Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 357 The Impact of the Red Tide

Before dawn, the city gates of Silver Ridge Hill were already bustling with activity.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the snow was incessant, and the air was filled with the cold glint of metal and the white mist of steam.

Jon rode alongside Louis's carriage, approaching it and lifting the curtain to greet him: "Boss, your journey north must have been boring. Luckily, I also received an invitation from Astadt, so we can travel together."

Louis glanced at him and smiled slightly: "I'm afraid you're just bored in your territory."

“Indeed, a little.” Yorn rode alongside him, half jokingly and half sincerely. “The matter of Silverridge Hill has been arranged. Why not take this opportunity to see other territories? Besides, opportunities to travel with you are rare.”

Louis nodded slightly: "Then watch carefully and learn well."

In truth, Jon knew that he had nothing to do if he stayed in Silverridge.

His life is now so peaceful it's almost boring; everything in his territory is managed by the Red Tide Council.

Instead of being bored with hunting, why not follow Louis north to see the sights?

Furthermore, he is now among the top twenty nobles in the North, so he is indeed qualified to participate in the North Reconstruction Conference.

With Louis's command, the entire team slowly started moving.

The vanguard knights lined up, with the standard-bearer holding high the Red Tide and Harvey flags, their banners fluttering side by side in the wind and snow.

Yorn, riding on the side of the procession, looked both proud and excited. He turned to the knights beside him and shouted, "Now that's what you call a spectacle! Look at this, where in the North can you find anyone more imposing than us?"

He was followed by nearly a hundred officials and knights, all looking very spirited, their armor and lances reflecting a dazzling white light in the snow.

Louis's convoy left Silverridge Hill in the morning mist and marched north in a grand procession.

This journey was not only about traveling, but also a pilgrimage to examine the achievements of the Red Tide regime in spreading in the North.

Wherever he went, Louis would stay for half a day to inspect the warehousing, civil administration, education, and production systems.

Everywhere they went, the Red Tide pattern was projected: clean streets, full granaries, and open schools.

The Red Tide regime, like an invisible order, has reshaped the very breath of the North.

Louis stopped at each demonstration site, saying little and simply observing.

For example, in the noble territories of the former Xuefeng County, families that once resisted the rule of the Red Tide have now been completely incorporated into the council system.

When they first joined, there was almost a huge uproar. They complained that the Red Tide was meddling too much and not giving them any breathing room. Some even cursed at the banquet that the Council's ledgers were heavier than the shackles of the Empire.

But they soon discovered that the precise scheduling of the warehousing system prevented the grain from spoiling in the warehouse, the distribution system ensured that the workshop's profits were paid out on time, and the unified accounting system eliminated the space for deception and infighting.

Complaints gradually turned into silence, and after silence came dependence.

They knew it was a case of the wool coming from the sheep's back; the red tide took resources from them but gave them stability and prosperity in return.

Although they know it in their hearts, no one wants to go back to the past.

Their affluent lifestyle made them increasingly lazy; banquets replaced discussions, and dividends replaced power.

These nobles would often drunkenly exclaim, "This isn't rule, it's being conquered by happiness!"

The old city was incorporated into Red Tide, and Louis re-allocated new territory for them. Mines, farms, and workshops all cooperated under Red Tide's command, no longer fighting amongst themselves.

The lives of the people have improved significantly, famine has decreased, and public security has stabilized.

When Louis arrived again, the most stubborn nobles almost personally greeted him at the door.

The banquet was brightly lit, and they busied themselves pouring him wine, showering him with compliments.

Someone jokingly said, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be living like this."

Louis simply smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over the docile faces: "Good to know, but don't forget who's supporting you."

That calm smile silenced everyone present for a moment.

After a brief silence, a dry laugh echoed through the bar.

The nobles raised their glasses again, their faces once more bearing fawning smiles, their voices even more fervent than before.

Because they knew that without the Red Tide, they would have no way to survive.

Without Louis, their wealth and security would turn to dust in the wind and snow.

Even though they felt humiliated, they still smiled obediently, because this happiness was so warm that they were reluctant to return to the cold old days.

And then there's the Winter's Dawn Territory, now a vast cluster of warehouses covering the snowfields, with steam cranes roaring overhead.

This area is directly managed by the Red Tide Economic Council and serves as a transshipment and standardized warehousing center for goods; it is Mrs. Grant's territory.

She was one of the first lords to join the Red Tide system, and when she first took over the territory, she was almost in a state of collapse.

The territory has barren soil, making it impossible to grow staple crops. There are no mineral veins or trade routes, and both the lord and her husband's family have abandoned her.

She requested an audience with Louis after the Snowpeak County meeting.

That night, she said, "I really have no other choice. I want to join the Red Tide system."

Louis replied, "So if you can't handle it by yourself, we'll do it."

Afterwards, the craftsmen and directors of the Red Tide Society conducted an on-site investigation and discovered that rare mineral salts were hidden underground.

Red Tide sent people to build roads and warehouses, and in just one year, this barren land became a production area for winter salt.

The local specialty, winter salt, has established a long-term supply agreement with the Red Tide Alchemy Workshop. The workshop buys back the finished products and redistributes them to various parts of the North or sells them to the South.

Louis's intervention became a turning point in her fate.

She turned her fortunes around through the dividends from the Red Tide, becoming the richest widow in the North.

Her ex-husband's family tried to get close to her again, but she rejected them.

Now she lives a peaceful life with her children, gratefully and reverently calling Louis the true benefactor of the North.

Mrs. Grant stood outside the warehouse and saw a glint in Louis's eyes.

Her voice was filled with barely concealed emotion: "If it weren't for you, my child and I would have starved to death on that frozen land long ago. It was the red tide that kept us alive."

Louis nodded slightly after listening: "I accept your gratitude. Remember to keep the warehouse reporting on time. Red Tide will not let down those who have helped us."

Not only these demonstration sites, but the entire economic chain centered on the red tide in the southeastern part of the North has taken shape.

All of this was not accidental, but the result of a comprehensive economic plan implemented by Louis within the Red Tide regime.

He established a cross-territorial division of labor system and trade agreements through the council, unified the planning of resources and labor allocation, avoided internal duplication and conflict, and ensured that every bit of labor and output could be accurately invested in the areas most in need.

Red tides formulate production plans and quotas for different regions according to local conditions, and divide functions according to geographical and resource advantages: some are responsible for raw material mining, some focus on farming and animal husbandry, and some are engaged in smelting and processing.

All nobles and subjects were incorporated into the system, with production results being returned proportionally, and needs being settled through material vouchers or unified gold coins allocated by the Red Tide Council.

This system has brought unprecedented benefits.

Trade flows more efficiently, and internal competition is completely eliminated.

The distribution of supplies was stable, and the prices of grain and iron no longer fluctuated.

The red tide's allocation mechanism creates a closed loop of resources within the northern territory, ensuring that the prosperity of any one place will benefit the whole.

Meanwhile, the funds, technology, and transportation network provided by Red Tide helped various regions rebuild quickly, shortening the post-disaster recovery period.

In just two years, the economy of southeastern North began to operate on its own, forming a mutually beneficial "Red Tide Economic Zone," which amazed all the nobles who were dependent on the old imperial system with its efficiency. The northern mining areas were responsible for raw material supply, the eastern plains for grain and livestock, the southern workshops for manufacturing and processing, and Red Tide City for command and distribution.

All accounts are centrally monitored by the council, and reports are uploaded to the Red Tide main city database.

The unification of economic entities, the complementarity of resources, and the disappearance of competition have formed a unique "red tide economic circle".

The lives of the nobles were thus reversed; their wealth multiplied, but they lost their independence. Yet they were happy with this because everything was going smoothly and their income was stable.

At the banquet, the nobles laughed and joked, "We are no longer lords, but shareholders of the Red Tide."

Thus, everything Louis saw and heard along the way came together to form a huge picture:
The economy is coordinated by the council, eliminating internal competition.

Popularizing education allows literacy rates to grow alongside order.

Military and government were separated, and knights obeyed the orders of the council.

Resource sharing and trade are conducted using tokens instead of gold coins.

The oversight system permeates every township to ensure that the rules are not violated.

The North became an organic whole.

Wealth concentrates in circulation, with the red tide becoming the core heart and other territories becoming organs connected by blood vessels.

Of course, anything that leaves the red tide will immediately wither.

Every corner of the southeastern North has been rewritten by the Red Tide regime.

Mines were no longer abandoned due to private feuds among nobles, and farmland was no longer left barren due to excessive taxation.

Teachers teach children to read and write and tell the story of the Red Tide in the classroom.

The villagers would instinctively salute whenever they saw the Red Tide flag, because they knew that the warm fire, the food in the granary, and the literate children were all gifts from Louis.

Red Tide is no longer just a name, but the very system that shelters them.

So wherever Louis's motorcade went, the streets spontaneously lined the way to welcome him.

The bards sang "Ode to the Red Tide," children shouted "Long live the Red Tide," and women threw garlands at the knights' horses.

The young members of the Red Tide Knights were filled with passion and surrounded by the worship of the people.

Kosa and Gray were surrounded by people, and they truly felt the glory of being Red Tide Knights.

As Jon rode beside Louis's carriage, gazing at the flags and crowds along the way, he felt a surge of pride. This group represented his leader's prestige and the future of the North.

Outside the car was a sea of ​​drumbeats, shouts, and a shower of flowers, but inside, there was only the faint sound of pen strokes.

Louis sat in the carriage, his fingers tapping lightly on the ledger, his gaze sweeping over the circulation ratio of Red Tide vouchers and the statistics table of materials.

He calmly looked at the data and listened to the noise outside, as if he were calculating the next move.

Bradley was quietly explaining what the various data represented.

After listening, Louis simply said, "Very good, the red tide cycle is taking shape."

Bradley paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "You really intend to implement this system throughout the North?"

Louis turned and glanced at him: "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Bradley gazed at the distant snowfield, his expression complex.

The enthusiastic faces and songs under the Red Tide flag flashed through his mind.

What this young lord has built is not just power, but an inescapable order.

“This will be a more thorough rule than that of the Duke of Edmund,” Bradley said in a low voice, his tone filled with awe. “Not by swords, nor by family prestige, but by a system that will make everyone dependent on you.”

Louis simply smiled and said, "That's an exaggeration."

…………

After leaving the core area of ​​the southeastern North, the wheel tracks turned from smooth snow tracks into a bumpy, muddy road.

The wind grew colder, and the wheels made a dull cracking sound as they rolled over the frozen gullies.

The last Red Tide Watchtower stands on the hillside, its flag fluttering in the wind.

The tower-guarding knight saluted ramrod straight until the caravan disappeared into the depths of the snow and fog.

Looking out the car window, Louis saw the red of the flag gradually fading into the gray and white.

He silently drew a line in his mind: "This is the edge of the Red Tide."

Further north, the towns are visibly decaying.

The watchtower was deserted, the flagpole was askew, and the tax collectors of the old aristocracy put on their leather coats again and shouted to collect taxes at the street corner.

When the locals saw the Red Tide convoy, fear and hesitation flashed in their eyes, wondering if they would be conscripted again.

Yorn pulled back his cloak, looked at the disheveled people, and frowned slightly: "It's like waking up from a dream and then returning to a nightmare."

Louis's gaze remained calm: "This is the reality of the North."

Before entering the more northern territories, several minor lords along the way received the news well in advance.

Upon seeing the Red Tide flags and orderly ranks from afar, they were initially intimidated. They quickly straightened their clothes and bowed in the cold wind to greet them. Of course, the grandeur of the procession made them feel apprehensive.

When they heard that the visitor was Louis himself, their expressions changed instantly.

A fawning smile and flattering words flooded his face.

After all, in the North today, who doesn't know that Louis is the new ruler of the new order?
If he were to grant them a small amount of surplus grain, it would be enough for their family to live for several more generations.

Louis simply nodded, ordered some food sacks to be given to them, and sent them away.

There's no way to save them all, and there's no need to save them.

As you move further north into the villages and towns, the air is filled with the smells of hay, rotten wood, and soot.

The streets were broken, snow and mud mixed into icy slurry, the houses were dilapidated, and faded ancient talismans were pasted on the wooden walls.

Children in the red tide-affected areas would salute and recite local customs in unison, while the children here run barefoot, thin as shadows, chasing each other.

The elders gathered around the fire and prayed in hushed tones, chanting ancient curses of evil gods that had long been forbidden.

The stove inside the house was reduced to ashes; the mother held her child for warmth, her eyes vacant.

Some people were making soup with rotten grains and tree bark, and the air was filled with the smell of burning and despair.

The sound of a baby crying came from afar, thin and long, like the wind tearing at the cold.

Bradley flipped through his notebook beside the carriage, pen nib hovering in mid-air, gazing at the scene before him, his voice so low it was almost swallowed by the wind: "This is where there is no system."

Kosa and Gray rode side by side in the procession, looking at this desolate land, and an inexplicable sense of oppression arose in their hearts.

They were used to the bright and orderly world of the Red Tide, but everything before them now felt like another world, making them uncomfortable.

Yorn rode closer to the carriage, his voice low: "Boss, the boundaries of heaven are still too narrow."

Louis did not respond, but looked up into the distance: "Then let the Red Tide go even further."

(End of this chapter)