Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

"Lynn, what are you thinking about?"

A pair of small hands waved in front of Lynn's eyes, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, it's nothing..." Lynn glanced at Lia in front of him, smiled and replied.

He was actually worried, worried about Karl... no, Karl was dead, but the forces behind him were still alive.

Lynn was worried about what they would do to him next.

The campaigns on the Raven Pass and Stormwind Pass fronts were clearly a resounding success, with results that couldn't be more impressive.

But in reality, it wasn't the group's manpower that was depleted, and Lynn didn't think they would be affected by the defeat in this war. Although they would be shocked, they would definitely not give up easily.

After all, they themselves, or rather, the Cole family bloodline, were extremely important to them.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to orchestrate such a grand scheme for himself.

Lynn is now almost certain that their involvement was crucial in the original owner's demotion.

From the moment they arrived here until they developed to their current size, the other party has never given up on their bloodline.

Even the current new king is one of their people...

"Sigh!" Lynn sighed heavily. He just wanted to develop his strength stealthily, why did he have to run into this mess? Can't he just give up this bloodline?

"You're sighing like that, and you're still telling me you're fine?" Lia seemed a little angry. She took two steps forward, getting closer to Lynn.

Leah looked up, her bright amber eyes fixed on Lynn: "We fought such a brilliant battle, what are you sighing about?!"

Lynn looked into her eyes, somewhat helpless.

He didn't really want to say it, because such speculation was too discouraging. Now that everyone had won the battle, he felt it was better to let them enjoy the joy of victory.

But looking into Lia's eyes, he wanted to express his worries.

He didn't know why. Maybe it was because this half-elf girl was the closest to him and they got along the best. Maybe it was because her eyes always reminded him of the eyes of his fellow Chinese from his past life. Or maybe it was because of the time they poured out their hearts to each other at dusk last time...

"Lia... I'm worried about what tactics the enemy will use next. I'm worried about how they will respond now that we've exposed a portion of our strength..."

Lynn finally followed his heart and voiced his concerns: "Our enemy is not the dead Karl, not Duke Ivan, not even the new king who ordered the siege of us. It's a group of people whose background I don't even know. Their power is so great that the king can issue orders... I really don't know if I can handle it every time."

He spoke at length, and Liya listened attentively to every word. She could sense the worry in the young nobleman before her.

Come to think of it, she always saw Lynn's more vulnerable side, but that made Lia feel that it was very real.

After all, this is the complete Lynn.

Leah tiptoed, reached out her small hand, and gently tapped Lynn on the head: "Always thinking about this and that! When have we ever failed to handle it? Honestly!"

She tried to sound as relaxed as possible: "Those traditional nobles who only know how to enjoy themselves can't possibly be a match for you. Even... even if they have powerful backers, I still don't think they're as good as you! Really!"

She paused, then added, "If you're really worried, I can go to the capital! After all, that's what the head of the CIA does, I..."

"No!" Lynn instinctively interrupted Lia, "You can't go to the capital anymore. We don't know how much those people control the capital now. It's too dangerous for you to go! I'm worried about you!"

Seemingly sensing that his words were a bit too concerned, Lynn hesitated for a moment before saying, "Not just you, the entire CIA can't go to the capital right now."

There was a hint of something more to it in his words.

Lia looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in her amber eyes.

She could tell.

Lynn's main point was "I'm worried," not "It's too dangerous."

She lowered her head, a slight upturn at the corners of her lips, but quickly pursed them back.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked.

Lynn turned around and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the streets of Grayrock Town bustled with people. Several men dressed as prisoners of war were queuing at the public treasury entrance, waiting to receive their rations for the day. In the distance, the sound of steam-powered forging hammers echoed from the workshops, thump, thump, thump, like a heartbeat.

He looked at it for a while, then spoke.

"Expand the army."

Lia walked up to him.

"Expanding the army?"

"That's right," Lynn said. "Right now, Grayrock Town and Ironstone Fortress combined have less than five hundred capable fighters. Ultimately, it's because there aren't enough people."

He paused.

"The enemy will come sooner or later. I don't want to passively wait for them to attack anymore. Before the capital makes any new moves, I need troops to take Frostfire City in one fell swoop!"

Rather than passively taking a beating, it's better to take the initiative. If we can capture Frostfire City, it will become another key strategic point, leading to a massive expansion of resources and population.

Moreover, Frostfire City is not a viscountry, but an earlry, and its population and resources are arguably its greatest asset!

Lia nodded upon hearing this.

This is a very simple principle that everyone understands.

But here's the question—where do people come from?

The combined population of Grayrock Town and Ironstone Fortress is just over four thousand, and those who could be conscripted have already been conscripted. What remains are either the elderly and children, women, or essential skilled craftsmen.

Like Lynn, she looked out the window and noticed that Lynn's gaze lingered on the public treasury, unmoving for a long time.

"You want to pick people from the prisoners?" Lia asked.

Lynn raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her.

This girl is getting more and more perceptive.

"Yes," he said.

Lia remained silent for a few seconds.

She knew it was a good idea. Most of the hundreds of prisoners were young and strong men. If they could be incorporated into the army, their strength would double.

But she also knew where the problem lay.

"What if they turn against us?" she asked. "What if they defect during a war?"

Lynn nodded.

"So we need to find a way."

He walked back to his desk, sat down, and picked up a pen to draw a few circles on the paper.

"I've thought about it for a long time," he said. "The simplest way is to interweave formations."

Lia leaned closer to look.

There were several circles drawn on the paper, some labeled "veteran" and others "new recruit".

"Look," Lynn said, pointing to the diagram, "a musketeer squad consists of ten men, normally all veterans. But if we incorporate prisoners, we break them up, inserting two or three prisoners into each squad, and the rest are all veterans."

He paused.

"We train together, eat together, and sleep together. Over time, a bond naturally develops. When a real battle breaks out, you're surrounded by comrades you've spent every day with; who would easily betray you?"

Lia's eyes lit up as she looked at the picture.

"So even if someone tries to rebel, the veterans around can immediately subdue them?"

Lia knew all too well the loyalty of the veterans in the territory to Lynn. With this kind of formation, if those new recruits really had any bad ideas, they would probably be suppressed by the veterans before they could even carry them out.

“Yes,” Lynn said. “And it’s not just a matter of controlling them—the problem is that nobody dares to rebel. Seven out of ten are veterans, and three are new recruits. Among the new recruits, those with ideas simply don’t dare to act. Because acting means death.”

This idea was actually used in many places in personnel management in his previous life, and Lynn felt that it would be very useful to use it in the team now.

Lia nodded.

She thought for a moment, then asked, "What about when they're choosing people? What if they pick someone really bad..."

"So there has to be a screening process," Lynn said. "First, have the prisoners write guarantees, and register those who are willing to stay. Then talk to them one by one, ask for their thoughts, and observe their reactions. Those with fierce eyes and who are unruly should be rejected."

"Even if we take them, there will be a trial period. Those who don't perform well will be sent back to the prisoner-of-war camp. But that's a matter for later. Let's get a batch of usable ones out in a short time so they can be used in the counterattack on Frostfire City. Those who perform well can be directly incorporated into the regular army."

Lia thought about it and decided it was feasible.

"Then...who should go and negotiate?"

Lynn looked at her.

Lia paused for a moment, then instinctively took a step back.

"You...you won't make me go, will you? I..."

"It's not you." Lynn laughed. "You're good at gathering intelligence, but you're not suited for this kind of heart-to-heart talk."

Lia breathed a sigh of relief, but she also had a strange feeling in her heart.

It's not that I'm disappointed, it's just...

She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling.

"Then who should be held responsible?"

"Bray," Lynn said, "is experienced and has a good eye for people. Moreover, he comes from a hunter's background, so his insight is sharper than ours, and he can best distinguish between those who are sincere and those who are not."

Lia nodded.

“And then there’s Leon,” Lynn continued, “but he’s too serious, which might scare people, though he can keep an eye on things. That might 'intimidate' the prisoners.”

That guy seemed to have a cool and aloof aura about him, and this kind of occasion really suited him.

Lia thought about the image of the two standing together and couldn't help but smile.

These two are indeed capable of handling this matter well.

"And what about me?" she asked.

Lynn looked at her.

"You?" he said. "You have more important things to do."

Lia blinked.

"What is it?"

"The CIA needs to expand," Lynn said. "After this war, all the minor lords in the South have defected. But defection doesn't equal trust. I need someone to keep an eye on things there and see if they're truly sincere."

He paused.

"Only you can do this."

Lia was taken aback.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't.

Lynn looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to go?"

"No..." Lia lowered her head, "I just... didn't expect you to trust me so much."

The CIA has expanded, and her power and responsibilities will increase accordingly.

Lia discovered that Lynn had trusted her a lot from a very early age. He would often give her things that even she thought she might not be able to do well, although in the end she always did them quite well for Lynn.

Lynn remained silent for a few seconds.

He couldn't possibly say something like, "Actually, it's you who have been continuously providing me with public opinion points."

Lynn could never have uttered such a blatantly masculine statement, whether in her past life or this one.

"Lia, I trust everyone in my territory, especially you."

Lynn considered for a moment before speaking, "I've seen all the help you've given to the territory, to me, and to everyone. I believe you can do it well, and only you can do it to the best of your ability."

Hmm, that's alright, Lynn thought, at least it wasn't something a straight man would say.

Lia looked up at him.

Something was gleaming in those amber eyes.

"Yes! I'll do it well," she said, her voice soft but earnest.