CHAPTER 529: CHAPTER 507 HOLY AXIS CAMP

Imperial Calendar, November 1, 1445, the Holy Axis Camp was officially announced established at Joan of Arc Castle.

In addition to the six Secret Factions in the Northern County of Black Snake Bay, the Blago Monastery joined as a special observer.

Holding the freshly printed Holy Axis Agreement, Horn felt a mix of emotions.

It was already late autumn, and a chilly breeze blew through the four-petaled gear-shaped lattice window, making the piles of documents on the table teeter.

Shedding his autumn velvet coat, Horn changed into a coarse black jerkin for daily wear.

Such clothing was considered overly plain for the aesthetics of this era, resembling the common uniforms of the Salvation Army.

To Horn, he preferred such clothing without the flashy red and green embellishments.

In the explanation of Joan of Arc Castle’s citizens, it was to show determination in war, wearing a uniform all year round.

But Horn felt misunderstood; this wasn’t a tribute. He wore formal attire in official diplomatic occasions.

"Raphael, go and close the window."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Raphael, who was sharpening quill pens nearby, stood up from the door and closed the window of the Holy Arrival Hall.

Before Raphael could sit down, Horn called out again for him to come over: "Raphael, how have our partners been these past two days?"

"The Flame Rose Association, Dragon Language Scholar Association, and Bald Head Society have all gone to Autumn Dusk Island," Raphael replied immediately, "The Suffering Monk Group is protecting Lady Louise’s return. They are currently still in Joan of Arc Castle, touring around everywhere with Lady Catherine."

"And what about the Blago Monk Group?"

"They have remained indoors, but we caught three suspicious individuals near their residence at Mole Manor. Jilo is eighty percent sure they are Demon Hunters."

"It seems the relationship between the two has not improved. They’ll be returning tomorrow. Hopefully, we can resolve the dispute by March next year." Horn leaned his head against the soft cushion of the chair’s backrest, "How is the investigation on the leaker going?"

"We are still screening. We have put some suspects under surveillance but have not apprehended them to avoid alerting them prematurely."

"Hurry up and try to confirm by the end of the year, and implement it as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will head to the Night Watcher’s Office now." Raphael made a bow to Horn and jogged out of the study door.

Watching Raphael’s figure disappear behind the door, Horn looked up, gazed at the layers of geometric patterns on the ceiling, and let out a self-mocking laugh.

Lately, to ensure effective governance, he had to incorporate a large number of former local monks and citizens into the government.

Unlike the seasoned veterans from the Battle of Pavia, these latecomers, who even joined with a reformed prisoner mindset, were not as firm in their stance as the earlier people.

Some did not match up to the later additions such as the Blago Monks in terms of conviction.

It wasn’t that Horn lacked reliable personnel for government management, but those people were all in the military.

To guarantee the military’s reliability, he had to temporarily compromise on the reliability of the government.

Once the situation stabilizes, Horn figured he would need to purge some people and replace them with more reliable administrative monks from the military.

He took out a pen, noted it down in his small notepad, stretched lazily, and refocused on the agreement document on the table.

This was Horn’s greatest diplomatic achievement as of late. The Salvation Army’s theoretical boundary had already penetrated the Northern County of Black Snake Bay.

According to the "1445 Joan of Arc Castle - Long Embankment City Agreement," the Salvation Army will construct six commercial ports and cargo docks along the Ibe River within a year, widening some river sections.

Meanwhile, they will also establish a sugarcane crushing workshop on the site of the Red Copper Fortress to produce the initial version of brown sugar for northern transportation.

The future sugar industry center would likely be near Joan of Arc Castle.

Firstly, river shipping is convenient here, suitable for large-scale brown sugar and grain trade; secondly, this is the Salvation Army’s governing core, resulting in much higher efficiency than other places.

Additionally, Horn specially set up the Alchemy Development Bureau under the Holy Axis.

Developments include the Flame Rose Association’s electric gold technology, the Bald Head Society’s monster breeding technology, the Ruo’an Faction’s mortar and mountain copper technology, and several alchemical potion formulas.

The Alchemy Development Bureau will collaborate with the ry Court Barracks’ Royal Natural Theological Academy, setting up dedicated research institutes and an Alchemy Academy on the west bank of Parra River on Autumn Dusk Island, setting aside disputes for joint development.

The director of this position is held by Dragon Language Scholar Bachelor Kerben, and Harbin serves as the deputy.

At Louise’s request, Horn will dispatch a group of officers to Black Snake Bay to help them train their troops.

A batch of Black Snake Bay People will also be sent to serve and train in the Salvation Army, enrolling in the Officer School (Saint Dangji Academy).

Meanwhile, as a special observer, the Blago Monastery also provided many freshly graduated monks and nuns.

After a one-to-three-month training on Autumn Dusk Island, they will formally enter the Salvation Army’s government system.

Thus, the large framework is set up.

For light industries, there is sugar in food processing, spinning and weaving in textile production, and movable type with ink in the printing industry.

For heavy industries, however, there’s scarcity. In terms of heavy industry under Horn’s control, only mountain copper and mortar stand out.

Although Jeanne possesses a lightning refining method to transform pig iron into steel, she’s just one person and can’t produce much.

Developing steel smelting technology has always been a top priority in Horn’s technology planning.

When negotiating with the Dwarves, he asked if they had such technology. Their response: "If we had, would Dwarves still be like this today?"

This cooperation with Black Snake Bay aimed to inquire about related alchemical technologies.

Except for Louise suggesting seeking several more Lightning Shaping Wizards, there was no other alchemical or spell technology.

After all, Black Snake Bay isn’t a ferrous mineral origin, and they too must rely on imports.

In the Salvation Army’s most important heavy industry—steel industry, Horn hit a dead end.

Note that expanding the army requires a great deal of ordnance and armor, needing a robust steel industry.

Even with the current productivity, the Mayo Town’s mine output has struggled to keep up with Horn’s demands.

Thus, part of the iron ingots must be smuggled in to meet the requirements.

Despite the current state of blockade, with the Thousand River Valley Church’s control power and the chaos effect brought by the spear-wielding cavalries, smuggling isn’t difficult.

As long as it’s not bulk goods, the borders resemble sieves, where bribing a patrol captain allows grains and supplies to be transported to Saint Sun’s Army in Hotam County.

Not to mention smuggling a few thousand pounds of iron ingots.

The downside is that it’s costly, resulting in a steep rise in the production cost of ironware, almost all of which is absorbed by the military, necessitating a rationing system among civilians.

The southern Thousand River Valley indeed lacks good iron ores, with the premium ones located in North Mande County and Shangruifo County to the north.

The current strategy seems to be connecting with Moliat in the north; in any case, with advanced production relationships, Horn can ensure a steel output exceeding that of the Empire’s similar workshops.

After half a year’s rest, even if the Salvation Army encounters hurdles, they should be battle-ready, ready to prove themselves on the battlefield.

Picking up the freshly sharpened wing quill by Raphael, Horn solemnly wrote a string of words on a blank sheet.

"Summer Offensive!"