Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 536 The Huge Tariffs and the Growth of the Steel Knights of Atonement
Su Li's question was by no means unfounded. In this old world ruled by war, chaos, and harsh natural laws, the so-called "disaster relief" and "food aid" were terms that were almost non-existent in the dictionaries of noble lords.

Distributing precious grain free of charge to defeated prisoners of war and their dependents? That was utterly a fantasy. In the eyes of the noble lords, the inability of the weak to survive was a natural selection process, the will of the gods.

As the famous saying goes, disaster relief is something only socialist countries do.

For the Hessen Territory, the cost of transporting large quantities of food from its core region to this newly acquired swampy province across a vast territory that had just been conquered and was not yet fully stable was extremely high.

The long supply lines require heavy guard and suffer staggering losses, enough to cripple the territory's finances. Su Li's expectations are realistic—this new territory must achieve food self-sufficiency as soon as possible, or at least not become a bottomless pit that continuously drains the Black Forest Territory headquarters.

Premier Oliver was clearly aware of this, and he bowed slightly in response, "Your Excellency is wise; achieving rapid self-sufficiency does indeed present difficulties. There are two main constraints."

He analyzed the situation clearly: "First, there is the environmental issue. Although the floods caused by the 'Heart of the Tides' project severely damaged the swamp ecosystem, they also caused large-scale flooding. In many areas, the water level did not recede as expected, but instead silted up again, forming large areas of muddy swamps that cannot be cultivated. We need time to carry out larger-scale drainage and land reclamation to obtain enough stable arable land."

“Secondly, there’s the pressure of population and resource allocation,” Oliver continued. “Our newly reclaimed territory includes large mountainous areas of the Twilight Mountains and the Pale Caverns. The numerous ancient mines and fortress ruins there greatly excite our allies—the Grey Mountain Dwarves. They are planning a large-scale migration, returning to parts of their ancestral homeland. As allies, we not only need to provide them with security, but in the initial stages, we may also need to provide them with a certain amount of food and other supplies. This undoubtedly exacerbates the food pressure in this region.”

After listening, Su Li tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the throne and looked sharply at his prime minister: "Then, my dean, I think you must already have a solution. The machinery of the Black Forest Territory should not be choked by the food problem."

Oliver gave a slightly cold smile: "Yes, sir. There are three main aspects to the solution, and the most crucial one happens to perfectly align with another strategic operation we are currently undertaking."

"First, we are accelerating internal development and land reclamation," he explained. "We are organizing prisoners and newly resettled populations to fully develop new farmland in areas where water levels have receded or where drainage is easy."

"The Church of Leia in the territory excels at promoting crop growth and improving soil. Their believers have been mobilized to guide next year's spring planting plan. In addition, the former swamp territories of human vassals who submitted to you early in the war were less affected by the fighting, and their agricultural bases have been relatively well preserved. Under their leadership and our supervision, agricultural production in these areas is recovering rapidly and is expected to provide the first substantial grain output by the end of winter."

At this point, Oliver changed the subject, his tone becoming more meaningful: "However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. To achieve your goal of 'self-sufficiency as soon as possible,' the most crucial and immediate method is not to transport grain from our distant Black Forest territory, but rather... to obtain it from what is right here."

He stepped forward and pointed heavily at the location of Maleburg on the map.

"Malayburg, the trading center of this border princely territory, has always enjoyed abundant grain supplies from its surrounding city-states and those imported via the western trade routes. In the past, this grain nourished Malayburg itself and the eastern regions under its influence. But now..."

Oliver's voice carried a hint of cold satisfaction: "The tax checkpoints we've set up along the Cloudcrown Mountain Pass are not just for collecting transit taxes, but also for regulating the flow of goods. According to preliminary statistics, in just the past month, the total amount of taxes we've collected from the two main trade routes in the east and south has exceeded 50,000 gold crowns!"

He paused briefly, letting the astonishing number echo in the air.

"Most of this huge sum comes from taxes levied on caravans, especially on the trade of essential goods such as grain and cloth. In other words, we are using the money paid by the merchants of Maleburg to buy the grain we desperately need from them, in order to supply the consumption of our newly occupied territories. The wealth and resources of Maleburg are flowing into our new territory through our tax gates, supporting our rule and construction."

Oliver concluded, “Therefore, sir, while the pressure of food supplies exists, as long as we maintain control of the trade routes and ensure a stable income from tariffs, we can use the ‘nutrients’ of Maleburg to nourish our nascent swamp province. This is far more efficient and cheaper than transporting grain all the way from Hesse. The pressure will be transmitted more to Maleburg.”

As Su Li listened to Oliver's report, especially when the number "fifty thousand gold crowns" clearly reached his ears, even with his current temperament and status, his eyes couldn't help but gleam with an uncontrollable brilliance. He leaned forward slightly, his fingers unconsciously tightening as he gripped the armrest of the throne.

“Fifty thousand gold crowns every month!” He repeated the number, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment, which then turned into fervent excitement. “What does this mean? A year! Just by setting up roadblocks here and collecting customs duties from the city of Maleburg, we can easily obtain more than six hundred thousand gold crowns!”

The number thundered in his mind. He abruptly stood up, paced back and forth before the throne, his excitement palpable:
"And this is all even with the western passage deliberately ignored by us, and many caravans likely detouring through the western provinces! And then there's the northern pass, deeply embedded in the Black Mountains—the golden route connecting the empire to the mainland, through which countless caravans from Mordheim and the Talabec Sea, and the empire's supplies, pour in! If we can completely control this city, holding all the lifelines of these trade routes in our hands..."

He paused, imagining the scene, his tone becoming incredibly fervent: "Then, how much would the monthly income be from customs duties alone? One hundred thousand? Or even one hundred and fifty thousand gold crowns? What an astronomical figure of wealth that would be!"

He turned to Oliver and, with an almost emphasizing tone, pointed out the astonishing nature of this income: "Dean, do you know what this means? Our Black Forest Territory's most important and stable extraordinary specialty to date—the Blessed Wisteria Tree! Apart from the share that must be allocated to the army and allies, the wealth that can be obtained from selling it to others each year, even with all our efforts, hovers between forty and fifty thousand gold crowns!"

"What does this mean?" Su Li's voice rose, filled with the ecstatic joy of discovering a gold mine. "It means that the 'blood' we extract from Maleburg in just a few checkpoints each month is equivalent to the annual sales of the extraordinary plants that have shaken our territory and the surrounding countries, cultivated with countless efforts! Moreover, this tariff is a continuous, stable, and almost entirely pure profit that requires us to invest too much in production costs!"

How could this not excite him? This wasn't just money; it was the flowing golden blood that fueled the rise of a vast power! With this inexhaustible wealth, he could arm more legions, build more magnificent fortresses, recruit more powerful warriors, and implement even larger-scale construction projects! The rise of the Black Forest Territory would be greatly accelerated by this unexpected financial pillar!
"Excellent! This is truly... a blessing from heaven!" Su Li finally laughed heartily, his previous worries vanishing in the face of this tremendous good news. "Oliver, maintain this golden passage! Ensure the absolute authority and efficiency of the tax card! We must make every gold coin from Maleburg a cornerstone of our strength!"

He could almost see gold cascading down like a waterfall above the majestic Cloud Crown Mountains, beneath the Black Forest Territory's battle flag, forging an unstoppable torrent of steel.

All of this was merely a side effect of the army's approach to Maleburg. The ambition for conquest, fueled by the dizzying figures of wealth, burned even more fiercely.

Su Li's initial excitement subsided slightly, and he turned his attention back to military development. The explosive growth in territory and population inevitably required corresponding military force to consolidate and deter others.

"Dean, now that we have effectively unified the entire northern province, and our territory spans a vast area equivalent to two or three old imperial countships plus five or six baronships, and the population has also increased significantly, the expansion of the army must be on the agenda, right?" Su Li asked, anticipating a significant increase in the size of the army.

Oliver nodded and reported, “Yes, sir. With the assimilation of new territories and the increase in population, our army has naturally expanded accordingly. Currently, excluding those prisoners who have been absorbed into second-line troops or provincial legions, our core elite forces—including the various knightly orders, heavy infantry, special legions, and the regular army of our dwarven allies—have exceeded four thousand men and are steadily moving towards five thousand.”

"Four thousand men? Heading towards five thousand?" Su Li raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with surprise. "This size... doesn't seem like a significant increase. I thought that after taking over the Swamp Territory and its vast territories, and receiving such a large population and prisoners, the size of our core force would double."

Oliver was not surprised by the lord's question. He calmly explained, "My lord, the rapid expansion you expected has not occurred, mainly for several reasons."

"First, there's the issue of the quality of recruits and their faith," he stated bluntly. "The Swamp Territory, affected by chaotic energy and its harsh environment, has a human population whose physical and mental constitution is generally far inferior to that of our Black Forest Territory's core area, and even less comparable to the wealthy Blue Mirror Territory. More importantly, they are not followers of the Goddess of the Sun." "Our core elite forces, especially knights and heavy infantry, have extremely high requirements for faith and loyalty. Recruiting large numbers of Swamp Territory residents who haven't undergone rigorous screening and conversion would severely dilute the purity and combat effectiveness of our troops, and even bring potential risks."

“Therefore,” Oliver continued, “our expansion this time mainly follows the principle of ‘internal potential tapping and elite replacement.’ The replenishment of troops mainly comes from our Black Forest Territory headquarters and the Blue Mirror Territory region, which submitted earlier and has initially accepted the Sunbeam faith.”

He cited several examples: "For instance, the Warhammer Knights, led by elf and druid allies and with the participation of our personnel, have now expanded to more than sixty official War Bear Knights, whose impact and defensive capabilities are highly praised."

"The half-griffin knight force is also close to a full-strength squadron (about 120 riders). These top-tier monster cavalry of the Empire are an unstoppable heavy assault force on the battlefield."

"Your direct force—the Black Forest Guard Knights—has exceeded three hundred in number. They are the most loyal and strongest warriors selected from the entire army, and are the most direct extension of your will."

"As for the high-ranking personal attendants who form the backbone of the army, their number has exceeded one thousand, and all of them have reached the standard of elite knights. We are gradually replacing many key positions previously held by ordinary armed attendants with these true elites, thereby raising the overall combat effectiveness of the troops."

Oliver concluded, "Sir, it's fair to say that the expansion of our forces is more like muscle-filling and weapon-upgrading an existing skeleton, rather than simply adding new, independent units. This ensures the purity and combat effectiveness of the army."

At this point, Oliver seemed to remember something, paused briefly, and added, "Of course, if there is any unit that directly and on a large scale reorganized prisoners and special talents from all sides, it is the 'Steel of Atonement' Knights under Commander Garsen."

"Oh?" Su Li became interested. "How is this mercenary group doing now?"

"The Steel Knights of Atonement are currently quite large, exceeding two thousand members," Oliver explained. "Their composition... is truly bizarre. It includes former elite knights of the Swamp Territory who were captured and chose 'labor in lieu of punishment,' human officers under Letanel, outlaws from all over the world who have ended up here for various reasons, sorcerers possessing strange skills or dark knowledge, and even some... unusual humanoid beings who are willing to abide by order (such as halflings, ogres, and cannibalistic mages)."

"Their only commonality is that they need to 'atone' by serving the territory in exchange for the right to survive and even future status as free citizens."

Oliver summarized the operation of this special force in two aspects: "First, the tempering and conversion of souls. Lord Dantin, the Saint of the Sun, was almost always stationed at the Knights' camp. He and his battle priests and fanatics conducted high-intensity, semi-coercive preaching and 'ideological guidance' on these 'redeemers' day and night."

"The goal is to dispel the chaotic shadows and past loyalty in their hearts, imprint the teachings of the Goddess of the Sun into their souls, and transform them into believers who are useful to the goddess and to the Black Forest Territory. This process... is accompanied by strict discipline, heavy labor, and high mental pressure, with a high attrition rate, but the results are remarkable."

"Secondly, there is the tempering and use of flesh and blood. These penitents are not wasting food in the camp. They are active as mercenaries in the vast Golden Plains and the old and new territories of our entire northern province, taking on all kinds of commissions to atone for their sins and prove their worth."

Oliver listed several of their recent "business operations," which were full of old-world characteristics:
"Several villages on the edge of the Golden Plains joined together to hire a 'Steel of Atonement' squad to wipe out the inferior horned beasts and horned beast gangs that were hiding in the nearby forest and frequently attacking people and livestock."

"A newly opened mine near the Pale Cavern has reported that an ancient tomb has been disturbed, with ghouls and skeletons appearing at night. A small team led by the necromancer 'Redeemer' has accepted the mission to go deep underground and purify the area."

"Important caravans traveling between Maleburg and the newly occupied territories often hired them as guards to deal with the green-skinned boys and goblin raiders roaming the Gobi Desert."

"A border village reported that livestock and villagers had undergone bizarre mutations of unknown origin. A 'Steel of Atonement' investigation team went to investigate and eventually found and cleared a small chaotic corruption node in the swamp outside the village, dealing with all the mutants."

"Some former swamp territories' defeated soldiers and bandits are entrenched in the spurs of the Twilight Mountains, attacking passing travelers. 'Steel of Atonement' is ordered to go into the mountains to clear them out and test their combat effectiveness and loyalty in actual combat."

"Through these diverse and numerous missions scattered throughout the land," Oliver concluded, "these redeemers are not only buying their future with blood and sweat, but also maintaining order and security in the new territory through their actions, becoming a powerful extension of our rule. Once they successfully complete a certain number of missions and pass the final review by the Sunfire Cult, they will shed their status as 'redeemers' and become official citizens of the Black Forest Territory, even having the opportunity to join the regular army based on their merits."

After listening, Su Li slowly nodded. This "Steel of Atonement" knight order, seemingly a motley crew, was actually a brilliant arrangement for dealing with unstable factors in the current situation, while simultaneously expanding its military power and influence at low cost. It was like a furnace, throwing in captured "scrap iron" and "dangerous materials," ultimately hoping to forge useful "steel."

“Very good. Tell Commander Garsen and Saint Dantin to continue operating according to this strategy. What I want to see is not just a mercenary force that can fight and bring wealth, but also a special school that can produce loyal warriors and qualified citizens.” Su Li calmly gave the instructions.

When Oliver heard that Su Li's initial understanding of the value of the Knights of Atonement was limited to wealth and the furnace, a deeper meaning flickered across his usually calm face. He shook his head slightly and added in a steady voice:
“My lord, the significance of this mercenary group goes far beyond the more than a thousand gold crowns they hand over each month—although that income is indeed stable and considerable. Their greater value lies in their ability to deal with many dark threats that our regular army cannot directly intervene in or fail to detect in time, in a relatively flexible and ‘unofficial’ capacity.”

He then recounted a recent, typical case, his tone becoming serious:
“Just last month, an elite squad of ‘Steel of Atonement’ was commissioned by an anonymous informant (later identified as an old knight within the baron who still had a conscience) to infiltrate a marginal baron in the north of our newly occupied territory—Greywood City.”

"According to the reports, it looks a bit too prosperous and bustling there. Everyone is full of energy, the economy and culture are extremely active, the people are extremely loyal, and everyone is working with great enthusiasm. Needless to say, this situation is basically a form of sadomasochism. The members of the Steel of Atonement quickly noticed that something was wrong. There was an overly sweet and rotten smell in the air, and the people's eyes were filled with an abnormal daze and an emptiness after ecstasy."

“After a secret investigation, they finally focused their attention on the Baron himself and his beautiful wife.” Oliver lowered his voice. “The so-called ‘Baroness’ is not a fallen noblewoman at all, but a Slaanesh chosen one who is extremely well disguised! By bewitching the Baron, she has been quietly promoting a corrupting ritual throughout the territory, gradually turning Greywood Territory into a hotbed for the Lord of Pleasure.”

"The Steel of Atonement squad acted swiftly, launching a surprise attack in the dead of night. The battle was exceptionally fierce; the Slaanesh chosen one displayed terrifying power in his despair, his twisted charm spells and ferocious attacks nearly annihilating the squad. Ultimately, thanks to the relics bestowed upon them beforehand by Lord Dantin, the Saint of the Sun, and the desperate fighting of the team members, they successfully killed the chosen one. His death screams are said to have driven half the town into a brief frenzy."

"Subsequently, they arrested the baron, whose mind had long been corrupted and who was indulging in the illusion of ecstasy. They also detained all his immediate family members and brought them back. They are currently undergoing the most rigorous 'purification' and trial by the Sunfire Cult," Oliver concluded, a hint of lingering fear in his voice. "My lord, one can imagine that if it weren't for the intervention of the Steel of Atonement, if it had been delayed by a few months, or even weeks, the entire Greywood Territory might have completely fallen, turning into a living hell. Not only would all its people have been doomed, but it might have become a malignant tumor attracting more chaotic forces and endangering the safety of our entire northern province. Their operation can be said to have nipped a huge chaotic crisis in the bud with minimal cost."

Upon hearing this, Su Li's face showed genuine surprise. He had originally regarded this unit merely as a tool for handling miscellaneous tasks and generating revenue incidentally, never expecting that they could independently handle such a high-threat chaotic event.

"To think they could hunt down a Chosen Chaos God on their own..." Su Li stroked his chin, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "It seems I underestimated them. What they offer is not just gold coins, but also... a preventative security guarantee."

He immediately thought of the baron Oliver had mentioned and asked, "Speaking of these surrendered nobles... tell me about their situation. It seems they were all peripheral vassals under Litanel who surrendered voluntarily under Hilde's military might? I remember there were two or three barons and seven or eight knights of the kingdom?"

(End of this chapter)