Chapter 109 Catherine's Path
“Beixi Boulevard has been vandalized again.”

“This group of damn nobles!” A young man as strong as a bear slammed the table hard. “Don’t let me see it, let me see it. Let them see what it means to charge and knock them flying!”

After stretching her curvy figure, Catherine checked the account book in her hand expressionlessly: "Karl, stay calm when things happen."

"President, this isn't their first time, right? They just fought with us last time, and the pain has healed and the wound has healed."

"Look, you're anxious again." Mitternich smiled and held his shoulders, letting the powerful Knight of the Imperial Order sit down, then he went to the side and slowly poured a cup of black tea.

"Is black tea okay?"

Without replying, Karl took the cup of black tea and drank it all.

Catherine closed the account book, made two entries, and then picked up the brief from the mahogany desk.

Pushing up her crystal glasses, Catherine silently read the news from the construction site.

The place where they were located was the headquarters of the Megdi Chamber of Commerce.

This watchtower located in Rapid City is made entirely of red bricks and covers an area of ​​about two acres.

The orange-red walls are covered with gray-green ivy, and the tallest corner tower is even taller than the local church.

But no priest had any objection.

After all, Rapid City is one of the only two imperial free cities in the entire Thousand River Valley, so the priests can only hold a grudge and try to counterattack.

"This time the scale of the incident was quite large. Dozens of our guards were killed or injured." Catherine tucked her brown-red hair behind her ears.

"Who would believe it if they said it was done by bandits?" Carl was still indignant. He had built a road with great difficulty, but it was destroyed again.

"Once Beixi Road is built, cheap grain from the coast will be continuously imported into Qianhe Valley. Isn't this a poke in the lungs of the nobles of Qianhe Valley?" Mitternich said with a smile, "Don't say that this is the decision of the Imperial Parliament. Even if the Pope said so himself, they would pretend to obey but secretly disobey."

As long as Bay Creek Boulevard is built, everything will be fine.

Catherine sighed helplessly.

Just at this time a flood came, and the entire Thousand River Valley fell into chaos, which gave the nobles an opportunity.

You know, cities make profits from secondary and tertiary industries such as metal processing, handicrafts, and banking.

The bulk of the feudal lords' assets came from natural resources in the primary industries such as agriculture, forestry, mining and animal husbandry.

After the Hundred Years' War ended, the situation changed as low-priced food, timber, medicinal materials and minerals from the Flesh and Blood Court entered the imperial market.

Due to the almost non-existent labor costs of the Flesh and Blood Court, whether they are mining, farming or logging, it is almost a no-cost business - it is all done by skeletons and zombies!

Skeletons and zombies do not need to eat or drink, have no consciousness, and no opinions. Apart from being unable to perform complex labor and manual work, they are simply God's chosen cattle and horses.

How could the old peasants of the empire resist such powerful cattle and horses?
As a result, in the imperial market, especially in the coastal areas, the knight lords were defeated by the price wars of the vampire dukes, forcing the empire to hastily introduce the Corn Laws.

But the Corn Laws were of little use, and were even accused by many nobles and businessmen of being the great nobles of the Imperial Parliament making profits for themselves.

After the Corn Law was introduced, the most aggressive smugglers were the same nobles who had originally enacted the law.

I made the law, how can I allow the law to break it?
The Corn Law turned the empire's previously free imported grain market into a monopoly market for the great nobles.

However, the greatest influence was on the feudal lords along the coast.

In inland areas like the Thousand River Valley, due to road problems, privately set up tax checkpoints, and robberies by bandit knights, the price of Western grain shipped inland was almost the same as the local price.

Beixi Avenue is the stepping stone for the Leia royal family and several coastal imperial free cities to try to open up the inland market.

With this highway, the winding roads and small tax checkpoints along the way can be shortened and the heart of the empire can be reached directly.

The construction project of the Qianhe Valley section of Beixi Avenue was contracted by the Megedi Chamber of Commerce in Zongheng Kaimu Territory.

Once the highway is built, high-quality wool and cheap grain from the Western Continent and the Gravel Plains can be imported into the Thousand River Valley. Combined with the prosperous local dye industry, according to Catherine's plan, weaving, printing and dyeing integration can be started.

By then, Free Cities will have sprung up from the land of the Thousand Valleys like mushrooms after rain.

The refugees from the Thousand River Valley entered the Free City and became laborers, and the previously tense contradiction between people and land was eased.

With the existence of free cities, lords who are afraid that the peasants will run away will not dare to be too harsh, and the lives of ordinary peasants will become better.

As for the inevitable war with the Lord Knights, Catherine was well prepared.

Behind her stood two dukes with powerful military forces - Duke Danai of Kush and Duchess Meliati of Hemashi.

The Duke of Kush's ancestors had their crowns knocked off by the Leia people, and many members of his family lost their titles. They had been enduring this humiliation for hundreds of years, and had been planning an uprising since his great-grandfather's generation.

He was Catherine's first choice for cooperation because he was soft-hearted and kind, and could take advantage of the distribution of benefits after the war.

The problem is that with his soft-hearted and cautious character, he may not be able to win the small civil war in Qianhe Valley.

Although Duchess Meliati of Hema Stone is Catherine's best friend and they can even take a bath together, she still feels a little uneasy about asking Catherine to hand over the Thousand River Valley to her.

Because she knows this best friend too well.

This old girl has always been ruthless and power-hungry, and she has a bunch of poor, crazy and hungry knights under her command. She is an iron-blooded monarch.

It would be very easy for her to fight those little Karamis who were bullying their way around in Qianhe Valley.

But the distribution of interests after the war became a problem. People like Catherine could only become subordinates or leave, with no second choice.

"Can we ask the Imperial Parliament or the royal family to put pressure on those nobles?" Karl asked Catherine irritably.

"This time we're just pretending to do it secretly. It's already the result of pressure. The royal family of Leia is now fighting for the throne, so why would they care about us?" Catherine put all the documents back in place, then stretched lazily with a sense of relief.

"Go and borrow some men from Duke Kush, and defend the area strictly. As long as the roads and bridges that have been built are not destroyed, it will be considered a success."

"The shareholders of our Chamber of Commerce, especially the bankers from the south, have been dissatisfied with our current situation. They have written to us more than once."

"Drag them on. With Meliati here, they won't dare to touch me even if they have a hundred guts." Catherine waved her hand domineeringly.

"Speaking of which, it seems that the Duchess of Hema Stone has not been doing anything recently? According to the original plan, she should have gone to put pressure on Archbishop Constance."

Shrugging, Catherine leaned back in her chair and rubbed her swollen temples.

This gentleman always does his own thing, who knows where she went.

Maybe if she sees that the situation is not right, she will directly dispatch troops to rescue the execution ground.

Mittenyi pulled out a piece of paper from the pile of documents and said, "The two people from the church have reconciled over the matter of the Ruoan Dam. After all, the Thousand River Valley has been a bit of a commotion recently."

"How did you reconcile?"

"His Majesty Johnny VIII appointed a neutral Frenchman as cardinal."

"Will Johnny VIII just back down like that?" Catherine took off her glasses, her long eyelashes fluttering lazily. She picked up a handkerchief and began to wipe the glasses.

Mitternich immediately laughed. "How is that possible? We have inquired about it. He is going to appoint a Johnny cardinal himself. He has already spread the word."

After wiping the crystal glasses until they were perfectly visible, Catherine put them on again and said, "Continue to inquire with the Holy See. It doesn't matter how much it costs, but Feiliu Castle must also be arranged.

Let's get ready, we'll be taking the boat over soon. I'm still worried about the teacher's stubborn temper."

　P.S. It’s too late, brothers. I had to work overtime today and there was something else at school. I promised to make up for the chapter twice as fast on the weekend. Sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)