Attending the Meeting

Vincent looked at Bard with suspicion. "Are you serious? Just adding more people will solve the problem?"

"Yes, the biggest reason affecting the project's progress right now is that the laying of the foundation's weighing piles is too slow. The ice is too thick, and we have to break the ice before we can drive the piles."

These are all physically demanding tasks; having more manpower can speed things up.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I'll believe you this time. However, I can't provide the manpower you need for free; you'll need to pay a service fee."

After hearing this, Bard looked pained and rubbed his hands together, saying to Vincent, "Sir, I know the rules. We can't just take advantage of this. But could we pay their labor fees after the project is completed?"

Vincent was silent for a moment, then said, "Fine, I'll trust you one more time and give you some more time."

Bard was delighted to hear this, but then he put on a troubled expression. "Sir, you see, this project of mine doesn't make much money to begin with, and I have to hire so many people temporarily. Could you please lower the labor costs for me?"

Bard pinched his fingers and gestured to Vincent, "Just a little bit!"

Vincent reached out and beckoned with his index finger a few times. Bard quickly scurried over, Vincent whispered to him, "Bard, stop dreaming!"

After saying that, he reached out and shoved Bard away. "I'll take care of the people. I'll pay you whatever it takes. I'm giving you a chance, this is the last time."

After watching Vincent walk away, Bard rubbed the spot where Vincent had pushed him hard earlier. "Speak properly, why did you use so much force?"

Bard then exclaimed with a long face, "This is a real loss!"

Hiring another hundred people to participate in the project would increase the total labor costs by 30%, which would basically mean that most of the profits from Bard's project would be invested in this project.

In addition, he borrowed money from the Chamber of Commerce in advance to finance the project, and he still had to repay the money and pay interest after the project was completed. In the end, the project was like working for nothing.

However, if this project can be completed successfully, Bard's engineering team will become the largest private engineering team in the Two Rivers Territory, which will definitely be of great help to his future career development.

The next day, Vincent had his men bring a group of 100 men, and after a careful inspection, Bard found that they were mostly strong laborers in their 20s and 30s.

These people were contract slaves that Vincent had drawn from several farms under Sea Song Town. Vincent also assigned a farm manager to oversee them and prevent the group from shirking their duties.

What pleased Bard the most was that Vincent also had these people bring some construction tools, so Bard didn't have to spend any more money to purchase them.

When it came to negotiating the labor costs, Bard found that Vincent was very generous, offering basically the lowest price in the entire Two Rivers Territory labor market.

The farm manager also privately told Bard, "Town Mayor Vincent has given you his full support. The Town Mayor has no extra requirements, as long as you can complete this project well and ensure it is completed smoothly before the deadline."

As you probably know, many projects will be transferred to local authorities soon. If you can complete this project on time, the Town Mayor will give your team priority in future projects.

Deeply moved after hearing this, Bard said, "Please rest assured, Lord Vincent, I, Bard, will do my utmost."

At this point, Vincent no longer had the energy to manage the dock expansion; he had a lot of work to do, especially since he was also in charge of the entire Sea Song Town shipyard.

He was at the shipyard at this moment. The Sea Song Town Shipyard was the largest factory in the Two Rivers Territory, with a total area of over 5 square kilometers.

This place is located in the southeast of Sea Song Town, directly opposite the pier.

The shipyard has several huge dry docks, which are deep pits dug directly from the sea. They are very large and are now full of ships.

"How's the modification of these ships going?"

Vincent went directly to the shipyard's chief craftsman Coru.

"It went very smoothly. After the ships in this dry dock were modified, the entire project was completed."

According to the previous design, all ships were equipped with rams, and the position of the bow was modified, with the stem below the waterline angled.

Coru led Vincent directly to a dry dock. Coru pointed to the ship in front of them and said, "Sir, you see, the bow of this ship is tilted at a great angle, about 30 degrees. In previous experiments, we relied on this design modification to greatly enhance the ship's icebreaking ability."

It's a pity the sea ice hasn't melted yet, otherwise I could show you, sir, how these ships break through the ice.

After finishing his explanation Coru began to launch into a long-winded introduction to Vincent, detailing the entire renovation process and the success of the previous prototype.

"Alright, Master Craftsman Coru, since things are going smoothly at the shipyard, I don't need to pay any more attention to it."

Please complete these tasks carefully. If you find any problems, you can come to my Ducal House directly, or you can contact my secretary if I'm not there.

After listening, Coru looked at Vincent. "Where are you going during this time? Didn't you say before that the ship modification project here is the most important thing?"

"I need to go to Wood Fort Town; the lord needs to see me."

Vincent proudly boasted to Coru.

"In that case, it is indeed very important. I will ensure the progress of the renovation while you are away, so don't worry."

Coru's answer was rather bland, no different from usual.

After giving his instructions, Vincent rode his horse and set off for Wood Fort Town.

This meeting was reportedly convened by the territory on short notice, and the attendees were all heads of various departments, plus a group of military officers, so it was a very high-level meeting.

After arriving in Wood Fort Town, Vincent asked some of his old friends about the contents of the meeting, but to his surprise, even one of his old friends was not very clear about the contents.

When Vincent learned of this, he immediately realized that this meeting was quite extraordinary, so he patiently focused on attending it.

The meeting was officially convened the next day, Victor personally presided over it. "There are two topics for this meeting. One is that the territory will formally establish a Supervision Department to be responsible for internal work supervision and project auditing, etc."

Another thing is to mobilize again. This year's work is very important for the territory. We need to participate in the war that is sweeping the country.

I promise you all that if we succeed, everyone will get a share of the profits. That's my promise to you all.

Next, Victor gave a detailed introduction to the new department and inquired about several important tasks related to the Civil War.

Vincent himself was in charge of two very important tasks: the expansion of the wharf in Riverside Town and the upgrading of the existing fleet in the Two Rivers Territory.

Currently, Two Rivers Territory can indeed build new ships, but the cost is high and the shipbuilding cycle is long.

Therefore, upgrading and modifying the existing ships to better meet the needs is the most efficient and time-saving approach.

After Victor inquired, Vincent did not hide anything. Instead, he told him all the difficulties he was facing and said that he was willing to accept punishment if the lord blamed him.

"Very good. As long as it can be completed on time, this little thing is nothing."

Vincent, you did a great job. If you have any problems, feel free to tell me.

If there are any inconveniences for you, I could easily solve them.

Vincent, remember this: don't keep your troubles to yourself. If you delay important matters, I won't be so lenient.

"Yes, sir, rest assured, I will definitely complete the task you assigned us with high quality and quantity."