British hegemon

Chapter 87 A Mad Dog Comes Bite the Door

Chapter 87 A Mad Dog Comes Bite the Door

Roger had the waitresses serve beer for everyone, and then took Marn and Olaf to the "VIP seating area" at the bottom of the stairs, where he summoned each applicant for a review.

Building an armed force is not a dinner party. The people Roger is recruiting now are the foundation for survival in this chaotic world, and they may become the backbone of his armed forces in the near future.

Therefore, Roger adhered to the principle of "better to have none than to have bad ones," carefully understanding the background, personal experience, and martial arts skills of the applicants, and ultimately selecting only five from twelve people.

The big guy Donald and the tracking hunter Connor were naturally chosen. In addition, two mercenaries and a bandit were also selected by Roger. All three of them were kind-hearted but also brave.

As for that wandering knight, he was quite capable, but he was rather arrogant because he had a title, and he listed a long list of conditions for joining.

Roger, who was just starting out, couldn't possibly let such a jerk join him, so he decisively gave up.

The five chosen individuals shared common characteristics. First, they all had experience fighting against the British, suppressing bandits, or engaging in combat. Second, they all had wives, children, parents, siblings, or other family members and had agreed to bring their families to live on Arran Island.

Roger needed absolute loyalty. On the one hand, he had been betrayed and nearly killed in his previous life, and he didn't want any of his original core members to have such tendencies. On the other hand, he knew that if he wasn't careful in what he was about to do, he would be doomed. Without absolutely reliable people around him, it would be difficult to achieve great things.

Clear rewards and punishments, and a combination of kindness and severity, are conventional means of ensuring the loyalty of subordinates, but controlling family members is the most primitive and reliable method.

"You are all from outside the island, but I don't want my men thinking about running off to sneak home and sleep with their wives all the time. So you must bring your families to Aran Island, and I guarantee they will be treated well in the name of St. Andrew." Roger used this reasonable reason to require the recruits to bring their families to Aran Island, and it was also this reason that eliminated several skilled guys.

Roger recently rented over a dozen uninhabited houses near the textile factory at a super low price. He originally intended to provide accommodation for the textile factory workers, so that the families of these warriors could move in temporarily after a little tidying up.

He also discussed with Jenny the idea of ​​temporarily placing those family members who were able to work at the textile factory to do what they could.

Although those who were willing to come to Arun Island to apply for the job were all free people, their families were certainly not wealthy. Therefore, Roger was able to properly settle and treat their families well, and the five men gladly accepted.

After the "interview" was over, Roger had a large table of food and drinks laid out, and both those who were selected and those who weren't enjoyed the feast around the long table.

With the major matter settled, Roger, who was leaning back at the head of the private seat, also breathed a sigh of relief. He poured some beer from the earthenware jar into his glass and said to Maren and Olaf beside him, "I still have to attend the banquet at the Baron's mansion tonight. Let's see if we can invite the trading partners we discussed a couple of days ago to visit the textile mill and the saltworks."

"Tomorrow morning, the two of you will take the selected people back to the Milk House Manor and settle them in the barn for temporary accommodation. Tell everyone that there will be barracks to live in soon."

"After the settlement, you two, along with Baldy, Ponytail, and Black Dog, will each go with one of them to their hometowns to bring their relatives over. I'll be very busy these next two days, so you'll need to discuss the necessary expenses and boats with the old steward yourselves." Roger's actions were partly to have the men assist the newlyweds with their relocation, and partly to conduct on-site investigations into their backgrounds and identities.

"Olav, I don't know how your family is doing back home, but you can take this opportunity to secretly go back and take a look. If they are living a stable and prosperous life, that's fine. If they are struggling, try to bring them to the island. Although I'm not well-off right now, I can still support your family."

Roger wouldn't use force with Olaf; after spending the past few months together, he had placed enough trust in this talented fellow.

"Furthermore, I intend to promote you two to squires." Roger already had a squire, the weak grandson of old Sir Gildonan, but Roger only regarded that guy as a half-grown boy like a young stable boy.

Marne put down his glass, Olaf had fresh cheese in his mouth, and the two of them looked at Roger, who surprised them with his words.

Traditionally, being a squire was a necessary step before becoming a knight, a privilege reserved for noble families.

Of course, Roger is an exception.

The attendants were different from the bald-headed, ponytail-wearing squires; they were not servants in the ordinary sense, but rather prospective knights who had one foot in the upper echelons of society.

"I know this may differ from tradition, but the law does not stipulate that older soldiers cannot become squires. Now that this matter is settled, I need to give you a proper status so that I can properly knight you in the future."

For these two men, who came from ordinary peasant and gentry backgrounds, being knighted was an unimaginable dream.

Although Marne and Olaf felt that Roger's words were somewhat exaggerated, they felt they had followed the right person as long as their benefactor had such a heart.

As the conversation continued, more and more customers entered the Moulin Rouge. In one corner of the hall, a bard began to play the vibrato, and two voluptuous and revealing waitresses began to perform a seductive dance.

After having a few beers, Roger prepared to head to the castle for a banquet.

But just as he was about to get up, a man dressed in fine chainmail and a cloak with hound emblems, accompanied by two servants, walked through the doors of the Moulin Rouge.

The leading man looked around and finally fixed his gaze on the wooden table in the private seating area. He walked straight over and sat down next to Ma En.

"Sir, this table is ours," Marne politely reminded him.

"I know, I came here specifically for Sir Roger."

Roger glanced at the man; he was in his thirties with some scars on his forehead, and looked like a knight who often went to war.

"Honorable guest, I don't seem to recognize you." Roger hadn't seen this knight in the past few days, but with dozens of knights participating in the competition on Arren Island, it was normal not to recognize him.

Although the other party had a rather impolite air about them, Roger had grown accustomed to the arrogance of these knights in recent days.

The man picked up the glass in front of Roger without any hesitation, took a small sip, and then tilted his head back to gulp it down. "A thug who has just become a knight is bound to be ignorant, I can understand that."

Upon hearing this, Olaf suddenly stood up and tried to draw his sword, but Roger raised his hand and pressed down on the hilt.

The commotion in the private seating area attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, and the bald man and the ponytail man, who were accompanying the newlyweds for their meal, immediately gathered around.

"Just a barking stray dog. Go back and continue drinking." Roger turned his head and squeezed the corners of his mouth into a slight smile. "Since you know I'm a thug, you shouldn't have provoked me like a mad dog."

The man wasn't angry. Instead, he reached out to Roger, intending to pick up the earthenware pot and refill the empty wine cup.