[In the first month after your ascension, all of Leithanien operated at an unprecedented speed.]
[You named it 'Construction Month,' a counterpart to the preceding 'Purification Week,' declaring to all that the era of destruction was over and the era of construction had officially begun.]
[You announced the establishment of the 'National Development and Planning Committee,' and Meklen Neum became your chief economic advisor, just as he had wished.]
[He completely forgot the slight apprehension he'd had about land nationalization a few days prior, throwing himself body and soul into this unprecedented, nation-level business venture.]
[To him, the entirety of Leithanien had become a balance sheet, and he was its sole operator—a thrill far more stimulating than being the Elector of some quiet corner of the empire.]
[Leinia's Ministry of Taxation established a brand-new national tax system with unparalleled efficiency.]
[The absurdly complex taxes of the old aristocratic era were completely abolished, replaced by a simplified system centered on a goods and services tax, a corporate income tax, and a progressive personal income tax.]
[With the cooperation of Gertrude's intelligence department, any attempt at tax evasion was swiftly rooted out, and the imperial treasury began to fill at a visible rate.]
["No matter how poor we are, we cannot neglect education; no matter how hard life is, we cannot let the children suffer."]
[This slogan, which you had once voiced in Wasser Fief, now became the empire's national policy.]
[The decree for universal compulsory education was strictly enforced.]
[Under your planning, old noble manors were converted into bright and clean schools. Countless children who had once scrounged in the slums slung canvas bookbags over their shoulders for the first time, observing this brand new world with curious eyes.]
[They learned literacy and arithmetic, the history of Leithanien, and the meaning of the flag bearing a sickles and hammers.]
[The successful 'workers' canteens' and 'low-cost housing' models from Wasser Fief were rapidly expanded to every Grand Region.]
[Steaming bowls of meat stew and black bread brought a long-lost sense of happiness to countless families struggling on the poverty line, and the common people's support for the new empire reached its zenith.]
[In their simple view, an emperor who could feed them was a good emperor.]
[You utilized your 'Master of the Arts' talent to personally draft the urban plan for Trullinczentyr's new district.]
[You abandoned the ornate and lavish decorations of the old empire, proposing a 'New Leithanien Style' of architectural aesthetics—simple, grand, and practical, emphasizing the power of lines and the order of symmetry.]
[This style quickly became a symbol of the new empire's spirit: solid, confident, and soaring.]
[On a clear evening, after the hourly chime from the Imperial Radio Station, you delivered your first formal address to the nation since your ascension.]
[The static from the radio gradually subsided.]
[In a workers' apartment, a steelworker who had just finished his day's labor sat with his family around the dinner table, carefully sharing a piece of bread spread with jam.]
[When Lacey's voice came on, he immediately put down his food and gestured for his wife and child to be quiet.]
[In the countryside, a farmer who had just received his land lease contract sat on his doorstep, smoking his pipe while fiddling with his old radio.]
[In a school's evening classroom, a group of young students gathered around a high-powered radio, listening with bated breath.]
[Countless citizens stopped what they were doing and listened quietly.]
["Citizens of Leithanien, my compatriots, good evening."]
["I am Lacey."]
[He used neither the title 'Emperor' nor the royal 'we,' simply closing the distance between himself and every listener.]
["One month ago, we together overthrew a decadent and dark old era."]
["Today, standing on this land, we have reason to ask: what kind of future do we truly want?"]
["Everyone, I have seen too much suffering."]
["I have seen farmers toil for a year, only to hand over the majority of their harvest to a lord who never works."]
["I have seen laborers work for more than ten hours in dangerous factories, only to receive a meager wage barely enough to survive."]
["I have seen talented young people barred from the halls of art simply because they lacked a noble birth."]
["I have seen our children, fighting over a scrap of food in dark corners..."]
["From this day forward, all of this will become a thing of the past."]
["I want to tell you what the Leithanien of my dreams looks like."]
["It is a place where every citizen who works hard can earn enough to support their family; where there is bread and milk on every table; where a warm fire burns in the hearth of every home."]
["The Leithanien of my dreams is a nation full of knowledge and hope."]
["Every child, whether born in a bustling city or a remote village, can walk into a school, learn to read and write, and grasp the key to changing their own destiny."]
["The young will no longer be buried because of their birth. They can, by their own talent and effort, become engineers, doctors, artists... the pillars of this nation."]
["The Leithanien of my dreams is a nation of industrial might and technological prosperity."]
["We will erect countless factories and skyscrapers. We will make the people's red flag fly in every corner of the world."]
["We will no longer rely on the charity of other nations. With our own two hands, we will create a glory that belongs to Leithanien."]
["The Leithanien of my dreams is, moreover, a nation of dignity and honor."]
["Our armies will defend every inch of our land and protect every one of our people."]
["Internationally, Leithanien's voice will be heard, and Leithanien's interests will be unconditionally respected."]
["No person, no nation, will ever again dream of imposing unequal treaties upon us!"]
[Lacey's voice was impassioned, every word filled with power, clearly outlining a future that everyone yearned for.]
["Compatriots of Leithanien!"]
["This dream is not mine alone, but a dream that belongs to every one of us!"]
["To realize it will require the ceaseless effort of us all."]
["All of it will converge into the force that drives the empire forward!"]
["The shackles of the old world have been broken by our own hands, and the scroll of a new era is unfurling before us."]
["The road ahead may yet have thorns and hardships, but as long as we stand as one, there is no difficulty we cannot overcome! There is no enemy we cannot defeat!"]
["Compatriots, raise your heads, stand tall!"]
["A strong, prosperous, and civilized new Leithanien will surely stand tall upon the land of Terra!"]
["Long live Leithanien!!"]
[The speech ended.]
[The radio then began to play the stirring 'Song of the Workers.']
[Immediately, all of Leithanien, from Trullinczentyr to the small mining towns on the border, erupted in cheers like a tsunami.]
[People rushed out of their homes and poured into the streets.]
[They embraced, laughed, and shouted "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" and "Long live Leithanien!"]
[It was the catharsis of having been suppressed for too long, a heartfelt joy brimming with infinite hope for the future.]
[From that moment on, 'to strive for Leithanien' was no longer an empty slogan, but a firm belief branded upon every person's heart.]
[Lacey's personal prestige, after this speech, also reached an unprecedented peak.]
[...]
[A few days later.]
[Gertrude's intelligence department submitted the latest social dynamics report. Its conclusion was a single sentence:]
["Your Majesty, the old era is dead. No one weeps for it."]
[...]
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