October 20th, a propitious day, everything will go smoothly, northern expedition.
Not being in Red Leaf Ridge, they only had a vague notion of 'contribution points'; it was generally understood that merits and glory equaled contribution points.
But if Kayal were to quantify contribution points, the sense of exhilaration, as if merits were clearly visible, would stimulate their hearts and adrenaline.
This was also a clever psychological trick, which Kayal used with great mastery.
Psychology... it's really not that difficult... especially with ordinary people who have herd mentality, they are truly easy to exploit.
After a detailed explanation of the data for contribution points and the redemption time, the first to eagerly form teams were the Rangers. The Rangers formed teams of five to fifteen people. Kayal did not explicitly assign their tasks, but he had clearly hinted at them within the contribution points system.
The head of a man, whether young or old, excluding children, was worth one point. If it couldn't be brought back, the right ear could be used instead. (I've forgotten which country in Chinese history used cut ears and noses as military merits, but both the Qin and Han dynasties fought while chasing enemies and securing their heads to their waists by their hair.) A Knight, with proof, could earn ten points. A Titled Knight, with proof, could earn eighty points. Destroying enemy city walls or defensive structures, with definite proof, was worth one hundred and fifty points per structure. Destroying an enemy granary, once confirmed, was worth three hundred points per granary.
Kayal also specifically mentioned methods for preserving ears using lime or chalk powder and sea salt (though sea salt is easy to dry, it cannot be consumed directly. It requires several stages of crude processing, and Kayal's Red Leaf Ridge maintains Camelot Kingdom's top position in salt monopoly).
Of course, some might try to pass off women's ears, but women's ears are mostly small, soft, white, and clean. If there truly were women whose ears looked too much like men's, then killing them would be killing them... Kayal was quite wicked.
Just like the Führer, he was a fervent racist.
He was loyal to only two races: the Han and the Celtic.
Although he greatly admired the Germans' meticulousness, it was undeniable that their meticulousness made their thinking, apart from a tiny elite few, such as Albert Einstein (Einstein was an American citizen, German by birth), rigid like machines. In fact, the Germanic bloodline split off from the Celtic people. Due to the invasion of the Gauls, the Celts, after losing King Arthur, the God of War, had to submit to the protection of the Romans. And when the Romans retreated, they spread across the entire European continent like blooming flowers and falling leaves. It must be said that the vitality of this people is as strong as that of the Han.
But now everything was different. Kayal wanted to completely obliterate the civilizations of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales before their cultures were fully developed. He would not create the future United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with its four nations: Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales.
That would be too foolish... Although their political systems and ideologies are very open, this kind of union is undoubtedly the most foolish. (It's like the Chinese Federation in Code Geass, very unstable and with a terrible system. The only thing that puzzles me is why Japan wasn't absorbed and was instead used as a stepping stone and colonized by the Britannian Empire...)
So, extinguish their culture! Starting with the elderly and the young adults!
The young adults are full of passion and resistance to oppression, while the elderly remember culture and history. They will teach the next generation to resist and pass on history to them.
This kind of thing is too troublesome... so kill them all!
When the Qing Dynasty entered the pass and Huang Taiji ascended the throne, this is what he did: 'Keep your hair, lose your head' wasn't about cutting hair, but about cutting spirit; 'burying' wasn't about scholars, but about heritage.
His methods were gentler because the Manchus were too few; to enslave the Han people, it had to be done gradually.
How much larger was Camelot's population compared to the still harsh lands of Ireland and Scotland!
The war came like a storm. The Rangers, who went ahead first, besides ambushing the miserable people who still had to hunt in the mountains at this time of year, went straight for the granaries everywhere—the traveling merchants had already learned of the war a month ago. By reselling this information multiple times, they made a huge profit, and Camelot gained a thorough understanding of Scotland.
Although the entire army was gathered on the front lines, the Rangers, a highly mobile type of soldier similar to mercenaries, skilled in crossbows and short-range combat, were beyond the control of even the King of Scotland, let alone Kayal and Artoria.
It was precisely because of this that by the time Artoria's army reached the front lines, the enemy's rear was already ablaze with war.
This time, Kayal led five thousand heavy infantry from Red Leaf Ridge.
A Knight legion of six thousand men, composed of Gawain, Gareth, and Grand Duke Andre.
A light cavalry regiment of fifteen thousand men, composed of Bedivere, Gareth, Stuart, Reinhardt, and Seville. Excluding Reinhardt and Seville, two Knights of the Round Table who remained in the country leading six thousand cavalry to ensure domestic stability, nine thousand light cavalry came this time.
A mounted archer regiment of ten thousand men, led by Laulan, Sabaton, and others, all participated in the battle.
One hundred and fifty Knights of the Round Table under Artoria participated.
Three hundred of Kayal's disciples participated.
This time, it was truly a national mobilization. Apart from the three thousand Knights of the Grand Duke of the North stationed in Red Leaf Ridge, and the six thousand light Knights patrolling the land to guard against any invaders, there were no other military forces left in the country.
They truly intended to win in one decisive battle.
Looking at the continuous three-kilometer-long encampment below, Kayal frowned, calculating the provisions brought by the Grand Duke of the North and the capital.
He would entrust such tasks to his students, but he would still double-check their calculations himself. War is truly not something to be taken lightly.
It's all about intelligence!
The Scottish people had known a month ago that Camelot had fully mobilized, yet they still consumed provisions and hunkered down, preferring to wait for their domestic Knights to gather rather than bravely fight. While the deterrence of one hundred thousand Knights gathered in Camelot (the name of the royal city) certainly played a role, it also revealed the enemy commander's conservative approach to the art of war.
This battle... we've won!
Kayal's eyes burned as he looked down, clenching his fists.