The Lord Of Blood Hill

Chapter 641: Running Out of Time

Victor's performance evaluation and bottom-ranked elimination policy is aimed at far more than the industrial departments.The order applies to every department, and even the army is no exception.

Military Chief Rawkins frowns. "Consul, I think we should take this one step at a time. A policy this aggressive will affect a great many people."

Victor shakes his head. "If we stop, our enemies and rivals will not stop and wait for us."

Rawkins sighs. "Why bother? This will create a lot of dissatisfaction with you among the people below."

Victor says calmly, "We are responsible for Peace Haven's development, not for keeping them satisfied."

"If flattering them could keep Peace Haven moving forward and make it stronger, I would flatter them every day."

Rawkins chuckles. "You really are... Fine. I will co-sign the order."

"At the very least, resentment from the army should fall on me, the military chief. You should not be the only target."

Rawkins and Victor are the leading figures of Peace Haven's military and civil administration, and they are also the leaders of the local faction and the gladiator faction.

Unlike what the confused people below imagine, these two have a excellent personal relationship.

In fact, the upper ranks of the two factions get along well. Especially when faced with major questions tied to Peace Haven's development, their positions are the same.

Next comes the budget allocation for every department.

Although Peace Haven has begun to show some fiscal surplus, next year's budget is still reduced by twenty percent.

After all the projects have been settled, Henwell, who has not spoken during the meeting, taps the table.

Everyone immediately turns to look at him.

Henwell says, "Given that no industry has produced any transformative new technology in the past two years, the Blood Hill Foundation will suspend the New Technology Award next year. How long the suspension lasts will depend on next year's development."

"Other than education and medicine, every industry will lose eligibility for the New Technology Award next year."

"Tell the people below that this is my decision. I am very dissatisfied with their laziness and their habit of hiding private advantages."

"In the future, the threshold for the Blood Hill Technology Award will be raised greatly. Those who exploit loopholes will no longer be able to keep taking prize money from me."

"Finally, the internal reward structure of each industry must also change. Before dividends are distributed, ten to twenty percent of profits must be drawn into the reward pool."

"Afterward, Peace Haven's official side will take half of its own dividends, and the rest will be left for the factories to distribute internally."

Here, Henwell stands and looks around at everyone. "Too many people in Peace Haven live too well. They have already lost their sense of danger."

"They have begun sinking into comfort. They are satisfied with life in Peace Haven as it is and refuse to leave Peace Haven's central district."

"Peace Haven's central district has a population of more than four million. That is far too many. It is already half of Peace Haven's total population."

"We ask them to move to other regions, but they refuse. They completely ignore Peace Haven's developmental interests."

"I do not care what methods you use. Next year, I want at least five hundred thousand people moved out of Peace Haven's central district."

"Raise prices, increase taxes, regulate housing prices..."

"In short, I want results. I want to see many people lose their jobs. I want to see many people unable to survive in the central district."

"I want them to willingly go to other regions, develop there, and help build complete production systems there."

After saying that, Henwell leaves directly.

Those left behind exchange looks. In each other's eyes, they see surprise and worry.

The clever ones know Henwell is dissatisfied with the results produced by more than a year of planning.

The higher-ranking officials understand even more clearly that Henwell is furious at how slowly Peace Haven has responded to the Lumir New Zone.

This is a feudal age.

If Henwell is unhappy, many people will suffer for it.

Human laziness has already begun corroding Peace Haven.

Henwell will never allow this terrible situation to continue. When it is time to cut deeply, Henwell will not go soft.

In the coming year, large numbers of Peace Haven's people will certainly be displaced.

There will certainly be many tragic stories during that process.

But Henwell can no longer care about their tragedy.

If Lumir truly forms industrial competition against Peace Haven, the tragedy will not belong to one or two people.

At that time, to reverse the situation, Henwell will be forced to launch a war.

No matter how miserable this becomes, can it be worse than a battlefield?

Next year, Peace Haven's surplus budget will also be used to form a new legion.

The Peace Haven Seventh Legion, commanded by Hank.

This newly formed legion will be transferred to the Northern Military District.

At next year's Midsummer Festival, Vorry Kingdom's ten-year protection card will expire.

Right now, Vorry is still burying its head in development and trying to recover its strength as much as possible. The chance that it will take the initiative to attack others is not high.

The other neighboring kingdoms are also busy with their own affairs.

Billie is still mired in internal conflict. Ogiro still needs to digest its newly gained land.

Ika is busy blocking the Western Federation's attempts to probe outward, and Kosen in the north will not attack Vorry alone.

So the chance of war breaking out is low.

But Henwell still has to prepare, especially against Amir.

Amir has now ruled for forty-one years.

If he does not plan to pass the throne to Arius, then he must begin laying out his plans now.

Especially plans aimed at Henwell of Peace Haven.

As time passes, both Henwell himself and Peace Haven as a power will only grow stronger.

The longer Amir delays, the less confidence he will have in moving against Peace Haven.

The next period should be Amir's final chance to act against Peace Haven.

The previous war has effectively stripped Peace Haven of strategic space.

Once Amir dares to make a move, the other countries may not help him, but they certainly will not hold him back.

More likely, they will watch the direction of the war, prepare their armies, and wait for the perfect opportunity.

At present, Virgil, Vorry's Southwest Military Governor, has four legions under his command.

All of them are elite legions reorganized using the Vorry Seventh Legion as a template.

Teresa, the Southern Military Governor, has likewise used the Thirteenth Legion as a model to form three new legions.

Together, the two kingdom military governorates command eight elite legions and four garrison legions, forming a shared defense system against Peace Haven.

At the same time, Amir has not been idle over the years.

He is a ruler of real talent and ambition. Give him ten years to develop, along with Henwell as an outside troublemaker, and it is enough for him to seize plenty of benefits during that period.

There is no need to say much about Amir's personal methods either. Over these years, he has reorganized the kingdom's army.

He also has several elite legions in hand, and the royal faction's power has grown stronger than ever.

Next, either he begins summoning Arius into Silver Peak City and formally announces him as heir...

Or he begins moving against Henwell, clipping Arius's greatest wing.

That is why Henwell is so anxious. He needs to straighten out Peace Haven's internal affairs as quickly as possible.

Henwell has already smelled blood. The clouds of war have begun to gather.