Chapter 94: Chapter 93: Insufficient Evidence for the Accusation
Drogon had just been summoned back by John. With the stabilization of the situation in England, Drogon returned to Ireland. He also received an additional task from John: to expand his company into a regiment comprising four companies.
What a great opportunity this was!
Now, he was in the large military camp in Dublin, supervising the training of the soldiers.
All the officers of these companies were drawn from Drogon's own company. He divided his company into four parts, mixing them with the new recruits, letting the veterans lead the rookies.
John was now preparing to intervene in Europe in the future. He needed a larger army, so the expansion work had to start early.
"Form up! Move out!"
Drogon personally called out commands, diligently training the soldiers.
The phalanx soldiers clumsily formed their ranks and, amidst the curses of the veterans, began to march forward step by step.
For Drogon, these were scenes he had experienced before. He jumped down from the high platform, pulled out a few soldiers who weren't stepping properly, and whipped them in front of everyone.
The whip lashes split the skin of the new recruits, and the humiliation imprinted on their minds made them remember what to do next.
The veterans had been through this too, but while mocking the new recruits, it was as if they themselves had never been beaten before.
"This is what happens when you don't train properly! Do you see that?" Drogon demonstrated to the new recruits.
All the soldiers responded in unison, "We see it!"
"Not loud enough! Again!"
"We see it!"
"Good, continue training!"
After speaking, Drogon returned to the high platform. After inspecting this company, he had to review the training results of the next one.
Training soldiers was exhausting, but Drogon was unwilling to give up this opportunity to climb higher.
Just as he was about to inspect the next company, a messenger came running hurriedly. Seeing him panting beside him, Drogon grew suspicious.
"What happened?" Drogon asked.
The messenger took a couple of deep breaths and then, in a tone that Drogon would never forget for the rest of his life, said, "Regimental Commander Iwa has been executed!"
This news hit Drogon like a bolt from the blue, exploding in his mind.
"Oh God, oh God... how could such a thing happen? This must be false," Drogon refused to accept the truth, looking at the messenger with a face full of shock.
The company had already marched up to Drogon, but he didn't notice at all.
The messenger nodded firmly, quashing the last bit of hope in Drogon's heart. Following this, Drogon covered his face, seemingly overwhelmed with grief.
The messenger further explained, "The general said that Iwa was colluding with the enemy, disrupting the morale of the troops, and inciting rebellion, so he was executed."
These words might deceive the soldiers, but Drogon knew better. He knew Iwa could never do such things. The only plausible explanation was that Breton felt threatened by Iwa and thus had him executed.
Though Breton had once shown him kindness, Iwa had also treated Drogon well. Seeing his two benefactors turn against each other made Drogon feel as though his world was collapsing. He could no longer focus on training the soldiers, staring blankly as they marched in disarrayed formations.
Something was definitely wrong with this situation.
"I feel so helpless, damn it," Drogon muttered, crouching on the ground with his hands on his head.
The company commanders who heard the news were stunned, watching their regiment leader in a daze.
Suddenly, Drogon sprang to his feet and rushed to the stables. Everyone watched dumbfounded, except for his adjutant, who ran over and brought out the horses.
"Regimental Commander, where are you going?" the adjutant asked as he saddled his own horse.
"I'm going to see His Highness the Prince, to clarify this matter," Drogon replied firmly.
With a slight squeeze of his legs, Drogon's horse took off. His adjutant followed closely as they galloped towards Phoenix Castle.
Upon arrival, they secured their horses and requested an audience with John through the attendants. The attendants relayed the message to John, who was somewhat surprised.
"Let them in," John said, gripping the armrest with interest at Drogon's unexpected visit.
When Drogon was brought in, John immediately noticed the urgency on his face.
Drogon eagerly began, "Your Highness, General Breton has had a conflict with one of his officers and executed him. You might not be aware, but this officer had a very high reputation within the army. Breton is likely facing a mutiny."
John frowned and asked, "What mutiny? Explain who this officer is and why he holds such influence."
Drogon explained, "The officer's name is Iwa, a regimental commander. He is the most senior and respected figure among us. There was some friction between him and Breton."
"Breton doesn't care about the soldiers' lives; he's only interested in his own gains. Iwa was very dissatisfied with this attitude."
"At times, Iwa would oppose Breton's tactical decisions. He wanted to minimize casualties and preferred more cautious strategies, while Breton was always focused on completing the mission."
Listening to this, John thought he should indeed support Breton. John didn't care whether the soldiers lived or died; to him, they were just numbers. However, he couldn't say this outright.
So, John responded, "I will investigate this matter, Drogon. What you say might be true, but as a leader, I need information from multiple sources, do you understand?"
The situation was not as John had imagined, and Drogon shook his head, "I don't understand."
John sighed, "Then I have to be blunt. I cannot be sure if what you say is true. I need to gather information from various sources to corroborate your claims and understand Breton's reasons for his actions."
Drogon was stunned. He couldn't understand why John was so cautious or what he might have left unsaid.
From a Breton perspective, the evidence seemed sufficient. This was a common issue for most ethnic groups of this era.
Norman nobles were at the forefront of legal matters for their time.
"I need more evidence. Not just from you, but from Breton's supporters and his opponents. All these opinions are equally important," John explained again.
Despite this, Drogon still looked puzzled.
Seeing this, John decided not to explain further and gave a resigned look. "Fine, you can go back now."
Faced with such a dismissal, Drogon had no choice but to accept it, despite his dissatisfaction. After all, he was just a low-ranking officer and couldn't defy John's orders.
Once Drogon left and closed the door behind him, John called his servant over.
"Fetch me some snacks," John instructed, "and bring Elina here as well."
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