87: Settlement and Expansion

"With more people, many things in the territory can finally get started!"

"Get these newcomers moving as quickly as possible. Raising livestock, harvesting fodder, and building houses all require manpower. Fornal, you need to assign them to various posts as soon as possible and let them contribute to the territory."

Renn had to provide a large amount of food and other resources to support these people every day; letting them idle was a crime.

"Yes, My Lord!"

"I have already begun making arrangements. Over the past few days, I've made preliminary assignments, and they will soon be able to join the construction of the territory."

"The harvest in the Fields is nearing its end. Afterward, we need to step up house construction. In a few days, the Salak Merchant Guild will deliver another ten thousand Serfs, and by then, the territory's population will return to its previous peak of around thirty thousand."

The ten thousand Serfs Renn had ordered from Field were originally scheduled to be delivered before the first snow in mid-to-late October.

Today is already October 9th, which means they will arrive in about ten days.

"Yiven, spend some time learning from your grandfather lately and assist him in handling these matters."

Renn turned to give Yiven her instructions and then said to Fornal:

"In addition, Bar, Johnny, and Ravenk will also help you."

"I will do my best to complete it, My Lord. Please rest assured."

Fornal felt that his workload over the past few months was more than the previous few years combined, but although he was exhausted, he worked with great enthusiasm.

Especially seeing the territory quickly recover from its decline, Fornal was in a state of excitement every day.

Having settled things with Fornal, Renn summoned Ross, Wayne, and Alger.

A few days ago, Alger finally broke through to the Silver Rank. Renn had already equipped him with a Bronze Rank Demon Wolf and Enchanted Battle Armor.

Renn had previously obtained five sets of Enchanted Battle Armor, and after removing the Cold Wind Family's insignia, he put them directly to use.

Including himself, four sets had already been used. Renn had to keep the remaining set as a spare for himself, so the Enchanted Battle Armor was now fully allocated.

The Magic Cores harvested previously were also nearly exhausted, exchanged for several Bronze Rank Demon Wolves and over a dozen warriors who had broken through to the Bronze Rank.

Renn was very satisfied with the results of these resource expenditures; the strength of the Red River Territory Guard Army had risen by several levels as a result.

After Alger's breakthrough, the Red River Territory now had four Silver Knights stationed there.

Alger and Wayne were originally neck and neck, but Wayne broke through first, and it took another half month for Alger to complete his breakthrough.

Spellcasters can study the profound mysteries of magic behind closed doors to improve their strength, but the best way for those of the Warrior Class to improve is through combat.

For the Warrior Class, continuous combat is a shortcut to becoming stronger quickly.

Constant fighting and experiencing the thrill of life and death can not only improve combat techniques but also greatly promote the growth of Battle Qi.

This month, Renn had been constantly on the move and fighting, and he personally felt a significant improvement in his strength, taking a major step forward in the Silver Mid-rank stage.

However, not all members of the Warrior Class enjoy improving themselves through combat. After all, where there is combat, there are casualties. There is a high probability that one's life will be lost before their strength improves much.

As for Renn, he was exceptionally gifted and didn't need to deliberately seek out combat to improve, but his subordinates had mediocre talent, so it was best for them to increase their strength through continuous fighting.

After seeing the difference between Wayne and Alger, Renn already had some ideas; the territory's Guard Army would be busy later on.

"My Lord!" Ross and the others bowed respectfully.

"Everyone, take a seat!"

"I called you here to tell you that the territory's population has doubled this time, so I intend to expand the scale of the Guard Army."

"The three hundred recruits enlisted previously have been training for over a month. I see that the training has been effective, so these three hundred men can be incorporated into the Infantry Squad, to be led and further trained by veterans."

"We will recruit another six hundred new soldiers from the territory. After training separately for a period, these recruits will be incorporated into the Guard Army."

"You must train the troops well this winter. Once the recruit training is complete, the original Infantry Squad will be officially expanded into an Infantry Regiment, with five hundred men per regiment."

"The two Infantry Squads will be expanded into two Infantry Regiments. Wayne and Alger, the two of you will serve as the Infantry Regiment Commanders."

"The territory's warhorses have been replenished, and the Cavalry Squad will be expanded into a Cavalry Battalion, with the number of personnel increased to two hundred. Eric, you will serve as the Cavalry Battalion Commander."

The expansion of the Guard Army, especially on such a large scale, made Ross and the others very happy.

When they chose to follow Renn to the Red River Territory a few months ago, they never imagined their lives would change so drastically in just over three months.

Their strength had improved before, and now their positions had also been elevated; they never had such power or benefits in the Border Defense Army.

Behind Wayne and the others, Eric felt a sense of urgency in addition to his joy.

Both Infantry Regiment Commanders were Silver Knights, while he, as the Cavalry Battalion Commander, only had the strength of a high-level Bronze Rank. By comparison, the gap was too large.

Through constant fighting recently, Eric's strength had also increased by a level, from mid-level Bronze Rank to high-level Bronze Rank.

But even with a one-level increase, his strength was still a long way from the Silver Rank.

The successive breakthroughs of Wayne and Alger deeply stimulated Eric. He practiced even more diligently every day, determined to break through to the Silver Rank sooner.

Now hearing that Renn was continuing to let him command the expanded Cavalry Battalion, Eric immediately decided to add extra training as soon as he returned.

"Ross, you will directly serve as the Guard Army Commander, responsible for all daily operations of the Guard Army. You will also oversee the training of the new recruits; supervise their training well."

Renn now felt that his concurrent post as the Guard Army Commander was of little use. Whether he held the title or not, he had absolute command over the Guard Army, so there was no need to hold the position concurrently.

Allowing Ross to directly serve as the Guard Army Commander would let him better utilize his abilities.

"Strengthen the patrols of the territory and stay vigilant against Blackstone Territory to the south."

The raid on Blackstone Territory was very successful. Although Renn had Colt show his face in public to attract Blackstone Territory's attention, this approach might not work, so Renn was also preparing for a possible retaliatory attack from Blackstone Territory.

Currently, Renn had sixteen Magic Wolf Knights under his command. Renn originally wanted to use the Magic Wolf Knights collectively, but these sixteen Magic Wolf Knights were all officers in the Infantry Regiments and the Cavalry Squad.

It would be fine to deploy them together temporarily for a short period, but it wouldn't work to pull them out individually to form the Magic Wolf Knights; removing them would cause the Infantry Regiments and the Cavalry Battalion to collapse.

Therefore, these Magic Wolf Knights could only temporarily serve as officers at all levels of the Guard Army for now.

After arranging the expansion of the Guard Army, Renn brought out two Breathing Techniques he had simplified and adapted.

"From now on, any warrior recruited who meets the requirements can directly practice this Black Iron Rank Breathing Technique. This is a Black Iron Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique that I simplified from the Silver Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique."

"Veterans who have experienced more than five battles, or warriors with a record of killing enemies in battle, can be rewarded with the opportunity to practice this Bronze Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique."

"Finally, warriors who have achieved significant military merit or are exceptionally gifted can practice the Silver Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique with my approval."

Renn had divided the Wild Wolf Breathing Technique into three levels through simplification.

This was similar to the practice of the Raging Bear Family, spreading simplified Breathing Techniques within the army.

The difference was that Renn basically set no threshold for the Black Iron Rank Breathing Technique; any warrior who met the requirements to enter the army could practice it.

Compared to the practices of other nobles, this was an enormous favor for ordinary soldiers. One must know that in the Border Defense Army, many people risked their lives and still couldn't obtain the corresponding military merit to exchange for the Black Iron Rank War Bear Breathing Technique.

Renn was now going to expand his army on a large scale and would continue to do so in the future. These recruits of varying quality would not meet Renn's requirements without practicing a Breathing Technique, but allowing them to directly practice the Silver Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique was not in Renn's interest.

After all, there were all kinds of people among the large-scale recruits, and directly granting the Silver Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique would very likely cause losses for Renn.

Therefore, granting them in levels was Renn's best choice. This would not only protect Renn's interests but also greatly motivate the soldiers' enthusiasm.

Even if the Black Iron Rank Breathing Technique were to spread outside, it wouldn't matter to Renn; the impact would be minimal.

"My Lord is wise!"

For Ross and the others who had already practiced the Silver Rank Wild Wolf Breathing Technique, Renn's decision also aligned with their interests, so they naturally supported it wholeheartedly.