Let the People Suffer a Little; I'll Bear the Blame
"Yes, my Lord! I will come up with a plan as soon as possible, one that is both practical and presentable, and will not delay the important matter of welcoming the Princess!" Morr accepted the order, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a professional receiving a challenging task.
Upon receiving the order, Morr immediately demonstrated his rigor and efficiency as a professional engineer. He did not blindly demand the renovation of the entire massive Shantytown Area, which was simply impossible to complete in time.
He accurately grasped the core of the problem: the route the Princess's entourage would inevitably take, and the impressions along the way.
After personally surveying the area, he delineated a core welcoming route, approximately one kilometer long, connecting the end of the Fran City Official road to the foot of Carnford Castle.
The area on both sides of this road is precisely where the shacks are most densely packed and the environment is most chaotic.
Although Edgar had planned a main road, the road remained filthy due to the constant flow of people and the muddy conditions of the Northern Territory spring, revealing the dilapidated state of the shacks on both sides.
"We must never let the Princess's caravan pass through this section of road," Morr said to Karl. "Otherwhere, the Princess might just peek from her carriage, and we can simply do a thorough cleaning shortly beforehand. But this road must be completely cleaned up."
Karl listened to Morr's plan, a strange feeling welled up in his heart. It was so similar to the practice in his previous life of rushing to carry out "image projects" in order to welcome the inspection of superiors.
He smiled bitterly to himself, never expecting that he would one day become a driving force behind this kind of "face-saving" work, but that was reality, and he had no choice but to do it.
Morr's plan was implemented swiftly, even somewhat forcefully.
He mandated that during the period leading up to the Princess's arrival, no non-essential personnel should roam freely along this one-kilometer main road.
At the same time, he mobilized 800 laborers to cut timber in the distant mountains and forests, and urgently made a large number of simple wooden fences to tightly enclose both sides of the road, completely severing the visual connection between the roadside shacks and the road.
This measure has greatly increased the difficulty of travel for residents on both sides of the road, requiring them to take a long detour to get in and out, which has caused considerable complaints.
However, there was no other way; faced with the important political task of welcoming the Princess, the common people had to suffer first.
In addition, Morr organized a large number of people to dig shallow drainage ditches on both sides of the road to prevent rainwater and sewage from flooding the road surface. At the same time, a large amount of gravel was transported from the nearby river beach and laid on the muddy roadbed, which greatly improved the road conditions and cleanliness.
For some particularly dilapidated shacks that were right next to the road and could not be completely covered by fences, Morr ordered the carpenter Elliot to lead a group of apprentices and five hundred experienced vagrants on a whirlwind exterior renovation.
They used rough wooden planks to reinforce and cover the crumbling mud and grass walls, and cleverly wove together collected wild grasses and vines, hanging them in the cracks of the walls and under the eaves to create a false sense of "rustic charm".
With Karl's consent, Morr also used some of the relatively plain-colored cloth that Lady Eileen had brought, cutting it into long Cloth Strip and hanging them on the lintels or fences of some shacks.
When the spring breeze blows through the Northern Territory, these Cloth Strip flutter in the wind, and from a distance, they do indeed give the illusion of a peaceful village, at least no longer looking so starkly like a refugee camp.
Meanwhile, Edgar was also busy, assigning tasks to several staff members of the newly established Department of the Culture and Propaganda Department.
Tommy, who had just been appointed as the propaganda officer, immediately led several of his eloquent young subordinates into the Shantytown Area that were being "rectified," patiently explaining and reassuring the residents who were complaining about the inconvenience of getting around.
"Fellow villagers, please bear with it! The Lord is doing this for the sake of Carnford's reputation, and more importantly, for everyone's good!"
"Think about it, Her Highness the Princess represents the Her Highness the Princess. What if she sees how dilapidated this place is? What if she thinks our Lord is incompetent and stops allocating money and food to us?"
"Lord, you're using this opportunity to repair roads, drain water, and even reinforce our houses. It's a truly good thing!"
"Everyone must remember the Lord's kindness; this temporary inconvenience is for a better future!"
Through this propaganda, efforts were made to transform a coercive political task into a "virtuous policy" of the Lord caring for his people, thereby mitigating public resistance as much as possible.
Under Morr's full supervision and with the investment of a large amount of manpower and resources, this one-kilometer "welcome route" and the "vanity projects" on both sides have been transformed at an astonishing speed.
Although it is still a temporary fix, at least visually it is barely enough to cope with the upcoming major test that concerns the reputation of the Carnford and Schmidt Family.
After entrusting the "prestige project" of welcoming the Princess's entourage entirely to Morr, Karl refocused his attention on Carnford's most fundamental survival and development plan.
For him, political dignity was important, but ultimately temporary; the fighting strength of the army and the stability of the territory were the eternal foundations.
Now that we have plenty of money, the rebuilding and expansion of the military can finally be put on the agenda.
However, the first step in rebuilding the army was not to rush into recruiting new soldiers, but to properly settle the veterans who had shed blood for Carnford.
After the last fierce battle to defend the city, and following rigorous selection and rest, fewer than two hundred veterans remained in the fighting force.
In addition, there were more than 100 wounded soldiers who were disabled due to their injuries and could no longer adapt to high-intensity combat. They also paid a heavy price for defending their homeland.
How to resettle these wounded soldiers is not only a matter of humanity, but also directly affects the morale of active-duty soldiers and the effectiveness of future recruitment.
After consulting with Edgar, Brendan, and others, Karl devised a detailed and humane resettlement plan.
The core principles are centralized resettlement, neighborhood assistance, guaranteed livelihood, and respect for dignity.
All eligible wounded soldiers and their immediate family members will be given priority to move into the residential area in the southeast corner of Stockaded Village Number One, which is currently under construction.
The more than thirty stone and wood houses planned there will first be allocated to these wounded soldiers' families, ensuring they have a sturdy, warm, and safe new home away from the war.
In addition, a neighborhood mutual assistance policy of "ten households helping one household" was implemented, which means that ten displaced families who are about to be divided up will jointly help one wounded soldier's family.
The assistance provided is not complicated; it mainly involves helping wounded soldiers' families with heavy physical labor that they find difficult to undertake independently, such as farming, house repairs, and snow removal in winter.
This system can effectively address the practical difficulties faced by wounded soldiers' families, promote integration between new and old residents, and foster a sense of community.