Matthias follows the latest exchange and decides to speak.

Duke von Salza, as you are aware the Cataclysm disrupted the House Army system, either through civil strife, attrition in many battles or the raising of irregulars sworn to individual Electors and not Houses.

I was Chancellor when we went from one HA to two. The transition was difficult and not quick when it happened then. Many Electors were impatient with the process. Whoever becomes Chancellor will face an even more daunting task, trying to reassemble the HAs in the face of a stark shortage of Florins and active campaigning on every front.

My impression is that we will be relying on ersatz formations and levies for quite longer than two years, and that HAs will be reconstituted on the run. The results will not be perfect, but we should be patient. Central Authority has been restored, but remnants of the chaos from the Cataclysm will be felt for years. In my opinion Swabia has the most dire shortage of men, and should recieve priority for recruitment, but our Citadels, many of which have lost important facilities, can train only so many units a year.

I apologize if this is small comfort, but we must keep a sober assessment of our prospects lest we try to reach for too much too soon.