Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 320 Academy Technology Tree and Unlocking Technological Advancements
Upon hearing Dean Rong En's reply, Su Li immediately turned her gaze to Oliver beside her.

He suddenly remembered that Ron's title was Eagle Eye! As the chosen one of the goddess of justice, he had eagle-like eyes, and under his selection, no bloodline with the potential to break through to become a knight would be overlooked.

Just like the famous saying from the distant East that he quoted: "Within ten steps, there must be fragrant grass; in a town of ten households, how can there be no beautiful scenery?"
Therefore, when he replaced Rong En as the head of the provincial council, the effect had already changed. Instead of attracting more followers of the Goddess of the Sun during Rong En's time, it significantly increased the probability of knights advancing and breaking through. With all exceptionally talented individuals selected by the territory, rebels, coup d'état followers, and so on quickly disappeared.

While internal troubles and corruption within the territory were greatly alleviated, corruption plummeted, fiscal revenue increased, and construction costs decreased significantly.

This effect sounds vague and abstract, and it's difficult to have a direct impression or perception of it in everyday life.

But at this moment, his powerful characteristics as the chosen one of the goddess of justice and knowledge were displayed vividly before the entire territory.

His eagle eye truly left no talent unrecognized, managing to select a large number of knightly reserve talents for training at the academy.

Su Li sighed, "Doesn't this mean that the academy has only been established for less than half a year, yet it has already trained more than 100 trainee knights? At the same time, there are still a large number of reserve knights learning and growing?"

Now he truly understood the anxieties of the high-ranking nobles within the empire. The empire was filled with highly trained, educated knights who had nowhere to go and were idle.

So much so that even the job of guarding the stables for the kingdom's knights was sought after by more than a dozen chivalrous knights.

So if they don't periodically organize a sacred grand expedition to deplete the number of knights who only know how to slash with a broken iron sword, they'll truly be reduced to rebels, raiders, and coup plotters, no different from roaming bandits. If there's any difference, it's that they still have a horse, making them more troublesome and harder to capture than bandits. If they decide to commit crimes, the common people in the countryside and villages will find it extremely difficult to resist and restrain them.

And right now in the Black Forest Territory, this is undoubtedly the same situation. Becoming a trainee knight is like becoming a college student; employment is their biggest problem.

It's no exaggeration to say that more than a dozen chivalrous knights would fight over the job of guarding the stables of the Kingdom's knights. After all, even Su Li, a pioneering knight, wasn't a formal nobleman, yet he had no shortage of knights applying for jobs and working for him.

Su Li had to ask, "Is it necessary for us to train so many knights?"

It's important to understand that knights are different from other extraordinary professions. In some ways, they are similar to monks or scholars in the East. Once they become part of the privileged class, they no longer engage in production and enjoy various preferential treatments.

Therefore, Su Li has no objection to how many engineers, nuns of the Dawn Church, maids of Tal, druids, and other professions are trained in the territory. But will training so many knights really not affect the territory's production?
“Of course!” Ron was even more impulsive than Oliver. As the patriarch of the Church of the Sun Goddess, he had a deep-seated fervor for cultivating the Sun Goddess’s followers and knights: “My lord, you must know that the Sun Goddess is the deity who most enjoys launching a human version of waaagh. Only by cultivating enough knights can we conform to the Sun Goddess’s doctrine, and only then can we sweep through the lair and conquer the monsters’ lair.”

"Moreover, once they become apprentice knights, they can earn a minimum of 50 silver coins per month. Although they do not engage in production, they do not have tax-exempt privileges. The tax revenue that an apprentice knight can provide is equivalent to that of at least six farmers."

Su Li spread his hands, immediately grasping the crux of the problem: "But the problem is, we first need to have that many positions available for these knights."

The village's college students finally graduated, having gone through countless hardships to become members of the privileged class. But once they entered society, they discovered there were no nobles to serve, no opportunities to plunder, and no expeditions to uphold justice. Wouldn't that disparity drive them to the brink of madness? They would become the biggest rebels and instigators in the territory!
Ron was an advisor on religion and military affairs. He only cared about how to spread the faith and did not care about production, so he said with a straight face: "Therefore, it is extremely necessary to build more temples and monasteries in the territory. Only with more temples can we find more work for these knights."

Su Li smiled and teased, "My advisor, have you ever considered this from a different perspective? The more temples there are, the more knights there are. The more knights there are, the lower the productivity. The lower the productivity, the fewer temples there are! Therefore, the more temples there are, the fewer temples there are!"

"The more temples there are, the fewer temples there are!?" Rong En was completely confused. Could it really be calculated like that?

Fortunately, Dean Oliver came to his rescue at this moment: "My lord, I don't think you need to worry about the whereabouts of these knights. You know, the reason why this academy was able to be built so quickly is largely due to the financial support of wealthy merchants."

"They funded this academy for two main reasons. First, undoubtedly, it was to seek a better future for their family's descendants. They also hoped that more of their family's sons could become knights, then become members of the ruling class, and then gain the appreciation of nobles through subsequent conquests and military achievements, becoming a glorious knight of the kingdom."

This is undoubtedly very difficult. Countless people want to rise from knight to nobleman, but only a tiny fraction actually succeed.

For them, becoming knights was just the beginning of a long journey, much like the difference between becoming a civil servant and entering politics.

But at least there was a glimmer of hope. In this dark and hopeless empire, any spark of light and glimmer of hope was incredibly precious. Throughout the empire, all commoners—merchants, workshop owners, and farmers—followed this path like moths to a flame. For millions of families, this was the only way to climb the social ladder.

Therefore, it was a common practice for merchants in the territory to donate to the academy and send their descendants there to be trained as knights.

"The second point is that merchants urgently need more and stronger chivalrous knights to protect their caravans. My lord, I don't know if you have noticed, but there are indeed many knights in the territory, but at least half, no less than two-thirds, are either in the army, in the knightly order, or in the church's armed forces. Chivalrous knights and mercenaries who can be hired by the people are very rare."

Su Li hadn't noticed this before, but upon reflection, it made sense. He had been preparing with all his might to deal with the Green Dragon's crisis, and he had recruited almost all the knights, armed squires, and even pilgrimage groups who had entered his territory into his army.

This resulted in relatively little civilian armed force; at least, it was not easy for caravans to form a guard.

Su Li couldn't help but think of the Blue Heron Mercenary Group, and asked, "Isn't there a large mercenary base in the territory? I remember they also have a famous 75th Cavalry Regiment, which is disciplined and has considerable combat power."

Oliver shrugged: "This regiment was conscripted by Marshal Orstein, and not only them, but also the Amber Mage Grondar Orc Calamity of the Blue Heron Mercenary Group, the First and Second Regiments of the Heavy Armor Halberd Regiment, the Sharpshooter Regiment, and the Fallen Wolf Mercenary Group were all conscripted by Marshal Orstein to participate in the westward expansion."

These free militias were troops that various lords and marshals liked to recruit. They didn't need to pay for maintenance in peacetime, had excellent combat capabilities, and could stand on the most brutal front lines in wartime. They also didn't need to pay compensation if they died in battle.

Therefore, Marshal Erstein would certainly prefer to use them in siege warfare, and it would be normal for him to call them up.

Su Li smiled and said, "It seems these mercenaries are doing really well in the territory. No wonder so many people want to become knights."

"How are the knights from the academy doing in their training?"

“The results are remarkable,” Ron replied. “From the moment they came into contact with the teachings of the Sun Goddess, they became more open-minded and enterprising, so they are not fixated on using spears and swords, and are more accepting of crossbows. We expect to train a squadron of foot knights, a squadron of green knights, and a squadron of shock knights.”

Once these knights graduate, they will indeed be able to enrich the manpower of various knightly orders and mercenary groups.

The martial spirit of the territory will surely be even more abundant. If there is another invasion by foreign enemies in the future, the quantity and quality of the free militia that Su Li recruits will surely be even higher.

“The key is that this will benefit the growth of the Church of the Sun Goddess,” Ron continued. “The more followers and knights of the Sun Goddess there are, the greater her influence in the empire will be. Her Majesty Violet will take notice of the territory’s contributions to spreading the Goddess’s teachings. This will greatly benefit your advancement.”

"When the goddess bestows her divine grace and transforms the territory into a holy land of faith, it will attract countless knights of the Sun Church to travel and visit. The number of champion knights in our territory far exceeds that of ordinary territories, precisely because you have greatly enhanced the glory of the goddess since last year."

That's true. In this world, winning the favor of the gods is the most important thing.

With divine favor, even when you are at your wit's end, you will always encounter powerful external aid, and you may even create miracles by relying on just a small team or a knightly order to reclaim your castle and territory.

Of course, Su Li did not expect things to come to this. He preferred to take his own destiny into his own hands, so he said, "Let's go and continue our tour of the academy. Let's see our young and hopeful knights."

At his command, the academy's lecturers immediately surrounded him and led him into the academy.

Su Li looked around and found many familiar faces among the lecturers, including the territory's champion knight, the captain of the Black Forest Guard knights, and even Freya!

So he waved his hand, summoning the aloof and beautiful female knight commander to his side, and asked, "Are you also a lecturer at the academy?"

Freya's face was cold and beautiful, like a proud rose. Especially with the "Encounter Orange Tide" perfume she was wearing, this fragrance, which incorporates the fresh style of a forest witch, with notes of fir, cedar, citrus, and vanilla, made her even more aloof and noble, making men feel inferior and unattainable.

The knights and instructors around her were filled with awe, keeping at least a meter's distance from her under her powerful aura. But as soon as she approached Su Li, he immediately smelled her familiar scent. There was no way around it; after all, she was the most sensitive woman in bed. Su Li left a large amount of his own scent inside her.

A woman's body dictates that once intimacy occurs and a man leaves his scent inside her, it's very difficult to wash it off. Over the next few days, even a little exercise will allow her to feel the scent seeping out.

So Su Li immediately thought of this aloof beauty's charming and alluring performance in bed.

Freya's next words made Su's heart race even faster: "I not only serve as a lecturer, but also represent the Knights as the dean of the academy, and am one of the two vice deans."

The noble Grand Master of the Knights also serves as the noble Dean of the House?
Good heavens, this only fuels my desire to conquer her even more. Just imagine the aloof and revered dean, whom the students hold in awe and only dare to fantasize about, now yielding to him beneath her, her sensitive body easily overwhelmed, quickly surrendering, crying and begging for mercy. Su Li felt his heart pounding wildly. He couldn't wait to immediately embark on a thoroughly exhilarating cultivation journey with her.

However, Su Li managed to control his emotions and looked at the aloof female dean. It was normal for her to serve as the vice dean. The Sunfire Knights were currently the second largest military force in the territory and the strongest force in the church.

They have three champion knights, four half-griffins, and even their strongest, Grand Master Constantine, has reached the level of a high-ranking champion knight. He is currently training with all his might, trying to become a chosen knight.

If he can advance to the Chosen One stage, it will undoubtedly further enhance the combat power and influence of the Sunrise Knights.

Of course, this is not easy. Su Li has already found four or five of the chosen knights of the territory, but without the right opportunity, these powerful knights can only stay at the level of high-ranking champion knights.

With Commander Constantine focused on his campaign to become a Chosen Knight and neglecting the affairs of the Knights, all matters, big and small, were managed by Vice Commander Freya.

It's clear that the Church of the Goddess of the Sun has a high degree of infiltration and control over this academy, because another dean of the academy is one of the abbots of the monastery that Su Li bought, although he doesn't have much power and is in charge of matters related to doctrine and discipline.

To inspect these young knights at the academy, I'll have to ask Freya.

So Su Li asked, "Where are our awesome young men?"

Freya pointed to the academy square ahead and said, "The knights are waiting for your inspection in the square."

"Let's go take a look." Su Li waved his hand and led everyone towards the direction of the Blazing Sunshine Military Academy.

The style of the Sunshine Military Academy is very much in line with the Knight's Castle. It is located on the right side of the academy's entrance and is a military fortress made of marble. In front of the castle is an open square with a slightly smaller goddess statue in the middle. The goddess holds a long sword in both hands and her face looks like she is praying or blessing.

On either side of the statue stood more than three hundred fully armed knights, their golden armor gleaming in the sunlight!

Upon seeing this, Su Li's lips curled into a slight smile. Very good, indeed possessing the demeanor of knights. Although still just trainees, they already exhibit the strict military-style management and the bearing of knights and soldiers.

Upon seeing Su Li enter the academy surrounded by a large number of Black Forest Guard knights and academy lecturers, the leading officer immediately shouted in a loud voice, "Salute to the Lord!"

At a command, all the knights stood in unison, their bodies ramrod straight, and then raised their right arms in unison, pounding their chests with their fists. Their powerful voices resounded through the heavens: "Greetings, Lord! May the goddess's glory forever protect you!"

The armor's reflection practically illuminated the heavens and the earth. The fluttering banners stirred a sense of heroic ambition in everyone.

Su Li smiled, stepped forward from the crowd, and walked to the front of the majestic formation. He raised his voice to encourage everyone: "Gentlemen, this academy is a history full of glory and honor. When this place was still a thorny and barbaric land, under the radiant protection of the Goddess of the Sun, we pierced through Khorne's chosen demons with our lances and severed the claws of the green dragon with our longswords. Then, the blood of our ancestors seeped into this land and turned into the obsidian beneath your feet."

"Today, every resounding thud of your breast-beating is an answer to your ancestors, a praise to the goddess. But what I want to hear is not a repetition of the past! But the epic you will carve with your swords on the battlefields of the future!"

"May the goddess's sword forever point towards chaos, and may your armor never be tarnished!"

All the knights responded with a thunderous roar: "For the goddess! For glory!"

Su Li nodded in satisfaction, then asked Freya beside him, "These students are well-equipped. Is our territory's weaponry this abundant?"

Freya calmly replied, "This is the goal you set: the Royal Guard Knights to be equipped with vibranium rune armor, the Provincial Legion Knights to wear star armor, and the Armed Squires to wear dwarven heavy armor. We are working hard to improve in this direction."

Upon hearing this, Su Li nodded, remembering the goal he had set back then.

From this perspective, it's actually quite appropriate for these knights to wear bright, gilded plate armor; after all, a knight should have a set of shiny plate armor.

Su Li then turned to Dean Oliver and asked, "Can the territory's production keep up?"

Oliver bowed slightly and replied to Su Li, "This is precisely the purpose of building this academy: to conduct scientific and technological research and engineering transformation."

Upon hearing Dean Oliver's reply, Su Li's face lit up with joy: "Conduct technological research and development and engineering modifications?"

Doesn't this mean that with the establishment of this academy, the Black Forest Territory has unlocked the technological capabilities of its faction?
This is crucial for the formation and strengthening of a power. It will not only give the Black Forest Territory its own unique characteristics, but also significantly enhance its strength in politics, economy, military, technology and other aspects.

Su Li immediately asked with concern, "What technological advancements and engineering laws have we unlocked so far?"

Oliver smiled faintly and said, "What you just saw is thanks to the Academy's implementation of the 'rationing of infantry armor.' The provincial legions wear uniform plate armor, which not only increases the cohesion of the army but also provides them with appropriate protection. After the decree gradually took effect, the armor strength of the infantry units has increased by at least nearly double."

"In addition, we have implemented the [Provincial Flag Bearer] system for the provincial legions. The flags of renowned legions will protect the lives of their infantrymen like swords. After the implementation of this system, our infantry units have seen a slight improvement in leadership, morale, and movement speed. For example, under the guidance of the flag, the movement speed of an infantry company has increased by at least 5%. At the same time, the morale of the infantry is more resilient. As long as the flag does not fall, they will hold their ground more resolutely and are less likely to retreat."

"Finally, on the military front, we collaborated with the dwarves on the [Improved Heavy Weapons]. Iron ore refining technology allowed us to produce stronger steel, while the dwarves created more durable blades and heavier blunt weapons. This was a significant improvement by the Academy of Engineering; if the dwarves had relied solely on us, they probably wouldn't have made these technological advancements even in ten thousand years. This technological advancement has significantly increased the power of our infantry and cavalry weapons, by at least 10%, with some improvements reaching 15%. Simultaneously, our halberdiers have gained the ability to withstand charges. By simply raising their heavy, elven halberds, they can hold back even the most savage troll charges. Although we haven't tested it, our soldiers are confident that even a warband of trolls could steadfastly withstand the charge and keep them at bay."

A standard troll warband consists of 4 to 8 members, with a maximum of 12. This refers to tactical warbands used for offensive operations on the battlefield. For large warbands of a faction, the number of members is entirely uncertain.

However, for a mortal army to be able to withstand the charge of eight trolls after acquiring [Improved Infantry Armor], [Provincial Standard Bearers], and [Improved Heavy Weapons] is truly an extraordinary achievement! The courage and resilience of the humans in this world are truly on a supernatural level.

If you gave this to any other race, they probably wouldn't have such strong morale.

It should be noted that the main force of the halberdiers in these provincial legions were just a group of ordinary people at the level of armed attendants. At most, they were very strong and muscular, but their combat power was far inferior to that of extraordinary knights.

Even a female knight like Leif, who has just been promoted from armed squire to apprentice knight, can knock down a thief hiding in the graveyard with a single punch, bare-handed.

But once this group of armed attendants, dressed in fine plate armor, were given a long halberd, he would dare to charge at trolls over 3 meters tall.

Regardless of whether we can win or not, at least we can firmly hold our line, defend the battlefield, and even stop the trolls from continuing their charge and rampage into our ranks, giving ranged musketeers and archers time and space to deal damage. That's perfectly fine.

It's simply awe-inspiring in its strength and resilience.

(End of this chapter)