Inspecting the Spoils, Part One
Then Mizhene noticed Santos's doubts and quickly praised the soldiers of the Expeditionary Army. Although they were the occupiers, most of the Expeditionary Army had performed well and had not oppressed the believers of the occupied Faith Order.
In particular, the Expeditionary Army had extremely strict discipline; not to mention burning, killing, and looting, even disputes rarely occurred.
However, Mizhene also knew that the Expeditionary Army was not a weak army. When facing the enemy, they would also use ruthless methods. If there were any stubborn ones, they would only face death.
However, if there is such a person among the Faith Order, Mizhene can only advise him to pray for good fortune.
The Barbarians immigrants who had just joined the Faith Order during this period were fortunate. The Expeditionary Army knew they hadn't been tamed yet, so they made them work hard, subjecting them to heavy labor and harsh treatment. This group of Barbarians immigrants finally became completely obedient.
Having witnessed the performance of the Expeditionary Army, the apostles were even more convinced of its merits.
They began to understand how much the First Apostle and Third Apostles valued this army, and realized that even if the Faith Order had chosen to continue fighting, their chances of victory would have been extremely slim.
Moreover, this army was probably not the entirety of that force. According to General Santos, there were tens of thousands more troops like this within their territory.
Such an enemy is simply a force that Faith Order cannot contend with, not even at its peak.
Seeing the Faith Order's cooperation, Santos was no longer in a hurry to lead the Faith Order's leadership on their journey.
In addition, he received a telegram from the territory instructing him to stabilize the situation and wait patiently for the territory to send medical experts.
On the other hand, after learning about the war situation and the ceasefire through the telegram, Victor replied to Santos, asking Santos to temporarily take charge of the entire Hot Spring Valley, try his best to prevent the Faith Order from suffering further damage, make sure to settle the residents and believers there, and at the same time show respect to the Faith Order's leaders and priests.
Afterwards, Victor will personally travel to the Hot Spring Valley Faith Order Headquarters.
Santos hadn't expected Victor to choose to go to the Faith Order in person. He wanted to refuse the Duke's offer, after all, the battle here had just ended.
But Victor had already made up his mind. Even when Santos sent a letter, Victor rejected it. Besides, Victor had confidence in Santos. With at least a month and a half until he arrived at the Faith Order Headquarters, Santos would definitely handle everything.
However, even if Victor were to set off, he would probably have to wait a while longer, since the grasslands were still muddy and not suitable for long journeys.
Before setting off, Victor had to settle all the affairs of the territory to prevent any further problems from arising.
Although other civil and military officials tried to persuade Victor not to go to such a far place, especially to a battlefield where the war had just ended, Victor felt it was not a big problem, and he even planned to take Keledu with him.
After all, there was so much to be discovered at the Faith Order Headquarters, especially since the Expeditionary Army was sending telegrams every day reporting their findings.
The abundance of superior seeds, unique techniques, and the miraculous natural materials discovered by the Faith Order all greatly interested Victor.
The same applies to the Golden Sunflower Research Institute. As one of the few forces on the entire grassland with advanced technology and culture, the Faith Order possesses a wealth of technology and resources, which greatly benefits the scientific research system of Two Rivers County.
Therefore, the Territory Research Institute also wanted to send a group of researchers to participate in this operation. If Victor hadn't insisted on going to the Hot Spring Valley himself, Veronica might have gone as well.
But the lord and his wife could not leave the territory at the same time, so Victor could only reassure his wife that she should wait in Two Rivers County.
The technical catalog provided by the Faith Order sparked significant discussion within the Golden Sunflower research system, and the researchers who accompanied Victor were eagerly anticipating the results.
Meanwhile, at the Faith Order Headquarters, after a week of stability, the Expeditionary Army had completely established its foothold, and with the assistance of the Mizhene tribe, the entire Hot Spring Valley where the Faith Order Headquarters was located had been basically under the control of the Expeditionary Army.
This Hot Spring Valley is quite large, covering more than 5,000 square kilometers. From the valley entrance to the middle of the valley, the temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius all year round, making it a paradise with spring-like weather all year round.
In addition to the natural hot springs that create the climate of this Hot Spring Valley, there are also a large number of natural rivers in the valley, which are nourished by the melting Snow Mountains, providing a vibrant source of life for this Hot Spring Valley.
Deep within the valley lies a vast ice lake, a magical lake where half of its surface is ice and half is water, covering an area of over a thousand square kilometers.
Hot springs and natural Snow Mountain converge in the valley, keeping this glacial lake in a semi-frozen, semi-thawed state year-round, with a water temperature maintained at around 5°C. It also boasts a unique ecosystem.
This glacial lake also provides the most important water source for agricultural production in the entire Hot Spring Valley. The farms and ranches on the Faith Order side all rely on the water provided by this lake.
The Faith Order did not undertake large-scale development of this Hot Spring Valley, after all, the Faith Order Headquarters did not have a large population. The total population of the entire Faith Order Headquarters was only 140,000 to 150,000, of which young adults accounted for less than half, and there were many elderly people and children.
The Faith Order suffered many casualties in the war, with an estimated death toll of four to five thousand and nearly ten thousand wounded. During this period, the medical teams of the Expeditionary Army and the priests of the Faith Order treated the wounded, which greatly eased the perception of the Faith Order's believers towards the Expeditionary Army.
The majority of the Faith Order's population resided in the city located at the mouth of the Hot Spring Valley, a city also known as the Revelation City.
The remaining nearly one-third of the population lives in various small villages and farms throughout the central part of the Hot Spring Valley.
Some of these farms mainly grow crops, while others focus on animal husbandry. Together, they provide the Faith Order Headquarters with the necessary food and other agricultural products.
It can be said that the shelter established by the Faith Order Headquarters in this valley is fully self-sufficient and has a large surplus of food. Otherwise, the Faith Order Headquarters would not have tried to gather some Barbarians refugees this year to increase the Faith Order's labor force.
However, the Barbarians refugees who could have been an asset to the Faith Order turned out to be the straw that broke the Faith Order's back. If it weren't for the need to keep an eye on these Barbarians immigrants, the Faith Order wouldn't have assigned Mizhene's troops to be in charge of the entire outer defense line.
Afterwards, the apostles of the Faith Order were helpless, since accepting this group of Barbarians refugees was a decision unanimously agreed upon by all the apostles. No one expected that the Golden Sunflower Family would take action against the Faith Order at this time, firmly grasping the window of opportunity during the Faith Order's army rotation.
After Faith Order all the population and villages within the valley, Santos obtained a relatively detailed statistical figure.
The Faith Order's wealth was far greater than he had imagined. In every sense, the Faith Order surpassed that of a typical Count. Although its population and territory size were only at the level of an old viscount, its accumulated wealth far exceeded that of a Count.
Santos was astonished by the herds of cattle, sheep, and horses in the pastures alone.
In particular, the warhorse ranch provided warhorses of very high quality. Santos even believed that the warhorses bred by the Faith Order were of a superior breed than those bred in Two Rivers County.
The Faith Order currently breeds two main horse breeds, both of which are improved versions of the Wind Howler Horse from the Northlands Steppe.
One of the selections was based on a cold-resistant, stocky wild horse that lived on the Ice Fields. Although this warhorse was not very big, it had a unique advantage: it was cold-resistant and could handle rough feed. It also had great stamina. It was not suitable for short sprints, but it was very suitable for long-distance running.
Most importantly, it has excellent compatibility, capable of serving as a rider, pack animal, and draft animal. It also has a significant advantage: it has a very stable temperament. Even uncastrated stallions are not irritable and can be ridden and used.
Because of its long mane, the Faith Order named it the Long-Maned Horse. Santos believed that the Long-Maned Horse was a very versatile warhorse that the Expeditionary Army could use directly.