Free Web NovelRed Tide City, Grand Council Hall.
The morning light streamed down from the gaps in the dome, illuminating the entire hall supported by cold iron beams.
On the walls, Red Tide flags hung one after another, their corners gently swaying, as if rising and falling with breath.
Unlike any previous year, this place had become the heart of the entire Northern Territory.
Lord Louis sat silently in the main seat. His daughter had been born only a few days ago, but on the third morning, he still stood before this long table without any hesitation.
His gaze fell upon the giant map of the Northern Territory behind him, the latest surveyed version.
On the map, the red of Red Tide had spread from the Southeast, like spilled ink, almost painting the entire Northern Territory in a single color.
Those formerly scattered territories were now tightly bound by this red.
The tiered seats in the hall were packed.
These people were not minor Red Tide officials, but the true core backbone of the Northern Territory.
The directors, deputies, and coordination officers of each department were all pillars of the territories capable of independent action.
A few years ago, some of them were merely serfs, workshop apprentices, or even slaves sold to the Northern Territory.
But now they wore the deep crimson cloaks of Red Tide, with the emblems of Red Tide's various departments engraved on their epaulets.
They were all personally promoted by Lord Louis and formed the new power structure of the Northern Territory.
Today was not for discussing minor matters, but to confirm whether the Red Tide System had achieved its first-year objectives.
To truly transform the Northern Territory into Red Tide's heartland, rather than a collection of old territories barely held together.
The hall was so quiet that even the rustle of the scribe turning pages seemed abrupt. Once everyone had arrived, the meeting officially began.
Bradley was the first to rise, his movements steady as he reported: "The Red Tide System's first-year integration report is hereby submitted to Lord Louis."
He opened a thick volume and softly announced: "First item: Centralized governance operations."
"The Red Tide System is fully operational, and all seven departments have completed the first phase of joint office. Local authorities have no legislative power; decrees are issued uniformly by the central government. Regional governors report quarterly; there have been three rounds this year, with no absences.
All three hundred and twenty-seven decrees issued by Red Tide Central have been fully implemented without delay or unauthorized alteration."
As his words fell, everyone in the hall seemed to shift their posture simultaneously.
Officials from the old noble territories were particularly quiet; they had personally witnessed those so-called local methods and old customs being uprooted one by one within a year.
Bradley closed the page: "From an administrative efficiency perspective, Red Tide has become the sole center of the Northern Territory."
He did not emphasize his tone, but everyone in the hall understood that this was already an accomplished fact, not a future aspiration.
"The Northern Territory has approximately one hundred and sixty large and small fiefdoms," Bradley tapped the corner of the page, and the corresponding scribe almost simultaneously wrote down the number.
"Fifty-four territories were fully integrated into the Red Tide System this year, accounting for approximately one-third."
Upon hearing the number fifty-four, several officials from newly incorporated territories subtly gasped.
Their presence here itself signified the complete absorption of one of those fifty-four territories into the Red Tide System. To hear the scale firsthand still brought a shock to their hearts.
Bradley looked up at the main seat: "New integration methods are divided into three categories."
He read them out one by one: "Eighteen territories voluntarily sought to join, mostly forested areas after the disaster. These places were almost unable to sustain themselves after the winter disaster, lacking both food and labor. Without relying on Red Tide, it would be difficult to survive this winter.
And twenty-one territories that entered managed mergers through post-disaster aid last year."
Several officials who had coordinated disaster relief remained calm; they clearly understood that 'managed' effectively meant Red Tide now held the lifeline of those lands.
"Fifteen territories that naturally integrated within a year due to trade route binding."
Trade Commissioner Deslan quietly exhaled; this was the result of his half-year of tireless work.
Bradley turned to the next page, adding: "Additionally, the vast majority of territories that announced their joining of the Red Tide Cooperation Circle at the Northern Territory Reconstruction Conference last year have also transitioned from mere cooperation to complete integration over the past year."
Several scribes immediately noted down the four characters "Reconstruction Conference."
That was the first consensus meeting after the Northern Territory's chaos, and the moment Red Tide truly rose.
Bradley closed the page, his voice steady but heavier: "Current assessment indicates that the Northern Territory's core is indeed still tough, but only the twenty-odd old noble families truly remain capable of rejecting the Red Tide System."
At this, a few faint laughs rippled through the hall. Those present were all planners of Northern Territory policy, so they knew the consequences awaiting the nobles who had yet to join the Red Tide System.
Bradley concluded: "Most territories — Lord Louis, their reliance on Red Tide has become far deeper than on the Imperial Capital during this year of integration."
Lord Louis spoke, his voice not loud, but it silenced the entire hall: "Gentlemen, you have done very well."
His words were devoid of emotion, yet they seemed to stamp a seal upon this weighty integration report.
Before anyone could relax, Bradley had already unfolded the next scroll beside the map, awaiting the Lord's response.
Lord Louis nodded slightly, not in praise, but in confirmation.
That gesture made the shoulders and backs of the seven department heads straighten even further.
He raised a hand, signaling: "Continue."
Bradley moved to the map beside Lord Louis, pointing to an area outside the Red Tide red zone, his tone steady and unhurried: "Second, the planning direction for territories fully integrated into the Red Tide System."
The scribes immediately replaced their paper, and their quills began to write again.
"Part One: The Barren Mist Plains region, fourteen territories."
Bradley traced the earliest light-colored area covered by the Red Tide granary system on the map: "Originally the poorest part of the Northern Territory.
But it was also the first region to complete the granary system transformation and can now be considered the Northern Territory's second granary after Wheatwave."
Bradley lightly tapped the page: "Three reasons for integration: First, spring plowing relies entirely on Red Tide seeds, Ice Claws, and geothermal greenhouses.
Second, the ledger law and granary allocation were implemented most thoroughly. Third, post-disaster relief led to high dependence of local residents on Red Tide."
On the tiered seats, a young official who had just returned from a survey in Suifeng Village lowered his head slightly.
He remembered more than a year ago, the villagers' faces were full of vigilance when they saw unfamiliar Red Tide officials.
Some even feared heavy taxes after the granaries were taken over and preferred to hide in the forests.
But when the first batches of grain bags and greenhouses were built, the resistance quickly softened in the face of practical sustenance.
He remembered the children lining up outside the geothermal greenhouse for their morning porridge for the first time, their hands red from the cold, their eyes shining.
This was how Red Tide gradually won over people's hearts.
Bradley continued to read: "Including Fourteen territories such as Greywheat Hill, Suifeng Territory, Whitmane Territory, and Old Loyne Territory.
He paused here: "Early spring trials in the Barren Mist region have proven the correctness of the Wheat Wave Territory's system; unified production scheduling yields an average of fifty percent higher than the old system."
At this, Mick, the Director of the Department of Agriculture, proactively stepped forward, somewhat nervously adding: "The Department of Agriculture has an additional report."
Lord Louis raised a hand, signaling him to continue.
Because Mick was illiterate, he had memorized all the numbers himself, and the figures were genuinely astonishing: "The seventy-six new large granaries built in the Northern Territory this year are all uniformly managed by Red Tide. All procedures for grain entering and leaving the granaries are based on Red Tide ledgers, with local Northern Territory lords only providing assistance.
Spring planting and breeding — this year also entirely coordinated by Red Tide. Seeds, geothermal greenhouse materials, and irrigation schedules are all distributed uniformly according to Red Tide's plan. Instances of territories distributing on their own have significantly decreased."
Bradley nodded, instructing the scribe to mark this item as important, then added: "The current situation has achieved a three-tier structure: Red Tide granaries to town granaries to village granaries."
Several officials from the grain administration line showed a hint of irrepressible pride on their faces; this was the result of their year-long efforts across the Northern Territory. After reporting on the grain-producing territories, Bradley turned to the next page: "Part Two: The New Mining Belt region, composed of thirteen territories."
Valentine, the Director of the Department of Mining, spoke with a rough but confident tone: "These are the first semi-industrial zones after the Red Tide Department of Mining replicated the Forging Star model."
Bradley read: "Thirteen locations including Black Charcoal Canyon, Furnace Smoke Valley, Hammer Sound Town, Red Sand Slope, and North Mine Meadow.
Three reasons for integration: Steam pumps saved the mines, slide rails stabilized transport, and the Department of Mining's unified acquisition of raw ore crushed the small coffers of the old mine owners."
An official from the New Mining Belt region quietly exhaled.
He remembered the desperate expressions when the mines were flooded, and the day the first steam pump started, miners circled the machine again and again, as if looking at a monster; truly, technology changed the world.
Bradley continued: "Status: All mines now use Red Tide ledgers, and the Artisan Department has established three standard smelting points."
Lord Louis nodded in satisfaction, signaling Bradley to continue.
Bradley turned the page: "Part Three: Red Tide Warehouse Management Zone. Frostfang Fort, Cold Cry Town, Black Peak Outpost, Pine Lake Cluster Villages — a total of nineteen territories.
This area was the most devastated after the winter disaster and had the highest dependency. Most lords fled after the winter disaster, and Red Tide took over, establishing it as a warehouse management zone to store strategic materials like grain and minerals."
Trade Commissioner Deslan added: "It is also the future towns along the railway line."
Bradley nodded: "The Artisan Department has stationed technicians to repair bridges and roads, the Department of Defense has established three border garrisons, and the Supervisory Department is piloting comprehensive management."
He then added: "Two resisting old nobles have been 'appropriately resettled.' Their subordinate troops and officials have all been transferred into the Red Tide sequence."
Several members of the Supervisory Department present grimaced, knowing what 'appropriately resettled' truly implied.
"These places are now de facto directly administered by Red Tide. The words of the local stationmasters are more effective than those of the old lords."
These words made several young officials subtly puff out their chests.
When those villagers were first taken over, they also resisted, but when the Red Tide stationmaster arrived with the first grain carts, that resistance naturally broke, like dry branches snapped by snow. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Bradley turned to the next scroll: "Part Four: Southern Harbor Line, eight territories. Wavebreak Bay, Old Shipyard District,
Seawind Fort, Stone Shore Village, and eight other territories."
Deslan stepped forward to add: "These are all prospective new port areas."
Bradley nodded: "New ports are under construction, port affairs offices have raised their flags, maritime taxation and fishing port scheduling are handled by Red Tide, preparing for transition to direct port administration."
He then ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) added: "Due to 'work for grain,' the cooperation of the people in the harbor area is extremely high."
Bradley rolled up the scroll: "Other regions, some serving as supply nodes, some as border outposts, some as processing zones, although not fully annexed, are already semi-integrated within the Red Tide System."
Lord Louis listened quietly, as if committing every word to memory.
Finally, he nodded, signaling to continue with the next item.
Aileen, the Director of the Auditing Department, rose from her seat with clean, crisp movements.
Holding a black leather ledger, she walked to the front of the long table and bowed slightly: "Lord Louis, the Supervisory Department's disciplinary report for this year is as follows."
Her voice was never loud, but it carried a chilling coldness that prevented distraction.
"First, case filings." She opened the ledger, and the scribes immediately picked up their pens. "The Supervisory Department filed a total of seventy-one cases this year."
Someone on the tiered seats softly gasped; this number meant that almost every four days, a case was uncovered.
Ailin continued: "Cases confirmed and disciplined are as follows—"
She read them out one by one: "Thirty-one cases of embezzling disaster relief grain; twenty-two cases of withholding spring planting seeds; twelve cases of privately imposing taxes and secretly collecting reconstruction fees; six cases of harboring evil god worship, including five altars."
When "evil god worship" was mentioned, the entire hall noticeably chilled for a moment, as if the cold had seeped into their skin.
Most of those present had experienced the insect plague, which was not something to be taken lightly.
Ailin closed the first half of the ledger and continued: "Second, disciplinary methods. Sixty-three people were dismissed on the spot;
Twenty-seven people were publicly paraded in cangues; nineteen people were executed according to the law."
She paused, then spread open the last page: "Among the most egregious cases, a Red Tide official responsible for aid supplies.
After being bribed by a local lord, he diverted two full months of grain rations, forcing disaster victims to sell their children for food. He was immediately executed by the Supervisory Department."
"Third, ledger implementation. This year, the Northern Territory achieved unified, public, and transparent ledger formats for the first time."
Ailin flipped through the pages and continued her report: "Fifty-four territories fully integrated into the Red Tide System have fully implemented it.
Thirty semi-cooperative territories have only implemented half, with significant data inflation.
The number of uncooperative territories has shrunk from sixteen to eight, but all eight either have no ledgers or directly falsify them."
A small stir arose on the tiered seats. Clearly, these eight territories were thorns in the Red Tide System's side.
Ailin looked up at Lord Louis: "The Supervisory Department recommends that starting this spring, the eight uncooperative territories undergo full ledger takeover, and their administrators and town officials be replaced.
As for the eight uncooperative lords, their personal lord's dividends should be frozen, their warehouse and mining rights granted by Red Tide revoked, and they should be prohibited from leaving the territory until the ledger integration is complete.
It is also recommended to cease all disaster relief and spring planting aid, place them on the Red Tide blacklist, and no longer grant them priority for grain seeds, trade routes, and mining within the Red Tide System.
Secondly, for the thirty semi-cooperative territories, the Supervisory Department recommends halving their dividends and suspending their priority trade routes and warehouse rights until ledger implementation meets standards.
Finally, she paused, then added: "These punishments are all within the scope of the contract."
As these words fell, the temperature in the great hall seemed to drop another inch.
The officials present all understood that this was a harsh blow to the lords themselves.
Lord Louis listened, then without hesitation: "Approved."
Everyone present understood that with this order, those eight territories had no retreat, and the thirty semi-cooperative territories also had no more room for ambiguity.
While the atmosphere was still heavy with the aftershocks of the disciplinary decision, Lana, the Director of the Department of Education, rose from the tiered seats.
She carried the departmental scroll, inscribed with a quill pattern, and walked to the long table, bowing before looking up.
"Lord Louis, the Department of Education's achievements in cultural infiltration and infrastructure construction for this year are reported as follows."
Her voice was not as cold as Ailin's, nor as steady as Bradley's, but carried a clarity and gentleness unique to an educator.
But at this moment, no one regarded her as a kind teacher.
After all, Lord Louis had said that the roots of Red Tide must be planted in children, and the importance of this department was certainly no less than that of granaries or mines.
"First, the construction of town schools." She opened the first page, and the quills of the scribes almost simultaneously began writing.
"A total of seventeen town schools were built this year. They are distributed in the Misty Plains, the New Mining Belt, the Northern Snowline, and the Southern Harbor Line."
She paused: "School curricula are uniformly divided into four categories: reading and writing, using simplified Red Tide characters; arithmetic; vocational training tailored to local conditions; and early simplified editions of 'Red Tide Stories.'"
Upon hearing "Red Tide Stories," someone subtly raised an eyebrow.
Lana explained: "There is also the official version of 'The Great Lord Louis,' which currently recounts the early deeds of Red Tide in allegorical form, to help children understand order and mutual assistance."
She added: "Reports from various schools indicate that children are learning much faster than expected.
In the past, most children in the Northern Territory couldn't even speak fluently; now, the first batch of students can write the entire village's grain ledger using simplified Red Tide characters."
A faint murmur passed through the tiered seats, a mixture of uncontrollable surprise and relief.
Lana turned to the next page: "Second, the standardization of relief rituals.
All porridge distribution days now use the Red Tide Sun Emblem. Each distribution point must declare: 'Red Tide and all of you will endure the winter together.'"
She looked up at everyone: "The populace has begun to associate the Red Tide flag with survival. This is the most crucial first step in cultural infiltration."
Lana turned another page: "Third, next year's plan. The Department of Education plans to add another generation of territories within the Red Tide System next year and establish a system of itinerant lecturers to teach literacy and basic arithmetic to unintegrated territories.
If successful, within two years, the literacy rate for all children over nine in the Northern Territory could reach thirty percent, and over sixty percent in areas within the Red Tide System."
Finally, she closed the scroll and bowed slightly: "That concludes the Department of Education's report."
Mick, the Director of the Artisan Department, stood up from his seat, his voice carrying the rough tone characteristic of an artisan: "Lord Louis, the Artisan Department' main achievements this year have exceeded the original plan.
First, a total of forty-two new bridges were built in the Northern Territory, and old roads were repaired; two hundred and thirty li.
Second, the rail lines expanded from the original seven to twenty-one, mostly within Red Tide territory.
Third, standard smelting points expanded to six, and mine output increased by nearly one and a half times compared to last year—"
After Mick stepped down, the Trade Commissioner immediately stepped forward.
This thin, middle-aged man spoke at a measured pace, but his tone was sharp: "The Trade Commissioner's achievements this year include unified trade routes and a formalized post station system."
He presented data: "The original seven main trade lines have now expanded to twenty-one, all brought under Red Tide control.
Tax rates have decreased by thirty percent, and cargo circulation speed has nearly doubled compared to last year—"
Then a woman in a white and gray shawl stood up.
She was Cyrell, the Director of the Department of Health, a physician's apprentice Lord Louis brought from the Calvin Family, now managing all medical lines in the Northern Territory.
"This year, the Department of Health established nineteen fixed medical points and thirteen mobile medical teams across the Northern Territory.
Thirty-seven cases of epidemics were handled, with no spread—"
After listening to the entire round of reports, everyone understood that this year was not just about barely sustaining, but about comprehensive, vigorous growth.
The framework of the Red Tide System had not only been established but had begun to extend new branches and tentacles outwards.
Overall, the first year was not just a success, but an overachievement.
As this sentence landed, the hall suddenly became so quiet that even the air seemed to pause for a moment.
Everyone subconsciously looked at the main seat.
Lord Louis slowly stood up, his movements unhurried, yet naturally drawing all attention to him.
He did not display majesty, but merely showed a slight smile: "Gentlemen, you have done very well."
With one sentence, many officials' shoulders relaxed slightly, but before they could exhale, Lord Louis continued: "This year's Red Tide System plan far exceeded expectations. The market system is running smoothly, ledgers are unified, granaries are stable, and trade routes are fully connected—"
Someone in the hall couldn't help but puff out their chest.
Lord Louis scanned the room: "This year, we caught the collapsing sky of the Northern Territory. We ensured countless people had food, work, and roads to travel. We let them know that Red Tide has arrived, and winter will not leave people to starve.
Many officials from disaster-stricken areas on the tiered seats slightly lowered their gaze; those scenes were all too clear to them:
Children, emaciated to the bone, trembling as they held hot porridge; miners' silence upon their first taste of hot soup; snowfield women crying uncontrollably over their first bite of dry rations.
Lord Louis's voice was not loud, but it carried a certain power: "Countless people in the Northern Territory survived because of your work. This is not just pretty words, but a fact."
Someone's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
"This is not my achievement alone." He paused, "It is every one of you who made the Northern Territory rise from the ruins."
Just a few dozen words, yet they made more than one person in the great hall's eyes burn with emotion.
No one dared to speak, but that pride surged up as if from the earth's veins.
Then Lord Louis reined in his tone, switching to a gentler one: "But our mission is not over. The second year of Red Tide will be more difficult, and greater."
Everyone straightened up in unison, indicating their seriousness.
Lord Louis raised a hand and pointed to the massive map of the Northern Territory: "We must turn these red lines into true lifelines. We must connect every road, every mining line, every school, every warehouse into a single system."
Then his tone shifted: "As for dividends."
The air in the great hall visibly stirred.
Lord Louis's smile deepened: "Every official will receive their share. This year's profit distribution will be made according to the rules. Take what you can, for it is what you deserve."
Someone almost uncontrollably looked up at him.
"As for the dividends of each territory, it's the same." Lord Louis's voice was calm, yet as steady as an iron nail, "Give them what they are due, do not be stingy.
"The Red Tide System does not rely on coercion, but on letting people know that following us will not lead to loss. This way, they will not complain.
Next year, we will continue to make Red Tide stronger, and truly make the Northern Territory a complete whole."
"Gentlemen." Lord Louis looked around, "Keep up the good work."
No one shouted in the great hall, nor did anyone pound on tables.
But everyone simultaneously stood up and bowed, their movements as uniform as a giant flag unfurling in the wind.
The reason they bowed to Lord Louis was not out of etiquette, nor out of fear.
More than half of the officials were commoners, refugees, miners, apprentices, or even sold slaves just three years ago.
It was Lord Louis who pulled them up from under the feet of the old nobility, allowing them to eat their fill, dress warmly, and sit here to work for the first time.
And they, following Lord Louis's example, saved the starving, opened schools, built hospitals, and lit porridge stoves—
Of course, all this was because Lord Louis gave them their positions and opportunities.
So they bowed to Lord Louis, because it was Lord Louis who enabled them to stand here today.
