"Mina, have some people scout the outskirts of these cities and see if there are any coal mines," Lucas ordered, turning to Mina.
He couldn't rely on transporting fuel supplies for these four naval ports from Sedona City forever. It worked as a temporary measure, but in the long run, the costs would be astronomical—to say nothing of the ultra-long-distance naval ports he planned for the future.
"Understood," Mina noted down the command.
"Master, will the naval ports need to be garrisoned?" Annie asked, raising a crucial point.
"Of course," Lucas nodded firmly. "Would it even be a naval port without a garrison?"
One of the primary functions of a naval port was to maintain the security of the Whispering River. In the future, the value generated by the Whispering River would be immense. Specifically, there were water bandits who preyed on passing vessels; having troops stationed at the naval ports would serve as an effective deterrent against them.
"That raises the difficulty level quite a bit," Annie wrote in her notebook. There was a massive difference between a cooperative agreement that involved stationed troops and one that didn't.
"They'll agree to it," Lucas said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Even with stationed troops, what did it matter? As long as the profit was large enough, they would absolutely sign on.
Once he eventually unified the Western Territories, the true importance of the naval ports would manifest. Using the ports as pivot points for power projection, the surrounding areas would become territory under his genuine control. Coupled with his future railway plans, the two networks would intersect to form a spiderweb, gripping every region firmly in his palm.
Lucas referred to these dual lines as the Spiderweb Project—essentially, military strategic control.
To truly seize control of everything, Lucas also had a financial plan and a public sentiment plan in the works. He intended to have everything in place, implementing reforms and control from the inside out. If he just wanted to occupy territory, it wouldn't actually be that hard. With his strength and technological edge, he could annex city after city like a game of Snake, but that was too slow, resource-heavy, and exhausting. Furthermore, the digestion of the land would be slow, and he'd have to worry about local factions causing trouble or inciting rebellions.
Compared to that, his current strategic layout was easier and wouldn't drain too many resources. After all, the population in this era was far too small—and people were a resource in themselves.
"Alright, Master, here is a bit of a plan I've drawn up." Annie handed her notebook to Lucas; she needed him to refine it. The fox-eared girl had now completely mastered Lucas's routines—she knew how to set traps, use bait, and employ various other schemes.
"Oh? That fast?" Lucas took the notebook in surprise and began to read.
"Master, as soon as they arrive in Sedona City and see its prosperity, they'll definitely be moved," Annie said, wagging her fox tail. She was extremely confident; Sedona City was a living advertisement.
"Your plan is for us to help them develop their cities?" Lucas arched an eyebrow. This aligned with some of his own thoughts, but it was missing the two most important elements.
"Yes. We can give them goods at a cheaper price, which will tie them to us," Annie said, tapping her chin with her finger as her fox ears twitched—a sign of her happiness.
"No, the scope is too small." Lucas shook his head. His gaze was already set on the layout of the entire Siacan Kingdom.
"Eh? Does the Master have another plan?" Annie blinked, dazed.
"Simply providing goods won't satisfy some people, not to mention our production capacity might not be able to keep up," Lucas shook his head. The fox girl's plan worked for the early stages, but the long-term drawbacks were too numerous.
"Then what should we do?" Annie bit her finger. She understood what he meant: the bait was big enough, but it wouldn't necessarily keep those people satisfied forever.
"No, for the early stage, we'll follow your plan. I'll handle the follow-up," Lucas stood up and said softly, "Come on, let's go to the Air Force base."
"Okay!" Annie thought about it fretfully, unable to guess what method the Master would use for the later stages.
"If you could figure it out, you wouldn't be Silly Annie anymore," Mina teased, patting the fox girl's pert backside as she walked past.
Slap!
"Ah… Damn it! Take this, my Eighteen Subduing Scratches!" Enraged, Annie bared her claws and gave chase.
"I can't afford to fall behind either," Nicole said with a shake of her head. She set down the teapot and began tidying Lucas's desk. She rarely followed him out of the castle these days; there were too many accounts in the city that required her oversight.
*
Clop, clop, clop…
When the coachman saw the speed-reduction boards by the side of the road, he began to slow the carriage. By the time they reached the outskirts of Sedona City, the carriage was moving at a walking pace.
"Guests, the Old District is just ahead," The coachman introduced enthusiastically.
"Old District?" Viscount Louis regained his composure and looked out at the working crowds with curiosity.
"It's just a nickname we commoners use. The Lord tore down the old city walls to expand the city, so we call the area inside the original walls the Old District." The coachman was very talkative. "Of course, the Old District isn't old at all. Everything there is brand new…"
Viscount Louis and his party listened to the coachman blah-blah-blah about a bunch of things. Most of it they didn't understand, and they were even looked down upon by the coachman several times.
For example:
"You've never heard the stories from Journey to the West or It? You people have no sense of art."
"What? You don't know what a steamed bun is? You poor souls."
"Hmph! You don't believe dinosaurs exist in this world? How ignorant."
Being looked down upon by a mere coachman—from their taste in art to their general knowledge—made the faces of Viscount Louis and his men turn black as coal. They were so angry they nearly beat the man. Were they really that pathetic?
"Alright, this is the stop. The main boulevard is right ahead. You can start exploring from here." The coachman pulled the carriage into a station and turned to the group. "Welcome to the New World. A word of advice: drop the unnecessary attitude, otherwise… heehee…"
Viscount Louis and his men were left there as the coachman picked up new passengers and headed back toward the port.
"Whew…" For some reason, Viscount Louis breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he didn't have to be condescended to by a lowly driver.
Clop, clop, clop…
The sound of galloping hooves came from the road ahead.
"Look! That's the Lord's carriage!" People nearby immediately shouted.
"Eh? Lucas?" Viscount Louis's eyes lit up. He immediately ordered the knights beside him, "Go, stop them."
He had heard that Lucas was very difficult to meet; this was his chance.
"Yes, sir!" A knight immediately took the order and stepped out into the middle of the road.
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