Throne of the North.

Chapter 742 The Earl, the Best Executor, and the Marquis, Lacking a Man
What are the provinces of Beifeng?
In the general understanding of the imperial nobles, there was only one answer: iron.

Ryan gave Earl Ferguson the same answer.

“I saw your slaves and subjects clearing wasteland. This is clearly not a good job. Their labor is being used inefficiently and they are probably already unable to keep up with this year’s spring planting.”

"I wonder how many people will starve to death this autumn."

"North Wind Province has many tools for reclaiming wasteland, which are very suitable for Hot Spring Province now. Count Ferguson may not know that two years ago, North Wind Province had already achieved self-sufficiency in food production."

"In addition, in my frozen territories, there is a large number of talented people who are good at growing food in wasteland."

“I can have them help the Hot Springs Province to reclaim wasteland.”

"Forgive my bluntness, Lord Ferguson, but you have only one chance, and that is to possess the future productivity of this land while the province of Hot Springs is in dire need of rebuilding."

“After leaving here, I will head to the governor’s mansion, and perhaps I will say the same thing to that marquis.”

"The resources that Northwind Province possesses are what Hot Spring Province desperately needs now, including those spoils of war. As far as I know, Hot Spring Province does not have the ability to remelt the waste."

"Moreover, I sincerely suggest that Your Excellency accept my proposal, because that would give the Earl of Ferguson unprecedented political influence."

"No one will offend the noblemen of the Volga province, because they control the food that feeds tens of millions of people."

With threats and inducements, Earl Ferguson had no time to think. He stared intently at Ryan, his expression conflicted.

"But what do you want?"

"This is a deal, and also an alliance. As an ally, I believe Lord Ferguson will help his ally."

“I said, what I want are the resources that haven’t been used up after the war ends. The Northwind Province is facing war, and I need those things.”

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Ryan and Earl Ferguson finally reached a consensus after a brief exchange.

"As a token of sincerity, you may execute any of the men I send if they fail to meet your requirements, Earl."

“If they can do what Ryan says they can, then Ferguson will be Ryan’s friend forever.”

The Baron and the Earl exchanged a smile, and then the Earl invited Ryan to stay at the castle for a banquet.

Despite the ravages of war, the Earl's banquet was still so lavish that Ryan was overwhelmed with its splendor. The brightly lit castle under the night sky contrasted sharply with the cold night outside.

Early the next morning, Ryan bid farewell to Earl Ferguson and headed for the Marquis of Hot Springs' territory, as he had said.

As they parted, Earl Ferguson made it clear once again that Ryan would not give the Marquis of Hot Springs the same advice.

"It's clear that this count is eager to get things done, but he lacks the practical ability and courage to do so. He's best suited to be a loyal follower of the emperor and simply do what others have decided."

"A... passable executor."

Lane's assessment of the Earl of Ferguson was low in some respects, but high in others.

The nobles were all like that, including Ryan himself. There was no perfect person in this world, which is why the nobles once held that Viking prince, who was known as the perfect elector, in such high esteem.

Earl Ferguson was mediocre, but his status as an earl meant that no one could ignore him.

In comparison, the Marquis of Hot Springs, the governor of this land, is much more ambitious.

His eyes scrutinized and judged everyone and everything. The moment Ryan saw him, he knew that probably no one could sway his thoughts and decisions.

Unless that coincides with the Marquis of Hot Springs's wishes.

"That's the legendary Armored Knight Legion? They're really impressive."

Ryan stood on the high ground, looking at the towering knights on the distant plains, who stood like statues. This extraordinary legion had suffered heavy losses in the previous war and was the main force of Sunshine Grassland against the orcs. The emperor had issued a death order that Marquis of Hot Springs must not allow Sunshine Grassland to be defeated in the war. The battle was fierce and the casualties were terrible.

However, judging from the marquis governor's expression, he might not be as extreme as one might imagine.

"Legend has it that the true form of the Armored Knight Legion is not the knights, but the jet-black armor worn by the knights."

"Those suits of armor possess terrifying magic; in a sense, they are alive."

"Because each set of demonic armor was born in the void where gods fell. They gradually absorbed the divine essence of the gods after their death and grew into demonic armor."

"It's like a sapling absorbing nutrients to grow into a towering tree."

"They possess life and were once pursued madly by life magicians."

"Later...later the magicians discarded it in fear, simply because the magic armor would devour the humanity in a person's soul."

"Moreover, once worn, the magic armor will never fall off unless one dies."

Ryan looked at the armored knights; they were more like puppet warriors than soldiers.

The existence of this special extraordinary legion in Hot Spring Province is actually inseparable from the local cultural environment.

The Hot Spring Province, with its numerous hot springs, boasts the highest proportion of free citizens within the entire empire.

Thanks to the numerous hot springs, the common people here are generally wealthier, even able to raise horses. This is why, in previous wars, Grand Duke Russell was able to easily recruit men to form an army and obtain a large number of cavalry to fight against the orcs.

With more free citizens, driven by self-interest, these ordinary people will naturally be more attentive to training and developing themselves.

As the saying goes, "Having learned both literary and martial arts, one can serve the imperial family." The wealthy people of the Hot Spring Province strive to become knights. If they cannot directly repay the emperor in the distant capital, then entrusting the task to the Marquis of Hot Spring, who represents the royal family, is perfectly reasonable.

The Armored Knight Legion mostly originated from the free people living in the prosperous Hot Spring Province.

This is what distinguishes this extraordinary legion from other noble families. After all, only trusted confidants are qualified to enter the extraordinary legions of noble families. For example, more than 90% of the members of Earl Clayton's Flame Dragon Knight Legion, Ryan's father, are descendants of the Clayton family.

So why didn't the Marquis of Hot Springs' armored knight legion have any of his own? The answer is quite simple.

The common people might not understand, but surely those noble sons of Columbus's bloodline understand? They don't want to become warriors who can never take off their armor and are devoid of humanity.

The unique cultural environment and the extraordinary nature of the Legion of Extraordinary Warriors meant that the Armored Knights Legion could only survive in the wealthy, frontier lands of Hot Spring Province. But now, the Marquis of Hot Springs faces a huge problem.

The Armored Knight Legion suffered heavy losses. Even though the number of broken armors, the core of the extraordinary legion, was not large, human knights were still needed as specimens to cultivate new Armored Knights.

However... Grand Duke Russell conscripted all the men in the province of Thermopylae.

War is so cruel that even elite veterans can easily die in the savage attacks of orcs, let alone greenhorns who are just formed into an army.

The war with the orcs shattered the male population in the Hot Springs Province, resulting in Ryan seeing only women working and clearing land along the way.

The deaths of countless men on the battlefield affected not only individual families but also the armored knight legion of the Marquis of Hot Springs.

The Dragonblood Warrior Legion of Count Sauron of the Northwind Province requires dragon blood to train, which is why the old count boarded Ryan's pirate ship and could never get off.

In other words, the Marquis of Hot Springs needs men with blood comparable to dragons, but there aren't many men left in the Hot Springs Province.

Without the addition of knights to become the new armored knights, there is still a major problem: the special nature of the Marquis of Hot Springs himself.

A century ago, the imperial marquis system changed, and former princes and nobles became marquises in various provinces.

Every marquis in the empire is of royal blood.

What does this mean?

This means that it was impossible for a marquis to form a noble family system.

Their bloodlines are all members of the royal family, and they have this prestigious title. Who would call themselves a marquis?

Let alone those who followed the Marquis here, even the Marquis himself would not consider himself an independent Marquis family. He and his descendants are all noble members of the royal family!
Therefore... even the Marquis of Hot Springs couldn't force his own bloodline to replenish the Demon Armor Knight Legion.

He couldn't simply wave his hand and, like Earl Clayton, make thousands of Clayton bloodline descendants into Flame Dragon Knights.

Besides, the Marquis of Hot Springs, to put it bluntly, came to Hot Springs Province after losing the struggle for the throne. This small area is where he is arrogant. He would never go outside Hot Springs Province to kidnap people, let alone strong men who can become knights.

Thus, the men of Hot Spring Province were the sole source of manpower for the Armored Knight Legion.

Only after so many layers of armor were built could a powerful and extraordinary legion be formed under the command of the Marquis Governor of Wenquan Province.

Now, it's all gone.

How could the Marquis not be anxious?

He was a ruthless and ambitious marquis, and it was precisely because of this that this marquis-governor, whose strength, status, and methods were far superior to those of Earl Ferguson, was even more eager than the earl to bring Ryan to his castle.

The grandeur of the occasion and the deafening cheers made Ryan question whether he was truly the esteemed elector of the throne, that this member of the royal family and marquis-general was behaving with such solemnity.

This flattered Ryan, but what was he after? He was indeed a man, but he could never become a magic-armored knight.

“Mr. Ryan, I learned a long time ago that an outstanding young nobleman has emerged in the northern border of the Empire. Born into the Clayton family, he has grown up alone in the harsh Frozen Territory in just a few years to the point that even the great nobles cannot underestimate him.”

"His talent, especially in military command, is highly praised by many nobles in the empire."

Marquis Hot Springs stared intently at Ryan, shocking the latter. Why was he being treated so highly right from the start? What was he planning to do?

“I am different from them. I am very clear about one thing: in the North, in the face of this icy and snowy land, there is one thing that is indispensable if you want to develop a powerful noble territory.”

"population."

"Population is the foundation of a territory's development. Without population, Mr. Ryan's Frozen Territory would never be as powerful and prosperous as the nobles say. And without a large population, it would be impossible to have a powerful army like the Extraordinary Legion."

The Marquis was very concerned about this, after all, it was the lifeblood of the Armored Knight Legion.

A province as large as Hot Spring Province, including the population of the otherworldly planes controlled by the nobles, is only enough to support a legion of armored knights. Not to mention anything else, if the population were reduced by half, the legion of armored knights would become history.

The Marquis of Hot Springs did not believe that Baron Ryan had no people under his command.

In fact, in order to possess such a powerful territory and a powerful superhuman army in just a few years, it was inevitable to treat the population as a expendable resource.

If Ryan has already managed to consume the population he controls in this way, how could his total population be small?

The marquis governor, with his upright and resolute face, couldn't help but let his gaze burn with intensity when he thought of this.

He's desperately short of manpower right now, especially men. Otherwise, if the Hot Spring Province were to regain its population and prosper on its own, the Armored Knight Legion would probably be history long ago.

As for the purpose of Ryan's visit? War resources? The Marquis is the least concerned about such things in this land.

If the armored knight legion can't be replenished, those war resources will only occupy warehouses and probably gather dust before they're even used.

Every noble in the empire has their own interests, and the Marquis of Hot Springs' interests are precisely this.

Whoever can meet his needs, then the Marquis of Hot Springs will be their ally.

Isn't that how political factions in the empire came about?
But... does Ryan not know the importance of population to the development of a territory? Especially the young and strong who are the main labor force.

Moreover, the only population that Ryan currently has that he cannot properly manage is the million slaves in the Nidhogg world.

However, that is something that cannot be traded. The humans in the world of Nidhogg are enslaved and have a godlike faith in Ryan. In the face of this faith, Ryan can bestow dragon spirit blessings upon them, transforming them into pure warriors—dragon warriors, regardless of age or gender.

Even the elite can become the nightmare of the mad dragon.

Whether it's a dragon warrior or a nightmare dragon, what are they? They are military trump cards used in the most desperate situations.

What kind of power is it to have millions of soldiers with strong fighting instincts and who are fearless of death?
Therefore, the population of the Frozen Territory will always be the foundation of Ryan's power.

He could not agree to the Marquis of Hot Springs' deal.

He didn't come for that reason.

"You want the Hot Springs Province to regain its population prosperity, but in my opinion, this method is too slow."

(End of this chapter)