Before Gu Xiuwen left Shanhai Town, Ouyang Shuo gave him 200 gold to use for class changes for the two newly established navy squadrons.
As the water bandits' combat ability was higher than militia, they were able to jump past being a militia and directly change class to navy soldiers. Every soldier's class change cost was 1 gold.
In Earth Online, the general didn't have the right to change class for the soldiers, the permission lay in the hands of the lord and the heads of the subordinate territories. It acted as a restriction, preventing the generals from expanding the scale of the army on their own.
After the meeting, Ouyang Shuo went to the Intermediate Market and sold the 8 building blueprints that he couldn't use for 40 gold. Subsequently, he spent 200 gold to buy an Advanced Barracks building blueprint. Ever since he had set up a proper army, the expenses of the military had been increasing. In the blink of an eye, he spent 400 gold on the military.