Lucky

Two days later, at Carnford Castle, in the Lord's Hall.

The Lord's Hall today is less a Lord's residence and more a vast and weathered war relic.

The stone walls of the hall were riddled with holes from battering rams, some hastily patched up with rough wooden planks to barely keep out the biting winds of the Northern Territory.

Large scorched marks from smoke and fire are clearly visible on the dome and supporting columns, silently telling the story of the brutal baptism of flames in the fierce battle not long ago.

In the corner were piles of broken weapons and debris that hadn't been cleared away in time, and old bloodstains, dark brown and deeply embedded in the cracks in the stone, could even be seen on the ground—that was the place that served as a makeshift hospital.

The entire castle was filled with a peculiar smell, a mixture of gunpowder smoke, damp stones, herbs, and a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood.

There were no signs of deliberate cleaning or tidiness; all the destruction and chaos were preserved as they were, as if time had frozen at the moment the battle ended.

Karl wasn't incapable of getting someone to clean up the mess.

Although there were not many surviving citizens still capable of working, it was still possible to allocate some manpower to tidy up the Lord's residence, but he explicitly ordered a ban on such behavior.

In his view, every bit of manpower is the most valuable resource at present and must be used wisely.

Repairing the breaches in the outer walls, rebuilding the dwellings destroyed by the Sauron, cultivating the fields for spring planting, forging weapons and armor... these matters of survival and defense took far greater priority than making one's dwelling comfortable and tidy.

At this critical juncture of life and death, wasting any human resources on "vanity projects" is irresponsible towards the lives of the people and the future of the territory.

However, this deliberate "untidy appearance" unexpectedly endowed him with a unique temperament.

This environment did not diminish his authority; on the contrary, it greatly enhanced his image as a warrior Lord who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood and shared weal and woe with his people.

There is no luxury or refinement of Royal Capital capitals or noble castles here, only the most primitive and straightforward imprints of iron and blood.

On either side of the long table, Karl's old team members took their seats in turn.

Compared to before the war, the atmosphere was much more somber, with a faint smell of herbs and blood permeating the air.

Many people were wrapped in thick bandages, their faces pale, clearly having just struggled back from the brink of death.

Karl's gaze slowly swept over these scarred yet resolute faces, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The war cost Carnford an unimaginable price; nearly half of the able-bodied men were killed, and every household was in mourning, filled with sorrow.

But at least one thing was fortunate amidst the misfortune: the core team he relied on to maintain his rule, though all of them were wounded, had all stubbornly survived.

They were not only familiar with every blade of grass and tree in Carnford, but also knew Karl's every intention. Their tacit understanding was forged in blood and fire.

This means that Karl no longer has to deal with the immediate crisis while simultaneously expending energy to identify, train, and integrate a completely new administrative and military team on the ruins.

The first truly high-level meeting since the war in Carnford was officially held in this scarred Lord's Hall.

Karl's gaze slowly swept over each familiar yet weary and wounded face sitting around the long table. A slightly relaxed smile, the first in days, appeared on his face, a smile of relief at surviving a close call. He broke the silence with a bittersweet joke:

"It's great to see you all here, not one of you is missing. This is probably one of the most remarkable victories we've achieved in this bloody war."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback at first, then revealed knowing smiles tinged with deep sorrow.

Yes, after enduring the hellish siege and defense of the city walls, the brutal hand-to-hand combat, and the desperate counterattacks, these core command members miraculously survived, which in itself is a miracle worth celebrating.

The somber and oppressive atmosphere in the hall, which had been heavy due to the environment and the pain, immediately eased, replaced by a sense of warmth and cohesion among comrades who had survived the ordeal.

But Karl quickly wiped the smile off his face, his expression turning serious again. He placed his hands on the rough wooden table and said in a deep voice, "Jokes aside, reality is harsh. This battle has brought us enormous losses. Nearly half of our army and people have been killed or wounded. Every family is in mourning, and every household is filled with sorrow."

"But in any case, we ultimately won, we defended our homeland! And now, the battle is over, but the more arduous task has just begun: reconstruction! This is about whether Carnford can truly survive and establish itself in the future."

He first looked at the steward Edgar: "Edgar, please report on the current status of the territory and supplies."

Edgar stood up, holding a thick parchment ledger in his hand, and said in a clear but heavy tone, "My lord, my colleagues, all surviving and able-bodied citizens have now been mobilized to participate in the reconstruction work."

"The main collapsed sections of the castle's outer wall have been initially sealed with bricks, stones, and timber, and the wall's defensive function has been largely restored. However..." He paused, his tone tinged with helplessness, "Those stone houses and workshops that were built at the foot of the mountain were proactively destroyed in our final defensive strategy to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Reconstruction now requires a lot of time and materials, and it will be difficult to restore them in the short term."

He flipped through the ledgers, reporting on the most critical economic situation, his tone becoming more cautious. "Economically, the situation is extremely dire. After paying the first batch of compensation to the fallen and wounded soldiers, our treasury... currently has only about eight hundred gold coins and three thousand Silver coin left. This amount is practically a drop in the ocean compared to the enormous reconstruction needs."

"Regarding grain reserves," he continued, "Thanks to Earl Rochefort's previous generous aid and our own reserves, we can currently sustain the entire city's population for three months. However, with spring planting imminent, the replenishment of seeds and the replacement of worn-out farm tools need to be started immediately. Moreover, we must plan for possible unforeseen circumstances and long-term reserves. The pressure remains significant."

Then, Engineer Morr stood up to report on the progress of the project, "Sir, the main structure of the city wall has been repaired to about 70% completion. It is estimated that it will take another half month to initially restore its complete defensive function. At the same time, the clearing of farmland and the repair of water conservancy facilities are also being carried out simultaneously. In about a month, most of the land damaged by the war can be cleared in time for the end of spring planting."

Karl listened attentively to each report, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.