The renovation of the arena on the grounds of the original tourney list was progressing at a rapid pace.
Ample tools, materials, and manpower allowed the expansion project to take shape within just over half a month.
The archery range and knightly training grounds were essentially complete. Targets were neatly arranged, and the wooden fences gleamed with fresh varnish in the sunlight.
According to Quentin's report, the main arena's expansion would take another month to finish, but its grand outline was already visible.
The tiered stands were being built higher, layer by layer. In the future, they would accommodate over a thousand spectators.
Gerold Dayne's assessment of the hedge knights had concluded a week ago.
Strict as a sieve separating wheat from chaff, he had weeded out the incompetent and the notorious, finally retaining 276 qualified warriors.
Among them were 70 cavalrymen, 110 infantrymen, and 96 archers.
After signing employment contracts with each of them, Arthur fulfilled his promise. The artisans of the Artisan District worked through the night to produce and distribute full sets of standard equipment.
Touching their brand-new armor and weapons for the first time, the warriors' eyes shone with excitement, their faces beaming with the joy of a promise kept.
Starting with a few sporadic shouts of "Long live Starfall!", the chant grew until the entire armored crowd was shouting in unison: "Long live Starfall! Long live the Sword of the Morning!"
The cheers lasted for nearly five minutes, stopping only when Arthur waved his hand.
"It's shaping up nicely in just a week," Arthur remarked, sitting on Violet at the edge of the knightly training grounds, watching Lothor Brune command the newly formed Cavalry Unit in drills.
Sunlight reflected in his violet eyes, revealing his satisfaction.
Besides the 70 new recruits, this cavalry unit also included many knights and squires transferred from within Starfall's territory, forming a standing cavalry force with a solid backbone.
At this moment, the cavalry was divided into ten squads of a dozen men each, practicing formation maneuvers.
Amidst the clear calls of the bugler and Lothor Brune's rough shouts, the cavalry moved like a flowing stream of steel, constantly changing formations on the dusty field—shifting from a long line to a tight column, then into a sharp wedge.
Hooves thundered, shaking the earth, and the rising dust formed a golden mist in the sunlight.
Gerold Dayne stood beside Arthur, his purple cloak fastened to his custom-made black rattan armor with a black sword-shaped clasp.
"They made their living by fighting; almost everyone has combat experience. As long as they get used to the commander's orders and the bugle calls, they'll be ready for use after some more integration."
He paused, then added calmly, "But training is one thing; the battlefield is another."
"Indeed."
Arthur, having experienced war and commanded cavalry, nodded in agreement, unconsciously rubbing the hilt of Zhanlu at his waist.
In the battle against the Vulture King on the west bank of the Torrentine two years ago, his cavalry unit had maintained formation only during the first charge. After engaging the enemy, they had simply followed his banner in a chaotic rush.
On a chaotic battlefield, complex orders were often counterproductive for troops that hadn't trained together long-term and lacked high organizational discipline.
Simple commands like drumbeats to advance, gongs to retreat, and "Follow me!" were often the most effective.
After watching a round of drills, Arthur went forward to offer some words of encouragement to Lothor Brune and the cavalry unit, then headed to the archery range with Gerold.
On the way, Gerold frowned, unable to suppress his confusion.
"Arthur, why are you keeping those eliminated hedge knights, warriors, and archers in the territory?"
His voice was low. "Those rejected are bound to be resentful, and since they rely on their martial skill, they could become unstable elements and cause unnecessary trouble."
A small smile touched Arthur's lips as he looked toward the distant archery range. "We might have a use for them soon, though I can't be certain.
Fortunately, at the cost of one silver stag per person every two days, they aren't expensive. If all goes well, we'll know the outcome in another half month."
Inside the archery range, Jimmy and Anguy were each leading twenty archers in target practice.
A large group of other archers watched from the sidelines, learning and occasionally exclaiming in admiration.
Thwip-thwip-thwip—
At a command, forty longbows were drawn simultaneously. Arrows soared like a rainstorm, tracing beautiful arcs before landing in the marked area 230-240 meters away.
The concentrated grouping showed a high level of training.
"My lord, how is our training?" Jimmy and Anguy jogged over, proud smiles on their faces.
Jimmy wiped sweat from his forehead and added, "As per your instructions, we selected a group of sharpshooters to focus on long-range shooting."
"You've done very well," Arthur nodded approvingly.
He knew well that while accuracy mattered in a tourney, range and rate of fire were king on the battlefield.
Archers with greater range could not only strike the enemy first but also loose several more volleys during an enemy charge, which was crucial in battle.
As Arthur watched the archers shoot, feeling his own hands itch to join in, and was just about to take the Qilin Bow from Zach...
Rapid hoofbeats approached from the distance.
Everyone turned to see Karen the Fat Steward galloping toward them, sweat glistening on his forehead, panic written all over his round face.
Guess no target practice today, Arthur sighed inwardly, already guessing why Karen was in such a rush.
Sure enough, Karen arrived, practically rolling out of his saddle, and panted, "My lord! Message from Ser Bard at Ironrock Castle! Trouble in the Red Mountains! The Vulture Clan has rebelled!"
Arthur tossed the Qilin Bow back to Zach, his voice steady and powerful.
"Jimmy, Anguy, gather all archers and warriors in the arena and march to Star Station to await orders.
Gerold, go organize those eliminated personnel. Now is the time to use them."
"Yes, my lord." Understanding the urgency and severity of the situation, the three split up immediately.
"Let's go. We head to Star Station. Talk on the way." Arthur turned to the freshly dismounted Karen.
"What is the situation in the Red Mountains?"
"Huh? Yes, my lord!" Karen, having just caught his breath, gasped and clambered back onto his horse.
The group moved quickly through the range, Arthur gathering Lothor Brune's cavalry unit along the way.
By the time they reached Star Station, Arthur had grasped the general situation from Karen's breathless narration.
Chean, son of the Vulture King, had united the wildling tribes of the upper Torrentine and House Blackmont to launch a rebellion.
Chieftain Xiong Ni of the Stone Bear Clan, whom Arthur had recruited as an instructor for the Mountain Corps, had been brutally murdered.
The Stone Bear Clan's camp in the Red Mountains had been breached and carved up by Chean and his allied tribes.