Chapter 80

Tonight, I will update two chapters.

"First, let's start with military reforms..."

"Is there anything to change?"

Yuria asked.

"Well, I won't make major changes. I plan to maintain both the volunteer and conscription systems. For the volunteers, a thousand. Four hundred will be heavy infantry, four hundred will be cavalry, and two hundred will be archers? A standing army is expensive, but it's necessary, right?"

Especially the cavalry can't be gathered through conscription.

They need to be constantly trained.

Besides, it's more convenient to have a standing army that can move at my command.

I intend to have Ron, Rozward, and Gram lead the standing army.

"Other than that, we'll gather the rest through conscription. It's impractical to make the entire army a standing army, and we won't be able to gather enough numbers."

War is about numbers.

Of course, quality is important, but as long as a certain level of quality is maintained, numbers will decide the rest.

"Next, the blacksmiths we obtained from King Dorgal's country. We'll have them work to produce iron."

Incidentally, the main method of iron production is tatara ironmaking.

Iron will be prioritized for weapons.

Once all weapons are made of iron, we'll allocate it to farming tools.

However, the ironization of weapons is almost complete.

Why?

Because King Dorgal's army gave them to us as a gift.

Thanks to their fleeing and abandoning their weapons, iron weapons are now distributed throughout the entire army.

Well, that's enough for the military.

If we change too much, it will cause confusion.

"What I need to do at this stage is..."

Build a palace.

I gathered the royal family, centered around Raymond.

Since I'm in the position of a son-in-law, I need to work with them in politics.

I lack experience, but I'm grateful for their help, so I have no complaints.

"I want to move the capital. What do you think?"

I asked straightforwardly.

The Rosais family members were momentarily restless, but Raymond stepped forward and said,

"What is the reason for this? Is there a problem with the current palace?"

"There are several issues."

I pointed out the problems with the current capital.

"First, it's adjacent to the Romano Forest. Until now, it was thought that no enemy would pass through the forest, so the forest protected our rear. However, there was the example of King Verm, and in the last war, I used the forest extensively. If the enemy marches through the forest, we can't see them. This is a problem."

Half of it is my fault, but I don't regret it.

"The next issue. It's not apparent now, but it will become apparent in the future."

First, the city walls are deteriorating.

The current capital was built by my father-in-law's grandfather, the third Rosais king before me, Yuria's great-grandfather.

The purpose was to move the front line against King Dorgal forward.

It allowed for quick deployment in case of an invasion, and the king's orders could be delivered quickly. There were such advantages.

Here's a question. Why didn't the capital move when King Verm appeared?

The distance from King Verm's capital (the As domain) to the current capital is almost negligible. Moreover, the previous king was ill and couldn't give proper orders.

This should have been moved. From a military strategic standpoint.

However, politics are involved.

If the capital is moved, it might look like we're running away, and we might lose the support of the nobles.

There was also a lack of financial resources.

That's why the current capital is here.

Now, let's get back to the topic.

The second issue is the size.

This capital is not particularly large. No, it's standard for the Adelnia Peninsula, but I'm not satisfied with it.

"To centralize power, we need to create a bureaucracy and a standing army, and concentrate important industries like paper and iron. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand that, and we will support you with all our might. But what does that have to do with moving the capital?"

"A standing army of a thousand. Assuming one wife and four children, six thousand people will gather in the capital. Similarly, the families of bureaucrats, papermakers, and blacksmiths will also gather in the capital. As wealth accumulates in the capital, more people will come for the wealth. They will have children, and those children will have more children... Eventually, the population will overflow."

According to my prediction, the capital will run out of land in about thirty years.

If the population becomes too dense, traffic congestion will affect the economy.

"Moreover, hygiene will deteriorate. The disposal of feces and urine will become a problem. The current river is already at its limit. If the population increases, the river will dry up. If houses are densely packed, a fire will cause significant damage."

"I see... That makes sense. Then where should the capital be?"

I showed them a map.

I pointed to where three rivers converge.

One comes from the Romano Forest, another from the old As domain, and the third from the old Diber domain.

Building materials will be transported by water from the Romano Forest and the old Diber domain.

Food for the capital will be transported from the old As domain and the old Diber domain.

Drinking water can be obtained from the river, and wastewater can be discharged into the river.

This is the best location for the capital.

"Your Majesty! This place..."

"Flooding, right?"

I cut off Raymond's words.

Raymond nodded.

Yes, the place I designated has suffered severe flooding since ancient times.

The rivers in the Rosais kingdom are poorly managed.

When it rains, the water overflows immediately, and when it rains heavily, the river's course can change by dozens of meters.

In winter, it rains, and in spring, the melting snow from the mountains floods this area every year.

This is because it is where three rivers converge.

Therefore...

"I plan to start with flood control."

"Flood control! The cost for that... is available, right?"

Yes, it is.

First, the rock salt mines.

The Rosais kingdom has three rock salt mines.

One is owned by Raymond.

Another is near the current palace.

The last one was discovered in the As domain.

In other words, I have two mines. Moreover, the As domain mine is much larger than the other two.

Next is paper.

With me becoming king, paper production has started on a national scale.

Now, instead of temporary workers, we are gathering craftsmen, training them, and continuing production.

Then there's the revenue from the recent war, which is now called the One-Week War, and the city of Brouse.

The funds obtained from plunder, reparations, and the vast revenue from garnet.

There is enough funding for flood control.

Until now, large-scale flood control was impossible due to the king's illness and lack of funds.

Small-scale projects were occasionally carried out.

"First, we will implement flood control in the entire area around the planned capital. We will request labor from the nobles. Of course, we will provide all the food for the laborers. This way, there won't be any complaints."

In other words, I want them to send people without needing money.

"Your Majesty, I have no objections to the flood control project. If flooding decreases, the people will feel more secure, and with proper irrigation, the harvest will increase several times. But do we have someone who can design such a large-scale project? I know you have hired a Kirisian architect, but flood control is different from architecture. Can that Kirisian do it?"

"There's no problem. I have hired another Kirisian, a scholar knowledgeable in astronomy and geology. With the two of them, it can be achieved."

I said confidently.

"Then, what about the defense line? As you know, the current capital is designed with King Dorgal's country in mind. With the expansion of territory and the northern shift of the border, shouldn't the capital also move north? This location is actually further south."

"That's true. But I don't consider King Dorgal's country a significant threat anymore. What we should fear is being surrounded by neighboring countries. Therefore, it's better to place the capital in the center of the country. Moreover, I plan to build paved roads to the border, parallel to the flood control. This will be sufficient."

And we also need stations.

To increase the speed of information transmission with fast horses.

If successful, we will be able to respond more quickly than before.

"I see... Then there's no problem."

Raymond backed down easily.

Thus, the flood control project was decided.

"How about it, Ismea? How does it feel to have your master become king?"