Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

This period of history was later known as "reforming through antiquity" because these imitations were simply putting new wine into old bottles. They simply borrowed the name of an old system to implement new policies.

Take politics for example, the Republic of the Muro and the Republic of the United Provincials both call themselves republics, but they are entirely different matters.

The former was a noble republic; whereas the latter had slaughtered the nobility, creating a republic of the citizen class, with vast rural areas not included within the republic's jurisdiction.

In terms of the military, they also imitated the Muro Republic by establishing legions, adopting the structure of squads of ten, centuries, cohorts, and legions.

But now, with matchlock guns having become widespread, their formations aside, in terms of tactics, training, or the balance of melee and ranged weapons, the two are utterly different.

"How could our forces be so few?" Winters hurriedly asked.

"Is a little over five thousand men considered few?" Winters' naive question left Antonio speechless.

He explained to Winters with resignation, "These are over five thousand full-time, standing soldiers! Kid, do you know how much money it costs to support a fully professional soldier who does not engage in any other profession? If you want someone to fully commit to being a soldier, you at least have to pay them an apprentice craftsman's wages. This means paying the salaries of five thousand craftsmen, plus taking care of their food, clothing, housing, and travel, as well as weapons and equipment. To be honest, if it wasn't for the need to maintain a deterrent force, I would think even five thousand is a bit too much."

"But what if there's a war?"

"In the event of a war, we temporarily call up reservists. Reservists also draw military pay, so after the war is over, they must be quickly disbanded. Thirty years ago, during wartime, there were refugees everywhere; you could pull in soldiers with just a mouthful of rice. Now it's different. Waging war is burning money. For dealing with scattered bandits and a few farmers who refuse to pay taxes, the standing army is enough."

"What?" Winters was thoroughly dumbfounded, "Isn't the standing army established to resist foreign enemies?"

"Haha, how could that be? The greatest role of the standing army is to deter internal enemies. It would not be enough to rely on these few thousand men against foreign adversaries."

As the conversations between the two, young and old, became more animated, Elizabeth, seated aside, was also spellbound, but Tess was very angry.

She had put a lot of effort into preparing dinner, and yet none of the three others at home were eating properly, nor was anyone praising her culinary skills. She felt very wronged at the moment.

Tess suppressed her anger and knocked on her cup, "Can we not talk about things outside of the dinner table while we eat?"

"Ah, this beef stew is really excellent." Antonio immediately noticed that his wife was in a bad mood, and he hastily signaled to Winters with his eyes, praising his wife's great cooking skills again and again.

Elizabeth, another family member of lower status, also got the hint and loudly exclaimed about how fragrant the beef soup was.

Winters offered half-hearted praise as well; his head was full of the military secrets his uncle had just shared, and he really couldn't fit anything else in.

After a few bites of his meal, he couldn't help but ask his uncle, "So afterwards, once I'm assigned to the office, does that mean I'll only be doing clerical work for life?" He had thought he would be leading troops, but it turned out to be different than what he had expected.

"Don't be in a hurry. Once you become official officers, you will take turns leading troops in the units. Right now, there are too many officers and not enough soldiers, so you have to wait your turn."

"Uncle, was it like that for you when you graduated from the military academy?"

Antonio said proudly, "It was different for your father and me back then; we had wars to fight, so we went directly to the units to lead troops. Nowadays, there are no wars, so there aren't that many soldiers, but peace is actually a good thing."

Antonio paused, then added, "You guys don't need to worry. It might not be long before we need to call up the reservists..."

Tess once again knocked on her cup forcefully, "If you want to discuss these matters, go to the study after dinner!"

Even someone as slow as Winters now realized that his aunt, a volcano, was on the verge of erupting.

Praising the lady of the house once again became the main content at the dining table.

————I am the dividing line that only praises the chef at the dining table————

Although weapons and tactical concepts have evolved countless times, the military structure of the Alliance's various republics still completely copies the Muro legions, as if possessed by the Muro spirit.

Each legion is primarily composed of infantry, with cavalry and artillery serving as independent support units.

For infantry, every 8 men form a squad;

(That's right, isn't it common knowledge that a squad has only 8 men?)

Every 10 squads, totaling 80 men, form a century;

Every 6 centuries, with 480 men, comprise a cohort;

9 cohorts of 480 men, plus a prime cohort of 750 men, totaling 5070 men, make up a legion;

Cavalry and artillery serve as auxiliary legions, used collectively and under the direct command of the legion commander.

The number of artillery and cavalry corresponds to the actual situation and fiscal policies of each member state.

For example, since The Federated Provinces backs up to the Victory Arsenal, the legions of the Provinces are equipped with a number of cannons far exceeding those of other member states.

And the Highland Republic (Republic of Palatu), with its abundance of fine horses, places greater emphasis on cavalry, and consequently, pays less attention to the development of infantry.

————I am the dividing line of legions reborn————

Thank you to social justice advocate Old Wang, book friend 20181013204343295, and longbow expert Li Gong for their recommendation tickets.

Thank you for the reward from the vampire-slaying Lan Qie.

A bow in gratitude.