Ch. 16 The Art of War

When I first heard the news of Uncle Gerion, I nearly jumped in excitement. However, reality kept my feet grounded. While it may be Uncle Gerion's ship, that doesn't mean he's on it.

In an effort to keep my mind from wondering about 'what ifs', I focused on the army. Or as I've taken to calling it, the Legion. The biggest problem I noticed while hunting bandits, was the lack of small unit tactics and leadership.

Captain Slate was the only officer for five-hundred soldiers. He did have a few men he leaned more on to get tasks done, but it was mostly him giving all the orders.

When the fight broke out against the bandits, the soldiers were all very competent, individually. But there was confusion and hesitation on how multiple soldiers should attack without getting in each other's way. It looked nothing like a coordinated team and more like a group of strangers fighting beside each other.

With the exception of spending a couple hours on the training grounds each morning, I spent every available minute re-creating a military structure. I tried my best to combine the best of what I remembered from the Roman Empire, the Huns, and the Marine Corps.

I first started with something I felt would be the foundation of the Legion, a service contract, and rank structure. The service contract would allow the soldiers to have some assurance they would not be released unexpectedly. It also stated that after 25 years of honorable service. They would be eligible for a pension and possible track of land.

To solve the leadership issue, I made the first and lowest rank of corporal. A corporal would oversee four men, and receive a pay increase of ten-percent. A sergeant would be in command of a squad consisting of three teams and receive a pay increase of twenty-five percent over a basic soldier. The third, and last of the lower ranks, was master sergeant. He was in charge of three squads and one healer for a total force of fifty men.

The first officer rank was lieutenant, which was in command of two platoons of fifty men each. The second officer rank was captain, and a captain would have command of four platoons, plus a small staff of two or three. There is also the rank of major, which was in charge of two companies. The last of the Legion ranks was colonel, which commanded eight-hundred fighting men and nearly two-hundred auxiliary troops.

This was for the standing army. When levies were called upon, the corporals and half the sergeants would be pulled from the standing army and promoted to higher ranks to train and led the levies. A battalion of levies would be a force of one-thousand since they wouldn't have a company of auxiliary forces.

I'm not sure how Tywin would feel about employing a force of tradesman in the military. But with our own unit of support personnel, we would drastically reduce the expense and hassle of camp followers during wartime. While some of the camp followers are the wives and children of the armies, many are opportunistic scavengers that loot villages and battlefields and then sell the wares back to the soldiers.

With the foundation of my military established, I moved on to job specialties, orders, training, weapons, and tactics. I tried to be specific, yet have room for adjustments and improvements. I put a tremendous emphasis on drilling maneuvers and close order drill. A notable change would be the standing army would be used for heavy infantry, light cavalry, and specialists such as engineers and scouts.

Tywin took experienced carpenters and engineers with him to Tarbeck Hall and had trebuchets built within a day, and the walls breached that same night. In the show, Jaime sieged Riverrun with mostly levies for over three weeks and wasn't even close to breaching the castle walls. The lack of skilled engineers, and Jaime's vanity, cost him dearly.

I tirelessly wrote and thought out plans to create the Legion based on everything I learned in both my lifetimes. I will make the Legion a force that will last a thousand years.

**Thirteenth Day of the Seventh Moon, of the year 293 A.C**

Tywin sat in his solar as he watched Kevan read through the documents Lancel created. Tywin read through all three booklets early in the morning, twice each to be exact.

When Kevan arrived shortly after Lancel left, Tywin freely gave two of the booklets to his brother and instructed him to sit and read. Tywin busied himself by reading through sections of the third booklet and pausing to contemplate what he just read, as Kevan read the other two.

'The Art of War' was an apt name for what was written in these few dozen pages. It showed that Lancel possessed an insight into war even most seasoned commanders have failed to grasp. Tywin considered this book to be extremely dangerous, especially in the hands of one of their enemies. The strategies, tactics, and inventions discussed in those pages were enough to change the face of warfare forever.

There is a shortlist of battle commanders that Tywin regarded with any sort of regard. Stannis Baratheon was a brilliant commander on land and sea but possessed many flaws that could be exploited. Brynden Tully and Robert Baratheon were both highly skilled tacticians but were too shortsighted for any grand strategies.

Randyll Tarly is the only commander Tywin viewed as an equal. Randyll had no equal when it came to reading a battlefield. Randyll led the vanguard that gave Robert Baratheon his only loss during the Rebellion. Robert's rebellion would likely have been a failure if Mace Tyrell hadn't ordered Randyll not to pursue the retreating Baratheon. Mace wasted Randyll's abilities by having him stand around while Mace feasted away during the siege of Storm's End.

Now, at the age of one-and-ten, there was another name added to Tywin's list, Lancel Lannister. Just based on these three documents, Tywin knew Lancel would be an absolute terror in a war. His plans for Saboteurs, traps, and harassment tactics would be enough to sway many battles. But his plans for new bows, crossbows, and battle formations would be enough to give most lords pause before committing to a war against House Lannister .

Tywin's attention was pulled from his reading as Kevan laid Lancel's other two booklets on his desk. Kevan leaned back in his chair as he stared at the third book in Tywin's hands.

"To tell you the truth, this is not what I had in mind when Lancel said he had a few ideas for the army. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't that." Kevan said in awe. "He gave detailed instructions and explanations on how to completely build an elite force. He even included diet and training plans for the levies. And the deployment schedule is brilliant. If we do gain a contract with one of the Free Cities, an entire year's expense will be paid in only three months."

Kevan stood and walked to the side of the room. He continued to think about what he just read as he poured two glasses of wine. Kevan handed Tywin one of the cups before returning to his own seat.

"Am I right to assume that book is as important as you're making it seem?" Kevan asked as he nodded his head towards the book in Tywin's hands.

"You are," Tywin said before he carefully placed the book in front of Kevan.

Tywin watched Kevan stare at the book for a moment before he met Tywin's gaze. Tywin wouldn't have protested if Kevan decided to read the book. He fully trusted Kevan, and he was the father of Lancel.

"I intend to take Lancel as my squire," Tywin announced.

"Really? You've never accepted a squire before, and at your age, you will have to leave most of his martial training to others." Kevan stated. "Why not Jaime? He is probably one of the few people that could handle Lancel on the training grounds in the years to come."

Tywin fixed Kevan with a flat stare. Seeing that Kevan only smirked, Tywin gave up on the look. "As capable with a sword as my son is, I will not risk Lance's reputation by having him associated with regicide."

"Do you think Lancel would be better off if he was associated with the reputation of Tywin Lannister?" Kevan interrupted.

"I do. As for his martial education, I will hire a team of masters to see that every bit of his potential is brought to fruition." Tywin confidently stated. "Now, have you accepted a marriage proposal for Lancel?"

"No," Kevan said with a shake of his head. "I have considered wedding Lancel to Desmera Redwyne, but I have not decided yet."

"She will not do. I will see to Lancel's marriage arrangement." Tywin announced as he took a sip of his wine.

Kevan stared at Tywin with a confused expression. "The Redwynes are of suitable standing for a non-heir. They have the largest fleet in all of the Seven Kingdoms, and they are the third most powerful house in the Reach." Kevan stated. "Paxter Redwyne is offering a rather handsome dowry, even by Highlord standards. Who would you rather see Lancel married to?" Kevan asked.

Tywin opened his mouth to answer when I knock came at the door. Maester Creylen hurried into the solar, breathless, and a sheen of sweat on his brow. The maester was barely able to render the proper courtesies before handing Tywin a raven message.

Tywin read the message before dropping it on his desk and standing up. "Gerion is at Lannisport."