A large army of Dwarves has arrived?

Lauren's words made Su Li and Vandar turn their heads in surprise to look at him.

How many people are needed to be considered a large army?

Su Li immediately asked concernedly: "My minister, tell me in detail what's going on?"

Lauren's face was also somewhat shocked: "Lord, they have come with an entire Mountain Shield Array, as many as twelve hundred! All are formidable Dwarf Warriors."

"And that doesn't count the accompanying support personnel and immigrants."

Upon hearing this, Su Li was shocked to the point of unease.

Twelve hundred powerful Dwarf Warriors!

This is an unparalleled mighty force, even a Red Dragon or a Black Dragon would flee in the face of such a well-armed group.

A qualified Dwarf must have a set of finely crafted Dwarf Heavy Armor, and Dwarves are innately resilient, with very high magic resistance.

Such a group of Dwarves standing their ground, setting up a shield array, allowing opponents to charge, and enduring bombardment, might not even break their formation.

Even the Human Empire's most elite Knight Order would hesitate to directly attack this iron-clad tortoise-like shield array.

It is precisely because of this powerful army that Dwarves were the overlords of the last age. At its peak, the Dwarven Empire stood majestically like mountains, and back then, every peak was a Dwarf fortress, making any enemy attack futile, allowing Dwarf caravans to travel the world freely.

However, after the battle known as the Battle of the Longbeards with the Elves that lasted thousands of years, a single battle led to hundreds of thousands of Dwarves dying or getting injured, severely depleting their vitality. Over a thousand years, their population still hasn't recovered.

This allowed humans to take over vast plains, making the Empire the protagonist of the current era.

Sometimes, indeed, in any world, being able to reproduce is the greatest advantage.

The current total population of the Hesse Territory may not even match one fortress of Redbeard Castle, leading to a severe military imbalance between the two.

So Su Li cautiously said: "My minister, although the Dwarves and the Empire have always maintained good relations, it's always better to be cautious. A thousand pieces of gold cannot keep a worry at bay, please go back once more and invite Dorglin here, I have some matters to discuss with him."

Lauren understood Su Li's concerns. If these twelve hundred Dwarf Warriors bore any malice, Heisen Castle would be completely besieged.

And if Dorglin is willing to leave the army and come to Jorn Shallow Bay, it's clear evidence of his sincerity.

Soon, Dorglin's rough and high-pitched voice resounded over Jorn Shallow Bay: "My friend, what matter must we discuss here? I've been telling my Dwarf brothers all about the delicacies in your territory, and they're eagerly anticipating the banquet in your castle."

Su Li turned his head and saw Dorglin leading a tall and sturdy Dwarf with a waist a meter thick striding towards him.

This Dwarf was clearly extraordinary; not only was his waist thick, his arms were even thicker than Su Li's thighs, muscles bulging, stretching the finely crafted Dwarf Armor, making him look exceptionally formidable. He wore a horned helmet atop his head and held a Dwarf War Axe weighing over a hundred pounds. Such a terrifying figure standing on a battlefield would surely turn any number of opponents into shreds.

Besides being somewhat slow in pursuit, Su Li couldn't think of any other flaws.

But that terrifying war axe doesn't even need pursuit. With one strike, he could turn any opponent into pieces, even if powerful Elite Knights charged at him, they would end up shattered, horse and all.

Su Li curiously asked: "Who might this be?"

Dorglin introduced: "This is our Dwarf Shattered Iron Army Commander-in-Chief, Mudalin Redbeard. You know, our Rangers and Butchers cannot serve as army commanders."

Upon hearing this, Su Li immediately paid sincere respect to Mudalin.

Aside from being powerful, a Dwarf army commander also holds unparalleled honor and prestige.

This means he is a person of impeccable character and honor.

Unlike the reclusive, eccentric Rangers or the Disgraced, shame-bearing Butchers, a Dwarf army commander must come from the most orthodox, upright warriors.

So Su Li must respect their reputation and honor, and proactively said: "Gentlemen, let's not be hasty. The reason I called you here is for the most important endeavor of our territory at present."

Saying this, Su Li pointed to the vast plains below Jorn Shallow Bay and spoke: "Here lies the broad and fertile farmlands of our territory, which is the core of our agriculture enterprise."

"The grain produced here will be vital to the stability and development of both the Hesse Territory and Redbeard Castle."

"I invited you over to discuss how we might work together and better develop our agriculture efforts."

Mudalin's round eyes stared at Su Li, saying: "We Dwarves visit, and instead of getting a grand welcome, we're led here to work. I'm considering whether to note this down in the Book of Hatred."

The Book of Hatred is an important record carried by every Dwarf, listing the offenses and humiliations they've suffered in the past, guiding them to seek unrelenting revenge in battle.

Remembering grudges is one of the most important cultural traits of the Dwarves.

The most intuitive impression Half-Elves have of their bearded relatives is their bad temper, their pettiness, and how they mumble over an old book when things don't go their way.

However, contrary to common perception, this thing was originally created primarily to resolve grudges and eliminate hatred.

Without it, the petty Dwarves would easily turn small grudges into major feuds, and in the end, even the Dwarves themselves wouldn't remember why they held a grudge, only that someone was their enemy!

So Su Li had to say immediately, "My friend, hosting you is a necessity. But a banquet for more than twelve hundred people, even for our territory, requires lengthy preparation, doesn't it?"

"Moreover, this gathering is crucial to ensuring both our forces have enough to eat. You wouldn't want the Dwarves of Redbeard Castle to keep eating bread filled with rock bits, would you?"

Upon hearing Su Li, Mudalin finally put the Book of Hatred away, muttering, "For the sake of serious matters, we'll forget about this."

He turned to appraise the area near Jorn Shallow Bay, nodding and commenting with admiration, "The engineering here is very impressive, far more magnificent than your castle appears. From a Dwarven perspective, there's nothing to criticize."

Su Li responded with a smile, "This is precisely the masterpiece of the Dwarven Engineering Masters. Inviting you here is mainly to address the reclamation issues. We need a large number of engineering machines to accelerate land reclamation."

Su Li then pointed to the blackened plain below, saying, "We've burned tens of thousands of acres of plains, hoping to turn these scorched wildernesses into vast fertile land. With tens of thousands of acres of wheat fields, we wouldn't lack bread or barley beer."

Barley beer brewed from tens of thousands of acres of farmland?

Mudalin and Dorglin both swallowed hard. In essence, Dwarves are a bunch of big-bearded drunken miners, and beer is their lifeblood.

Dorglin immediately said, "My friend, you needn't worry about the engineers. I advocated for you within Redbeard Castle and brought over thirty engineers, one hundred miners, as well as two Rune Blacksmiths and four Jewelry Artisans."

"What you need to consider now is ensuring sufficient funds to pay them. As you know, we Dwarves are very stubborn. There was once a Human Lord who collaborated with us; we built him a mighty fortress, but when it was time for final payment, he reneged. The enraged Dwarves then tore down the fortress."

This is indeed a problem!

The Dwarves moving to the Hesse Territory are deemed Free People of Hesse; they are not Su Li's slaves.

Now, it's as if Su Li is hiring them for mining and making engineering equipment.

Such a payroll for so many Dwarves is a considerable expense.

And the most pressing need for Su Li right now is money; buying slaves nearly depleted all his savings.

He also invested in a trading caravan, sending his last funds and supplies to Marle Castle.

Right now, Su Li doesn't have much wealth left.

However, it was precisely this consumption and investment of wealth that allowed Hesse Territory to prosper as it does today, with a population already exceeding two thousand!

His direct military force expanded from fifty Knights to over a hundred Knights, with Armed Attendants nearing three squadrons.

Without the support of an intelligence system, he wouldn't dare believe that he could develop so quickly.

No one would believe that he managed to make over five thousand Golden Crowns in just three short months.

On average, his daily earnings exceeded fifty Golden Crowns. It's practically like picking money off the ground.

So, with a bright future and promising prospects, Su Li was full of confidence and said to Dorglin, "My friend, rest assured, I will not let your pledge and reputation be tarnished. I still have nearly a hundred Dwarven Oath Gold pieces, which are more than enough to ensure the Dwarves receive due compensation for their work."

"Besides, there is also our commercial wealth, right? I've prepared a lot of resources for you."

Hearing this, Dorglin laughed proudly, "My friend, your calculation might misfire. Earning wealth from us Dwarves is not an easy task. We've brought lots of valuable treasures, certain to earn every Copper Coin you've got!"

This, of course, is what Su Li appreciated the most; he wished nothing more than for the Dwarf Commerce Association to bring over lots of wealth.

The West Merchant Association also has an abundance of Gold Coins and goods on their hands.

Mutual commerce in the Hesse Territory would be all for Su Li's prosperity!

By that time, Hesse Territory would be a thriving commercial town on the border, a trade center connecting the Empire's interior with the Mountain Dwarves' trade routes.

The revenue from taxation alone would allow Su Li to amass considerable wealth.

Su Li immediately asked with great interest, "My friend, what good stuff have you brought me?"

"Indeed, it's our Star Iron Armor! These are the Dwarves' finest quality armor from the Dragon Rock Forge."

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