The team sent to the south to recruit young mountain people had already set out, but it was not so easy to recruit 20,000 people back. Even if it goes well, it is estimated that it will take several months. This made Marin very depressed.

Because, the best group of people to recruit has long been recruited into the army by Marin. The rest belong to the second-class good moves. Moreover, it takes a lot longer.

However, Marin is really in a hurry right now. Because, now it is about to take action against the Duchy of Godes, if there are not enough soldiers and horses in the country, Marin will not dare to attack easily. If someone threatens you, it's not going to be easy. So, time is too tight.

"What should I do......" Marin frowned.

"Forget it, let's see what everyone has to say." One person counts short, and many people count long. So, Marin recruited a group of his subordinates to discuss together.

After expressing their thoughts, everyone began to have a lively discussion. It's just that no matter what you think, you can't recruit 20,000 young people from the southern mountains in the shortest possible time......

At this time, Machiavelli, who usually doesn't talk much, suddenly said:

"Grand Duke, I have an idea......

"Speak quickly!" Marin perked up and said expectantly. Machiavelli is a famous figure in history, and Marin is curious to know what he thinks.

"Grand Duke, you sent people to the mountains of southern Germany to recruit mountain people, just to add another 20,000 militiamen who farm in peacetime and serve as soldiers in wartime, right?"

Marin nodded and said:

"That's right!"

"Well, for the combat effectiveness of this army, you don't expect them to reach the level of active troops, as long as they are higher than ordinary troops. Even, it can be said that as long as you can be competent for the task of defending the city...... Archduke, am I right? ”

"That's right!" Marin nodded and said:

"A war will break out next, and I fear interference from the coalition of princes. So, I need a second-line force of 20,000 people to help defend the homeland. They don't want to be able to defeat the enemy, as long as they can hold their homeland. ”

"That's easy!" Machiavelli nodded and said confidently:

"Grand Duke, what you want is not a first-line army, but a second-line army. Then, this group of people does not necessarily need to use the fierce mountain people in the mountains of southern Germany......"

"You mean......" Marin seemed to catch something.

"That's right, since all you need is a second-line army that can be qualified for defensive tasks, and its native serfs are also possible......"

"Taking a step back, even if you still trust those fierce southern mountain people, you won't be able to recruit them anytime soon. And after recruiting, it will take a long time to train. But the next war you planned, Grand Duke, may not be able to wait until that time. Therefore, it is better to select 20,000 serfs in the local grand ducal estate and train them first. Anyway, the Grand Duke has plenty of food. And the weapons and equipment used for military training, except for the musket and its ammunition supply are slightly more troublesome, the spear or something is very easy to do. And the armor, which can be pierced with wood chips, can also be used instead of ......," Machiavelli said eloquently.

"In particular, the Grand Duke has sent troops before, often with one or two hundred thousand local people of East Friesian Lamber. These people have been fighting for a long time, and they have also received simple training. Although I haven't experienced the war, I've seen a lot of big scenes......"

"Therefore, the minister believes that the most suitable militia to quickly train into a second-line army at present is actually the one or two thousand strong people who often follow the army to fight......"

Listening to Machiavelli's words, Marin fell into deep thought......

"So, after training those people into militiamen, who will be the people to transport the baggage?" Karn asked.

"Another batch of serfs will be strong...... Machiavelli said lightly.

……

"Great idea!" After thinking about it for a while, Marin finally figured out the reasonableness of Machiavelli's suggestion.

Although it is said that the 20,000 people who often go out with the army may not be the most suitable to become combatants. However, for now, what Marin lacks most is time.

It seems that the fake "Swiss prisoner camp" built by Marin and Maximilian I in conspiring in the Duchy of Brabant has attracted the attention of the Duchy of Guedes. Marin estimated that after the spring ploughing was over next year, the Duchy of Gedes might take the risk of sending troops to rob the camp.

And at that time, with the letter stolen by Marin, it will be possible to officially use troops against the Duchy of Godes.

However, if the mountain people from the southern mountains were to be recruited from there as planned, it is estimated that 20,000 people would not have been recruited by then. Instead of waiting slowly, it is better to tap the potential internally and find 20,000 people to train first. When the time comes, you can pull it out and make up the number. After all, there is four or five months between now and after the spring ploughing, which is enough time to train these people into recruits who have mastered basic military skills.

Of course, these 20,000 people who often accompany the army may not all be suitable for being soldiers. Marin had a strict set of requirements for selecting soldiers. Among them, bravery is very important. If you are not brave enough and too timid, you are not suitable to be a qualified warrior. Only men who dare to fight and are not afraid of casualties are suitable to be soldiers.

Therefore, Marin decided to first carry out a simple martial arts competition among the 20,000 soldiers and civilians to test their courage in order to select suitable fighters.

Of course, it's not just these 20,000 people who often accompany the army. In other manors, as long as it is his own manor, Marin can carry out simple martial arts competitions, and according to his courage, he can select the right person to supplement this reclamation army.

Then, for a few months, Marin did not dare to guarantee how strong the army would be to train them, but it was no problem to use them to defend the city. In fact, it usually takes only three months to train a young man who knows nothing into a qualified recruit who has mastered basic military skills.

So, Marin signed an order to take advantage of the period between the end of the autumn harvest and the beginning of spring ploughing, among the 20,000 strong men who often accompanied the army, a simple joust was held, and some prizes were added to reward those who won the contest.

Of course, the so-called jousting is to stab each other with wooden sticks. The top of the stick was wrapped around a cloth with lime powder. The contestants, on the other hand, were dressed in black. The final victory or defeat is determined by dotting the vital part of the opponent's chest with lime spots. When neither side has lime spots on the opponent's vital points, the winner is calculated based on the number of lime spots on the body...... This is what Ma Lin learned from the story of the blue-faced beast Yang Zhi in "Water Margin" when he competed in martial arts when he served in the Daimyo's Mansion...... It seems that it is part of "Outwitting the Birth Compendium", and it has also been in Chinese literature......

However, Marin also knew very well in his heart that it might not be enough to just select from 20,000 soldiers and civilians. After all, when he was fighting, he also saw that many people in the camp were trembling with fear. Therefore, among the 20,000 people, Ma Lin was very happy to be able to select more than 10,000 qualified. As for the others, they can only choose from among the champions under their own names...... Until 20,000 cantonment soldiers are selected......

As for those who are eliminated from the 20,000 people's strong, they will continue to serve as the people's strong. Anyway, Minzhuang doesn't need to fight, as long as he can transport. Then, the difference between the Minzhuang troops was made up by drawing people from each manor......

In this way, through internal excavation, Marin can obtain a 20,000-strong cantonment army at a faster speed. Such an army is very hidden, but in wartime, it can also be pulled out as a killer weapon......

As for the operation to recruit mountain people in the southern mountains, Marin did not call for a halt. After those mountain people are recruited, they can also compete in martial arts, and select the brave ones to supplement the cantonment troops. Those who are not selected can also be added to the manor that has been drained to compensate for the loss of their labor......

Of course, Marin is not ready to change the promise of the hairy girl. Anyway, Mao Mei is so cheap, you can buy one for a few gold coins. In the future, whoever fights bravely in the army and works diligently in the manor can be rewarded with a hairy girl...... Such a reward must be very exciting......