Broad World

As the morning sun flooded the earth, the war on the outskirts of Soba City also came to an end. =Top=Point=Novel Sarah Brightman, under Henry's strong oppression, shot several "death cloud spells" in a row, poisoning all the soldiers near the central tent. Although Delt fought hard, he was only a mortal child after all, and was sent directly to the god of death by the seventh-level magic "Finger of Death".

Looking at the human soldiers and orc warriors who were cleaning up the corpses, a faint smile appeared on Henry's face. He knew that from this moment on, no force in West Hartland could confront him. Now, as long as the legal right to rule the northern region is obtained, the principality can be promoted to a kingdom, and after conquering the Supreme Wasteland, one's own country will become a vast empire.

As far as Faerun is concerned, a kingdom is an independent political entity, usually a collection of many cities and villages, and the land area is at least thousands of square kilometers or more. When a kingdom annexes smaller dependent states and brings them under the control of a central authority, the kingdom ceases to be a kingdom and begins to develop into an empire.

The area under Henry's current rule has already far exceeded the standard of the kingdom, but because the population is too small, it has been making do with it. After all, counting the losses in the war, it was only about 1.23 million, not even comparable to England after the Black Death in the Middle Ages. Such a tragic situation made a dignified traveler feel ashamed to call himself king and emperor.

It can be said that the main problem that bothers him is neither the land conflict (there is plenty of land, and there is a surplus for everyone to build a large farm), nor the food problem (with the help of druids. This year's food harvest is bumper again). It's not about foreign enemies (except for those monsters. There is no hostile force around), but the number of people.

Thinking of the number of people needed for his plan, Henry suddenly felt a headache. He turned around and asked Corey who was following him: "Have those orphans been gathered? How many are there and how are they in health?"

"Yes, Duke, it's all gathered. There are about seven hundred people. Since it's autumn, most people have no major problems. As long as a little salt is added, everything will be fine. But placement is a big problem. These children have Many are too young and must be taken care of." Corey replied meticulously. A man of order, he was positive about this act of kindness by his sovereign.

Henry glanced at the orphan who was being treated by the druid, and nodded with a wry smile. "It doesn't matter, I plan to take out a sum of money privately and send them to the academy in Bleuwente City to study. I believe you have also seen that in the next few years, officials and population will become the main problems that plague the country. Therefore, I intend to completely abolish the poll tax, and at the same time promulgate some policies to encourage births."

"Undoubtedly. This is good governance, but I think it's best not to let Sir Hawke know too soon. Otherwise he will go crazy." Corey's serious face showed a rare smile. He could already imagine how someone would be furious.

You must know that the poll tax has always been one of the main sources of income for all countries on the continent, and it continued until the twentieth century before it was gradually abolished on the earth. If Henry really banned this tax, it is foreseeable that many civilians will pour into the country from all directions, bringing unprecedented population and economic prosperity.

The direct opposite, of course, is that the government's finances will be so bad that they will always be in the red. According to preliminary estimates, if this situation wants to continue, then he must extract nearly half of the profits from the spice and salt trade to make up for it.

However, for the smooth implementation of future plans, this hemorrhage is necessary. After all, whether it is the intensification of production or the reappearance of the glory of the magic empire, a sufficient population is required. One of the main reasons why the red-robed mage was able to maintain a large group of spellcasters was that there was Searle, who had a population of five million, behind him, otherwise they wouldn't be able to last long with their fierce internal friction.

You must know that every Searle child needs to accept the test of magic quality since childhood. Those children with magic ability will be forced to leave their parents, receive strict training in using arcane arts, and become apprentices of red-robed mages. Mages can squeeze apprentices as much as they want, and even use them as their own experiments.

As for those who have the talent of warlocks, they are forced to accept mage training and try to suppress their original talents, or they have to leave their country. The red-robed mages hate the way of warlocks, because this kind of power is not in their strict magic training system within.

As long as he can successfully survive his apprenticeship, he can become a red-robed mage, but this organization itself is also very authoritarian and strict-if he wants to master real power, a young red-robed mage must do his best to master all kinds of Arcane power, and must not hesitate to use it against one's allies.

The above is the elite education advocated by the red-robed mages. It can be said that it completely stimulates the dark side of human nature. Only the most cruel and cunning part can survive. Such a huge attrition of apprentices is a disaster for most countries, and only the powerful country Searle with a population of five million is the basis of all this.

But Henry obviously didn't care about this educational method. He felt that this was a typical case of the brain being caught by the door. The red robes could have used a slightly more normal method to cultivate a group of loyal civilian mages. This would not only stabilize the ruling power, but also greatly reduce internal friction. .

But look at what they've done to turn plain, normal kids into self-serving assholes. It is precisely because of this educational model that it directly leads to sharp opposition. Mentors see their apprentices as tools and potential threats, and apprentices see their mentors as enemies, someone to get rid of when they get the chance.

After all, the reason why elite education is called elite is that it is prepared for the upper class, and it does not need to be popularized to the common people. Silvermoon City and Neverwinter City have done very well in this regard. They allow the well-to-do commoners a place to receive professional training, but at the same time they don't teach too much at once. Most of the time, as long as one or two career grades are possessed, the college will approve them for graduation. This method not only produces a large number of capable civilians, but also makes them quite favorable to the current government.

Of course, with Henry's insight, it will not be completely copied. He implemented a unique grading system in the college area of ​​his own site. Those who did not have a professional level were all classified as first-year, when they became a third-level professional, they were second-year, and sixth-level professionals were third-year. Limited by the number of teachers, there are currently only three grades.

The college adopted the method of tutors teaching the senior grades, and then letting the senior grades teach the junior grades, and it quickly developed rapidly. But until now, education is still a bottomless pit, and it needs to allocate 100,000 to 200,000 gold coins from the Lord's Mansion every year, otherwise it will not be sustainable at all.

There is no way, because one-third of the people who study are free students. They signed a series of terms with the government. After graduation, they had to work in the army, thieves union, mage tower, and administrative agencies for five to ten years, and they could not regain their freedom until the loan was repaid. Even so, there are still many people flocking to it. For most ordinary people, this is the only way to advance.

Just when Henry was having a headache from the chaotic internal affairs, Corey suddenly reminded: "Your Excellency, the gate of Soba is ahead."

"Oh?" Henry woke up violently, glanced at the blood-stained city wall, then turned his head, and asked the two Iron Throne executives who surrendered behind him: "Do you know the situation in the city?"

Dick hurriedly bowed and answered first: "Of course. To be honest, the situation inside is not very good. Not only is there a lack of food, but there are not many soldiers left. The most important point is that Anta Silver Shield has been in danger since he fled. After entering this city, he has never appeared again. I personally speculate that he is probably dead, otherwise it would be impossible to not even show his face for such a long time."

"What do you think?" Henry stared at Sarah Brightman.

This is a typical red-robed mage. In order to get more magical tattoos, she lifted her hair and tattooed a special pattern on the back of her head. This woman's appearance is not bad, but a horrible scar extends from the side of her face to her neck, which looks extremely terrifying. There is no doubt that this was caused by an assassination. The situation at that time must be extremely dangerous, and it can be called a miracle to survive.

"It's hard to say. I have used divination spells, but they were all blocked. There is no doubt that there is a very good spell caster protecting Anta Silver Shield. His current condition must not be very good, even if he is not dead. He must be seriously injured." Sarah Brightman said in a flat tone. She looked so calm, not at all like someone who just surrendered.

"Duke, do you want me to go in and find out?" Fat Cat approached and asked in a low voice. For him, a mere city wall is nothing to worry about, and it only takes about half an hour to find out the situation in the city.

Henry smiled and shook his head. "No, I almost already know the answer. Let's go in and find out now, otherwise some people will get impatient."

"Please wait a moment. We and the Principality of Silver Shield are still two countries. According to the etiquette, it is better to send an envoy to inform first." Corey seemed to think of something suddenly, and hurriedly stood up and made a suggestion. He didn't want his monarch to make unnecessary mistakes at this time.

"It makes sense, then please send an envoy first."

Henry thought about it for a while and then understood the meaning. Just like the so-called abdication rites in ancient China when the dynasty changed, the same steps are required in Faerun Continent.

Although the annexation is imminent, it is necessary to assume a noble attitude. It is best for the local ruler to ask for it on his own initiative, and then refuse it once or twice before he can finally eat the fat in his mouth. The only advantage of this act of taking off your pants and farting is that it will not cause social unrest or residents fleeing.

—————————————————————————————————

Bow down and thank several book friends such as Bug Hero, God Thirteen, Dark Longjie, I am a Passerby, lpszz913, etc. for their monthly votes. (to be continued..)