King

"Count, the palace has arrived!"

After hearing the guard's reminder, Hudson was confused by the scene in front of him as soon as he stuck his head out of the carriage.

Crown Prince Caesar came in person to welcome us!

You must know that the two of them have no friendship, and their brief contact ended on bad terms. The enthusiasm he is showing now seems abnormal.

When you treat others with courtesy, you must ask for something.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Hudson immediately realized something was wrong. Crown Prince Caesar's performance was a bit too eager.

It was as if something big had happened and he was in urgent need of supporters. Even nobles like him who had had verbal conflicts had become targets of wooing.

As the only son of the king, and also serving as the marriage link with the Principality of Moxi, the status of Crown Prince Caesar can be said to be almost unbreakable.

There is only one explanation for being so eager now - Caesar III is not going to die soon!

When new kings came to power, the most important thing was to stabilize the situation.

As an important figure in the military and the fourth dragon knight in the mainland, as long as Crown Prince Caesar is not stupid, he will definitely win over Hudson.

Compared with the overall stability of the kingdom, the small conflicts that occurred in the Principality of Moxi are not worth mentioning at all.

After walking into the main hall and saying hello to the few nobles who arrived first, Hudson took a seat in his seat and quietly waited for the meeting to begin.

…

“Three hundred and twenty-six years have passed since our ancestors founded the Alpha Kingdom, and it has gone through ups and downs until now.

We have called everyone here today mainly to discuss the future development of the kingdom.

The Orc Empire has declined, the international situation has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the kingdom's previous national policy is no longer appropriate.

This matter not only involves the future of the kingdom, but also the future of each of your families. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to speak up! "

The hero dies. Looking at the trembling Caesar III, everyone could not help but feel sad.

No matter what everyone's position is, in everyone's mind, Caesar III is a qualified king.

“Your Majesty, although the international situation has stabilized, it does not mean that the crisis is over.

While the vitality of the kingdoms was severely weakened, the three central kingdoms made more and more small moves, and their tentacles continued to extend to the northern continent.

The civil war broke out in the Warhammer Kingdom, and it was difficult to suppress the ancient remnants in the ice and snow world, not to mention the elves in the Norwegian forest.

Once the situation gets out of control, the entire northern continent will fall into chaos. As the strongest country in the north, we have the obligation to maintain the stability of the regional situation.

It is now the year 99991 in the sacred calendar, and we are very close to the next catastrophe of ten thousand years. The more restraint everyone shows now, the more violent it will be when it breaks out in the future.

In this context, the kingdom must have a strong standing army to be invincible in future changes! "

As he spoke, Archduke Efiero turned his attention to Hudson. Among the feudal nobles, Hudson, who had served as the commander of the army, had the closest connection with the military.

In the past, this kind of position was usually held by nobles of the royal capital or members of the royal family.

Hudson, who came to the position by chance, has been labeled as a spokesperson for the military since he took the position of head coach.

"His Excellency the Grand Duke is right. The current situation is indeed not suitable for the Kingdom to excessively reduce its armaments.

The mainland seems peaceful, but secretly, the arms race has kicked off several years ago.

Because of the orcs, the kingdom fell behind in many fields in the new round of military technological changes.

If we want to catch up now, it cannot be achieved by our efforts as a family. We must unite and cooperate sincerely.

I propose to set up special research and development funds for the research and development of magic crossbows, magic crystal cannons, magic guides, Warcraft breeding, and various magic potions.

Regarding the source of funds, I personally suggest that a portion should be withdrawn from the tithe, and the remaining amount can be taxed on luxury goods such as spices and tea.

Considering the actual situation, I think the capital investment in these projects should not be less than three million gold coins.

In a short period of time, the kingdom was free from the pressure of war. The number of standing armies can be reduced, but considering the actual situation, it is not appropriate to do it all at once before the formation of the Warcraft Legion is completed.

The current standing army of the kingdom has dropped to 260,000, which is a relatively reasonable number. Even if cuts are to be continued, there is not much room for compression.

Who made us the third kingdom on the mainland?

If the standing army is too small and cannot deter those wolves, tigers and leopards, cats and dogs will come to bully them! "

Hudson's words immediately caused an uproar among the fief lords. One's own interests must be safeguarded, and the interests of the kingdom cannot be ignored either.

To mix in the large circle of aristocrats, you still have to have some cards. They are also nobles. When nobles from strong countries go out, they speak more forcefully than nobles from weak countries.

Especially for some large families engaged in international trade, they need the backing of a powerful kingdom.

Alliances are temporary, but interests are eternal. It seems that Hudson just said some unnutritious truths, but in fact it was a split in the aristocratic camp.

The alliance of great nobles that was originally temporarily established due to interests was instantly divided into two factions. Several big nobles engaged in international trade have become hesitant due to their own interests.

"Earl Hudson, everyone understands the truth. If conditions permit, we will support the kingdom's establishment of a standing army of one million.

But the real problem is: no money!

The huge debt has overwhelmed the kingdom. Continuing to maintain high military spending will inevitably drag down our fragile finances.

Three consecutive years of war have exhausted the kingdom's people. Now not only is the kingdom poor, the people are even more impoverished.

Your southeastern provinces are rich and prosperous, but you cannot understand the suffering of our northern Xinjiang region. In order to complete the kingdom's taxation tasks, nobles everywhere became worried.

In order to support this war, several provinces in northern Xinjiang have reached the brink of collapse. If we don’t expect to gain support from the Kingdom, we can’t continue to increase our burden! "

Duke Torsten took the lead in firing.

Hatred is one aspect, and conflicting interests are the core factor. International trade has little to do with these northern Xinjiang landlubbers.

Even if the kingdom opened an artificial port in the north, it had only been used for military purposes before. Although it was opened to the private sector after the war, maritime trade was not something that could be done in a day or two.

They had just lost a large amount of money not long ago, and coupled with the consumption during the war, the pockets of the five major families in the North were not rich.

In particular, the kingdom has also canceled its military subsidies for them. Now they have to figure out every expenditure on their own, and the northern region is not as wealthy as southern Xinjiang.

Even if they want to get involved in ocean trade, they can only slow down and slowly accumulate capital. When it develops, I don’t know when it will be.

The establishment of the Seven Prairie Kingdoms was originally an opportunity, but unfortunately there were several provinces further north in between.

The nobles who have just moved here are all so poor that they are almost red-eyed. How can they be allowed to get a share of the pie?

Since you are not the beneficiary, why should you pay?

"Duke Thorsten, the Alpha Kingdom is a whole. It is absolutely not allowed to form small groups in private and attempt to split the kingdom!

When you faced the threat of orcs, how did everyone give you all your support? You won't forget it so soon, right?

Northern Xinjiang is safe now, but this security is achieved through the joint efforts of the whole kingdom! "

Hudson retorted sharply.

Frankly speaking, Hudson didn't want to do this kind of limelight thing, but someone gave him too much.

Although Hudson has obtained a lot of technical information through various secret transactions, sailors and shipwrights are still a big problem for the Koslow family if they want to get involved in the ocean.

The problems on the surface could not be hidden from the wily Caesar III. Just last night, an uninvited guest suddenly came to the door, causing Hudson to change his mind as he was about to paddle.

An offshore fleet, a large shipyard, plus supporting sailors and shipbuilders were the price offered by Caesar III.

Of course, these things are not given for free. All personnel and equipment must be purchased with money.

Unlike the era when capital was prevalent, any commodity can be bought and sold. If you can't buy it, then your bid must not be high enough.

In the noble-dominated continent of Aslant, the most important means of production were never for sale.

There are only a few families in the entire Alpha Kingdom who own these things, and the royal family happens to be one of them.

After weighing the pros and cons, Hudson chose to cooperate. As for the issue of the Noble Alliance, I hadn't approached him beforehand, so just pretend I didn't know.

In order to lessen the hatred, Hudson pretended to be confused when he first came up, never mentioning that everyone used war bonds to pay taxes, and just started the discussion around the military budget.

As a spokesman for the military, if he does not demand an increase in the military budget, he is taking the overall situation into consideration. We cannot expect him to propose reducing the standing army, right?

"Hudson, don't talk nonsense! We in the North..."

Before the angry Duke Torsten could continue speaking, Duke Rodriguez hurriedly pulled him back.

If you keep saying this, you will really fall into a trap.

It doesn't matter if you do things like forming cliques in private, and it doesn't matter if others talk about it. If you say it publicly on the stage, then it will truly be the big label that Hudson has been slapped on.

What's more, it makes no sense to mention the contribution of the nobles of the North. Who made them overturn at the last moment?

Now everyone only remembers their mistake of reselling military supplies. As for their previous achievements in defending the kingdom, they have long been wiped out.

Perhaps realizing that the situation was about to get out of control, Caesar III said smoothly: "Okay, what we are discussing today is the outline of the future development of the kingdom, not a place to resolve personal grievances.

If there is a dispute over political opinions, just vote directly, there is no need to intensify the conflict. "

It seems that each is playing fifty-fifty, but in fact who is more inclined can be seen from the gloomy face of Duke Torsten.

If his companions hadn't caught him in time, he would have stepped on a huge thunder today. Not to mention irreversible, at the very least it will be disgraced.

If his own strength hadn't allowed him to do so, he would have jumped out and challenged Hudson to a duel. He is so insidious that he even digs holes for him when discussing matters.

"Your Majesty is right!"

"Dear Duke Thorsten, I'm very sorry. I was too impulsive just now, please forgive me for being rude!"

Hudson said sincerely.

If it weren't for the little episode of digging a hole just now, maybe everyone would really believe it. But the aristocratic demeanor is what it is.

No matter how much you want the other person to die in your heart, you have to show it on your face. Especially in a meeting of this level, you need to be personable throughout.

"It doesn't matter, everyone has their youth. Now that His Majesty has spoken, let's vote on the issue of military expenditures according to the rules!"

Duke Thorsten calmed down and responded with suppressed anger.

Deep down in his heart, Thorsten comforted himself: It doesn't matter if the argument fails, the key still depends on the final voting result. He doesn't rely on talking words to make a living!

"Duke Thorsten's suggestion is good. Let's just follow the process. This time, let's consider it as a joint proposal between the two of us."

Hudson said with a smile.

No matter what Duke Torsten thinks, Hudson is in a good mood now anyway. After being disturbed by him, the situation has changed.

Families with a relatively large proportion of international trade are likely to make a counterattack at this time, and the rest depends on Caesar III's methods.

If the king can bribe him, he can also bribe others. Hudson did not believe that Caesar III would place all his hopes on him.

He was promoted to be the leading figure because of his suitable status. Even if there was no Hudson, there would be other fiefdom nobles who would come forward. Anyway, Caesar III would not be able to argue with everyone in person.

After glancing at the two people and seeing that Duke Torsten had no objection, the Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, stood up slowly and said: "The two representatives jointly sponsored the proposal, and the content of the proposal is valid.

It’s about the future of the kingdom, so please choose carefully. Still the old rules, there are three choices: support, oppose, abstain.

The vote now begins: Those noble representatives who support Earl Hudson's proposal, please raise your hands now. "

As soon as he finished speaking, Hudson was the first to raise his hand. You can't be humble at this time. As one of the representatives at the meeting, his statement will also be counted in the votes.

Immediately afterwards, more than thirty hands were raised at the scene. Judging from the number of supporters alone, more than half of them were already there. Unfortunately, there was also a gap between hands.

One vote for a mid-level noble is one vote, and one vote for a large noble starts with three votes. The largest number, Caesar III, represents the right to speak with more than a dozen votes.

Seeing that the counting of votes was coming to an end, Earl Pierce, who had been hesitant, slowly raised his hand, followed by several nobles from the frontier provinces who voted in favor.

There is no way, no matter how good the negotiation is in advance, it cannot overcome the needs of interests.

Because of the orcs, the Alpha Kingdom, which is in a special position, has always had good relations with its neighbors. Even in its decline, no one reached out to the kingdom's sphere of influence.

As time passed, everyone gradually forgot about the threat from foreign enemies. Now that Hudson has reminded them, these interested nobles have to think more.

Fighting for Warcraft cubs is one thing. If the standing army is cut too hard, in the event of an international conflict in the future, they will have to rely on the private army support of the kingdom's nobles.

You can tell with your toes that the speed of reinforcements of the standing army is definitely not comparable to that of the noble private army.

If by chance the central government is in a weak period, the efficiency of this reinforcement will be even lower. Maybe just because of such little efficiency, you will get yourself into trouble.

“With more than half of the votes in favor, Earl Hudson’s proposal passes!”

After reading the comments, I was so criticized! Well, the author who updates less dares not to speak.