Free Web NovelDawn broke through the clouds, scattering across the land.
Frost Halberd City gradually receded as the carriage, protected by layers of knights, slowly exited the valley.
Inside the main carriage, it was warm and peaceful.
Emily leaned against the soft cushions, her hand gently resting on her lower abdomen, resting with closed eyes.
Louis sat beside Emily, his hand gently clasped in hers. On the surface, he had his eyes closed, his expression calm, as if he too was resting.
But in reality, his mind had never truly quieted down; he was organizing the gains from this war.
Louis was not a narcissist, but he had to admit that in this battle to support Frost Halberd, he had gained far more leverage than expected. Edmund, the Duke, not only publicly entrusted him with the future of the Northern Border Province, but also gave him free rein to lead the overall situation in the reconstruction meeting, whether it was disease prevention or food allocation.
What's more, he also acquired the Broken Fang Knights.
This was Frost Halberd City's elite trump card, over a thousand knights like an iron torrent. Now they were arrayed behind their carriage, treading the earth, escorting him and Emily back to Red Tide Territory.
And in the Duke's promise, there were also the Cold Iron and Silverfang regiments, totaling over three thousand men, awaiting transfer.
These knights, plus the knights he already had, totaled five thousand knights.
Now, in the entire Northern Border Province, only he possessed such military strength.
There were also rewards from the Imperial Capital; he had to wait for the political situation to stabilize. Louis believed that with the combined efforts of the Edmund Family and the Calvin Family, his reward would certainly not be small.
Of course, in this battle, Louis not only gained power but also an increase in his own strength.
Although the Rage-Burning Thorns Garden was an active invasion, it had been purified and internalized through Original Heart.
His body was strengthened, potential burst forth, and magic was reconstructed. The most crucial thing was that, for now, there were no side effects; he was not entangled by vines, did not lose control, and did not suffer from qi deviation.
Moreover, Louis had already felt that as his magic increased, these abilities would become even stronger.
He still remembered Titus, who fought fourteen Transcendental Knights on the battlefield. Perhaps one day he could be that formidable.
However, all of this was what he deserved, as he had prevented Titus from sweeping across the entire Northern Border Province. If the barbarians had successfully fully enraged the Northern Border Province this time, and then flowed south to invade other provinces, without the Emperor and three important legions, with nobles fighting amongst themselves, the entire Empire might not have been able to hold.
"Roughly speaking, I saved the world?"
Of course, Louis only thought this to himself; it was too chuunibyou.
But he couldn't help but let out a silent chuckle.
Emily looked up at him, sensing something: "Were you just laughing?"
"—No." Louis cleared his throat: "I was just thinking—there's still so much to do. Like how to use this victory to expand my territory and influence."
Emily had now recovered from the grief of saying goodbye and said with interest, "Then tell me."
Louis said without hesitation: "Although the demise of the barbarians was an unexpected event in a disaster, it was precisely this crisis that made the Northern Border Province unusually devoid of enemies.
The remaining few barbarians had long lost their threat, and the savage shadow that had hung over the Northern Border Province for hundreds of years had thus dramatically come to an end.
Unless a cataclysm of the level of the insect plague's mother nest descends again, the Northern Border Province will usher in a period of true peace.
Moreover, the Imperial Capital is now in a power vacuum and has no time to care for this remote wasteland. This is a huge opportunity; if I can rise with the momentum..."
Emily leaned her head on Louis's shoulder, feeling his fingertips rhythmically tapping her thigh, as if he was contemplating something.
She looked up at him; on his young face, there was a subtle sharpness.
"So, what are you going to do next?" she asked softly. Louis pondered for a moment, then spread his palm, as if unfolding a map of the future: "I want to build Red Tide Territory into the true first city of the entire Northern Border Province."
Emily was slightly startled.
"I plan to reorganize the layout of Red Tide Territory's main city. The administrative hall, schools, barracks, workshops, and central market—none can be missing.
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As for Starforge Territory—of course, it's not just about mining. I plan to add alchemy workshops, large smelters, and metallurgical branch factories to turn it into the industrial hub of the entire Northern Border Province."
"Are you talking about urban integration?" Emily interjected softly.
"Exactly, and the three areas cannot rely solely on merchant caravans. I also plan to build roads to connect them," Louis said, then suddenly seemed to think of something and chuckled, saying, "To get rich, build roads first."
Emily chuckled: "It's a good thing you said build roads, not build walls."
"Walls need to be built too, not just city walls," Louis raised an eyebrow.
"I don't just want three cities; I want more. Coastal areas need port cities to connect trade routes to the south and the Imperial Capital. Between Starforge Territory and Red Tide Territory, another artisan city will be built to centralize skills and labor."
"That's a lot of cities to build," Emily said softly, but her tone showed no worry, only reassurance.
"One day, the Northern Border Province will become one of the Empire's strongest provinces," Louis said, word by word. "I want the nobles in the Empire to see that the borderlands they speak of can also have order and a future."
Emily watched him speak eloquently, and her heart suddenly quickened slightly.
Was this man really only twenty-two years old?
What he described in his words was not just a city, not just a territory, but the embryonic form of a new Northern Border Province.
It was a future she had never imagined.
But the more brilliant the future, the greater the foundation it required.
Emily asked softly, "But—no matter how much you plan, you need people to do it. What if there aren't enough people?"
Louis's lips curved slightly at her words, as if he had harbored this question in his heart for a long time.
He held up a finger: "First, the displaced people.
The war is over, but there are still many displaced people in the Northern Border Province. I will set up citizen registration offices in various territories. Anyone willing to return, regardless of their origin, as long as they sign a household registration contract, I will grant land and cattle, provide tools, and temporary housing."
"Household registration contract?" Emily repeated.
"Yes, once they sign it, they will be protected by Red Tide Territory's laws and become citizens of Red Tide Territory. Taxes will be reasonable, corvée labor transparent, and they will also have access to education and opportunities for manumission."
"That sounds very appealing."
"It is indeed very appealing, especially compared to the chaos in other territories," Louis shrugged. "I don't need to cram hundreds of thousands of people in overnight; I just need a stable growth structure."
Louis's second finger went up: "Then, slaves."
Emily nodded, clearly having thought of it too, as it was the simplest and most direct method.
Louis continued: "I can purchase them at a low price through the Calvin Merchant Guild and employ them as laborers for infrastructure projects.
Of course, this is not a lifelong system. I plan to establish a manumission points system. Participating in labor, service, and meritorious deeds can all earn them freedom, which is more transparent than releasing a batch of slaves every month as before.
They will become a new generation of artisans, road builders, miners, and porters, and also the future new people of Red Tide Territory."
Without waiting for Emily's response, Louis then held up a third finger: "Barbarian remnants."
Emily raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
"Those willing to surrender, I will relocate them to 'Border Guard Villages' established on the frontier. They will be incorporated into Red Tide Territory's military household system, with a set term of compulsory service, receiving training and education," Louis said calmly.
"In other words, their descendants will also become Red Tide Territory's shields."
"Will they agree to that?" Emily asked softly.
Louis smiled faintly: "I will give them reasons to agree."
He paused, then added softly: "Using the name of the princess of the Cold Moon Tribe, her personal persuasion will have great appeal."
Emily nodded thoughtfully, thinking of her closest confidante now.
"Of course, we won't fully trust them either," Louis withdrew his gaze, his eyes slightly cold.
"Though the barbarians are defeated, their spirit is not broken. They may yield to reality, but that doesn't mean they won't retaliate.
The Border Guard Villages will be supervised by knights I personally appoint, and a dual organizational structure will be established: outwardly managed by barbarians for internal affairs, but with real power held by the knights.
The military household system will also establish layers of collective responsibility, ensuring that if one person makes a mistake, the entire village is punished. Coupled with patrol camps and regular inspections, I will extinguish any spark of betrayal before it ignites."
"Of course," Louis added softly, his fingers gently tapping Emily's leg, his voice steady, "besides caution towards the barbarians, we must also start with our own internal affairs."
Emily looked up at him: "Are you saying—?"
"The Red Tide Territory Laws," he said the name, clearly having drafted it in his mind already. "I will personally formulate a basic legal code to ensure the civil rights and order of Red Tide Territory.
It will clearly define property rights, cultivation rights, and personal freedom, ensuring that ordinary people, even amidst the post-war ruins, can farm peacefully and relocate freely, rather than continuing to live in fear and chaos."
"At the same time, it must also specify standards for rewards and punishments. Whoever has merit in the war, whoever contributes to reconstruction, will be promoted and granted land and estates according to their achievements. And those who plunder the common people, regardless of their background, will be publicly tried and severely punished."
He paused, his eyes slightly sharp: "This is an internal guarantee of order, and even more, a moral leverage for external expansion.
When we expand our territory in the future, we can proudly say that what we bring is not conquest, but civilization."
"But with laws alone, the people may not understand," Emily reminded softly.
Louis smiled gently, seemingly having already thought it through: "So we must create history.
From temple fairs to theaters, from classrooms to storytelling stalls, all propaganda content must be unified. I will let the people of the entire Northern Border Province hear one voice.
That Red Tide Territory saved the Northern Border Province, that Louis defeated the Barbarian King Titus, that we won peace and the future.
I will hire poets to write 'Chronicles of the Barbarian Disaster,' depicting Titus's madness and the barbarians' bloodshed in a shocking way, and then portray the moment I brought hope to Buried Bone Canyon as a divine miracle.
Then, this memory will be sealed into children's textbooks, told in old people's fireside stories, and sung in wandering artists' tavern poems."
Emily's lips curved slightly, "Are you going to give yourself a title? Savior? Lord of Holy Light?"
Louis chuckled, his tone, however, was unusually calm: "The Sun of the Northern Border Province, that's what they call me; I merely acquiesced."
Emily leaned gently on his shoulder.
"—Indeed, I didn't misjudge you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You are unique, Louis."
Wheels pressed through the snow, banners unfurled like waves.
And just as the Lord and his Lady sat in the main carriage, planning the grand blueprint for the Northern Border Province's future.
Behind their carriage, dozens of large carriages slowly followed the procession, carrying the families of the Broken Fang Knights. They brought their packed belongings, pots and pans, and mixed emotions, heading towards an unknown "new home."
The carriages swayed continuously, with a slight wooden creaking sound, pressing on the snow-covered and icy road.
"Clunk!"
A wheel rolled over a broken stone, and the carriage jolted. Mary instinctively hugged her daughter tighter.
She was the wife of Smith, a squad leader in the Broken Fang Knights, from a middle-class merchant family in Frost Halberd City, and not accustomed to this kind of mass migration.
Mary sat in the corner of the carriage, leaning against a folded blanket and a wooden box.
Beside her, four or five other women also sat on blankets, holding children or accompanying elders, most looking tired.
One short-haired woman clicked her tongue: "I heard that place just settled down from war, and the city gates were burned down."
"I also heard it's barbarian territory," another older woman whispered in agreement. "Aren't those people from Red Tide Territory just wild tribes from the north?"
Mary didn't respond, just pulled her cloak tighter and gently drew her daughter closer into her embrace.
She had heard of Red Tide Territory, but only that Edmund, the Duke's daughter, seemed to have married the Lord there.
Beyond that, she knew nothing.
Was it a place she could entrust her family's future to?
Mary thought of the annual spring flower market in Frost Halberd City, then looked at the old carriage bumping along with the convoy. Snow and mud clung to the wheels; she even doubted if the carriage floor would last a few more days.
A gust of cold wind blew through a gap, and she shivered.
In the evening, the last sliver of sunset fell into the mountains.
The convoy camped beneath the ridge. Several large pots were set over the campfire, and the salty porridge in them bubbled with steam.
Smith personally delivered wooden bowls to the accompanying large carriages, hoping to see his wife and daughter.
He climbed into the carriage, and the moment he pulled back the canvas, he saw a familiar figure in the corner.
"Eat something hot quickly," he said with a smile, handing over the wooden bowl.
Mary took the wooden bowl, her fingers touching the warm wood, but she didn't drink immediately.
"Smith—do we really have to take our child to such a distant place?" Her voice held deep unease.
Smith paused for a moment, then, as usual, gently ruffled her hair.
"When we get there," he said softly, "you'll understand."
Night slowly fell, and the snowfield became silent.
The central carriage of the camp still had a candle lit. A young Lord sat under the lamplight, meticulously outlining the future territories and cities of the Northern Border Province.
And in the family carriage at the end of the convoy, a mother gently patted her child to sleep.
