Even a Landlord House Cannot Afford Such Waste
Eastlyn has been at war nonstop these past two years. While Eastlyn has no shortage of famous generals, neither do the other kingdoms. In battle, it often comes down to manpower. After so many rounds of chaos, Eastlyn’s forces have suffered countless losses. Issuing a conscription order is perfectly logical—but...
"Prince Nolan, the state treasury is out of silver."
"Prince Nolan, we can't keep spending like this."
"Prince Nolan, the iron mines can’t keep up with demand."
"Prince Nolan, General Warren Yu from the Ministry of War is here again asking for silver."
"Prince Nolan, Prince Nolan..."
Prince Nolan treats his soldiers exceptionally well. If they die or are disabled, the court grants them generous pensions—enough to keep their families from starving for life. Old soldiers who stay in the army see their pay rise year after year...
Once the conscription order went out, the whole country responded. On the first day alone, over seventy thousand people registered. If the selection weren’t so strict, the number would easily have broken one hundred thousand.
With so many people, all needing food and drink every day—where are they supposed to get all that silver?
Left and right, the treasury’s silver is carted out by the boxful. Each expenditure is enormous. The gold, silver, and jewels seized from Chu City and Northlyn can’t possibly cover this kind of spending—especially since Prince Nolan demands the highest standards for logistics. Weapons and armor must be genuine and solid. The soldiers’ three daily meals must be filling, and must include meat.
“This—this isn’t raising soldiers, it’s raising young masters!” In the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities, soldiers only eat their fill when they’re on campaign; the rest of the time, so long as they don’t starve, that’s enough. But Prince Nolan not only keeps them fed, he insists they get meat.
The civil officials are deeply dissatisfied. But when they saw the high-intensity training Prince Nolan set for the troops, they realized that if the soldiers weren’t well fed, they’d never have the strength to finish it. So no one dared to skimp on rations.
"Prince Nolan, the annual revenue isn’t nearly enough to cover military spending, let alone pay the officials’ stipends or fund riverbank repairs." William Wang Jinling couldn’t hold out any longer; he had to go to Prince Nolan and ask him to spend less.
No matter how rich Eastlyn is, it can’t withstand Prince Nolan spending like this.
William Wang Jinling knows what Prince Nolan is trying to do, and why he prioritizes the military. But other matters can’t be neglected; if internal stability falters, even the strongest army is useless.
The rainy season is almost here, and river maintenance is another huge expense. That money absolutely cannot be cut—otherwise, tens of thousands of people and all the crops along the riverbanks will be flooded.
If Prince Nolan keeps spending like this, they won’t even have enough silver to repair the riverbanks this year, let alone pay the officials.
"Just follow my orders. Don’t worry about the silver." Prince Nolan gave William Wang Jinling a dose of reassurance, then added, "Within two years, I want every newly recruited soldier ready for the battlefield."
New recruits have a sky-high mortality rate on the battlefield. To reduce casualties, Prince Nolan borrowed Serena Feng’s methods and began rigorous training for new soldiers ahead of time, hoping to achieve what Serena always says: sweat more in training, bleed less in war.
Eastlyn had a training system for new recruits before, but it was never this strict. Usually, they’d drill for three to five months—just enough to understand orders and learn a few basic killing moves—then get sent straight to the front to learn by experience.
On the battlefield, many new recruits die before they even draw their swords—cut down the moment they see blood for the first time.
Eastlyn’s population is limited, and in the past two years the losses among the troops have been severe. The so-called million-strong army is just an empty name—Eastlyn can’t field that many. For the coming battles, Prince Nolan must recruit and train new soldiers.
"I’ll speak to General Warren Yu." William Wang Jinling knew persuasion was useless—he could only do his best to carry out the orders.
As for Prince Nolan’s guarantee, William Wang Jinling didn’t doubt it for a second. The Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard might already be in Prince Nolan’s hands!
Of course, not everyone is as clear-minded as William Wang Jinling. The emperors and city lords of the Three Kingdoms and Six Cities are still doggedly investigating Ghost Hall and watching Liancastle, hoping to trace the whereabouts of the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard from these two powers most tightly tied to the old regime.
And as for that so-called mother of Prince Nolan—the legendary Former Dynasty princess?
Please… Even if the rumor is true—which it might not be—so what? Prince Nolan only just reunited with his mother, and now she’s the Grand Empress Dowager of Eastlyn. If she helps anyone, it’ll be her own son.
The emperors of the Three Kingdoms are busy—they have internal affairs to manage, strategies to plot against Liancastle and Ghost Hall, and plans to deal with Prince Nolan and Serena Feng. Still, no matter how busy they are, they’re not ignoring Eastlyn’s mass recruitment.
Eastlyn’s mass recruitment is no trivial matter. If their troop numbers grow too fast, it threatens the other kingdoms’ rule. The three emperors have no choice but to set everything else aside and send envoys to Eastlyn, demanding in the strongest terms that they halt conscription.
Eastlyn already has the largest standing army among the Four Kingdoms. If their numbers keep rising, the other three might as well give up.
"Chu City, Tyre City, and Leaf City have all been merged into Eastlyn. With more territory, Eastlyn naturally needs more troops." Prince Nolan replied without hesitation—but this answer nearly made the three emperors choke with rage.
In fact, the Northlyn Emperor’s condition really did worsen because of this. He fell into a coma for several days, leaving Northlyn in chaos—so for now, they’re in no position to worry about Prince Nolan or Serena Feng.
Lyndaria’s Crown Prince Titus was just joining in for the spectacle. Usually, Northlyn and Southlyn would take the lead and he’d echo them, but the moment war was mentioned, Titus fell silent. When pressed, he used Lyndaria’s internal unrest as an excuse to brush off Southlyn and Northlyn.
Lyndaria had just suffered a civil war, and the government hadn’t stabilized yet—they had no energy to attack Eastlyn. Most importantly, Titus feared that if he sent troops against Eastlyn, Princess Royal Helena would strike from behind, putting him in a two-front war.
Even though Princess Royal Helena repeatedly swore she wouldn’t attack Lyndaria at this time, Titus refused to send troops: "Betray once, never trusted again. Why should I believe a traitor’s word?"
And as for the Lyndaria Emperor’s opinion?
To quote Lyndaria’s ministers: "His Majesty’s health is poor—there’s no need to trouble him with such trivial matters. With the Crown Prince present, His Majesty should just focus on recovery."
Southlyn stands alone. Princess Royal Helena jumps up and down trying to rally support, hoping to join forces with Southlyn—but just like Titus, she’s afraid that if she attacks Eastlyn, her own rear will catch fire.
As for Liancastle and Ghost Hall, they’re watched so closely by every kingdom and city that they can barely protect themselves, let alone make a move against Prince Nolan.
"Did you already guess that Northlyn, Southlyn, and Lyndaria couldn’t join forces?" Serena Feng lay back on Prince Nolan’s thigh, eyes half-closed, basking in the sunlight.
Ever since that night when they cleared the air, she and Prince Nolan had grown even closer. With her doubts gone, their time together felt more relaxed—mainly because Serena Feng had stopped overthinking everything.
There’s no point digging up the past. The priority now is to join forces and wipe out Lyndaria, Southlyn, and Northlyn...