Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 347 Blast Furnace
A brief silence fell over the meeting room as everyone waited for the Western Frontier to offer its bargaining chips.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Marquis Sonata, as if trying to glean some insight into the Western Territory's true intentions from his expression.

Marquis Sonata gritted his teeth and said, "We will also deploy 100,000 elite troops!" His voice was particularly loud in the silent conference room.

These 100,000 elite troops are no small number, meaning that the Western Frontier will also have to exert all its strength to compete for the position of vice leader.

Of the 100,000 elite troops, 50,000 came from the Bauhinia Organization and the Knights Guild, and the rest were drawn from the nobles of the Western Frontier. They should be able to gather enough.

Although the nobles of the Western Frontier felt a pang of regret, they had no choice but to agree to the arrangement for the sake of the position of vice leader and the enormous benefits behind it.

Count Anthony narrowed his eyes slightly and said abruptly, "We will provide another 10,000 sets of knight armor and 50,000 sets of infantry armor."

His words were like a bombshell, causing a stir in the conference room.

Knight armor and infantry armor are very important equipment for the army. Good armor can not only improve the soldiers' defense, but also boost morale to a certain extent.

The fact that the Eastern Border suddenly offered such a bargaining chip clearly indicates their intention to gain the upper hand in the competition.

The nobles of the Western Frontier were somewhat alarmed upon hearing this news.

Marquis Sonata's expression turned somewhat grim. He turned to Viscount Wilke, his eyes questioning, "This is a bit tricky. We in the Western Territory don't have that many ready-made suits of armor to offer."

His voice carried a hint of anxiety, after all, in this contest for the position of vice leader, the armor offered by the Eastern Territory had caught the Western Territory somewhat off guard.

Viscount Wilke frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "How much can you raise?"

His gaze was focused and calm, as he tried to find a way to break through this seemingly unfavorable situation.

“Five thousand sets of knight armor and twenty thousand sets of infantry armor! The Bauhinia Organization can provide three thousand sets and twenty thousand sets of infantry armor.” Marquis Sonata gritted his teeth and revealed his bottom line to Viscount Wilke.

At this critical moment, we must be open and honest with each other in order to come up with a solution together.

Knight armor is full-body armor and costs five times more than infantry armor.

This information further complicated the situation. While cavalry armor was scarce, it was extremely valuable, while infantry armor, though more numerous, still played a crucial role in the war.

Viscount Wilke nodded. "Then I'll make the offer this time, and I'll cover the rest."

As soon as he spoke, Marquis Sonata looked at Viscount Wilke with a face full of shock.

Marquis Sonata never expected that Viscount Wilke would be so confident. Could it be that the Wilke family had already stockpiled a lot of armor?

In the Westerlands, the stock of armor is very limited, especially expensive and rare equipment like knight's armor.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the conference room became tense again. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen next, wondering if the Eastern Territory had any other bargaining chips to offer, and how the Western Territory would further consolidate its advantages.

Marquis Leistin of the Southern Territory watched this scene, secretly relieved that he had already secured a vice-leadership position and wouldn't have to get involved in such fierce competition. He whispered to the person beside him, "The Eastern and Western Territories are really going all out for this vice-leadership position. This is actually a good thing for our allied forces. No matter who wins in the end, it will greatly enhance the strength of the allied forces."

The Marquis of Langjing in the North remained serious, pondering how to balance the competition between the East and West.

After all, as the leader of the alliance, he needs to ensure harmony and stability within the coalition and prevent this competition from undermining the unity of the coalition.

Count Anthony, observing the somewhat flustered expression on the Western Frontier's face, felt a surge of smug satisfaction. His offer had already disrupted their plans; now it was time to see how they would respond. He crossed his arms, quietly awaiting their reply.

Based on our understanding of the Western Frontier, it's impossible for them to produce so much armor. After all, in the past few years, a large portion of the armor worn by the Western Frontier nobles was imported from the Eastern and Southern Frontiers.

Viscount Wilke said with a smile, "We will provide 11,000 sets of knight armor and 55,000 sets of infantry armor."

His voice was calm and confident, echoing in the silent conference room, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

The meeting room fell silent; everyone was stunned by Viscount Wilke's offer.

Marquis Langjing of the North widened his eyes; he never expected the West to be able to produce so much armor.

Marquis Lesteen of the South also put down the wine glass he was playing with and fixed his gaze on Viscount Wilke.

When did the Western Regions become so wealthy?

This question lingers in everyone's mind.

In everyone's impression, although the Western Frontier had a certain strength, the fact that it could produce so many precious knight armors and a large number of infantry armors at once was beyond everyone's expectations.

After all, the smelting technology in the Western Regions was very backward.

“Viscount Wilke, how…how did you do that?” Marquis Sonata asked in astonishment. His face was full of disbelief, and his eyes were filled with doubt.

The value of these armors, both in terms of financial and material resources, is enormous.

Viscount Wilke smiled slightly: "Your Excellency, this is a little secret of my family. But rest assured, these armors are all genuine and reliable, enough to keep our Western Territory at an advantage in this competition."

Viscount Wilke was secretly pleased with himself; these armors were actually the result of Robin's ever-expanding hydraulic workshops and earthen blast furnaces for steelmaking.

The territory's steel production is beyond imagination. Robin once joked that Wilke Territory's steel production might exceed that of the entire Westerlands.

With the addition of water-powered workshops and assembly line operations, their efficiency in forging weapons and armor was more than ten times that of ordinary blacksmith shops.

Upon hearing this number, Count Anthony of the Eastern Territory turned extremely pale.

He originally thought that the number of armors he had brought out was enough to make the Western Frontier back down, but he did not expect that Viscount Wilke would have such a backup plan.

He gritted his teeth, pondering whether he had any other bargaining chips to continue the competition.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the conference room became even more tense and delicate.

The Western Frontier's offer has made everyone reassess its strength, while the Eastern Frontier is in a predicament, and the competition for the position of vice leader seems to be tilting towards the Western Frontier.

Lady Aishar asked with a smile, "Representatives from the Eastern Territory, would you like to raise the stakes?"

After careful consideration, Count Anthony shook his head helplessly: "In this aspect, our eastern border is inferior to our western border. Let's move on to the next item!"

(End of this chapter)