The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

Erwin noted it down, then turned to the finance page and pushed a sheet of paper filled with numbers in front of Ron.

"Weapons and armor: After the water-powered forging hammer was put into production, breastplates, helmets, armor plates, spearheads and arrows were produced in a stable manner, mainly sold to Novigrad, and transported regularly by the Seagull."

This is currently the estate's main source of cash flow, but expenditures are growing even faster.

The expansion of the army, the maintenance of the walls and waterwheels, and the procurement of raw materials for the first batch of enhancement agents—every single item is eroding profits. Last month's accounts show that whatever came in, went out the same amount.

Ron picked up the paper, scanned it, and put it back on the table. "How much of that is alcohol?"

"Currently, it accounts for less than 20%, but if blackberry mead can penetrate the Novigrad market, its share will increase rapidly."

"Prioritize the sale of alcoholic beverages, maintain the current scale of armor exports without expansion, and prioritize equipping our own people with military equipment," Erwin noted.

"The old guard of Crow's Nest numbered around two hundred, but the garrison left by the Baron was very chaotic, with inconsistent organization and uneven soldier quality. When the Baron was in power, he mainly relied on his personal prestige to maintain order. According to your plan, it needs to be thoroughly reorganized."

"Send them back to the manor in batches and hand them over to Karl: archers, pikemen, swordsmen and shieldmen, heavy infantry, and scout cavalry; retest them all according to Karl's standards, and those who fail will be demoted to militia or dismissed."

"Scout training should be prioritized. The biggest lesson from this ambush was the lack of scouts to explore the area; this is a major deficiency that must be addressed immediately."

Erwin noted these points down one by one: "Regarding discipline, what are the consequences of violations of military discipline or looting of civilians?"

"Karl can make his own decisions on executions without reporting to higher authorities."

Erwin paused on the paper for a moment, then continued writing.

"The improved enhancement agent has been used on the first batch of candidates, selected from the regular army, with Ms. Kayla monitoring them throughout. So far, there have been no serious rejection reactions, and the improved formula is basically successful."

Ron nodded, and Erwin flipped to the population page: "Number of orphans: The manor currently houses more than a dozen orphans."

"When did there get so many? Aren't there only a few children in the swamp?"

"Miko led his team to the Crossroads Inn. On the way, they passed a dilapidated house with several stray dogs surrounding the entrance."

After dealing with the stray dogs, he found six or seven orphans inside the house, all victims of the war, with no relatives. He took them all back to the manor.

Erwin adjusted his glasses: "Aina and I have made arrangements. These children will temporarily attend Aina's school to learn literacy, arithmetic, and basic medicine."

At the same time, veterans were arranged to teach them swordsmanship and physical training. Later, they were divided into different streams according to their talents, and clerks, quartermasters, key officers, doctors, and intelligence personnel were all selected from this group of children.

"The selection of the Imperial Guard will prioritize these orphans, who were raised on the manor and whose loyalty is guaranteed."

Erwin circled this line separately and marked it: "Intelligence network, our spies in Velen have covered the major trading villages, next we need to expand towards Novigrad."

It is recommended that an intelligence center be established in Novigrad.

"We can operate as taverns, ostensibly selling alcohol, while secretly gathering information on Nilfgaard's movements, the activities of the Merchant Guild, and the decrees of Radovid. Blackberry mead can serve as a perfect stepping stone into the market."

"Feasible. Continue tracking the quartermaster's whereabouts."

"It's already underway. Current intelligence reports indicate that he passed through the Velen region when he absconded with the funds, but the exact location has not yet been determined."

Ron didn't press further. He stared at the map, remaining silent for a while, before finally speaking, his voice lower than when they had discussed military affairs. "What about Cole's compensation? What's been arranged for his family?"

Erwin flipped to the back of the notepad, where a separate note was tucked away. "Cole's parents are dead. He has a fiancée at the manor who is pregnant."

Ron paused, his gaze rising, a look more weighty than silence. "Did someone... tell her?"

"When Miko returned to the estate, she went there herself. She lived in the area outside the estate and was among the first refugees to settle there."

Ron nodded, leaned back in his chair, and after a moment asked, "What is the compensation system for the Northern army?"

"It's not perfect. Redania has relevant systems, but it's usually just a soldier's salary for a few months, and it's often subject to deductions."

Nilfgaard's system was relatively more complete, but it mainly focused on combat troops; it lacked logistics and militia conscription. However, it was still much better than the North.

This is why the North always lost to Nilfgaard on the main battlefield; their soldiers knew that even if they died, their families would still live on.

"What about us?"

There are no explicit rules; it mainly depends on your personal decision.

Ron tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table: "Soldiers who die in battle will receive a year's salary as a pension; the rented farmland will be exempt from all rent and labor for five years."

Those with children can attend the manor school for free, where they will be taught by Aina. These children will also be trained as reserve guards and officer corps.

Erwin wrote these down on his whiteboard, his pen moving slowly and clearly across the paper. When he finished, he looked up and said, "No other lord in the North can match this standard."

"I know. If this is done, Cole's pension will not be delayed."

Erwin ticked Cole's name, then spoke, his tone shifting from businesslike to deliberate: "There's one more thing, my personal suggestion."

"explain"

"At the current workload, old Gott can handle some of the affairs at the manor, but the paperwork and financial work are still somewhat difficult for him."

Old Gott is a veteran; he can lead militia and patrols, but he struggles a bit with managing accounts and allocating supplies.

Erwin paused: "After Oxenforth University was closed by Radovid, some of my colleagues and students lost their jobs."

The most practical engineering and medical students have been forcibly conscripted into the Redanian army, but there are still many older scholars and philosophy students left.

Radovid believed that philosophy students were not suited for anything, so he did not recruit them.

Although these people's specialties are not very practical, they have all received higher education and have no problem handling paperwork, finances, military calculations, and records management.

"Make contact with those who are willing to come; the estate provides room and board and wages."

"They're hiring philosophy majors too?"

"As long as they can get things done, I don't care what they study."

Erwin's lips twitched slightly, then he closed the notepad and was about to stand up when Ron called him back.

"Wait a minute," Ron spread the map out on the table. It was a map of the entire north and south of Nilfgaard, marking the entire supply line from the Nilfgaardian mainland to the front lines.

Could you elaborate on the Nilfgaardian troop deployment you mentioned earlier?

Erwin sat down again, picked up his charcoal pencil, and drew a line on the map from Nilfgaard northward.

"Here, the Nilfgaardians boast an army of 400,000, which sounds intimidating, but we need to break down that number into smaller parts."