I Became a Witch and Started an Industrial Revolution

It was rare for her to have some free time, so Mitia briefly talked with her mother about her general plans for the future of the Astal Family.

With the path she had chosen, the Astal Family would either be led by her into ruin, or soar into the skies.

If it were the latter, then she should be able to live for a long time, but she truly had no intention of creating an entire Astal royal clan.

All glory must eventually fade.

The most suitable path for a family was still to remain hidden behind the scenes—holding some power, but not excessively influencing national decisions.

As long as they could continue their bloodline normally, it would be enough.

This way, she could also give an answer to Ackerman.

And there was another advantage: as long as Mitia, the leader, did not open any “green channels” for the family, her subordinates would have no way to imitate her.

She would naturally stand on an invincible position when dealing with such problems later.

Even if future rulers did secretly open “green channels” to grant privileges to family members, their rule would never be stable.

The lower classes would always be able to raise Mitia’s banner in resistance.

If the Astal Family could continue on steadily like this, just the accumulation of its foundation alone would be an enormous advantage.

If even with such advantages they still ended up in decline, then shouldn’t the entire royal clan deserve to perish? Better to destroy it altogether—otherwise, it would truly disgrace the ancestors.

Although Eliza found Mitia’s ideas somewhat difficult to accept, she could only respond with a bitter smile.

After all, Mitia was now the head of the family, and whatever she said was what it would be.

Mitia was not in a rush either.

When it came to the immense power she might wield in the future, ordinary people would find it very difficult to resist temptation—that was only natural.

This was not something that could be accomplished simply by her saying it aloud.

Not only did it require her to lead by example, it also required an iron-blooded hand to enforce it.

Mitia waited a few more days, letting the emotions of the common people rise further, before she took the opportunity to push forward her military reforms.

She abolished the previous system of distributing silver wages and changed salaries into “allowances,” turning it into a supply-based system.

No more wages would be issued.

All food, clothing, and daily necessities would be fully provided by the government, with at most a small amount of pocket money.

For soldiers who could not accept this system, Mitia would grant a portion of retirement bonus so they could part ways peacefully.

The purpose of this move was to conduct one final “purification” of her army—filtering out those soldiers who only wanted to collect pay.

Such troops had little fighting strength.

They became soldiers to earn money, earned money only to spend it, and to spend it meant they would not fight to the death—for if they died, they would have money but no life left to enjoy it.

Such an army placed a huge burden on the finances, and if payment was ever delayed, they might even mutiny outright.

Mitia did not need such soldiers.

What she needed were those former serf children who, through her earlier reforms, had successfully risen to become masters of their own fate!

Her reforms had allowed their families to gain the vast majority of the land’s benefits.

Their loved ones were no longer oppressed by manor nobles, and their lives had undergone a complete one-hundred-eighty-degree transformation.

Naturally, they would fight to preserve this hard-won life.

Such soldiers would not easily be bribed or crushed, because from the very beginning, they were not fighting for money, but for the hope of a better future!

That was the difference between fighting “for the emperor” and fighting “for oneself.”

During the time when Ovinia’s army was gathering and marching, Mitia had also completed the filtering and streamlining of her troops, as well as expanding her reserves.

The combat effectiveness had not decreased much at all.

When Marshal Niparmo led the three-hundred-thousand-strong army of the Kingdom of Ovinia across the front lines of Sivius and into Astal territory, he was stunned by the “little town” of Har Town he remembered.

Mitia had not chosen to defend the town.

After all, its scale was far too small and cramped for any large maneuver.

Instead, she had constructed a super defensive position on the spot in the frontlines.

Rail tracks had been extended directly to Har Town, and through the high-frequency transport of steam trains, the newly developed cement and steel plates were delivered.

Over half a month, she had manually built up a fortress cluster of steel and cement.

From the outer perimeter to the inner ring, dense barbed wire and chevaux-de-frise spread across the entire defense line.

Beneath them ran an interconnected trench network.

The sight left Niparmo both confused and fearful.

What confused him was that he had never seen such a defensive system.

What terrified him was the battlefield covered in barbed wire, and the mass of cast-iron bunkers behind that glinted coldly in the light.

Such large-scale use of iron products meant that Astal was not lacking in high-quality iron materials, and its production capacity was terrifyingly strong.

How many heavily armed cavalry and infantry might Mitia command under her banner? He had to think deeply.

Although this time he had led three hundred thousand men, making the scale appear massive, two hundred thousand of them were auxiliary troops—responsible for logistics and chores, not direct combat.

The true fighting force was only about one hundred thousand regular soldiers, which was not much different from Mitia’s earlier estimate.

For one tense day the two sides faced off without engaging.

Niparmo’s side was still analyzing and considering how to attack, while Astal’s side was waiting for Mitia.

【Harlin Train Station】

A group of Astal military officers quietly waited at the platform for the last train of the day to arrive.

They were all dressed in newly issued pure black uniforms, wearing peaked caps.

The fitted, sharp style of tailoring made their figures appear more upright and striking.

The rank insignia on their uniform jackets were exactly the same as those of the traditional uniforms before, paired with brown or white shirts underneath.

Apart from epaulets, their ranks could also be distinguished by the twisted metallic threads along the collar edges.

Officers’ were silver, while the enlisted soldiers standing nearby had black-and-white twisted threads.

“Wooo-woo—”

As the train pulled into the station and gradually came to a halt, the long-waiting officers immediately straightened their bodies, raised their hands to their chests, and stood at attention.

When Mitia stepped out of the carriage—

“Hi! Mitia!!!”

The unified shout resounded across the entire platform.

At the carriage door, Mitia smiled and nodded in return.

After the military reforms, most of the newly promoted mid-to-high-level officers were very young.

They were also the first batch of officers who had received Mitia’s teachings in modern military theory.

Their theoretical knowledge was sufficient—what they now lacked was only a battle of blood and fire to complete their transformation.

Today, she had also set aside her usual noble long dress, donning instead a female military uniform.

Since stockings could not yet be produced, Mitia’s lower garment was not changed into a skirt.

The men and women were kept uniform.

The only distinction was that the women’s caps had rolled brims, lending them a gentler appearance.

As for her own collar, it was trimmed with golden edges—at present, only Mitia’s uniform had such a design.

She had not spent much effort designing the uniform.

After all, in her previous life there were ready examples.

It was both beautiful and practical, so what was there for her to change?

And as for her coming to the frontlines, it went without saying.

This was her first war in another world.

In both reason and emotion, she ought to sit at the frontlines and witness this clash of eras herself.