Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence

Ornstine and Hilde's report was very detailed, but in summary, it was relatively simple: the Black Forest Territory's army had transformed from Su Li's private army into a more professional territorial legion.

What means did the Black Forest Territory rely on to increase its army in the past? Buying slaves, capturing prisoners, etc. These people were all Su Li's direct attendants.

Now, the main force of the Black Forest Territory's army has changed from Su Li's private army to the Black Forest Territory's provincial army, directly recruited from the Black Forest Territory's residents.

For example, the newly formed three squadrons of armed attendants were basically recruited from elite soldiers in the territory's free militia.

Although the free militia suffered heavy casualties in this battle, on the whole, they received very fair treatment, and even the followers of the Goddess of Justice recognized the result. On the fierce battlefield, the commanding generals did not deliberately use them as cannon fodder to consume them, and the territory's elite troops were the mainstay on the key battlefields. After the war, they also participated in the rewards, and the lord generously promised that they could keep 30% of the spoils.

This was already a good ending. The people of the Empire loved the battlefield. Could they complain because there were casualties?

Therefore, this war gave many adventurers and mercenaries in the territory who were watching an incentive. They all eagerly joined the Black Forest Territory's armed attendant camp and the free militia, making the scale of the territory's reorganized army rapidly expand, and may even exceed the peak value before the war.

As Knight Ornstine reported, various powerful ranger knights, mercenary soldiers, and even dwarf rangers from all directions of the border prince's territory joined the ranks of the Black Forest Territory's war.

In particular, the knights of the Flame Sun Knights. The teachings of the Goddess of the Blazing Sun are widely popular in the southern Empire, so an important place for the members of the Flame Sun Knights to travel and train is the border prince's territory.

In this vast and fertile territory, a large number of Flame Sun Knights serve as resident knights in farms and post stations to hone their skills in fighting monsters.

After the Black Forest Territory's war against the Green Dragon became famous, these resident knights immediately excitedly and狂热ly followed the teachings of the goddess and joined this more magnificent war against evil.

Therefore, dozens of members of the Flame Sun Knights in the southern Black Forest Territory gathered in Black Forest Fortress from various farms and towns in the pioneering territories.

And mercenaries and adventurers from various towns also came out of the jungles, valleys, and ruins to earn greater wealth in the Black Forest Territory.

This made Su Li no longer need to spend a lot of money to buy slaves. As long as he raised the banner of recruitment, he could recruit a considerable-sized army from the people.

Recruiting soldiers directly from the territory's residents has so many benefits. The first point is that these people have extremely high faith in defending their homes. After all, most of the free militia soldiers are territory farmers, free people, and peasants. Their property, wives, and daughters are all in the Black Forest Territory, and protecting the Black Forest Territory is highly consistent with their goal of protecting their homes.

This means that the provincial army now represents not only Su Li's interests, but also the common interests of countless residents of the entire Black Forest Territory. Protecting the country and defending the home are vividly and figuratively combined at this moment.

This is why Su Li's high-level direct attendants are only more than 500 people, while the scale of the provincial army is as high as thousands or even thousands of people.

On the other hand, this also greatly saves military expenditure. After all, the price of buying a slave is enough to pay the wages of forty or fifty soldiers of the same strength.

Su Li's more than 20,000 gold crowns can only buy 100 elite knights, but can easily maintain the military expenditure of 400 elite knights for a year.

However, whenever he thinks about this, Su Li's heart trembles with pain.

The monthly salary of an elite knight is 5-7 gold crowns, the monthly salary of a formal knight is 1-2 gold crowns, the monthly salary of a trainee knight is 50 silver coins, and the salary of an armed attendant is also 20 silver coins.

These are the minimum that must be paid every month!

If the soldiers' treatment cannot be guaranteed, even if they are given the most sophisticated equipment, they will collapse at the first touch.

Slaves, social animals, and cattle and horses can be used to exploit hard labor in production, but if you have this idea in the army, you are really looking for your own death.

The decision of victory or defeat in war is always people!

If the treatment is insufficient and the morale is low, an army of 200,000 with heavy equipment of the sea, land, and air forces will collapse and disintegrate in a few days in front of 20,000-30,000 terrorists and guerrilla soldiers with only light weapons.

The knight lords of this world really go when something happens, because their usual treatment and status are also really high!

It is not easy for Su Li, a small pioneer territory, to maintain such a huge army.

He has more than 300 elite knights under his command. The salary of high-level attendant knights is relatively high, six or seven gold coins, and the monthly salary of a champion knight is as high as 25 gold crowns, while a chosen knight does nothing for a month, and the salary is also 100 gold crowns, so only these elite-level or above knights have a monthly salary of 2500+ gold crowns.

There are also more than 300 formal knights and trainee knights, with an expenditure of about 500 gold crowns.

On the other hand, the provincial army, the huge armed attendant infantry regiment and archer regiment are the most economical. The salary of a soldier is 20 silver coins, even if it is a scale of 2,000 people, the military expenditure is only 400 gold crowns a month.

Therefore, many lords like to maintain a considerable-sized infantry regiment as a facade, because it is really economical!

Similarly, a baron with 3,000 soldiers, a baron with 1,000 heavy cavalry and 2,000 infantry regiments, and a baron with 100 heavy cavalry and 3,000 infantry regiments. The difference in combat power can be from heaven to earth. The former can easily defeat the latter's 3,000 rabble.

Even in the Black Forest Territory, 300 elite knights need only a few charges to smash 2,000 infantry regiments.

And so many elite troops mean that Su Li's monthly military expenditure is close to 3,500 gold crowns without doing anything.

In fact, the financial expenditure is far more than that, because he also has to maintain a huge bureaucracy and civil servant system, as well as the territory's tax, medical, religious, and infrastructure expenditures.

Not to mention anything else, the construction cost of Black Forest Fortress alone is as high as more than 5,000 gold crowns, the territory's Lion Ring Arena cost more than 1,500 gold crowns, and Sharja's magnificent and holy marble monastery and hospital cost more than 2,000 gold crowns, as well as the territory's armory, blacksmith shop, barracks, etc. Maintaining these craftsmen, blacksmiths, engineers, and church priests is a considerable expense.

Basically, Su Li's fixed expenditure is more than 5,000 gold crowns per month. If there are large-scale construction projects and emergency military mobilizations, all these expenditures will skyrocket, reaching 8,000+ gold crowns.

So once the war breaks out, Su Li's little treasury can only support it for two or three months at most.

In this case, Su Li does nothing every day, and the financial deficit is 200+ gold crowns as soon as he opens his eyes.

This made him very unhappy, as if he had returned to the time when he was a horse and a social animal in his previous life, carrying high mortgages and car loans, and also owing 200+ as soon as he opened his eyes every day.

Then Su Li looked at Ornstine and said, "My Marshal, the territory must end the war as soon as possible. Now maintaining such a huge army, the various expenses alone are as high as more than 3,000 gold crowns, not to mention the food consumption of various mounts and soldiers."

Fortunately, Su Li was determined to build this territory into a border granary as soon as he came to the Black Forest Territory.

So after two harvests, the territory is not too short of food now, and the grain reserves can last at least until winter.

But if the third harvest season this year fails to harvest enough food, or if the farmland outside the city is burned down in large numbers during this period, at least 30-40% of all the residents of the territory will starve to death before the summer harvest next year.

Ornstine also knew this situation. He knew very well that the lord liked the life of farming and did not like this war.

So he immediately assured: "Lord, we have been receiving and recruiting border elites from all directions these days, and the strength of the army has rapidly grown. Now the scale of the provincial army has recovered to more than 1,500 people. We have the confidence to defeat any Green Dragon's affiliated legions in one fell swoop."

The 1,500-strong provincial army is already more than a hundred people more than before the war.

Of course, in contrast, the scale of the free militia has shrunk. It was originally a 1,400-strong provincial army and a 1,600-strong free militia.

In the Battle of the Outpost, the free militia suffered the most heavy losses, so even after this period of replenishment, the number has only barely recovered to 1,000 people.

It's not that the casualties are as high as more than 600, but that Su Li disbanded most of the production workers and let them go back to work in production.

Only some of the more combative people are receiving training in the camp, and the best of them have been selected into the provincial army.

If all goes well, the scale of the free militia will continue to shrink, gradually shrinking from 1,000 people to about 800 people and 600 people.

Although their scale has decreased, their combat power will rapidly increase, because the remaining ones are those veterans, mercenaries, adventurers, wandering knights, and rogue knights who are happy to take risks and fight.

These people are willing to sell their martial arts and combat experience to any lord. Not only do they have excellent combat instincts, but they have also spent a lot of money to buy themselves a set of sophisticated equipment. Some wandering knights and mercenary leaders even have a set of glittering armor and a top-notch weapon.

This configuration definitely exceeds most of the provincial army soldiers. Only the knights who serve as low-level officers in the provincial army can come up with this configuration. And it is not equipped by the army, but purchased by the families of these knights themselves.

These free militia are very welcome by the lords of every empire, and they are also a kind of legion that every territory will maintain. They are a bit similar to mercenary families who serve the lords.

They don't need to be paid salaries at ordinary times. It is enough to give them spoils according to the number of times they fight during wartime.

The military strength of each territory is composed of a large number of elite knight families and a huge provincial regular army as the main force, and then various free militia serve as auxiliary legions and roaming scout legions in the war.

They assist the lords in doing some things that are not so convenient, and also serve as many suicide squads.

After Su Li finished talking with Knight Ornstine about the regular army, he shifted his focus to this aspect. He turned to look at Hilde and asked, "I remember you told me during my recuperation that several leaders of the free militia wanted to see me?"

Hilde immediately nodded and said, "Yes, Lord. We have this meeting arrangement. I think this meeting is very meaningful and can attract a very considerable mercenary group for us."

"Then let them come and see me." After Su Li ordered, he turned to look at the legions with banners fluttering below.

Dozens and hundreds of crimson banners fluttered in the wind, everywhere showing the romantic inheritance in Su Li's genes.

Thousands of elite soldiers with sophisticated equipment will follow one after another under these countless crimson banners, defeat a large number of powerful enemies, and besiege countless overwhelming monsters.

Then Su Li said to Ornstine: "My Marshal, the training of the army should not only be aimed at those conventional monsters, but also make the army adapt to super-strong people, and be able to effectively avoid and kill the chosen ones."

A professional army has very strict training in the spacing between queues. This can effectively prevent a large number of arrow rain killings and attacks by giant monsters.

So even a magical bombing or a fierce pounce by a chosen-level dragon can only knock down a dozen or dozens of people at most.

If the soldiers can be fearless and unyielding, even the most powerful monsters can be flattened by humans with human sea tactics.

"It just so happens that several chosen assassins are about to arrive in our territory. You may be able to use them to train the soldiers' tactics against chosen monsters and accumulate more experience."

"Chosen-level assassins?" Ornstine's eyes lit up. He knew something about the intelligence that the rat people were about to launch an assassination, and immediately asked, "Have these rat people arrived in the territory?"

Su Li nodded and said, "According to the elves in the Gem Pool River, the Skaven rat people have entered our territory. Perhaps we can get their information after sleeping for one night."

This time, the rat assassins chose the wrong assassination target. Su Li has the assistance of the daily intelligence system, and Phyllis also has a powerful amulet of fate, which can foresee the fatal attacks that will happen the next day in a dream.

So the rat people's assassination will definitely be perceived in advance. Once the assassins are exposed from the shadows and surrounded by a large number of knights in heavy armor, the ending will definitely be very bleak.

In a head-on battle, maybe two assassins may not be able to beat one knight.

Ornstine was full of confidence in this and said, "As long as we know the location of the assassins, I will take the knights of the territory to find all these rats in the sewers and pinch them to death one by one."

Su Li smiled and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Very good, my Marshal. Perhaps after this assassination operation, you will cause a sensation throughout the empire. Even your title will be changed!"

Killing four chosen ones in one battle is obviously a very legendary feat, enough to be praised and sung by countless wandering poets.

Now Ornstine's title is the Blazing Sun Lion, which he won during his elite level. But it is obviously not worthy of Ornstine's current strength.

If he killed four Chosen-level individuals in one battle, he would likely be directly hailed as the 【Lion King】by the fanatical knights!

【Lion King Orlstein】clearly sounds more imposing than Sun Lion Orlstein.

Naturally, Orlstein was also extremely looking forward to this outcome.

Not only him, but in fact, everyone had the feeling that the knights of the territory were clinging to the lord's thigh, with their strength and reputation soaring rapidly in all aspects.

Although the strength of most of them was greater than that of the lord, the feeling of following a hero made Su Li like a king high above.

The knights were like tiny specks of dust, and if they were fortunate enough to land on the lord's shoes, even walking a short distance with him would be a great honor, and the greatest achievement and progress in one's life.

It was all because of the favor and opportunities brought by the lord that allowed Hild and Orlstein to rapidly advance to Chosen Knights in this short journey of following the lord.

Otherwise, at this time, according to their original fate, Hild would still be a slave, and Orlstein would still be trapped at the peak of Elite Knight, struggling to break through.

How could they be like now, where Orlstein already dared to imagine the title of 【Lion King】.

After Su Li encouraged Orlstein, it wasn't long before the summoned leaders of the Free Corps arrived at Hessenburg.

Before meeting them, Hild briefly introduced the situation of these Free Corps to Su Li.

"Lord, among those who have come are a Brotherhood President and two mercenary leaders, all of whom are willing to serve you. However, the methods of allegiance and the demands for benefits are slightly different. Among them..."

Su Li waved his hand and said, "I will talk to them personally about the specific demands."

As Su Li slowly entered the meeting hall, the three people in the hall immediately stood up and expressed their greetings to Su Li with different etiquette gestures.

"Greetings, Sir Su Li, may Shalya bless you with health and peace."

"Greetings, Lord, may you have a good day."

"May Ulric bless you with a strong body and keep you away from disease, Lord."

After Su Li sat in the main seat, he waved his hand to the three of them and said, "No need to be formal, please sit down."

Then, Su Li's gaze swept over the leaders of these three Free Corps. The first thing that caught his eye was a thin middle-aged man wearing a red leather robe. He was forced to take off the hood on his head, and he felt a little cramped and uneasy being directly scrutinized.

Next were the two mercenary leaders, both of whom were wearing heavy armor, but the difference in style was worlds apart.

The knight sitting in the front had a young face with spiky golden hair, and his handsome face had a sunny smile. At first glance, he was a dashing and romantic knight. He could probably make countless girls scream and go crazy with just a slight smile.

The last knight had a face full of stubble, and a head of gray hair collapsed messily on his head. Behind him and on his shoulders was draped a heavy wolf skin coat, with the wolf's head opening its huge mouth and biting on his shoulder. This was an obvious follower of Ulric.

After they all sat down, Su Li spread out his hands and pointed with one finger, saying, "My high-ranking chief steward has briefly introduced your situations to me. But to increase understanding, you can first introduce your own situations in detail. Who wants to go first?"

"Me! Me! I'll go first!" As soon as Su Li finished speaking, the middle-aged man wearing the red leather robe decisively raised his right hand: "Sir Su Li, please allow me to introduce our powerful Red Brotherhood to you."

Su Li frowned. He had a very bad impression of this thin middle-aged man wearing a red leather jacket. He didn't have the arrogant, rude, and frank temperament of the knights. On the contrary, he felt very cunning.

If Su Li were a lone knight, this kind of person wouldn't even be qualified to communicate with him.

But he was a lord, and he needed to have a broad mind that embraced all rivers. Therefore, although he was unhappy in his heart, he did not show it on his face and looked at him expressionlessly.

And without waiting for Su Li to speak, he began to boast on his own: "Our Red Brotherhood is a powerful battle group rooted in the east of the Border Prince Territory."

"The leader is 【Rogue Luo'ou】. In our Brotherhood, there are 80 to 120 Red Brotherhood Thieves, 60 to 80 Highway Robbers, 60 Red Brotherhood Members, 40 Gold Worshiping Cult Warriors, and 20 Rogue Knights. All of us are willing to serve Hessen Territory."

Su Li simply calculated that the number of members in this Brotherhood was as high as 300 people!

Although most of them were armed thugs and highway robbers with poor combat effectiveness, this scale was also very considerable.

A team of 300 people, even if it was a band of green forest bandits, ordinary forces would not dare to provoke them.

They had an overwhelming advantage over some small villages, manors, and even pioneering lords.

The key was that these people did not need Su Li to pay them salaries. They only needed to be paid when they accepted tasks assigned by Hessen Territory.

During the critical period of the outbreak of war, Su Li needed to attract all forces to strengthen his strength. This team of more than 300 people was too important to the outcome of the war, and Su Li certainly hoped to bring them under control.

So sometimes "bandits" are also "righteous soldiers" that ambitious princes and lords have to accept.

So after a brief silence, Su Li asked, "Rogue Luo'ou, you should be clear that we are a territory protected by the Violet, the Lady of the Sun, and have a bad relationship with the Church of Ranald. Tell me, what can you do for me to convince me to accept you."

Luo'ou immediately stood up excitedly and said, "Lord, then we are firm allies. Because our Gold Worshiping Church is also in constant conflict with the Church of Ranald."

"Our Church of Hendricks, also known as the Gold Worshiping Sect, is a relatively new faith in the imperial cities, without the thousands of years of history and conflict of other faiths. The only one that can be regarded as a mortal enemy is the Church of Ranald's competitor. There are conflicts with people from the Church of Ranald in many commercial activities. Of course, so far, the competition between our two factions is still at the level of gang warfare."

"If you don't mind, I think I have many informal means to serve you."