A month later, the sun hung high in a clear blue sky.
Outside the Whispers, at the training grounds of the Thorn Company.
To Empara’s shock, Grim drew the bowstring to the full with ease.
The longbow in Grim’s hands was a custom-made weapon with a draw weight of roughly two hundred pounds.
*Thrum!* The arrow Grim loosed tore through the air with a scalp-tingling shriek, striking with awe-inspiring force.
Lyra’s eyes widened in astonishment, her expression freezing completely.
Her small mouth formed a perfect ‘O’, and she stood rooted to the spot like a wooden statue.
* * * For the past month, Grim had carved out a little time every day to practice his archery.
The original Grim’s archery skills had already been excellent, and since crossing over, his physical attributes had been steadily improving across the board.
Grim felt he was getting closer and closer to becoming a beyond-visual-range sharpshooter.
The two-hundred-pound longbow was custom-made by the artisans at his behest.
Grim estimated that with this specialized weapon, his effective lethal range was about three hundred meters.
Beyond three hundred meters, the arrow’s penetrating power would drop off a cliff.
After loosing the arrow, the deep-seated anxiety Grim harbored regarding dragons diminished significantly.
He knew all too well how terrifying dragonfire would become in the late game.
Naturally, he had no desire to see the soldiers he had worked so hard to train wiped out by a few mouthfuls of flame.
Grim had studied the Crabb family tree with meticulous care, confirming that House Crabb possessed not a drop of Targaryen dragonblood.
He could never claim a dragon.
Since he could not be a dragonrider, his only choice was to become a dragonslayer.
Ever the pragmatist, Grim would certainly find ways to avoid a head-on clash between his army and a dragon.
But when a confrontation became inevitable, aside from cumbersome scorpions, Grim himself would be the most dangerous dragon hunter.
He could tolerate the existence of dragons, but the moment they threatened him, he was ready to wipe them out.
The preparations started now.
The bowyers would continue to craft bows with even heavier draw weights.
As long as Grim could wield them nimbly on his own, the greater the power, the better.
* * * *Clap, clap, clap!* “Woo-hoo!” The onlookers cheered and applauded their lord’s marksmanship.
Grim quietly instructed his bowyer, “Make another one with similar power.
Leave extra thickness for engravings, so the carving won’t compromise the longbow’s strength.
For the motif, use marsh marigolds.” In the future, Grim would publicly use a two-hundred-pound longbow.
Anything heavier would not be shown to others, and he would practice with them in secret.
The standard-issue Crabb longbow was too plain in appearance, and Grim intended to bring a bow with him when he went to King’s Landing.
His personal longbow, adorned with exquisite carvings without affecting its function, would look far more elegant.
Every item Grim used represented the prestige of House Crabb.
In a world so obsessed with noble appearances, playing the part made things much easier.
He was preparing to vie for supremacy over the realm.
To avoid unnecessary conflicts, he could not afford to waste his energy on trivial matters.
* * * Lyra skipped over, bouncing on her heels.
“My lord, my lord!
You have the strength of the gods!” “Oh, thanks to your training methods, the sisters have all grown much stronger.
Drawing the bow is getting easier and easier!
Only I haven’t made much progress!” “You need to be patient, Lyra,” Grim said.
“You are still young; you cannot rush these things.
Besides, you are a commander now.
You have a loud, carrying voice that others lack, which is a great help when directing troops.” Petite as she was, Lyra indeed had the loudest voice in the Thorn Company.
In a world where commanding a battle relied entirely on shouting, such an ability was a massive advantage for an officer.
“Yes, my lord!
Just you watch, I will work hard.
United we stand!” Grim smiled and nodded.
“I’ll be watching.
United we stand.” Empara’s voice rang out.
“Lyra, fall in for drills!” As Lyra scurried off, Empara stepped up to Grim.
“Lord Grim, shall I arrange a place for you to rest?” Grim shook his head.
“No need.
I will be leaving shortly.” He reached out and lightly patted Empara’s left arm.
“You are doing well.
You have always been diligent.
Training soldiers is a monotonous, repetitive task day in and day out.
You must get used to the tedium.
If you persevere, more of them will survive on the battlefield.” “I always remember your words, Lord Grim.
You said that the more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in battle.” * * * The Thorn Company had made a name for itself in the last battle.
Building on their original foundation, they had quickly conscripted another 180 spearwives from the local lands, plus 200 more absorbed from the mountain wildling captives.
The Thorn Company now boasted a total of 500 soldiers.
As the company commander, Empara knew her lord was preparing to reclaim House Crabb’s ancestral lands.
With the next war fast approaching, she poured her heart into drilling the Thorn Company.
* * * Immediately after the battle, Grim had established a predominantly male unit equipped with standard-issue longbows.
Their full name was the “Crabb Longbow Company,” or simply the “Longbow Company.” Grim had handpicked several men from the Crabb household guards to serve as officers for the Longbow Company.
Following the first wave of conscription, their numbers stood at just over a hundred.
In the future, the Crabb Longbow Company would be the most inclusive military unit.
As the armory churned out more and more longbows, the secondary profession for the vast majority of the domain’s populace would be that of a longbowman—serving as reservists for the Longbow Company.
For instance, under Lord Crabb’s new laws, the smallfolk of his lands were required to dedicate one day out of every ten to longbow training.
Grim had laid out meticulous regulations regarding the content and standards of these drills.
Absentees, those who defied orders, and those who failed to meet the standards would all face corresponding punishments.
Grim also planned to host a domain-wide archery tournament every three months, divided into various skill tiers.
He would prepare generous prizes to spur the smallfolk’s enthusiasm for longbow training.
This was exactly what Grim envisioned: every man a longbowman.
* * * Having completed the conscription for the Crabb Longbow Company, Grim established the “Crabb Spearmen Company,” or simply the “Spearmen Company,” equipped with standard three-meter spears.
The Crabb household guards were fiercely loyal and seasoned veterans of battle; Grim treated them as a pool of reserve officers.
Naturally, the commanders of the Crabb Spearmen Company were also personally selected by Grim from among his guardsmen.
After a period of recruitment and outfitting, the Spearmen Company numbered around two hundred soldiers.
Lacking warhorses, the Crabb lands could not yet form a cavalry unit.
The Spearmen Company was created to protect the longbowmen in field battles with tight formations, specifically to counter cavalry charges.
Aside from cavalry, the Crabb domain now possessed a relatively complete array of troop types.
Through daily training and strict discipline, the overall combat strength of the Crabb army was constantly growing.