When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1127 Heating Up the Atmosphere
Horn was ultimately unable to speak with Jeanne for the time being, partly because he was too busy with the fair, and partly because Jeanne seemed to be avoiding him.

However, he persisted and eventually managed to catch Jeanne and arrange a dinner date.

The time was set for after the expo, since he was still too busy right now.

The next period of time will be dedicated to preparing for the expo.

Soon, letters accompanied by invitations were sent to all parts of the empire.

With the help of newspaper tycoon Rupert Larkin, newspapers in various cities continued to report on the event, creating a buzz.

What kind of "shoot a water-powered steel mill, earn back your investment in six months, and make your mill twice as fast as your competitors!"?

"No more buying expensive iron from smugglers! You can order directly here and save up to one gold pound per pound!"

What's this about "you have 3 weavers under you, but with this machine it's like having 30! The pressure is on the manual weavers."

"Is the machine faster or the horse faster? Wind-up locomotive versus horse-drawn carriage, place your bet now!"

In an effort to grab attention, there were even reports like "Saint's grandson arrogantly dismisses Charles, while the king proudly attends the exposition."

It must be said that although Horn and Charlie really did have nothing going on, and this is common knowledge.

Unfortunately, Charles's overly unrestrained tone led a group of minor French nobles to spread rumors about the matter.

In the Holy Alliance, such reports and rumors can really land you in jail or even exile to the eastern counties.

Soon, under pressure from both the Holy Alliance and Fran, this tabloid quickly disappeared.

In any case, this was the first time people in the major cities of the empire had ever seen such an advertising campaign.

Compared to the indifference of people in later generations, in this era, the Holy Alliance Expo has become the biggest topic in the imperial news media these past two days.

In addition to eye-catching exhibits such as wind-up motorcycles and horse races, and human-machine textile competitions, there are also exhibitions on the Crown of Leia, the Ark of the Sacred Heart, and the Dragon Head.

Originally, it was just to showcase new agricultural machinery and promote the Saint-Leninist agricultural revolution.

In the end, when they heard that agricultural machinery was being deployed, the Industrial Department insisted on joining in, even if it meant giving up.

I heard that the Industrial Division is going to be included, and the Ordnance Division of the Exorcism Court is also going to be included. It's been so long since the Holy Alliance expanded its army, so the Ordnance Division is under a lot of pressure.

Upon hearing this, the St. Regis City Hall also joined in in order to attract more immigrants.

In the end, it was no longer just a simple expo organized by the Holy Alliance, but became a rare and grand event.

Horn didn't want to be so extravagant, but considering the recent crackdown, it had indeed suppressed the booming economy.

Using the expo to boost the economy might be a good idea, so they tacitly agreed.

…………

Longbow Fortress.

Unlike two years ago, Longbow Fortress is no longer as dirty and dark as it once was.

Because no ransom tax was required, and a large number of oligarchs' assets were confiscated after their downfall.

In the affluent cities of Dawn Island, jobs such as cleaners, mail carriers, and printers were rapidly created for the displaced people.

As for the church property outside the city, it was divided up in a bidding process between oligarchs, citizens, and farmers.

The Holy Alliance also sent over a batch of pious banknotes, and savings offices and banks for the Holy Maiden were built in several major towns.

With the enhanced circulation of currency, the Dawn Federation immediately regained some of its former prosperity, even surpassing its former glory.

The monks who came from the Holy Alliance carried out sweeping reforms on Dawn Island.

The first priority, of course, is to crack down on organized crime and eliminate bandits and robbers.

Secondly, we need to establish an urban-rural exchange system, which can be achieved simply by having Enqing Department Store open a branch.

Finally, the overly narrow alleyways and streets were demolished, and a large number of urban residents and new immigrants were relocated to newly built resettlement housing.

This area was mostly monastery land, courtyards, houses, or inns, but it has now been transformed into a residential area.

These residential areas, ironically, became new reform zones where the monks of the Holy Alliance could put their ideas to good use.

Soon, grocery stores, tool shops, and other shops sprang up one after another.

In this neighborhood called "Black Osmanthus Garden," the orphanage's newspaper boys skipped and jumped, waving their newspapers.

"Good news! The first batch of consumption tax in the Dawn Federation has been collected!"

"News! The Schudinger oligarchs announce they've bet three thousand pounds that a wind-up locomotive is no match for a horse-drawn carriage!"

"News, big news! Chairwoman Joan of Arc will be making an appearance at the Holy Alliance World's Fair!"

"Hey kid." A hand suddenly reached out from a carriage parked next to a bank and called out, "Give me a newspaper." After the newsboy left, the man picked up the newspaper and went back into the carriage.

Beneath that high brim of hat was the oligarch Mosley.

However, compared to before, his attire was much more shabby.

The oak carriage was replaced with cedar, the fine cowhide was replaced with donkey hide, and even the four tall black horses were replaced with dwarf ponies.

As he read the news in the newspaper, Mosley sighed sadly.

Because of his involvement in the treason case, his oligarchic family was also dismantled by his uncles and elders.

Although he wasn't a member of the Gang of Ten, it wasn't easy for him either; he had to go through a lot to escape.

Compared to before, both movable and immovable property have shrunk by more than ten times.

Currently, although Chairwoman Joan of Arc is the Patriarch of the Dawn Federation, she basically doesn't handle political affairs and only commands the army.

However, the military was actually managed by the three leaders: Michel Naj, Sochette Meyer, and Tora Kusk.

As for administrative affairs, they are handled by the two permanent deputy patriarchs, Bradak Rouve and Piatus Riedel.

In other words, Joan of Arc was a figurehead monarch with 9,000 veto rights.

But this does not mean that Joan of Arc had no power other than the power to veto nine thousand votes.

Even as she "retired," Joan of Arc left the Dawn Federation with three major policies.

One of them was to establish "the Holy Way Sect of the Nation" on Dawn Island.

This essentially means demanding that the Dawn Federation emulate the Holy Alliance and undergo internal political reforms.

Secondly, there are three major reforms: reforming agriculture, improving people's livelihoods, and reforming industry.

This is based on the Dawn Federation, and we are gradually learning from the Holy Alliance.

Thirdly, we should narrow the gap between the rich and the poor and establish a unified market system for circulation.

This is a move to take action against the oligarchs. In fact, the military has already been breaking up large oligarchic families for some time.

The reason why it is so easy to break up is because the family structure of oligopolistic families is inherently unstable.

These oligarchic families were originally composed of branches in various places that united to form a trade network.

Without much effort, as long as they have good credit and military support, these branch families can dismantle the main family on their own.

Although Mosley looks huge now, it's just an empty shell, and he desperately needs a chance to make a comeback.

He needs to attach himself to a powerful figure for protection.

Otherwise, his distant uncles and aunts would devour his entire fortune little by little, like sharks smelling blood.

"At the World's Fair, Chairman Joan of Arc will be attending, which means Princess Jeanne, right..."

The fact that Joan of Arc was Jeanne was no longer a secret among the upper and middle classes of the Dawn Federation.

The Holy Alliance simply doesn't acknowledge it, so the Dawn Federation officials neither confirm nor deny it.

Picking up the scissors, Mosley cut out the important parts of the newspaper.

He sat in the carriage, spread his notebook on his lap, and read through the clippings one by one.

"A contest between manual labor teams and machine teams," "A clockwork locomotive outperforms a horse-drawn carriage," "Shudingle escorts a precious carriage"...

Could those waterwheels outperform horses? Despite thinking Schudinger foolish, Mosley couldn't help but agree with his point of view.

If waterwheels can defeat horses, why are there only knights and no waterwheel riders?
Are you smarter than our ancestors and even the El people?
If Mosley wasn't mistaken, this must be a product showcase for the Holy Alliance.

But this exhibition is bound to be more hype than substance, and more political than economic.

It's less of a product exhibition and more of a faction-taking event.

Shudinger's move clearly puts him in opposition to the Holy Alliance, how foolish!
The stupidity of others is your greatest advantage.

Currently, Dawn Island's biggest backer is Jeanne, and Jeanne's biggest backer is Saint Sun.

If he could get close to Horn, even if he couldn't take back his family property, he could at least stop his relatives from suing him.

For a reliable protective umbrella, any sacrifice is worthwhile.

"Butler, please get ready. We're heading to Thousand River Valley tomorrow to attend the Expo."

(End of this chapter)