Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

Chapter 74: Establishing the Administration Council

TL: Etude

Within a week of reaching an agreement with Malron Ganard, the Alda army launched attacks in various places, turning the lands of the four conspiring vassals upside down.

Angelo and others had already fled with their families, but their castles and manors were all seized. The wealth they couldn’t take with them was confiscated, and Malron even voluntarily offered to gift the traitors’ abandoned properties to Paul.

After stabilizing the situation in Baylding, Paul left an infantry battalion to guard the city of Butuya and returned to Lakeheart Town with Malron and the rest of the troops.

Since Baylding was now ‘managed’ by Alda’s administrative team, decrees were issued from Lakeheart Town. It was better for Malron to stay there.

…

“Congratulations, Count!”

After Paul narrated to old Ford, Hansel, and others how Malron had accepted his suggestion to manage Baylding from Lakeheart Town, they repeatedly congratulated Paul.

It should be noted that Baylding was a genuine count’s territory, larger and more populous than Alda, and even had a city like Butuya. Although smaller in scale, it was still a city.

Following Hansel’s advice, the three quickly met with Malron for a detailed discussion.

Under the ‘gentle persuasion’ of old Ford and Hansel, the discussion resulted in the following:

Malron Ganard, as the lord of Baylding, would be permanently stationed in Lakeheart Town. Lakeheart Town would serve as the joint capital of the counties of Alda and Baylding, unifying the management of both areas;

Malron would participate as a key member in the decision-making of various affairs in Lakeheart Town, and his opinion would carry the most weight on matters concerning Baylding.

After the discussion, Hansel privately met with Paul to understand the specifics of Malron’s initial agreement to Paul’s proposal.josei

“Count Grayman, I think Count Ganard already had similar thoughts, so he readily agreed when you proposed it,” Hansel said with a ‘you can’t fool me’ expression.

Paul was puzzled: “Really? How do you know?”

Hansel explained, “I had a talk with Count Ganard before. His current mindset is very poor, doubting himself, others, even the world.”

Paul understood; he had witnessed a bit of this at the Butuya lord’s mansion.

“The sudden estrangement of his father, the conspiracies of his vassals, might have put him in a state of…,” Hansel paused, searching for the right words, “paranoid delusion.”

Paul nodded: “Yes… that’s possible. And then?”

Hansel said, “Forgive my bluntness, but he was probably also wary of you.”

Paul was baffled: “Why would that be?”

Hansel explained, “Think from his perspective. My father suddenly ignores me, my vassals plot against me, my steward also betrays me. These people I trusted are all ill-intentioned, so why should my ally be any different?”

“Count Ganard was probably ready for a major sacrifice. With his closest kin deceased, trusted allies rebelling, his army fighting in the south, its loyalty uncertain, if you too had ulterior motives and he defied your wishes…”

“Especially since your army already controlled Baylding, his fate was in your hands. I suspect his talk of becoming a monk was also deliberate, a ploy to provoke you into revealing your intentions.”

Paul did have some ‘ulterior motives,’ but he certainly didn’t intend to take over all of Baylding.

He shook his head and said, “Malron isn’t that calculating. Hansel, you’re looking at things through a conspiratorial lens yourself, aren’t you?”

Paul patted Hansel on the shoulder, “Look on the bright side, the world is still a beautiful place.”

Hansel’s face reddened slightly, and he cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment: “Anyway, congratulations on acquiring a complete count’s territory. It’s greatly beneficial for your future plans.”

Paul looked him in the eyes and said, “And it’s also greatly beneficial for your career.”

The two shared a smile.

Indeed, regardless of Malron’s true intentions, controlling Baylding brought Paul significant benefits, not just for the future, but also in the present.

After Paul had previously ordered a census of the population in his territory, he received the following data: the entire Alda count’s territory had about 60,000 people, distributed in 10 large towns including Lakeheart Town and Port Fran, and more than 50 natural villages.

With the current size of the army being over 1,300, it essentially meant that 40 to 50 civilians were supporting one professional soldier. This was manageable for ordinary soldiers of the era, but for Paul’s newly established army and given the level of productivity of the time, it was very challenging.

With control over Baylding, this pressure was alleviated. A rough estimate put Baylding’s population at around 80,000 to 90,000.

To manage the affairs of both territories efficiently, Paul decided to establish an administrative body named the “Administration Council.”

After consulting with everyone, the Administration Council was temporarily divided into seven departments: Finance, Agriculture, Industry, Education, Fisheries, Forestry, Public Security, and Intelligence, with old Ford serving as the head of the Administration Council.

Ford also concurrently held the position of head of the Finance Department.

Hansel was invited to head the Agriculture Department, as he was the one most concerned about food issues in Lakeheart Town. He readily accepted Paul’s invitation.

Cecil would no longer be in charge of forestry affairs and would serve full-time as the head of the Intelligence Department, which, though part of the Administration Council, would report directly to Paul himself.

The Forestry Department would be led by Cecil’s former deputy in forestry matters.

The head of the Fisheries Department would be the former tax officer responsible for collecting taxes from fishermen.

The head of the Public Security Department would be led by Lucien Hayden, the platoon leader of the second platoon of the internal guard troops. He would be responsible for forming a unit named “Police.”

Paul himself would temporarily take charge of the Industry and Education Departments, as he did not trust anyone else with these two departments at the moment.

Previously, the heads of various affairs in the territory generally worked from their homes, only visiting the lord’s mansion when necessary or for meetings. With the establishment of the Administration Council and the need for increased security and efficiency, this method of working was no longer suitable.

Therefore, a group of houses near the lord’s mansion was requisitioned and, after renovations, would serve as the permanent office space for each department.

Paul also established an attendance system for the officials. From now on, employees of each department would have to sign in and out every day, with penalties for being late or leaving early without a valid reason.

To test the teaching effectiveness of the recently established “Weiss Academy” and to fill the vacancies of officials in various departments, Paul decided to hold an examination in Lakeheart Town. The exam was simple:

1. Writing ability: Able to write a comprehensible self-introduction, ignoring minor spelling errors;

2. Reading ability: Able to read and understand at least 80% of a long paragraph and convey its meaning accurately;

3. Numeracy: Proficient in addition and subtraction up to 100, multiplication and division not required;

4. Writing one’s name correctly.

If all four criteria were met, congratulations, you’re now a proud official of the Administration Council, eligible for a monthly salary to support your family.

After the news was released, a flood of applicants came forth.