Game of Thrones: The Ruler

After having his breakfast, the table was cleared, and Jon was ready to proceed further with his plans.

Jon turned his head toward the two Unsullied guards standing at the gate and gave them a nod.

A moment later, a middle aged man dressed in the complete black uniform of the unsullied, flanked by a man on each side, walked into the hall.

He approached close to Jon and went down on one knee. "My Lord."

Jon nodded and spoke with a smile. "Get up."

The man stood while Jon asked, "So you are the one who has been chosen as the leader among my army?"

The man nodded, a prideful expression forming on his face.

"Yes, My Lord," he said in a firm voice.

Jon studied the man carefully. He appeared to be around thirty years of age. Like all the Unsullied, his hair was trimmed as short as possible. He had broad shoulders and well defined muscles, clear evidence of the hard training he had endured for years.

Jon asked, "What is your name?"

The man smiled and almost seemed to glow with pride.

"With your grace, My Lord, I have decided to take up a free name. A name of my own choosing. It is the very first act of my freedom. I am Freydron."

Jon smiled in return, acknowledging the name.

"I believe you are not one of those whom I was supposed to buy. After all, since they were being sold for the first time, they must be quite young."

Freydron nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, My Lord," he said. "I was the trainer for the group you were supposed to buy. After much deliberation and discussion, all the soldiers agreed to have me as their representative."

Jon gazed at him thoughtfully.

"How are your skills in a fight, Freydron?" He asked.

The man almost puffed out his chest.

"My Lord, not to brag, but I am among the best with a spear. I have been training soldiers since I was twenty. I have prepared thousands of men for war. Twelve years later, I can proudly say there were only a few men who could match or surpass me in a duel."

Jon knew that whatever Freydron was saying was most likely true. To be chosen among thousands of men was no small feat. This alone spoke of his abilities. If he had not been as skilled as he claimed, he would never be standing here now.

Jon chuckled in amusement.

"We will see about that," he chuckled. "But at least for now, more than your fighting skills, I require your leadership qualities."

"Since you have been a trainer before, that should help you with commanding an army this large," Jon added.

Jon rose from his seat.

"Come with me. We have much to discuss."

Jon walked ahead, with Slyvia and Jelerion following just behind him. Freydron came behind them.

Jon walked for some time until he reached the solar of the previous master. This room would serve as Jon's temporary solar.

Jon stepped inside. The walls were lined with wooden shelves filled with various documents and thick tomes.

At the far end, directly opposite the door, stood a large wooden table. Behind it was an imposing chair adorned with intricate carvings and patterns. Jon took his seat on this chair. The table had already been cleared for Jon to use as he saw fit.

Slyvia and Jelerion moved to stand behind Jon on his right and left sides respectively.

"Take a seat, Freydron," Jon said.

The newly chosen leader of the army nodded and took his seat.

"No doubt the men who have decided to join me, formerly called the unsullied slaves are among the best armies in the known world," Jon began. "But to achieve what I have in mind; this alone is not sufficient."

Freydron listened intently to every word Jon spoke.

Jon continued, "We not only need bravery, skill, and discipline, which you all have in abundance, but also a proper organizational structure."

"Without solid leadership and a well defined structure, a proper order of hierarchy, even the greatest armies have fallen," Jon said. "So, I have decided to reshape how my army will operate. This system will serve as the foundation for my forces, even as they expand."

Jon picked up a blank parchment from the table.

He scribbled the number '20' in big, bold letters.

"It is believed that a person can effectively maintain communication with around two dozen people. That will be the size of the smallest squad in our army," Jon said. "The foundation or the smallest basis of our army."

"Among these twenty men, one will serve as their leader, designated as the Squad Captain, and another will be his deputy, called the Deputy Squad Captain."

With this, Jon drew a hyphen next to the 20 and wrote. SQUAD CAPTAIN (SQUAD).

On the next line, Jon wrote S×5 and continued. 

"Five such groups will form a division, totalling a hundred soldiers. This division will be headed by a Captain. Like the squad captain, a captain too will have a deputy captain."

He drew another hyphen next to Sx5 and wrote. CAPTAIN (DIVISION).

On the next line, Jon wrote D×5.

"Five such divisions will form a Company, led by a Company Commander. That means five Captains, each with a hundred men under them, will serve under the leadership of Company Commander."

With this, Jon drew another hyphen and wrote. COMPANY COMMANDER (COMPANY) next to D×5.

"You can see that under a COMPANY COMMANDER, he will have 500 soldiers and five Captains," Jon explained. The other three in the room listened with great attention.

Even Freydron was pleasantly surprised. For twelve years, he had trained men and was thoroughly familiar with the inner workings of an army.

It was not as if a hierarchy did not exist before. But in a society like theirs, there was no proper, consistent army structure. Most rulers and lords depended on their vassals for much of their military strength.

This often led to complicated issues during war campaigns. The chain of command became tangled, with too many people trying to assert authority at higher levels, leading to disastrous breakdowns in communication and decision making. The moment one man leading the war was killed, no one knew who was the next in command and who should take the charge.

But this type or organisation was going to solve any such problem. Freydron watched Jon closely, waiting for him to continue.

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