"Annie, how long can our current wheat reserves last?" Lucas turned his head to the fox-eared girl, who had egg tart crumbs all over her mouth.
"Huh?" Annie froze, then immediately flipped through her notebook and recited, "We only have three warehouses of wheat reserves left. Based on the current population growth, we have over 25,000 people. It can only last a little over a month and a half."
"A little over a month and a half?" Lucas fell silent, frowning in thought. In developing a territory—clothing, food, housing, and transport—food is always the top priority.
The territory's own grain hadn't been harvested yet. Even the vegetable seeds they'd sown would need another month to be harvested. But vegetables weren't a staple like wheat, which could grow and mature quickly; they could only slightly alleviate the food crisis.
This meant that Sedona City, due to the influx of refugees, was once again facing a food crisis. For now, they could only rely on importing wheat. And the closest city with large grain reserves was Sakura City.
"Master, it's probably time to implement the Sakura City plan. We shouldn't risk complications by waiting," Annie said softly.
"Mm." Lucas nodded. He had set his sights on Sakura City back in the winter, and the plan was already in motion. "Begin using salt and linen to pry open the wheat trade," He said slowly. "Isn't the Lord of Sakura City here right now? Before he goes back, I want half of Sakura City's wheat."
"Master, if we acquire that much wheat, I'm afraid other cities might use the opportunity to stab us in the back," Annie said, her eyes full of worry.
She knew the plan was to use salt and linen to have other cities purchase wheat on their behalf, which would then be transferred to Sedona City. The price would be higher, which was one of the reasons they desperately needed gold, aside from just paying monthly salaries.
"Don't worry. They wouldn't dare." A confident smile touched Lucas's lips. "We control the economies of those other cities now," He said lightly. "If they want to get rich, they have to listen to us."
Lucas wasn't worried about the other cities causing trouble. With Sedona City as the hub, all the nearby cities had trade relations with it. Although they were small, it was precisely because they were small and had undiversified economies that their markets were easily dominated by a major capital force like Sedona City.
Of the four basic necessities, Sedona City controlled the first two: clothing and food (specifically, salt). To put it bluntly, without trade from Sedona City, these other cities would likely go bankrupt. They'd have no salt for cooking and no linen for clothes. Their standard of living would plummet.
This was Lucas's other form of control, a level higher than rule by military force. It reaped the fruits of victory without bloodshed—subjugating the enemy without fighting.
Of course, such a strategy required a strong foundation: immense capital, production, manufacturing, and so on. And, most importantly, military strength. Otherwise, it was all just talk, a paper tiger that barbarians could rip apart with a longsword to take whatever they wanted.
Lucas's plan was to first accumulate a sufficient industrial base. Then, even if war broke out, it could support him in a one-on-two, one-on-three, or even one-on-ten fight... and allow the city to recover its prosperity quickly after victory.
"I'll write to the other city lords immediately and demand they cooperate with our plan," Annie said, immediately bending over the desk to write.
"Tell them, as long as they help us buy enough wheat, they'll get an extra ten percent on their next shipment of goods," Lucas said lightly. You have to feed the horse if you want it to run.
"Got it," Annie replied without looking up.
Lucas wasn't worried about having enough goods. His workshops had been running nonstop all winter. He already had several warehouses piled high with his main product, linen.
"Right, in a while, I also need to go to Riverden City to meet the leader of that beastkin tribe. I need to discuss a few collaborations with them," Lucas said, his gaze lowered to the notebook on his desk as he pondered the next phase of his plan.
The research department had delivered good news yesterday: the hydraulic spinning machine and hydraulic loom had been successfully developed. This meant they could free up a massive amount of labor, and linen production would multiply several times over.
Furthermore, the use of water power could meet production demands that were impossible for manual labor to satisfy quickly. With the linen market well on its way to being dominated, it was time to put the new generation of cashmere coats on the agenda.
Knock, knock, knock...
The sound made Lucas look up from his thoughts. He saw the cat-eared girl step in, holding a thick stack of letters—all of today's collected intelligence.
"Master, I have an important piece of intel here." Mina hopped up to sit on the corner of the desk, dropping the pile of letters. She handed a selected one to Lucas. "This one is urgent."
"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow and took the letter. The more he read, the deeper his frown became, as if he'd encountered a difficult problem.
The intelligence in the letter concerned two things he'd had his people searching for: coal and iron ore. Now, they have found iron ore.
Sedona City was desperate for steel. Even though Lucas had poured a massive amount of manpower and resources into steelmaking, the output was never enough. The entire winter's production was only sufficient for the city's initial construction needs.
But for Lucas's greater development plans, steel was the top priority. He had already tasked the research department with developing a steam engine. At their current tech level, and by following his blueprints, Lucas estimated they could produce one by the end of the year, perhaps even sooner.
And once the steam engine was produced, the steam locomotive wouldn't be far behind. That was the real iron-devouring monster. The sheer amount of steel required just to lay the tracks was enough to make anyone balk.
"To get rich, first build a road." Lucas intended to follow this maxim to the letter. Therefore, railway construction was a certainty and a future priority. Water routes, after all, had too many limitations.
"Master, the lord of that place is already on his way here. It seems he wants to discuss something with you," Mina said, producing another letter.
"Oh? He's here already?" Lucas took the letter and read it, a slight smile playing on his lips. He hadn't expected the man to want to talk about the salt trade. How interesting. A fat sheep, delivered right to his door.
"Master, should we... 'welcome' him warmly?" Mina asked softly.
"No, not yet. Let him wait for a few days," Lucas waved his hand, his eyes on the man's profile in the report. "Tomorrow's auction is what's most important."
"Understood," Mina replied softly.
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