"So, what are you going to do, kid? What exactly is that policy?
"Well, to put it bluntly, I just want to introduce the Balkan territorial management to Fontana."
"What does the Vulcan system mean?
"First of all, the important thing is to raise the food self-sufficiency rate. You need to use Balka's magic to boost your yield. I need to sell my wheat cheaply to the Menmen."
"Well, that's the most important thing. So you're saying we should be more proactive in the dispatch business that Barca has been doing until now? No, would it be better to improve the farmland for free to increase the yield?
"That's no good, old man. Basically, we don't improve farmland for free. Barca is always short of money. And I want to lend money to knights from all over the territory."
"Money to the knight? Why would you do that? As the boy says, if you want to protect Fontana territory in unity, you don't need to owe me money, do you?
"No, I would prefer to reduce the number of knights in my territory. It would be annoying to be defied by me. I want to make it easier for you to take on the debt and listen to Barca. I want to confiscate the territory as a debt."
"... well, I don't know what the boy wants to say. Sometimes I wonder. For the time being, it's not just the Balkan way to improve farmland. What else are you gonna do?
"After all, I think we need to keep the army strong and equipped. I would like to introduce conscription throughout Fontana territory if possible....."
"I can't do that, kid. Steal the peasants from the knights who have their territory for a long time, and they will definitely rub it. Besides, if they take the men, the knights of the realm won't be able to make up their troops."
I see. After all, it's hard to recruit from the Knights. I can't help it, but I would like to recruit from the Byte Knights of the Fontana family, the Balkans, and the Balgas Knights. I need you to figure out how many men you can get, old man. "
"Okay. I will do it as soon as I can calculate. But we're going to need a calculation other than the number of soldiers, kid. Are you sure you're okay with that?
What do you mean, you're okay?
"Money. Using the people named by the boy, the improvement of the farmland will certainly work. I don't think the increase in yields will be successful. But the conscript army you introduced to Barca is a group of money-eating insects that will always be expensive without a fight. If you just want to raise your military strength, why don't you just gather and train farmers from all over the country during peasant season?
"Well, that's fine, but conscription has other goals."
"What else? What is that?"
"Bring young people of the same generation together in one place for the same training. Its purpose is also military training, but it has another meaning. Is it a sense of purpose that they live in the same place and protect their land with their own power, or is it a collective bond? I just want to tell you what it means to fight for Fontana. Each soldier fights not for the lord, but for themselves."
If you're just going to gather and train peasants during peasant season, that's fine.
But in that case, basically, the people who are trained will only have the idea that they are being trained.
But what I need is a stronger army.
I want to build an army that can protect the three nobles even when they attack.
When I thought about it, it was the spirit of the soldiers that had to be attached the most importance.
Farmers who are driven out only in battle easily escape when their troops are at a disadvantage.
However, in the current state of assuming an overwhelmingly strong opponent, such a soldier cannot satisfactorily fight.
Then we need to make sure our own soldiers don't run away easily, even if they have strong opponents in front of them.
When I thought about it, I thought I needed to create a reason for soldiers to fight.
Don't be as vague as hopeful as ever that if you work hard, you might be able to come out.
If they lose, their lands will be burned down and their families killed.
If you think so, you can't easily escape to protect your family.
That's why we conscript and gather young people in one place to teach them.
I'm sorry to say this, but it could be a kind of brainwashing.
But this way, as the old man points out, is expensive.
After all, we must steal young men who should normally do farm work from farmers, train them day and night without any productivity, and feed them.
It is incredibly expensive.
Even in the previous Balkan army, quite a bit of money had drifted away, but even under the Fontana family's direct control, the cost would increase dramatically.
You can see that the old man in Balka's safe cares.
"Indeed, the old man is right. It costs money, and now Barca doesn't know if she can keep securing the money. It could be a very dangerous bet."
"That's right. Then why don't we just stop conscripting?
"No, I'll still do it. I'll get the money."
"Hey, can't you shake a sleeve without it? Or should I make something new and sell it again?
"Take a different approach this time. I want to get the money faster."
"Another way? What are you doing, kid?
"Turn paper into gold. This should temporarily solve Balka's shortage of money."
That's the piece of paper I gave my old man.
Botanical paper made in Balka, which is no longer so rare in Fontana territory.
I decided to use it to cover my military expenses.