You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 368 A Civilized Land in the New Era
It's impossible for an army of hundreds of thousands to come all at once; it would take at least several months of preparation. Even if they started preparing for this in winter, they couldn't possibly set off as soon as spring arrived.

Because it would delay spring planting, the logistical costs would be terrifying.

The only option is to divide the troops into multiple groups to share the burden of transporting grain.

Moreover, it is highly likely that they will split into four groups.

One route is the Bro River waterway, another is Lion Territory, another is the Black Iron Avenue, and finally, there is a secondary road of Black Iron.

It's not that they were particularly farsighted or had great strategic planning skills.

There are only four roads suitable for large-scale troop movements; the rest are winding and rugged paths. Anyone with a bit of strategic vision can see that dividing forces and launching a combined attack is the only solution.

Otherwise, with hundreds of thousands of troops marching along a single road in a long, single-file formation, the ranks alone could stretch for dozens of miles. If something were to happen, it would cause a traffic jam, making it impossible to fight a war.

Leaving aside his private life, Roman is usually calm and composed in formal settings, possessing a unique and powerful charm.

He appeared confident, relaxed, and composed. No matter what difficulties he faced, he treated them as if they were small hills, easily stepping over them.

Those apostles who were inspired by him all felt a strong sense of security from him.

Roman sat in the main seat, his back straight, and said, "From now on, we will train step by step. Don't put pressure on yourselves. Leave the pressure to our enemies. We are an invincible army. If they want to come looking for death, we will grant them their wish."

"Yes, sir!" All the officers stood up and saluted in unison.

Roman also raised his arm and returned a standard military salute.

After everyone finished their meal, they turned and left. Roman then said to Tasina, "Your Highness, we'll be counting on you for the future."

His relationship with Tahithina was delicate; they admired each other, but due to personality clashes and differing political ideologies, they couldn't maintain a good relationship.

The princess said, "Hmph, it's rare that you've said something sensible."

Roman didn't take it to heart; it was only right to say a few nice words during this special time.

They're here to save the day, not to be bullied.

He didn't actually want to provoke Tasina. As long as she didn't lust after him, he still respected this fallen princess. As long as she obeyed his laws, she would be his most honored guest—at least for now. Offending Tasina wouldn't do him any good at the moment.

Isn't it better to just quietly farm and develop?
But Princess Stainless Steel was only thinking about achieving instant success.

In this situation, we cannot give the other party any hope whatsoever!

To make a swift and decisive statement.

On the other hand, Tasina is a very reasonable person and didn't intend to make a fuss about it.

For example, using tactics like "Lord Roman, you don't want me to withdraw my troops, do you?" to gain favor.

Everyone has bad thoughts, especially those in power, who often harbor arrogant ideas like, "How dare you disobey my orders?"

This has nothing to do with gender. When you have the power to decide the fate of others, most people lose the ability to empathize.

This is especially true for those who are rich, powerful, and extremely skilled in combat.

The five hundred elite units that Tashina brought alone were equivalent to ten thousand conscripts. The two sides fought each other to the death, and the former could easily eliminate the latter.

Absolutely no exaggeration.

Concentrating resources on a small number of people and then using those few to achieve explosive results is extremely cost-effective.

This is the true essence of the knight of conquest!

Roman felt that this Black Iron Mobilization was very likely to produce six or seven thousand Conqueror Knights.

……

The ducal family's knights usually number in the hundreds or thousands. However, due to their long lifespan, mid-level knights can still fight well even in their seventies or eighties, although they are prone to exhaustion and a significant decline in physical condition.

The lower-ranking nobles couldn't afford to support so many people; a baron might have only three to five, while a higher-ranking one might have seven to eight. Knights had their own knightly lordships—the conquering knights were themselves the lowest-ranking nobles.

Depending on the family, special knights such as Black Iron, White Knight, Storm Knight, and Broken Archer have also emerged.

They also occupy the ecological niche of the conquering knights.

Roman's apostles are the same; their combat abilities vary, but most are at most third-tier knights. This is because they cannot currently support a large group of fourth-tier knights.

The resources required to upgrade a third-tier knight to a fourth-tier knight are equivalent to those required to upgrade ten ordinary people to a first-tier knight.

In other words, Roman sacrificed one third-tier knight and ten first-tier knights in exchange for one fourth-tier knight.

This is an absolute huge loss.

It would be better to exchange them for hundreds or thousands of low-ranking knights, who can then sweep across the battlefield with their superior military skills.

They are physically strong and have great endurance, and can run around even while wearing armor weighing dozens of kilograms.

The terror of heavy infantry was fully demonstrated on the Tianma Plain.

However, not all of the River Valley Army soldiers are equipped with armor so far.

Because priority should be given to professional squads, captains, and think tanks, such as the Guards and Heavy Armored Squads—after their job changes, they become taller, stronger, and more physically capable, and their old equipment no longer fits, so they all need to be replaced.

To this day, there are still four or five thousand auxiliary soldiers who are not equipped with plate armor—they are usually responsible for logistics and have fewer combat functions, so armor would only hinder their activities.

Now these auxiliary soldiers also need to be fully armored and fill in the gaps on the battlefield.

Their original work was handed over to actual handymen.

Roman had already drained the workforce of the younger generation, and now he was going to make thousands of able-bodied farmers do logistical work, which would greatly delay production and construction.

But he had no other choice.

In fact, not only did they need to draw a group of laborers, but they also needed to send a group of militia crossbowmen from Origin City to protect the safety of Plenty City.

Origin City is fine, its foundation is solid, and apart from those flying in the sky, basically no one can attack its lair. However, it is impossible for him to give up Plenty City, as he has paid too much in the past.

Winter has just passed, and everyone is busily busy.

……

Early spring, January.

Roman asked the construction team, "How's the construction of the military fortress going?"

"It's almost finished."

"There's still time, so let's solidify it further; it absolutely can't turn into a shoddy mess."

"Yes." The visitor was hesitant and not good with words, but he could guarantee the quality of the fortress.

This time, we've really gone all out, regardless of the cost.

Roman planned to build four fortresses outside. In one area, there was no stone available, so it was hauled there by manpower and animal power. The construction standards were extremely high, as preparation for future wars.

He then went to the wood factory, where, under the shed for processing munitions, he saw rows of standardized crossbows, arranged neatly as if they were carved from the same mold.

However, there are several styles. There are ballistae, light ballistae, repeating ballistae, and compound ballistae, and boxes of crossbow bolts are placed next to them.

These are all the fruits of labor produced by the woodworking factory last year.

February.

While there was still time, Roman returned to Plenty of Land with a large quantity of military equipment and focused on spring planting.

Make the most of the time and get everything done.

We need to fight wars, but we also need to farm.

Without farming, where would the resources come from to fight a war?

As long as logistical supplies are in place, Roman can fight the Black Iron Kingdom for a whole year!

Two punches, bang!

Let me show you what a civilized nation in the new era really is!

(End of this chapter)