I will be crowned king

Smoking room on the second floor of the cafe.

"Thanks to you just now. Otherwise, if I had said something bad, those cowards from other provinces would only be respectful on the surface, and it would be impossible for them to be sincerely convinced."

Sophia said with a smile: "It is really reassuring to see loyal friends in such a difficult time."

"No way, you are exaggerating." Beigang representative, Navy Captain William Cecil, played with the rum glass in his hand, sat upright on the sofa, relaxing while still maintaining respect:

"No matter when, Beigang will always be the most loyal province of Clovis; as long as it is an order issued by Clovis City, Beigang will execute it unconditionally."

At first glance, these words just sound like a simple expression of loyalty, but if you think about it carefully, you feel that something is wrong - as long as the orders of Clovis City are resolutely carried out, wouldn't it mean that they will obey whoever controls Clovis City? ?

But Sophia doesn't care about this. After all, the Cecil family relies on the Osteria royal family to control North Port, and the Royal Fleet, the most powerful force in North Port, is different from the army. It can be said that it is the most loyal but the least powerful. An army that might betray.

The reason is also very simple: in terms of organizational discipline and hierarchy, a navy where the entire army is crammed into a small cabin is obviously more strict. A fleet commander who can decide the lives and deaths of thousands of people with a single order is more authoritative than a ring of order.

But at the same time, no matter how huge the fleet is, it is still a ship, and it is impossible for a ship not to dock: the ship needs to be maintained, food and fresh water need to be replenished, and the sailors need to relieve the loneliness and fatigue at sea. These are all things that only land can do supply.

Therefore, the Cecil family, which is parasitic on the royal fleet, will always be just friends of the people in power in the Kingdom of Clovis...Sofia only understood this after listening to Anson's analysis.

So as long as your position is stable enough, you don't have to worry about the betrayal of the Cecil family and Beigang; of course, the necessary sweeteners and knocks are still necessary:

"In the past, the Kingdom of Clovis could remain united as long as there was a king, but those good days are gone; in the future we must be in the same boat, not just in Clovis and the central province, but in all life The people in this land must unite to maintain the strength of the kingdom."

"Let the capital of Clovis spread to every piece of land in the kingdom, and make all towns as prosperous as Clovis; this is only the first step. I plan to continue what my father and His Majesty Carlos II have left unfinished. cause, complete the 'Grand Cross Plan', and connect the entire kingdom with railroad tracks and steam trains."

"And if you want to realize this wish, Beigang's support is the most important thing." The girl emphasized her tone, imitating the acting skills of a certain commander-in-chief, and looked at William Cecil sincerely:

"You are the kingdom's only outlet to the sea. Only if Beigang can continuously provide cheap coal, wood and iron ore from overseas can the kingdom's industrial economy be forever prosperous."

"It is an honor for the Cecil family and the people of Northport to receive such attention from you."

Seeing the girl's serious attitude, the naval captain also quickly raised his glass in salute: "I promise you, if everyone in Beigang knows their status in your heart, they will definitely be happy."

"That's great. I think they will be even more excited after knowing my next plan."

"What's the next plan?"

"Yes, now that the Ministry of War has officially taken over the Railway Commission, as the Minister of War, I am ready to do something for the more stable development of the kingdom's economy." Sophia said with a smile:

"To put it simply, I plan to improve the direct train line from Clovis City to Northport, invest in factories, and replace the trains with the latest steam cores. In this way, in just five years, the train frequency of this line can be shortened by one-third. , the cargo transportation volume can reach a higher level."

"Well, to use a metaphor, it only takes one flight to send a legion of at least ten thousand people with all their armed equipment from Clovis City to North Port without stopping."

The girl's face was filled with a smile of joy from the bottom of her heart, and her eyes flashed with a cold light.

"...It's really a wonderful metaphor."

The naval captain hesitated for a moment and twitched his lips, with a hard smile on his face.

Of course he knows that this is the opponent's attack on him and the Cecil family behind him. Don't think that you can take advantage of the chaos and get too much advantage, or even obtain the same status as Clovis City - just like the ninety-fifth year of the Saints Calendar After the Beigang Rebellion, His Majesty Carlos II would also knock Beigang from time to time, not to think that there would be another chance to be forgiven.

Tian Lian can see that the current Cecil family dares to have that level of ambition? If you can maintain your current status and strive to become a "high-class wealthy family" in Clovis City one day, you are almost satisfied. How can you dare to have other unreasonable thoughts?

This kind of statement must not be made openly. Now Beigang still has bargaining chips worth winning over. If there is a real showdown, the Franz family's greedy character will definitely use the Cecil family to death.

"But even though you are so ambitious, to satisfy such a huge appetite, the amount of raw materials such as coal that Clovis needs to import in the next few years will probably be astronomical." William raised his doubts:

"Not to mention the Free Confederation of the New World in this regard, the three countries of the North Sea are still in a state of war... The Kingdom of Naxir is also ambitious and plans to conquer its neighbors in one go."

"With the loss of this most important transit point on the rough sea, can we still ensure the stability and smooth flow of trade lines?"

"Well, that is indeed a problem." Sophia nodded, but the smile on her lips remained: "That's why domestic development work is imperative."

"After more than ten years of preparation, Clovis's Coal Commission, although still immature, still has relatively complete exploration technology; I am ready to apply for funding from the Prime Minister's Office to cooperate with the army to conduct on-site exploration across the country to thoroughly understand What mineral deposits are there in our territory, their distribution scale and their mining value.”

"This is quite a big project." The naval colonel couldn't help but said: "Even if the mine is explored, the preliminary preparations for mining will take a lot of time, right?"

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't even matter if I can't find a suitable coal mine at all. Anyway, I will order someone to publish the news in newspapers and then distribute it nationwide... Well, slightly exaggerate the publicity and set a false scale, such as an estimated national coal reserve of 50 million Tons of titles like that.”

Sophia gestured with her fingers: "I once thought that what limited the prosperity of Clovis's industry was territory and resources, or wealth, or population; but after actually talking to those representatives, I found that it was actually confidence."

"Those rural landowners who only know how to buy land, and the nobles who sit on their ancestral property and have no economic interests at all... If you don't give them enough confidence and 100% belief that they will definitely make a lot of money, if you give them a little more, they will be stepped on by the nouveau riche. If you have a sense of crisis, you will always pretend to be asleep.”

As she spoke, the smile on her face became more and more helpless, as if she had really lost her temper after being completely tortured by the representatives from other provinces.

But in the eyes of the navy captain, the situation is completely different: while promising to increase coal imports to make Beigang profitable, he also plans to launch exploration work for mineral deposits across the country. This is clearly a preparation for both sides and repeatedly beating himself up.

That's right, even if Beigang refuses to cooperate, Clovis City can still find ways to win over and unite other provinces, and Beigang, which is already rich but disobedient, will be a thorn in everyone's side, waiting to be squeezed out by everyone. !

"Your Excellency, Minister of War, you have worked really hard for the prosperity of the kingdom." William Cecil could only praise tactfully:

"Beigang can also provide some help in this regard... When the animal slave trade in the New World was prosperous in the past, we have been providing a steady stream of cheap labor for the Railway Commission; now that large-scale exploration of mineral deposits is required, Beigang is still willing to provide services for you as long as you give the order. Kingdom relieves worries.”

This is not only asking for credit, but also a secret "reminding" Sophia that you still need Beigang. Is it too much to try to boss others around without giving them any sweeteners?

You must know that although mining is a get-rich-quick industry, the level of danger is second to none. The casualties in a slightly larger mine can be controlled in double digits every year. The mine owners may not immediately donate to the church to fulfill their vows, thanking the Ring of Order for their blessing.

Not to mention that the other party also plans to implement the once unfinished "Grand Cross Plan" - with Clovis City as the core, all large towns in the country will be connected by railways. The laying of railways is a major project that treats labor as a consumable.

If there is no way to bring in cheap enough "human resources", the commissions plus the unrest caused by workers' deaths and injuries will probably pile up the construction costs to the sky.

"Well, this is indeed a very serious problem."

The girl seemed to have just realized this, and her expression suddenly became serious: "So what should we do, continue to import beast slaves from the New World as we did in the past?"

"This... I'm afraid it won't work." Looking at the expression of the Minister of War, the naval colonel deliberately dragged out a long tail:

"As far as I know, the Free Confederacy has passed a bill to grant free human rights to all beast slaves who believe in the Circle of Order...I mean the natives of the New World."

"Even non-believers aborigines are no longer allowed to hunt at will, but are listed as a reserve force for an aboriginal regiment called the 'Shooting Army'. Didn't Lieutenant General Anson Bach tell you about this?"

"What?!"

Sophia stood up suddenly, her shock evident: "He didn't tell me anything about such an important thing?!"

"Uh... But, maybe I forgot!" Seeing that the other party seemed really angry, William Cecil quickly smoothed things over:

"This is inevitable. After all, Lieutenant General Anson has so many things going on. It is normal for him to miss one or two less critical things. I swear in the name of the Ring of Order that I believe he will not do it on purpose!"

"It's not intentional, it's not intentional...but this is really important!"

Sophia was furious: "Without the labor supply from the New World, are we going to let the young people of Clovis drill dangerous mines and lay sleepers day and night? This is a huge, irresponsible waste!"

"It's over, it's all over now... After all, the bastards in the New World dare to do such a thing; don't these scum living on the edge of the world know that this is the only contribution they can make to the world of order? !”

Looking at the eldest lady who was so angry that she could only stomp her feet, William Cecil, who was still sitting in his original position, looked flustered, but he was secretly happy in his heart.

"Please calm down the Minister of War. We can still think of a solution to the beast slave matter. There is no need to rush." ​​William stood up and persuaded: "Actually...if it is just labor force, we don't have to count on the Free Confederacy."

"Then who else?!"

"Three Kingdoms of the North Sea!"

The naval colonel gave a direct answer: "Right now, the war of aggression in the Kingdom of Naqsir is in full swing. A large number of refugees are fleeing from the three North Sea countries... most of them fled to the nearby Free Confederacy and arrived in Croatia by boat. Lowe’s has only a few.”

"But even the most ignorant civilians must know that in terms of environment and conditions, Clovis is definitely far better than the ice and snow in the New World; as long as we are willing to work hard to publicize it and invest enough funds, we will definitely bring in a large number of immigrants. not a problem!"

"……Really?"

The girl suppressed her anger a little, but her slightly frowning expression clearly showed that she didn't believe it: "Is there really a way to introduce immigrants from the three countries of the North Sea?"

“Where there is a will, there is a way.” William Cecil gave an answer that was not an answer. Of course, he would not have said it without confidence:

"But you must also know that if you do this, the investment will probably not be a small amount. After all..."

"Don't worry about money."

Sophia directly intercepted and said: "I will report this matter to the Prime Minister's Office and approve a special budget for Beigang. Even if Beigang wants to donate for free, the Kingdom of Clovis will not allow it."

"Thank you very much!" The navy captain's joy was beyond words: "Then I will..."

"Then take action quickly, without further ado!" The Minister of War did not give him a chance to talk back: "In this way, I will tell other representatives that you have something else to do and will not participate in the next factory tour - write quickly Letter, tell Beigang about this urgent matter and ask it to start taking action now."

"yes!"

William Cecil saluted with a military salute, turned around and walked out; but as soon as he stepped into the corridor, he found that the door behind him had been closed.

……Um?

The excited heartbeat gradually began to calm down. The young naval captain looked at the empty corridor and then at the closed door of the smoking room, feeling suddenly confused.

After carefully thinking about the conversation with Sophia just now, the joy on his face gradually began to dissipate, and then an inexplicable panic gradually emerged.

I...did I just get the information that the Cecil family secretly colluded with the Kingdom of Naxir...

Did you tell that woman? !