Chapter 703: A Development Boom

At the year-end Peace Haven Annual Work Review, every department waits nervously for Henwell to lose his temper.

Only a few departments met the targets Henwell set at the end of the previous year. Every other department fell short.

Henwell keeps his word. No one is executed, but several officials in charge are punished.

Even those who met their targets receive a warning. Henwell turns to Amanda, head of the smelting industry. "An annual steel output of four hundred twenty thousand tons is excellent."

"However, the twenty-four large smelting plants suffered more than two hundred casualties this year."

"You must improve that next year. Without compromising output or quality, refine your processes further and reduce the accident rate."

Henwell looks around at the others. "The same applies to all of you. This year's sharp increase in production capacity created many problems."

"Serious accidents involving deaths and injuries occurred far too often. You must remain vigilant and strengthen both management and training."

"I will now announce next year's targets for every department. Each must rise by at least twenty percent from its current level."

Their expressions grow even more strained. They never expected the increase to become an annual requirement instead of a one-time demand.

Henwell next issues orders to Marnes of the Construction Supervision Office.

Most of the contracted fortress cluster projects outside Peace Haven are now complete. The returning craftsmen will be transferred to the northern mountains to begin building the fortress network.

Some personnel will also be assigned to roads, waterworks, and other infrastructure projects in the two new regions.

In addition, Henwell orders Marnes to draw on the Construction Supervision Office's core personnel for an enormous undertaking.

Henwell intends to build bridges, beginning with two bridges across major rivers in Peace Haven's older territories.

This is a project he planned long ago. The two bridges will give Peace Haven's development a tremendous boost.

Whether for trade or military deployment, permanent bridges are far more efficient than temporary pontoons and ferry crossings.

The Construction Supervision Office's survey teams will also work with the Geological Survey Team to survey the Lika River and Yunyuan River in Peace Haven's new territories, as well as the Yundu River to the north.

Henwell intends to have permanent bridges spanning all three rivers no later than the end of the year after next.

Even in a technological age, bridges are important strategic infrastructure.

This world lacks immense bridge-building machinery, but it has extraordinary power. Combined with sound engineering knowledge, that power can still raise great bridges.

Henwell originally intended to build such miraculous bridges through human engineering alone.

Over time, he has stopped clinging to that idea. Extraordinary power belongs to this world, and he cannot turn it into a purely technological one.

What Henwell must do is strip away the mystery surrounding extraordinary power so that it is no longer the exclusive privilege of the exceptionally gifted.

Since extraordinary power is part of this world, he will make it a part of everyday human life.

Once the bridges are complete, Peace Haven will be able to deploy its military much more rapidly.

An army crossing a river must currently build a pontoon bridge in advance or even rely entirely on ferries.

Moving a fully organized legion to the opposite bank takes at least three or four days, and sometimes as long as half a month.

With a bridge, there is no need for preparation. An entire legion can cross in half a day.

In war, time is always a decisive factor.

A lead gained at the start becomes a lead at every step.

Moreover, the bridges will make trade throughout the country more convenient and taxation much simpler.

No matter how strict the inspections are now, some caravans still take detours to evade taxes.

A bridge makes the problem easy to solve. Close both ends, collect the tolls, and put the tax office right there.

With a bridge-centered economy, the surrounding area will quickly develop into a new population center.

In the twenty years since the Construction Supervision Office was founded, its work has progressed from building basic bridges and digging canals to experimenting with bridges over small rivers.

It has since developed a complete bridge-building system.

Its engineers have never attempted a giant bridge across a river of this scale.

Even so, they prepared plans long ago.

For the Ouse River within Peace Haven, they have already identified the most suitable location for a bridge.

They have also produced two plans. The first uses cofferdams to allow concrete bridge piers to be poured directly into the river.

The second diverts the river and constructs the bridge across the dry former channel.

Which approach is better depends on the project's requirements.

The first poses a technical challenge. The second consumes enormous resources and is vulnerable to uncertain weather.

After Henwell gives the order, both plans are put into action.

The final results will show which approach better suits Peace Haven's present circumstances.

The preliminary work for diverting the river is already complete. All that remains is to redirect the flow and seal the old channel.

Construction on both bridges will begin immediately after the New Year.

Throughout the year, all of Peace Haven remains busy, with the entire population drawn into labor and construction.

Even Blood Hill Manor dismisses most of its servants and maids, allowing them to find new work and establish families of their own.

When they are short-handed, Henwell and Melissa even cook their own meals.

Those below follow the example set above. If the lord himself works this way, everyone else must keep pace if they want to get ahead.

A young regime is full of energy, and its people have not yet learned to chase comfort.

As a result, Henwell's policies encounter little resistance.

In the spring, backed by two mixed legions, the Phoenix family seized almost half of Marquess Descartes's territory.

Descartes raged, but there was little he could do, especially once Iron Wall began pressing south from the north.

Knowing he had little ground to protest, Descartes did not dare escalate matters and could only swallow the bitter loss.

The Phoenix family's rapid expansion has now created the same shortage of personnel that troubles Peace Haven.

Nearly frantic over the labor shortage, Duke Jansen takes the Household Guard Warband from estate to estate to seize serfs. He then declares that, like Peace Haven, the Phoenix family will forbid all private ownership of serfs.

The members of the Phoenix family, who gained from the expansion without lifting a finger, accept their patriarch's forceful decision.

At least they have not lost the servants who attend them, and they can still live as members of the upper class.

They also understand that the Phoenix family must absorb its new territory and population as quickly as possible.

Releasing enough labor into the economy is a necessary step.

Henwell lays out a sufficiently detailed development plan for the coming year and informs Arius that he will be leaving for a time.

Henwell will claim that he is entering seclusion to recover from his wounds and will temporarily disappear from public view.

A double will appear in his place from time to time.

Within Peace Haven, only the highest military and administrative leaders know that Henwell is leaving. Duke Jansen of the Phoenix family and Arius are the only others informed.

Henwell does not even tell his father-in-law.

No one is suspicious. Everyone knows that Henwell was gravely wounded and then spent a full year exhausting himself with military and administrative affairs. A period of secluded recovery is entirely reasonable.

Failing to recuperate properly could seriously damage his future advancement along the extraordinary path.

As Peace Haven's pillar and the peak of its military strength, Henwell has everyone's understanding and support for his seclusion.

After the spring planting, Henwell leaves Peace Haven alone and heads for the location where he agreed to meet the Lady of Calamity.