After the battle for Tiee Fortress ended, the entire West Territory fell into a strange calm.
The once high and mighty Merlin Family was destroyed, replaced by a mysterious force named the Black Rock Tribe.
For the commoners and serfs living on this land, changing rulers seemed to make no difference; life had to go on as usual.
But soon, they discovered the difference.
After the Black Rock Tribe's army entered the various towns, they did not pillage and murder as expected; instead, they were strictly disciplined and harmed no one.
Immediately after, announcements stamped with Wu Liang's great seal covered the bulletin boards of all the towns.
The content of the announcements was simple and crude, yet enough to cause the entire West Territory to erupt in excitement.
"Abolish serfdom! All serfs are restored to the status of free citizens!"
"All land shall be nationalized by the Tribe and redistributed based on population! The tiller shall own their field!"
"Tax reduction! For the next three years, the tax rate will be reduced to one-twentieth!"
These three policies, like three heavy bombs, completely ignited the lower strata of society in the West Territory.
The serfs, whose ancestors had been oppressed for generations, could hardly believe their eyes.
They repeatedly confirmed every word on the announcements, moving from initial disbelief to subsequent ecstasy.
Finally, countless people knelt on the ground, facing the direction of Tiee Fortress, sobbing uncontrollably and shouting, "Long live Lord Wu Liang!"
The hearts of the people were thus easily won over.
Meanwhile, the minor nobles and small landowners who had been vassals of the Merlin Family all turned deathly pale.
Land was their lifeline, and now Wu Liang was taking it all away with a single declaration—this was worse than killing them.
Some unwilling nobles attempted to conspire and resist.
But their conspiracy was detected by the ubiquitous intelligence personnel of the Black Rock Tribe before it even began.
Immediately after, the Rifle Battalion led by Akomann descended like heavenly soldiers, charging directly into their castles and thoroughly arresting the masterminds and core members.
A public trial was then held in the square in front of the Town Hall.
The nobles' past crimes of oppressing commoners and disregarding human life were listed one by one, and amidst the furious roars of the enraged populace, they were publicly executed.
The bloody heads hitting the ground thoroughly intimidated all those with malicious intent. The remaining minor nobles were struck dumb with fear, daring not to make any further moves, and could only obediently hand over their land and wealth in exchange for a chance to survive.
Implementing benevolent governance with iron fist methods—a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other—Wu Liang quickly established absolute rule over the West Territory.
Meanwhile, an unprecedented, massive project officially kicked off on the other side.
On an open plain east of Tiee Fortress, tens of thousands of Imperial prisoners, supervised by Black Rock soldiers, were working enthusiastically.
They were divided into countless small teams. Some were using pickaxes and shovels to dig earthwork, some were moving stones to lay the roadbed, and others were cutting down trees to make railway ties.
The entire construction site was a hive of activity, with work songs, hammering, and the shouts of soldiers rising and falling constantly.
This was the starting point of the "Black Rock-Tiee" Railway planned by Wu Liang.
Wu Liang stood on a high slope far away, observing everything on the construction site through a monocular telescope.
"Chief, based on the current progress, we anticipate completing the first ten kilometers of roadbed within a month."
Sa Lan stood beside him, reporting.
"The prisoners' morale is relatively stable. They have food and work, and although it's tiring, it's better than waiting to die in a prisoner-of-war camp."
"We followed your instructions and established a Labor Points System. Prisoners who perform well can exchange points for extra food, even meat. This has greatly boosted their motivation."
"Hmm, well done."
Wu Liang put down the telescope.
"What about security? Has anyone tried to escape or riot?"
"There have been a few small disturbances, but they were immediately suppressed by the patrol teams.
The ringleaders have been publicly executed according to your orders.
Now, no one dares to step out of line."
Sa Lan replied,
"However, with so many people gathered together, sanitation and epidemic prevention are major issues. Alesha's Medical Team is under a lot of pressure."
"That is a critical issue."
Wu Liang frowned. He certainly didn't want to lose a large amount of his valuable workforce due to a plague.
"Tell Alesha to strictly enforce the sanitation regulations.
All utensils must be uniformly sterilized, and drinking water must be boiled. Furthermore, set up several more latrines around the construction site and strictly prohibit defecating or urinating anywhere else."
"If any sick prisoners are discovered, they must be immediately isolated and treated."
Wu Liang instructed, "Also, allocate a batch of quicklime and bleaching powder from our 'Chemical Technology' Laboratory to regularly disinfect the camp."
These concepts of modern medical epidemic prevention were utterly unheard of by the people of this world.
But Sa Lan had long grown accustomed to her chief occasionally spouting such words; she simply respectfully took down the orders.
"In addition, our Steel Mill needs to keep up the pace."
Wu Liang continued,
"The production of rails is the top priority. I need them to deliver the first batch of qualified steel rails within a month.
Also regarding the Steam Locomotive, tell the people at the Mechanical Research Institute to stop tinkering with useless things and focus all their energy on conquering the core technology of the Steam Locomotive."
"I give them two months; I must see the first prototype vehicle roll off the line!"
"Yes, Chief!" Sa Lan acknowledged the order and departed.
Looking at the vast construction site, Wu Liang felt a surge of heroic ambition.
The railway is the main artery of Industrial Civilization.
Once this railway is completed, the resources of the West Territory will be efficiently integrated, providing continuous momentum for his subsequent expansion.
This was not just a railway; this was his own indelible mark carved into this magical world using steel and steam.
Just as Wu Liang was engrossed in his grand blueprint, an intelligence scout came galloping from afar on a fast horse.
"Chief! Urgent military intelligence!"
The scout dismounted, knelt on one knee, and pulled out a bamboo tube sealed with wax from his chest.
Wu Liang took the bamboo tube, crushed the wax seal, and unfolded the slip of paper inside. The content on the paper was short, but it instantly sharpened his gaze.
"There's movement in the Mist Forest."
This was the first piece of intelligence sent back by the scout team he had dispatched to the east to monitor the movements of the Elven Kingdom.
According to the intelligence report, the scout team discovered traces of non-human activity on the outskirts of the Mist Forest.
Following the traces deeper, they found a patrol consisting of over a dozen elves in a hidden valley.
These elves were all nimble, well-equipped, and extremely vigilant. The scouts dared not approach too closely and could only observe from afar.
They noticed that the elves seemed to be searching for something, using a compass-like magic item to constantly detect the surrounding magical fluctuations.
Most critically, the direction they were heading was clearly the territory of the Black Rock Tribe.
"Interesting. I haven't gone looking for them yet, but they've come looking for me," Wu Liang muttered, a sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth as he held the paper slip.