I will be crowned king

From the quality and difficulty of individual fuel acquisition, as well as the proportion of annual coal consumption in Clovis City, Christian Bach further extended to the continuous expansion of the city, the improvement of industrial production scale and efficiency, and the impact on Clovis City citizens. Negative impact on life:

"...After collecting newspapers from the past five years, it is not difficult to find that the quality of life of the vast majority of Clovis City citizens has not continued to rise as speculated, but has shown a steady downward trend; even the Saints' Calendar The famine of 103 years was just a 'ticking time bomb' that was detonated in advance by the economic overheating caused by the previous jihad."

“As the greatest city in the entire kingdom, and even in the world, Clovis imports thousands of tons of raw materials from every corner of the world, and also sends thousands of tons of cheap furniture, fabrics, and metal tools to the world. ,arms……"

“Even if transportation costs are taken into account, the price of these things is often only one-tenth of that of the source of the raw materials.”

"Although the workers in the factory produce goods that can satisfy the whole world, they themselves are not happy to consume them; because any businessman with normal intelligence understands that as long as 99% of the goods are sold to other places, they will If the price of the remaining 1% of goods is increased a hundred times according to cost, they will be able to make astonishing profits as they should..."

"... What ordinary citizens can use to meet their daily needs can only be the 'cheap products' provided by merchants. As for how cheap they are, they cannot tell at all, because cheaper small merchants and craftsmen have long been Going bankrupt in the face of the cost gap is simply impossible to fight against."

"So while merchants are providing sugar, coffee, alcohol, fresh vegetables and meat, and the best flour to the inner city regardless of cost, they are constantly reducing the types of food available to citizens in the outer city and increasing their fuel costs."

"In the ninety-fifth year of the Christian calendar, textile factory workers could still enjoy coffee during their breaks, but in the one hundred and third year of the Christian calendar, they only had beer mixed with water, and the only types of vegetables were potatoes and peas..."

Slowly putting down the notes in her hand, Sophia Franz, who was already sober, showed a trace of confusion on her face.

In her impression, although there is a gap between the rich and the poor in Clovis City, overall wealth and living standards should be improving. Every year, the output value and tax revenue of Clovis City are increasing, and the number of factories and chambers of commerce is increasing. More and more... Then the lives of the corresponding lower-class citizens should also be greatly improved.

But Christian Bach's findings suggest the opposite is true.

Not only is it getting worse, but the speed of deterioration is also increasing: first the standard of living environment drops, then the luxury goods such as sugar and coffee gradually decrease, and then fresh vegetables and meat...

By A.D. 103, even the most popular dairy products, such as butter, began to become a luxury for the urban class.

And the wealth of Clovis City is still increasing.

"Why?" The girl couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, why is Clovis City like this, or why are there a steady stream of outsiders choosing to come here and live in the outer city?"

"The answer is simple, because in comparison, becoming a citizen of Clovis City is already their least bad choice."

While answering, Anson silently turned to the next page of the note:

"...But I have to admit that even a single-family house with an area of ​​30 square meters and a food source mainly including potatoes and bacon are far beyond the living standards of ordinary tenant farmers in even central provinces."

"Even in the relatively affluent countryside, if we compare the farmers around the Bach family estate, those hard-working farmers only have coarse bread and cabbage soup to eat every day. Clean and not too damaged clothes are the most valuable luxuries at home. , meat can only be enjoyed on certain festivals.”

"Compared with the citizens trapped in the 'prison' of steel and bricks, the rural farmers living in thatched houses and shacks are no different from beasts..."

"But when I looked up earlier periods, such as the 80th year of the Apostolic Calendar, the rural landscape of our fathers' time, I found that it seemed completely different from today - yes, it's not just the cities, the living standards in the countryside are comparable. It was much worse in the past.”

"Cheap ready-made clothes and tools have made blacksmiths and tailors wither, and one order after another from the city has made farmers give up the idea of ​​growing vegetables, fruits and raising rabbits, and focus on cultivating wheat and potatoes."

"As a result, their ability to resist risks was greatly weakened, so manor owners and nobles with more land could annex or buy their land as a matter of course. As a result, more and more farmers lost their land, while landowners who owned new agricultural tools did not He needed so many farmers to farm for him, so he drove them all out.”

"Yes, the wheat and potatoes that feed the citizens are cultivated with the blood and flesh of rural farmers..."

The girl was silent.

It was not the living conditions of the people at the bottom of the Kingdom of Clovis that shocked and empathized with her, but the massive spread of the National Assembly bill and the resulting craze that had a huge impact.

Of course, Christian Bach, who did the actual fieldwork, did not ignore this point: "...But the above problems are not actually a problem. The differentiation of rich and poor has existed since ancient times, and the boundaries of class have always been like this. Clovis was not the first to have both. The country of rich and poor people is definitely not the last one."

"Even every Clovis person can be proud to say that our kingdom is freer than the empire, and is more prosperous and powerful than many 'free cities' that claim to be free and fair; she may not be the best, but she is definitely worthy of every subject He fought and sacrificed to protect her.”

"The real problem is that free cities are often only the size of a town, and they are squeezed by the higher-up noble lords; the pressure from the outside and the usually invisible environment can allow the people at the bottom and the rich at the top to tolerate and understand each other. , even if this understanding is a false understanding.”

"And in a class-ordered empire, serfs in the manor will never see the emperor in their lifetime, and ordinary knights will not be able to dream of drinking at the same table with the grand dukes one day."

"But the chaos in Clovis City broke this ancient logic. There was an endless stream of 'provincial representatives' from all walks of life. There was no identity gap between them: no matter you were once a noble or a peasant, now you are just It's just a 'representative'; it doesn't mean you have a greater say than others just because of your wealth and noble bloodline."

"In the past, people from other provinces could not see how wealthy Clovis was. Everything was based on hearsay. In the past, workers in factories in the outer city did not pay attention and could not interfere with how the ministers and nobles ruled the country and how they influenced it. Their lives."

"Now everything has changed, so all the problems that were not problems have become in danger; soon those representatives who are truly enthusiastic about politics will begin to demand changes to the status quo; when they realize that the status quo cannot be changed at all, they will begin to demand fairness .”

"Maybe ten days, maybe half a month, or even a year... In any case, 'what is fair', a difficult question that no one can give an accurate answer to, is the one that really has the potential to destroy the entire Kingdom of Clovis and sink it. bomb……"

...After reading the entire contents of the notebook, Sophia Franz, who was hesitant to speak, looked at the scenery outside the window, her eyes in trance.

She didn't say anything, she just picked up the cold coffee and drank it in one breath.

"I have a question." The girl asked without looking back: "Is your brother really just a country noble from the central province? Is there a possibility that... the Bach family is a wealthy family that has been passed down for thousands of years, but Did you change your last name on purpose or something?"

"Well, it should be completely impossible."

Anson couldn't help but smile. He knew that it was just Sophia who was so shocked that she lost her composure: "But you are right, my beloved brother Christian is really just an ordinary country noble who came here when he was young. Once in Clovis, and until a few months ago, he never left the Bach family's small estate."

Never left... The girl's pupils shrank slightly, and her chest began to feel tight, as if she was tied up with something.

But she soon realized that this was pure jealousy...jealousy that her vision, talent and grasp of the situation had been surpassed by an ordinary country noble who would not even take a second look in the past!

"...Your Excellency Christian indeed has a unique perspective and is worthy of being loved by Mrs. Bognar."

Sighing heavily, Sophia's expression finally returned to normal: "Indeed, the issue he pointed out is very critical, and it is not an exaggeration to call it a guideline for our next actions."

Anson, who also agreed in his heart, nodded in agreement, but the girl's words seemed strange to him.

To be so loved by Mrs. Bogner is to say that Anson Bach's beloved brother was given to an old woman...

"Since the National Assembly bill will inevitably cause debates about fairness, we must divert the attention of the representatives before the problem breaks out and let them focus on other things." After thinking for a while, the girl gave her own answer Conclusion:

"Is there any good solution now?"

"Yes, and we don't need to take the initiative at all." Anson chuckled and replied: "The envoy from Hantu hopes to unite with Clovis to fight against the empire and divide the territory of the Yisel elves; as far as I know, Luther Vichy was very interested in this proposal.”

"oh?"

The corners of Sophia's mouth raised slightly: "Using the war to divert everyone's attention, and then usurping power justifiably, is really my brother's style... In other words, we can use this to make him make more concessions to us?"

"It's absolutely possible, but my suggestion is that it's best not to, because then it will completely fall into Ludwig's judgment." Anson shook his head and gave his own advice:

"Since he intends to shoulder the mission of unity, of course we here can focus on fairness; take measures before the problem breaks out, and at least alleviate it to a certain extent."

"My beloved Miss Sophia Franz, since our ultimate goal is Clovis's supreme power, we cannot look at the problem from the standpoint of factional struggle and partisanship against dissidents; soldiers who only complete their essential duties will never Promotion becomes what officers count on.”

"I agree with this."

The girl put the note away carefully: "Since we talked about mitigation measures... we are also talking about improving the lives of the citizens of Clovis, right?"

"Well, it's best to let the representatives in the citizens' assembly take the initiative to initiate a motion in this regard, and then use it as a condition for agreeing to send troops to ensure that Ludwig will pass it no matter what."

"In this way, the representatives sent by each province can watch how the citizens of Clovis fight for their rights and rely on their arguments to win. With a reference sample, they will definitely be able to Increased confidence in the National Assembly!”

Sophia became more and more excited as she talked: "As long as this brand new system can be recognized by all parties, no matter how many contradictions and conflicts there are, they will be resolved. People will no longer consider using violent means to resist, but will immediately think of filing a lawsuit. Parliaments, use voting to solve problems!”

"Indeed." Anson raised his eyebrows: "Then...what should I ask Ludwig for in exchange for being in power?"

"Well, well..."

Deliberately dragging out the long ending, a wicked smile appeared on the girl's face.

………………………………

"We want the Prime Minister's Office to force the purchase of coal and butter, and then dump it to various communities in the outer city at cost price?!"

The stunned Ludwig stared at Anson who suddenly ran over, and said with a look of disbelief on his face: "Is this the condition you use in exchange for sending troops to the Elf Kingdom of Iser?!"

"That's right, and if you don't agree, I can guarantee that the Ministry of War will never cooperate with this plan, although my relationship with little Leon is really good." Anson said word by word:

"And it will be proposed not by us but by the citizens' assembly at the upcoming official meeting of representatives; this will also be the first bill passed after the establishment of the assembly."

"Of course, we don't have to force the Prime Minister's Office to levy or anything like that, but as long as we can come up with a suitable amount of coal and butter and dump the purchase restrictions in the outer cities in the form of subsidies, that's fine."

“That’s a lot of butter and coal to feed the entire outer city.”

Ludwig gritted his teeth: "Not to mention how to purchase so much, transportation and distribution alone cost a lot of money, plus the current high price of butter... Can it be reduced slightly?"

"sorry, can not."

"Then...can we replace the butter with canned food, or bacon or something like that?"

"No way."

"...Is it so non-negotiable?"

"Yes, not a trace." Anson said solemnly: "If you want a war, you can."

“But give me coal and butter in exchange!”