Chapter 432 The current situation in Rapid City
Unlike the worried citizens here, Armand walked briskly in the Uffizi Palace with several volumes of documents under his arm.
Stepping on the marble steps covered with red carpets, and brushing the smooth oak handrails with his palms, Armand stood in the corridor on the second floor with emotion and glanced at the official residence in front of him.
The Uffizi Palace is the ancestral property of the Megdi family. It has three floors and a height of 15 meters, with a total of 45 rooms and a corridor-style design.
The U-shaped palace has three corridors, each corridor has a series of consecutive rooms on both sides, each room has unique murals and reliefs.
As you walk along the corridor, you can see the brightly colored paneling on the walls and various ceramic crafts and saint statues hanging on the walls or placed on the tables.
The first floor is a public space, including various storage rooms, conference rooms, accounting rooms and offices.
The second floor is filled with various arts and crafts collected by the Megdi Chamber of Commerce over the years, including various statues, paintings and books.
The third floor is the living room of the main members of the Megdi family, and it is also the area where Horn is currently working.
The mansion was later sold during Catherine's father's generation, but after Catherine returned to power, the original purchaser returned it as a gift.
After later repairs, it became Catherine's second residence in addition to Pitti Palace in the port area.
Thankfully, the Pitti Palace was transformed into a tower during the war and was burned down in the battle with the Church Army, while the Uffizi Palace was preserved.
The entire administrative team of the Salvation Army has moved here at Catherine's suggestion.
After greeting the sentry guarding the stairs, Armand came to a study room on the third floor and knocked lightly on the oak door.
"Please come in."
The monk secretary at the door opened the door, and Armand strode in.
This study is about 200 square meters and has two entrances: inside and outside. However, Horn removed the door to the inside, so visitors only need to wait by the doorway inside.
In the spacious room inside, a huge ivory carving hangs on the wall, and a three-meter-long chestnut wood table is placed in the center of this magnificent room.
The long table is full of various documents and atlases piled messily, which can be half a meter high.
In the gap between these mountains of books, Horn sat on a soft-backed chair carved with gold leaf, turning the wooden quill unconsciously in his hand, listening to the reports of Jeshka, Hakuto and others.
To Horn's left, Catherine was wearing her crystal glasses, leaning on the chestnut wood table, quietly reading the correspondence and rules and regulations of the Papal State.
Jeanna, who had just returned from Gouhu Township, held her pen awkwardly and copied the homework text left by Horn.
But judging from the frequency of her nodding and the drool flowing from the corner of her mouth, she must have been asleep for a while.
Without interrupting the report, Armand and the others present nodded in greeting and sat aside to listen, waiting for their turn.
"...the liquidation of those betrayers and the leading party has been mostly completed. There are still many people who are suspected, but we have not continued the investigation."
He could clearly feel the trembling of Catherine's delicate body beside him. Horn pretended not to care and glanced at her, then asked: "Why don't you continue to investigate?"
"Rich merchants are currently everyone. I am afraid that if I continue to investigate further, I am afraid that it will involve too many ordinary people and cause unnecessary trouble." Rene lowered his eyebrows, making it impossible for anyone to feel that this was the person who made people talk. Cheka leader.
The current group of wealthy businessmen who rebelled in the city were basically taught what loyalty was by the Salvation Army using holy guns, and more than 10,000 gold pounds were confiscated from their homes.
The reason why René called a halt now is, on the one hand, to prevent joint liability from implicating a large number of innocent people, and on the other hand, he is afraid that the Chekas will be blinded by money and create unjust, false and wrong cases.
"Then let's pause for a moment. The atmosphere in the city has been enhanced enough." Horn glanced at Armand, who was sitting obediently next to him. "Don't leave yet. I'll find you troublesome later."
"Yes, your Majesty."
Rene walked straight to Armand, the two looked at each other, and the corners of their mouths suddenly trembled twice at the same time.
They are all old friends who have known each other since the Moulin Rouge Village. Although they are young and mature, they are still sixteen or seventeen years old, which is the time when they are most unbearable.
This kind of younger bishops is actually the norm within the Salvation Army.
But most of the time, these young priests are more nominal leaders, and they play the role of supervising and conveying Horn's wishes. Young priests with real power like Rene and Armand are almost impossible to find in the Salvation Army.
Of course, from within the Salvation Papal Kingdom, these young men are all future warriors and belong to the second generation of elites. The real pillars at present are Jeshka and Hakuto.
Jeshka, who returned from Gouhu Township, unfolded the briefing in her hand, sat on the cushioned chair opposite Horn, moved her butt uncomfortably before speaking:
" At present, several major manors and nobles in Gouhu Township have been captured, and the entire roads and canals in Gouhu Township are currently under control..."
"The remaining Black Hat Legion is still copying strategies. Some of the manors and usurer monasteries were Juanoist, so we did not attack..."
"At present, most of the nobles in Gouhu Township have fled, and some have formed various robber knight squads to constantly harass our roads..."
"How long will it take for Rapid City and Fort Joan of Arc to be connected?" Huo En waved his right hand twice as he spoke.
“It is currently connected, but due to the attack by the Robber Knights, safety is not guaranteed.
Currently, the Black Hats are stationed in the Gouhu Township area to attack the remaining church forces. Cleaning.
If you want to clean it completely, it will take at least three or four months, but if it is just to ensure the safety of the road, I think one and a half months is enough.”
"It's a bit slow... let's do this." With a click of his tongue, Horn took out a copy of the document and wrote twice, "I allow you to recruit a 150-man ranger from the retinue of knights as black knights. The reconnaissance unit directly under the Cap Chapter... Well, I will send you the Holy Gun Cavalry again, and you will complete it within three weeks. Is there any problem?"
"No problem. "Jeshka said, patting her chest.
"There is no such thing as joking in the army." Horn smiled and put the order aside, asking the monk to break down the task and write it into a formal order and send it to Jeshka.
After finishing the matters in Gouhu Township, Horn waved to Hakuto, who was the last one standing and waiting: "How is the cleanup work in Rapid City?"
"The remaining small groups of enemies in the nearby suburbs have been cleared. Except for the port area outside the city, the four major areas in the city have been cleared."
The city of Rapids is divided into four main blocks, and These are the major areas mentioned by Hakuto, namely the Saint Baihua District, the Square District, the Cross District and the Holy Spirit District.
These major districts are easy to distinguish and are named according to landmark buildings. For example, the Santo Baihua District is where the Cathedral of Flowers is located, and the Plaza District is where the Municipal Square is.
There are as few as four or five, as many as seven or eight blocks under a large district. For example, the Uffizi Palace where Horn is currently located is in the Fox Skin Block under the Plaza District.
This name is probably because hundreds of years ago, this may have been a fox fur trading market, and most of the names of these neighborhoods come from this.
"How is the infrastructure assessment?"
"If we talk about residential houses, they are not seriously damaged and can be repaired and reused. The problem lies in the cross area, which is located at the South City Gate and was the most damaged. Serious.
But it happens to be a gathering place for craftsmen and workshops. A large number of handicraft workshops were burned down by the fire. There are enough houses to live in, but there are not necessarily jobs.
< br>According to estimates by those calculating young men, after this war, Rapid City's economy will experience a major setback
This may result in the unemployment of 8,000-10,000 people, including craftsmen, laborers, and others. Notaries, moneylenders...
They said that at least in the next two to three years, the per capita income of working people in Rapid City will drop by at least 30%, and astrologers agreed with this idea. "
Horn looked at Catherine aside. Catherine seemed to have not heard anything and was still reading the document in her hand quietly.
"For this matter, you hand over the briefing and we will see it in a few days. We will summarize it tomorrow and discuss it collectively. ”
Hakuto faced Horn according to etiquette, stuck out his butt and turned his back to close the door, shutting out the roar he made when Jeshka stabbed him in the eye with a pointed shoe. After.
Horn stood up holding on to the table: "You guys, please go out. ”
The attendants and monks who were present in charge of paperwork all exited the door one by one, leaving only two monks from the Order of the Holy Father sitting on the spot.
“Let’s talk about it.” Horn stretched out, stood up and poured Armand a glass of ice-cold mint water, “How is the Saint Catherine Project going now?”
( End of chapter)