Chapter 194: Chapter 193: The Plan

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the swamp, dyeing it a warm, golden yellow. From a distance, it looked like a serene and mysterious painting.

A dry, hard-packed dirt road cut across two pockmarked wetlands, plunging into a stone forest and continuing straight to the northern Forest Land.

Reisen had this road built years ago after bringing the Black-collar Tribe under his control, using it to transport various resources.

At this moment, Ridder was leading his Knight Squad, escorting the assassin and prisoners as they slowly entered Swamp Town.

Inside the carriage, Philton was bound so tightly he couldn’t move at all.

Gazing at the scenery before him, both familiar and foreign, he finally believed what Ridder had said was true—Baron Reisen was not coming back, and the Sain Territory was finished.

In all his days as a prisoner, he had never felt as dejected and hopeless as he did now.

The column slowly made its way along the hard-packed road, and before long, they arrived before Swamp Castle.

Watching the well-ordered Knight Squad, Galier’s gaze shifted back and forth between Ronin and Ridder. He didn’t know who to credit for Mountain Forest Town’s ability to field such a squad so quickly.

“Lord Ronin, I see your men are already equipped with Ironwood Armor. I was wondering when the batch of weapons and armor you promised us will be delivered to Wushan City?”

Galier was the captain of Wushan Castle’s First Knight Squad, and he was the one who had signed the order with Ronin.

Ronin had been enthusiastically sizing up his Knight Squad, and Galier’s question caught him off guard.

He pondered for a moment before replying, “Don’t worry. The six-month production schedule still has more than three months left. They’ll definitely be ready before the end of April.”

This wasn’t just Ronin making empty promises.

For one, with the war in the Wubei Territory over, his own urgent need for weapons and armor had lessened, so the items produced by the Ironwood Workshop could be used to fulfill the order first.

For another, Ronin now had a much larger labor force at his disposal. By allocating just a few more people to the Ironwood Workshop, he could significantly increase its production capacity.

When the time came, not only could he complete Galier’s order, but he could even begin formal sales to the outside world through the Ironhoof Clan’s merchant caravans.

“My lord!”

As the two were talking, Ridder had already dismounted. He approached Ronin, bowed respectfully, and reported, “The Shadow Assassin, along with Philton and four other Knights who served under Reisen, have been brought here under guard.”

Ronin nodded and clapped Ridder trustingly on the shoulder. “Well done!”

As they spoke, Ronin noticed that Ridder’s cultivation progress had reached 26/800. This was entirely the result of his own training; Ronin hadn’t used any Energy Essence on him.

Of course, Ronin hadn’t allocated any points to Macken during this time either. Macken, relying on his own cultivation, had only reached a progress of 4/1500.

In the same amount of time, Ridder had gained 26 points of progress, while Macken had only gained 4.

In other words, if they relied purely on their own cultivation, Ridder’s rate of improvement was more than six times faster than Macken’s.

’As expected, the difference between Proud Sun Talent and Golden Talent is clearly reflected in cultivation speed.’

After greeting Horn, Jenny, and the others who had come with him, Ronin began the prisoner transfer.

Once Shadow, Philton, and the others were successfully handed over to Galier, Ronin had nothing more to do with Reisen’s trial. Wushan Castle would handle everything from that point on.

In addition to the prisoner transfer, Ronin’s people also needed to take over the defense of Swamp Town.

After all, Mas from Pasture City and Baron Tarren had only come to help. Since Ronin wasn’t paying them for their assistance, it wasn’t appropriate for them to stay in Swamp Town for too long.

That night, a simple yet lavish banquet was held in Swamp Castle.

It was mainly to thank Galier, Mas, and Baron Tarren for their care and support during this time, and also to serve as a farewell for their departure the next day.

After the banquet, Ronin summoned his Knights to the study.

“After we occupied the Black-collar Tribe, Jenny Mage was responsible for conducting the census.”

Ridder handed over the census results for the Black-collar Tribe. “This is the personnel list for the Black-collar Tribe.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Jenny,” Ronin said.

Jenny curtsied slightly, maintaining a humble demeanor. “You’re too kind, my lord. It was my duty.”

Ronin spread the sheepskin open. Elegant script clearly recorded the details of the Black-collar Tribe’s population.

The Black-collar Tribe had a total of 1,270 people, making it the largest of the four Wilderness Tribes.

Although the census in Swamp Town wasn’t finished yet, the number of people Ronin had registered so far had already reached over 4,400.

Once the Swamp Town census was complete, the total population would definitely surpass the ten-thousand mark.

“What’s the situation in the Black-collar Tribe now?” Ronin asked.

“The situation is now under stable control. However, perhaps due to the successive changes in leadership, the people there are all on edge.”

Ronin nodded slowly. “Joffrey, you were the former chief of the Black-collar Tribe. Once things are settled here, go back to the Black-collar Tribe and reassure the people.”

Joffrey bowed and accepted the order. “As you command, my lord.”

Ronin then turned to a question that concerned him more. “What were the casualties from the attack on the Black-collar Tribe?”

After all, it was the first war in the truest sense that involved all his forces, so casualties were inevitable.

“The casualties this time were very light.”

Ridder reported truthfully, “One cavalryman and two infantrymen were killed in action. The cavalryman was a new recruit from Mountain Forest Town, and the infantrymen were Guards who followed you from Wushan Castle in the early days.”

“In addition, twelve others were injured. But with so many days having passed, the wounded have all since recovered.”

Ronin breathed a silent sigh of relief; he could accept these casualty numbers.

“A pension of 1 Gold Coin must be paid out for each of the fallen.”

Ronin thought for a moment and added, “As for the two Guards from Wushan Castle, I will entrust Galier with delivering the payment to their families.”

Back when he was recruiting men in Wushan Castle, Ronin had promised that anyone willing to follow him to Mountain Forest Town would receive a pension of 1 Gold Coin for their family if they were killed in battle.

This way, he wouldn’t be breaking his word.

“In addition to the pension, the families of the fallen soldiers will also receive tax relief. They will be exempt from labor duty for the next five years and will only have to pay half the normal taxes.”

Ronin looked at Ridder and Wilson. “When recruiting new soldiers in the future, you can inform them of this policy beforehand.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Ronin glanced at everyone. “Although my becoming the Viscount of Wubei is a joyous occasion, amidst the celebration, I hope none of you will let your guard down. After all, this is only the beginning.”

Setting aside the external situation, there were still many things that needed to be done for the Wubei Territory to develop and grow stronger.

But these words made everyone’s eyes light up.

Among this group, Jamie and Horn wanted to restore their ancestral glory. Joffrey, Babulin, and others wanted to shed their Wildman status and build a career. David and his group wanted to become Knights. Chahar wanted to be a great steward, and Wilson also hoped to rise in social status…

They were all people with dreams, and now that Ronin had given them hope, they certainly wouldn’t let the opportunity pass them by.

“We pledge our lives to follow you, my lord!”

Ronin was very satisfied with this reaction. He smiled and said, “Starting tomorrow, Macken, you will be in charge of training the Guards and taking over the defense of Swamp Town.”

“Ridder, the training of new recruits must continue. We need more soldiers to patrol the Wubei Territory.”

Ridder nodded. “My lord, there are surviving cavalry, infantry, and archers from Reisen’s Knight Squad. They are currently being held in the Black-collar Tribe.”

“As long as they choose to submit, they can stay and continue to serve,” Ronin said.

It takes a great deal of time and effort to train an ordinary person into a competent soldier.

Although these men once served Reisen, he was gone now. As long as they obeyed orders and followed commands, Ronin didn’t mind continuing to use them.

“I understand, my lord.”

In fact, Ridder had the same intention when he kept them.

“There is one last, most important matter.”

Ronin said, “From now on, travel between Swamp Town, Mountain Forest Town, Grey Soil Village, and Black-collar Village will be very frequent. To ensure the safety of the routes, you must not only organize cavalry patrols along the roads, but also promptly eliminate any dangers that are discovered.”

Interaction between the villages is inevitable.

For one thing, Wilson will need to take his assistants and the various village chiefs to other locations to supervise agricultural work.

Beyond that, communication and intermarriage between villagers, the transport of grain, and the future transport of silk and Porcelain all require safe routes.

“Now that the Wubei Territory has no external enemies, the matter of forming the Hunter Squads we discussed earlier must be put on the agenda.”

Ronin said, “Strive to clear out all the dangerous areas around Swamp Town, Mountain Forest Town, and the various villages as soon as possible.”

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