Chapter 328:

Chapter 328:

TL: Etude

Since the demonstration of the flying shuttle loom and the Jenny spinning machine at the October conference, many in the textile industry expressed their intentions to purchase these machines.

Under Paul’s direction, the mechanical factory announced that the Jenny spinning machine still had some unresolved technical issues, delaying its sale. This decision greatly disappointed many factory owners.

However, the flying shuttle loom was launched as scheduled, and the Lakeheart Town Mechanical Factory received a large number of orders. Driven by demand, the factory expanded, hiring new apprentices to ramp up the production of the looms.

In addition to the flying shuttle loom, other agricultural machinery like cotton gins, threshers, grass cutters, root cutters, and grinding machines also gained popularity and were included in the increased production plans.

The sales of these new machines brought considerable wealth to Paul. Although he had voluntarily separated his private treasury from the public one, the Lakeheart Town Mechanical Factory was a property of the Grayman family and not under the jurisdiction of the Administration Council. Hence, its income went into Paul’s private treasury.

However, like other factories, the mechanical factory also had to pay taxes, which went to the public treasury of the Administration Council. Many people did not understand this arrangement. In their view, since the entire territory belonged to the Grayman family and the Administration Council’s role was to assist the lord in managing the territory, and with Paul having the final say over the council’s public treasury, they saw the mechanical factory paying taxes to the Administration Council as merely shifting money from one hand to the other.

Despite questions raised by many, Paul insisted on this procedure. In terms of complying with other laws, all Grayman family properties, including the mechanical factory, were treated no differently from other private workshops and factories.

Another development that pleased Paul was the growth of maritime trade. As more civilian sailing ships were built, the proportion of goods transported by sea, especially those sold to the south, increased, reducing the amount taken by land-based tolls.

To further develop maritime trade, the Administration Council heavily invested in a shipyard owned by Count Price Parker. This shipyard, located at a natural harbor in Port Fran, was taken over by a large team of managers and technical staff from the shipyard. They began revamping the equipment and facilities, training the old craftsmen to produce new ships that met Alda’s needs.

The first thing Paul did after the meeting was to consult with his Chief of Staff, Schroeder, about rewards for the army. Many officers had shown excellent command during the War of the Usurper and needed promotions, and many soldiers who fought bravely required rewards.

“I have no objections to your plan,” Paul said, marking a large check on the plan Schroeder had handed him and signing his name.

“But this means that many lower officer positions will now be vacant, right?”

“Yes, my lord,” replied Schroeder. “The plan is to fill these from among the veterans with combat merits and graduates from the Grayman Academy.”

“Good,” Paul said, eyeing the old knight. “But about the origins of the new officers... you need to control the proportion well.”

Schroeder gave the lord a reassuring look. “Lord Grayman, I will manage it well.”

The lord had discussed this issue with him a long time ago, and Schroeder understood the lord’s intention. The plan was initially to gradually shift this balance over several years, but it seemed the Count was getting impatient.

The Count’s words echoed in the room.

“Schroeder, I need the staff... no, my personal will, to directly influence down to the level of company and platoon.”