Chapter 629: Entering the Rhine
Although Blood Harbor is theoretically the prince's territory, the Secret Order has a strong ability to infiltrate here, and many of its members are from the lower class.
In places where the prince's decrees cannot reach, any word from Hughes is the law. It can be said that nothing the prince does in Blood Harbor can be hidden from Hughes' eyes.
The prince naturally knew about this matter, but he didn't mind it. It was just a city. Even if it was the entire Duchy of Tis, he wouldn't care if it could get Castel's support.
He is not stupid. The continent is so big, and the benefits of cooperating with Castel are far higher than others.
The prince did not answer immediately, but stood up, walked to the window and drew aside the curtains.
Night had already fallen over Blood Harbor, but the lights outside the windows were bright.
Streetlights on both sides of the road run through the entire city. The factory workshops in the distance are brightly lit. Night shift workers are filling fuel into the steam engine, black smoke is spewing out of the chimney, and the production lines that run day and night are fully outputting production capacity to supply this city that never sleeps.
The scale of the entire urban circle has increased by at least three times. The newly built factory area alone occupies most of the old Blood Harbor. The high wall that previously separated the upper and lower city areas has long been torn down and turned into streets. Residents are walking on the streets under the street lights.
Beyond this, there are more temporary residences, and shanty towns are growing more and more densely packed on the outskirts of the city. Blood Harbor has become the center of Tis, siphoning the population of the entire principality.
There are twinkling lights, roaring machines, chimneys spewing thick smoke, and workers coming in and out non-stop.
Blood Harbor has become a true industrial city.
“It’s so beautiful.”
"In just half a year, we have built such a miracle. Sometimes I wonder what people were doing for hundreds of years, and why everything seems to be going in circles."
The prince looked at the night view outside and couldn't help but smile.
He had the right to say this. Castel did provide a lot of technical support for the construction of Blood Harbor, but it was the prince who actually solved many problems.
For example, the Banshees were able to openly appear in Blood Harbor, recruit students to attend school, and allow them to go to Castel for further studies, all because he had suppressed many opposing voices, both overtly and covertly.
Not to mention managing the influx of refugees. The North was so overwhelmed by the refugees from White Crow that several major lords had to personally go out to fight, but in Blood Harbor, not even a splash was made. Although the newly built shanty towns on the outskirts were simple, they also guaranteed the most basic needs.
The prince ensured the opening of Blood Harbor, safeguarded Castel's legitimate interests there, and cleared all obstacles to Hughes' construction.
He also found time to train the new army and fought low-intensity battles with the empire.
To be honest, Xius felt that the prince was much better at handling internal affairs than he was.
The prince reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the window and turned around.
"But Castel is just an island, and the Principality of Tis is only a tiny bit smaller. Now that the obstacles in the north have been cleared, the empire lies just ahead."
"The Candlelight Society, oh, and the Mechanical Temple, have now seized the Saint Mir Empire, handing this wonderful land over to an undeserving owner."
"It's really infuriating."
Zeus looked at the Grand Duke Tis with interest, his face showing genuine anger.
"Are you really angry about this? With all due respect, your current status doesn't seem to give you a legitimate claim to the Empire."
The Principality of Tis was originally conquered by the Empire, so he had every right to go to war with the Empire, but occupying the Empire's land was not necessarily legally tenable.
Unfortunately, neither of the two people in this office cares about "legal principles".
"I am angry at anyone who is unworthy of their position. Look at what these churches have done when they hold high positions. They have been on the continent for a thousand years. Are they better off now than they were a thousand years ago?"
"I don't care about beliefs or doctrines. If they could truly lead the empire forward, then converting to the church wouldn't matter. But they're only willing to be a mountain weighing down the empire, leaving no chance for mortals to survive."
Xius remained silent. He didn't know much about the previous empire. The only contact he had was the time when he was killed.
If it had not descended upon Castel, Zeus might have joined the Fire Moths and hidden himself from the Candlelight Society to rebel.
The prince has truly lived in this world for many years, and his feelings must be much deeper than mine.
The anger in the prince's eyes faded, and he became more violent.
"So I'm going to conquer the Rhine and let those conservative churches see the power of change."
"They better be strong enough. I was born to crush the weak."
Zeus raised his eyes and glanced at the prince. He was always so arrogant and conceited, saying such shameless words.
But he always does it.
"So what do you want? The expeditionary force's assistance?"
"No need. I can handle them myself. Besides, your expeditionary force just returned from a battle in the north. It might be a good idea to rest up a bit."
Hughes wanted to say that the expeditionary force didn't need to rest, as they fought with ease.
But the entire North is indeed enough for Caster to digest for some time. It's not that Hughes has no interest in conquering cities, but things don't work that way.
The main reason why Blood Harbor is developing so well today is that Castel is strong enough.
If Zeus had not silenced all opposition with his airships, and Castel had not had such a huge gap in weapons, but the Banshees had advanced all the way with their long swords, and had only barely occupied the Blood Harbor, what would the scene have been like?
He had to deploy a large number of troops to maintain stability, and the prince might not necessarily accept it. In order to deal with external threats, he had to establish an even more bloated standing army.
And these people are all valuable industrial population.
Therefore, Zeus's choice is to concentrate on development. As long as the technology is advanced enough and as long as Castel is strong enough, he will have no enemies, only friends.
The expeditionary force took over most of the land in the north without bloodshed. Grand Duke Alvarez not only surrendered, but also took the initiative to come here to learn and integrate.
Therefore, Hughes chose to devote his energy mainly to development rather than war.
When the prince conquers the empire - if he succeeds, then when he looks back, he will see a steel behemoth centered on Blood Harbor, radiating across most of Tis and the entire North. At that time, no matter what technology Castel uses, the prince's army may not be able to withstand it.
The scale effect of industry is extremely obvious. If one step is fast, all steps will be fast. Castel can develop towards the Gem Bay in the east, but the prince cannot. If he wants to concentrate on development, he has to see whether the neighboring empire agrees or not.
He has no choice.
"Yes, I support you in declaring war on the Empire." Hughes paused. "But it's best to wait a moment. I plan to talk to the Mechanical Templar first."
(End of this chapter)
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