Chapter 1060 - 156: Legendary Opportunity

Chapter 1060: Chapter 156: Legendary Opportunity

After each great war, those surviving knights always experience an increase in strength under the blessing of Divine Grace. Su Li had already adapted to this.

The only problem is that the casualties this time were excessively severe. Nearly half of his thousand Elite Knights were lost, which might even affect his end-of-year imperial assessment.

In the Border Prince’s Territory, a qualified baron should at least have a thousand Elite Knights.

Regarding this issue, Hilude gave Su Li some good news: "Additionally, Lord, in our war with the Blue Mirror Territory, we have captured nearly a thousand Elite Knights, with the total number of prisoners exceeding 3,000."

"The Mad Marquis has already sent an envoy to our territory to negotiate the ransom of his Mountain Cats, and the ransom has been agreed at 38,000 Golden Crowns."

"Among the remaining knights, we will meticulously select those with potential and those willing to pledge loyalty to us to replenish the losses from this battle."

Unfortunately, there aren’t many Church Knights of the Sunfire Church in the Blue Mirror Territory’s army.

After all, when war broke out between these two territories, most followers of the Sun Goddess Church migrated to the Hesse Territory, making it unlikely to replenish forces through captives.

Su Li thought for a moment and said, "Deal with all these prisoners. There’s no rush to replenish our forces, and we can use this opportunity to improve our finances and increase the equipment rate of Vibranium Rune Armor."

The main reason he wasn’t in a hurry is the nearing completion of the Fiery Sun Goddess Church’s Holy Land in the Hesse Territory.

It will be one of the most important Holy Lands for the Sun Goddess Church in the Border Prince’s Territory, inevitably attracting numerous followers to migrate south and enter the Hesse Territory.

Most of the Goddess’s priests are knightly and skilled in martial arts, so troops can be recruited directly from the followers and priests when the time comes.

The Hesse Territory should gradually get on the right track, with the recruitment of armies primarily coming from the citizens instead of relying on slaves for replenishment.

In the future, if there are suitable slaves, they will all be thrown into the Black Steel Redemption Knight Order, which not only saves on maintenance costs but also helps Su Li accumulate wealth.

As for this subject, it’s no wonder Hilude is most excited. She continued, "In this battle, we’ve significantly increased the population. Through the documents found in Blue Mirror Castle, the entire Blue Mirror Territory, from the Dusk Mountain Range in the west to the Cold Wind Canyon in the east, the Frost Fang Mountain Range in the north, and the Sand Shadow Forest in the south, has a population of more than 13,000 people, with more than 5,000 in Mirror Lake Town. However, this small town suffered heavy losses in this battle."

"The flooding lake water destroyed many buildings in the town, sweeping hundreds or even thousands of citizens into the lake bed. Although we are doing our utmost to rescue them, an estimated eight or nine out of ten may be lost."

Thus, Baron Grant deserves to be damned!

In his unscrupulous pursuit of victory, he used the Frenzy Divine Magic of Manan by the lakeside, inevitably causing devastating disasters and countless casualties.

However, this is somewhat beneficial for Su Li as it significantly reduces the cost of ruling this territory. Due to Grant’s flooding of the lakeside, his outrageous behavior incurred the wrath of heaven and indifference of the people, instantly losing the trust of the masses.

The civilians in Mirror Lake Town harbor deep resentment towards him (after all, almost every household suffered due to the flood he incited), making it unlikely for them to become remnants of the previous regime and resist Hesse’s rule in revenge for Baron Grant.

However, revolutionaries and rebels always exist. In this dark and desperate world, they are omnipresent, akin to Chaos Followers, and can only be slowly extinguished. All lords are very consistent in their attitude towards them, as long as no major disturbances arise.

Before the war, the Blue Mirror Territory had more than 13,000 people. After this battle, Su Li conservatively estimates that there are still 8,000 to 9,000 people, possibly even close to 10,000. The primary reason for Su Li’s optimistic estimate is that the conquerors are followers of the Sun Goddess.

The honorable values of this church’s beliefs can ensure that after the war, there isn’t widespread killing and looting, but that civilization is brought to the territory.

The population reduction in the Blue Mirror Territory largely stems from Baron Grant’s extortions, forced conscription, and the flight of refugees. However, it is estimated that not many will flee, as the Border Prince’s Territory is not like the interior of the Empire, and outside this land, it might be even worse. It would be better to see what Hesse Territory’s conquering army looks like.

Once they make contact, Su Li believes they will soon settle down.

And if the population increases by 10,000, it would significantly enhance the strength of the Hesse Territory.

Since Su Li arrived in the Border Prince’s Territory, he has labored diligently and spent over a year to increase the population to more than 10,000.

Now, if this battle increases the population by another 10,000, the strength of the Hesse Territory will soar. Even if most are farmers, they can provide Su Li with nearly 5,000 Golden Crowns in tax revenue a year.

Besides the increase in population, the enhancement of weaponry and equipment is also of utmost importance!

Hilude continued, "The weapons and armor we seized from this battle are piled up like mountains. Additionally, over 4,000 pounds of rare metals like Vibranium, Star Iron, Hard Gold Sand, and Silver Steel were found in the Vault Area of Blue Mirror Castle. Since Manan’s followers aren’t skilled in forging, these precious metals have all become our spoils."

"Once the dwarves finish smelting these metals and armors, it’s expected that our Vibranium Rune Armor will number over 240 pieces!"