On the tenth day of the expedition, the Chishui River.
Roland stood at the bow of the shallow-water heavy artillery ship, looking at the sparkling river in front of him, feeling quite heroic.
Behind him was a massive fleet. Although a portion had turned back towards the Eastern Territory three days ago, the remaining dozen or so paddle steamers were still a rare sight on the inland river. The chimneys, standing like an iron forest, were painted a striking snow-white, and the black smoke they emitted drew a "cloud" over the river.
After entering the central region of Graycastle, the number of ships decreased significantly, indicating that the kingdom's trade center was shifting towards the Western Territory. However, the influence of the major cities in the central region remained, and the sailboats running here were much more refined and beautiful than the many single-masted small boats in the Western Territory.
Along the way, the merchant ships they encountered all pulled over to give way, and the bolder sailors would lean on the ship's railing, pointing at the steel-forged flagship in amazement. Captains or merchants who recognized the meaning of the long-spear banner of the High Tower would lower their heads with their hands on their chests, saluting the fleet in respect.
Roland was quite satisfied with the foundation he had built in three years, but what pleased him even more were the young officials cultivated by the City Hall.
They had no lineage tracing back centuries, nor wealthy and overbearing families, only a short period of general education and the ability to write. In the past, they would have only done odd jobs for nobles, but in Neverwinter City, they were gradually becoming the backbone of various departments.
Because they lacked backing, the new generation of officials wholeheartedly supported Roland—no one else would employ commoners regardless of their background like him.
Because they had never held managerial positions, they carefully followed the rules and regulations, asking their superiors for instructions on any problems, without the nobles' frivolousness and arrogance.
Because they were selected from ordinary people, they were completely hands-on in their work. Agriculture department officials led farmers in planting wheat, and construction department officials demonstrated the characteristics of cement to new workers. This was a common sight in Neverwinter City. A powerful centralized government must have extremely strong control over the grassroots people to unleash its rapid and efficient potential, and this move precisely satisfied this point.
Of course, the rise of the commoner class to become managers was not without its drawbacks.
Like a poor person who had never had any property suddenly receiving a windfall, it was easy to fall into the trap of greed and shortsightedness. Not to mention individual qualities and professional ethics, given the level of education in Neverwinter City. Fortunately, Roland had Nightingale by his side, and the internal review of the Security Bureau could effectively curb this tendency—after several screenings and severe punishments, those who remained in the City Hall had basically understood His Majesty the King's bottom line.
Now, the growing number of young officials had become Roland's guarantee for expanding his power. It could even be said that his plan to recover the kingdom was based on the number of available officials.
Now, he finally had the foundation to unify the country.
"Notify the General Staff, have them come to the top observation room for a meeting," Roland said to Nightingale, turning around. "They should also come up with a plan on how to take over Chishui City."
...
In fact, the Neverwinter City fleet was not the first time to go to Chishui City. As early as half a year ago, during Operation Tooth Extraction, the First Army had visited this major city in the central region.
Therefore, the plan given by the General Staff was also reasonable and well-founded: "Your Majesty, Chishui is the second largest city in the central region after the old capital. Not only does it have a vast territory, but there are also many nobles. I am afraid that it will not be possible to force the lord to hand over power like we did in Willow Town a week ago."
Sir Silte, the father of Dawnlight, further elaborated, "Earl Delta, the ruler of Chishui City, is not an ambitious person. This can be seen from the city's tax revenue—sitting on the intersection of the inland river, he could have demanded more. The Delta family has been operating here for generations, and even if they give up the power of the fiefdom, they will not be reduced to poverty. Compared to rebelling and losing their lives, the Earl should make a wise choice."
"But this does not mean that other nobles will follow suit. It is by no means easy to unify their opinions, especially the Three Rivers family and the磐石岭 (Pan Shi Ling), it is rumored that they themselves are not on good terms with Earl Delta." He pointed to the location on the map, "And once your requirements are officially announced, it is very likely that the opponents will gather together, like the former Western Territory. So we speculate that the First Army may have to engage in combat next, using force to compel them to hand over power."
"Of course, this is not bad. Eliminating the rebels can reduce the trouble of subsequent management, and your powerful strength will surely deter the remaining evildoers. So we suggest that you summon Earl Delta alone first, and then announce the decree after persuading him—although those nobles should already know your intentions to some extent. After that, if there are any who do not obey, you can directly send troops to suppress them."
Roland nodded, looking at the map in silence.
He didn't mind using Truth to persuade his opponents; the First Army itself was used to do this. It was just that Sir Silte's words "like the former Western Territory" made him a little worried. The time it took to clear the five major families was longer than the time it took to capture the Longsong Stronghold and the capital, because the area of these fiefs was much larger than a city. Just traveling around would take several days. And there were only more sub-fiefs around Chishui City. If they were to be cleared one by one, plus follow-up comfort measures, it would probably not be over in two or three weeks.
"Is there no faster way?"
"Uh, Your Majesty, faster means..."
"I don't want to spend too much time on this. There are still several cities to come. If we deal with them all like this, when we get to the Coldwind Ridge, I guess half of the summer will be over."
"This..." Sir and others were silent for a moment.
"There is a way, but it may damage your reputation," Edith suddenly said, "Gather them together and announce it on the spot."
"Oh?" Roland looked at her, "Tell me more."
"I have encountered the same problem as you, even worse," the Pearl of the Northern Lands briefly recounted her plan to deal with the House of Hoss and the House of Lista, "If we follow the tradition of the nobles, first state our intentions and then act, I am afraid that the Northern Territory is still in their hands."
After hearing her plan, the members of the General Staff couldn't help but gasp.
"Your Majesty, this..."
"Without evidence and without trial, it is difficult to convince people!"
"If it spreads out, I am afraid it will cause suspicion among other nobles."
"Have you forgotten that there should be no other nobles in Graycastle except His Majesty?" Edith spread her hands, "When nobles dealt with commoners in the past, they didn't need any trial." Speaking of this, she looked at Roland, "But whether to do this or not depends on you, after all, reputation—"
"Only the victor has the right to write history," Roland interrupted her, "For example, if you don't say it, no one will know that you have done such a thing. I must thank you for your trust in me, and this matter will not be spread. As for the takeover plan of Chishui City, let's formulate it according to your idea."
Then he saw a strange look in the other person's eyes. At that moment, the Pearl of the Northern Lands' breathing seemed to quicken a bit.
However, she quickly concealed her expression and lowered her head deeply.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."