AWDC Chapter 81

Chapter 81: The Works of the New Government

This is the opening of Act 3.

With Prince Raphael becoming Regent, the national administration proceeded smoothly without stagnation.

The new government implemented tax reduction measures as a special case to prioritize the reconstruction of the capital. This acted as a catalyst, increasing the number of people living in the capital.

To provide food for these people, I dedicated myself to agricultural land reform.

As I had experienced in Toriholi Village, the farmland on the outskirts of the capital was all barren.

Having grown only potatoes and rye for many years, it was suffering from continuous cropping disorder. Planting the same crops in a field continuously depletes specific nutrients from the soil and makes it easier for specific pests and diseases to occur. This is continuous cropping disorder, and if it becomes severe, the only option is to abandon the land. In Toriholi Village, we prevented this disorder by rotating three crops in order. I tried to spread this crop rotation in the central region. However, the problem here was the farmers’ lack of motivation and stubbornness.

As I had experienced in Toriholi Village, the farmers were unwilling to change their ways. They couldn’t understand even when I explained it verbally.

I decided to call Sam and others from Toriholi Village to farm in model agricultural land.

“Thank you for coming,” I said. Sam was the first person to imitate my methods, surprised by the quality of the vegetables I grew when I started helping Ilse with her field. He can be called the greatest advocate of my farming methods.

“My sons have become independent,” Sam said. “I’d rather work in the fields than look after my grandchildren, so I came here.”

When it comes to agriculture, it’s best to have a professional in that field provide guidance. When Sam said that he was producing 400 bags of wheat in his field, the farmers near the capital were surprised and wanted to know the secret. Ordinary farmers can barely produce even one-hundredth of that, which shows how successful Sam is.

They listened seriously to Sam and his colleagues and began to work diligently on crop rotation.

Crop rotation, compost production, and land improvement led to increased crop yields. The method I recommended was called the Toriholi farming method and gradually spread to the farmers on the outskirts of the capital. It probably won’t spread nationwide immediately, but I was steadily providing agricultural guidance.

And the next thing I tackled was the introduction of rail carriages. The late King Michael had ordered the laying of rails in the capital, but it had been postponed due to the Bawa Roma teachings incident.

I liked the former King’s personality. He seemed to have been considering things that included our family, but I think he was a good King overall. If that King had lived, the capital would not have fallen into turmoil, and many lives would not have been lost. I can finally fulfill my promise to King Michael.

The transportation of people and goods in the vicinity of the capital was mostly done by carriages, with some riverboats being used.

King Michael had intended to connect the Royal Palace and his own detached palace with a rail carriage. However, this was not economically viable. The population around the railway was small, and there were not many potential customers.

I’m looking at the wharf, the market, the shopping district, and the area where I’m currently providing agricultural guidance. Apart from the farmland, all of them are densely populated downtown areas. I thought this route would be profitable.

The rail carriages on the Datar Plateau were intended to transport personnel and materials to the construction site for development purposes, and in a sense, profitability was secondary. The development of the Datar Plateau has progressed, and the population around the railway has increased, so it seems that the earnings have improved considerably, but when it was first built, profitability was out of the question.

But here, there’s no point unless it becomes profitable immediately. If we can secure sufficient profitability even after laying the rails, we can extend the railway to connect the eastern and western parts of the city, or even connect the capital with Toriholi Village. That’s why I absolutely wanted to make it a success.

I thought this would be the flagship project of the new government.

We can’t say that politics has improved unless people feel that their lives have become better. However, it is difficult to realize that life has improved. By running something that everyone can see, like a rail carriage, I wanted people to think that the world has changed and that their lives have improved.

Fortunately, unlike in Japan, I didn’t have to struggle with land issues. Evictions could be carried out easily with a single order. In this sense, it can be said that when the power of the state is too strong, human rights are ignored. Well, anyway, this is another world. I have no choice but to think that Japanese common sense doesn’t apply.

For these reasons, the construction of the 32-kilometer-long rail carriage progressed smoothly, and it was able to open in five months.

The residents of the capital Ryadra were very happy with it. It was faster than a regular carriage, and above all, the ride was much more comfortable. Compared to a carriage with no springs on a bumpy road, the ride of a carriage running smoothly on a flat rail was so comfortable that once you experienced it, you would be hooked.

“At this rate, we should be in the black from the first year,” I began to calculate.

It was a little different from what King Michael had hoped for, but I thought I had somehow fulfilled my promise.

The regular meeting with lunch was held as usual.

“The reconstruction of the capital seems to be going well,” Regent Raphael said with satisfaction.

“It’s not as good as it was during King Michael’s time, but the population has returned compared to when Waomou was rampaging.”

“The residents have settled down, and crime has decreased.”

“We still can’t produce enough food to feed the capital from the surrounding areas alone, so we’re importing it from afar.”

Each person in charge explains the situation. As the regular meetings are held several times, the problems that are occurring in each department become a common understanding.

As a result, the order of the problems to be solved was naturally determined.

“What do you think about doing something about the slums?” Gregg asked.

“We prioritized the security of the town and left the slums alone, but was there a problem?”

“No new problems have occurred in particular. But when I see how well the other districts are being rebuilt, I see that only that area is being left behind.”

“If only one place is left behind, it could become a hotbed of crime,” I agreed.

“But it’s troublesome to deal with the slums. That’s why we’ve left them alone until now, right?” Richter pointed out the difficulty.

“I know that it’s not something that can be easily solved. But if we don’t take action now, the problems will remain and grow. We also have the Bawa Roma teachings issue, so it would be cheaper to solve it beforehand.”

“The problem is that the people in the slums don’t have jobs, which is delaying the solution. Giving them jobs would be one solution.”

“It’s not our role to give them jobs.”

“That’s right. But we can’t leave the slums alone.”

The arguments clashed.

“Well, the discussions are not going to come to a conclusion, but it is our role to not let the problem of the slums grow. Everyone, think about what kind of work we can give them.”

Prince Raphael skillfully wrapped things up, and the meeting ended for the day.

What was discussed at this meeting was brought to a meeting with other nobles at a later date. Since everything has been mostly decided, this expanded meeting usually ends with approval.

We may be criticized for making political decisions only among ourselves, but it can be said that it is a very efficient way of doing things. Top-down, orders from above are being implemented steadily and are producing results.

I’m not denying democracy. Depending on the era and national conditions, autocratic methods can work well.

Prince Raphael’s authority as a member of the royal family, and the assistance of the three of us. In this way, the new government was run. It wouldn’t have worked well if any of those were missing. Most countries in this era did not have democratic nations. Autocratic rule was carried out under the King, and the classes of rulers and the ruled were established. That was the norm. It can be said that Flanderk, where politics were conducted by a conference, was democratic.

In general, the country’s situation was moving in a good direction.

And another thing I was doing during this time was trying to gain favor with the nobles. Many of the nobles in the capital were suffering from tooth decay. I made full use of my experience in treating the lord’s teeth in Toriholi Village long ago.

“I never thought that Misaki-sama would be able to extract my teeth so easily.”

“I wish I had been seen by Misaki-sama sooner.”

“What a quack the doctor in the capital is.”

All of the nobles had been suffering from tooth decay for many years, and they rejoiced as if their years of suffering had been resolved at once. Almost all of them reacted the same way as when I treated the lord’s teeth.

I, a country bumpkin and an upstart noble whose reputation was not very high, unexpectedly began to gain a reputation among the nobles.

But there were malcontents in everything.

King Tareem’s mother, Margarita, was extremely dissatisfied with the current situation.

“Even though Tareem has become King, it’s as if Raphael is the King.”

But. Even if she tried to incite her son, it seemed impossible to her, even as his mother, given his abilities.

“Tareem is not proper, so he is ridiculed.”

She felt sorry for her son and couldn’t help but utter her complaints. Her dissatisfaction increased as the Raphael regime continued to succeed.