A Great Gift from a Fool

In the conference room of Weissenburg Castle, Frederick sat around the round table with Ah Fu, who had just returned from Nuremberg; administrator Flick, tax officer Neuer, judge Otto, old knight Franz, and the other senior officials of Wessen Territory, as well as Richard Nahl, Manuel, and the rest. Every one of them had question marks floating over their heads.

Manuel, the learned sage of Constantinople, racked his brains for every adjective he knew before finally asking Frederick directly, "Is your King... an idiot?"

"Such an important resource as population, and he just says he doesn't want it and sends it over?"

Frederick answered solemnly, "Sir Manuel, this is a state secret of our country. Please do not let it leak!"

After the burst of laughter died down, administrator Flick said to Frederick, "Master, I think I understand what the King was thinking."

"According to the intelligence brought back by the merchants, there will be fifty to sixty thousand refugees entering Wessen Territory this time. That many people would be enough to bankrupt our treasury."

Old knight Franz let out a cold laugh and continued, "His Majesty the King seems to have forgotten one thing: how much damage these refugees will cause along the way as they travel to Wessen Territory, and how long it will take them."

Everyone laughed again. At the refugees' walking pace, it would take one to two months to get from the disaster zone to Wessen Territory.

If those refugees had arrived tomorrow, Frederick and the others would have been doomed. If they arrived in half a month, they could grit their teeth and endure. But now they had so much time—more than enough to prepare.

Once Frederick had laughed enough, he said to everyone, "Now, let's continue discussing the refugees."

"For quite some time to come, food will be the first problem we need to solve."

Ah Fu said, "Master, Janis has already reached agreements with several large merchant guilds in Munich. Weissen Syrup can be exchanged by weight for five times its weight in wheat, or for oats, barley, rice, and other grains of equivalent value."

Everyone already knew this news. They also knew that one kilogram of malt sugar cost roughly two kilograms of wheat to produce. That was where their confidence in handling the refugees came from.

Frederick said, "Have him keep negotiating. As long as they have food, we have Weissen Syrup. We can trade for more cheap beans as well."

"Oh, and don't forget livestock and cloth. Winter will be here before we know it."

Aumert had also come over from the blacksmith shop for the meeting today. He added, "We've already reached an agreement with the suppliers. They'll provide Raw Materials such as coal, iron ore, and pig iron, while we pay with Steel Ingots of different specifications and Elemental Steel. The money comes in faster than robbery."

"Expanding the blacksmith shop is imperative. I suggest gathering the blacksmiths, carpenters, and others among the refugees together."

"Recently, we installed our trial bearings in two watermills. Their flour-grinding efficiency has increased severalfold. I suggest that our next priority be a complete upgrade of the mills across the territory."

Frederick nodded. "We'll have a lot of people to feed next, and we need to save money."

"Ah Fu, the Weissen Sugar Workshop needs to expand. We'll be relying on it to survive from now on."

"Tell Nina that the Steam Bread Shop will be expanded into a Steam Bread Workshop, and that it should spread to the other towns as well. From now on, she'll be in charge of the Steam Bread Workshops throughout the territory."

Steamed buns used less fuel and took less time than bread. They could also be made with coal as fuel, which was vital for keeping the refugees alive and would save even more money.

Frederick continued, "The blacksmith shop and carpentry shop will have three main tasks from now on: making tools in cooperation with the Steam Bread Workshop, producing farm tools, and producing bearings."

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the blacksmith shop and set up some coal-burning stoves for the Steam Bread Workshop."

The food problem was solved, but another major issue remained. Administrator Flick said, "Master, we'll need to establish nearly two hundred villages in the future. That means we need that many Village Chiefs and constables."

Under the current village governance system, each village's leadership consisted of a Village Chief and elders, while constables could also participate to some extent.

Among them, the Village Chief and constable were appointed by the lord. The Village Chief was responsible for holding village meetings, publicizing laws and decrees, and collecting various taxes. The constable organized the militia to patrol day and night, defend the village, and guard prisoners.

The village elders, meanwhile, were elected by the villagers themselves and were responsible for assisting the Village Chief and constable.

With so many new people arriving, there was now an enormous shortage of administrators.

Frederick had no good solution for this either. He didn't have some system that could conjure people out of thin air. Even if he did, he would have to prioritize summoning Artoria Pendragon to dig canals or something similar, since that would save a great deal of money.

Merging small villages into large ones was out of the question. There were no electric bikes these days for people to ride to the fields. If a village was too large, some people would practically be ready for lunch by the time they reached the edge of their fields.

After thinking for a moment, Frederick said to Flick, "I don't have any particularly good solution either. When the time comes, it probably won't just be Village Chiefs—we'll be short on people even at the town offices."

"How about this? Recruit some people, then use the time we have to teach them how to be Village Chiefs and constables. Once they pass the exam, send them out to try the job. If they do well, we'll hire them officially."

"While you have time, plan out the locations of the villages as well. The principle is to build along rivers and roads, and the administrative ranges of the towns should be optimized again."

"Leave the land between Weissenburg City and the river alone. I've decided that the expanded ironworks, blacksmith workshops, carpentry workshops, and the textile workshops we build later will all be placed there."

"We can't use all our land to grow food. Some people should work in the workshops instead."

Flick noted down Baron Weissen's instructions.

Faced with such orderly instructions, no one treated Frederick like a child anymore. Manuel and the others were somewhat shaken. Were all children of the Rhine Alliance monsters?

At that moment, Psyche, whom Frederick had brought in, asked, "What do you plan to do with the orphans?"

Frederick slapped his forehead. That was a major problem.

These refugees had been driven here all the way, so many would surely have lost their homes and families, been separated from their wives and children. Adults would be manageable, but orphans were another matter.

"Build an orphanage and take them in," Frederick said with a sigh.

Manuel said at once, "Build it near the university. We can send people over to teach them some reading and writing. Those with talent can continue their studies and help the territory in the future."

Everyone understood what he meant. Those orphans would have their lives saved under Frederick's care. There was no question whom they would be loyal to in the future.

Old knight Franz immediately said, "The army should start recruiting too."

Frederick told him, "We'll discuss the army later. I have some new ideas, and I'll speak once I've thought them through."

Frederick had some ideas regarding the army. He instinctively detested old-style armies full of corporal punishment and oppression. Transforming one into a people's army would be harder than reaching the moon, so he could only model it after feudal armies like the Yue Family Army and the Qi Family Army.

But the prerequisite for all of that was ensuring soldiers could eat their fill and stay warm. In the end, it still came down to making money.