[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/IRyA353.png[/img][/center]

[b][u]Building the Future[/u][/b]

	The complete lack of railroads had not gone unnoticed by the King of Illesia. Whilst other, often far greater, powers had significantly more of these constructions, Illesia had none. This was undoubtedly due almost entirely to Illesia's heavy reliance upon agriculture as her main export, but if Illesia were to become great, the Illesians had to strive forward into the future. A plan for roads had already been laid down by the efforts of the Committee on Infrastructure, and so, a further order was sent down by the King. The Committee was now to seek out the best choice they could find to perform the role of CEO an Illesian state-owned rail company within three months that would be known as the "Illesian Rail Monopoly." Empowered with an absolute monopoly on the laying of railroads and running of locomotives for those rail lines, the Illesian Rail Monopoly, or IRM, were instructed to develop the rail network of Illesia as follows:

[hider=Planned Illesian Rail Network with Road Network Included] [img]https://i.imgur.com/PTs6sKC.png[/img][/hider]

[i]Railroads are crossed by black lines, roads are not.[/i]

This process was to be much the same as that for the road network, with the following phases:

[b]1.[/b] Red Phase, this rail line is intended to link Ironhold through Regoth and Marneille.
[b]2.[/b] Light Green Phase, this rail line will link Juliad to Ironhold and Levandre to Marneille primarily.
[b]3.[/b] Dark Green Phase, this rail line will link Svenhold into the network along with San Marco's and Marshos.
[b]4.[/b] Yellow Phase, this rail line links Cuidad de Angeles as well as L'Eria and on to Turinne into the network.
[b]5.[/b] Brown Phase, this rail line links Vierzon and forms a connecting link between Turinne and Marshos.
[b]6.[/b] Cyan Phase, this rail line primarily functions to form a shorter link between Cuidad de Angeles and L'Eria, as well as to further strengthen the Western Rail Network.
[b]7.[/b] Pink Phase, these lines primarily strengthen the ability of the Western Rail Network to function even under duress, and shortens some paths.

	The IRM was to focus primarily upon transport of industrial materials, but will also have capabilities to transport passengers. Its secondary goal is to be able to provide rail-based logistics for the Illesian Army. King Avandre believes that a solid rail network will enormously strengthen the Illesian economy as factories can more easily receive and distribute goods without relying on the sea lanes, with the bonus of the developed road network hopefully assisting as well.

	Monetarily, the IRM is to receive an initial funding of $5,000,000 from which it will begin purchasing locomotives and building rail as soon as humanly possible. The CEO of the IRM will be allowed to make requests for additional funds by contacting the Committee on Infrastructure.

[b][u]A Marine Corps Of Our Own[/u][/b]

	The combined minds of the Marshall and Naval Triumvirates along with King Avandre have come to the decision that a dedicated force of highly trained and talented soldiers capable of numerous tactics included the assault of foreign shores is going to be sorely needed in the near future of Illesia. Considering this, King Avandre has ordered that the Illesian Marine Corps be established beneath the Illesian Navy. The Illesian Marines are to be highly skilled, well-paid soldiers of the utmost physical quality and ferocity, capable of executing with an incredible degree of efficiency: amphibious assaults, boarding actions, mountain climbing, raid tactics, maneuvering in concert with Army and Navy forces, infiltrations, reconnaissance, night operations, and any other tactic that the Commandant of the Illesian Marines or his subordinates can devise.

	The Marshall Triumvirate is to choose the best men it feels suitable for the job to form the initial command structure of the Marines, with the Military planning to build a Marine force of undisclosed numbers. They will be trained primarily at a camp in Regoth, though their six-month minimum training will see Marine Recruits travelling all over Illesia to endure various environments.

[b][u]Stirring New Business[/u][/b]

	Continuing to look towards the future, King Avandre VII has consulted with the Committee on National Finances as well as a number of highly regarded economist such as Ralph Laurvan, a university academic who has spent his life trying to understand the fluxuations of economies and their causes, as well as a number of business owners in Regoth. Together, they have all come to the conclusion that one of the primary hurdles to a business, especially when starting up, is the tax burden upon them. To address this issue, King Avandre VII signs The [i]Nascent Commerce Tax Act of 1905[/i]. The objective of this act is simple; help ignite the furnace of the Illesian economy by incentivizing the growth of new businesses within in. It is believed that this Act will help motivate a number of entrepreneurs and investors to start businesses and take risks they otherwise would not have, with the potential for enormous growth and pay-off.

[i][u]The Nascent Commerce Tax Act of 1905[/u][/i]

In order to encourage the growth of new businesses in Illesia as well as the economic growth and innovation that the appearance of these businesses brings, King Avandre VII hereby declares that all new businesses that:

1. Are started in Illesia after the passing of this Act;
2. Are started and owned by an Illesian national or majority owned by Illesian nationals;
3. Are not attempting to manipulate this Act in a fraudulent manner to avoid paying their taxes such as closing a business and reopening it under a new name or any other financial trickery as determined by the Ministry of Taxation.

Businesses that meet these three requirements will be considered new by the Ministry of Taxation and will be temporarily taxed only 10% of their revenue for two years after their founding instead of the usual 33.5%. To receive this tax break, when a new business sends in its tax forms, it will notify the Ministry of Taxation on the forms that it is a new business. If the Ministry of Taxation chooses to audit the business and discovers that the individuals or other entities that started the business lied to make the business appear as if it were started after the passing of this Act when in truth the business that existed before the passing of this Act, even under a different name or ownership, the business will be fined an amount equivalent to the amount of tax the business should have paid during the time it was receiving the tax break.

[b][u]Sowing the Seed of a Shipbuilding Empire[/u][/b]

	With the distinct need for war-ready shipbuilding capacity in the Illesian Kingdom, and already on a roll when it comes to planning and ordering the development of new infrastructure, King Avandre VII consulted further with the Naval Triumvirate and Committee on National Finances this month before ordering the construction of a 7,000 ton, 5,000 ton, and five 2,000 ton drydocks primarily distributed between Regoth and Marneille. The Committee on Infrastructure is to oversee their construction, receiving bids from various companies and choosing the lowest bids within three months. The necessary funds, determined from the summation of the low bids of these companies, will be transferred from the Treasury to the companies.

	These drydocks will then be given over to the winners of the following contest, which is designed to foster an Illesian-based shipbuilding and design company, one that will design, test, and build the latest Illesian fleets,

[i][u]Illesian War-Ready Cruiser Design Contest[/u][/i]

To all Illesians interested and willing to form a private shipbuilding company, King Avandre VII challenges you to:

Design and have built, even by a foreign drydock, a War-Ready Cruiser with the following specifications:

1. Mounts at least eight 6-inch guns, eight 12-pounder guns, and at least two torpedo tubes but preferably four,
2. Has a top speed of at least 20 knots, preferably higher,
3. Has deck armour ranging from 1.5 to 3 inches.
4. Has gun shields with at least 3 inches of armor.
5. Has a conning tower with at least 5 inches of armor.
6. Holds enough ammunition for the main and secondary guns to fire continuously for at least forty minutes.
7. Does not displace more than 7,000 tons.

All participants will have one year and three months from the announcement of this contest to design and build the cruiser before presenting it before King Avandre VII, and whatever staff he chooses to judge the contest, off the shores of Regoth. The winning company chosen will receive ownership of a 7,000 ton drydock, a 5,000 ton drydock, and five 2,000 ton drydocks, already built or under construction by the Illesian Kingdom, as well as a contract to produce a to-be-discussed number of their designed cruiser. Beyond this, further requests will be made for more designs of various classes.