Although Field Marshal Greyward did not give any rewards or commendations to Byron for fighting during this time, Byron did make a real profit.

Of course, they also paid a certain price. The merchants who traded on the border between the two sides had some complaints about the peony mercenaries, and the nobles in the north of Rhodok hated the peony mercenaries to the core, and they always wanted to eradicate these nasty mercenaries.

Before the Earl of Claes made Byron a knight, King Griffos had considered poaching these mercenaries and privately found someone to send a letter to Byron. But many lords got in the way, so much so that the king's final offer was ridiculously poor.

What Byron wanted most was a title and fief of nobility, but Rhodoc had no intention of giving it to him. A little dinar plus the position of an officer Byron would not be satisfied, so he did not agree to the other party's request.

However, the Earl of Greyward and later became aware of this, which indirectly contributed to the awarding of Byron's knighthood.

Among the ordinary knights of Svadia, Byron can be said to be the most powerful one. Not only rich, but also with five hundred fully equipped soldiers.

Moreover, Byron's estates in Dehrim and Zhivacheze continued to make money for him, and even if his army and cash were gone, he could still live a leisurely squire life with these incomes and knightly titles.

Temporarily away from the troubles of war, and with the salaries from the Svadian Kingdom and the booty captured by the war, the Peony mercenaries were in Uxhall for a while.

Especially the peony cavalry, their hard work has been rewarded enough. Capture the fewest hired riders, and resell the loot to make enough money to buy a new scale armor. Kenla alone received 600 dinars, which was rare even when he was in charge of more than a hundred mercenary cavalry.

Most of the mercenaries threw silver coins on the tavern tables and the bellies of the women in the brothels, and they were lavish in their houses, eating and drinking extravagantly, and even the defenders of the city were very jealous. Their expenses were so great that they even alarmed many nobles and the consuls of the city.

It's also a good thing for cities, as long as they don't get into trouble, then this year's tax revenue can go up a whole level.

So when Byron discussed recruiting soldiers with the consul, who was called the mayor of the town by the common residents, the consul also relaxed Byron's conditions.

Originally, Byron's authority was only to recruit soldiers in the domains of the Earl of Claes and King Harlaus, but the lord of Uxhall, Count DiLinald, was also on the king's side, so he allowed Byron to recruit soldiers in the city, as long as those people did not swear allegiance to other masters.

In the past few days, the generous actions of the Peony mercenaries have attracted the attention of many people, and the "heroic deeds" of the newly decorated legal knight von Byron on the border of Rhodok have also spread among the citizens.

So when Byron semi-openly recruited soldiers in taverns and residential quarters, many people came to sign up, including those who were trained or who could buy their own equipment.

This time, Byron planned to change his mind, and he recruited these soldiers in the name of knights to form a regular army of his own and of the kingdom.

The salary of this unit is the same as that of the regular army of the kingdom, but it is better paid.

Byron didn't intend to make all of his soldiers mercenaries, and after becoming a knight of the kingdom, he had to maintain a force similar to the garrison and reserve. They nominally belonged to the soldiers of the kingdom of Svadia, and belonged to the escort of the Byronic knights.

After the establishment of this force, it can not only reduce the burden on the mercenary team, but also replenish it in time when the Peony mercenaries suffer serious losses. If there is a fief in the future, these soldiers can also be used directly as garrisons.

Because he already has a certain strength, Byron also attaches great importance to the selection of soldiers, and the requirements are also very high.

It is necessary to be strong and free of disease, and those with combat experience can be given priority, and if they can also equestrian, they will be accepted directly, and weapons and equipment and even horses can be produced by Byron, but the ownership belongs to Byron.

In addition, unlike the mercenaries, they are required to swear allegiance to Byron and serve Byron for at least five years after joining the convoy. If they run away within five years, they will be wanted deserters by Swadia authorities. So they have to think hard before they can sign up for the army.

In addition, Byron also offered a salary of 5 dinars a week to recruit doctors and clerks in the army, which was not very demanding, the clerk could read and hyphenate, the doctor could understand basic herbal knowledge, and he could give James a hand during surgery. Of course, if someone with a good level is willing to join, Byron can offer a higher salary.

5 dinars can be regarded as a high salary per week, and the threshold is not high, so Byron really recruited two people who know some medical skills, one is a country doctor, and the other is an apprentice in a herb shop. As for the clerks, Byron also recruited three, one of whom had been a bard for a few days, which was a big gain.

In addition to this, Byron also dragged Fatis to find himself a squire or two, which was a manifestation of his knightly status and an opportunity to make certain acquaintances. Many squires and heirs of knightly families wanted to become a knight's squire, creating opportunities for themselves to become knights in the future.

Byron recruited soldiers for five days, and after selection, 32 men joined the newly formed convoy, of which 12 citizens who had combat experience and were relatively well trained were judged by the system to be Svadia light infantry after wearing the chainmail shirts issued to them by Byron. Other strong, poorly trained soldiers also wore soft and cotton armor and were judged to be Swadia militia.

Byron had John and several other mercenaries take the newly recruited convoy soldiers to the bandit camp that Byron had previously occupied, with Sergeant Myers as the captain of the convoy, and the other 20 soldiers in the camp were also incorporated into the convoy for training by him.

Desai and Bandak felt that this was completely superfluous, and Kress even thought that the plan was a bit stupid. In their view, Byron's forcible division of the army into two parts did not only decentralize the command and indirectly create contradictions between the two forces?

However, Fatis knew Byron's thoughts, and he knew that his captain would not be willing to be a knight, and he would not be willing to be controlled by a noble lord. So he must have a force of his own, which can be used to correspond to those obligations in peacetime.

And because the peony mercenaries do not belong to the kingdom establishment, they are not restrained. As soon as the kingdom's mercenary contract ends, as long as the Peony mercenaries do not endanger the safety of the nobles of the Swadia Kingdom, they can accept various tasks and help Byron do many things that the regular army cannot do.

In fact, other Swadian nobles will also control and support some mercenaries and even bandits, which are used to eradicate dissidents and suppress competitors. Byron's behavior was no different from theirs.