Chapter 920: The War n


    Trantor: TransN Editor: TransN


    After Rnd took a seat, the people in the hall bowed before sitting down.


    Under his leadership, the small and remote Border Town had rapidly developed into a major city. Rnd could clearly see that he had be a spiritual leader in the eyes of the conference participants. He had never felt anything like this when he had given lectures to students at a primary school or when he exined his designs to his clients. All the people who attended this meeting were not only listening but also preparing.


    They were always ready to execute his ns and orders.


    He had a sense of achievement from seeing his administration bear fruit. Three years ago, only a few people in the castle had served him wholeheartedly whilst all the local nobles had ridiculed him. Now, however, he had a splendid team to assist him.


    He went straight to the point. "Neverwinter can’t allow demons to take root on the Fertile ins, especially somewhere so close to our border. Although the enemy came a little earlier than expected, we’ve also made rapid progress recently. We’ve recovered the lost regions and can now focus on fighting the demons." He paused to nce around and said word by word. "Our next goal is driving the demons out of the Taqu ruins. We must do our utmost to achieve this goal. Do you have any questions?"


    "No, Your Majesty!"


    Everyone responded in unison.


    Even Barov who usually preached against wars did not raise any objection since he was aware of the fact that most refugees came to the Western Region for the good order, capable king and safe environment. If the demons set up a base at Taqu and then kept harassing Neverwinter, the people would be terrified and even flee the city. Without enough poption, City Hall could no longer sustain the development of Neverwinter. He learned this lesson from the decline of the Eastern and Southern Regions.


    "So let’s talk about our war n and policies now. Any department can share their ideas."


    "Your Majesty, I think the top priority is relocating the industries in the north of the city as soon as possible." Barov was the first one to stand up and reply. "The people outside the city wall are the ones most vulnerable in the face of the demon invaders. Even when we finish constructing the new wall to protect the people, the flocks of sheep and herds of cattle will still hinder our troop deployment in the north. It’s just like what happened when the whole city was ced under the strictest martialw." He paused to eye Wendy. "Due to the alert, the city gates remained closed, which blocked the transportation of wheat seeds and forest resources. Fortunately, City Hall had done everything in its power to minimize the impact."


    Rnd had already learned this from the previous reports. As Barov mentioned it again, he could not help looking at Wendy. Surprisingly, she seemed peaceful and undisturbed. He thought she must have meant it when she said that she would take full responsibility.


    "Not everything in the north can be relocated. We can use paddle steamers to carry wheat seeds, mushrooms, and other resources into the city via the Redwater River. However, we can’t move the North Slope Mine to another ce. Additionally, it’ll cost us a lot to rebuild the Furnace Area." Rnd decided after a moment of pondering. "We should increase our vignce over the mine region so that we’ll be able to fight back when the Devilbeasts attack. As for the alert, I need to borate on this issue. When the city is under martialw, we need to evacuate the idle personnel on the streets and in the market, but all the factories must resume production and keep working from today onward until I give a new order."


    "I see... I’ll make a list of the properties and business we can relocate, and report back to you." Barov immediately changed his tone since he realized that Rnd did not want to ce me on Wendy.


    "By the way, please includend-use nning in your report." Rnd knocked on the map behind him. "Now that the threat in the Great Snow Mountain has been ruled out, all the area in the west can be used. With the help of Leaf, Misty Forest can serve as a natural barrier protecting our left nk."


    On the map, the Barbarian Land could be divided into three parts. From left to right, they were: Misty Forest, Neverwinter grasnd and the Impassable Mountain Range. Misty Forest looked like an inverted triangle, upying almost half of the Barbarian Land with its vertex located at the snow mountain of the Western Region. The Redwater River that originated in the mountain and flowed through the border area of Neverwinter could be considered one side of the triangle whilst another side started from the vertex and headed to the Dragonspine Mountains in the north. This triangle formed arge buffer zone for the city.


    At present, Leaf could cover the entire western section of the Redwater River and thus provided a safety for the concrete boat toons to transport coal and forest resources back to the city.


    Aware of the situation there, Barov readily epted Rnd’s request. "Yes, Your Majesty."


    "Your Majesty, I think we need to tell the public about the demons’ origin as soon as possible," Wendy said. "Otherwise, our people will easily get panicked when seeing them suddenly. As you usually say, propaganda job is the most vital part of our administration. If we don’t work to control the public opinion, some evil-minded people may take advantage of the people’s fear."


    "I agree," Alethea who appeared on the light curtain added. "Althoughmon people have limited personal ability, together they can form a noteworthy strength. Fear resembles a whip. Most of the time, it’s daunting, but it can also be used as a driving force for us if we handle it properly."


    The early appearance of the demons disrupted Rnd’s original propaganda n which was scheduled for after the unification of Graycastle and his enthronization ceremony. He thus chose to leave this problem to Barov. "You decide the content and the propaganda means by yourself. Remember to make sure that all the subjects understand that demons are enemies of the whole humanity and that we’ll fight against them till death. Meanwhile, you should emphasize that in the face of guns and cannons, demons are nothing different from demonic beasts, no matter how hideous they look."


    "As for the rumor mongers and troublemakers," Rnd sneered and looked at the two police chiefs, Vader and Rene Medde, "I think I don’t need to tell you what to do with them."


    They hastened to nod. "Of course, Your Majesty."


    Once Neverwinter finished discussing the wartime order and the rted policies, Pasha raised a question which was likewise the greatest concern for everyone. "How are you going to attack the demons near the Taqu ruins?"


    "The safest way is to set up artillery positions near it to destroy the demons’ Red Mist supply equipment." Rnd measured roughly on the map with his fingers. "Now our Longsong Cannon can hit targets 10 kilometers away. After some adjustment, it’ll shoot even farther. Without Red Mist, the demons in the ruins will quickly die."


    Rnd did not brag about his weapons at all. Considering the operational convenience and the limited transportation capacity, he had not adopted 152mm caliber for the first generation Longsong Cannons. As a result, they could not match an ideal cannon whose caliber was 152mm in many respects. However, he was able to quickly convert them by erging their chambers and using separate-loading ammunition instead of fixed ammunition. By doing so, their range would be remarkably increased even if the other parts of the cannons, such as the barrels and wheels, remained unchanged.


    "Got it. Your Majesty, the Taqu witches are willing to fight this battle for you."


    Taqu survivors were undoubtedly the most aggressive ones in the Battle of Divine Will. They would take the lead without any hesitation whenbating demons.


    "But, I still need to solve a few key problems to implement that n." Rnd shook his head. "Without adequate preparation, it’s hard for us to gain a foothold when faced with an attack from the demons." He retracted his hand and flicked his finger at the spot of the North Slope Mine. "The first issue is how to solve the transportation problem."