It must be said that Beowulf was a powerful warrior; apart from Gawain, very few of the many Knights present could defeat Beowulf!
No, perhaps two.
They were both very famous people. One was an acquaintance, Gareth, son of Grand Duke of the North, West. He was always quiet and unknown, rarely speaking when the four Grand Dukes' sons chatted, but surprisingly, he fought Beowulf to a draw, which just goes to show how low-key these guys are. The other was Gawain's younger brother, Gareth, also a son of the Earl of Birmingham, who surrendered to Gawain's side. Gawain had always been very high-profile as the leader of perfect Knights, courteous and unparalleled in martial arts, even his character was very gentle and perfect. Unlike Kailar's gentleness, Gawain, with his inherent authority, was a perfect idol.
Kailar had a plan to establish Gawain as a model and idol for promotion.
And Beowulf had, unknowingly, become a tool to measure the strength of the Knights.
What made Artoria very happy was that her childhood dream had been realized by someone else: the dream of proclaiming that women are no less than men. The one who helped her achieve this dream was a Knight, Bedivere.
It was clear that this girl from a remote territory possessed exceptionally strong combat power, with a sword style so refined it almost forced Beowulf to a standstill, earning her a place among the Thirteen Knights.
By now, several of the Thirteen Knights had already appeared: Gawain, Gawain's younger brother Gareth, Gareth, Bedivere, Beowulf. And even Grand Duke Andre couldn't resist the urge to draw his longsword, using his seasoned martial arts to suppress Beowulf. Even with Beowulf's pride and talent, he couldn't help but realize how vast this world was; even within Camelot, with all its elite gathered, he found himself in such a predicament. It truly showed that the breadth of heaven and earth, the size of the world, far exceeded his vision.
Not to mention Beowulf, who was ashamed of his earlier narrow-mindedness, Kailar, instead, spoke up to relieve Beowulf's embarrassment: "Beowulf challenged twenty people, four succeeded, sixteen failed, his stamina is exhausted, there's nothing more to say, right! Next up is the battle of Camelot's own people!"
"Those who wish to challenge the Knights of the Round Table, step forward. Untitled Knights who defeat twenty can advance to the next stage; titled Knights who defeat thirty can advance to the next stage."
"Next are one-on-one duels. Those who win three matches advance to the next level." Kailar calculated the odds in just a moment and announced the start.
Then the arena cleared out, with royal servants bringing thrones and other seats for them to sit on the side.
Regardless of the people currently sparring on the stage, Beowulf, Bedivere, and Gawain stood behind the others, already having the self-awareness of close-quarters Knights.
"My plan is to conquer Ireland and Scotland (since I couldn't find the nicknames for Ireland and Scotland from that period, I'll use modern terms directly). We'll take the Isle of Skye as a springboard; from there, we can attack Rome. If we retreat, we can dominate the seas and defend the homeland of Camelot." Kailar stood between Artoria and the four Grand Dukes, explaining his goal: "And this plan requires the conquest of Ireland and Scotland! We absolutely cannot let them cause trouble behind our backs!"
Kailar's words made the Grand Duke of the North nod vigorously. If Ireland and Scotland were conquered, then the northern region would be free. He and Grand Duke Andre would only need to garrison the coastline sufficiently to prevent any invaders from landing. If this plan were realized, it would be a grand scheme capable of increasing national strength by several folds.
"And the most crucial decree for implementing this plan is: agricultural warfare!"
Kailar pointed to the endless beautiful scenery behind him: "If farmers are encouraged to develop agriculture, and can obtain titles by donating grain, then the national treasury will surely have an inexhaustible supply of food. And as agriculture develops, various other professions will also flourish: tea farmers, cotton farmers, silk farmers, merchants, factories, and so on." Kailar had no intention of a complete revolution. As for an industrial nation, given the current productivity, it would be idiotic; without the invention of the steam engine, an industrial revolution is impossible. However, emulating the Qin Dynasty's agricultural warfare is indeed possible now. Firstly, agricultural warfare can sustain continuous combat without hindering farming. Secondly, it will show results in just one year, and after accumulation, it will become astonishingly prosperous, promoting both the economy and people's livelihoods.
Kailar's words made the four Grand Dukes and Artoria thoughtful. In fact, Artoria was not particularly skilled in civil administration, but being in her position, she had to consider such matters.
Because she was already a King.
"Furthermore, the nobility must also be curtailed. At least, the territories of titled nobles must be reclaimed or their power suppressed, rather than allowing them to act like independent kingdoms. Otherwise, a lack of smooth governance will lead to situations where new decrees are exploited for perverse ends." Kailar was confident; as long as he gained the support of these people, no reform would be a problem: after iron-fisted suppression, there would be no political compromise, because this was a brand new, vibrant new regime!
"And most importantly is the reform of the army! At sea, we cannot defeat Gaul; in the mountains, we cannot defeat the Romans. It is only on our plains that we can defeat everything. This does not conform to the original purpose of an army! An army does not exist for offense! An army exists to protect the people. An army that cannot protect the people has no reason to exist." Kailar's words deeply resonated with Artoria.
"The troop types will be specifically divided into heavy cavalry. Considering Camelot's strong cavalry and the King's economic capacity, the heavy cavalry will be structured with approximately five thousand to eight thousand men, with the Thirteen Knights of the Round Table leading them as their commanders." Kailar said. Eight thousand heavy cavalry was the final calculation made after carefully considering that one horse consumes as much food as two people. Leaving aside other factors, that many cavalry really consume a lot of grain!
"Next are light cavalry and horse archers. Light cavalry will number around fifteen thousand to thirty thousand, with three thousand men forming a cavalry unit to patrol the coastline. I believe that even without heavy plate armor and lances, Knights armed with knightly swords will be able to clear out those Gaul rubbish." Kailar's words made Gawain, Bedivere, and others puff out their chests.
"Archers will number around ten thousand to twenty thousand. I hope they are all skilled warriors in both archery and horsemanship, warriors who can hit a bullseye from a hundred paces." Kailar nodded. Due to the existence of these two types of cavalry, light infantry became less important.
"Finally, the regular formation will be heavy infantry: warriors specifically for defending cities." In fact, the presence of light infantry is manifested in mountain warfare, but Kailar felt it would be better to specially train small, elite mountain warfare masters: special forces. Therefore, the presence of light infantry was particularly weak in Kailar's eyes.