The day after the Battle of the Canal ended, Dailong walked into the Governor's Mansion joyfully to report the battle results to Roland.

"Lord Governor, last night our army won a complete victory. We killed fifty-seven Sea Demons, wounded ninety, and captured a total of four hundred seventy-one, including the injured."

"The Sea Demon leader Luther was killed by me personally, and Munina was captured alive after you disarmed her."

"In addition, the weapons we seized..."

Dailong's excitement was palpable.

Roland's face did not show much joy.

The report briefly mentioned their own casualties, but Roland saw clearly.

At least nineteen soldiers were counter-killed by the Sea Siren Guard, and more than thirty were injured.

Compared to the glorious battle results, the casualty numbers are indeed not high.

But this is not the outcome Roland wanted.

He wanted a complete crush, total victory.

He was not satisfied with these casualty numbers.

If a crushing game ends like this, what about a game against the wind? They are still far from becoming elite.

Seeing Roland's expression, Dailong felt somewhat guilty. He lowered his head slightly, as if understanding something, and immediately added softly:

"Lord Governor, the success of this campaign is primarily due to Her Majesty the Empress personally overseeing the battle and inspiring morale with her singing. Next would be your effective strategy and accurate prediction of the enemy's actions, and finally the warriors' courageous fighting without fear of sacrifice. I made only a minor contribution."

Seeing Dailong's humility, Roland smiled and patted his shoulder, saying loudly:

"General Dailong, your command and adaptability are excellent, both Her Majesty the Empress and I can see that."

Roland's words warmed Dailong's heart, nearly bringing him to tears.

Is it easy for him?

In the Sussex Army, to stand out, it requires not only ability but also connections and qualifications.

He has the ability, but lacks solid backing. After struggling for many years, he finally accumulated achievements to become a Brigadier General but was sent overseas.

He had no choice.

If he did not go overseas, he would remain a Colonel forever; to get stars on his shoulders, he had to go overseas.

Dailong did not hesitate at all to come.

He was already thirty-seven years old, and this was not a rash decision but a calculated one made after careful consideration.

The peace agreement between Sussex and the mainland's powerful countries would expire in half a year.

Though most people believe the countries will still compromise, what if negotiations break down?

War is the best opportunity for a soldier to advance.

He's betting.

Betting that all countries feel they can win the next war; betting that the emerging powerful countries are unwilling to be satisfied with the current order.

He bet correctly.

Her Majesty the Empress, though young, is a rare wise ruler.

Lord Governor is also young, but... a fortunate person.

Gaining the Governor's recognition, his efforts have not been in vain.

Seeing Roland add points to the performance chart on the office wall, Dailong's smile continued to grow.

He already possesses one-fifth of a Baron's title!

He silently calculated in his mind.

Should he first redeem an Imperial Knight title or save to directly redeem a Baron's title?

Imperial Knights differ from ordinary Knights; the former are lower nobility with land, while the latter are mostly honorary titles without land.

Imperial Knights were a prevalent title at the founding of Sussex.

Land cannot be inherited; it is reclaimed when the person dies, unless they die on the battlefield and it is posthumously awarded to their children.

Once, the knight class played a significant role in the Empire's expansion, everyone had land, everyone was a landlord.

As the knights' battlefield status declined, the homeland was divided up by the Imperial Family and nobility, and the Imperial Knights with land gradually disappeared.

After Roland assumed the role of Governor, the first thing he did was implement a performance system to relentlessly PUA his subordinates.

According to his performance system, it's difficult to gain a Baron title; he suggested Sif activate the Imperial Knight title.

Imperial Knights are lower nobility, but non-hereditary; they can be granted without parliamentary approval.

As long as Sif wishes, and has enough land, she can grant as many titles as she desires.

Whether or not she is ruling, it does not hinder her exercise of this power.

This is an ancestral law, and no one dares publicly question it.

According to Roland's standard, reaching five performance points automatically grants the Knight title without consuming points.

Thirty performance points can be exchanged for an Imperial Knight title, and also gain approximately 50 labor population and 1000 acres of land.

With 150 to 300 performance points, one can exchange for a Baron title and territory. Depending on the size of the Baron's domain and the richness of the land, if extra battle achievements are made, one can spend double the performance points to upgrade the title to hereditary.

...

The current upper limit of the PUA performance system is Baron.

To consider what comes next, Roland's response was simple, "We'll discuss when you guys cross the Baron line."

He hasn't published standards, but hasn't taken away hope.

The performance system has excited the officials and generals of the Three Overseas Provinces.

Officers can exchange battle achievements for titles; civil servants' contributions will also be converted into corresponding scores.

According to Roland, civil servants are also contributing to the Empire's expansion.

Helping stabilize order, providing more soldiers, developing industry and commerce to provide more weaponry and supplies, why shouldn't it count as military achievements?

His statement received unanimous agreement from all civil servants.

The generals felt that it wasn't taking from them, so although they were uncomfortable, they didn't oppose.

Through last night's battle, Dailong was fortunate to become the first general to gather enough points for the Imperial Knight title.

Looking at the somewhat hesitant Dailong, Roland smiled and asked, "General Dailong, do you plan to use your points to exchange for the Imperial Knight title?"

Dailong hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"Lord Governor, it's not easy to earn performance points. I want to take a chance and see if there's a chance to gather enough points for a Baron's title."

The burning flame of ambition illuminated General Dailong's eyes.

Roland could feel Dailong's hesitation.

What a pity, originally a great positive example, he even prepared double the territory for the first fortunate one to choose the Imperial Knight title.

If...

Roland's eyes suddenly lit up.

He really needed a positive example, now, immediately, right away!

Then give more incentives.

"General Dailong, to commend your accomplishments, I have decided to directly grant you the Imperial Knight title without extra performance points required. Of course, this treatment is limited to the first person."

Dailong was stunned.

The Lord Governor means... it's free?

An Imperial Knight title exchanged for thirty performance points doesn't seem worth it, but a free Imperial Knight is perfect; if there's any problem, it certainly lies with him.

Dailong stood upright, his lips trembling with excitement.

"I, I, am grateful for the Governor's favor!"

Roland chuckled and said, "There's no need to thank me. This matter still needs to be reported to Her Majesty the Empress, don't celebrate too early."

Dailong's grin widened.

Her Majesty the Empress' approval?

You can represent Her Majesty the Empress, Lord Governor!

Of course, this thought can only be thought, if he dared to say it aloud, the Imperial Knight would be out of reach, but there would be a place for him in the Imperial Prison.

Dailong hummed a cheerful tune as he left the Governor's Mansion.

He indeed has reason to be happy.

The Imperial Knight title was given for free, and the land granted is larger than the standard version.

A free title, who wouldn't like it?

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