I will be crowned king

On December 25, the year 102 of the Saint’s Calendar, the city of Clovis finally received its first heavy snowfall at the end of the year.

Feather-like snowflakes fell from the sky, bringing a northern chill to this year's originally warm winter; in just half of midnight, thick snow covered all the roads in and out of the city; amidst the howling cold wind, the noisy city Gradually it became chilling and silent.

Just as the Army Ministry was suspected of murdering its subordinates and rumors of collusion with the Old Gods were rampant, the sequelae of the abnormal prosperity brought about by the previous Great Holy War were gradually beginning to appear.

Since Clovis is the most important transfer station for all material transportation chains, a large amount of military supplies that cannot be transported immediately has caused the price of agricultural products, especially grain, to be pushed to the bottom. Farms around the city either went bankrupt or had to switch to other crops. Higher-priced cash crops made up for the losses.

As a result, when the Holy War ended, the excess stockpiles of military supplies were exhausted. The prices of wheat, potatoes, sausages and onions, the four most important foods for the Clovis people, skyrocketed instantly; the manors that originally supplied food to the city began to plant flowers and fruits instead. and medicinal materials, the remaining rations cannot even fully meet the needs of self-sufficiency.

Aware of this situation, Clovis's major newspapers and periodicals rushed to the scene, using the most eye-catching words, vividly describing the coming or even coming food shortage, and denounced the corrupt officials who did not do anything, and the extravagant rich. Wealthy families, landlords and farmers who don’t know how to share their worries for the country, traveling businessmen and hawkers who hoard goods...

Of course, no one will mention that less than a week ago, the price of bread in Clovis City was so low that it was only a quarter of the normal price. Farmers in the countryside would lose money even if they transported food to the city and sold it. Anyone who dared to propose Anyone who adjusts food prices will be sprayed with blood by all the newspapers.

The Privy Council, which had anticipated this outcome, immediately took action and invested heavily in the Railway Commission to mobilize enough transportation capacity to go south to collect and purchase grain to ensure that the city of Clovis could survive this winter safely.

Everything is under control, except for this sudden heavy snow.

Not only Clovis City, but two-thirds of the entire central province's railway network was affected by the snowstorm; until the snow is cleared, food from the south will not be able to supply Clovis City.

But a fierce debate broke out in the Privy Council over whether to spend huge sums of money to restore rail transport.

Reformist legislators believe that this is not even a problem, and that manpower and material resources should be mobilized as soon as possible to restore normal operation of the railway; after all, if the transportation network is allowed to be interrupted, not only food, coal, cotton...all kinds of daily necessities will be destroyed. Failure to enter Clovis City on time would have unimaginable consequences.

But the conservative aristocrats didn't think so.

First of all, the financial resources required to clean up the railways on a large scale are not a small amount. In the previous process of grain transportation, the Railway Commission, which wears the same pants as the reformists, has already received a large amount of financial allocations. If it gets more money, The strength of the reformists will expand rapidly, and that is definitely not what the conservative wealthy families want to see.

As for not resuming railway transportation, how Clovis City will survive this severe winter is not what they need to consider. Anyway, these conservative wealthy families cannot be short of food; the anger of the people who are caught in the cold and hunger will only Burn to the incompetent reformists.

The problem is that everyone seems to have forgotten that it is not only the millions of people in the city who are involved in this winter famine, but also the standing army of up to 300,000 people outside the city - these soldiers who have been transferred back from the front line , their logistics also depend on the city of Clovis and surrounding towns and villages.

Although each legion station had its own warehouses and stored emergency supplies, the famine in the city still had a considerable impact on morale, and all kinds of terrifying rumors began to spread in the military camps.

Under the deliberate inducement of thoughtful people, the rumors became more and more exaggerated: some said that the king would soon issue an order for them to leave the military camp and brave the wind and snow to clean the railway tracks; some said that the Privy Council would force the opening of the granaries of each military camp to ensure that The mobs in the city will not launch a rebellion. Some say that His Majesty the King will disband the army because the remaining food cannot feed the 300,000 troops...

True or false, rumors mixed with reality seemed to be endowed with some kind of magic power, making the soldiers no longer willing to stay in the military camp; all kinds of restlessness and dissatisfaction voices came and went, stimulating every pair of hands holding rifles. .

"The situation...is it really that serious?"

In the Osteria Palace, Carlos couldn't help but put down the wine glass in his hand and turned to look at Viscount Bognar who hurried in.

"It's absolutely true, Your Majesty!"

Viscount Bogner was out of breath and no longer had the calm demeanor of the past: "Even someone like me who has nothing to do with the army can hear such rumors, which is enough to prove how bad the situation has deteriorated - the city The 300,000 standing troops outside have become a time bomb that will threaten Clovis City at any time!"

"As your Majesty's loyal minister, I implore the cabinet to take action as soon as possible. At least find a way to stabilize the morale of the troops. Otherwise, there is no need to wait until the rumors become reality. Angry soldiers will not be reasonable!"

At this moment, the leader of the revolutionary faction is more anxious than anyone else... If these angry soldiers are used by the anxious War Department, things will be in trouble; he and the Franz family can win over the generals, but if these generals lose What about control of the army?

"So what do you want me to do, Honorable Senator Bognar?"

Carlos sighed, his expression obviously helpless: "Not to mention the outer city, even the prices in the inner city have begun to get out of control; I heard that the price of a pound of bread outside has soared to three times what it was before, right? ?”

"Uh..." Viscount Bogner's mouth twitched: "That was the price last night, and it was five times this morning."

"Five times. I guess it will go up to ten times tonight."

"I'm afraid it's even more pessimistic. Your Majesty, we should be able to reach this number by the afternoon."

"Then let's try to be as optimistic as possible, for the sake of the Ring of Order!"

Carlos waved his hand: "Before you came, I had already asked the Chancellor of Finance and Archbishop Luther whether severely punishing grain merchants at this time would have any effect, even if it would only slightly slow down the increase. .”

"I'm afraid that will be counterproductive, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing that the king had such a bad idea, Viscount Bogner hurriedly stopped him: "The current food panic is ultimately caused by the lack of food in the city and the interruption of transportation. If traders are severely punished at this time, then even those who are willing to do it for There are no more high-profit merchants trying to transport food into the city, and the rest will not dare to take it out even if they have food in their hands!"

"Unfortunately, they think exactly the same as you." Carlos smiled bitterly:

"So Senator Bogner, please advise your king. The kingdom you are loyal to is in great need of some emergency wisdom!"

Viscount Bogner nodded solemnly. In fact, this was what he came for; the conservative wealthy nobles posed a problem for themselves, and the sudden snowstorm gave the Bayonet Club, which was about to enter the grave, a chance to breathe... But The chaotic situation may not be an opportunity for them.

It is not difficult to see that Carlos II in front of him is really panicked. His Majesty the King, who has maintained a balance among various forces all year round to highlight the respect of the royal family, is actually very bad at dealing with unexpected situations.

But this is not his fault, or even if he is good at it, it is useless; Clovis founded the country by force, which was essentially a gang of robbers (the royal family and his loyal group of thugs) encircling a piece of land and demanding that the locals (wealthy nobles and foreign wealthy people) to pay protection fees, and both parties are in a relationship where each gets what he needs.

But as time went by, this relationship gradually deteriorated; on the one hand, the royal family no longer needed to rely entirely on force to extort protection fees, on the other hand, the nobles were also working hard to become part of the bandit gang.

High emotional intelligence means that the kingdom's governance model has gradually matured and become more professional and perfect; low emotional intelligence means that the king is gradually being ignored, and the powerful ministers have to rely on the king's name to stand firm, otherwise they will be ousted from power in minutes.

In this environment, no matter what Carlos II wants to do, it is equivalent to playing a game with his ministers, and he must not end it personally, otherwise his majesty may be lost if he is not careful; if you ask him to take the initiative to solve certain problems , in Carlos's eyes, he was like a traitor who wanted to disgrace him.

Therefore, the prerequisite for the audience is that there must be a mature plan, and it must not be the king himself; if it succeeds, it means that your majesty is wise, but if it fails, it means that the subordinates are incompetent and the treacherous minister is a fool.

"The biggest problem now is that the incompetent Ministry of War is no longer capable of managing the army well for His Majesty and the Kingdom, and must be rectified."

Now that Carlos II had given him the opportunity, Viscount Bognar immediately stated the purpose of his visit: "To depose the senior officials of the Ministry of War who have been wanted by Clovis Cathedral, and to reorganize a new organization that can convince all the soldiers, at least It’s the War Department that doesn’t object.”

"In addition, the scope of the War Department's powers should be increased; this would not only help the new War Department establish its authority, but also quell the many complaints among the soldiers - especially those directed at the Privy Council."

Speaking of this, Viscount Bogner couldn't help but sigh: "Among the many accusations made by the Ministry of War against the Privy Council in the past, many of them alleged that the Privy Council had usurped their rights; in fact, it was clearly something they could not do, and the royal family It has to be handed over to the more professional Privy Council - let me ask you, how many people would like this thankless thing?"

"Now, I dare not speak of the entire Privy Council, but there are many colleagues who agree to return military jurisdiction to the War Department!"

After he finished speaking, Carlos took a deep look at the frank Viscount Bognar.

Yes, of course he is willing to return it - when it comes to the military, the people in power in the Privy Council are conservatives headed by wealthy nobles, and the reformists cannot take advantage at all. They can also use this to weaken their political opponents, so why not do it.

"So... as long as the Ministry of War is reorganized, the problem can be solved?" Carlos said as if he was talking to himself:

"Even if it has lost its prestige, the current Ministry of War will willingly give up its power and accept rectification obediently?"

"Of course not, so we need to let them understand that disobedience and rebellion will not end well." Viscount Bognar showed a confident smile on his face:

"Regarding this issue, I have a small proposal..."

………………………………

"...In short, all important communities and streets in the inner and outer urban areas are mobilized, and armed forces are organized with the chambers of commerce and factories as the leaders. Then, with the authorization of the royal family and funding from the Privy Council, a spontaneous rifle team is established to confront the War Department."

In the shotgun club, Ludwig said solemnly to Anson: "A rough estimate is that at least 100,000 to 200,000 militiamen can be mobilized."

"If it were a frontal battlefield, of course these people would not be able to compete with an army of 300,000 people; but in a city defense battle, that would be another matter. What's more, it is impossible for the Ministry of War to obtain royal authorization. It is purely a fool's errand, and there is no way for the army to win. Really fighting for them.”

"Once we see how strong the resistance in Clovis is, the rebel army will definitely be shaken. If we are lucky, not a single shot will be fired, and the rebellion will end."

"At that time, your Storm Legion will be one of the few unwavering armies that even defended the town of Clovis to suppress the rebellion, and its status will rise. It will also be more legitimate to become one of the thirteen generals participating in the Ministry of War."

After saying that, Ludwig looked at Anson with a slightly satisfied look, waiting for the other person's surprised compliment.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Storm Legion did not speak immediately. He was silent for five minutes before finally taking a deep breath: "Who came up with such a...genius plan to mobilize civilian armed forces to deter the Army Ministry?"

"Viscount Bogner, he proposed this idea. I thought it was good, so I helped improve part of it." Ludwig raised his eyebrows:

"What, what's the problem?"

Is there a problem? That’s so problematic!

Once the civilian armed forces are released, it is equivalent to telling everyone that as long as you have money and people, you can form your own private army in Clovis City, and you can also get legal authorization from the royal family; you must know that the entire Clovis City is now There is going to be a famine soon. What will be the consequences of overflowing with armed forces? !

Anson felt like he had a picture in his mind: 100,000, or even 200,000 armed ordinary people, crowded into a city that lacked food and drink; they looked at the weapons in their hands, and then looked at the houses of the rich. The mansion, the dazzling shelves in the shops, the aromas in the bakeries and high-end restaurants...

What is going to happen next is something that even a fool can understand.

But just when he was about to speak to stop him, Anson suddenly realized something, and a smile appeared on his face that came from the bottom of his heart.

So he raised his head and looked at Ludwig sincerely:

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt that this is really a...perfect plan!"