In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 19, "My Struggle": Winning Over the Army
Just as tensions were escalating throughout Letania due to this unprecedented wave of strikes and demonstrations, news about you once again reached the ears of the nobility.

Several well-known companies in Letania, spanning steel, Originium processing, logistics, construction, textiles, and other sectors, have relocated their headquarters or factories to the territory of the "Slum Count" for various reasons.

This matter did attract the attention of some nobles, but not in the way that made them feel uneasy.

On the contrary, the vast majority of nobles viewed your behavior with ridicule and mockery.

This is not surprising, after all, Letania is a nation built on Originium Arts, music, and art; within this nation, these are the things that receive the most attention and admiration from the nobility.

Of course, this isn't because the Letanian nobles are a group that only pursues elegance. The reason is that in Letania, music represents power.

In Letania, generations of nobles have led the development of Originium Arts to its pinnacle. Letanian sorcerers have blended Originium Arts with music and art, creating a dynamic, diverse, and powerful art.

A powerful Lythanian sorcerer is undoubtedly also an excellent musician. Musicality is the biggest reason for the stark difference in skill between noble and commoner sorcerers.

Therefore, in Letania, a land of art, although everyone loves music and art, the gap in art education between the noble and commoner classes is enormous.

This has led to a situation in Letania where truly high-level combat capabilities, capable of taking on a hundred enemies single-handedly, are often found within the aristocratic class.

This is the main reason why the nobles can be so deeply entrenched in Letania, and even the Witch King can be overthrown if they unite as one.

Therefore, the old nobles looked down on you, a new noble whose lands were in barren slums.

[They, focused on monopolizing art education, look down on your business dealings and wouldn't care if you opened factories unrelated to art on their territory.]

For the old aristocracy, these businesses were irrelevant; they only needed to manage their own small sphere of influence, monopolize upward mobility, and ensure their status.

All they care about is art and Originium Arts.

But you know better than they do that a nation's true strength has never come from a sorcerer who can take on a hundred men, nor from nobles who are masters of music and Originium arts.

Not everyone on this land is a Witch King; those warlocks who can single-handedly tear apart an entire vanguard army are destined to be a minority.

On this land, no matter how strong a person is, there are always limits.

Before a massive torrent of steel, any magic would pale in comparison, and any Originium Arts would seem laughable.

Even the strongest warrior is destined to be torn to shreds before an army of tens of thousands, perishing in resentment and humiliation!

Therefore, you must do everything in your power to seize control of these enterprises that manage the lifeline of a nation's operations, including those dealing with steel, minerals, and logistics.

[Once you can control these things, you can effectively control a mobile city. And once you control enough businesses, you'll effectively control all of Letania!]

Of course, it's too early for you to understand all this.

However, it cannot be denied that your thinking is far ahead of the vast majority of nobles in Letania.

Furthermore, you have already taken the first step in reforming the Letanian military, ahead of the complacent and conservative nobles.

In Letania's past wars, nobles, relying on their private armies, would go to the front lines at the call of the emperor or electors.

However, every nobleman was unwilling to see their private army suffer losses in the war, which led to a reluctance among them to exert themselves fully on the battlefield.

This is also a major reason why, even though the Witch King gained the upper hand in the war against Gaul, the Letanian army still faced such difficulties against the Gallic forces on the battlefield.

Now you must start from scratch and build an army that truly belongs to you.

[A steel army that obeys only your name, and will charge into battle for you at your command, fearless and undaunted!]

After you and Gertrude convinced the businesses to officially begin relocating their factories and headquarters to the slums, you had your party members release a major announcement throughout your territory and across the mobile city.

[Any member who is willing to join, or has already joined, regardless of whether they are infected, will be equally assigned a job by the party, with salary and benefits no less than during the reign of the Witch King.]

The news immediately caused an uproar among civilians and infected people in the slums and throughout the entire mobile city.

Today, strikes and demonstrations against the exploitation by merchants and nobles are escalating, with bloodshed occurring every minute and countless families being torn apart and forced to leave their homes every day.

[And now, your message has given these people a glimmer of hope. When they learned they could get the same job as before, the entire slum erupted in celebration.]

On the very first day the news broke, thousands lined up at your beer hall to sign up, hoping to become a member of your party and subsequently get a job in propaganda.

In just one day, your party gained thousands of new members.

And you immediately kept your promise, assigning them to development sites selected by various companies in the slums, letting them participate in the project as "apprentices."

[And the business owners you had already spoken to, faced with hundreds or even thousands of apprentices who would work tirelessly as long as they were paid properly, accepted them all without hesitation.]

[And thanks to your deliberate arrangement, the news that all members who joined the party on the first day were assigned jobs as agreed once again spread throughout the entire mobile city.]

At this moment, those infected who still harbored reservations, thinking it was a scam, or those civilians unwilling to venture from the civilian districts into the slums to work, all went completely mad.

The infected were astonished that they, who had long been accustomed to discrimination, could find jobs with the same pay as ordinary people. This was like paradise compared to the meager wages and jobs that previously only found them in illegal factories.

Ordinary people, however, were astonished that in an era of inhuman exploitation by merchants and nobles, and of widespread protests, there was a haven willing to offer them stable, secure jobs with the same pay as before.

Although you didn't make any special adjustments, you simply copied and used the standards from the Witch King's era.

But people are naturally afraid of comparisons.

Compared to those inhuman nobles and merchants, by adopting the Witch King's policies, you instantly became the only truly benevolent person in the eyes of the infected and commoners.

This has also earned you a lot of public support.

Of course, you're aware of the chaos in the slums, and having begun to develop this area as your own territory, you naturally won't allow this situation to continue.

To this end, you begin preparing to build your first "private army."

[You specifically issued a notice inviting people of suitable age, with strong, tall, and healthy physiques, as well as those with Originium Arts talent, from the slums to come and test your "private army."]

Upon seeing the rather attractive salaries, citizens eagerly volunteered their strongest, most capable children or breadwinners.

Even some people who were once scavengers, robbers, or even thugs in violent organizations were attracted by your publicity, hoping to be selected.

Within this group, you personally selected 500 people and gave them a resounding title—the Vanguard.

Charging to the forefront, leaving criminals nowhere to hide. You shared your initial motivation for forming this team with every member who joined.

You originally intended to entrust the training of this team to Jian, but now that Jian has gone to Kazimierz, you have no choice but to hand it over to Gertrude for coaching.

[For this reason, you specifically instructed Gertrude on the training requirements for the 500 vanguard members.]

Train them to be disciplined, ruthless, and loyal warriors.

Gertrude accepted without hesitation.

It must be said that Gertrude truly lives up to her noble birth. Although Viseheim has been reclaimed by the Twin Queens, she still retains the abilities befitting an outstanding noblewoman.

Gertrude has given you a perfect score.

In less than six months, Gertrude had trained a vanguard of 500 strong, capable, and obedient members.

[And you also gave everyone in the vanguard a gift you had prepared long ago.]

You hand-drew a design sketch for the vanguard's uniform and handed it over to the now-completed and operational textile factory, where they produced 500 sets of uniforms.

[And for this military uniform, your design philosophy was singular—to look as stylish as possible without compromising practicality.]

As expected, once you handed the vanguard team's uniforms to these 500 members, everyone's attention was drawn to the uniforms' design and style. They eagerly donned the uniforms and got to work.

The next day, a striking new sight appeared throughout the slums.

[On every street in the slums, there are patrol teams of five to six men, dressed in well-made, smart uniforms, wearing leather shoes, and with weapons at their waists, standing as straight as trees.]

When crime occurs on the streets, they pounce on the scene like wild beasts, and no matter what kind of thug or robber they are, they are quickly subdued in their hands.

The arrival of the stormtroopers undoubtedly brought a sense of security to the slum dwellers, earning them everyone's love and respect.

As time went on, most of the slum dwellers acquired stable jobs, and their pockets gradually filled up, much like during the peak of the Witch King's reign.

To satisfy people's consumption desires, more shops and better-quality rental housing have gradually appeared in the slums. Many pubs, hotels, and entertainment facilities that were previously unavailable or unaffordable for the slums have begun to emerge.

[What was once a slum filled with crime, darkness, and poverty has, through your efforts and planning, gradually become the industrial center of several mobile cities, and a true paradise where countless people can live in peace.]

The hustle and bustle of the outside world completely vanished here. Order began to be established within this chaotic slum.

Now, only half a year has passed since Jian left.

Having established a stable rear base, you feel it's time to move on to the next step.

"Jian won another victory in Kazimir and, as always, sent us all the funds."

Inside the beer hall, Chen Qi smiled as he looked at the letter that Jian had sent him from Kazimierz, which detailed Jian's achievements in Kazimierz.

Now, Chen Qi knows that Jian has passed the preliminary rounds of the Knights' Arena and has begun to strive for the top sixteen. She has learned a lot from each battle, and she is now several times stronger than she was six months ago.

On the other hand, Jian also mentioned in the letter that there are many infected knights in Kazimierz who want to participate in the knight competition in order to turn their lives around.

Lacking commercial sponsorship, they barely survive in the underground, living a difficult life and not even qualified to participate in formal competitions.

They can only fight against their fellow infected in underground competitions secretly set up by some business associations.

In the letter, Jian said that she sensed the suppressed anger of these infected people and tried to talk to them about the society and ideas that you wrote about and conceived in "Mein Kampf". Unexpectedly, the effect was very good.

Jian felt that these infected knights might be a force they could rely on. If Kazimierz wouldn't accept them, she might be able to bring them to Letania to shine.

Chen Qi also wrote his reply to Jian in a single stroke of his pen.

"I trust your judgment. Also, be careful. When you win the championship, you might become a thorn in the side of some people."

"Use your own methods to unite as many forces as possible."

"I need your help anytime, Jian."

With mixed feelings, Chen Qi wrote this reply, suppressing all his emotions once again. He turned to Gertrude beside him, who was also engrossed in checking this month's tax returns, and asked softly:
"Gertrude, do you know any nobles who earned military merit in war?"

"Ok?"

Gertrude, who was suddenly asked by Chen Qi, was slightly taken aback but immediately realized what he meant.

This guy... he's definitely come up with some new idea to expand his organization.

"I did meet some people at parties when my good-for-nothing father was still alive," Gertrude replied quickly after a moment's recollection.

"What, you think they can take advantage of this?"

“That’s natural.” Chen Qi smiled faintly, confirming Gertrude’s conjecture.

Now, having done everything he could to win over the infected, civilians, and businessmen, all that remains is the aristocratic class.

"I want to host a banquet," Chen Qi calmly and collectedly told Gertrude his plan.

“We can’t win over all the nobles to stand with us, but at the very least, we should win over all the nobles we can.”

“Some… nobles who, like us, are looking forward to war.”

P.S.: I'm begging for your favorites and votes! (pat pat pat)

I only write one chapter a day because I only write 4 words per chapter (lying down). If I could get on the trial page, I would definitely write two chapters a day, each with 8 words!

I really hope we can test the waters! (rolling on the floor)

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(End of this chapter)