Militia and Land Distribution

From initial doubt to gradual focus, and now, Morr's eyes are wide open, gleaming with extreme excitement and admiration!

He stared intently at the seemingly simple yet ingenious sketch on the paper, leaning forward excitedly, his fingers unconsciously tracing the lines on the drawing.

"Brilliant! My lord! Absolutely brilliant!" Morr's voice trembled with excitement. "The design of this Tunbao is extremely practical! It perfectly solves the biggest problem of establishing settlements in plains areas with no natural defenses! It ingeniously integrates living, production, and defense into one, like a mobile, miniature fortress deeply rooted in the land!"

He suddenly looked up at Karl and analyzed rapidly, "Moreover, sir, you see, the construction cost of this structure is far lower than building a fully functional castle, requiring significantly less stone and labor! Yet its defensive capabilities and internal self-sufficiency far surpass those of an ordinary village without any protection!"

"If we can establish several, or even a dozen, such fortified Tunbao on the plains around Carnford, allowing them to support each other and form a network, then the defensive depth of Carnford will achieve a qualitative leap, and the area of controllable agricultural land will also increase significantly! This... this is simply a brilliant idea!"

Morr stood up excitedly, as if he couldn't wait to get to work. He vigorously clapped the dust off his hands, though there was none left, and his tone was full of unprecedented enthusiasm. "Sir! I believe this plan is entirely feasible and the best way to solve our current predicament! I'm willing to start immediately, to conduct more detailed planning, site selection, and budget calculations!"

Having resolved the most pressing housing planning issue, Karl turned his gaze to the steward, Edgar, and decisively issued specific instructions:

"Edgar, you and Mr. Morr work closely together to immediately begin construction of the first Tunbao. The scale will be as agreed upon earlier: 500 to 700 households, accommodating approximately 1,500 to 3,000 people."

"Each Tunbao should be equipped with a Militia Camp, with a quota of three hundred men, composed of qualified young and strong men from within the Tunbao. They should farm in peacetime, train in leisure time, and assist in defense in wartime."

He particularly emphasized the priority order, "The eligibility for admission must be clearly defined. Priority should be given to our long-time residents, who were the first to follow us and weather the storm together. They must be properly resettled first. This not only fulfills our promise but also greatly motivates those who come after us, letting them see that their efforts will be rewarded."

He then discussed the management of the large number of displaced people. "As for the continuous influx of displaced people, we cannot ignore them, but we must not support idle people. Edgar, could we implement a work-for-relief program? Let them participate in the construction of Tunbao, the repair of city walls, the development of roads, and the reclamation of farmland, exchanging their labor for food and future resettlement opportunities?"

Edgar responded immediately, his thinking clear, "Sir, absolutely! We have plenty of manpower now, and it's the perfect window of opportunity to embark on large-scale construction and seize the agricultural season."

"We can quickly organize the refugees to reclaim wasteland on the plains on a large scale and open up new farmland. We must race against time and try to catch the tail end of spring plowing to sow the seeds. Otherwise, by autumn, the pressure on our food supply will be unimaginable."

Regarding the allocation of newly reclaimed farmland, Edgar proposed a balanced solution. "As for the allocation of land, my subordinates believe that newly reclaimed arable land should be given priority to the meritorious old territories. We did promise them last winter that 'the land will be allocated next spring,' and we must keep our word. Moreover, with land, they can be self-sufficient, which will alleviate the pressure on our food supply."

However, he also considered the enthusiasm of the migrants. "However, in order to incentivize the migrants who participate in land reclamation, a ' Work points ' system can be established to record the work performance and contributions of each migrant. In the future, after the new Tunbao is built or new land is reclaimed, they will be given priority in choosing or better plots of land according to their Work points points. This will ensure fairness and also motivate them."

After listening, Karl nodded in satisfaction. "Very good! We'll do it your way. The Work points system is very practical. You can draft the specific details. The principle is that the more you work, the more you earn, and those who make the greatest contributions will be given priority."

Finally, Karl turned his gaze to the military representatives Brendan and Richter, who had been listening silently. "The matter of the militia has been settled. Each Tunbao will organize and train its own troops, and they will be part of the local defense system. However, we must also consider expanding our main combat force."

He then shifted his tone, confronting the harsh realities. "However, everyone knows that we are currently short of funds. The government simply cannot afford to recruit new soldiers on a large scale, provide them with full equipment, and pay their salaries."

He proposed a pragmatic and efficient solution. "Therefore, the expansion of the army cannot be carried out blindly; we must recruit soldiers precisely. Many of those who came to Carnford with the wave of refugees this time were defeated soldiers who were scattered and lost contact with the main force in the previous war."

"Among them are many veterans who have experienced battles and have practical combat experience, and some may even possess special skills or have the potential to become junior officers."

Karl looked at Brendan and ordered, "Brendan, you are primarily in charge of this matter. Immediately organize a team to carefully identify and screen those with military backgrounds among the refugees, focusing on their physical condition, combat skills, and past experiences."

"For those who truly possess a skill and outstanding qualities, we can relax the standards and directly recruit them into our Main Corps to strengthen various combat units. What we need are elites who can immediately form combat effectiveness, not raw recruits who need to be trained from scratch."

Brendan nodded emphatically, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Understood, sir! Leave this to me. I'll take a few old brothers and personally select the men. I won't let any mediocre candidates slip in. Experienced veterans are exactly what we need right now!"

"Good!" Karl surveyed the room and concluded, "Housing, food, and the army—these three things are the foundation of our existence. Gentlemen, each of you, take your positions and get to work immediately! The future of Carnford lies in every solid step we take from here on out!"

The meeting concluded in a pragmatic and urgent atmosphere, with everyone clearly aware of their responsibilities and seeing a clear path forward.