Chapter 1105 - 168: Astonishing Reinforcements · Eternal Light Knight Order

Chapter 1105: Chapter 168: Astonishing Reinforcements · Eternal Light Knight Order

After listening to Marshal Orstein’s report, Su Li did a quick calculation.

The Sun of Vengeance Half-Lion Griffin Knight Order has fewer than 200 people, the Hesse Guard Knights number 200, the High-level Directly Affiliated Attendants have 800, and the Provincial Legion has 2,000.

He frowned slightly and said, "My Marshal, the whole army adds up to less than 3,200 people. Can it support the defense of our vast territory?"

Marshal Orstein calmly replied, "Technically, we haven’t yet reached the rank of Baron, and this scale is already sizable. A Baron’s army standard is to have 3,000 troops, including 1,000 heavy armor elite knights. From this perspective, apart from the scale of elite knights being slightly lower, currently only 900 people, everything else already meets the Baron’s standards."

"Moreover, considering the growth speed of our territory, this is actually a positive enhancement. By the end of the year, relying solely on the elevation of the troops’ own ranks, we are estimated to have 1,000 elite knights."

"From a military perspective, we have no issues meeting the Baron standard."

"However, considering our territory’s area actually exceeds that of a Baron’s Territory, and may even reach the size of two or three Baron’s Territories, indeed 3,200 elite infantry and cavalry are somewhat insufficient."

Su Li nodded slightly, feeling that Marshal Orstein’s planning was indeed meticulous and steady.

Can Hesse Territory immediately muster 1,000 elite knights? That’s no problem at all; as long as Su Li is willing to spend the money and invest, not just 1,000 elite knights, but even 2,000, he could achieve. It’s just a matter of spending money to buy slaves everywhere.

But evidently, a normal, healthy territory cannot be so reckless. Every gold coin is hard-earned by the territory, which cannot be wasted like that.

Now, wantonly enlisting 1,000 elite knights would require an excessive amount of funds. After all, whether buying slaves or recruiting elites, that’s a heavy cost.

Moreover, once they are incorporated into the troops, they require high maintenance costs. One elite knight’s existence, even doing nothing, comes with a monthly salary of 5 Golden Crowns, and 1-2 Golden Crowns for supply costs.

Hesse Territory is not unable to pay this amount, but it’s unnecessary, especially when they are still in a recovery period, with little wartime pressure. Saving this military expenditure and investing in the territory’s development, the construction of monasteries, holy lands, and fortresses, strongholds across various churches is clearly more meaningful, increasing the territory’s foundation, development speed, and potential.

But if Hesse Territory’s Military Commander rationally plans, cultivating and recruiting a batch of young people with good potential and aptitude, relying on their training and growth in Hesse Territory’s army, alongside their combat experience, the acquisition of divine grace, their strength naturally improves, also ensuring by year’s end, Hesse Territory possesses comparable size and combat power.

This not only saves a substantial amount of recruitment and maintenance costs, but also ensures the territory army has a complete system of construction and improvement.

The only issue is, will there be any dangers during this period?

After all, Hesse Territory is excessively vast, as Orstein mentioned it is two to three times a typical Baron’s Territory, Su Li felt it was somewhat conservative.

Here in the Black Forest Mountain Range, on the Border Prince’s Territory map of Marle Castle, the plan providently meets the development of a Baron’s Territory.

The Blue Mirror Basin is even a standard Baron’s Territory.

These two combined are the land area of two standard Baron’s Territories. The area around Flash Spear City may be slightly narrower, but it must be known that in the forests south of Flash Spear City, and within Blood Pine Forest, there are substantial forest strongholds within the territory. Especially Blood Pine Forest, the Green Dragon handed over territories to Su Li totaling over 1500 imperial miles. This now seems all part of the Green Dragon’s dowry.

These regions, along with the mountains and valleys Su Li can influence, Su Li feels the territory part that nominally vows loyalty to him, depicted on the map with Bauhinia vermilion color, might be equivalent to three to four Baron’s Territories, or even comparable to a standard Count’s Territory.

Naturally, Count’s territory size varies; large ones may be comparable to a Duke’s territory; small ones, like the Champagne Count’s Territory near the Imperial Capital, are only a Baron’s size. Yet its population and wealth surpass many Duke’s Territories.

Hesse Territory now undoubtedly belongs to a relatively distorted state, with enough area, not just Kingdom Knights, or Barons—even compared to Counts, it’s ample.

But as for population, it’s pitifully small. The whole territory currently has just over twenty thousand, not quite thirty thousand. At this level, maintaining a 3,200 troop elite infantry naturally has a high pressure, which is why Hesse Territory’s finances have never broken even, still in a financial deficit state. Not for the presence of so many fantasy fruits, and support from Extraordinary Spiritual Fields, such an aggressive military-civilian ratio would have seen the finances already crumble. Then Su Li’s title wouldn’t be The Gentle Father, but The Tyrant.

It’s no wonder the Provincial Affairs Council and army expansion in Hesse Territory need to be calculated meticulously, spending each gold coin wisely, never extravagantly.

Su Li certainly needs to consider the army’s attitude, he pondered slightly, asking, "Is your scale enough? Can it support the territory’s defense?"

Marshal Orstein immediately replied, "Lord, if we currently don’t plan to launch an attack on Swamp Territory, the army scale is entirely sufficient. As long as there is no internal human warfare, facing large-scale invasions by Chaos or monsters, the Church’s Knight Orders will definitely stand together with us. The Dwarves will also form an alliance army, fighting alongside us."