Castle of Black Iron

”Costari Plain where huge bear tribe lacks major steel and coal resources which are necessary for industrialization. There’s no major coal mine and iron mine across Ice and Snow Wilderness except for the coal mine and the iron mine near Eschyle City!”

Elder Gouras who was responsible for civil affairs in Ice and Snow Wilderness opened his mouth after being silent for a while.

”There’s no major coal mine and iron mine in other places of Ice and Snow Wilderness?” Zhang Tie felt unbelievable about this. From the map, Ice and Snow Wilderness occupied more than 20 million square kilometers. Previously he only thought that the weather here was worse. Unexpectedly, it also lacked natural resources.

”There are resources. However, we cannot exploit them. Due to the very severe climate and living conditions, many resources could not be exploited in a large scale. Take the Fire Dragon Coal Mine outside Eschyle City as an instance. We need at least 70,000 miners to exploit such a coal mine. It’s easy to feed such a great number of people near Eschyle City; however, if they were dispatched to the wilderness in the north of Eschyle City, a bear tribe might be dragged down. This is equal to supplying an guerrilla of 70,000 soldiers all the year round. It requires a very terrifying daily expenditure which is far more than the value created by these workers.” Elder Gouras added.

”Large-scale industrial development has to depend on sufficient population. However, people have to survive on enough grains and suitable living conditions. Workers need to get married and live. It’s impossible for them to exploit ores constantly. What’s more, Ice and Snow Wilderness severely lacks grains and suitable living conditions. When each tribe chooses their living territory, they have to solve the food problem firstly, instead of directly choosing a place with ores. Only when everyone is full could tribes attempt to find and exploit some ores so as to meet their basic demand. However, they dare not exploit too much ores considering the cost. ”

”Whether it was experience from the development of human society before the Catastrophe or the objective conclusion in this age, over 40 million population is the priority for a country or region to complete industrialization. However, even though huge bear tribe has the most population among all the tribes in Ice and Snow Wilderness, we only have less than 20 million people. Such population could hardly complete industrialization in Ice and Snow Wilderness.”

Zhang Tie rubbed his forehead as he had to face the reality, ”You mean we could only depend on the coal mine and the iron mine near Eschyle City based on the current condition?”

”That’s true. Before these fundamental living conditions in Ice and Snow wilderness are improved and enough grains could be produced to meet the basic demand of people, we have to maximize the use of the current resources!” Elder Rodolfo answered.

After thinking for a short while, Zhang Tie said, ”However, less than 300,000 tons of irons a year is too low for Eschyle Iron Plant. What’s the highest capacity of Eschyle Steel Plant?”

”Its highest capacity could reached above 2 million tons. Previously, as there was no such a market and demand in Ice and Snow Wilderness, each tribe could almost solve their own demand about steel. Therefore, we didn’t expand our capacity. Additionally, it requires a lot of money for expansion of capacity. If we want to expand the capacity of Eschyle Steel Plant, we have to expand the mining scale of the coal mine and the iron mine outside the city! Besides money, we also need a lot of workers and technicians to ensure the smooth operation of the steel plant!”

”Don’t worry about money. Get people to make the plan first. We will make further plan after knowing the demand!” Zhang Tie glanced at the elders, ”My principle is that I would not spend any cent of the 7 million gold coins per year in Eschyle City, neither would I spend them in other places outside Ice and Snow Wilderness. We will spend all these money in the preparing for the coming holy war. We will use them to lay the foundation of huge bear tribe and wild bear tribe!”

All the elders nodded inside.

”Now that, we will soon start to expand and optimize the capacity of Eschyle Steel Plant. This might take us about 2 years and over 10 million gold coins...”

”Even if it’s completed a bit late, it’s always better than the current situation! This is just the prior program. I will spend my money in such a place at first. However, if we want to play the role of steel and steam, it’s not enough to just increase the steel capacity. What’s more, we need to turn steel into something and put them in certain places so as to enhance our strength to the utmost. Now I want to ask you about a key question. where about do you think the demons would arrive here, if possible, sky, sea, above ground or underground? I heard about some answers about this, but I still want to confirm.”

”From sea, for sure!” Elder Toles confirmed while the other elders nodded, ”The geological position of Ice and Snow Wilderness is very special. The deepest place under Ice and Snow Wilderness is full of lava. Therefore, demons would never enter here from underground. We have demon north wind belt in the sky which would isolate all the airships. Ice and Snow Wilderness is adjacent to sea in three directions. Only our north is an Ice-Capped Continent. Ice-Capped Continent is a vast depopulated zone, which is hundreds of times bigger than the entire Blackson Humans Corridor. Many places in Ice-Capped Continent have extreme climates. Most areas of Ice-Capped Continent are below 50 Celsius degrees and suffer from ice storm in the evening. Even though knights might not come back alive if they deepen into the Ice-Capped Continent, not to mention major troops. Therefore, demon troops have to come here by sea!”

”If demons are doomed to come over here by sea, we have to do something to stop them. After expanding Eschyle Steel Plant, we need to expand the capacity of North Wind Shipyard too. The North Wind Shipyard cannot produce steam turbine now. We cannot just import steam turbine. When demons arrive here by sea, we will not be able to import any thing any more. Therefore, I think we need to learn the technology by spending money, inviting people or directly moving the factory of steam turbine from Gantyadu Island to Ice and Snow Wilderness. Steam turbine is the most sophisticated steam power equipment. As long as we get this technology, we will improve the overall technology strength of Eschyle City greatly!”

”I have some friends in Gantyadu Island. I will go there in a couple of days. I will bring back the equipment and technicians of steam turbines!” Elder Turin talked in a calm way like it was very easy.

”Didn’t Spencer clan want to master this technology before?” Zhang Tie asked.

”The relationship between us and Ewentra Archipelago is very special. Most of the big clans and business groups in that island are our business partners. Whereas, they are also worried about suffering a loss firstly if we want to leave Ice and Snow Wilderness one day; therefore, they keep the key technology for manufacturing huge ships. There’s even a confidential agreement among those great powers and big clans who have great sea power in Ewentra Archipelago. The moment Spencer clan or Slavic armored fleet pass by Oro Strait, they would join hands with each other to eliminate this fleet. Therefore, in order to avoid stimulating them excessively, Spencer clan always purchases steam turbine from them. Although we could obtain the manufacturing technology and equipment of steam turbine through other channels. They also know that we are compromising to them. Therefore, they always sell the products to us at a relatively reasonable price, which is even cheaper than that we can produce, if possible.” Elder Rodolfo answered Zhang Tie.

However it would be different now. The 3rd holy war between humans and demons were urgent while demons and their lackeys were growing rampant. Additionally, Spencer clan were sharply weakened. As long as those people were normal, they would never believe that Eschyle City would fight them with armored fleet. Furthermore, although the technology of steam turbine was expensive, it was not unreachable, neither it was a patent. It could be produced in many countries. Now that Elder Turin had promised, this problem would be solved for sure.

In the following minutes, Zhang Tie made his 3rd decision, sending everyone at present in silence.

Zhang Tie wanted to build a railway from Eschyle City to Costari Plain, which penetrated through the entire Ice and Snow Wilderness from south to north. The railway was over 9000 km in length, the two ends of which were respectively linked with huge bear tribe and iron bear tribe. Besides, the railway would connect too many small and medium-sized tribes.

This was Zhang Tie’s real plan, which he named as——Tribal Axis!

The moment the elders heard about this ambitious plan, they had been shocked.

”It requires at least 50 million gold coins to build such a railway!” Elder Rodolfo swallowed his saliva, ” It’s too hard to support such a plan by huge bear tribe and wild bear tribe!”

Zhang Tie smiled, ”Don’t worry. The two tribes don’t need to pay a single cent!”

Hearing Zhang Tie’s words, the others glanced at him with a dubious look, ’It’s impossible even by the God’s will...’