A foolish leader would be the death of an army. And it was for this very reason, even with its nepotist nature, that the ones in the leading position were the ones with talent.
Still having a noble background, most of these soldiers or Knights were from branch families, never capable of holding any influence in their family, so they joined the military to obtain merits and make a name for themselves that way, which in turn also brings honor to their house.
That was the case with Wilhelm Faust, talented to the extreme, but due to his feeble talent as a Knight, he had no place in the family, so he ran away and joined the Tower mages.
Such a story can be repeated for many on the high post of the military, and it was why, they were well aware that the moment the ghoul rampage began, it would be the start of war as well.
This is why they were on alert, spreading their scouts through the battlefield, trying to sense when and where Yethel would attack from.