After a sleepless night full of charm, when the sun shone again on this devastated city; Jiang Tian had already appeared in the city hall early, began to accept continuous interviews and reports from his subordinates, and presided over the meeting First meeting since return.
"Based on the feedback from the signal towers currently established in the 13 provinces in the south." First, after the routine official statement, Chief Administrative Officer Feyous reported an unexpected but not unexpected good news: "Most of the southern provinces Cities and towns, transport and communications have been restored.”
"This is mainly due to the several regiments brought back by the commander of the Poly Corps from the five overseas provinces and special regions;" He then turned to Jiang Tian, who was sitting in the middle and said: "Not only did Binhai be suppressed nearby, In response to the commotion and changes in the area, we also cooperated with the navy to kill several sea beasts.”
"In addition, we relied on retired Free Army soldiers in the countryside to establish the rural self-defense forces and patrol judges, police and postman systems in the vast rural areas of the south. They also played an important role. Therefore, local differences occurred After the change, order was maintained."
"It also allowed the vast majority of village settlements to survive the active alien threat and endure the support and rescue of the county and provincial garrison teams, and even the follow-up raids and clearances by the Free Army Corps... Despite this, There are still at least hundreds of remote villages that have lost contact.”
"Some of them, it has been confirmed by sending an advance team, were destroyed by aliens or seriously damaged; almost no one survived. Some of them were abandoned by local residents and fled in all directions; but there are still some parts that were destroyed due to changes in the terrain. And inaccessible.”
“So, currently, in the thirteen provinces in the south, plus the three directly-administered regions (the Grand Crown Territory), the main roads have restored basic safety and order; the branch lines leading to various cities, towns and villages are also being continuously cleared and recovered; Food shortages in some areas will be alleviated."
"Products from the Maritimes and overseas provinces have arrived in Lyon half a month ago; the problems of market circulation and rising prices in most cities have begun to gradually subside. Whether it is the mining factories in Avignon or Toulouse , are all in full swing."
“In addition, the largest expenditure items are to provide relief and shelter for those people whose homes have been destroyed or who have fled in disasters; to carry out population relocation and village mergers, to renovate the sieges of population centers in various places, and even to strengthen key defenses. Continuous investment in fortification.”
"Therefore, the subsequent fiscal deficits and shortfalls faced by the national salvation government may be considerable, but they have not yet reached the level of affecting the basic operation; because we still have a considerable amount of local material stocks and war reserves accumulated in response to the northern war. Reserves.”
"This is easy to handle. You first have someone come up with a detailed disaster relief and reconstruction plan, and a specialized advisory group will conduct a feasibility assessment and discuss the details." Jiang Tian nodded when he heard this and said: "It will be concluded later. After reaching a unified opinion, I will conduct a final review."
"Here, I can tell you some good news in advance." Then, with his hands on the desk, he said to the left and right: "Combined chambers of commerce from Marseille and other places, as well as business representatives from overseas provinces, have decided to donate 100 Ten thousand years of military expenditure and the same amount of supplies.”
"Their only request is that we hope that our military will prioritize cleaning up and suppressing those aliens and sea beasts that may endanger the smooth flow of trade routes and waterways; therefore, we must further strengthen the power of the navy and increase the construction of more large ships and their weapons. Orders for equipment.”
"Lord Legion Commander, I would like to ask for additional opinions on this point." Another committee member present, Elder Faria, the civil affairs committee member and former director of the Holy Virgin Hospital, took the initiative to speak out. After Jiang Tian nodded, he continued: "We need to pay attention to the flow of refugees from the north."
"Previously, due to the blockade and arrests of the Northern Royal Court, although there were many batches of refugees who fled south, they were only small groups." Elder Faria, who had gray beard and hair, explained: "But this time in the Celestial Sphere After the change, I am worried that the order in the north will get out of control."
"In this case, no one in the place can restrict the behavior of these residents fleeing their hometowns; I am even worried that the local officials and new lords appointed by the capital will deliberately condone and encourage, and even actively drive away these residents who are threatened by aliens and hunger. The people went south."
"May God bless you!" He couldn't help but make the sign of the cross on his chest when he said this; "If we don't take timely response measures, not only will a large number of poor people die on the road due to hunger, cold, disease, and fatigue; but also It may become the source of the growth and proliferation of those alien species.”
"Commissioner Faria is right!" Jiang Tian nodded to him and affirmed: "So, we need to choose suitable areas outside the city and build more settlements, model farms, and factory areas; at the same time, we need to increase the The extent of mine development in the province and setting minimum rations.”
"Sir, in this case, it is also necessary to strengthen local security training and the input of informants and facilitators." At this time, Public Safety Committee/Security Director Jayara, a former navy lieutenant, also asked for instructions: "Otherwise it will be difficult to control and preventing criminals and spies among refugees.”
"This is what it should be. I can first approve you a start-up budget of 120,000 ECU." Jiang Tian nodded again: "After the meeting, you will submit the corresponding staffing and plan and proceed to the next step of review. process; in addition, prepare a set of special supervision and management regulations.”
"Sir, can I recruit some Roma people?" However, he hesitated to speak: However, after hearing this sentence, all the committee members present could not help but have different expressions, and some even showed disgust and contempt; but They all held back their voices to question and turned their eyes to Jiang Tian in the middle.
"Roma? Why are they Roma?" Jiang Tian said in slight surprise: The Roma in this time and space are the predecessors of the Gypsies in later generations; they are also one of the cancerous ethnic groups that suffers from discrimination along with the Hebrews. , in the eyes of the world, she is basically the embodiment of thieves, robbers and skilled women.
It's just that the Hebrews were frequently persecuted and expelled by secular rulers in history, and had to move around. The Roma people, who originated from the four major castes in ancient India and were inaccessible groups, took the initiative to migrate to the European continent. They have been wandering around the world, relying on handicrafts and performing arts to make a living.
Also because they are accustomed to living without a fixed abode, they also resist taking on tax and corvee in the usual sense; therefore, they can neither create stable value for the rulers, but will affect the stability of local customs and order; naturally they are not favored by most secular or religious rulers. He was so happy that he was repeatedly persecuted and expelled.
"In fact, several large Roma mobile settlements took the initiative to find my subordinates and prayed for the protection and shelter of the Free Army at the cost of the mysterious knowledge inherited by the settlements." Under the strange eyes, I Jayara, who is the Director of Security, hurriedly explained:
"Due to the changes in the celestial sphere, they can no longer continue wandering; they are also threatened by alien attacks and devouring in the wild; there have been many small and medium-sized settlements that have completely disappeared during migration, or have disappeared in northern towns. , lost contact for a long time.”
"Therefore, they are willing to follow the ancient tradition from the East and use young men and women to pay blood taxes to the Free Army in exchange for the opportunity for other people in the tribe to survive and reproduce. Of course, they also have the ability to steal information and pry into secrets. What you’re good at.”
"Blood tax?" Jiang Tian couldn't help but sigh a little when he heard this word; this seemed to be a concept brought by a senior time traveler. It was a special policy adopted during the Western Expedition, the predecessor of the Great Xia Dynasty, against the many foreign nations that were conquered.
As one of the obligations and costs of those loser groups, a group of young men, women, or children of appropriate age will be regularly recruited; and then sent to the eastern territories, where the men will be transformed into laborers and soldiers, while the women will be rationed Those immigrants from the East formed families.
Later, this glorious tradition continued to spread and spread to the Western Continent through the Seris Dynasty in Constantinople, which was once supported by Bactria, and became many nomadic khanates such as the Bulgars, the Huns, and the Avars/ The barbarian kingdom has a tradition of imitating others.
"But this is not enough." However, the next moment, Jiang Tian shook his head slightly and said: "According to the policy of the Free Army, they can maintain their original beliefs and customs, but they must take an oath of naturalization and accept the supervision of collective labor. and resettlement; otherwise there would be no place for them.”
"The Roma are only indispensable to the Free Army, but the Roma urgently need the protection of the Free Army. So, why should I leave such a potential order hazard because of this unequal relationship? As for occult knowledge, it is the least important."
"I will follow your teachings." Upon hearing this, Director of Security Chayala quickly straightened his body and responded solemnly, but he felt a little regretful in his heart as to why he would make this suggestion in public like a maniac: "I believe they will definitely make the best possible decision. The right and appropriate choice…”
If the leader of the Roma people is not sensible, he will naturally take corresponding measures to make the Roma people realize what is the most correct attitude and expression of negotiation. At this time, training director and reserve corps leader Wilfner's speech diverted his embarrassment:
"Actually, there is an urgent matter at the moment, which is the existence of remaining mercenaries and mercenary groups within the thirteen provinces and three regions. Is it necessary to continue to implement the "Military Group/Mercenary Rectification Order" , or even take corresponding punishment and ban measures?”
As part of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Sealand in the past, in addition to the kingdom's army based on knights and sergeants belonging to the royal family, and militia composed of local nobles and property owners, there were actually a large number of mercenaries and mercenary groups. Taking advantage of every opportunity, he is active on all battlefields.
However, with the centralization of power in the era of the Terrible Lord and the Burning Sun King, and the suppression of local noble forces, the mercenary groups that once flourished all over the kingdom also declined, and turned to a series of foreign wars of the kingdom such as the Crown War. The ingredients and sources are also complex.
At first, it was just the second sons of noble vassals, knights/knights, and sergeant families; then, it expanded to many subordinate princes/foreign regions. For example, the Brabants were famous for their rapid march and cruelty. Another example: the spearmen of Flanders and Hesse, the crossbowmen of Gascony, the Catalan light infantry, and the famous Naples crossbowmen.
Later, some soldiers who were demobilized and returned to their hometowns after the war, but who were unwilling to be left alone, began to join forces privately to work part-time as mercenaries, forming a new mercenary group with accountants, treasurers, and lawyers, similar to a business organization. .
In the revolving civil strife of the Sealand Kingdom, a large number of mercenaries and mercenary groups are also active. However, some defected to the royal party, some swore allegiance to successive governments, some established themselves as vigilante groups in the countryside, some gathered together to become bandits, and some jumped around repeatedly like grassroots.
Therefore, after the Free Army's campaign in the south, a large number of mercenary groups standing on the opposite side were also eliminated; in fact, there are not many remaining mercenaries and mercenary groups; and most of them are related to local businessmen, Guild organizations and citizen groups have close relations.
"No, except for the participants in the Lyon unrest, there is no need to continue to expand the scope of punishment." Jiang Tian thought for a while, then slowly said: "Then re-issue the announcement, starting from now on all mercenary groups in the Free Army , automatically disbanded and banned on the spot.”
"If there are still people who want to continue to engage in occupations with similar status, they must come to the guild halls specially established by Ziyoujun in county and provincial cities, re-register their status and undergo review, so as to obtain the corresponding qualifications and legal status. and the use of relevant service facilities and guarantee conditions.”
"If that's the case, I'm afraid it will take some more time for our soldiers to quell the unacceptable dissidents among them." Wilfner, as the director of training and commander of the reserve corps, hesitated before saying: "Would it be possible? It will affect subsequent plans..."
"I just want to divide them legitimately." Jiang Tian shook his head and said: "Distinguish those potential targets who are willing to cooperate and have a bottom line, from the stubborn hidden dangers who have long-standing habits that are difficult to change and are unwilling to accept changes. The price to pay for this, It’s worth it in terms of long-term peace and stability.”
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Tian saw a hunter team instructor from the special service company and a senior hunter from the Eagle Strike School, "Mangyan" Orason, who strode in amid the sound of the report and said nothing. A bloody confession was delivered to Jiang Tian.
Then, after reading the confession from the only surviving flying alien, he said to the Supreme Council members present: "It can be confirmed that this turmoil is closely related to the Northern Royal Court; the next topic of discussion is How to make a powerful counterattack?”
(End of chapter)
