3 - Garrison (Soldiers): These troops guard the fortifications in the fief and maintain order. They enforce the laws and, basically, your will. Since most of them are the Knights and Men At Arms that live in the fief, they don't get paid as much as mercenaries (8,000 ducats a year, on average). These payments cover their expenses for weapons, equipment and, for some of them, horses. This gives you about one full time soldier for every thousand ducats spent each season in the fief.

These troops cannot be moved outside the fief for, in addition to being the source of law and order, they, and their families, live in the fief. The money you pay them is essentially a bribe to ensure the loyalty of the best soldiers, many of whom are landowners and your vassals in the fief. It's the loyalty of this group that is most crucial to your hold on the fief. The maximum you can spend per capita is 14 ducats per season.