vrcanaries Chapter 73 A Party to Enhance Team Cohesion
Chapter 73 A Party to Enhance Team Cohesion
When Virgil led his men and fifteen fat sheep back to their temporary encampment outside the city, the campfire was already lit.
The men of Duanpo Village had been unable to contain their excitement for a long time, waiting by the empty fire.
Some of the more impatient men had already started munching on black bread, claiming it was to fill their stomachs first.
As the plump, healthy sheep were led into the camp,
The members, who had initially been somewhat lazy and uninterested, suddenly erupted in excitement.
Some of them guessed that Roger would buy one or two sheep, but they never expected that he would bring back fifteen!
Roger's promise to let them eat meat as much as they wanted was not empty words!
The group of people who had only eaten half-full of black bread immediately regretted it.
"They're fat sheep, so many sheep!"
"Lord Rogge is so generous!"
"Lord Rogge, your heart is as vast as the ocean!"
May your future be as smooth as the sea, and may you always return safely to port!
"Lord Rogge possesses immense wealth, yet he is never stingy; such generosity is far more precious than gold!"
Cheers echoed throughout the camp as the men crowded around, their eyes burning with desire as they gazed at the fat sheep, their mouths full of praise for Rogge.
The moonlight was exceptionally bright tonight, its silvery glow bathing the earth and, combined with the several large campfires in the camp, completely illuminating the entire camp.
Virgil landed and gave instructions, picking out the three fattest and largest sheep and ordering his team to process them immediately.
The team members quickly slaughtered the three fat sheep, skinned them, and gave them a simple marinade before roasting them over three separate fires.
In this land, even mutton fat is an extremely precious ingredient.
However, the current way of eating roast whole lamb inevitably wastes a lot of oil.
In the eyes of these men from Duanpo Village, it was the epitome of luxury.
This way of eating has always been reserved for noble lords in castles when entertaining guests!
Ordinary people have never seen such a luxurious way of eating!
For them, being able to eat a few pounds of meat throughout the year is already considered a very good year.
But ever since they followed Rogge, as long as their daily training meets the standards, many of them can eat meat almost every meal!
The men gathered around the fire, watching as the fat sheep slowly roasted to a golden brown in the flames, drops of fat falling into the fire with a sizzling sound.
The rich aroma of meat gradually spread, making everyone's stomachs rumble.
The crowd chattered excitedly, their eyes practically overflowing with anticipation.
That night, a total of five sheep were slaughtered at the camp.
Three whole lambs were roasted over a fire, while the remaining two were stewed in several earthenware pots.
Rogge's earlier promise of "unlimited meat" was now fully realized.
On the fire, the whole roasted lamb was slowly roasted until it was about 70-80% cooked, with its skin crispy and golden brown, and the aroma of the meat mixed with the smoke wafted for half a mile.
All the team members were eagerly waiting, clutching their daggers ready to devour the meat, but no one dared to make the first cut.
They glanced towards the camp entrance every now and then, eagerly awaiting Rogge's return, and many muttered prayers, begging for Rogge's speedy return...
The sound of the city gates creaking shut came from afar.
After waiting for a while, Roger emerged from the darkness alone.
The moment they saw Rogge, everyone in the camp erupted in cheers.
Rogge waved behind him.
When the six team members carried three barrels of barley wine into the camp, deafening cheers instantly resounded throughout the wilderness.
In Fieldsway, being able to drink is a symbol of bravery; a man who cannot drink is simply seen as a coward.
However, this kind of ale, which requires a lot of grain to brew, is so expensive that it is simply not something these villagers can afford.
Most of them will only be able to drink a sip or two of diluted, weak liquor on holidays in their entire lives.
In fact, Roger did not buy many drinks.
Due to the limitations of the brewing process, he has never seen the kind of highly distilled spirits he had in his previous life here.
These barley spirits, brewed entirely from grains, have a low alcohol content, a fragrant and mellow aroma, and a taste reminiscent of craft beer from a bygone era…
The three buckets were just enough for the whole team of over thirty people to satisfy their cravings and enjoy a drink, but not so much that they would fall into a drunken stupor at night and completely lose the camp's defensive capabilities.
The bonfire burned brighter and brighter, and the party officially began.
Led by Virgil, the team insisted on waiting for Rogge to make the first cut.
With no other choice, Roger cut off the fattest leg of roast lamb amidst the expectant yet somewhat impatient gazes of everyone present.
"Alright, let's begin!"
At Rogge's command, the once quiet camp instantly erupted into chaos.
The team members sat around the fire, tearing into the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside roasted mutton and gulping down fragrant ale.
These men from Duanpo Village have made a living by fishing for generations, living a meager existence and rarely eating meat.
Almost no one in the group had ever tasted what a whole roasted lamb tasted like.
Thanks to Virgil's strict oversight, the whole roasted lamb on the grill was roasted to perfection, with a crispy skin that crumbled at the slightest bite and tender, juicy meat.
The moment the scalding hot meat juices burst on the tip of your tongue, they mix with the oil and meaty aroma, filling your mouth.
Many men's eyes reddened, and they choked back tears as they swallowed the pieces of meat along with their sobs.
They never imagined in their lives that they would be able to eat such delicious food.
All of this was because they followed Roger.
It has only been a short time since we went from not being able to eat our fill to now being able to eat meat and drink alcohol to our heart's content.
Although becoming a mercenary meant risking one's life,
But as long as they follow Roger, as long as they can win battles, and as long as they can live such a life often, they would be willing to die!
A sip of ale instantly erased all the frustrations and unpleasantness of the day.
In the smoky aroma of roasted whole lamb, the barrier that originally existed between superiors and subordinates was completely burned away.
These villagers, who had just learned to take up arms, felt for the first time truly as part of this team, amidst the aroma of meat and wine!
The Fieldswe people and the Vanskerry people share the same ancestry, and are both inherently characterized by a spirit of chivalry and unbridled freedom.
At the appropriate moment, Roger stood up; he didn't beat around the bush.
Taking advantage of the crowd's heightened emotions, he reiterated the ironclad rules for the team's loot distribution:
"Any spoils seized in the future shall be confiscated and shall not be kept by the public."
This time, Rogge's proposal received loud support and approval from everyone.
"Lord Rogge is right!"
"As long as there's regular food and drink, I'll stick with you for life!"
"Following the adults means survival and having enough to eat..."
Many men, their faces flushed, patted their chests and shouted to Roger.
To win the unwavering loyalty of these men,
In addition to genuinely caring for subordinates and understanding their difficulties, one must also possess the absolute strength to command respect from everyone.
Rogge's feat of single-handedly killing four pirates on the battlefield today completely won over everyone present.
These native Fieldsway men knew better than anyone the ferocity of the Vanscaree pirates.
In a one-on-one fight, none of them dared to say they could easily defeat a fully armed pirate raider!
But Roger was able to kill four people in a row. With such formidable strength, who among them would dare to disagree?
More importantly, by following Roger, they didn't have to live in fear of being used as cannon fodder to die.
In the dog-eat-dog world of Pendor, it's already considered kind-hearted for an ordinary mercenary leader not to treat his men as cannon fodder.
They may not have seen much of the world, but none of them are fools.
After a month of getting to know each other, everyone knew perfectly well who was sincere and who was just using them.
With such a steady, reliable, and powerful captain who, more importantly, ensures they can eat meat at every meal, what more could they ask for?
……
In the corner of the campfire, two village militiamen from Gonde, who had been rescued from pirates during the day, were now eating roasted lamb chops with their mouths full of oil.
After Rogge returned to the city, he did not let them leave on their own, but left them at the camp.
At first, the two were still reserved, hiding in a corner and not daring to speak, but they couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the men from Duanpo Village around them.
After a few sips of wine, the tension between the two gradually dissipated, smiles appeared on their faces, and they completely immersed themselves in the lively atmosphere.
Roger sat on a pile of firewood, slowly gnawing on a leg of lamb. He watched this scene quietly, a knowing smile flashing in his eyes.
His team was still too small, only thirty-odd people, which was simply not enough in many situations.
These young and strong men, whose homes had been destroyed and whose families had been lost by pirates, were the perfect source of his soldiers!
He wasn't just eyeing the two militiamen from Gangde Village, but also the many men around the fortress who had lost their villages.
Properly entertaining these two people now is undoubtedly the safest springboard for him to recruit more people!
Everyone in the camp made a ruckus all night.
The aroma of roasted meat, along with the cheers and laughter of the men, drifted far away on the night breeze.
Several small mercenary groups stationed nearby, as well as displaced farmers huddled in shacks outside the city, tossed and turned all night, drawn by the faint aroma of meat wafting through the air.
The next morning, people were peeking out of the camp and asking what had happened there the night before.
Rogge had instructed the entire team beforehand that yesterday's result should not be concealed.
However, the specific details of the battle and how to attack were core secrets of the team, and not a single word could be revealed.
At the same time, Rogge instructed everyone to spread the word that they had gone to the lord's manor to hand in their missions and that each pirate had only been paid twenty dinars in bounty.
At Rogge's behest, the team members, who usually had little fun and were already fond of boasting, became even more enthusiastic.
They boasted to the outsiders who gathered around to inquire,
They boasted to the outsiders who gathered around to inquire that their squad had utterly defeated the pirates.
They embellished the scene of the pirates begging for mercy on their knees with exaggerated detail.
Most of the onlookers listened with skepticism, assuming that the group of country bumpkin mercenaries were just drunk and bragging.
Those who were initially full of disbelief,
When they saw the Vanscare studded leather armor on their team members and the new sea pirate battle axes in their hands, they were all deeply incredulous and had to believe it to some extent.
The true and false news spread through the city gates and into the streets and alleys of Ganders fortress.
Within half a day, news that a small group of villagers had killed twenty or thirty fully armed Vanskerry pirates had spread throughout the city.
……