The thrush sings, the blue sky and white clouds.

When Horn raised his head with a group of guards, he could see the black thrush making its unique call across the sky.

Following the sight of the thrush, one could see scattered wooden huts and thatched cottages among the hills and lowlands.

In Langsande County, wood-frame houses have become common in rural areas, which are clay houses with wooden skeletons.

First, arm-thick wood is used to build a framework, like a hollow house, and then earth is filled in.

As for towns and cities, they are gradually evolving into brick, tile, and even mortar houses.

But in Mountain County, only the town areas have wood-frame houses.

In the countryside, there are only a few such houses, like village churches, granaries, and homes of armed farmers.

If the ry Court Barracks lives in the Imperial Calendar year 1453, then Langsande County and Lower Reif County live in 1449, while several counties in the mountains still live in 1444.

No wonder people in Shangruifo County, even though they have fields at home and the dams are built, still want to move to Pingyuan County.

Looking at the silence tinged with a sense of desolation of this "hometown," Horn felt somewhat helpless.

Who doesn't prefer a better living environment and higher salary levels?

Farming those few acres of thin fields is not as lucrative as working in a workshop for a day carrying goods, so why bother farming?

Raindrops reflecting scattered gold light, fences cut paths between wheat fields and puddles.

When they occasionally looked up, they could see dozens of white-armored cavalry lined up in the distance.

They wore Holy Alliance uniforms, with sabers at their waists, and had long holy rifles hanging behind them.

After so long, these farmers somewhat understood what a holy rifle was.

Upon seeing Horn's party, they respectfully and affectionately took off their straw hats and waved as a salute to the "army lords."

Horn also smiled and waved back, then turned to Boned beside him, saying: "If asked whether André is a competent subordinate, he surely is not.

If asked whether André is a competent legion or county commander, he indeed is more outstanding than I imagined."

Back then, after the Black Champion managed the flood, they swiftly headed to the front lines.

Subsequent handling of relief issues, including logistics supplies for the Iron Fist Corps, were all managed by the local Priestly Order.

Horn had just come out of the Honey River Monastery, combining multiple testimonies and investigations, he could only say that Shangruifo County's Priestly Order was exceptionally poor in their work.

They hardly embezzled, nor engaged in shirking or formalism; rather, they were too rigid.

These monks were promoted from monasteries or neglected priests, and due to the bias in the investigations, everyone's moral standards were high.

But this led to one problem: shouting slogans was better than taking practical actions.

Most monks would go to the countryside periodically to shout slogans, saying they should stabilize permanent land rights and rebuild the Hundred Households District.

They would gather and have wandering cultivators read about the significance, importance, and how to establish the Hundred Households District.

Once the lecture was finished, they would wait for the villagers to automatically build the Hundred Households District.

While it can be said they weren't practicing formalism, they surely weren't.

They were anxious, they tried various means, even often put in their own money with no results.

In essence, whether the villagers or monks, they were still stuck in the old set of the feudal dynasty.

The so-called Hundred Households District transformation and freedom were new requirements by the new lord, so they just complied.

Don't know how to do it? Can't do it? Then they slack off and exploit gaps, they were too familiar with it.

They were already accustomed to the path dependency.

Wandering cultivators doing formalism could be controlled by the Cheka, but villagers engaging in formalism—could the Cheka control them?

In summary, although renamed to Priestly Order, their style still follows the Church's old ways.

Instead, after André stationed there, sending out soldiers, wielding the whip, forcibly pressed the villagers into military farming and opened up wasteland.

Without military farming, Shangruifo County would likely be even more desolate than now.

This André Battle Commander first predicted the reinforcements of the Leia people, then stabilized the situation in Shangruifo County.

It must be said, André indeed played an indispensable role in the situation of Shangruifo County.

André Marse, birth year unknown, sometimes claims to be thirty-three, sometimes claims to be thirty-five.

The reason for the unknown birth year is that André is an orphan and cannot remember his own age.

Even his surname "Marse" isn't his real surname; it was added later based on the Marseille Legion he was part of.

In Franche-Comte City's Marseille Legion, many originally surnameless impoverished soldiers took the surname Marse.

Like the ry Court Barracks and Chekari, where there are many surnamed Gallar loyal suitors who are orphans.

André was abandoned by his parents and grew up in a monastery.

Thanks to the "Benevolent Nation" policy of the previous King of Falan, this orphan surprisingly learned to read within the monastery.

However, although he grew up in the monastery, he was incompatible with it.

According to information obtained by Horn from Flanlaya Spy, this André Battle Commander was frequenting black alleys and flower streets at thirteen or fourteen.

Later, he learned a breathing technique from somewhere, with talent so high, by fifteen or sixteen, he was already at the third level of breathing technique.

In the surroundings of Champagne City District, being at this level was enough to be a small gang leader of a street gang.

Just after he took Copper Luo District, Prime Minister Lorenzo issued a forced conscription order.

In all urban areas, those achieving fourth level and above in breathing technique were directly granted the rank of sergeant and forced to enlist.

Coincidentally, on the day before the decree was issued, André had just advanced to the fourth level of breathing technique.

If it were Horn or Ginijis, they might not even meet the qualifying criteria; recruitment of second-level breathing technique legions were done selectively.

It must be stated, after Horn learned about André's background, he faintly understood his operating logic.

Completely embodying that street thug-style fiery and reckless nature.

After entering the military, the information in the spy's hands, though some parts were blacked out, was clearer than before enlistment.

During his first year in the army, he took the lead in suppressing bandits, earning merits and becoming captain.

The following year while quelling a noble uprising, he disobeyed orders, executed a night raid beheading the enemy leader, causing the enemy's morale to crumble, granting him Centurion status.

In the third year, due to embezzling military rations, he was demoted entirely, but during the campaign against ██ Kingdom, he earned ██ achievements, reinstating him as Centurion.

In the fourth year, because of staying out for prostitution, causing confusion during a king's inspection, he was once again stripped of his military rank.

Following twelve years, he was practically in a cycle of "earning merits, gaining promotions, embezzling/indulging in pleasures, demotions."

At his highest, André even became the deputy of Marseille Legion's commander, but after embezzling army provisions for his subordinates and having affairs with the commander's wife and daughter, he was wanted.

This André, under arrangements by a group of old subordinates, escaped to the Thousand River Valley, becoming a boatman.

Later, the Thousand River Valley war erupted, prompted by a simple moral view and his uneasy heart, André chose to join the Saint Sun's Army.

Starting again from the bottom, without the civilian identity's military rank cap, he surprisingly reached the position of Battle Commander.

However, whether or not he'll once more be completely wiped out, is hard to say.

At this moment, Valent Taylor should have already met André for three to five days, wonder how it's going on their side?

But no matter what, Horn still had to meet local representatives one by one, and rectify these Priestly Orders.

This evening, after roaming Honey River Town and preparing to return, Horn heard an unimaginable piece of news—

"The Border Knight Order broke through?!"