When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 691 - 649 The First Four-Year Plan Hearing (Part 1)

December 3, 1446, Ry Court Barracks, Holy Seat Mansion.

Today's regular meeting is different from usual, not in Horn's Stag Chamber, but in the larger collective meeting room, Clement Hall.

Including Truth Court Chief Madlan, Holy Court Chief Qianqian, Gospel Court Chief Busak, Exorcism Court Leader Jeanne, Judgment Court Chief Marshall, and of course the Saintess and the Central Bank's Director Catherine.

Additionally, Chief Privy Councillor Armand and Second Chief Secretariat Petier, as well as the three pillars of the Ministry of Internal Affairs—René from Cheka, Captain of the Military Police Raphael, and Night Watch Commander Duvalon.

The five Central Courts, along with the Secretariat and Ministry of Internal Affairs, constitute the highest tier of bureaucratic institutions in the current Pope Country (publicly declared as Shepherd Head Order).

Present are not only the on-site cardinals but also heads of each department under the Central Court, including Priest-in-Charges from each village county and envoys from various City Halls.

If a mage were to release a Fireball Technique in this meeting room, not only would the Holy Axis Pope Country but even the entire Thousand River Valley would be in chaos, perhaps even collapse.

Therefore, today's security and defenses at Ry Court Barracks are the strictest, with a ban on outside personnel entering since before Ascension Day.

Because today's regular meeting not only serves as a weekly meeting but is also the end-of-year summary meeting for 1445 and 1446.

After all, the summary for 1445 was disrupted by war, and hence couldn't be held, so it must be combined, which is one major reason Horn was so busy before.

By around nine in the morning, attendees were mostly present, and although snowflakes started to fall outside, the room without a fireplace remained warm.

This is because Clement Hall uses a heating system, with the peat boiler on the ground floor continuously heating cold water, dispersing warmth through winding brass pipes that rival a fireplace.

After a brief opening statement, Chief Cardinal Madlan began to speak.

"During the one-and-a-half years from 1445 to 1446, we have mainly completed the mid-tier control in Langsande County, basic control in South Mangde County, Lower Reif County, and Kasha County..." Madlan glanced through the documents in his hand, "In terms of political reform, we have exceeded our goals."

Immediately, a wave of orderly applause rose from the seats on both sides of Clement Hall.

According to Horn's previously proposed four-year preparation plan from 1445 to 1449, although it says four years, it actually includes the latter half of 1445.

From the latter half of 1445 to the end of 1446, the goals set by Horn were threefold—political centralization, economic industrialization, and military modernization.

The first thing Madlan reported essentially addressed the issue of political centralization.

The goal of political centralization was to complete centralized governance and initial governmental structure, enhancing the central control over the economy and society.

The specifics included weakening the power of nobility and lords, establishing central bureaucratic institutions, and implementing direct control over taxation, resources, and labor by the state.

Over this year and a half, Horn has achieved direct communication from the Pope's Palace to Hundred Households District through war, constitutional reforms, abolishment of the Dead Hand Tax, promotion of perpetual tenancy rights, and government setup from Hundred Households District to Priestly Order.

Situations where royal power does not reach rural areas do not exist here under Horn. If the state were compared to a person, the past Thousand River Valley might at most be considered partially paralyzed.

It could raise an arm but could not control its fingers, and sometimes could not even determine where to strike.

Although the current Thousand River Valley still has randomness in controlling fingers to form a fist, at least it can control where the fist lands.

Even if every Hundred Households District conscripts 5 soldiers, the current Priestly Order in various locations can quickly recruit eighteen thousand personnel in one month.

Once all levels of Priestly Orders are established, even without exhausting their resources (25% of eligible population), using conscription as needed (10%) can easily muster an army of one hundred thousand, though the quality might not be satisfactory.

Of course, considering the current level of the Empire, even 10% would be exhausting for them.

Setting aside military aspects, just focusing on the fiscal revenue from Langsande County: it surged from less than 20,000 gold pounds in 1444 to the current central fiscal revenue of 30,000 gold pounds, with local fiscal revenue at 20,000 gold pounds.

Half of this 30,000 gold pounds merely passes through hands, as bonds must be repaid when the new year begins, leaving an actual fiscal surplus of about 10,000 gold pounds.

Although not a lot, it finally allowed for some replenishment of the remaining 20,000 gold pounds in the Holy Treasury.

"Very good." Horn smiled and applauded along, "Well done, Madlan. You are very strong now."

After this period of tempering and supplemental lessons from Hilov's classes, Madlan, donned in a simple black robe, while still kind, exuded an aura of authority starkly different from that of a fugitive.

After Madlan sat down, the second to take the stage was Saint Vault Master Qianqian.

He wore a sharp white shirt with wide sleeves today, and his black spider silk breeches clung tightly to his thighs, with long hair tied into a slightly curled high ponytail at the back of his head, revealing a fair and slender neck.

His Adam's apple was somewhat conspicuous.

Qianqian's gender-neutral voice echoed through the hall: "From 1445 to 1446, our fiscal revenue doubled, we built a total of 125 kilometers of mortar roads, 32 state-owned factories, and 9 private workshops, and took shares in 52 workshops and 7 commercial guilds...

The grain market in Langsande County grew from 80,000 tons to 102,000 tons, an increase of 27.5%, and the cloth market expanded from 28,000 bolts to 50,000 bolts, nearly doubling...

Previously, commerce in Langsande County was mainly self-sufficient agro-economy, with guilds and trade small-scale and decentralized, logistics inefficient, relying on noble luxury trade. In response, we proposed commercial capitalization...

In agriculture, similarly self-sufficient, mono-crop cultivation dominated, with land fragmented, underproducing, and inefficient. Thus, we proposed agricultural commercialization..."

The economic industrialization suggested by Horn was broken down into commercial capitalization and agricultural commercialization by Qianqian, Busak, and others.

Over this year and a half, Langsande County government initially resolved logistics inefficiencies within the county through canals and mortar roads.

To address small-scale decentralization and noble-dependent trade (luxury items excessive, yet lacking essentials), Horn mobilized substantial indigenous idle funds through banking and the bond market.

As for self-sufficient agro-economy in rural areas, it was aggressively infiltrated by Priestly Order's material processing.

With this money and tariff policies, the Pope's Palace monopolized key industries, took shares in guilds and workshops, merged smaller workshops, and concentrated resources.

Centered around each town, a Thousand River Valley market encompassing all Plains County is gradually forming.

Prices for daily necessities plummeted.

As the sugar and grain trade and proto-industrialization began operation, the Thousand River Valley market would transform into a money-magnet black hole with high profit margins.

Regarding agricultural commercialization, it was designed for the Thousand River Valley to transition from an agricultural state to an industrial state.

This task is primarily executed by the two state-owned monasteries, Saint Plow and Saint Scythe.

The main strategies include land consolidation, promotion of farm implements, improved seeds, and commercial crop cultivation.

After freeing Hundred Households District from feudal ties, vast amounts of farmers' land were still small and fragmented.

Saint Plow Monastery increased land quantity through reclamation and water management, while Saint Scythe Monastery boosted land output through agricultural economics.

This involved subleasing land from farmers, consolidating scattered plots, hiring migrants to cultivate cash crops, or even using it for livestock breeding.

Through the Priestly Order's policy of paying money for grain retention, substantial amounts of grain and agricultural products first concentrated at the Priestly Order, then flowed into the market via local Priestly Orders.

Since it's centrally distributed and transported, the efficiency and circulation rate cannot be compared to farmers selling themselves.

Large influxes of grain and cloth, coupled with convenient transport conditions, drastically reduced starvation and freezing to death, centered in Langsande County.

As for Red Leaf Village and Daze Village, this winter, they achieved the two miracles of zero starvation and zero deaths from freezing.

"...Although some actions had to be halted due to the war, we have essentially completed initial economic reforms by this year."

Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the hall.