After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

In less than six kilometers, in fact, by the time they had run the 400-meter mark, the veterans had quickly pulled ahead of the new recruits, without exception.

Oswald had anticipated this outcome. Talent is a gift, willpower is the forging process; if you can't run, you can't run.

Talent only allows them to find training methods more quickly, and willpower can only keep them from falling behind, but the strong physique that veterans have developed through years of persistent training cannot be surpassed overnight.

For the young men who wanted to join the army, the worst was yet to come, because as they followed the veterans' march, they suddenly left the smooth road and plunged into the grassland.

The flatness is relative; they might not normally realize how many ups and downs there are on the grassland.

Coupled with the dim visibility and the rapidly depleting stamina of the new recruits, all they could do was listen to the veterans' orderly footsteps running further and further away.

Oswald, pipe in mouth, stood with his hands behind his back, holding a riding crop. According to the system's timetable, it took twenty-two minutes for all the veterans to complete their training and return to their original positions.

At thirty-five minutes, the first recruit... collapsed at the entrance to the square.

Oswald chuckled. "He's qualified. Take him away to rest."

Using 45 minutes as a dividing line, Oswald arranged for people to bring back those who had run away, sprained their ankles, or fainted. In one go, Oswald eliminated more than 900 people, and more than 100 others voluntarily withdrew.

It seems they have realized that becoming a qualified soldier in the Northern Territory requires far more effort than they imagined.

With half the men gone at once, Oswald was happy to have some relief. Apart from the recruits having to learn farming and agricultural activities during their basic training, the front-line troops of the Northern Army were all professional soldiers detached from production.

In other words, the North could not afford to support so many professional soldiers, and the Northern Army needed a stable and strong rear base.

Ignoring the trembling recruits, Oswald called out an adjutant and ordered, "Take them to breakfast, then have them practice riding in batches, according to your standards. Those who pass will stay."

"Yes, Your Grace!"

Back in the Lord's mansion in Kuogu City, Oswald began his day's work at dawn.

First came the intelligence from Starfall City regarding the movements of the Demon Clan.

Since the last small-scale conflict, the demons have stopped causing trouble and have returned to their normal routines, seriously preparing for the next invasion war.

Perhaps in a few months, the demon cavalry will once again march south.

The second document was a work report sent by the Marquis of Barton from the western pastoral region. Barton's main task was to provide warhorses for the Northern Army and to travel to the Dwarf Kingdom to purchase dwarf slaves.

In the document, Patton mentioned the help they received after the city was built. Centered around this concrete city, some of them had given up their nomadic lifestyle and developed horse farms around the city.

In addition, Patton said that more than two thousand young men in his tribe wanted to enlist in the army and hoped that Oswald could make an exception and put them all in one team, and guarantee that these young men would be skilled horsemen and archers.

Finally, the Marquis of Barton subtly suggested that his herdsmen were actually better at looting...

Pretending not to see what followed, Oswald only wanted to know when the young herdsmen would arrive in Kuogu City, as he was currently lacking excellent soldiers.

Picking up his pipe, Oswald began to read the reply from Eleanor that had just arrived that morning.

Oswald, using his skill, gains access to Elene's vision, so while Elene is handling government affairs, Oswald is also reviewing the same document.

Installing the 996 work schedule as a personal blessing is a valid approach.

After recording his suggestions for revision, Oswald would have the cavalry quickly deliver the letter to the Northern Lords' mansion, and Elene, who received the letter, would suddenly reply to him.

Why is it described as sudden? Because Oswald never witnessed Eleanor writing the letter.

Moreover, most of Elene's replies were unrelated to work; she basically wrote whatever came to mind, often rambling and leaving Oswald somewhat bewildered.

The previous sentence might be about the living conditions of two babies, but the next sentence jumps to the Duke's need for several outstanding young generals.

After reading Eleanor's research on the importance of multi-tiered talent development in the history of the Hundred Years' War, a bewildered Oswald lit a pipe.

Was she trying to remind me to prepare for a protracted war, or was she suggesting that the war launched by the Central District against the Northern Territory might last for several years?

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Oswald thought carefully. If the Central District could end its standoff with the Southern Territory ahead of schedule, the Central District did indeed have the strength and resources to maintain a long-term blockade of Green Canyon City.

In this battle, strengthening internal capabilities is of paramount importance.

"Yes, Elene has a long-term vision," Oswald nodded in agreement, while using his skill to connect with Elene's vision.

Inside the Duke's mansion, Elena began her busy work in the early morning, but she had just started writing when a rapid knocking sounded at the door.

Alini stopped writing, frowned, and tapped the table with her finger. "Come in!"

With a bang, the door was pushed open, and a messenger knelt down with a thud, panting heavily, and said, "Reporting to Lady Elene, the situation has changed. Hundreds of thousands of undead troops from the Southern Territory are marching straight towards Green Gorge City!"

Blinking incredulously, Elena stood up, pondered for a moment, then strode to the messenger and grabbed the secret letter he presented with both hands.

Eileen was aware that Luna's personal guard had volunteered to disperse and go to the central district to gather intelligence and monitor the movements of the central army.

Before the outbreak of war, the Northern Territory had severed all contact with the outside world, and Green Gorge City was under strict control. All the civilians living in the city had completed their evacuation to the interior.

At this time, the only people who could provide intelligence to the Northern Territory were these well-trained and loyal combat personnel.

At first, the guards didn't pay much attention to the eerie white fog, which was even more bizarre than the ghost stories, until one day when the fog rose and they were suddenly attacked by an army of undead from the fog.

The price was heavy. In order to find out the full picture of the undead in the fog, many of the guards chose to give their lives for intelligence. They successfully confirmed the number of the undead army and also deduced that the undead army came from the southern territory.

After reading the intelligence, Elene's brow furrowed even more as she paced back and forth in thought. In half a month, at most half a month, the undead army would appear outside Green Gorge City.

Elena was filled with anxiety, but when she thought that the Duke might be connecting with her, she quickly put the letter in front of her and read it carefully.

Stubbed out his cigarette, Oswald was also dazed by the news of the hundreds of thousands of undead. He couldn't understand why these undead would be so targeted and travel such a long distance to the Northern Territory.

Unless, in this world, an entity capable of controlling the undead has already emerged.