When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

"Of the 100,000 gold pounds in national debt, only half is in cash. The remainder will be transported in the form of grain, armor, and weapons.

The first batch of supplies passed through the border checkpoint in Kashia County yesterday and should be completely handed over before the weekend.

The second batch of 50,000 gold pounds in cash will pass through Kashia County this weekend."

The autumn wind rustled the curtains as Horn's voice echoed in the crowded conference room.

Slogans must be shouted, but work must also be done.

After completing a series of urgent tasks, including formulating a flood discharge plan for the Nauan River, taking over the conscription of laborers, and recalling soldiers on leave, a relatively calm period began.

The Leye people wouldn't be able to reach here anytime soon, but Horn wouldn't be able to continue sending troops out either.

Anyway, he didn't need to help Melia pay off her bonds; Lei had already blown up.

While weakening the manor nobles, he also increased the strength of his own new nobles.

You should know that most of the industry and commerce are run by these new nobles.

Before the participants could react, Horn continued to read: "The King of Franconia plans to provide us with 1675 sets of infantry plate armor, 884 sets of cavalry armor...

10,500 spears and other long-handled weapons, 7,755 sabers and other short-handled weapons...

1,400 warhorses and packhorses with tack, and 12,000 tons of wheat..."

A total of 2,559 sets of armor would take about nine months to produce at the Gray Hearth Town armory.

Armor isn't like spears, which can be made in any village blacksmith shop. Even specialized sword shops might not be able to make it; it's a technical job.

Only specialized armorers can forge armor.

This isn't the guild playing tricks; armor requires complex composite materials and layered forging, as well as various sheet metal and heat treatment processes.

Even the simplest infantry armor requires basic riveting and hinge technology, and precise calculations of joint positions and load-bearing capacity.

There weren't many armorers in the Thousand River Valley to begin with. Horn came up with a template-based process, gathered most of the armorers, and carried out assembly line production, which resulted in a production of about 270 sets per month.

If all the armories in the Thousand River Valley worked together, it would only reduce the time to within six months.

This armor would be enough to equip five infantry regiments and one and a half cavalry regiments.

Of the 1,400 horses, 920 were gelded warhorses, just enough to fill the gap in one and a half cavalry regiments.

It must be said that these warhorses were indeed a timely help.

Most of the warhorses in the Thousand River Valley were seized from Prince Kong Dai. The native Cush rough-hoofed horses were excellent packhorses, but not as good as Franconian warhorses for combat.

However, maintaining these warhorses wasn't cheap. A good warhorse consumes an average of 3-8 tons of feed per year, and even needs to eat concentrated feed.

According to Jeanna, a warhorse needs to eat at least 2.5% of its body weight in feed per day, otherwise it will lose weight.

The sabers and spears, as cold weapons, are enough to equip about two or one and a half battle groups.

As for the 12,000 tons of wheat, it's enough to guarantee the rations for 30,000 soldiers for a year of training.

This Charles VIII may be shrewd, but he really is thinking, "As long as you can defeat the Leye, I don't know how to dote on you."

The things he gave are all solid. If Horn had used 50,000 gold pounds to buy them in the Thousand River Valley or Franconia, he might not have been able to buy so many supplies.

Lorenzo even offered to support Horn with 80,000 to 100,000 gold pounds every six months, as long as he could survive the Leye army.

"If anyone else wants to buy anything, you can write me a list," Horn said, putting down the data sheet in his hand. "They will appear in the next batch of supplies."

Looking up, he could see the faces of the meeting participants, diligently taking notes.

The main members of this meeting were the Holy Grandson Horn, Kashia County Governor Martin, Lower Ruifo County Governor Catherine, and Black Serpent Bay Federation Ambassador Istra.

"Do you have any questions?" Horn asked again, seeing that everyone was silent.

Catherine looked around at the silent staff monks and generals and took the initiative to speak: "How will these supplies be distributed? What about the Autocracy..."

"Transport a batch of grain and long-handled weapons to Greenwater City."

"Doesn't Her Highness Melia need to join forces with us?"

Horn shook his head: "It's too late, and if we retreat directly from Hottam County like this, the Leye's advance will point straight at Lower Ruifo County, which will inevitably affect the flood discharge work in Lujiao Township."

"You mean for Melia to hold Greenwater City?" Catherine wrote her probing clearly on her face.

"Yes," Horn nodded firmly. "On the contrary, I don't want her to retreat so early."

Whether it was the banking monks with the right to attend the meeting, or the imperial priests who had rushed from the Holy Armory Court, or the senators from Black Serpent Bay, the same thought arose in their minds.

Could it be that His Holiness the Grand Shepherd is using a borrowed knife to kill someone?

Without looking, Horn could imagine what everyone around him was thinking.

But the situation was such that he really had no intention of explaining.

After the "plains people killing mountain people" incident fermented, all the military reclamation areas were in a state of panic, fearing that they would also be slaughtered.

Some unoccupied areas even saw bloody fighting between mountain people and plains people, instigated by those with ulterior motives.

The mountain people were better equipped and more skilled, but the plains people had more numbers. The two sides always ended up in a tie, wasting internal strength.

Therefore, Horn's next move was to forcibly take over the military reclamation areas and increase the number of Cheka in each area.

He even had to transfer a portion of the Black Serpent Bay tax police corps to support the Cheka, so that those ruthless battle mages could forcibly maintain order.

His refusal to join forces with Melia, coupled with his takeover of the military reclamation areas.

In the eyes of outsiders, it was like taking advantage of the fire to rob, seizing Melia's power.

This hasty eating appearance was a bit unsightly.

Horn asked himself that his heart and actions were as clear as a mirror, and that everything he did was for the country, but he still had to explain it.

"Direct abandonment is not conducive to rear mobilization," Horn said succinctly. "Therefore, we must shrink our forces to the Green Hollow Township line, which is the core area of the mountain knights.

With the township people defending their homeland, and with the help of river transport of supplies and troops from Stillwater Fort and Greenwater City, we can delay the enemy's advance."

"They suffered several major defeats in the early stages. The blockhouse built with tens of thousands of gold pounds didn't work. Can it delay them?"

A strange voice sounded, and everyone turned their heads to see Istra of the Black Serpent Bay Sleepless Scholars' Society.

Unlike other secret society witches, where the witch's life thrives, and the witch's death declines.

The Sleepless Scholars' Society, like the Rouen Party and the Shadow Society, is an organization that has been passed down for three generations, and all three generations have been divination-oriented witch spells.

Horn always felt that she and the Wolf Girl were the same type of witch.

Both of them were in wheelchairs.

It's just that the Wolf Girl couldn't stand up because she had no legs, while Istra was simply physically weak and could still walk a few steps with a crutch.

Originally, Istra was just doing an academic visit at the Holy Armory Court University.

But on the way, she heard about the Leye people's premature invasion, so she took the initiative to come to Rapidwater City to attend the meeting.

"We'll delay as long as we can. Melia lost the fortress due to a sudden attack, coupled with the outbreak of the debt crisis," Horn said gently, looking at Istra. "Now that we are prepared, I still have a lot of confidence in the blockhouse and Melia."

Istra smiled slightly, closed her eyes, but was able to accurately nod to Horn.

"Do you have any other questions about the strategy for Hottam County?" Horn asked the participants, stacking the documents together, leaning them against the table and aligning them.

Everyone looked at each other. Apart from a few confirming the content, there were no other opinions.

After solving the countermeasures for Hottam County, Horn took out the next document.

"In view of the current severe situation, we need more efficient and faster administration.

If we follow the previous dual leadership model, it is not suitable for war.

Currently, among the four counties in the plains, besides the war zone Hottam County and the Langsand County Special Zone, there are two counties, namely Lower Ruifo County and Kashia County.

Therefore, I propose that the Thousand River Valley enter a state of war.

The township cultivator associations of these two counties will form county cultivator associations, with the original county governors, Lord Martin and Lord Catherine, directly concurrently serving as county chancellors.

All functions of the original township constables will be transferred to the township cultivator associations, and they themselves will serve as the township night watchmen, only responsible for security work and escorting tax payments.

Fortunately, Lord Martin and Lord Catherine are both present. What do you two think?"