Almost as soon as the exercise ended, the drizzle stopped.
A series of cool breezes swept across the training ground, bringing a welcome touch of relief to the soldiers, who had been sweltering in the oppressive heat.
The exercise had featured both offense and defense, with the two sides trading blows back and forth.
The spectators who had gathered simply for the entertainment had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Another round!
Another round!”
“How did the Dothraki win?!
Do it again!”
Some of the spectators in the distance shouted their approval at the top of their lungs.
A few even began tossing coins toward the soldiers.
Others, meanwhile, were loudly complaining about the money they had lost on their bets.
Aegon paid none of it any mind.
Instead, he began reviewing the rewards he had just received.
The first were the two Skill Cards.
Their usefulness was extraordinary, making them one of the fastest ways to increase his personal strength.
Aegon didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
He immediately invested both cards into his Military skill.
The Level 1 Skill Card raised his Military skill to Level 2, while the Level 2 Skill Card pushed it further, all the way to Level 3.
As the power of the two Skill Cards successively merged into his body, an enormous torrent of military experience surged into his mind like a rising tide.
The sensation was incredibly real.
It was as though he had genuinely spent half his life fighting wars.
Military command wasn’t limited to battlefield tactics and strategy.
It encompassed everything from commanding troops and training soldiers to maintaining organizational cohesion and responding to sudden changes on the battlefield.
In many cases, by the time two armies actually clashed, the outcome had already been decided to a considerable extent.
At his current level, Aegon estimated that he could effectively command somewhere between five thousand and eight thousand soldiers.
If his Military skill reached Level 5, he would be capable of commanding an army of roughly thirty thousand men—a level that would place him among the finest commanders in the world.
In an age of cold steel and horses, commanding thirty thousand soldiers in a single battle was already close to the practical limit.
Any larger force would have to be divided into multiple formations, and at that point, victory would depend on more than battlefield command.
It would depend on recognizing talent and knowing how to use the right people in the right positions.
As for the Recruitment Cards, they ensured the loyalty of the people Aegon recruited as his subordinates.
After spending so much time together, Mengo’s recruitment progress had already reached roughly forty percent.
Aegon was particularly envious of the man’s Horsemanship.
Masterful riding skills combined with a formidable physique made Mengo worthy of being regarded as Aegon’s foremost warrior.
If Aegon could extract and copy Mengo’s Horsemanship, his own martial ability would undoubtedly rise by a considerable margin.
There was no need to rush the matter with Mengo, however.
With Aegon’s current Military skill already at Level 3, he was more than qualified to become a competent commander—and perhaps even an excellent one.
Leading a battle was no longer beyond his capabilities.
Next came the Leader’s Proof aura ability.
Although this army’s overall rating was still only the lowest E, under the enhancement provided by Aegon’s command, it could temporarily fight at the level of a D-rated army.
That was also part of the design of The King’s Making Plan.
A commander himself could provide attribute bonuses to the army under his command.
Then there was Fateful Eye.
This ability was practically a bug.
From Aegon’s perspective, it was essentially an ambush warning system.
If the army was destined to lose a battle, Aegon would know one day in advance, giving him time to prepare for an ambush or alter his plans.
If he used these soldiers as his personal guard, the possibility of being assassinated would become almost negligible.
Unless an enemy managed to force him into an absolute dead end, leaving him no choice but to personally lead his guards into the charge…
Of course, even this “warning system” had its limitations.
It could activate at most once per month, and Aegon had to be physically present with more than seventy percent of the army for it to trigger.
In other words, he couldn’t exploit some ridiculous loophole by splitting the three hundred soldiers into three hundred separate groups and then sending one unfortunate man ahead to stick his face into every suspicious bush.
Finally, there was the Skin — “Lead the Charge.”
Aegon remembered that “First in the Vanguard” was the House Tyrell words of the Reach.
The two seemed somewhat similar.
He couldn’t help wondering whether that was merely a coincidence.
He continued reading the skin’s detailed effects.
[As a commander, leading from the front during a charge will make your army more imposing and intimidating.
The skin’s equipment can be summoned and used at any time.]
A physical reward?
The skin reward was presented to Aegon in the form of a card.
He carefully examined its appearance.
It consisted of a suit of silver-white armor, paired with a black cloak covered in subtle dragon patterns, along with a pitch-black warhorse.
The horse was clearly no ordinary steed.
It looked magnificent and spirited, with a white, flame-shaped marking on its forehead that gave it an especially imposing appearance.
Aegon currently rode a reddish-brown gelding.
It was a decent horse, but comparison was a cruel thing.
He was already itching to find somewhere private and equip this new set of gear.
At this point, Aegon possessed an army with an official rating, a territory recognized by the system, and an exclusive title.
His Dominance stat was finally no longer zero.
The army under his command had already provided him with a considerable amount of Dominance, bringing his current total to 7.
Perhaps if he could fight an actual battle and prove himself, making a name for himself in the process, his Dominance would rise considerably.
Maybe he could even reach 10 and claim his first Dominance treasure chest.
Speaking of battles, as the army’s commander-in-chief, he also needed to evaluate Rogett and Mengo’s performances.
At that moment, Rogett still seemed unable to recover from the shock of what had just happened.
Everyone knew it had only been a training exercise.
They had all held back to some extent when striking, and these men were, after all, ordinary people who had always lived peaceful lives.
They had never experienced real killing, so the destructive power behind their attacks was naturally limited.
Even so, the scene before them had been enough to terrify these men who were accustomed to simply scraping by from day to day.
“My leg…
Rogett looked toward the several soldiers crying out in pain, and a powerful sense of guilt surged through him.
A voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him that if only he had been more decisive with his commands, perhaps these men wouldn’t have been injured.
Just as he sank into self-reproach and reflection, Aegon walked over and asked, “Rogett, where do you think you went wrong?”
Rogett answered, “Mengo’s charge was simply too fierce.
I couldn’t stop him.”
“No.
That’s not the only problem.
You actually had a chance to defeat Mengo.”
Aegon continued, “You had already stopped Mengo’s charge.
At that point, you should have ordered both flanks to move in and split his formation apart.
You lost your opportunity.
On a real battlefield, these soldiers wouldn’t merely be injured.
They would be dead.”
Aegon then turned toward Mengo.
“You have problems too.
Mengo, you’re the commander.
Don’t focus solely on charging into battle yourself.”
“If this were a real battlefield, and everyone were wearing heavier armor, do you really think you could scatter an entire formation by yourself?
If your opponents were seasoned veterans who had survived countless battles, you’d only get yourself killed faster.”
Mengo lowered his head without saying anything, but it was obvious that he wasn’t entirely convinced.
Aegon continued, “I know you Dothraki pride yourselves on being fierce and fearless.
But as far as I know, your people once suffered a crushing defeat when you invaded Qohor.
The Qohorians cut off your braids as trophies and displayed them on spearpoints, didn’t they?”
Mengo’s expression immediately darkened.
He remained silent.
“Don’t you want revenge?
Then what better opportunity could there be to make yourself stronger?
Watch carefully.
Learn everything you can.”
Mengo nodded.
“I understand, my lord.”
After their exchange, Mengo’s Recruitment Points rose once again.
Aegon was very satisfied.
There was, however, another matter he hadn’t forgotten.
The Toksor family had suddenly begun sending supplies to his military camp.
Aegon had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him.
His experience from playing strategy games before crossing into this world told him that something major was probably about to happen.
He simply couldn’t figure out what the other side intended by sending him those old provisions.
Could someone below have acted on their own initiative, using the Toksor family’s name to line their own pockets?
If that was really the case, then these governors truly were hopeless.