On the tenth day of the expedition, on the Chishui River.

Roland stood on the bow of the shallow water heavy gunboat, looking at the sparkling river in front of him, and his mood was quite heroic.

Behind him was a large fleet, and although some of them had turned around in the direction of the east three days earlier, the remaining dozen or so steam paddle steamers were still a rare sight on the river water. The chimneys, which stand like iron forests, are painted a striking snow-white color, and the black smoke that spews out pulls out a "dark cloud" above the river.

After entering the central region of the Grey Keep, there were significantly fewer ships, which meant that the kingdom's trading center was shifting westward. However, the influence of the major cities in the central part is still there, and most of the sailboats running here are much more delicate and beautiful than the many dhows in the west.

Along the way, all the merchant ships they encountered along the way would pull over to avoid them, and the brave sailors would lie on the side of the ship, pointing to the steel flagship in amazement. Captains or merchants who recognize the meaning of the spear flag will bow their heads and salute the fleet.

Roland was very satisfied with being able to save such a family foundation in three years, but what made him even more pleased was the young officials trained by the City Hall.

They did not trace their lineage back to a hundred years, nor did they have a rich and compelling family background, but only received a short-term universal education and mastered the reading and writing of the written language. In the past, they could have only done some clerical work under the nobles, but in Neverwinter, they gradually became the backbone of various departments.

Because of the lack of backing, a new generation of officials will wholeheartedly support Roland – and no one else will use civilians so disregarding their status.

Because they have never held a managerial position, they will carefully act in accordance with the rules, and they will take the trouble to ask their superiors for instructions when they encounter any problems, and they are not infected with the pompous and conceited problems of the nobility.

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture led farmers to plant wheat, and officials from the Ministry of Construction demonstrated the characteristics of cement to new workers, which is a common sight in Neverwinter. A strong, centralized government must have strong control over the people at the grassroots level in order to realize its potential for speed and efficiency, and this is exactly what it does.

Of course, the rise of the common people to the position of administrators is not without its drawbacks.

Just like a poor person who has never had a fortune suddenly gets a fortune from heaven, it is easy to fall into the trap of greed and short-sightedness. According to the level of education in Neverwinter, not to mention personal qualities and professional morality. Fortunately, Roland still has Nightingale by his side, and the internal review of the Security Bureau can effectively curb such a tendency - after several screenings and severe punishments, the people who remain in the town hall have basically understood His Majesty's bottom line.

Now the growing number of young officials has become the guarantee for Roland to expand his power, and it can even be said that his plan to recover the kingdom is based on the number of available officials.

Now, he finally has the foundation to dominate the country.

"Inform the staff to come to the upper lookout room for a meeting," Roland said, turning to Nightingale, "how to take over Chishui City, they should also come up with a plan." ”

......

In fact, this is not the first time that Neverwinter's fleet has traveled to Chishui City, as the First Army had visited this central city during Operation Tooth Extraction half a year ago.

Therefore, the plan given by the General Staff is also reasonable: "Your Majesty, Chishui is a city in the central region second only to the old royal capital, not only has a vast territory, but also has a lot of nobles, I am afraid that it will not be able to force the lord to hand over the power in his hands like Liuye Town a week ago." ”

"Earl Delta, the ruler of Chishui City, is not an ambitious man, as can be seen from the city's taxes—he could have asked for more from the crossroads of the river. The Delta family has been operating here for generations, and even if they give up their fiefdom power, they will not be left behind. Rather than rebelling and losing his life, the Earl should have made a wise choice. ”

"But that doesn't mean the other nobles will follow suit, and it will not be easy to reconcile their opinions, especially the Mikawa family and Rock Ridge, which are rumored to be at odds with Count Delta. He pointed to the location on the map, "And your demand, once officially declared, is likely to rally opponents, as it once did in the West." So we speculate that the First Army may have to go into battle and force them to relinquish power by force. ”

"Of course, this is not bad, eliminating the rebels will reduce the trouble of subsequent management, and your great strength will definitely deter the rest of the ill-intentioned people. Therefore, we recommend that you summon Count Delta alone and convince him before issuing the decree - although the nobles should already know your intentions to a greater or lesser extent. After that, if there are disobedient people, they can directly send troops to clear them. ”

Roland nodded, looking at the map in silence.

He didn't mind using the truth to convince his opponents, the First Army itself was meant to do this, but Sir Silt's phrase "the same as the former West" made him a little apprehensive. At that time, it took longer to purge the five major families than to capture the fortress of Changge and the royal capital, because the area of these fiefs was much larger than a city, and it would take several days to just go around. And there are only a lot of fiefdoms around Chishui City, and if you really have to clean them up one by one, plus follow-up pacification measures, I'm afraid it won't be over in two or three weeks.

"Isn't there a faster way?"

"Uh, Your Majesty, faster means ......"

"I don't want to spend too much time on this, there are several cities after that, and if we all deal with it, we will probably be halfway through the summer by the time we get to Coldwind Ridge. ”

"This ......" Sir and the others were silent for a moment.

"There are ways to do it, but it may damage your reputation," Edith said suddenly, "just gather them together and announce them on the spot." ”

"Oh?" Roland looked at her, "you continued. ”

"I've had the same problem as you, if not worse," the Northland Pearl recounted succinctly about her plot against the Hoth and Lista families, "and if the nobility had been to make their intentions clear before acting, I'm afraid the North would still be in their hands." ”

After listening to her plan, everyone in the staff couldn't help but take a breath.

"Your Majesty, this ......"

"If there is no evidence, and if there is no trial, it is difficult to be convincing!"

"If it spreads, I am afraid that it will arouse the suspicion of other nobles. ”

"Have you forgotten that there shouldn't be any other nobles in the Grey Keep besides Your Majesty?" said Edith, "In the past, when nobles dealt with commoners, there was no need for judgment. At this point she looked at Roland, "But whether you want to do it or not is up to you, after all, fame is such a thing—"

"Only the victors are qualified to write history," Roland interrupted, "and if you don't say it, no one will know that you have done such a thing." I have to thank you for believing in me, and I won't get the word out about it. As for the takeover plan of Chishui City, let's make it according to your ideas. ”

Then he saw a strange look in the other party's eyes, and at that moment, the Northland Pearl's breathing seemed to be a little faster.

However, she quickly disguised her expression and bowed her head deeply.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. ”