The Lord Of Blood Hill

After the intelligence briefing, it’s time to handle government affairs. All the officials, led by Victor, gather for the meeting.

First up is agriculture.

Henwell warns them that the very first thing they must focus on every morning is figuring out how to feed Peace Haven’s population of over two million.

Without that, everything else in Peace Haven is just an illusion.

Only when these two million people are well-fed can Peace Haven truly function.

Henwell’s emphasis on agriculture far exceeds what others imagine.

Because the westward journey missed the spring planting season, Henwell even asks Duke Jansen to personally till a few acres at Blood Hill estate.

Though Jansen is already a Battle Knight, he still spends several busy days working the land.

Afterward, Jansen remarks that farming is no easier than combat training.

Henwell had planned to write to his fiancée to come and perform the spring planting ceremony on his behalf.

But Jansen harshly scolds him, warning that if Duke Marcus finds out, he might come and smash things up.

Jansen specifically reminds Henwell that the demonstration fields near Blood Hill estate were planted by himself and will be harvested before the Midsummer Festival.

At his age, Jansen has never eaten grain he personally grew.

The harvest season is about to begin, and with favorable weather this year, the grain yield will be abundant.

Peace Haven’s limited farmland produces enough grain not only for self-sufficiency but also a considerable surplus.

Next, the Supervisory Bureau reports that the main structures of the new city are fully completed, with over 300,000 residents moved in.

Thanks to Henwell’s advanced planning, the city’s buildings and road layouts are very reasonable.

It’s not just a comfortable, convenient place to live but also a capable war fortress.

The new city walls are missing just one gap to close, and everyone agrees this should be overseen personally by Henwell.

The people of Peace Haven eagerly await that day.

This event carries great significance. It marks that Henwell’s Peace Haven now has a solid city as a strategic support point.

Though Henwell believes his network of fortresses plays a far greater role in war than the new city’s defenses, only Peace Haven’s top leaders understand this.

Most citizens—and even some soldiers, still habitually think a city is more reliable.

They simply know that during war, hiding inside city walls greatly increases chances of survival.

They don’t understand military terrain maps or realize that as long as scattered fortresses remain unconquered, enemies won’t dare to venture deep alone.

Nor do they know that if Peace Haven’s fortresses fall, the new city alone can’t hold out long.

The people stubbornly feel that towering walls provide the greatest sense of security.

The new city’s role isn’t just to reassure the people—it also massively boosts Peace Haven’s trade development.

The economic impact of a single city far surpasses that of numerous small towns.

More people will flood into the city, making commerce and trade flourish.

At the same time, more workshops will open, and more people will seek jobs.

This greatly supports Henwell’s push for farm-based agriculture by indirectly driving rural villagers to settle in the city.

Does farm-based agriculture breed laziness and corruption?

Of course it does!

But Henwell’s wrath isn’t expressed through criticism.

If you contribute to Peace Haven, you’ll feel Henwell’s mercy.

If you drag your feet or try to exploit Henwell, you better be smart—and lucky enough to avoid his notice.

Otherwise, you’ll soon learn exactly where the blood of the Lord of Blood Hill comes from.

The upcoming breakthrough with the body-strengthening potion requires many sacrifices for testing.

Peace Haven’s prison population will soon be cleared out, urgently needing new inmates to fill the cells.

Since the war ended over a year ago, Peace Haven has purchased more than 100,000 serfs.

Plus, under the postwar prisoner exchange agreement with the Ika Kingdom, over 150,000 people have migrated into Peace Haven.

With the war over, everyone realizes a precious period of peace has arrived.

Onlookers from surrounding regions flock to Peace Haven, hoping to profit from its growth or secure a decent livelihood.

This influx adds tens of thousands more people!

Including the population from the western territories Henwell seized for Peace Haven and two parcels taken from the Vorry Kingdom in the north,

Peace Haven’s population finally breaks past two million, and it’s still growing rapidly.

With increasingly abundant food and the implementation of birth subsidies, the number of newborns will rise as well.

If no new wars erupt, reaching three million people could take just two years.

Of course, a large portion of this growth comes from incoming migrants.

The new city is about to be completed, marking the end of Peace Haven’s largest construction project.

Many workers involved now feel uneasy, unsure of what lies ahead.

Henwell certainly won’t let such a large labor force go unemployed. Two paths lie ahead:

Either continue building more cities or focus on other major infrastructure projects.

Peace Haven’s eastern and western districts each deserve their own city.

But these territories were only recently acquired by Henwell.

One is officially a buffer zone, the other a leased area.

Though Henwell effectively controls them, appearances matter more to the great powers.

If Henwell dares to build cities there, both sides will grow wary and hostile, possibly sparking new border clashes.

That would directly contradict Henwell’s five-year peace plan, a poor choice for Peace Haven.

So, the only viable option is major infrastructure development.

After discussion, they decide to launch two large-scale projects.

The first is digging a canal. That’s a massive undertaking.

The plan is to carve a canal from the southern Ouse River northward into Peace Haven’s central region.

This will ease overland trade traffic and improve agricultural irrigation.

The second project is road construction.

Both the eastern and western districts will each build two standard first-class highways.

Twenty meters wide, with separated lanes for incoming and outgoing traffic, and separate paths for horses and carriages. This is Peace Haven’s standard for first-class roads.

Another requirement is load-bearing capacity, able to support six-wheeled Grand Carriages and even experimental eight-wheeled heavy horse-drawn wagons.

Such roads greatly benefit both military logistics and commercial trade.

These two projects require vast manpower and resources, ensuring Peace Haven’s construction teams stay fully employed.