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Chapter 61

For a class like cavalry, it is the most expensive and delicate class.

At the current level of the Byzantine Empire, a cavalry cost at least seven times as much as an infantry - this is still about ten times greater than that of heavy infantry, and in the case of ordinary light infantry.

First of all, as a cavalryman, the individual quality of a soldier must be far superior to that of infantry, and a skilled cavalryman must be skilled in equestrianism and horseback combat, and a person who is good at one skill is always more expensive than cheap labor, and this is the same anywhere in the world.

Secondly, the armament of the cavalry was more expensive than that of the infantry - in any case, a cavalry spear up to four meters long would cost much more iron than a double-edged sword only one meter long.

A high-quality war horse can consume more fodder than an ordinary infantryman's food! After all, an ordinary infantryman can only fill his stomach with coarse grain. However, for war horses, if the feed they eat is not good enough, then they will have no strength, they will not be able to run, and their weight-bearing capacity will be reduced, which will seriously affect their combat effectiveness.

The last one is to obey!

Servant is an indispensable part of cavalry. For a qualified cavalryman, the vast majority of time is spent training equestrianism, practicing combat skills such as horse assassination, acting in queue formations, and so on...... In such a situation, you cannot expect the cavalry to take on the daily responsibility of feeding the horses, taking care of the horses, wiping down and repairing worn weapons, etc......

In the hierarchical system of the Byzantine Empire, the subordinate occupies an indispensable link in the cavalry battle, and the status of a subordinate is even higher than that of ordinary auxiliaries.

Char is a special case, as he has quite good combat power. If he was just an ordinary person, he would have absolutely no chance to become a regular soldier directly. A considerable part of the cavalry started with the most basic auxiliaries, and some served as subordinates in the past and were promoted to cavalry after a period of time.

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To the south of the 13th Cavalry Corps, about two miles away, is the auxiliary battalion, which is stationed here under the 13th Cavalry Corps, infantry escort auxiliaries, logistics, baggage, and civilian battalions

A significant number of them were improvised, before each war.

When you walk in, you will see a group of strong men who have been temporarily recruited working hard, carrying bags of military rations, bundles of arrows, and swords and weapons in long wooden boxes. Each of these people had a solemn face, and next to them were Byzantine soldiers with their swords on the hilt of their swords, supervising with indifferent eyes.

It is conceivable that a considerable number of these men were not drafted voluntarily - a common occurrence in the army.

And even if they are voluntarily drafted, when war comes, it is inevitable that there will be people who flee due to panic.

These people are all grizzled and wearing dirty robes, and after Char arrives here with Kevin, Kevin immediately finds a chubby quartermaster officer. It can be seen that Kevin and him are old acquaintances, and in the face of the general's personal soldiers, this fat quartermaster showed an obvious stammering appearance, but Kevin's attitude towards him was very cold and disdainful, and there was a disgust in his words that was difficult to hide.

The fat officer's face was unexpectedly thick, and he completely ignored the disdain on Kevin's face, and the respectful smile on his face was not missing a cent, and after hearing Kevin's intentions, this guy immediately smiled flatteringly: "It turned out to be a ...... Don't worry, we've just recruited a bunch of good guys, some of whom are good at blacksmithing, and some of whom have raised horses at home, so they will all be good followers. I'll take you to the pick. ”

Kevin was a little dissatisfied: "How can the people who just arrived be subordinates? Can't you find the right person in the auxiliary barracks?"

The fat officer showed a look of embarrassment on his face: "This ...... The task of escorting the convoy is heavy, and the manpower of the auxiliary battalion is already very ......"

Char smiled at the right time and expressed his opinion: "It's okay, the people are the people, anyway, I don't need to accompany me to the battlefield to fight, as long as I can take care of the horses." ”

Thinking of Char's strong combat effectiveness, Kevin was relieved, he reluctantly nodded in agreement, and added: "It's best to find someone who knows a little blacksmith craftsmanship, otherwise, the weapon will be in trouble if it is broken." ”

The fat officer walked in front to lead the way, Char and Kevin followed, and on the way Char couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "You seem to hate this guy?"

Kevin looked at the back of the fat man in front of him and sneered in a low voice: "Hmph, most of these people in the quartermaster department are some moths and greedy rats. Our military funds, weapons and equipment, and even military salaries, they have nothing that is not touched by oil and water!"

Char was a little surprised: "In the 13th Cavalry Corps, there will be such a thing?

Kevin glanced at Char and said with a smile: "It seems that you really have to learn the rules of the army." After a pause, he sighed: "Although the quartermaster department is subordinate to the army in name, it is not directly controlled by the combat troops. All military logistics are self-contained, and they are under the direct command of the logistics and quartermaster department of the imperial army. Every regular army of the Empire, an army at the corps level, such as us, will also have its own logistics and transport battalion, but it will only be responsible for transportation. In times of war, a special logistics battalion will be set up in the theater to be responsible for the unified supply of military supplies for all troops. The standing rations and materials in the troops are generally only enough for half a month, and they need to be constantly replenished and transported by the logistics department...... The army will not let us hoard too many supplies......" He lowered his voice a little more: "This is the tradition of the Byzantine Emperor's ** team, it is said that such a system is to prevent the army from mutiny! An army with only half a month's supply is difficult to mutiny!"

Looking at the back of the fat officer in front of him, this guy's fat ass kept twisting around when he walked, Kevin was a little hateful: "Look at this guy is as fat as a pig, and I don't know how much oil and water he is greedy for......!" However, they belong to the logistics department of the theater, and the general cannot effectively suppress them, so he can only make an example of them when he finds them. But the empire's logistics system has always been rife with corruption...... Hmph, the current Minister of Quartermaster and Logistics of the Imperial ** Department, Count Moryak, is the biggest corrupt official in the empire!!The biggest bosses above are all corrupt officials, and the people below are naturally learning from each other!"

Looking at Char's thoughtful appearance, Kevin sighed: "Don't look at this guy as being polite to us, it's because we are the general's personal soldiers." Moreover, last month, the general just seized an opportunity to cut down a rat from the logistics department directly, we are the imperial ace army, those guys are afraid of the general's prestige, so they don't dare to make a mistake, and the action of greedy ink is slightly restrained. ”

Char didn't speak, but in his heart he remembered what the old guy had written in his book......

The separation of logistical supply from the command of combat units is indeed an effective way to prevent rebellion caused by excessive power of army generals, and it is true that the book says so. But why is this still happening?

"Could it be...... Doesn't the Judge Advocate General's Department care about embezzlement of military funds?" Char finally couldn't help but ask.

"Count Mauriac is the in-law of His Majesty the Emperor, where does the Military Judge Advocate General's Department dare to provoke him? Kevin snorted, and he glanced at Char: "Don't say these words again, so as not to cause trouble." ”

Sure enough, Kevin was right, although this fat officer looked humble and respectful on the surface, he did things with a bit of yang flattery.

He led Kevin and Char to a garrison in the Minfu camp, and looked at the hundred and ten minmen gathered in front of him—these guys didn't know where they had been recruited, all of them were gray-faced, their eyes numb, and their eyes were empty and dull...... What's more, the old and the young, the only few guys in their prime, look clumsy......

Kevin immediately expressed his dissatisfaction and said angrily: "This is the right person you say?"

The fat officer had a smile on his face, but a hint of weirdness flashed in his eyes: "Of course! Don't look at them stupid, but they are honest enough that they will never run away!"

"Bastard!" Kevin raised his eyebrows, and his face showed a hideous murderous aura: "Are you kidding me? I want a qualified servant! How can these guys be competent? How dare the cavalry horses be taken care of by such people?"

"They are all farmers and have experience in feeding livestock, so there should be no problem. The fat officer spread his hands: "I said, now that manpower is tight, I don't have much to do." ”

Kevin was about to have a seizure, and Char next to him was also angry in his heart - the turtle's temper was not so good, he had already clenched his fists to a quack, just waiting for Kevin to have a seizure, he would go up and give the fat officer a full punch.

But at this time, a scream came from the side.

"Ahh

The miserable cry was accompanied by a cry, and when he followed the sound, he saw a thin fellow in a torn robe kicked to the ground by two quartermaster soldiers, and one soldier held a whip in his hand and shouted, and the whip fell on the fellow's body.

The man on the ground, with several holes in his robe, was unkempt and screamed desperately at a sharp voice. He crawled forward desperately with his hands on the ground, but the whip kept falling on his back.

This guy suddenly saw Char standing not far away, and his eyes suddenly burst with brilliance, and he jumped up with all his strength, and pounced quickly, shouting: "Char! Master Char! It's me, it's me! Ouch! Help, help me!!"

As soon as he finished shouting, he was kicked down again by the soldiers who caught up behind him, and rolled on the ground in a ball.

Char was stunned for a moment, ran over quickly, pushed the two soldiers away, and looked at this guy on the ground......

"Is that you?" Char's eyes widened.

"It's me, it's me, it's me, it's Lord Char! I'm Todora......" The poor thin man's face was covered with snot and tears.

It was the same magician who Char had sold to the poor worm for a gold coin. I don't know how he got into the camp......

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