Root Them Out

Early the next morning, all the troops began crossing the river by boat. Victor stood beside the dock, watching the force of over a thousand men cross in orderly fashion, his heart swelling with pride.

A force of over a thousand already possessed such scale and momentum. No wonder Emperor Fu Jian of Former Qin had dared to boast that he could halt a river with the whips of his supposedly million-strong army.

Victor revised his previous plan. He had originally intended to focus on farming in the Northlands, with the military as a secondary concern. But after everything he had experienced and witnessed these past days, he decided to put the military first and expand his forces with all his might. Fortunately, this world had many excellent crop varieties. According to the Flame Seed Module's calculations, even with existing technology, yields of staple crops such as wheat and barley could be doubled. As long as part of the labor force engaged in production could provide enough basic agricultural products to meet the daily needs of the entire territory, all remaining labor could be invested in military industry.

Based on Victor's principle of maximizing military expansion, Number 1 calculated that half of all men of military age should join the army. One-third of the remainder, along with the women, would serve as agricultural labor, while the other two-thirds would be invested in related industries to develop rudimentary industrialization and provide the army with the fuel to wage war.

Golden Sunflower Territory had a population of people, including more than men between the ages of sixteen and forty. According to Number 1's calculations, Victor could mobilize 5,000 men into the army. If he recruited Barbarian soldiers at a one-to-one ratio, he would need to subdue at least Barbarian Tribes. Relying on the territory's existing population base, Victor could organize a full-time military force of men. If he completed this plan, he could become a warlord in the Grand Duchy of Vera second only to the Grand Duke and Baron Colt.

Victor looked forward to it immensely. Besides, this was merely the upper limit of the forces his own territory could deploy in the future. What if he included the entire population of the nobles who had come to develop the Northlands this time? And added the population of the original Northern Frontier nobles? His army's scale could increase by dozens of times, and his utilization of manpower would be more than five times greater than that of any noble of the same era. For example, Count Colt's territory had a combined population of 300,000 Freemen and serfs, while the dozen or so Barbarian Tribes under his loose control had another 200,000 people. With Victor's level of mobilization, he could field a full-time corps of nearly 100,000 men. This would not be 100,000 padded out with serf auxiliaries, but a genuine professional standing army. Such production efficiency and mobilization rates surpassed even those modern states from the First and Second World Wars.

This would certainly have been impossible on Earth, but this world was simply too extraordinary. Tree bark could be used as special alloy, wheat could yield four or five hundred jin per mu without fertilizer, and more outrageously, a single mu of sunflower seeds could produce two tons of oil. Three serfs could pull a heavy plow to till the land. Victor could only say that those who had not crossed over would never understand—everyone in this world was superhuman, and even farming could launch satellites.

Only these miraculous material foundations, combined with the professional plans formulated by the Beacon Lighthouse's Calculation Module and optimized production techniques, could achieve such high productivity and efficiency.

After his reflections, Victor turned his attention back to the campaign. The objective had been set and the route laid out. All that remained was to proceed step by step. That was the confidence of a man with cheats.

After more than half a day, the entire army completed the river crossing. Victor immediately ordered Jack to lead his 100 Cavalry ahead with the scouts to conduct armed reconnaissance of the Green Grass Tribe, harassing their movements as circumstances required.

The remaining troops advanced together, controlling their pace and conserving their strength. Mounted infantry and wagons could not possibly match the speed of professional Cavalry, but moving together made it harder for units to fall behind. The wagons also carried all the army's provisions. To guard against any eventuality, Victor had mobilized every wagon and brought enough supplies to sustain the army for half a month.

The grassland weather had been calm these past few days, perhaps because autumn had arrived. It was generally dry, and the ground was relatively firm. The army moved even faster than expected. By evening, they had covered thirty kilometers, already halfway to their destination.

Victor sat astride his horse, having just received a report that Jack's force should have reached its designated position, twenty kilometers from the Green Grass Tribe's camp.

Starting tomorrow, Jack and his men would conduct armed reconnaissance directly against the Green Grass Tribe, attacking herdsmen and scattered Barbarian soldiers to ensure the main force remained undiscovered.

Before long, the entire army reached the designated campsite. The officers began directing the soldiers to clear out a simple camp and erect tents. With autumn already here, temperatures on the grasslands dropped at night. The soldiers needed somewhere relatively warm to rest, or widespread illness could easily break out.

Victor watched the various units build the camp and pitch tents in an orderly manner, then nodded in satisfaction. This army, which he had practically built with his own hands, might still lack combat experience, but its fighting spirit and discipline were already outstanding. It ranked among the finest of the Noble Army in the entire duchy and would serve as a dependable cornerstone of his future supremacy.

That night, Victor gathered all the camp's commanding officers for a pre-battle mobilization meeting. "This operation has two objectives. First, we must root them out. The Green Grass Tribe was the first to attack our territory. It is no longer an ordinary Barbarian Tribe, but a tribe hostile to us. We must strike such people with an iron fist, which is why I have brought everyone out in full force—to display our strength. Second, if we are to establish ourselves on these grasslands in the future, we must have a large number of Cavalry. Once we capture the herdsmen of the Green Grass Tribe, we will have leverage over these Barbarian soldiers. We can mobilize at least eight hundred to a thousand Barbarian Cavalry, which will be crucial to our territory's future strength."

"Tomorrow's battle may not be intense, but I want you to show the strength of our territorial army. Intimidate these Barbarians. Make them carve our army deep into their minds, so that they will obediently serve us in the future. Those are my orders. You must carry them out without the slightest compromise. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lord Victor!" All the officers rose to their feet and shouted.

Victor nodded. He found himself growing increasingly fond of the feeling of giving orders. No wonder so many leaders in his previous life had enjoyed holding meetings.

Victor conducted a brief internal self-criticism. I am doing this to convey orders, not to indulge my own selfish desires. The corruption of a group begins from the top down.

"Number 1, add a work reminder. Remind me every day that I must not hold useless meetings that waste time."

"Task confirmed, Victor."