Roland took a sip of tea and continued, "Furthermore, I plan to establish basic education at the Fortress of Nagano. This will also serve as a test of whether you can continue to oversee the fortress." The moment the word "test" was spoken, Pei Luo's ears perked up. "Basic education?" "Exactly," he nodded with a smile. With the church destroyed and the high priest slain, the Church's influence in the area had been significantly weakened. This was the perfect moment to seize ideological ground. He didn't expect to convert all believers into potential workers—just to further eliminate the Church's influence. If the Holy City ever attempted to reassert control over the Fortress of Nagano, Roland had numerous ways to keep them out, and building a new church was out of the question.
"Basic education is open to all residents under forty in the Fortress, regardless of gender. It covers literacy, basic arithmetic, natural science, and moral education," Roland waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, this cost will be deducted from the taxes paid to Border Town. Starting this month, you only need to pay 20% of the tax, with the remaining 10% allocated for educational purposes—such as recruiting scholars from the Capital, hiring local Knights, or hiring impoverished Nobles. These expenses won't cost much. The 10% tax alone amounts to nearly a thousand Golden Dragons, so your task goes far beyond this." Perro paused before replying, "Your Highness, do you mean using this money to incentivize education?" Roland chuckled at his sharp insight. "Exactly. Most people, except children, have daytime jobs, so education should happen at night. But after a long day, no one wants to listen to lectures, especially when learning to read requires mental effort." "You can use incentives like meat-filled dinners or monetary rewards for faster learners. Of course, bright classrooms are essential," he paused. "In short, you must find every possible way to make this education accessible to all Fortress residents." "As I mentioned, this is also an assessment for you: within a year, I require over fifty percent of the fortress's population to be literate." "But Your Highness..." Perro hesitated, "whether scholars or Nobles, they lack experience in teaching literacy, let alone disseminating natural knowledge or ideological education," he pronounced the awkward terms, "in fact, even I don't fully understand it. Using their methods, we might not achieve the desired results." "I've considered that," Roland reassured, "don't worry. I'll dispatch a group of municipal officials to assist you with this task, and all educational materials will be provided by Border Town. They're experienced and can first train your recruits before expanding to the residents. When you discuss the details with them, you'll see they can handle the specifics." This way, as long as he wishes to continue governing the fortress, he'll inevitably employ these personnel, Prince thought. Moreover, through the Ministry of Education's officials placing trusted advisors, news of the Castle of Long Song could be relayed back to Border Town immediately.
Seeing Pei Luo had no objection, Roland began to deliver the final order: "Thirdly, I plan to construct a road between Changge Fortress and Border Town to shorten the travel time for pedestrians and caravans." "Your Highness, there's already a road between the two places?" Pei Luo asked in surprise.
"Can a muddy path trodden by people even qualify as a road? Less than two meters wide, it turns into a quagmire when it rains, with potholes everywhere—utterly unsuitable for horse-drawn carriages to travel at high speed." Roland shook his head. "The road I'm building should accommodate at least two carriages side by side, with a smooth and straight surface that doesn't flood in the rain, just like the streets of Border Town." "Are you talking about a gravel road?" the acting mayor looked surprised. "The cost of such a road isn't low. It requires stonemasons to quarry gravel, select stones of appropriate sizes, and assemble them before use. Constructing a gravel road from the fortress to Border Town would cost at least five thousand Golden Dragons. Your Highness, let me be frank—if we don't impose taxes on Changge Fortress, we probably wouldn't have enough money." "The fortress only needs manpower," Prince stated bluntly. "You'll issue recruitment notices to all western territories—not just Changge Fortress, but also the domains of major families. The salary is six Silver Wolves per month, with a one-year construction period. I believe many would volunteer." "Six Silver Wolves is a relatively high salary for a laborer," Pei Luo nodded. "How many people do you plan to recruit?" "At least two thousand," Roland replied.
The monthly cost of hiring casual labor alone was substantial, and when combined with stonemasons and gravel workers, it was undoubtedly considered a high expense by others. Few Lords would willingly invest their money in constructing such seemingly unprofitable projects, as evident from the other party's expression. However, Border Town now sells steam engines, and its income and expenses are basically balanced. Roland never intended to keep the Golden Dragon in storage. As the saying goes, "To get rich, first build roads." Investing surplus funds in infrastructure development was undoubtedly the best choice.
Constructing a high-quality road linking the fortress and Border Town is crucial, as it not only facilitates future trade and communication between the two regions but also enables rapid military deployment. Without efficient transportation, even if the fortress is attacked, it would take three days to reach the site, by which time enemy flags might already be flying atop the city walls.
"I understand," Pelo said, taking the order.
"That's all for now. I'll be back in Border Town shortly. Keep up the good work, Ambassador. Don't let me down again." As Perro was leaving, he suddenly remembered something and stopped to ask, "Your Highness, what should we do with those prisoners?" Roland's response was not as smooth as expected. After a moment's silence, he replied, "Just keep them alive. They won't last much longer."...
Boarding the town train, Prince set off on his journey home.
"You're in a bad mood?" Nightingale leaned in and asked, tilting his head. "Is it because of those civilians?" "They were all coerced by Tefiko," Roland sighed. "Had they not been drugged and controlled, they wouldn't have become his lackeys and died in this foreign land." "It's not your fault," Nightingale said, reaching out to take his arm.
"Of course not," Roland said without hesitation. "If I don't stop them, the town will become a victim of Tefiko's power ambitions. And of course, the Church that produces the pills is also one of the culprits." "So you'll destroy the Church, end the conflict, and make people stop killing each other over such a trivial reason, right?" Nightingale asked with a smile. "Both ordinary people and witches can live happily under your rule." "...," Roland nodded gently, gazing into the other's sparkling eyes. "Well, I promise."