That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 76 Volunteer Army

To Zaro's surprise, they were not sent directly to the front lines to die.

The next morning, the militia's reveille echoed throughout the camp. The militiamen, carrying iron cones, ordered them to assemble at the camp gate, where the leader of Thornholde was to give a speech.

Zaro climbed out of the shack he had been assigned—he hadn't slept so comfortably in a long time.

The shacks weren't particularly warm, but they were much better than the thatched huts he lived in in Wright's territory, and each shack was also given a large, thick blanket, enough to keep him warm at night.

When they gathered, they were given hot porridge again—this time there was less meat in the bowl, but more wild vegetables, and some egg drop soup could be seen floating on the surface.

Zaro discovered that the previously apathetic crowd had come alive again. On the way there, no one had spoken, but now they were whispering curiously, discussing what the future held.

For the common people of this land, the future is a luxury, because most of them would never have a future.

In their dreams of the future, they saw the lord who gave them shelter, blankets, bread and hot porridge, and promised them their future.

He was a young man who looked extraordinary.

"Good morning, friends of Wright Territory! I know it took you all a whole night to arrive at Thorn Territory. I should have let you rest for a couple more days, but time waits for no one. A group of rebels from the North has invaded the West. They have been burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities, capturing six territories in succession and leaving many innocent people homeless..."

Ronan used simple and easy-to-understand language to vehemently denounce the rebels' atrocities.

The crowd whispered among themselves, but most of the voices echoed their agreement.

Although news traveled very slowly in this era, the rebel invasion was already common knowledge in the West. The Land of Light was no exception.

But on the way here, Zaro heard the militiamen mention more than once that the Thorn Territory had successfully repelled the rebel heavy cavalry and single-handedly saved all the territories west of the Dragon Valley from the chaos of war.

"Now, we are about to face these traitors!"

The young lord cleared his throat.

"If we retreat, they will face the people of the western border. If the western border falls, they will face all the people of the world."

Therefore, at this moment, on behalf of myself and all the people of the West, I thank you all for your voluntary assistance. It has been an honor to fight alongside you! Here I promise you that every soldier will receive food and hot soup, and the families of those who bravely sacrifice their lives in battle will receive a pension!

The crowd stirred, and Zaro saw a light in many people's eyes—and feeling the boiling blood in his veins, he realized that he was one of them.

Most of them were forcibly conscripted by Wright and could not be considered volunteers, but as the young lord said, they would have to face the rebels sooner or later.

Instead of hoping those vicious bastards will spare their lives, they should take up arms and fight back.

The Thorn Lord not only gave them opportunities, but also dignity and strength, because he did not treat them as cannon fodder, but as warriors fighting side by side.

"Sir, what should we do?"

Zaro couldn't help but ask.

Luo An glanced at him in surprise—he had indeed arranged for a plant, but it wasn't this black guy.

It seems the appeasement policy is working well; there's even running water! Why not take advantage of these freeloaders... Ronan cleared his throat and told Zaro not to worry, Thorn would arrange everything: the militia would lead them in training and drills, teaching them essential combat skills, and gradually transforming them from refugees into qualified soldiers.

"I also promise you that after the war ends, I will send someone to escort you back to your original territories. I know that your families and friends are waiting for you there to reunite."

Ronan faced the crowd with his arms outstretched.

"I won't let anyone's efforts go unrewarded—everyone will be rewarded based on their performance in battle, and you can ask the militia about that. In the time to come, they will not only be your comrades and brothers, but also your best older brothers. If you have any questions, you can consult them, and they will certainly give you clear and honest answers!"

……

At noon, Ronan returned to his office listlessly.

Hodway's work has been very successful; many territories have agreed to send men to help, and nearly three thousand people arrived in Thorn Territory last night alone. At this rate, they expect to have at least six thousand able-bodied men from various territories by the end of this week.

But because there were too many people, Ronan had to settle them in different places, travel between different camps to hold meetings, and repeat the same words several times.

Even though he is now a knight in his prime, he would be exhausted after yelling at the top of his lungs all morning.

Increasing the number of soldiers in a short period of time can backfire if not managed properly. Therefore, he later convened a short meeting with the battalion commanders:

Soldiers from other territories were uniformly incorporated into the newly opened volunteer army. Those who had not yet assumed positions and had outstanding combat performance were selected from the militia and assigned to serve as grassroots group leaders. Each battalion was responsible for the soldiers from one territory. The overall model was the same as when the defeated soldiers were absorbed.

Given the limited production capacity and finances of the Thorn Territory, the volunteer army's food and equipment are a grade lower than those of the regular militia, but they are still far ahead of the average level of this era. After all, most nobles do not prepare equipment and food for cannon fodder, let alone know how to train them.

On the other hand, some territories with smaller populations chose to use food, weapons, and other supplies instead, which could compensate for some of the losses.

He then received news from Scarlett that the Western Army had officially abandoned Rainbow Territory and retreated to Frost. The main rebel force then set foot on the south bank of the Meto River and besieged Frost.

Fortunately, the neighboring territories had already implemented a scorched-earth policy, leaving the rebels with only a few empty cities, preventing them from sustaining their war effort through warfare.

Conservatively speaking, the Duke's side should be able to hold out for a month without much trouble—this is also a crucial preparation window for Ronan.

Ronan was just about to eat when the system reacted:

[Current Witch: Medallion]

[Status value: 93%]

[Current Witch: Scarlett]

[Status value: 70%]

[Cumulative purification amount: 5001/5000]

[Stage Target (5000) Completed]

[Additional permissions unlocked: Bastion Protocol - Advancement]

[Agreement Details: Each time the contractor and their contract partner take damage, their movement speed increases by 1%. If they do not take damage, the bonus gradually decreases to zero over 24 hours.]

[Core permissions have been upgraded: Cleanup Protocol C2 Level - Cleanup Protocol C3 Level]

[Phase Quest Updated: Clean up 50000 units of contaminant (1001/5000)]

[Permission escalation nodes: 10000/20000/50000]

The Tier 2 Arcane Treasury is now unlocked. You can now use all Tier 2 Arcane Arts...

You have 2 unlocked memos to view...