The Expansion Conference Begins

The next morning, the entire Wood Fort Town was already a white world.

Victor left the manor by carriage and headed to the Government Affairs Office.

Along the way, Victor saw militiamen leading serfs from nearby farms to clear the snow from the roads.

The snow on the main road was cleared very well, and Victor did not feel the carriage wheels slipping.

Sitting across from Victor, the Old Baron Wembley watched the snow removal teams and pedestrians. "Your concept of city management is indeed very good. In the past, when the weather was like this, almost everyone would stay at home, and most activities would come to a standstill."

There's a real risk that some Freemen, already struggling to make ends meet, might starve or freeze to death due to food and fuel shortages.

"Father, I've said before that transportation is very important. Without it, the flow of people and goods will be disrupted."

Unfortunately, the territory's roads are not yet well-developed. Cement-paved roads only cover a few major towns and villages, while most settlements still rely on dirt roads.

If road conditions were better, the development costs of the territory could be reduced further, and the development speed could be faster.

"You're too greedy. You have to eat one bite at a time, and you can't rush anything."

Your achievements have far exceeded my expectations, and I don't have much advice to give you.

However, after this Civil War, you can relax a bit, take things slowly, and not be as rushed as before!

Victor smiled after hearing his father's words, "Father, you have a lot of confidence in Count Colt and us. How can you be so sure that we can win the Civil War? What if we fail?"

"Who knows, I might have to send you, your mother, and your younger siblings south by boat."

"It's not that I have confidence in you, but I have confidence in Grand Duke Mora. Mora actually has a good team. If he takes steady steps, he might be able to suppress the Rebellion."

However, he was too capricious and dealt with the Central nobles who followed Jorah too casually. He indulged Count Lagos and his men, and it can be said that he has rendered the once powerful Central nobles useless in the past few years!

It's said he'll lead the army of the Central nobles north next spring, but I think it's highly likely the Central nobles will only bring a bunch of serfs to make up the numbers.

Victor was about to say something after hearing this, but the carriage had already stopped; they had arrived at the Government Affairs Office.

"The Central nobles at least have some foundation, so they're not that useless. They probably just don't want to help the Ducal House."

However, even if they were willing to help, they would not be a match for us. Their situation is similar to that of the direct legions; most of their standing army has been wiped out, and it will be difficult for them to recover to their original state.

"Alright, Father, we should get off the bus now."

By this time, the guards had already laid carpets around the carriage, all the way to the gate of the Government Affairs Office.

After Victor dismounted from the carriage, he helped Wembley down.

After the weather turned cold, perhaps due to a lingering ailment from his youth, the Old Baron Wembley's legs began to ache, making it difficult for him to walk without help.

Victor didn't want his elderly father to come to the meeting with him, but Wembley insisted on coming.

He said that Victor would be leading troops into battle next year, and the expansion of territory needed someone to have full control, and that person would definitely be him. He had to attend this meeting.

Victor couldn't go against his father's wishes, so he had no choice but to agree.

Upon entering the conference room, the various leaders of the territory were already present, but the heads of several villages and towns, as well as Luoza, the head of the Military Stud Farm, and Rafam from the Steelworks, were not there.

Powell's attendant ran over and said, "Your Excellency, according to the emergency plan for extreme weather, the heads of various villages and towns are required to remain in their respective jurisdictions to handle their work, so none of them have come to the meeting."

Supervisor Luoza couldn't come because the roads were blocked by heavy snow, and Plant Manager Rafam said that the Steelworks and mine were experiencing production problems due to the snow, so he couldn't come either.

Victor nodded; that was perfectly normal.

He looked up at Powell, who had already walked over, and said, "Now that almost everyone is here, let's get started."

I didn't expect the snow to be so heavy. I imagine you'll have a lot of work to do after the meeting."

"Yes, sir!"

Victor and Wembley took their seats at the head of the table, Powell announced the start of the meeting.

"I guess everyone knows what this meeting is for, but I'll still briefly explain it anyway."

I now have unlimited expansion rights, which means that I can expand into any direction in the Northern Barrens Two Rivers Territory having to abide by the previous restrictions.

The purpose of this meeting is to formulate a preliminary plan for expansion, which will begin simultaneously with my departure next year.

Initially, the territory will certainly have limited manpower and resources to invest, but after the Civil War, as military pressure builds, the territory will shift its focus to this direction.

I need you to propose long-term and short-term goals based on your own work, and then proceed step by step.

After Victor finished stating his demands, everyone was overjoyed. Their lord had obtained this unlimited right to expand, which naturally meant that there would be no more obstacles to the future development of their territory.

As their territory expands, the power of all of them will also increase.

In addition, everyone was very confident of winning this Civil War and believed that the viscount title was not the end for their lords; they might become Count or Marquis in the future.

Since the development of the Two Rivers Territory, everyone has known that although this land is much less endowed with natural resources than the inland areas, it is still very large.

Unrestricted expansion means unlimited possibilities. When it comes time for their lord to reward them, even if he doesn't bestow titles of nobility, he won't be stingy with just distributing land.

Victor saw that everyone was happy and knew what they were thinking. He had no complaints about it. Everyone looks out for themselves. These people worked for him for wealth, so why would they work for him because he was handsome?

"I hope everyone can maintain this enthusiasm in their future work. Okay, everyone can offer suggestions and solutions now."