Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

"My Lord, the Eldorian Empire’s tax revenue mainly comes from agriculture. By exempting the domain from taxes for three years, we’ve essentially cut off the government’s income."

Seeing Simon frown at the accounts, Baldwin explained further.

"As for commercial taxes, only Brambleford has a significant number of merchants, and even then, they’re mostly concentrated in industries like brewing and soap-making. The taxes collected amount to just tens of thousands of caps, a drop in the bucket compared to our current expenditures."

Baldwin was in charge of logistics, and his focus was solely on finances. He didn’t concern himself with Simon’s broader plans, but in his view, projects like the galleons were unnecessary and a waste of resources.

Simon understood Baldwin’s implication; he was warning against costly, large-scale projects that could burden the recovering economy of the six cities.

But for Simon, every plan had a purpose. Without investment, there would be no major returns, a perspective Baldwin likely couldn’t grasp yet.

After Baldwin finished, Simon turned his attention to Percival.

Managing a domain was like running a company. The military, public welfare, and government operations were major expenses, while Percival, representing the merchant guild, was the primary source of income.

That’s why Simon always felt more relieved seeing Percival than Baldwin. Percival’s reports were about profits, while Baldwin’s were about expenses, and they were always asking for more money.

"My Lord, after over a year, the domestic market isn’t as booming as it was initially. Products like soap and perfume last a long time, so demand has dropped significantly. Brambleford’s Finest sales have also declined but remain stable. Combined, the guild’s monthly income is now around three hundred thousand caps." Percival reported.

"Three hundred thousand?" Simon’s expression darkened. "That little?"

"It’s not insignificant, Your Highness. After auctioning off sales rights, we’re only making slim profits now. However, after the noble families were eliminated, we’ve taken control of the Eldorian market. I’ve already begun setting up shops there." Percival explained.

Simon sighed. He had made a fortune from auctioning sales rights early on, but now the consequences were apparent.

After splurging, adjusting to leaner times was hard. Though three hundred thousand caps a month was still a massive sum, it was far from enough for his ambitious plans.

"If the Eldorian market is saturated, the order’s market must still be wide open."

Simon’s words nearly made Percival spit out his tea.

"My Lord, you want the guild to trade with the reavers? Fern hates us! Any merchant caravan entering the grasslands would be slaughtered on sight! Besides, those reavers stink; they never bathe. Why would they want soap or perfume?"

"But they love alcohol," Benjamin interjected calmly. "The northern winters are harsh, and strong liquor is perfect for keeping warm."

Simon glanced at Benjamin, then back at Percival. "See? War is one thing, but business is another. Why not profit from the reavers?"

"At best, liquor would only fetch us livestock hides in exchange," Percival argued. "The reavers rarely use silver."

"That’s fine too. Ideally, trade for horses. Hides are also in short supply in the Eldorian Empire; you can resell them for profit." Simon said, eyes gleaming.

Lancelot laughed and slammed the table. "My Lord, I admire your cunning! Percival, try to get us some horses. I’ll treat you to drinks!’

"I’d rather not," Percival muttered, shrinking back. "I might not even make it back alive."

Even Baldwin, desperate for funds, abandoned his principles. "Many merchants already trade between Brambleford and the grasslands. Turn a blind eye, grease a few palms, and they’ll work for you. We’re counting on you, money is everywhere!"

The flattery boosted Percival’s ego, making him stand a little taller. Though Simon had elevated the status of merchants, traditional biases persisted. In government circles, he still felt inferior until now.

"Fine, I’ll give it my best shot," Percival said with a grin.

Simon nodded. "By the way, how’s the takeover of the Chandler family’s canal fleet going?"

After Lothair was hanged in Dunmere, his thirty merchant ships were seized. Simon had assigned Baldwin to transfer them to Percival.

Baldwin looked ashamed. "My Lord, after the news spread of Lothair’s arrest, we secured the ships within Brambleford, but those outside the territory, their crews simply commandeered and sold them. Only twelve ships were handed over to the guild."

"Combined with the ships the guild bought from Burrows town, we now have forty-five," Percival added.

"That should suffice for domestic trade," Simon said with a sigh.

His resources were still meagre. The workshop district might seem bustling, but it was just a few factories. True prosperity would come only when commerce flourished across the land.

With the meeting’s main points covered, Simon dismissed everyone except Aiden.

"My Lord, what’s this ’new city wall’ you mentioned earlier?" Aiden asked.

"A reinforced concrete wall." Simon declared, another massive project for Brambleford.

Without waiting for questions, he grabbed a piece of paper and began explaining.

Reinforced concrete was one of the sturdiest construction methods in modern engineering, used in megaprojects like the Dam and nuclear power plants. Later, it became standard for residential buildings, capable of withstanding magnitude 7-8 earthquakes.

Its strength came from concrete’s compressive resistance and steel’s tensile strength, a perfect combination.

Dunmere’s wall facing the grasslands spanned a narrow five-hundred-meter valley. Building a reinforced concrete wall here would be like constructing ten fifty-meter-long residential buildings, a small project by modern standards, but a monumental task here.

Yet Simon was determined. Once completed, this wall would render the reavers’ gunpowder tactics useless.

Only Simon and Aiden remained in the Governor’s meeting hall.

As Simon sketched the blueprint, he explained how to construct the new outer wall.

First, the wall wouldn’t be solid. Since they were building it, they might as well design it as a fortress. So, rather than just a wall, it would function as a military stronghold.

Overall, the wall would retain a traditional appearance, but the outer layer would be replaced with concrete. The interior would be hollow, except for the section up to five meters from the ground, which would be filled and compacted with earth. This would save costs while ensuring that even if the exterior were damaged, the interior would remain intact.

Above the five-meter mark, hollow chambers would be built. Small openings, just wide enough for spears, would be embedded in the outer wall. During battles, soldiers could use these openings to attack climbing reavers.

This section would be about 2.8 meters high. The third and fourth levels would follow the same design.

On the fifth level, the openings would be enlarged to allow cannons to fire through while still preventing enemy entry. From this level onward, cannon mounts would be installed inside the chambers. The next four levels would maintain this structure, with occasional spear openings interspersed.

In total, the wall would match the height of the old one, around 20 meters, an imposing defence.

After hearing the design, Aiden looked excited. "With such a sturdy wall, even the reavers would despair at the sight of it!"

"If we complete it, the Battle of Dunmere will never repeat itself," Simon said.

The memories of the last war were still fresh. Aiden nodded. "But, My Lord, such a complex project will require your personal supervision at the site. Without hands-on guidance, I fear I won’t be able to execute it properly."

"I was already planning to go. I don’t want shoddy construction. For now, prepare the slaves, cement, gravel, and wooden planks in advance." Simon instructed.

Concrete structures weren’t overly complicated; the main challenges were reinforcing steel bars and wooden formwork. For skilled carpenters, this wouldn’t be difficult.

The real issue was the steel reinforcement.

At this stage, Simon couldn’t produce modern-grade steel bars. He’d have to rely on the ironworks to improvise. After all, human ingenuity was boundless.

After assigning tasks to Aiden, Simon returned to his castle.