Panel

Over the next few days, aside from checking on the production progress of the New Style Heavy Plow and the relocation and construction work at the new settlement, Victor spent his time at the Main Camp inspecting the new recruits' training.

On the third day, the recruitment quota of 800 for this round was completed. There was also a reserve list of around 200 men who could be used as replacements depending on the situation.

After Ron led his troops back to the Main Camp, he began preparing the training arrangements. At the same time, Victor organized the eight squads of new recruits, mixing serf recruits and Freemen recruits together. He also separated brothers among the serf recruits, ensuring that no squad contained too many men from the same hometown.

Victor intended to use this method to eliminate small cliques within the army and strengthen cohesion. He knew it might not last for long, but at least it was effective for now.

The day the new recruits' organization was sorted out and preliminary training began was also Victor's seventh day back in the territory.

Victor's younger sister, Irene, also returned to the territory. Upon hearing the news, Victor personally went to meet her.

Irene was three years younger than Victor. Since childhood, she had loved following behind him everywhere. After Victor awakened the memories of his past life, little Irene liked following him even more, because the Victor who had awakened those memories was more mature and gentler with children.

That made Irene one of the people closest to Victor, which was why he went to greet her as soon as he learned she had returned.

When Victor arrived at the docks, he quickly spotted the young girl surrounded by a group of guards. Irene was the only one among Victor's four siblings to inherit their mother's golden hair. The other three had all inherited the Golden Sunflower Family's authentic black hair.

Victor approached and looked her over carefully. They had not seen each other for only half a year, yet the girl had grown even more beautiful. At fourteen or fifteen, she was like a flower in bloom. Her long golden hair draped over both shoulders like waves beneath the setting sun, reflecting dazzling light.

"Welcome back, Irene. You've grown into such a young lady," Victor greeted her with a smile.

"Brother Victor, it's so good that you're all right! I was so worried after I heard you went to the battlefield," Irene said as she rushed over and hugged his left arm.

"Don't worry. Your brother has been through hellish devil training. A little scene like that was nothing," Victor said with a laugh, stroking Irene's head.

"All right, hurry home. Mother and the two little ones are waiting for you," Victor said before leading Irene into the carriage.

"Brother, when do you think I can go back to school? When I left, the school had already announced a holiday, and they still haven't set a reopening date," Irene asked.

"Looks like Irene made quite a few good friends at school, if you're so eager to go back. If Mother heard that her own daughter didn't want to come home, she'd be heartbroken," Victor teased.

Irene was so annoyed that she began thumping Victor.

Victor changed the subject. "Don't worry. This holiday won't last more than two months at most."

Although the war had not lasted long, it had been no less brutal. The Direct Corps within the country, along with a considerable portion of the noble armies, had been consumed by the internal conflict.

Under such circumstances, the various factions would quickly compromise and reach an agreement, making it easier to deal with external threats.

After all, the East Sea Alliance would certainly make further moves, and the Northern Barbarians would also launch a large-scale invasion southward. If either of those wars was lost, the cost would be far greater than losing a civil war.

After returning to the manor, Victor had lunch with his family, then headed straight back to the Main Camp.

At the very least, during the new recruits' training period, Victor needed to keep appearing at the Main Camp. He would also be present whenever salaries were issued. That was the only way to leave an impression on the new recruits and make future command easier.

Besides, hearing the recruits shout, "We eat Lord Victor's food, take Lord Victor's pay, and give our lives for Lord Victor," felt pretty good.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. The new recruits' training had not gone particularly smoothly, but through various methods, they finally completed the most basic formation drills. Their poor education really did make learning difficult. For a long time, the recruits could not tell left from right, so Victor borrowed an old trick and had them wear a shoe on one foot and leave the other bare, solving the problem.

The next step was to begin simple combat techniques and formation training.

The Main Camp was becoming increasingly crowded, but the expanded barracks had basically all been completed.

The troops led by Sir Paul had returned in batches. Today was the final batch, and Victor brought several guards to Linshui Town's docks to receive them.

Soon, three troop transport ships came slowly into port. Once they had docked, soldiers began disembarking with their warhorses in tow. The final batch consisted of the territory's Light Cavalry and part of the infantry, around 150 men. The rest of the troops, including more than 800 conscripted Serf Soldiers, had already returned to the territory in earlier batches.

After waiting for a while, a middle-aged man disembarked as well. He had red hair, a resolute face, and the weathered air of a man who had seen much. It was Sir Paul, his father's most trusted military deputy and once Victor's military instructor.

Victor stepped forward and bowed. "Teacher, welcome back. You've worked hard."

Sir Paul smiled. "My Lord, thank you for coming personally to receive us. The Golden Sunflower Territory's final expeditionary units, the First Infantry Squad and the First Light Cavalry Squad, request permission to return to duty."

Victor immediately nodded and shouted to the troops already lined up and waiting, "Permission granted! Brave warriors, welcome home!"

The soldiers immediately erupted in cheers. With the war over, being able to return home was the greatest reward for a soldier.

"Teacher, how many men did Father take with him? Why does it feel like most of the army has returned? Is Father's security all right?" Victor asked Sir Paul quietly while the surrounding soldiers were cheering.

"Don't worry about the Baron. He has his personal guards with him, and I selected another twenty capable, seasoned soldiers to reinforce them. He went to the Capital City with Viscount Bitter Bamboo. At this stage, no one in the country wants to change the current situation."

"That's good. Teacher, I trust Father's judgment as well." Victor nodded.

Then he addressed everyone present. "Brothers, don't just stand around celebrating. Hurry back to the Main Camp. Fine wine and good food have already been prepared there to welcome you home."

"Teacher, let's head back too."

Sir Paul nodded. "All right, my Lord."

What followed was a banquet that satisfied everyone greatly.

With all the deployed troops having returned, the Main Camp entered a period of rest and recuperation. The returning troops were directly given leave in two batches to visit their families for twenty days. Every soldier received a temporary combat allowance equal to three times their usual pay, while each serf auxiliary received thirty jin of wheat flour as compensation.

Teams were also organized to visit wounded soldiers and the families of the fallen. Victor personally led the visits and inspected the distribution of pensions.

Only the new recruits continued their training.

A month later, summer was gradually arriving. The return of the expeditionary army and the recruitment work had essentially been completed. The Main Camp's expansion was also finished, and the new settlement was basically built. Though the houses were only simple wooden structures, they kept out the wind and rain, and the soldiers and their families were very satisfied.

The first batch of heavy plows and Draft Horses had been delivered to the various farms. Training had been completed, and they were now in use, greatly improving the efficiency of clearing new land.

After seeing this new type of farm implement, the local wealthy Freemen and merchants also began consulting Linde, the agricultural steward, about purchasing Draft Horses and heavy plows. Draft Horses were not difficult to acquire. Horses were used everywhere to pull cargo wagons; all that was needed was to adjust the harnesses and retrain the horses.

However, these heavy plows were still difficult to imitate. Later, Victor used the Calculation Module to modify the design and instructed the craftsmen to make special adjustments to the structural components. Parts prone to wear and frequent replacement could be easily disassembled, but the key structural components were specially treated and could only be removed by force. Once removed, the parts would be damaged. For the time being, imitation would remain difficult to prevent unless a territory possessed considerable technical strength.

But manufacturing plants on the scale of the Weaponry Workshop were rare even throughout the entire duchy. Many of its craftsmen had been recruited by Victor from neighboring territories and even farther away, bringing their entire families with them. The treatment he offered was generous. Even if a few craftsmen involved in production were poached, everything was assembly-line work, with key components handled by different people. Poaching only one or two men would not be enough to reproduce it.

This set of anti-counterfeiting production techniques left Victor extremely satisfied with the Beacon Lighthouse's Calculation Module. Being able to make such modifications and upgrades based on the existing technological level was like having a postdoctoral researcher solve elementary school problems. It could provide more than a dozen methods, each suited to different levels of understanding.

Victor also used the Calculation Module to create a Personal Panel that performed rough calculations on certain data and produced quantitative results. This pleased him greatly. This was what a Golden Finger was supposed to feel like.

Personal Panel:

Name: Victor Golden Sunflower

Age: 17

Height: 181 cm

Weight: 80 kg

Place of Birth: Golden Sunflower Territory

Title: Acting Lord, Lord

Personal Attributes (100 is the human limit calculated by the Calculation Module based on currently collected human data; adjustments may be made later)

Strength: 75/100

Agility: 70/100

Intelligence: 88/100

Soul Matter: 370/100

Charisma: 78/100

Stamina: 80/100

Skills and Specialties

Swordsmanship: Intermediate

Tactical Planning: Master Level (Calculation Module bonus)

Intelligence Analysis: Master Level (Calculation Module bonus)

Agricultural Management: Intermediate

Architecture: Beginner

Territory Data

Name: Golden Sunflower Territory

Population: 26,289

Area: 473,652 square kilometers

Towns: 2

Villages: 11 + 15 farms

Military Size: 1,700 men (including 300 archers, 300 crossbowmen, 200 cavalrymen, 700 spearmen, and 100 sword-and-shield soldiers. The sword-and-shield soldiers were all trained previously and were now mainly used as guards.)

Popular Support: 55 (This was obtained through rough calculations based on various data compiled by the Calculation Module and could only be used as a reference.

Popular support was divided into ten levels

1. Extremely Low (0–10)

Description: The people were generally dissatisfied, living conditions were extremely poor, and small-scale rebellions occurred frequently.

Effects: Low production efficiency, difficulty collecting taxes, and chaotic social order.

2. Low (11–20)

Description: Most people were disappointed with the current situation and lacked confidence in the future.

Effects: Slow economic development and an increase in factors causing social instability.

3. Low-Medium (21–30)

Description: The people were skeptical of the government, though some still supported current policies.

Effects: Some economic development, but limited growth, with social conflicts still present.

4. Below Average (31–40)

Description: The people generally considered their living conditions acceptable and held a cautiously optimistic attitude toward the future.

Effects: Stable economic growth, good social order, and a certain degree of recognition for the government.

5. Average (41–50)

Description: The people had relatively high trust in the government and believed it could effectively solve problems.

Effects: The economy continued improving, social welfare gradually increased, and society remained harmonious and stable.

6. Above Average (51–60)

Description: The people deeply trusted the government, actively participated in public affairs, and possessed strong social cohesion.

Effects: Economic prosperity, rich cultural activities, and a marked increase in the nation's overall strength.

7. High (61–70)

Description: The people almost completely supported the government and regarded it as a model of an ideal society.

Effects: The nation entered a golden age, with peace at home and abroad and extremely high public happiness.

8. Extremely High (71–80)

Description: The people were extremely loyal to the government and willing to make sacrifices for the nation's development.

Effects: The nation achieved unprecedented prosperity and became a model for surrounding regions.

9. Perfect (81–90)

Description: The people and the government formed a perfect cooperative relationship, jointly promoting the nation's progress.

Effects: The nation achieved comprehensive development, and the people's standard of living reached its highest level in history.)

Main Industries: Agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts

Annual Income: 2,500 gold coins

Annual Expenditure: 3,300 gold coins (mainly used for military maintenance, infrastructure construction, and improving livelihoods. In previous years, it was only around half this amount. It doubled this year because of large-scale recruitment and the war.)

Infrastructure:

Castle: A sturdy stone castle with defensive towers and a moat.

Farmland: Fertile land, mainly planted with wheat, barley, sunflowers, and vegetables.

Pasture: Riverside grasslands raising cattle, sheep, and horses.

Docks: The second-largest inland river docks in Bole County, attracting many merchant fleets.

Victor could now directly view this information through his irises, control page turns with his thoughts, and communicate directly with Number 1 in his mind.

It's only been a month, and it's already updated twice. This Golden Finger's functions are iterating far too quickly, Victor thought.

"Number 1, change the UI. Make it more compact. This is a lord's struggle for supremacy, so there's no need to display personal attributes. Just show Soul Matter. Everything except territory data can be hidden."

"Understood, Victor. The Calculation Module has been notified to make the changes."

Victor nodded. Most of the work had gone smoothly over this period, and the remaining new recruit training was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Now, all he had to do was wait for news from his father. Prices for war supplies should have fallen by now, so it was time to begin purchasing some.