Chapter 244: The Iron Wall Dilemma

Before Fabio even speaks, Henwell already knows what’s on his mind.

Henwell raises his hand toward Hankson, the carriage driver: “Expand the security perimeter!”

Fabio also orders his chief guard to move away from the carriage and set up a watch around them.

Soon, the escort forms an oval shape, leaving a clear space of about ten meters in the middle.

Just as Hankson is about to move out, Henwell calls out, “No, you just focus on driving!”

Then Henwell turns to Fabio: “Honestly, you shouldn’t have come to me for advice.”

Fabio sighs, “If I don’t come to you, who else? My father?”

Henwell nods, “Exactly! You should be seeking Duke Obiken!”

Fabio looks at Henwell, surprised.

But seeing Henwell’s serious expression, he knows it’s not a joke—Henwell truly means it.

After a pause, Fabio sighs again, “You probably don’t get it. Iron Wall is in a tough spot right now. After this war, I want to make changes, but I have no idea where to start.”

Henwell understands perfectly.

He’s familiar with Iron Wall’s current situation.

During the last war with the Ika Kingdom, the Iron Wall Legion performed well and earned recognition.

But only Fabio knows the truth: the Iron Wall Legion stands at a critical threshold.

One more step forward, and they could transform into an elite unit.

Fabio had hoped that all the restructuring and training over time would bring real improvement.

That they could stand toe-to-toe with elite forces—much like Henwell’s own troops.

Just one solid battle would prove Iron Wall Legion’s true status.

But in the last war, their performance only satisfied the Vorry Kingdom.

Inside Iron Wall Legion, the war results are seen as barely acceptable.

Especially Fabio himself is deeply dissatisfied.

When the observation team sent to Peace Haven returned, witnessing Henwell’s elite troops clash head-on with Ika’s best units...

Even the most devoted Iron Wall officers no longer believe their own legion has what it takes to be an elite force.

As for Duveen, the senior commander of the Iron Wall Legion, he sees even more clearly.

He doesn’t sugarcoat the truth: a single reorganized Iron Wall legion can’t even withstand the assault of one battle group from Peace Haven.

This gap isn’t just about combat power, it’s a comprehensive disparity.

From recruitment, training, benefits, and equipment, to morale, discipline, and regulations, the differences are huge.

Without going into all the details, just one fact alone shows how far Iron Wall Legion lags behind Peace Haven’s forces.

That’s their budget.

Duveen did a rough calculation: the expenses for one of Henwell’s main battle groups equal the entire budget of the Iron Wall Legion.

Keep in mind, even with some added personnel, Henwell’s main battle group in Peace Haven numbers less than fourteen thousand soldiers.

Meanwhile, Iron Wall Legion commands three main battle groups plus a reserve, totaling over fifty thousand troops.

Basically, the investment poured into one Peace Haven soldier could support four Iron Wall soldiers.

So, can one Peace Haven soldier beat four Iron Wall Legion soldiers?

Obviously not—they wouldn’t last under that kind of assault.

But war isn’t a street brawl.

While one Peace Haven soldier can’t outfight four Iron Wall soldiers, an entire Peace Haven battle group can easily smash through the Iron Wall Legion’s fifty thousand troops.

Is the Western Regions (Fabio’s territory) really that poor?

It depends on who you compare it to.

Compared to the richer regions of the Vorry Kingdom, sure, it’s a bit behind.

But after more than a decade of Fabio’s management, the Western Regions’s income has long surpassed what it once was.

In terms of sheer wealth creation, the Western Regions spans over 200,000 square kilometers with millions of people.

Its annual revenue far exceeds that of Peace Haven, a tiny dot on the map.

Even if some taxes must be handed over to Silver Peak City, the wealth Iron Wall Legion retains still outstrips Peace Haven’s entire fiscal income.

Henwell manages to sustain a formidable force of over seventy thousand troops in Peace Haven, and sure, many factors contribute to this.

But it’s not mainly because of the weapons they manufacture or the thriving trade.

The key lies in Peace Haven’s finances—all controlled and allocated by Henwell himself.

In contrast, Fabio has to juggle the interests of various factions to balance the wealth and taxes across the vast Western Regions.

Plus, Peace Haven belongs entirely to Henwell personally, while the Western Regions is the domain of the entire Iron Wall Legion.

Put simply: Henwell can call the shots on resource distribution, but Fabio can’t.

Another crucial point—Peace Haven has only one landed noble: Henwell. And that’s never going to change.

But in the Western Regions, new nobles emerge after every battle, or even every year.

Land is the most vital means of production, and it’s the foundation for population support.

Granting out fiefs means permanently losing some productive land in the Western Regions.

Moreover, these newly granted nobles often hinder commerce, agriculture, and crafts to varying degrees.

After all, landed nobles can impose taxes and laws as they see fit.

Some ruthless nobles even declare entire territories as their personal property, turning everyone into serfs.

All these factors limit how much Fabio can invest into the Iron Wall Legion compared to Henwell’s resources in Peace Haven.

Henwell isn’t stingy with his subordinates either.

Aside from land, he freely rewards them with money, women, rare materials, potent potions, and special training paths.

The one thing he won’t do is grant out land.

And Henwell’s official status provides a perfect cover for this.

Even if someone demands a noble title or fief, no one can grant him at this moment.

After all, Henwell is just a knight lord!

What, you want to be a knight lord too? Or maybe a baron?

Want Henwell to bow and greet you?

Fabio is also a knight lord, but everyone knows he’s the heir to the future duke.

He’s destined to become the Western Regions’s grand duke!

So what?

You have everyone backing you to be grand duke, fighting loyally for you, yet you won’t even grant a knightly title?

That puts Fabio in a tough spot.

He can’t carry out sweeping reforms in the Western Regions like Henwell can in Peace Haven.

In this environment, unless the Iron Wall Legion crosses that threshold to become an elite force, its combat power will only decline.

Eventually, it’ll become just another ordinary legion, no different from the rest in the kingdom.

Seeing this trend is what makes Fabio so anxious, but he really has no solution.

After much thought, he decides to come to Henwell for advice on how to solve this thorny issue.

But Henwell’s response leaves him baffled.

He doesn’t understand what reforming the Iron Wall Legion has to do with his father.