Chapter 493

Longji City, built on top of a hill, has expanded several times compared to three years ago.

The city walls that originally formed a circle at the foot of the mountain had long been demolished, and a large number of new buildings were built along the mountain, and built along the hillside to the plain below the mountain, and continued to expand outward.

Various textile factories, steelmaking factories, fertilizer factories, machinery factories, and processing factories stand in forests in the city. There are also countless shops, houses, hospitals, schools, and temples. Planning and construction, quickly moving towards an industrialized city.

There is still a large area of ​​vacant land outside the city, and only basic filling and marking have been done, which is reserved for future urban planning.

The train station of Longji City is more than ten miles away from the castle on the top of the mountain, and it is still a relatively desolate suburb.

After the steam train entered the station, Ren waited for a while to let the other passengers leave first, then woke up Akalande, who was pretending to be asleep at first, but then really fell asleep, and the two got off the train together.

"boss!"

"My lord duke!"

There was already a large group of people waiting on the platform, led by Cronuan in blue armor.

In the adaptation of the Ultramarines the year before last, he was appointed by Rennes as the company commander of the third company of the country. He is currently leading two combat teams to garrison Dragon's Back City in rotation. Twenty-four Ultramarines stood behind him, saluting in unison, each tall and strong. The human wall formed by his body is daunting.

Ren nodded to Cronuan, his eyes swept over every Ultramarine.

Today, the total number of Ultramarines under his command has reached 240, which is much more than the original target number of expansion targets.

Two hundred and forty Ultramarines were organized into four companies, each led by four company commanders.

Each company has sixty people, five teams under its jurisdiction, each team has twelve people, and a complete combat team consists of ten Ultramarines, a captain and a deputy captain. This is the smallest organizational unit in the Ultramarines .

The other three company commanders are Sicarius, Tyrion and Otto.

Among them, the first company of Sicarius is Ren's personal guard company. It has the strongest combat effectiveness and is stationed in Glamorgan most of the time. The supreme commander of the Extraordinary Legion; the fourth company is a company of recruits, usually trained in King Kong Fort on the Sain Plateau.

Otto, the commander of the fourth company, was one of the first thirteen Ultramarines to follow Rennes, and the third to be promoted to Legend. His character is tough and low-key, but he is very patient, and he is the highest-level mentor in the battle group, and he is most suitable for training recruits.

After several years of training and adaptation, the system of the Extreme Battle Group has gradually matured.

There are a total of twenty combat squads, and each team of Ultramarines will not act alone when they go out to fight or deploy on patrol. In most cases, there will be a company of Spearwing Knights as an auxiliary army.

Both sides fight together, with the Ultramarines in command.

The Gunwing Knights were also adapted into a company model, with a team of twelve cavalry, but a company had 120 people, twice as many as the Ultramarines.

And on top of the company, a battalion was also set up.

Five companies with a total of 600 people form a battalion. Ren has two battalions under his command, and the total number of Spearwing Knights exceeds 1,200, which means there are ten companies, and the number is increasing every month.

The Glamorgan Territory and Dragon's Back City are the most important, so two teams of Ultramarines and a company of Spearwing Knights are stationed daily. In the other six cities of the Principality of Augustus, a team of Ultramarines and a company of Spearwing Knights were also stationed, which were rotated every quarter.

In addition, there are roughly the same number of extraordinary people, about 1,500 people.

Most of them are natives of Congatero, who were recruited by Rennes after screening to form a lower level of city sheriffs and guards.

Today, the total number of extraordinary troops under Ren's command is close to 3,000.

Not to mention the Kingdom of Congatero, even looking at the empire, this is an extremely powerful and extraordinary force, no one dares to underestimate it.

Akalande got out of the car with Ren, with horror in his eyes.

He has seen the Ultramarines many times, and he is not unfamiliar, but he is not familiar with them, because all Ultramarines are loyal to Rennes and never have much contact with people other than Rennes. This kind of loyalty is comparable to fanatics and gods, but Ren is just a mortal, and people can't figure out what method he used to cultivate such a powerful and loyal extraordinary army.

Every time he saw the Ultramarines, Akalande would be shocked by the strength of these barbarian fighters.

One legend is not terrible, what is terrible is that there are a whole group of legends!

Even the lowest-strength member of the Ultramarines is equivalent to a high-level transcendent, who may hit the legend at any time. In the past two to three years, Akland discovered that at least five Ultramarines had suddenly been promoted to legends, and it was unknown how many legends they had never seen before!

Putting on the armor made by Ren himself, and using the Rambo gun "invented" by Ren, their combat power has increased by more than ten times!

A few years ago, when the Scourge undead invaded Wezeland, Akalande saw the power of the Ultramarines firsthand. At that time, there were only thirteen Ultramarines, and now the number has skyrocketed. It is guessed that there are at least two hundred people. How amazing the strength of the entire Ultramarines will be!

When he looked at Ren's back, he still had the same impenetrable feeling as before, as if shrouded in a mysterious and dazzling halo, he felt unfathomable.

Ren looked at a man beside Cronuan.

He was in his early thirties, and although he was a transcendent, he was only a second-level ranger. His strength was quite mediocre, and he couldn't beat any knight with spear wings. Wearing a neat gray uniform and straight gray trousers, he is full of energy, exuding a gentle and wise temperament.

"Mayor Bizmok."

Ren called out his name, and frowned slightly, "What are you doing at the station? I have emphasized many times that I will send someone to find you if there is something to do, and there is no need to engage in such a formal greeting."

This man is the mayor of Longji City.

Three years ago, Rennes announced the open recruitment of administrative officials. Bizmok, who was born as a civilian, got the highest score in the weird test, and left a deep impression on Rennes during the interview, and was immediately appointed as The first mayor of Longji City.

Later, Bizmok's performance also lived up to expectations.

His strength is indeed mediocre, but he has wisdom and political skills that are difficult for ordinary people to reach. He can not only understand Rennes' industrialization concept well, but also carry out Rennes' will and implement the plan.

The development speed of Dragon's Back City has exceeded Rennes' expectations. It is the fastest among the seven cities in the Principality, and the effect is also the best.

Rennes will evaluate the performance of the mayor and the performance of the main officials under him every year.

Several other mayors have been changed, and the director and other officials belonging to the city hall have changed an unknown number of people. Only a very small number of people have passed multiple assessments and have been working until now.

Bizmok is one of them.

After working as the mayor for several years, Ryan is very satisfied with him.

The eye of the soul also confirmed that this person has no other intentions, so he gave the other party more rights to coordinate the development of other cities in the principality. The mayor, who was born as a commoner, is actually the former prime minister of Rennes. He is powerful and vigorous, and has become an inspirational model for the common people of the principality.

In order to protect this rare talent, Ryan also asked the Ultramarines stationed in Dragon's Back City to guarantee his safety. There are two Ultramarines accompanying him at all times, and the treatment is not bad.

Even, Ryan plans to confer Bizmok as a baron at the end of the year and set aside a territory in Glamorgan, which is not only a reward for his outstanding achievements, but also an example to attract more talents.

However, the behavior of Bizmok's appearance at the station made Renn murmur in his heart.

The Ultramarines can know the location of the Primarch at any time. It is normal for them to rush to the station, but they will not tell any outsiders, even the mayor.

He took the train this time on a whim and did not inform others.

However, Bizmok was able to arrive at the station in time to greet him. Obviously, he knew his whereabouts in advance. As expected, it should be the news from Stream City, which shows that he has a deep control over the Principality.

This is not a good sign.

"He's a little drifting."

Ren was displeased and didn't show it clearly.

However, Bizmok was keenly aware of the change in his expression, and was immediately terrified, knowing that his good intentions had aroused Ren's dissatisfaction.

He quickly explained: "Master Duke, I was checking the construction progress of the new factory nearby in the afternoon. It happened that the railway opened to traffic today, and the first train arrived at Longji City Station. I stopped by to have a look. I didn't mean to greet you."

"Really?" Ren was noncommittal.

He glanced at Cronuan next to him, and the other party responded in his heart through the symbiosis of the Primarch, that Bizmok did indeed have official duties in the surrounding area.

However, Lane did not believe this rhetoric.

The eyes of the soul can see clearly, at least Bizmok didn't tell the whole truth, it is likely that he deliberately arranged the itinerary near the station.

"It seems that his title of baron and fief have to be pushed back, let's talk about it in the future."

Ren didn't want to pursue it any further.

He walked out of the platform and got into Bizmok's official car. Half a company of Gunwing Knights rode bronze Pegasus to open the way ahead, and the Ultramarines followed.

"Your Excellency the Duke..."

"It turns out that the Duke is traveling, no wonder even the Spearwing Knights are dispatched!" Many people murmured in low voices and stopped to watch the car, as if they saw Ren in the car.

Under the awe-inspiring eyes of passers-by, the convoy entered the city along the avenue and drove towards Longji Fort on the top of the mountain.

Along the way, Bizmok accompanied the car.

In the car, he began to report to Rennes the recent development of Longji City. He did not need to look at the documents and materials. He reported various population and financial data casually, as well as the progress of a series of engineering projects, all in his mind. When reporting It is well organized and the data is not bad at all.

Ryan admired Bizmok, who was in the working state, simply and neatly, with clear priorities and excellent results.

Bizmok knew the general situation of the entire Dragon's Spine City like the back of his hand.

This shows his dedication to work.

This point can also be confirmed from the Ultramarine who protects Bizmok. He is a workaholic, with a full schedule during the day, running around in and around Longji City, and busy until late at night. Sometimes I don’t even go home, just sleep in the office, and wake up the next day full of energy, and continue to work, as if I have inexhaustible energy.

Dragon's Back City has developed so fast, at least 30% of the credit is due to Bizmok.

The car drove into Longji Fort.

Ren got out of the car and entered this small castle. He seldom stayed here overnight, and only teleported over to stay for a few hours when he had something to do. Therefore, there were not many servants, and he directly used the castle as the office of the city hall.

The Ultramarines and Spearwing Knights are also stationed at Dragon's Back Castle, guarding the teleportation array.

There was an office for Wren in the castle. He continued to listen to Bizmok's report, made decisions on several of his requests, and finally ended his day's work.

In the evening, Ren arranged for a sumptuous dinner, which was held in the hall of Longji Fort.

Dozens of principal officials from Bizmok and Dragon's Back City, as well as city officials at two lower levels, received the invitation. Renn encouraged the officials under him at the banquet, and at the same time secretly screened with the eyes of the soul to see if there were any abnormalities among these people.

Every once in a while, he will regularly summon officials to eliminate traitors and moths in the ranks.

At the beginning, some people with bad intentions were often found out, tried and punished with thunderous means, and even directly sentenced to death.

Later, the officials gradually became aware of the Duke's methods.

Both fierce and unpredictable.

They were trembling one by one, and never dared to steal, rape and play tricks again, and used the power in their hands to seek personal gain. Anyone who did this would end badly, without exception.

After several "purifications", Ryan could rarely find moths.

The same goes for tonight's banquet.

Everything was normal, and the officials were laughing and laughing. Although many people were uneasy, those who dared to attend the dinner generally had no problem, and they were aboveboard and not guilty.

Ren sat at the head of the main seat and nodded slightly in satisfaction.

Bizmok, who was the first on the left, paid attention to Ren's expression, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that today's test has passed.

He stood up holding his wine glass, and said loudly: "My colleagues, let us toast your lord the duke together. Congratulations on the birth of your lord's first son, Prince Rex! At the same time, I also wish your majesty the queen good health, and Prince Rex will always be in good health." healthy!"

"good……"

"Congratulations, Your Excellency the Duke!"

Dozens of officials stood up and applauded, holding wine glasses towards Renn, who was headed up, with congratulatory smiles on their faces, for fear that they would lag behind others.

"Thank you for your blessings." Ren responded with a smile, and drank a toast.

When everyone drank all the wine in their glasses, he announced: "It's all thanks to everyone's hard work and outstanding performance. I can see that Longji City is getting better and better. I have always been rewarded for my achievements. It's almost here, all the officials of the Longji City Hall will get a bonus, according to the school assessment, the bonus ranges from one month's salary to half a year."

Ren looked at Bizmok, "Mayor, please draw up a list and budget as soon as possible, and I will send the bonus after I sign it."

"Yes, my lord!" Bizmok bowed and saluted, eyes full of surprise.

All the officials in the hall were also overjoyed.

Ryan's rule is strict, and he has very strict requirements on officials, and they are not allowed to stretch out their hands. There is only one reason why they are willing to stay and continue to work, and that is that Ryan gives too much money!

Even the lowest-level clerk in the city hall has a monthly salary equivalent to more than five times that of an ordinary worker. There are also various welfare benefits, housing allocation, allowances, heating costs, overtime wages, free hospital treatment, etc., the salary of a person It can feed a whole family of ten people.

It is impossible to find such a good job outside, which is both decent and lucrative, which has attracted countless people.

Every time the official rank is raised, the salary also increases. The highest-ranking mayor has a basic monthly salary of hundreds of gold shields, plus various welfare bonuses, and an annual salary of more than two thousand gold shields!

Not to mention the power in the hands of officials, which makes their status superior to others, even more prestigious than those nobles with false titles.

As the mayor, Bizmok will definitely get the highest half-year bonus, at least six or seven hundred gold shields. He has not accumulated much wealth as a commoner, and he plans to buy the best villa for himself and his family. How can he? unhappy?

Officials at other levels also have more or less a dozen or dozens of gold shields.

This windfall immediately pushed the atmosphere in the hall to a climax, and the officials cheered happily, and flattered Ren in different ways.

Ren smiled and accepted the flattery of the officials.

To put it bluntly, this is actually "high salary to support honesty". You can't rely entirely on the screening of the soul's eyes to oppress the people under you to work, and you have to give the money in place so that they can really work hard. A blindly high-pressure policy may work very well in the short term, but it will inevitably collapse over time.

Anyway, the money thrown out will be recovered from the fruits of their hard work.

Ren didn't want to collect all the tax revenue of the Principality of Augustus, and finally invested it in the construction of the Principality. He just grasped the macro-control, and even invested tens of millions of gold shields in the early stage, making a loss-making business.

During this process, the standard of living of the principality's citizens has been greatly improved, and people have changed their beliefs and become more and more devout, providing a lot of power of faith for the goddess of magic.

After the dinner, Ren climbed to the top of Dragon's Back Fort.

He looked down at the city. At night, Longji City was lit up with thousands of lights. This is the gas lamp popularized by the Mechanics Union. All the streets are also equipped with the same gas street lamp. Looking from a distance, it already feels like a city that never sleeps. up.

Under the night, there are more than a dozen temples of goddesses of magic all over the districts.

Ren's soul eyes were fully functioning, looking at the whole city.

Residents who came into sight, whether they were at home or walking on the road, no matter men, women, old or young, a purple illusory fire appeared above the heads of most of them, spreading towards the heights, converging into a huge power of faith and sinking into the void , leading to the distant unknown space.

According to the habit of the past three years, Ren began to pray silently, looking through layers of void to look high, and vaguely saw a magnificent and magnificent kingdom of God.

In front of his eyes, a blurred phantom of Weiss Stretch appeared, which gradually became clear, and the beautiful face under the mysterious veil showed an indescribable smile towards him.

The vision lasted for several minutes, and did not disappear until the prayer was over.

Ren is used to this kind of vision when praying, but the goddess has not responded, and can only watch from a distance but not get close, maybe it is not the time yet.

"The gods are so insatiable, so much power of faith is not enough, and I don't know how to feed her." Ren secretly complained, turned and went downstairs to the teleportation circle in the castle, and returned to the empire.