The meeting room was a sea of boiling emotions.
Everyone was clamoring to send troops against the demons.
Aililan was very satisfied with their reaction. ‘If they didn’t even make a sound after knowing I was assassinated, then I really would be in trouble.’
She raised her hand.
“Silence!”
The meeting room instantly fell quiet.
“I am informing you of this matter so that you are mentally prepared. It is not for you to go out and slay demons immediately. Now is not the time to use military force against them.”
“Our greatest enemy at present remains the restive humans.”
Gareyas was somewhat confused and asked, “Then why did you bring this up, my Lady?”
Aililan smiled.
She pulled over a map of the area surrounding Atester. It could be seen that Atester was like a nail driven into the roads leading from the Demon Lands, the Beastmen, and the Elves toward the heart of the human territories.
Aililan drew a circle in a location within the Demon Lands, near Atester.
“Because the demons have mines.”
“Specifically, the iron mines we currently lack.”
Hearing this, the military officers present became even more bewildered.
Truth be told, what did the demons having mines have to do with them?
Aililan mentioned another matter instead, smiling as she said, “As far as I know, the armor rate of the Fourth Feather Legion is currently only about 30%.”
Gareyas’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he had guessed something. “Are you saying we take the mines in the Demon Lands to increase our army’s armor rate?”
Aililan laughed heartily, her spirit high. “Exactly. Because of the Market Policy, Atester’s current tax revenue is extremely abundant.”
“And I am not someone who would hoard wealth for myself.”
“With so much tax revenue, if we don’t use it on our own army, are we supposed to wait for others to come and snatch it away?”
Aililan’s vision was far-reaching. She had thought about industrialization and such, but that was nearly impossible.
However, iron had its uses.
It could increase the armor rate of the soldiers.
It was no exaggeration to say that even a legion of 10,000 fully armored soldiers was something only a powerful empire could field. In another world, even at its most prosperous peak, the Tang Empire only had about 100,000 fully armored soldiers.
Taking a deep breath, Aililan continued.
“Everyone knows that what demons need most is blood food, but we cannot provide them with humans. Our current predicament also lies in the fact that we cannot afford to fight on two fronts.”
“So, I had the finance ministers guide the Gnoll-kin toward developing their animal husbandry.”
“Listen… I will reiterate this once more. We aspire to the convergence of Light. We cannot, and will not, engage in any form of trade with demons. That is our bottom line. However, if the demons trade with the Beastmen, that is none of our business.”
“The Gnoll-kin trade cattle and sheep with the demons.”
“And the demons give us humans an iron mine.”
“Well… I can only say that those who understand will understand. I won’t explain further to those who don’t. After all, it’s enough if you know it in your heart. Go and savor the idea yourselves.”
Following the unfolding of Aililan’s blueprint, the horizons of many officers suddenly broadened.
They were deeply impressed by Aililan’s strategic deployment. This Saintess was not just acting on a whim; everything had been linked together from the very beginning.
Aililan stood up and paced habitually.
Soon, she followed up by saying, “I will have a ‘friendly exchange’ with the demon in my manor who harbors ill intentions toward our country. I believe I can reach a consensus with some of the demon clans. At that time, you won’t have to worry about those major demon families.”
“But you must guard against those wandering lesser demons. Therefore, from this moment on, you should prepare to deal with the small-scale conflicts that may arise.”
“I will build blacksmith workshops within the city.”
“When the time comes, you can bring your military merits to me to exchange for equipment.”
“What do you all think?”
Gareyas immediately slapped his thigh and declared, “That is only right! If we generals don’t use our achievements and bravery to earn equipment, are we supposed to wait for handouts?”
As he spoke, he also stood up and addressed the crowd.
“As the Military Chief and the Legion Commander of the Fourth Wing Army, I have something to say as well.”
“We have been stagnant for too long. Equipment is the lifeblood of a soldier. I yearn to see the moment when all 15,000 men of our Fourth Wing Army can wear full armor.”
“I even more so desire for the soldiers of the Fourth Wing Army to become the most elite force in the Fifth Prefecture.”
“I will personally oversee this matter. So, you don’t need to come and flatter me, nor do you need to talk about personal favors. If you want equipment, use your military merits to kick me… cough, go to Lady Saintess Aililan to exchange for them. We will forever be loyal to Lady Aililan!”
Gareyas wiped away some cold sweat.
That was close; he had almost said the wrong thing. The issue of army ownership was very serious. He was the Legion Commander of the Fourth Wing Army, yes, but the owner of this army could and must only be Aililan.
Aililan took the lead in clapping.
*Clap clap clap—*
“Very well. In that case, the meeting is adjourned. Everyone, return and prepare for battle.”
“Gareyas, you stay behind.”
After everyone else had dispersed, Gareyas felt a bit nervous.
Within those few minutes, he had already replayed all the mistakes he might have made or the wrong words he might have said in his head.
Aililan gestured for the squires from the Rinzheng Tribunal to bring over two cups of black tea.
She pushed one cup in front of Gareyas.
She took a cup for herself, took a light sip, and said, “Lord Gareyas, you don’t need to be so tense.”
Gareyas could only smile awkwardly. “Haha, well… why did you ask me to stay behind?”
Aililan said, “There are two things.”
Gareyas sat up straight. “Please, just say the word.”
“First, I am very satisfied with the campaign against the prairie Gnoll-kin this time, but I have doubts regarding your scouting capabilities. Times have changed; scouts can no longer just take a glance at merchants and call it a day. We need more detailed intelligence. We even need to infiltrate or, shall we say, develop informants within the Beastmen.”
“If your Fourth Wing Army finds this difficult to do, I can select other personnel. The Investigation Bureau did very well in that regard. Their spies planted among the demons even provided me with important intelligence once. So… what do you think?”
Gareyas’s expression changed.
Aililan’s words carried a hint of a warning.
At the same time, she was giving the Fourth Wing Army a chance. If the Fourth Wing Army couldn’t do it, she would let someone else do it.
Gareyas immediately stood up and swore, “Please give me two months… no, one month. I will definitely show you a completely new look for our scouts!”
Aililan nodded in satisfaction. “Mm, very well. The second thing is for you to prepare a Quick Response Force that can be used at any time. The opening for the Market Policy is slowly tightening, which will inevitably affect the interests of many people. We must be on guard.”
After a moment of silence, Gareyas said with a solemn expression, “One thousand. There will be at least 1,000 elite soldiers ready to respond to your call at any moment.”
Aililan said contentedly, “Very well.”
Gareyas asked again, “Do you have any other instructions, my Lady?”
Aililan stood up and walked toward the exit, saying, “None for now. Atester is a game of chess; the Fourth Wing Army just needs to do its job. Don’t worry about what you shouldn’t worry about, and don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.”
In the afternoon, she summoned Betiliana from the Investigation Bureau and told her to start reaching out toward those merchants in the Market Policy, sorting out the various interest groups behind them.
Next, she called for Squad Leader Linuor, instructing her to reorganize those 110 Light Knights and officially define their duties, making them a Quick Response Force active on the trade routes, specifically targeting various bandits.
With the prosperity of the trade routes, the number of bandits on the road had naturally increased. Isn’t that strange? Among them, there was no shortage of cases where the corrupt targeted the criminals, or vice versa.
What was their behavior for? It was to sabotage the Goddess Lady’s grand policy.
Therefore, they had to be cracked down upon severely.
Once discovered, they were to be killed.
A single day was very long.
A single day was also very short.
But this was exactly how Aililan spent every day, busy with various administrative tasks. Despite being a high and mighty Saintess, her life was not easy at all.
Even at night.
After returning to her manor.
She still had to take out her small leather whip and walk into the secret chamber.