Munitions Empire

Ice Crystal City, south of the Ice Crystal River, had become the largest city after the victory at the Northern Ridge. It was the largest of the cities ceded to the Leite Kingdom by Suthers.

Nowadays, the scars of war were no longer visible here, and the bustling economy had made the city teem with life; cries of hawkers selling goods could be heard everywhere.

Outside the city, troops from a battalion of the Northern Ridge Legion were stationed. These troops were the main force of Lord Earl Fisheo, the first battalion of the Northern Ridge Legion that won the Battle of the Northern Ridge.

With this battalion stationed here, the security in the area was actually very good, and since the land was ceded to Fisheo, it had become even livelier and more prosperous.

Tang Mo's factory had boosted the economy of Brunas, and the prosperity of Brunas had in turn improved the economic situation of Northern Ridge.

If money didn't circulate, it was practically useless. This basic economic principle had driven the economy under Tang Mo's control in Northern Ridge to thrive day by day.

After Northern Ridge invested in Tang Mo's steam engines to mine ores, the output of the ores had noticeably increased. This increased output had in turn increased Northern Ridge's income.

Because mining ores was faster and on a larger scale, automation did not reduce the number of miners; instead, it led to the hiring of even more workers.

The original workforce at the mines became larger, the speed of mining increased, and the output rose accordingly. This propelled the mining efficiency in Northern Ridge to unprecedented heights.

With such an abundance of ore, relying solely on Tang Mo's smelting equipment was insufficient to fully refine it into useful steel.

Therefore, the steel mills in Northern Ridge also began to expand, and the larger steel mills recruited even more workers.

More and more workers entering the factories left more and more land vacant, which was then leased to the recently integrated southern Suthers serfs.

These serfs, who had once had no land and lived difficult lives, were liberated and became free citizens, beginning to farm on Northern Ridge's land.

The serfs migrated south, obtained their freedom, and now had land to sustain themselves; they were grateful to the Earl of Northern Ridge, and wandering poets sang of the Earl's noble name throughout his territory.

Most of these people were the rioters who had followed Tang Mo in the zero-cost acquisition half a year before, but under the Lord Earl's rule, they had become the most obedient and good citizens.

After their departure, the population in the south of Suthers was significantly reduced, easing the conflict between the population and the land. Those who remained had more land to cultivate. Absent the exploitation of the Suthers Nobility, their days improved significantly.

These economically improved individuals also spurred Northern Ridge's consumer economy with their spending—creating a virtuous cycle that rapidly transformed the domain of Earl Fisheo into a utopian enclave.

Through trade, Brunas's salt, dried fish, metal products, and Northern Ridge's horses, furs, and timber were all sold in Ice Crystal City, turning it into a trading hub.

A black carriage stopped in front of the city hall of Ice Crystal City, and a Northern Ridge soldier stepped forward to help open the door.

Then, the surrounding soldiers lifted their chins, standing at attention and saluting towards the carriage. Amidst the soldiers' respect, Fisheo stepped down from the carriage and waved his hand to them, indicating they could relax from the salute.

"My Lord!" said the officer at the door, following at Fisheo's side, he respectfully greeted, "There was no need for you to come here personally."

"One must always take a look," Fisheo smiled and patted his shoulder, "You've been doing a good job!"

He was very satisfied with the expansion progress of the Northern Ridge Legion; all three legions had now been fully formed, a total of 4,800 troops, and this legion was no longer what it once was.

This legion was better equipped than the previous Northern Ridge Legion; uniformly armed with Tang Mo's needle guns. All artillerymen and officers were also issued revolvers.

Each legion was outfitted with 10 of Tang Mo's produced C64 field guns, and they were supplied with corresponding ammunition carts.

Such an arrangement made the entire legion very powerful, yet somewhat more cumbersome than normal military configurations. Because of the additional ammunition carts, assembling the troops became more complicated.

To properly manage the many carts and operate the 10 field guns effectively, a full-strength Northern Ridge Legion now consisted of 1,600 men instead of the former 1,500.

The additional 100 soldiers were mostly more professional; they resembled the non-commissioned officers in modern militaries rather than common soldiers.

Fisheo had heeded Tang Mo's advice, increasing the number of teamsters and establishing a logistics management team for the troops. He also added artillery observers and equipped the legion with more scouts and messengers.

After training and drill tests, Count Fisheo found that Tang Mo's improvements indeed enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops, which made him appreciate Tang Mo even more.

"I've heard that people from the Shireck Consortium have been up to no good lately, you should be cautious about your safety." The military officer earnestly advised Count Fisheo, "They are capable of anything, so please be careful."

"Thank you! If it wasn't for the previous operation, which exposed too many of our men, we wouldn't have lost surveillance over those Shireck Consortium people," Count Fisheo said with some regret as he walked towards the City Hall.

Previously, to repay his debt to Tang Mo and to take reprisal against Shireck by pulling the rug out from under him, he had robbed a Shireck caravan which led to the loss of a considerable number of his plants within Shireck.

Although the operation was successful, it now left him unable to accurately control Shireck's actions, which was a heavy loss indeed.

"Moreover, Lord... I'm not sure if I should say this," the military officer continued, following Count Fisheo into the City Hall, "But reassigning so many military officers to learn in Brunas has caused some problems with troop movements and commands."

"It's a necessary measure," Count Fisheo explained as he walked in, "I want my commanders to better understand the tactical changes new weapons bring. If we delay even one day, the combat effectiveness of our troops suffers."

He spoke gravely to his trusted officer, "Now that we're bearing the pressure, in a few months, we can expect to have dozens, even a hundred commanders proficient in tactics. That's a profitable deal, isn't it?"

"When they return, I shall proceed to Brunas..." The officer showed an envious expression, "and suddenly, I'm their junior."

"You! Don't worry! When you come back, I'll have you command the 1st Battalion! The 1st Battalion of Northern Ridge!" Count Fisheo, clasping his leather gloves, gave a jovial assurance as he patted the officer's chest.

"Thank you, Lord Earl!" The officer, beaming with the promise made, continued to keep pace with Count Fisheo towards an office in the City Hall prepared especially for him.

This building was the Ice Crystal City's City Hall before, so it was decorated lavishly, although some areas still bore faint traces of scorching from a previous robbery.

This was Count Fisheo's first visit here. Guided by his trusted officer, he entered his temporary office.

As the new ruler of the territories south of the Ice Crystal River, he needed to inspect his lands, to see for himself these great and beautiful parts that belonged to him.

"Here are the tax statements, as well as the military's garrison and training plans... The rest are temporary appointments of officers and the new budget for road repairs," the officer said, pointing to the documents already prepared on the table, introducing them one by one to Count Fisheo.

"Ah... If only I knew, I should have brought Alice with me," Count Fisheo said, rubbing his somewhat sore neck as he looked at the documents on the table and muttered to himself.

It wasn't that he couldn't handle these matters—after all, he was also an earl and had previously studied and personally dealt with many civilian affairs in Northern Ridge.

However, since his daughter Alice managed these affairs even better than he did, he had gotten into the habit of delegating these tasks to her.

Hearing the Earl's muttering, his confidant officer broke into a smile, bowed slightly to the Earl, and offered, "You have come a long way, let me have them bring a cup of tea for you."

"Thank you," said Count Fisheo, who was already looking down at the documents, acknowledging his officer's courtesy without lifting his head.

Soon, the door opened, and a maid from the City Hall entered with a tray, placing two steaming cups of strong tea on the Earl's desk.

"These cups are truly beautiful," the Earl said with a sneer as he looked up and saw the exquisite cups, "These officials indulge themselves too much, which is why we were able to beat them so thoroughly!"

"Indeed," the officer agreed, picking up a cup and mimicking a toast beside the Earl, before downing the tea.

Count Fisheo took a sip as well but put the cup down, feeling something was amiss. He looked up just in time to see his trusted officer wobble.

He was momentarily stunned, then began to feel his breathing become constricted. Soon after, a thump echoed through the room—it was the sound of his subordinate hitting the floor.

Struggling to his feet, the Earl knocked over his chair and staggered a few steps to the side before his vision went black. He crashed into the desk and rolled onto the floor.

The guards at the door, hearing the commotion, knocked tentatively, "Lord Earl! Officer! Lord Earl? Lord Earl?"

After a few knocks on the door, sensing something was wrong, they opened it and found the two men already on the ground.

"Help! Quick, call a doctor! Guards! Somebody help!" As the guard rushed to the Earl's side, trying to help him up, he shouted loudly for assistance.

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