantine agreed, and Baldovin also received orders to recruit seven thousand troops.

Of course, having an army is not enough. In addition to soldiers, middle and lower-level officers are also important. Not only do they have to read written instructions and execute them, they also need to make slight adjustments to the square formations or companies they command based on battlefield conditions.

For example, if the flank of the army is broken, the phalanx commanders and company captains see the open door on the flank wide open and need to direct their men to respond in a manner that does not violate the general command of the commander-in-chief. This kind of response is difficult for illiterate soldiers to do. Because they are not good at thinking.

Peter wondered whether he should open an officer school to cultivate talents, but this would also run the risk of a coup d'etat if officers signed up for the regiment. But in this era of widespread illiteracy, the benefits of the military academy are still very great.

As for the cost of training, Peter is not worried. The Chamber of Commerce will be back soon, his estate is about to harvest, and taxes are coming. All of this was done during the autumn harvest season, and he estimated that the harvest would be quite large.

Although some of it has to be handed over to his father, most of it is still in his hands. Moreover, these soldiers will also have land as income, so there is no need to worry.