Chapter 1308 - 1226: Remodeling the Immortal Stone Field
February 19th, after confirming that Horn and others had withdrawn to Piana Fortress, the Central Army officially stationed in Fishing City.
At this time, even Jeanne had to admire Horn's keen sense.
They arrived but did not attack, just waiting for the rear to transport the spring cannons over.
Most of the empire's city walls are constructed according to the standards of the cold weapon era, which simply means tall and thin.
For cold weapons, this is an insurmountable tall wall.
For spring cannons, tall means lever arm, thin means fragile and shaky.
Especially Fishing City, intentionally built its walls extremely high (25 meters) to defend against enemy siege towers.
According to Jeanne's experiments at those border fortresses, three days is essentially enough to blast open the walls of Fishing City.
The vampires from Piana Fortress would not have time to support before the city breaks.
Unexpectedly, Horn actually ran a day early, saving quite a bit of effort.
Really, what was he doing earlier?
In the sunlight, walking through the gates of Fishing City, Jeanne even felt a sense of unreality.
Although her goal was blitzkrieg, it was only blitzkrieg in the eyes of people of this era.
The initial goal was to capture Fishing City before March 7th, and now it's February 19th.
In 12 days, Fishing City was taken? Without even a ripple?
Crossing the gate of Fishing City, the local elites had already raised the Holy Alliance flags, kneeling by the roadside.
Jeanne did not pay attention but directly sent soldiers to key locations within the city.
Ultimately, it was Senior Pastor Martin who made the arrangements with the locals, while Jeanne led her troops to Fishing City's core area – the Gwyneth Gold Palace.
Upon reaching the site, many of the new recruits in the Holy Alliance Army stared in astonishment at the sprawling palace complexes.
Magnificent El columns, clear fountains, lush lawns and gardens, charming and delicate maidens.
Not to mention the hallucinatory feeling when walking into the Gold Palace and gallery.
Laid on the ground, embedded in the dome, was genuine gold and jewels.
Although many were temporarily pried off and taken away, much was left behind for the Holy Alliance Army.
"Such a city, actually has a hundreds of thousands of gold pounds..." Jeanne couldn't help but exclaim upon receiving the account book from the accountant.
"Yes, how many generations have amassed this wealth." Martin sighed likewise.
"Drained the blood of generations of civilians." Jeanne made a wry face, looking at the gaping soldiers, she frowned, "Except for the Military Police, no troops are to station in this district."
"Understood."
"Have all local armed forces been disarmed?"
"Disarmed." A signed action report was handed over.
"Are key positions under control?"
"Under control." Another signed action report was handed over.
"Good, call all Battle Commanders to gather at City Hall."
After capturing Fishing City, the actual strategic goal was already achieved.
The reason is simple, Immortal Stone Field consists of eight counties, three counties were previously taken by the Holy Alliance, leaving five counties.
In these five counties, capturing Senol County and Hawthorn County, adjacent to Fishing City in Sapphire County, would connect Dawn Federation with the Holy Alliance.
The remaining two counties have no natural barriers and lead directly to River Island.
From west to east along the Nao'an River, Windmill Ground, River Island, Dawn Island and a small half of Immortal Stone Field form one complete plain.
The remaining six counties of Immortal Stone Field, at least have some mines and hills.
In Horn's view, the Immortal Stone Field, Thousand River Valley, and Shattered Stone Plain area (including Thorn Garden) are a rare key strategic zone, allowing for both attack and defense.
So the current priority is not chasing Horn, but dealing with local forces' counterattacks and consolidating control.
Because City Hall was sealing off and sorting documents, Jeanne simply held a meeting with the Battle Commanders, staff officers, and priests in the courtyard.
The background was clerks and stenographers coming and going, surrounding a large table, the senior officers and monks of the Holy Alliance sat in a circle.
"First is clearing out local remnants..."
"Ensure local grain prices remain unchanged, prevent refugee disturbances, and fire if necessary..."
"Recruit a batch of Defensive Army from the local Holy Sect Brotherhood..."
"Then there's the stability issue of each area, you all are veterans, I don't need to elaborate, right?" Jeanne stopped speaking after a long talk.
"No need, no need."
"Alright, then investigate first, then compile reports for Senior Pastor Martin..."
The Holy Alliance already has a set process for handling new territories.
All were tested in the new five counties and Dawn Federation, and the effect was superb.
Simply put, with nearly ten years of development, Falan and Norn are okay, Leia has become a key dissemination region for the Holy Sect.
In the eyes of many nobles, it's one Windmill Ground and one Thousand River Valley, two origins of the Holy Plague.
The methods employed by the Holy Alliance to handle new territories are all based on the believers of the Holy Sect.
Put simply, it's about using mass support to conduct social transformation.
First is abolishing the old feudal administrative structure, establishing a centralized bureaucratic system.
Like what Jeanne is doing now, it involves appointing willing senior officers or priests from Falan as County Governors, promoting local Holy Sect believers or Pro-Holy Alliance factions as bureaucrats.
At the same time, these people will also promote their associates and Holy Sect believers.
Horn humorously calls this process "ascending together."
But in fact, he often announced widely, "ascending together" is a temporary state under military control.
Once normalized like the new five counties, all personnel must undergo review, recommendation, and assessment.
And whether they can remain depends on the upcoming second policy – land reform and judicial reform.
Land reform means, under military supervision, abolishing feudal land ownership.
It's usually starting with churches, breaking up monasteries and churches, returning land, demanding cultivators have land.
The Public Register Farmers and Armed Farmers system will be abolished, extensive estates will be distributed to ordinary farmers, forming Hundred Households Districts.
As for church assets, occupied natural resources, and surplus estates, they are to be auctioned, prioritizing Holy Alliance/local household registration, Holy Sect beliefs, and Holy Alliance bonds.
Typically, at this time, it's when the bond-holding middle class of the Holy Alliance make their fortune.
Just look at Grosien, Palak, and the Gulga brothers, well-known Holy Alliance believer entrepreneurs.
The first bucket of gold, the first industry, entirely depended on the Holy Alliance Army helping them acquire for zero cost.
Even many self-cultivating farmers, as property owners, their first bucket of gold was from the land divided by the Holy Alliance conquering the nobles.
The so-called first bucket of gold in capital accumulation must be bloody, peasants have shed too much blood, let the bishops and nobles suffer a bit.
Why does the Holy Alliance's basic support for warfare run so high?
The key point is here, similar to economic reform and technological explosion, war is also a windfall.
If land reform is to realize the Holy Alliance's creed of freedom and labor.
Then judicial reform focuses on achieving the Holy Alliance's creed of equality and civilization.
For example, the inheritance law reform hitting nobles hardest, abolishing the noble primogeniture, implementing equal inheritance for all children.
For example, abolishing the Noble Court, nobles and commoners are tried together and accept the verdict.
For example, abolishing unreasonable feudal privileges, removing guild monopoly rights and charter rights.
Yet in Horn's view, these two reforms are only shallow waters.
The estates have nobles, assets have oligarchs; they are untouched now just because the local loyal factions need cultivation first.
Basically, after these two reforms are implemented, the number of people binding interests with the Holy Alliance's new policy will greatly increase.
Once local forces grow stronger, secondary reform can occur, putting these nobles and oligarchs on the guillotine.
Of course, during this period, continuous struggle is inevitable.
But in this state, Immortal Stone Field definitely can't join the Holy Alliance's core territories.
Plus, Immortal Stone Field is too far from the Ry Court Barracks, it's better to establish a new federation locally.
However, the name Immortal Stone is too pretentious, and the cardinals of Ry Court Barracks do not like it.
So, simply change Immortal Stone to Gem.
This way, the Holy Alliance will have a new member state—the New Gem Holy Sect Federation.
Looking now, basically wherever the military flag of the Holy Alliance is raised, the feudal system collapses.
On the ruins of churches and the corpses of nobles, a brand new country will rise.
"What about the remnant enemies in Piana Fortress? We can't leave them there forever?" asked the Senior Pastor of the Chongxin Battle Group.
"Alright then." Jeanne thought for a moment, "Since we are also going to garrison Fishing City, Michelle, feign pursuit.
If they don't run, bombard the walls with cannons, completely expelling them from Piana Fortress."