Chapter 95

Chapter 95: The Capital.

“Ah… How could he leave us so vainly…”

“Sniff!”

When the news of the death of the Straight Tree spread throughout the empire, the whole nation was plunged into sorrow.

He was one of the spiritual pillars of the imperial citizens.

In various cities, processions were held to commemorate the Straight Tree, and newspapers competed to highlight his life and achievements.

“He was such an amazing person.”

The young children who did not know much about the path that the Straight Tree had walked looked at the newspapers and exclaimed.

His funeral was held in a solemn atmosphere.

‘Rest well.’

Kim Kiwoo personally scattered his ashes.

It was a ritual act to return him to nature, to rest beside the spirits.

The imperial meeting that followed was also conducted in a grave mood.

Fortunately, the next Minister of Internal Affairs had already been appointed, and the handover had been done smoothly, so the position was filled quickly.

“I am Red Wolf, who will be in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from now on. I ask for your cooperation.”

Clap clap clap.

As he introduced himself, applause from the ministers followed.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs is closely connected with many other departments. So I hope you all cooperate well. I don’t want to hear any unnecessary stories.”

Kim Kiwoo looked around at the ministers and warned them slightly.

The Minister of Internal Affairs had been so powerful until now that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had been the most influential among all departments except for the Administration Department.

The Administration Department was led by Kim Kiwoo and all the ministers, so the actual departmental power was the highest in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The basis for this was that they oversaw most of the budget in the empire, and thanks to the presence of the Straight Tree.

The former was still true, but the latter had changed. 

It was natural that the political power structure would change as a result.

This was inevitable for human beings, but Kim Kiwoo did not want to see things get out of hand and become serious.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Of course you should. Please don’t worry, Your Majesty.”

The ministers accepted Kim Kiwoo’s warning.

But they did not know what would happen in the future. 

They had to wait and see how things would turn out.

With this, the issue related to the Ministry of Internal Affairs was over, and the meeting began in earnest.

Kim Kiwoo received reports on each department’s situation, discussed sensitive issues, and waited for his time.

How much time had passed?

When he felt that it was ripe, Kim Kiwoo raised his hand.

Then, the meeting room became quiet as a mouse.

“I have something to propose.”

“What do you want to propose…?”

The ministers exchanged glances quickly.

But no one knew what Kim Kiwoo’s proposal was.

He had never discussed it with anyone before.

Kim Kiwoo opened his mouth without hesitation.

“You all know why the capital is called Great Beginning, right?”

“Of course we do.”

“Surely. It’s because Your Majesty came down to this land for the first time and laid the foundation stone of the empire.”

“You’re right. It’s where I started the great Wakan Tanka Empire with you. But do you think Great Beginning suits the capital of the empire?”

“…”

The ministers sensed a negative nuance in Kim Kiwoo’s words about Great Beginning.

A bad feeling rose up in their hearts.

The first one to answer Kim Kiwoo’s question was the Minister of Health.

“Well, I think it does. Great Beginning is located in the south, close to Central Continent and South Continent. It’s near South Port. And it’s been developed for a long time, so it’s good to live in, and warm too. There are many big rivers around it, and it’s not far from industrial areas.”

Most of the department heads agreed with the words of the sanitation chief.

They were generally satisfied with the current state of the capital.

Above all, most of the departments had been very busy lately.

The production of various industrial goods had exploded, affecting every department.

The department heads did not want to create more work for themselves.

But Kim Kiwoo had a different idea.

“I fully sympathize with what the sanitation chief mentioned. First, take a look at this.”

Kim Kiwoo hung a map on the wall.

“Does the commerce chief know what this is?”

“Yes. It’s from our commerce department’s survey. How could I not know? It’s a map showing the population distribution of the imperial citizens.”

Of course, there were large errors due to the current administrative limitations, but this map allowed them to see the approximate population distribution.

“Looking at this map, you can see that the population is very dense in the capital and nearby cities.”

“It’s natural that everyone wants to live near the capital, where His Majesty lives.”

“Besides, thanks to the sewerage and transportation systems, the cities are more livable.”

“There is also a reason why most of the jobs are concentrated in the cities.”

“You’re all right. Then how about this?”

Kim Kiwoo unfolded a second map.

“This is…”

“It’s a map that shows the major disasters that occurred on the mainland after the founding of the empire. Now, look at these two maps and tell me what you think.”

It was a question that anyone who was not a fool could not know.

“…The frequency of disasters is higher in densely populated areas.”

“You’ve seen it well. I’m sure you all know how much damage we’ve suffered from disasters like hurricanes so far.”

“Hmm…”

A sigh came out of the department heads’ mouths.

They had been preparing for it until now, but almost every year, there was a lot of damage from disasters.

How could humans stop such huge natural disasters as hurricanes?

The problem was that such continuous damage continued in densely populated areas.

“Maybe we’ve been lucky so far. Who knows? Maybe a hurricane of a different dimension than before will destroy the capital and surrounding cities.”

There were many countries in history that declined greatly due to natural disasters.

Disasters were humanity’s biggest enemy, regardless of time.

“Imagine it. A situation where everything in the capital becomes a mess due to a huge disaster.”

The department heads’ faces darkened at Kim Kiwoo’s words.

“The capital is the heart of the empire. If this happens, the damage will be beyond imagination.”

“Then do you think His Majesty should move the capital?”

As soon as the talk of moving the capital came up, tension filled the faces of the department heads.

Kim Kiwoo nodded his head at this.

“Yes. I’m thinking of moving the capital to a safer place before it’s too late.”

As soon as he mentioned it directly, the atmosphere in the meeting room became as cold as a northern winter.

At the same time, an immediate objection erupted.

“But there is only a little difference, most of the areas where our imperial citizens live are prone to disasters. Do we have to move the capital for this reason?”

“That’s right. So if I move the capital, I’m thinking of moving it all the way north.”

Kim Kiwoo drew a circle on Lake Superior and the Atlantic Ocean with a stick.

The department heads, who had thought of a slightly northern area at best, burst into surprise at seeing the area Kim Kiwoo pointed out.

“That place has hardly any imperial citizens, does it?”

“There are many places around there that are still undeveloped!”

“How can you build a capital in a place where there is nothing? Please reconsider!”

After that, the department heads explained in detail why Kim Kiwoo’s designated area was unsuitable for the capital.

Kim Kiwoo listened to their dissuasion and organized his thoughts.

“It wasn’t just because of the natural disasters.”

Of course, the natural disasters played a big role, but there was also another purpose: to promote the development of the north.

The north was better for boosting the industry.

“It’s absurd to move the capital right away.”

This was Kim Kiwoo’s plan.

He would first announce that he would move the capital, and then add one clue.

He would promise to provide housing in the capital and nearby major cities to those who participated in the northern development project.

“People are desperate for housing rights. This will surely cause a huge reaction.”

People wanted to live in the capital, the center of the empire.

But since the size of the capital was limited, the conditions for living there were strict.

There was no concept of land trade in the empire, so everyone had to get a residence permit for a certain period of time.

Therefore, the competition for living in the capital and nearby major cities was very fierce.

This was also why corruption over residence permits was the most frequent and serious of all corruption cases.

But what if they could guarantee long-term residence rights in the future capital?

There would be enough people who would leave for the north, looking at the future, even if their lives were hard at first.

It was a great honor to live close to Kim Kiwoo.

“I never said that I would move the capital to the north where there is nothing.”

“Then…”

Kim Kiwoo explained his plan.

The officials looked a bit relieved, thinking that they had avoided the worst situation.

In the end, he was saying that he would develop the planned capital area sufficiently by using the bait of living in the future capital, and then move the capital after some infrastructure was built.

The first one to agree with Kim Kiwoo’s opinion was the industrial minister, who had been silent until now.

“Your Majesty’s words are very reasonable. If that happens, the construction of the northern industrial zone, which has been stagnant, will also gain momentum.”

It was obvious.

To build a huge city of the capital’s scale, they had to pour out enormous resources.

It was unrealistic to bring these resources from the far south.

In other words, the necessity of the northern industrial zone, which was under construction, would increase.

For the industrial minister, who had been struggling with the construction of the northern industrial zone, this was definitely good news.

“But if that happens, there will be backlash from the imperial citizens who have been living in the capital and major cities.”

“If they want, they can participate in the northern development project.”

“But as you know, these people are the core of the empire. It is not easy for them to move due to various circumstances.”

The security minister anticipated the resistance of the elite in the empire.

And that would probably happen when they announced their plan to move the capital.

“There must be some public officials, scholars, researchers, and craftsmen who have difficulty participating in the northern development project right away. If there is a clear reason, I will make an exception for them. But there is no exception for those who do not apply for it even though they can participate in it. Even if we move the capital, Great Start and nearby major cities will not decline. It’s all their choice.”

Great Start had a deep meaning as a holy place.

Also, major facilities such as universities and research institutes were concentrated there.

Therefore, they expected that the central part of the south centered on this area would still be prosperous.

Of course, unless they were gods, they did not know how history would unfold in the future.

“That’s it for today’s meeting.”

Kim Kiwoo declared an end to the meeting.

There were many procedures needed to confirm moving the capital anyway.

Moving the capital was a crucial matter that determined the future of the empire.

Therefore, many things had to be considered.

After the meeting ended,

“Phew…”

Most of their faces were visibly more exhausted than before.

They sensed it.

The enormous amount of work that would pour into their departments and the turmoil that would arise in public opinion.