Lord Saren: I have a proficiency panel

Chapter 22 Territory Overview
  It is the first ten days of the new year (January), 3796 of the New Calendar.

In the specially opened training ground behind the house, Luo Di is practicing tirelessly. He found someone to erect a few thick wooden stakes in the corner, tied them with hemp ropes, and then beat them wildly on the wooden stakes.

[Qingshuang breathing method +0.2]

[Qingshuang breathing method +0.2]

【.】

With each impact, a layer of frost would condense on the wooden pile, which would then be shattered and scattered to the ground. After a while, a thick layer of ice accumulated under Lodi's feet.

These frosts come from other worlds, summoned by the frost magic contained in Lodi's body, and will slowly dissipate within a certain period of time.

After beating for a while, there was a 'click', and a thick wooden stake finally broke completely. The broken part looked like rotten wood, turning into sawdust and falling rustlingly.

Caton and his adjutant Nuruddin stood aside and watched. Every powerful and heavy bombardment of Lodi seemed to hit their hearts, making their hearts tremble.

Prior to this, Caton had also watched Julius' training. He was so energetic when hitting the wooden stakes that he called himself the Bear of Talon.

But after seeing Lodi's display of strength today, they realized that the so-called Talon Bear might not even be considered a hound.

Katon and Nuruddin looked at each other with one thought in mind: they must not provoke such a young man.

After breaking three wooden stakes, Lodi finally stopped and rubbed his sore arms.

Caton quickly winked at the maid standing beside him. The maid hurriedly took a towel and walked up to Lodi to wipe the sweat from his forehead and neck.

Luo Di turned to look at the maid. She was tall and beautiful, with a pair of big dark blue eyes and watery eyes. Her thin lips were slightly pursed, exuding an alluring pink luster.

This is Caton's niece Suna, who is only sixteen years old this year. It was originally intended to be presented to the governor of Trois-Rivières. After the purge incident two days ago, Caton specially brought her here to present it to Lodi.

Of course Lodi knew what Caton was thinking, but in this semi-slavery world, this was a perfectly normal act of fawning. If he didn't accept it, it would easily make Caton uneasy and make him suspicious and sensitive.

Therefore, Lodi did not reject Caton's contribution and chose to do as the Romans do.

In addition to political factors, Suna's delicate skin and slender waist are also very consistent with Lodi's aesthetic. Compared to other maids, keeping her by your side is a good bonus.

After a simple wipe, Luo Di ordered Suna to step back. Caton felt relieved when he saw that Luo Di did not reject her at all.

"Tell me about the specific situation of the territory." Lodi walked towards the meeting hall and motioned for the two people to follow him.

Caton quickly followed, took out the book in his arms, and reported to Luo Di: "Sir, let me first report the population situation. The total number of soldiers and civilians was 1,556, and now there are 1,200." Sixty-seven people. The Cavaliers originally had 65 knights, but now including me, there are 24 knights in total; as for the infantry, there were originally 112 people, but now there are 96 left; military slaves There were originally 312 people, but now there are 267 people left.”

"However, although there are so many personnel, there are not so many actual military equipment. The long sword is enough, there are only thirteen sets of plate armor, and the shoulders and legs are damaged, and there are twenty sets of leather armor. As for the horses, the entire manor There are ten horses in total.”

"In terms of civil affairs, there were originally 67000 subordinates. Now there are 36000 people left, including 10000 elderly people over years old and children under years old. There are still people left in the manor. Ninety-six slaves, fifty-four of whom are women." Caton cleared his throat and continued: "The territory covers an area of ​​about acres. Among them, there are more than acres of cultivated land and acres of forest land. To the west is a tide of beasts. Mountains; to the south is Lingfeng Fortress; to the north is the Black Marsh Territory; to the east is adjacent to the Isca Corridor."

Lodi listened silently. This purge wiped out about 20% of the population. Among them, the knights suffered the most heavy losses, but they were also controllable. The number of the army basically accounts for 30% of the total population, and most of them are young and strong. Basically, all the people are soldiers.

The territory has about 36000 acres of cultivated land, which needs to feed the remaining 1556 people. According to the world's output per mu, it is actually quite tight. Of course, if the previous exploitative material distribution was followed, the upper class would enjoy most of the goods, and the bottom class would be able to survive as long as they didn't starve to death, which would be easy to maintain. However, Lodi is naturally not so short-sighted.

If you want to develop further, you must first purchase equipment, expand your army and population, and secondly expand your territory.

If we wanted to expand our territory, we definitely couldn't do it in the east. It was close to the road and there was no room for expansion at all. Not to mention the north and south sides. Lodi has just arrived and has no intention of causing unnecessary friction with the neighbors.

The only area that can be expanded is the area to the west, near the beast tide mountains. There is a buffer grassland there, and further west is a dense forest. It is the foothills of Shilin Snow Mountain and is part of the mountains. They are all unclaimed lands.

The reason why it is called Borderlands is that it is very difficult to develop this area. Although the beast tide has not come in the past few decades, beasts are everywhere in the grassland, and snakes and insects are rampant. There are many ordinary people who simply dare not set foot there. And going deeper into the dense forest, there are even more legendary demonized beasts. They are the descendants of the beast tide. They contain magical power in their bodies, and some can even reach the level of formal knights or formal spellcasters.

However, dangerous areas are often accompanied by huge benefits. These beasts and demonized beasts are rich in resources. Those demonized beasts are also very high-quality magic materials, often used to make high-precision weapons and protective gear, or magical potions.

In this world, the value of magic materials is very high. Some are even worth hundreds of gold. It was precisely because of hunting and killing a green dragon that the ancestors of Saren not only achieved great success, but also accumulated a huge amount of wealth for the family's future development in the pass.

So Lodi's idea is very simple, to cultivate an army that is loyal to himself and strong, and then develop deep into the west. Just like countless adventure teams and mercenaries in Istia did.

While thinking, Lodi and others had entered the fortress's meeting hall. The room was as warm as spring, and the maids had already prepared bread and fruit wine - high-alcohol liquor and decadent singing and dancing were banned here. Only tea or food that could replenish physical strength could be consumed in the council hall.

Lodi sat at the top, and Caton stood respectfully at the table and continued: "The direct lineage of Julius and Uquis has basically been cleared, and some lists still need you to decide. Their accumulated property includes 45 A gold coin and jewelry. Some magic iron ore, as well as magic beast meat and herbs for practicing breathing techniques, have all been shipped to your village and will be received by little Flynn Hagrid."

Hearing this, Luo Di nodded with satisfaction. When these goods were being counted, little Flynn was present throughout. These people did not hide them secretly, and of course they did not dare to hide them secretly. Speaking of which, Talon Territory is indeed a bitter and cold place. Julius has only managed to save a fortune of 45 gold coins after years of hard work.

But this is normal. The income of the territory is actually very simple, basically only farming and hunting. How much can food and wild animals be sold for each year? The ability to produce so many gold coins was based on the exploitation of subordinates and slaves.

"You did a good job." Luo Di said with a smile on his face: "For those who have surrendered, there is no need to suppress them too hard. This matter has passed, and everything must be looked at in the future."

"Yes, sir!" Caton immediately bowed.

"The remaining knights will be divided into one team and you will lead the other team." Lodi pondered for a moment, then looked at Nurudin next to him and said: "Nurudin, you will lead the other team. You will be my first and second squadron leaders."

Nuruddin was originally Caton's adjutant. Hearing these words, he was ecstatic and immediately bowed and said: "Sir, I will never let you down!"

"Otherwise, it will be business as usual for the time being. The land occupied by Julius and Uquis will be retained for the time being. The current strategy is to stabilize the territory first and not to cause panic and affect the subsequent spring plowing."

"As you command, my lord!" The two men bowed together and replied.

(End of this chapter)