Facing the curious looks of the three men, Velin did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Cousins, how many troops do your territories currently have?"
Upon hearing this, the three looked at one another.
"Rayat."
Not far away, Rayat had been speaking with Cowell's eldest son. Hearing his father call, he immediately stopped and quickly headed toward the pavilion.
After arriving at Brian's side, Rayat first bowed to the other three elders before asking, "Father, what are your orders?"
"Tell your Uncle Velin how many troops Ridge Territory currently has."
"Yes, Father."
As if recalling something, Brian added, "Also tell him about the militia you have overseen the construction of over the years."
"Yes."
After lowering his head in salute, Rayat spent several minutes organizing his thoughts before slowly beginning. "Uncle Velin, Ridge Territory has more than five thousand standing soldiers and more than thirteen thousand militiamen."
"The standing army is divided into three parts."
"The first is the Knight Order established by my father, commanded by Uncle Adrian. It has around twelve hundred men: three Gold Knights, one hundred and fifty-six Silver Knights, seven hundred and eighty-nine Bronze Knights, with the rest being High-rank Knight Apprentices."
"The second is the Ridge Fort Guard Army, with around fifteen hundred men. It has one Gold Swordsman, ninety-six Silver Warriors, four hundred and thirty-seven Bronze Warriors, and one thousand and sixty-five High-rank Warrior Apprentices."
"The third is the Ridge Territory City Defense Army, with around twenty-five hundred men. Following the military system of Qixing Territory, it is divided into four battalions. It has one Gold Swordsman, one Gold Archer, one hundred and thirty-seven Silver Warriors, five hundred and seventy-six Bronze Warriors, eight hundred and ninety-five High-rank Warrior Apprentices, while the rest are Intermediate Warrior Apprentices."
"As for the militia whose construction I