The messy parchment scroll felt heavy in Arthur's hand, giving him a more tangible sense of weight than an equivalent volume of gold.
His fingertips traced over the densely packed names, each one representing a vibrant life, a family, and a force that could be mobilized—his core assets.
"You have done very well, my officials!" Arthur's voice echoed through the council hall, filled with an irrepressible excitement.
"All for Lord Arthur!" The four officials stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed on Arthur, their hands still trembling.
It was excitement. They had been promoted by Arthur from commoners to noble officials, and now they had completed the task entrusted to them by Lord Arthur and received verbal praise.
"The Three-Chiefs System has been implemented to great success!" Arthur set down the thick, messy parchment scroll and turned to them. "As of yesterday, my territory has a total of eight hundred seventeen registered adult available males!"
"The total population of the territory is two thousand one hundred thirty-six people."
Lucien and Hakon didn't know what this meant and scratched their heads, but seeing Lord Arthur so happy, they also smiled. However, Evelyn knew what this meant. No lord in Westeros could control their land in such a way. This Three-Chiefs System was like a giant net, firmly holding everyone within it, and the one holding the net was Arthur.
"You have done very well!" Arthur's gaze swept over the four officials again. Every official whose eyes met his lifted their heads and puffed out their chests.
Arthur did not stint on praise. This indicated that the grassroots system was effective and feasible. Although using soldiers as grassroots bureaucrats would inevitably lead to rough governance, what else could one expect in a medieval society?
"Verbal commendation is meaningless!" Arthur turned to Lucien and Hakon. "Go to my treasury! Take four bags of gold dragons, ten coins per bag! Give them to the four officials to take back!"
"Reward every tax official, military official, household chief, neighborhood chief, and family chief in each military fort!"
A mix of surprise and joy flashed in the eyes of the four simultaneously. Ten gold dragons, even if distributed equally, was no small fortune for them.
"This is just the beginning!" Arthur looked at their joyful faces. "As long as you achieve results, what you gain in the future will be far more than this!"
The four bowed in thanks, knowing that Lord Arthur's generosity had been proven countless times before; he would never treat those who served him poorly.
Arthur's smile faded, and he changed the subject, taking another, thinner list from Evelyn's hand: "Now, let's discuss serious matters."
That list was precisely the roster of bandit families filtered from the civilian register.
"Wiping out mountain bandits will incur casualties and is not worth the effort." Arthur's finger tapped the list. "War is not just about swords. Sometimes, human hearts are more fragile than steel, yet also more resilient than fortresses."
Arthur looked up and surveyed everyone: "We will win by winning hearts and minds."
"You will immediately return to your respective military towns." Arthur gave the command, his tone brooking no argument. "Gather all the people from the families on this list, whether they are their children, wives, or parents."
"What are we to gather them for, Lord Arthur?" one official couldn't help but ask.
"Have them prepare one item." A mysterious arc formed on Arthur's lips. "An item that best represents the affection between them and their relatives on the High Mountain."
"It could be an old piece of clothing a child once wore, a ring used for an engagement, or even a mother's hairpin."
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