What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

Leaving aside the several seaport bases overseas, there are many places on the continent of Calradia that belong to her.

From the westernmost Duchy of Bieson (the duchy was given to Fran by Margaret, so Fran's title is now Duke of Bieson of the Holy Roll Empire) to the easternmost Firman Plain, it spans the entire north and south of the Calradia continent.

However, these places, whether Vienna, Aurora or Minsk, are all cities in the hinterland of the continent. Only Gondolin is close to the Soul-Guiding River, but the Soul-Guiding River is not deep enough for large cargo ships to pass through.

In other words, these cities cannot rely on sea transportation to exchange materials with each other, and land transportation is time-consuming, laborious, unsafe, and affected by the weather. Fran is unable to split herself up, and even if her productivity is high, she cannot rule such a large and narrow territory for a long time.

In this case, railways become the key to solving this problem.

If all these cities were connected by rail, the bulk goods sent from Biesund Port could easily flow to the west bank of the Soul River. The goods from Vienna could also instantly fill the entire northern part of Calradia, which would reduce their dependence on the ocean and reduce friction with the dwarves.

In this way, after the successful trial operation of the first railway, the subsequent three railway trunk line projects were immediately launched and construction began.

The first route is directly from the Port of Biesund to Vienna.

The railway is not too long and the terrain is not too rugged. The only problem is that it passes through a lot of principalities. In the past, the conservative nobles would obviously not agree to let an ugly black road like a centipede pass through their fiefdoms, not to mention that the whizzing trains are very noisy and may disturb the souls of their ancestors.

But the situation is different now. Most of the nobles have been dealt with by Margaret. As long as Margaret agrees, Fran can forge, no, obtain all the rights of passage and construction rights.

This railway was constructed by European Railway Bureau I, which is not difficult to build and can also be regarded as training local talents for Orila.

The second route is from Minsk to Vienna. In comparison, this route is ridiculously long, even more than three times the first one.

Not only that, this railway will also run through the Principality of Habsburg. It is a troublesome matter to obtain the right of passage to the Principality of Habsburg.

Duke Habsburg can be said to be the only noble who still retains independent power in the entire city of Orila. He has an army, taxes, and strong fighting power. More importantly, Duke Habsburg himself is very prestigious and is not one of those rotten nobles.

But nobles are nobles after all, and Fran can't guarantee that Duke Habsburg will agree to the railway passing through his territory. This is not just a matter of ugliness, but also a matter of national security.

Railways can transport goods, and they can also transport troops. If there is a conflict between the two sides, Fran can directly deploy troops to the territory of the Habsburg Principality, which is obviously something that no lord wants to see.

How can you allow others to snore and sleep on the side of the couch?

In fact, the Duke of Habsburg was just as Fran imagined. He was unwilling to let the railway pass through the Principality of Habsburg, although he did not explicitly refuse. So the two sides still had to argue about this matter for a while, and if it didn't work, they could only take a detour. But this meant that the already ridiculous mileage would have to be increased, and by a lot.

The second railway will be constructed by European Railway Bureau II, which is also the most important project of the three railways.

The last mile is very short and there are no disputes over territorial rights. The only trouble is the difficulty of construction.

It starts from the various mining areas in Orila City and extends all the way to Vienna. This is also the original intention of Fran to build a train. If this railway can be completed, it means that the ore in Orila City can be transported out continuously, and its cost will drop sharply.

With this railway, these cheap and high-quality ores can easily flow into the factories in the port of Biesson, and then be processed into various industrial products and sold all over the world.

Unfortunately, after a period of exploration, the European Railway Bureau 1 said that it was still difficult for them to take over this railway at their current level, and they had to wait until the first two railways were completed, enough experience was accumulated, and enough workers and engineers were trained before considering building it. In the early stage, the landmark part can be built first.

Fran was helpless, but she could only accept this reality.

In this way, construction of the two railways undertaken by European Railway Bureau I and European Railway Bureau II began.

Railway construction is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive project that requires too much labor. Even though Fulan has equipped the European Railway Bureau with a lot of machinery, considering the huge amount of work, this amount of machinery is still a drop in the bucket. More than 90% of the work still has to be done by manpower.

Fortunately, there are now a lot of idle people on the Feruman Plain.

The promotion of yam cultivation has freed up many laborers from the land, and these idle laborers naturally joined the European Railway Bureau and contributed their own strength to the railway construction. At the same time, a large number of laborers came from the Holy Roel Empire, the Orc Empire, and even the Troll Empire.

These countries have weak productivity and have been isolated from the world trade system for a long time, so when they heard that Fran was going to build a large-scale project, several visionary leaders such as Allende, Jinzaka and Beast King immediately contacted Fran and expressed their willingness to send their people to help.

After all, this is a rare opportunity for them to come into contact with advanced productivity! Not to mention that the salary given by Fran is very high, which they cannot enjoy on weekdays.

However, more labor still comes from the east bank of the Soul-Guiding River.

When you are starving in your hometown and being exploited by the upper class all the time, you hear that on the other side you can not only have enough food and clothing, but also have a job so that you can support yourself. Even the people on the other side are your compatriots, speaking the same language and eating the same food! In this situation, people will naturally flock there.

For this, Fran wanted to give a medal to the nobles on the east bank of the Soul-Guiding River to thank them for their contribution to the post-disaster reconstruction on the west bank of the Soul-Guiding River.

Fran is very clear that the birth of railways will not only make logistics smoother, but more importantly, change the structure of cities! She believes that many cities will blossom along the railways and become hubs of logistics and transportation. In the process of construction, these railway workers will also build around the construction sites, transform villages, towns, and then transform the entire country.

What Fran didn't expect was that just when she was developing peacefully, the elf next door had set his eyes on her.

A competition related to construction quietly took place on both sides of the Soul-Guiding River.

Chapter 224 Another War

The east bank of the Soul-Guiding River was not completely covered with starving people. At least the environment in the area governed by the elves was relatively good, with no large-scale banditry. Nor were there many people starving to death.

The elves are a major grain-producing country, so transporting some cheap and low-quality food to feed the Ferumens will not be much of a burden for them.

It is precisely for this reason that the areas under their jurisdiction have become some of the few places with growing population.

If it weren't for that damn Fran, the elves would undoubtedly be touted as the beacon of world civilization again - the elves, with their humble and compassionate character, actively promoted post-war reconstruction, ensuring that the people under their rule had food to eat and clothes to wear. They are indeed the beacon of civilization, the maintainers of order, and the builders of the country.

(Although the war was initiated by the elves)

But with Fran, everything seemed to have changed.

Didn't you say that you are the beacon of civilization and Fran is an evil monster? But why do the people on the west bank of the Soul-Guiding River live better, even better than before the war started?

You said that the people under your rule live and work in peace and contentment, and the reconstruction speed is very fast, but why has Fran renovated the old city of Minsk and rebuilt the battered Gondolin? However, the new Gondolin on the east bank is still crowded with disaster victims, and there are reports of dangerous building collapses from time to time.

In this comparison, Fran is the beacon of civilization! You elves are at best just a mound of civilization.

What's more, Fran was not the initiator of the war, but a hero who resisted the undead.

No matter how eloquent the elves are, they can only cover up for a while, and they can't always turn black into white. Because the facts are there for people to see, and the battle situation is written there in black and white.

Such a comparison and gap is obviously unacceptable to the elves!

The Elf Empire's rule over the colonies and its leadership over the Northern Alliance are largely based on its extremely high prestige. If this prestige collapses, its ruling power will also be shaken.

Finally, the elves made up their minds and stepped up their efforts to assist the east bank of the Soul-Guiding River.

They wanted to build what Fulan had built, and they wanted to build what Fulan had not built yet. Hospitals, churches, residential buildings, city walls, military camps, and brothels!! As long as they could think of it, they wanted to build it all. So every day, a large number of elves were sent from their homeland to the east bank of the Soul-Guiding River, and a series of large-scale construction projects began.

"Can this compete with us? Aren't the elves too competitive? Aren't they known for their generosity?"

When Fran heard the news from the front line, she didn't know what expression to show for a moment.

"After all, you are the real threat to their prestige!" Goronil said as he spread out a blueprint.

"what is this?"

"The construction plan of New Gondolin," Gorronil said, "our spies stole it from them."

"The elves' construction plan is very ambitious!" said Fran.

"It's a bit too ambitious!" Gorronil said, "New Gondolin is originally a port city, built to serve as a ferry for the Soul-Guiding River. There aren't that many people around it, so why build such a big city? Even if we really attract that many people, there won't be any jobs to provide.

Give it to them."

"Of course it's for face." Fran said, "I had a long talk with our friend, Miss Galanodier, two days ago. She said that the empire now regards us as the biggest competitor on the Calradia continent. The elves want to use various methods to prove that they are the real savior and can bring peace to Ferumandi.

Bring prosperity to the country.”

"So, they plan to use New Gondolin as a symbol to compete with us in infrastructure construction?" Gorronil said.

"Yes, it's a renovation competition between the new and old Gondolin. Whoever builds it better will have a greater say." Fran said.

"Why does it sound so childish?" Gorronil frowned, then said, "Besides, our renovation of Gondolin will have real uses. In the future, Gondolin will become the hub of the Soul-Guiding River and the center of logistics. Factories will also be opened along the coast to attract a working population! But what does the new Gondolin have? It's just an isolated city! We might as well use this little money to help ordinary people who are starving on the east coast."

"It's really childish!" Fran said, "But the elves have no choice but to do this! They lost to me militarily once, even though they refused to admit it. If they lose again economically this time, where will they put the face of this lighthouse? We don't have this burden, so of course it doesn't matter... Besides, there are factions within the elves.

Factional disputes often sacrifice long-term interests in exchange for some local compromises.”

"So...should we compete with them?" Gorronil asked.

"Of course! We are very close to the Feruman Empire. Once the railway is opened, all kinds of supplies and building materials can be transported here continuously." Fran said, "But the elves are separated from here by Saint Serux, not to mention that we have to cross two-thirds of the Feruman Empire to deliver the goods to the Soul-Guiding River. Since we can trick the elves, of course we have to take it."

Gorronil thought about it and said happily, "That's right! And we are in the process of building a large-scale project. It's very cheap to build these things. Why don't we compete with them to the end! Drag down the Elf Empire completely! I will design a blueprint that is more grand than New Gondolin."

"Are you stupid doing the test?" Fran looked helplessly at the big-breasted and brainless dwarf loli in front of her, and said, "I'll give you a test, and you should just do it obediently! You can't fall into my rhythm."

"But, didn't you, City Lord, say that you wanted to compete with them?"

"I do intend to compete! But how should the elves decide?" Fran calmly sat on the chair, narrowed her eyes and revealed a dangerous look, then slowly said: "They are the ones who want to compete with us, so how should we decide? Competing in city construction, this is too simple."

"What does the city lord mean?"

"The Ministry of Construction has previously said that it plans to build six cities along the railway to serve as supply points, transit points, and places for workers to settle down and rest."

"To be exact, there are seven." Gorronil said, "Of course we have a hierarchy of importance!"

"There are also four ports along the Soul-Guiding River. Before the railway is built, they will be used to transport various infrastructure by river. In the future, they will be transformed into supporting facilities such as river crossings and bridgeheads?"

"That's right! But the initial investment in these places is not that big. As long as there is a rough outline, it will be fine. There is no need to build them into large cities all at once."

Fran shook her head and said, "You can't just have a rough outline. Go back and tell everyone that we must design a complete blueprint, and the scale must be based on Gondolin."

"According to Gondolin! Lord, our production capacity does not allow us to build eleven cities at the same time!" After hearing this, Goronil jumped up from his chair.

Regardless of how much workload this drawing requires (at worst they can just stay up late and work a few extra hours), the key point is that if they really do this, it's not known whether the elves will be dragged down, but they will definitely be dragged down first.

The city lord's brain is obviously bigger than his chest, so why does he lose his mind at this time?

Fran glanced at Gorronil and said, "It doesn't mean that just because the blueprints are drawn, we have to follow the original design. Are you gray dwarves so naive?"

Chapter 225: Leak!

Goronil paused for a moment, then suddenly realized something, and a sly look appeared in his eyes: "I understand what the city lord means! I'll do it right away! I will definitely design the blueprint to be grand and magnificent."

"Wait a minute!" Fran stood up and said in a serious tone, "After you finish drawing these drawings, make a few copies, but remember that they are all top secret! Do not throw them around, and do not leak them! Especially do not leak them to outsiders."

"For example, what secrets must not be leaked to outsiders?" Goronil said as he took out his notebook.

Fran thought for a moment, then said, "For example, Dalarandil, the elf envoy to Gondolin, Grandet, the chief treasurer of the Green Leaf Chamber of Commerce in Gondolin, Sassan, the envoy of the Mad Sand Empire, and her deputy. Oh, yes, there is also the ambassador of the Northlanders and the noble lady of the Lombardy Federation, Madame Pompadour. They are all spies of the elves. If they find out, it will be equivalent to the Queen's Hand McMahon knowing it!"

"I've written it down!" Gorronil put the notebook in his bulging chest pocket and said with a smile, "Don't worry, City Lord, I will keep it strictly confidential."

Gorronil left happily.

At this time, Fran began to write a letter to Margaret.

"Dear Majesty Margaret. You have been worrying about the new capital before. I think it would be better to call it New Vienna. Let the elves see your determination to compete with the old capital..."

After writing, Fran gave the letter to Catherine and asked her to send it back to Vienna.

"City Lord, this is an all-out attack. It's too big a step. Will the elves realize that we want to drag them into the quagmire of the competition?" Catherine asked curiously.

"The proud minds of the upper elves won't consider these details. They probably think that the building will rise by itself as long as they wave their hands. Of course, the hard work of construction is done by the people below." Fran said: "And even if they realize it, what can they do? Do you think they will give up?

"That won't happen. I remember the current Queen's Hand McMahon. He is the leader of the elven conservatives and the original promoter of this war. They lost so badly, of course they have to do everything they can to save face." Catherine said.

"This is only one aspect. Mr. McMahon is also a beneficiary of the large-scale construction. The Chamber of Commerce of the contracted city and the Chamber of Commerce for purchasing and producing building materials almost all come from him and the several Elf Kings behind him. He will definitely find a way to promote competition." Fran said.

"But what if other factions object? I remember that the previous pro-war faction had always been at odds with Mr. McMahon. They believe that we should go to war again, especially with Elendil's grandfather and the other two elven kings in the south."

"The war faction is not against helping Margaret, but they are against the conservatives helping her. They also want a piece of the pie. And judging from the current situation, McMahon really cannot afford the construction of two places alone, and will inevitably transfer part of it to the war faction. Of course, it is not appropriate to call it the war faction now, it should be called the southern faction. The three elven kings of the war faction are all in the south of the empire."

Fran paused, then said, "Of course! So what if they temporarily withdraw? There is no loss for us! These ports and cities were already in our plan. It's just that we invested a little more in the early stage. Anyway, we have a lot of money, so it's nothing more than hiring more people and spending more money!"

A few days later, one piece of news after another spread throughout the continent of Calradia.

First, Margaret publicly announced that she would personally supervise the construction of a new city in the east! The elves would pay for it.

This news was already very shocking, and what was more important was that Margaret actually showed goodwill to the elves and praised the elves to an unprecedented height. What this city was a symbol of the great friendship between the elves and the Holy Roel Empire, and a sign that the beacon of civilization was shining on the continent...

I've praised you so much, if you didn't make it badly, it would be hard to save face.

Margaret later named the city New Vienna.

This naming is very subtle!

After all, everyone with a discerning eye knows that Old Vienna basically belongs to Fran. Now that Margaret has named the new city New Vienna, isn't it obvious that she wants to compete with Fran?

People immediately remembered that just a year ago, the Holy Roel Empire had faced a situation of confrontation between the north and the south. However, they did not expect that such a divided situation would appear again so soon. It was just that the geographical division changed from north to south to east to west.

The shock brought by Margaret did not last long, and Fran made another big news. Or should I say, a big scandal.

A major leak occurred on the west bank of the Soul-Guiding River under Fran's rule. The leaker made all of her plans for large-scale construction public, from blueprints to construction plans, covering seven cities and four ports!

Fran was naturally furious about the leak. She denounced the leaker in public as a despicable villain! Then she launched a vigorous leak investigation, led by Goroniel, to find the leaker.

However, what shocked people was not the fact that Fran was leaked, but the content of the leak!

It was then that everyone realized how much effort Fran had put into building the Soul-Guiding River. She was not only concerned with the construction of one city or one place, but wanted to roll it out across the board. In comparison, the elves' plan for the new Gondolin was really too crude.

At the same time, there were many rumors on the east bank of the Soul-Guiding River, saying that the Northern Alliance was just pretending, they just wanted to occupy the land and didn't want to build at all, and the elves' words were just empty talk, they talked loudly but actually did nothing, and only Fran was doing things seriously.

The elves wanted to fight back against such rumors, but they found that their counterattack was too weak. After all, other things could be explained away by words, but Fran's construction was there in reality and could not be refuted at all.

Many people also said that if the Northern Alliance really considered the Ferumens, it should hand over all the occupied land to Fran, and let Fran help with the construction. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many thieves and so much famine.

This really hit the elves' soft spot.

So the pressure was put on the elves.