Sword of Dawn

"The third point is also the most important point: Do you think that our emperor asked me to sell those things to the Ogule Tribal Country at a price of almost zero profit, really just to sell textiles?"

The young duke's son was at a loss for a moment, and then showed a thoughtful look.

Baldwin Franklin laughed and shook his head: "What we really want to sell is the railway."

Eleven's eyes widened.

Baldwin looked away from his eldest son, and landed on a shelf not far away. On the shelf was a gift given to him by Emperor Gawain Cecil before he left the city of Saint-Sunil. .

A model of the first freight fel train.

Exquisite and ingenious, lifelike, from the "hand" of Saint Nicholas Egg, the chief craftsman of the empire.

However, this model is so peculiar, with no use or "artistic value", that the gray elf Wenna's attention was all attracted by the flashy magic pendulum, and she didn't notice that it really symbolized Items from Age of Empires.

But he believes that it won't be long before the kings of the Ogure Tribal Kingdom will notice it.

"Eleven, maybe I was too persistent in trying to train you into a person like me, and I ignored your real expertise and interests."

"Father?" The young duke's son was a little surprised, and then panicked, "Father, I'm not..."

"Don't be nervous, child," Baldwin shook his head, "You still make me proud, but now you need to be more diligent in order to keep up with the era created by His Majesty. Magic technology, trains, magic net radio, alchemy industry... …There are too many new things in the new era, and these things, the teachers in the castle and the scholars in the territory themselves do not understand, let alone teach you.

"The Westlands are too far from the heart of the Empire, far from new technologies and knowledge, and from true 'civilization'.

"We can't sit at home and wait for a civilized society to come, we have to take the initiative to reach out.

"Your Majesty is building more educational facilities in Cecil City, the imperial capital, and building a new Imperial College. I have ordered five hundred bright young people from the entire Western Region to be selected to study regardless of their backgrounds. You should go too—as the leader of the academy. People, go to the south together. The old aristocratic era is over, the Franklin family is no longer the direct ruler of this land, but you still shoulder the responsibility of fighting for the interests of this land and the people on it.

"I believe the Snow Duchess of the North is doing the same thing - we are never far behind."

Eleven quietly met the gaze of the Duke of the Western Territory, before lowering his head deeply for a long time: "Yes, father."

Chapter 0724 Going South

Winter is approaching, the temperature is getting lower day by day, the lush vegetation on both sides of the Gorgon River has become bleak, and the roads on the bank are less and less pedestrians, only large-scale caravans occasionally appear on the riverside—basically all on the West Bank.

The plains on the eastern coast were still barren, and the wounds of war were far from healed in that burned land.

A low siren sounded across the river, the steel-plated bow split the water waves, and headed forward on the Gorgon River, leaving the slow old-fashioned cargo ship far behind. Sailing on the water like a proud swan, the magic wings behind the ship's side were raised high in the cold wind, sprinkling bits and pieces of light.

A blond young man wearing a dark blue woolen coat stood by the side of the ship, looking at the still desolate and dilapidated east bank of the Gorgon River. His eyes were deep and slightly melancholy. A cold wind from the north caught up with the new ship The mechanical boat made the young man couldn't help tightening his collar, turned around and returned to his cabin.

A warm breath rushed towards him.

The furnishings in the cabin are simple, but clean and comfortable, and there is a small desk by the window, on which there are ink, paper, pens and other things.

The young man came to the table, sat quietly for a while, then took a piece of letter paper from the side, picked up a dip pen, and wrote a paragraph of text sent to the distance on the paper with a calm and indifferent expression:

"My dear mountain flower--

"The farther away from my hometown, the more I miss you. This long journey is really the first experience in my life. I never thought that I could leave my hometown and come to such a far place...

"...Although I am lonely occasionally, this journey is still interesting. I have seen many people and things. After broadening my horizons, I realized the shallowness of my previous life. Many things in the distance cannot be learned from books. Acquisition, as my father said in the early years, a truly outstanding playwright should have an unforgettable journey, so that he can get rid of those rotten paper piles and really grow up-but it is a bit helpless to say that my father actually Didn't support my trip...

"You know, he's a cautious man, and he's been more cautious in recent years as he's aged...

"You don't think you like to hear me say this, so I will tell you what I saw and heard on the journey.

"Riding the 'magic mechanical ship' is really a novel experience. It's really hard to imagine how the mages and craftsmen in the southern region made this kind of creation. It is a huge magical device, and many of us live day and night In the belly of this huge magical device, sailing along with it, if you have the opportunity, you should really try it... Although the ticket is expensive, I think it is worth the money.

"...The east bank of the Gorgon River is the battlefield. When I saw it, my inspiration and thoughts kept coming. What kind of thrilling and great war should it be? Brave soldiers Resisting tide-like monsters, knights, soldiers, and mages on the scorched plain, every day they stand firm may be more exciting than any old-fashioned knight story...

"...In the lower class cabin below me, there is a family from San Sunil. They exchanged almost half of their belongings for a ticket to the south. In the words of the host, they want to 'Go to the south to try your luck'. On this ship, it seems that many people are like this. The capital of the empire is set in the south, which attracts many people to seek a way of life in the south. These people will discuss the future when they come out to breathe. Sometimes I also discuss my livelihood in my hometown. Most people live in the cheapest lower class, and some live in middle class like me, but we are all looking for new opportunities...

"Honey, you can't imagine what kind of scene it is, I know, I know it's not as romantic and exciting as described in knight novels, but I'm in it, and I feel an unprecedented emotion , so many people, hope to go to a strange land - many people say that this war has destroyed the ancient and solemn order of the kingdom, and made everything messy, but I feel that a new thing is coming wait for us.

"I don't know if you understand, it's... as fresh as the river wind I'm blowing over the side of the boat today, cold but invigorating.

"Compared with the story of knights and princesses, are these things that happened on the ship more suitable for the 'stage' I conceived?

"Love you forever, and miss you——Film."

With a slight smile on his face, the young man carefully wrote the last punctuation mark, then carefully folded the letter paper and put it close to his body - he can hand over the letter to the crew in charge when the ship docks next time, And brought to the shore by the crew, the price of one silver coin, the letter can be sent to the north safely.Of course, if you are short of money, you can also choose the "cheap letter" of ten copper coins, but it is said that he may lose it, so he will not choose it.

There were footsteps outside the cabin, and then there was a knock on the door. Film got up and opened the door. A young man in a gold and blue silk coat, short silver hair, and a bright and sunny smile stood outside the door.

This is the partner he met on the journey, a northerner named Fendil, a cheerful and friendly friend with an outstanding upbringing. Film did not know where the other party came from, but on this ship heading for the southern border On the boat, the two walked together and got along very happily.

"Hi, friend," said the silver-haired young man with a smile, "it's almost lunch time—do you want to go to the restaurant together?"

"Very happy," Film also laughed, closing the door behind him as he walked out of the cabin, "I'm very hungry."

The two young people chatted and laughed all the way, they walked through the open deck, through the closed corridor, and passed one after another traveling companions who took this mechanical ship to the south.

A tall, unsmiling man walked past them. It was a pharmacist from the north, holding a certificate from the craftsman association and an employment contract from a factory in the south. Although he had a serious face, he was a generous man. nice guy.

Walking down the corridor was an old couple from Brentard, just west of Saint-Sunil, who were said to be clockmakers.

Several young men and women were coming up the front stairs, dressed in sackcloth, cautious when they came up, but bright-eyed when they talked to each other, they were from Saint-Sunil and lived in the lower class. In the cabin, with the travel expenses collected by the family and the family's thoughts, and the "study recommendation letter" issued by the Grand Duchess Victoria, they also want to go to the south to find a new life there.

There are down-and-out craftsmen, scholars who pursue knowledge, businessmen who seek business opportunities, and even mages from the old royal capital who are attracted to seek magic technology.

Some people are rich and live in luxurious upper-class cabins, some are poor and shabby, and already have enough money to scrape together a ticket for lower-class cabins, and some people are on a mission and head to the south with orders from a wealthy merchant or even a nobleman , Some people had no way out, left their hometowns and boarded this ship as if they were fleeing famine.

And this mechanical ship that implements the "Cecil Order" is like a miniature city floating on the Gorgon River, accommodating everyone in its huge belly made of steel and wood. Sailing on the river, carrying everyone's dream, to the legendary land.

The hum of the mechanical cabin came from behind the partition in the corridor, and the magic crystal lamp powered by magic illuminated the corridor leading to the restaurant. A young man named Fendil was working on a rune device whose structure was exposed due to maintenance Slowing down his pace, he seemed to be curiously observing the automatic magic machine. Film's voice sounded from the side: "Unbelievable things, right? I heard that they are everywhere in the south."

"I heard that too..." Fendil smiled, "Tell me about your idea again, I'm really interested..."

"Of course, my friend, but it's time for you to talk about yourself. Why did you go to the south? Also to find opportunities?"

"Aha... I was reluctant when I left. I was forced to come here by a letter from my aunt..."

"Oh? It sounds like your aunt is a powerful person. A letter can drive you out of this stubborn guy."

"...Haha, indeed, maybe she is the most powerful person in the North, and each of us is quite afraid of her..."

The silver-haired young man laughed loudly, his hearty laughter was like the rough mountains in the north, which caused Film who was beside him to laugh too.

A low siren sounded across the river, and on the chilly Gorgon River, the "Highlander" unfolded its wings like a proud swan, and the bow covered with steel plates split the water waves, full of passengers seeking opportunities and future They sailed south.

……

The crystal glass blocked the cold wind outside the window, and the fireplace was bubbling with warm firelight. The image projected by the magic net terminal was floating in mid-air. Victoria Wilde stood in front of the terminal, slightly bowing his head to the figure on the image: "Your Majesty, the third batch of craftsmen and young students sent to the south has already set off on the 'Highlander'. They all carry supporting documents and are accompanied by guides. They are expected to arrive at Panshi Port on Winter's Day."

Gawain in the holographic projection nodded: "Very good - by the way, your nephew is also on this boat, right?"

"...Yes, Fendil is also on board." Victoria's expression seemed to change a little, but in the end it was still a little indifferent, "I ordered him to go to the south to study, after all, as the future heir of the Wilder family, He can never stand still."

"Don't be too harsh on young people," Gawain laughed. "Aside from that, has the situation in San Sunil changed?"

"The situation here is good. The Office of Government Affairs is fully functioning. The operatives of the Military Intelligence Bureau left by Director Amber are active everywhere, 'resolving' a large number of unstable factors, and greatly promoting the reconstruction of order. If everything goes well, next spring There is no need for me to sit here in person.”

"Well, this is the best way, and you can return to the north as soon as possible to handle the affairs there personally-the stability of the northern border of the empire is very important."

Victoria bowed her head deeply: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Gawain nodded in the holographic projection, and then said: "By the way, Maggie is fine here. Rebecca and her have become good friends, so you don't have to worry."

"Thank you for taking care of her," Victoria said. Although her expression was as indifferent as ever, there was sincere gratitude in her eyes. "Maggie is my most trusted friend. I am very glad that she can also help you."

Gao Wen hummed, and then the atmosphere fell into a brief moment of stiffness and embarrassment.

When anyone talks to Victoria alone, the atmosphere is always bound to fall into a similar situation.

This Ice Duke is really not a person who is good at words. Even because she always has an indifferent expression, she often makes the atmosphere cold during the conversation.

She was used to this, but Gao Wen on the opposite side of the communication seemed a little uncomfortable.

Perhaps in order to find some topics to end the conversation smoothly, Gao Wen was silent for a while and then suddenly said: "You are not too old..."

Victoria's calm and indifferent expression froze instantly: "Huh?"

"Although there is Fendil, you don't have to worry about heirs, but don't you consider starting a family yourself?"

Victoria: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

"You are only two years younger than Hetty. You two are so similar in some places. I persuaded Hetty a while ago that we should get married. Don't think I'm long-winded. I belong to Snow to some extent. My friend, I should take care of his offspring..."

"Your Majesty, don't talk about this matter at this time," Victoria showed a rare panic, "I will think about my own affairs, I will think about it!"

The magic net communication was hung up hastily by Victoria, who was opposite, Gawain sat behind the desk with a dazed expression.

Amber, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but rolled her eyes: "You are really old, how can you get married just by talking about the topic?"

"Isn't it wrong to talk about family affairs after finishing the business?" Gao Wen looked quite innocent, "And I just said it casually."

Amber curled her lips, as if she wanted to mutter something, but before she could speak, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Hetty appeared at the door holding a large pile of documents, and walked towards Gawain.

Seeing the pile of documents in the opponent's hand, Gao Wen felt a dull pain in his forehead.

With the mentality that he couldn't let himself have a headache alone, he looked up at Hetty, and said casually: "Hetty, you are too old..."

Hetty was taken aback for a moment, and before she had time to talk about the business of the document, she felt a chill in the back of her head...

Chapter 0725

Always being called "ancestors, ancestors", my mentality seems to be brought into some subtle elder mode.

But think about it from another angle... It seems that it is not fun to let Hetty, who is always calm and elegant, show such a sluggish expression.

Seeing Hetty's stunned and bewildered expression, Gao Wen felt his mood inexplicably improved, and most of the pressure caused by seeing a large number of documents instantly dissipated, and then he waved his hand before the expression of the eldest granddaughter in front of him continued to collapse: "It's okay, I just said it casually-what are these documents?"

Although Hetty didn't know what happened, she felt that she had escaped a catastrophe, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and put the document on the desk of the ancestor: "It's about the early stage of building the Imperial College and the new school in the Holy Spirit Plain. The report, in addition to the relevant documents of the railway project in the western region - the government affairs department has processed it according to the procedure, but you still need to read the key parts yourself."

Gao Wen thought for a while, and suddenly thought about asking Heidi about his life...

Two seconds later, he restrained his somewhat rambling thoughts, reached for the thick documents and asked casually: "Have the mages and scholars who moved from Saint-Sunil last week settled down? What do you think of them? Sample?"

"It's all settled," Hetty nodded and said, "As for my evaluation...From the perspective of personal knowledge and ability, those who can serve the royal family or enter the King's Capital Scholars Association are the best masters, and their abilities are beyond compare. Doubt, but to integrate into Cecil's new order, each of them still has a long way to go, and many of them will face elimination."

"... an inevitable process," Gao Wen said while flipping through the paper in his hand, "but we still need to try our best to reform and strive for it—as long as it can be transformed, we must transform it as much as possible. We still lack intellectuals. However, it should be noted that the entry standards for personnel in all education departments cannot be relaxed, and the standards of double examination and examination cannot be changed. Those old-school intellectuals who have passed the initial transformation but failed the two examinations and examinations can be allowed to do research. Go to work as a technician in a factory, but never go to school, this must not be forgotten."

Hetty lowered her head: "Yes."

The empire has been established, and the land under Cecil's rule has changed from a cramped and barren land to a vast country. Unprecedented resources and manpower are circulating on the desks of Hetty and various departments of the Government Affairs Office, but at the beginning After being excited and excited, Hetty realized the fact that there are still various shortages under the surface of this seemingly abundant resource - what the ancestors wanted to build was a brand new country, not a comfortable place to live after taking over a decaying kingdom. The monarch, those heritages from the old country of Ansu, need to be transformed and selected before they can be put to use again.

A large number of intellectuals from the northern region will solve the key talent shortage problem in the development of magic technology, but before that, these intellectuals must accept ideological changes in addition to establishing a new knowledge system, and the so-called Two examinations and two examinations are Gao Wen's rigid standards for the education department to recruit talents: review of major stains and misdeeds, review of personal information, assessment of academic ability, and assessment of ideological transformation. college.

The strict assessment and admission system is also one of the factors leading to the serious shortage of teachers in the new-style schools. However, the ancestors' standards in this regard are not allowed to be relaxed at all. Fortunately, the students who graduated from the first phase of Cecil General College in the past and some of them were the first to follow the construction of the southern border. The down-and-out intellectuals have grown up in the past few years, and the talents that have been fed back are gradually alleviating the gap in schools everywhere. Although the gap is still large, at least it is no longer desperate.

Hetty understood why the ancestors placed so much emphasis on this aspect.

Because when the early system was still flawed and the implementation was not in place, she saw with her own eyes how a teacher from a collateral aristocrat taught children how to prostrate and kiss the ground in school—that was just a A minor noble from a collateral lineage has no right of inheritance, no title or fief, and the only connection with "noble society" is his thin blood, but for this thin connection, for the "correct and only law" in his heart and the family He can risk the risk of being imprisoned to let the children remember the rules of kneeling again.

From that day on, she knew that some rotten things would never be completely eliminated by a bombardment of Gravel Ridge and a signing ceremony, and they would not purify themselves. In such a corner, as long as there is a one in ten thousand chance, they will rush out like mud in the crevice.

Maybe even if the strict access system is implemented, some of the mud will still seep in—this is almost certain, after all, the new government affairs department system still has insufficient control over the remote areas of the empire, and can only rely on the other two big The consuls and their vassal system will be temporarily controlled-but there is no perfect thing in the world, as the ancestors once said, this will be a long-term career, and it may not only take one or two generations ...

Hetty was lost in thought for a while, while Gao Wen hastily scanned the end of the document, and then put it on his right hand: "I have roughly read it, and there is no problem - I will take a serious look at it tomorrow morning, and I will reply you in due course. Is Padraic in the Council Chamber now?"

Hetty woke up from her thoughts and nodded: "Yes, he just returned from Carroll yesterday, and he has already returned to the government affairs hall this morning."

"Have him come and meet me - I want to hear about the currency pilot."

"Yes, ancestor."

……

In front of Gao Wen, there were several temporary currencies (tokens) of different denominations, as well as several types of coins minted by Cecil Royal Mint.

Coins are the basic standard copper, silver and gold coins, while paper currency is "silver notes" in denominations of one and five farenhams, and "gold notes" in denominations of one and five gold pounds - fee Namu is a word in the common language, which means "thin silver foil", and the so-called gold pound is also different from the currency of the same name that has appeared on the earth. Here, it is equivalent to the smallest currency that Ansu once circulated. A thin gold coin of this size is almost equivalent to the upper limit of currency that ordinary people can touch in the past.

The banknotes are beautifully printed with textured patterns, which glow wonderfully in the sun.

Just from the denominations of these banknotes and the meaning in their names, it can be seen that this is only a superficial attempt to reform precious metal currency into banknotes.

"After about half a year of trial implementation, the pilot areas have successfully replaced more than [-]% of the precious metal circulation with temporary currency, maintaining the normal conduct of business and the normal settlement of local finances," Padrik wiped the gradual progress in the past two years. The forehead that became wide open reported meticulously, "People did not understand and distrust banknotes at the beginning, but later discovered that they can indeed be used to buy goods, and now they are gradually accustomed to its existence. From simply promoting banknotes to forming From a habitual point of view, the pilot was a success.

"But the flaws of the pilot are also obvious. As you can see, we still haven't got rid of the essence of gold and silver settlement. The currency circulating in the pilot area is still gold and silver in essence, and because of this,'Gold Banknote The existence of 'and'silver banknotes' at the same time is equivalent to the denomination exchange between banknotes will still be affected by the price of precious metals, and there will be a phenomenon that bad coins drive out good ones. However, we have recently successfully cut silver banknotes from silver, making It can only be exchanged for gold banknotes, but not directly for silver, which is equivalent to turning it into a "subordinate unit" of gold banknotes, which solves the problems caused by the double standard system..."

Gawain frowned and looked at the several currencies on the table, flipping through the detailed report brought by Patrick, and couldn't help muttering softly: "It's a mess..."

Patrick wiped his cold sweat immediately: "...Your Majesty, I am very sorry..."

"No, I'm not reprimanding you," Gao Wen quickly waved his hand, "You've done a good job, and you've done all the testing and sampling according to my requirements, these chaos are just what happens when you implement new things ...is a law of nature, not your fault."

Padraic breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, Your Majesty."

"The gold and silver reserves of the empire are not significantly skewed. It is feasible to issue currency whether it is based on the silver standard or the gold standard, but whether to continue to issue currency based on precious metals is the biggest problem," Gao Wen was thinking. He said slowly, "Padrik, you must have realized the hidden dangers of directly linking gold or silver to banknotes."