Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 517 Three Days It Is! Expand the Army!

After viewing the medicine vault area, Fandral led Su Li and Oliver to the last and largest section of the gold vault area. Pushing open the heavy iron-clad wooden doors, the scene that greeted them was not one of dazzling gold and silver or magical brilliance, but rather one that brought a deeper and more fundamental shock.

The shelves here are neatly arranged, and the stacks of grain made of some kind of breathable special burlap sacks, like silent behemoths, are arranged in an orderly fashion in the vast space, stretching as far as the eye can see. A strange, mixed aroma permeates the air: the warm scent of sun-dried grain, a coolness similar to mint, and an indescribable aura containing life energy.

The "food" here is far from ordinary. Some sacks glow faintly with an emerald green light; that is the [Emerald Ears], which can slightly accelerate wound healing when consumed. Next to them are the [Azure Ears], shimmering with a deep blue light, which can even enhance the combat power of Chosen Knights in their Divine General state. Nearby are also flour ground from [Steel Wheat], which shimmers with a metallic matte sheen. Bread made from this flour can shatter glass like a baguette, but it can also enhance the strength and speed of soldiers. And then there are the pure white, round [Pearl Bread], which can not only be stored for a long time but also increases affinity with the winds of Jilun, enhancing the soldiers' stamina.

There's also the Frost Whisper Pea, which emits a faint glow in the dark and keeps the environment stable, and the Traveler's Onion, which helps knights find water.

Political Secretary Oliver took a deep breath, his face showing an expression of more genuine excitement than if he had seen any treasure.

His voice was filled with heartfelt admiration: "My lord! Sufficient troops and provisions are the foundation of a nation! In this land filled with war, plague, and dark magic, how many powerful kingdoms and city-states have perished not from the swords of enemies, but from internal famine and chaos! With such abundant and extraordinary food reserves, our army will have no worries about supplies, and our people will have the confidence to survive! This is the cornerstone of order against chaos, the spark that allows civilization to continue!"

Fandall's face beamed with pride as he pointed to the mountain of grain: "My lord, Lord Oliver couldn't be more right. Currently, this strategic reserve contains over 300,000 catties of extraordinary grain! It has undergone special treatment and can be preserved for a long time without losing its effectiveness. In wartime, this grain will be prioritized for distribution to elite legions and important craftsmen, which will greatly enhance our army's sustained combat capability and resilience."

He paused, then continued his report, his tone carrying a sense of composure born of prosperity: "More importantly, this is merely the strategic reserves directly controlled by our lord's manor. Today, agriculture in our Blacksin territory is vastly different from what it once was. The real 'bulk' is the grain circulating in the markets and stored in the granaries of individual households, far exceeding the official reserves. The territory has already passed the initial stage where the lord's manor was responsible for overall coordination and rationing."

“Currently, the total amount of regular grain, clearly counted and stored by the Lord’s Mansion and official granaries in various regions,” Vandal reported an even more staggering figure, “is approximately 3 tons. This grain is properly stored in several key locations: the permanent granary deep beneath the Forbidden Palace, the massive granary in the central fortress of Hessian City, and numerous strategic reserve points established in border fortresses and important towns. This grain is sufficient to support our current army size for at least three years and is a solid guarantee for our expansion plan!”

As Su Li listened to the report, his gaze slowly swept over the warehouse, a symbol of life and stability, and a genuine smile of satisfaction appeared on his face. This was the territory he envisioned—not only possessing formidable military power and mysterious magic, but also a prosperous, self-sufficient economy and a solid foundation for people's livelihood. Ample official reserves and active circulation among the people were signs of a healthy, strong, and sustainable development.

“Very good,” Su Li’s voice was filled with satisfaction. “From the initial hardships to the current state of a full treasury and prosperous people, we have only taken a few years. Seeing this, I truly feel that the Black Forest Territory is transforming from a struggling frontier territory into a truly complete, normal, and prosperous powerful force. This is the most solid foundation for us to continue expanding our territory in the border princely territories!”

With satisfaction, Su Li withdrew his gaze from the grain mountain and turned to the iron-fisted prime minister beside him, his tone resolute and heroic: "My dean, it seems that our military equipment, medicines, and food supplies are sufficient to support a rapid and large-scale military expansion. Now, tell me the most crucial point—can our finances keep pace?"

Oliver stroked his chin, responding calmly, a sharp glint in his eyes: "My lord, you are right. After a long period of recuperation and vigorous development of trade, our treasury is full and fully capable of supporting a large-scale military expansion. The situation in the empire is constantly changing, and the threat of evil has never been far away. We must possess military strength commensurate with our territory's status. It is time to completely transform our economic strength into tangible military power."

As the chosen one of Verena, the goddess of justice and learning, he had a profound understanding of the empire's military system: "My lord, when it comes to the scale of military expansion, perhaps we can refer to the empire's military assessment requirements for nobles at all levels. After all, the future of our Black Forest Territory will never stop at the level of a baron."

He cleared his throat and began to elaborate, his tone filled with reverence for the ironclad laws of the empire: "The empire is founded on military might and is constantly threatened by Chaos, Greenskins, the undead, and even internal traitors. Therefore, the royal family and the Electors Council have clear and even stringent requirements for the military preparedness of all nobles, as this concerns the very survival of the nation."

“The lowest-ranking knights of the kingdom,” Oliver began, starting from the bottom, “often have a territory consisting of only a village or town, and the Empire’s only requirement for them is ‘self-defense.’ Without timely support from the provincial standing army, they must be able to arm themselves and defend against small groups of beastmen or goblin bandits. It can be said that the Empire adopts a laissez-faire attitude towards them, leaving them to fend for themselves, and their survival largely depends on their own bravery and luck.”

“But at the baron level,” he emphasized, “the situation is completely different. Baronies are the lowest-ranking administrative and military units that the Empire truly values, the most basic force the Empire relies on to deal with the frequent monster attacks and Chaos Warbands across the land. The Empire requires a baron to have a ‘reliable’ army capable of independently eliminating threats within his territory and supporting besieged villages or outposts. Therefore, the Empire explicitly stipulates that a baron should maintain at least 1000 well-equipped and well-trained ‘elite knights’.”

At this moment, Oliver's hard brows furrowed slightly, revealing a disdainful expression: "Of course, at the level of barons, there are many who are 'filler'. Many barons will use a large number of armed squires, conscripts, or even mercenaries who have only undergone basic training to make up the numbers, in order to save the huge expense of maintaining real knights. As long as the numbers on the books are acceptable, the empire will often turn a blind eye."

“However,” his voice suddenly turned serious, “at the level of earl, this line is completely blocked! 3000 true elite knights, who can be regarded as the backbone of the battlefield, this is the empire’s red line and iron law, which almost no one dares to break! Any earl, not only to meet the empire’s rigid requirements, but also for the sake of his family’s inheritance and the security of his vast territory, will spare no effort to achieve this goal. In the thousands of years since the empire was founded, earl families that could not maintain this scale either declined rapidly or were swallowed up by other powerful neighbors; they are extremely rare.”

Finally, he mentioned the Dukes: "As for the Dukes, the Empire requires them to maintain a standing army of at least 10000 elite knights. But this is no longer a written requirement, because at the Duke level, they are the rulers of the Empire, the biggest beneficiaries and maintainers of this system. For their own power, the security of their territories, and their voice in the whole Empire, they will only try their best to expand their military strength, no more and no less."

After Oliver finished explaining in detail, he looked sharply at Su Li and asked a key question: "Lord, have you noticed the key point? The core of the Imperial assessment has always been the quantity and quality of 'elite knights'!"

The iron-fisted prime minister's voice was like tempered steel, cold and hard: "Do you understand, my lord? Nobody cares how many armed squires or conscripts you have! If you look at the Terra palace, when those ministers in charge of military affairs and the electors look at the noble territories marked on the map of the empire, they will only see one number—the number of 'elite knights'!"

He raised his hand and gestured in the air, as if pointing to a huge strategic map. "In many traditional territories, armed squires are an appendage of knights. Each true elite knight naturally brings two or three squires and attendants. In battle, these people will naturally follow their masters into battle. Therefore, from the outside, these forces are 'default' included in the knightly units and are not counted separately. Many territories are happy with this arrangement, saving them the expense of maintaining independent infantry units."

Oliver's tone deepened, as if he were elevating his gaze to the clouds, looking down upon the Old World with a godlike indifference: "And if we elevate our perspective further, to those who truly determine the fate of the continent—whether they are mortal emperors, powerful electors, or gods who occasionally cast their gaze upon the mortal realm—their perspective is even more brutal and direct. When they examine a vast region, they only focus on two things: how many 'legendary' figures there are who can single-handedly turn the tide of battle, and how many truly 'elite' core troops they command! Barons, earls, and even dukes might be ignored."

He shifted his tone, pointing to the land beneath his feet, his voice tinged with a sharp realism: "From this purely cold perspective, the strength of our Black Forest Territory is severely mismatched with our actual influence, wealth, and... high-end combat power! Lord Hilder was promoted to Legendary last month, a piece of news that could shake an entire province. We possess enough sophisticated equipment to arm thousands, mountains of strategic resources, and you, our unfathomable lord."

“But,” Oliver’s voice was resolute, “in the eyes of outsiders, especially potential rivals and treacherous neighbors, they will only see one simple fact: the core military force of the Blacksin Territory consists of only a little over a thousand elite knights. They will automatically ignore our provincial armies and free militias used for defense, because those forces are incapable of mobile warfare and projecting influence outwards. In their eyes, the Blacksin Territory is nothing more than a pioneering territory without formal titles, possessing legendary knights and unexpected wealth! Not even as good as some established baronies!”

He took a deep breath and made his final judgment: "My lord, you must believe that most people in this world, especially those who decide how to view us, are fools and realists. They neither understand nor care about such illusory concepts as war potential, recuperation, financial improvement, and a promising future."

"They only recognize one simple, brutal, yet undeniable fact: the Black Forest Territory has only a little over a thousand elite knights. Therefore, until the Black Forest Territory truly displays its greater strength, our status in their eyes will forever remain merely... at most a baronial territory. This perception will directly affect diplomacy, trade, and even the Imperial Central Committee's recognition and investiture of our achievements!"

Oliver's words echoed like a warhammer striking an anvil, reverberating through the empty warehouse, each word carrying undeniable weight and a resounding, practical significance. Without hesitation, the iron-fisted prime minister immediately reported the territory's strength with precise figures: "My lord, your decisiveness is exactly what the territory needs! Please do not worry about the finances. Currently, our Blacksem territory's treasury reserves a staggering 370,000 gold crowns!"

He paused slightly, then added a crucial detail: "It's worth mentioning that during this period of recuperation, although the army's size hasn't expanded significantly, our substantial investment in talent development and the construction of our artisan system has yielded results. Today, the total number of technical bureaucrats, master blacksmiths, master engineers, as well as priests and elite artisans with special skills serving the government within the territory exceeds four thousand! They are the backbone of our territory's strength, but maintaining this high-quality team requires a monthly salary of up to twenty thousand gold crowns."

When Su Li heard Oliver announce the total amount of the craftsmen's salaries, he couldn't help but gasp slightly. "Twenty thousand gold crowns per month..." He calculated very quickly in his mind, "That's two hundred and forty thousand a year! If we only spend and don't earn any more of the three hundred and seventy thousand gold crowns in our treasury, it can only last for a year and a half."

Behind this enormous expenditure lies a microcosm of the territory's rapid development. Besides the large number of Imperial dwarves recruited from within the dwarven communities, there were also skilled dwarves from the Gray Mountain and Redbeard clans, especially the Grayrock clan, which, to repay Su Li's kindness, mobilized almost the entire clan, sending a large number of craftsmen. These resilient dwarves are scattered throughout the territory, paving roads and bridges, constructing irrigation systems, fortifying city defenses, forging weapons, and even venturing deep into the mines. Su Li naturally wouldn't mistreat these craftsmen who toiled for the territory's development; generous salaries were a must.

However, Su Li's brows immediately relaxed. These artisans were different from a purely resource-intensive army; they were the geese that laid golden eggs. He calmly said, "This monthly expenditure of 20,000 gold crowns is not a bottomless pit. It has been transformed into better roads, stronger city walls, more sophisticated weapons, and an increase in the overall production efficiency of the territory. The current investment is laying the foundation for even greater fiscal revenue in the future."

Oliver then provided a more precise financial profile: "Your Excellency, I currently receive a monthly surplus of approximately three thousand six hundred and seventy gold crowns."

This number reassured Su Li considerably. It seemed the territory's self-sustaining capacity had begun to take shape. Oliver continued his analysis, his tone filled with strategic optimism: "After the expansion, maintaining an elite knight force of three thousand will be extremely expensive, and our finances will indeed run a deficit again. But this is only a temporary setback!"

His voice grew impassioned: "Once we conquer the Swamp Territory, our territory will expand dramatically. More importantly, we will completely open up the trade route to the 'Border Pearl,' Maleburg! That city is the trading hub of the border princely territories. At that time, our specialties—whether these extraordinary grains, enchanted equipment, or dwarven crafts—will find the broadest market. I predict that once foreign trade is activated, reversing the fiscal deficit will be a piece of cake, and we may even be able to achieve a monthly surplus of ten thousand, or even twenty thousand gold crowns!"

Hearing this, Su Li was completely relieved. The current monthly surplus of over three thousand gold crowns may not seem like much, but it precisely indicates that the territory's wealth has not been fully monetized, but rather largely deposited as solid strategic reserves in the armory. These reserves are the source of the confidence to decisively expand the army at this moment.

Once trade routes are established, the wealth accumulated in the treasury will be fully activated. The temporary deficit caused by military expansion will seem insignificant compared to the surging profits from trade. At that time, a monthly surplus of 20,000 gold crowns, let alone 36,700 gold crowns, will not be an unattainable dream. The future Blacksene Territory will undoubtedly be both militarily well-equipped and wealthy.

So Oliver's voice became firm and powerful again, "This wealth is enough to support a swift and decisive military expansion, raising our core forces to their proper level!"

Su Li listened quietly, his face calm, yet his eyes gleamed with a sharp and composed light. He nodded slightly, expressing his complete agreement with Oliver's analysis.

“You’re absolutely right, my dean.” Su Li’s voice was steady and powerful, revealing a confidence deeply rooted in his actions.

He was not a dreamer, but a lord who always acted decisively. Since the fierce battle in the Valley of Memories, he had never slackened his efforts, except for the time he had to allow for the army to rest, the soldiers to recover from their injuries and rebuild their morale.

Upon returning to his territory, he immediately received the dwarven envoys and finalized the crucial alliance with the entire Grey Mountain dwarf community.

Next came the crucial autumn harvest and planting season. Farming was his most important foundation, and it ensured the strategic importance of the territory's border granaries. This was not only about the stability of the Black Forest Territory, but also about the stability of the border princely territory and the Gray Mountain Province, as well as countless territories in both provinces.

Having just been promoted to Legendary last month, Hilder is already standing in the armory this month, planning to expand his army. Apart from the essential agricultural matters that must be done during the harvest season, he has devoted almost all his energy to strengthening his territory, making every second count.

"Moreover, now is an excellent opportunity," Su Li continued clearly. "The troops that went to Mount Oka to participate in the Holy Expedition have returned victorious, and among the five thousand men are many experienced elite knights. Letting such a force, which has just experienced the baptism of blood and fire and is full of vigor, retire or be idle would not only be a waste, but could also breed trouble. We must find suitable positions for them and put this force on the right track."

His gaze hardened, and he formally issued the order: "Then there's no need to hesitate any longer. Begin expanding the army immediately! My dean, given our current preparations and financial situation, how long do you think it will take to expand the number of standing elite knights to three thousand?"

Su Li's question was direct and specific; he not only needed to decide the direction but also control every key moment in the process. The curtain was raised on the expansion of the army right there in this warehouse piled high with grain.

Oliver remained calm, as if stating a perfectly ordinary matter, and bowed in response: "My lord, the military expansion has actually been progressing according to plan since the autumn harvest. The territory is systematically replacing the original armed squires with formal elite knights, who will return to their respective manors in an orderly manner and be transformed into trained militia, in order to strengthen the foundation of the territory's defense."

He paused briefly, his tone remaining steady yet carrying an undeniable weight: "Now that you have made your decision, the subsequent military expansion will be more focused and efficient, demonstrating the resolve and strength of my Black Forest Territory. As for when the army will reach three thousand elite troops..."

Oliver raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Su Li's: "If everything is arranged properly, I believe that it can take initial shape within three days."

"Three days?!"

Su Li and Fan Dahl spoke almost simultaneously, their faces filled with disbelief and astonishment. If they didn't know that this prime minister, known for his rigor and efficiency, never spoke falsehoods, they would have almost thought it was an inappropriate joke.

Oliver remained calm despite their shock, though a glint of insightful wisdom flashed in his eyes. He bowed slightly again, confirming with certainty, "You heard me correctly, Lord, Steward Fandall. I said three days. As long as the plan is executed smoothly, the core framework of three thousand elite knights can be established within three days."

This confidence left Su Li in awe. The ability to complete such a large-scale military reorganization in such a short time required meticulous planning, resource allocation, and execution, making it a model of bureaucratic art and befitting her title as Verena's Chosen One—a truly top-tier leader.

(End of this chapter)