King

After the deal was reached, the meeting was over, and Hudson was on his way back home, he could only suppress the joy deep in his heart and put on a bitter face in front of everyone.

Seeing the high-spirited Earl Pierce constantly giving advice along the way, he couldn't help but want to punch someone.

Hudson's face didn't look good, not to mention the mood of his subordinates. In this wave of "repayment tax" apportionment, the Southeast Province has taken on the lion's share.

After much discussion, in addition to the 6 million principal repayment proposed by Earl Pierce, the shortfall in bond interest payments from the Treasury will also be apportioned to the repayment tax.

The final total amount of "repayment tax" was fixed at 9.37 million gold coins. A total of 1.3 million gold coins were allocated to the southeastern province, accounting for nearly 14%.

Such a high proportion of undertakings, the only thing that is engraved on the head is - "taken advantage of"!

Obviously, it is not easy to be taken advantage of in any world. The repayment tax of 1.3 million in the southeastern province will be shared among the nobles of the fifteen counties in the province.

Except for the direct younger brothers of Earl Pierce, who could still laugh, everyone else's expressions were not very good.

Especially the young nobles who were already in financial difficulties, their faces were even more gloomy and terrifying at this moment, as if their parents were dead.

Those who were in a good mood gathered together to chat, and those who were in a bad mood gathered together to complain to each other. Soon the team became clearly divided into two waves.

Seeing several middle-level nobles in the province join Earl Pierce's team one after another, Hudson immediately realized something was wrong.

The situation was very obvious. Earl Pierce obviously realized how much hatred his actions would bring, and took action in advance to win over the powerful factions in the province.

Unlike emerging nobles who need to spend a lot of money on construction, the established nobles only need to operate their fiefdoms step by step, and their demand for funds is not large.

Even if they pay an extra amount of repayment tax now, the impact on them will be very limited, it will just make them feel a little uncomfortable.

With the influence of the Dalton family, it couldn't be easier to appease everyone's emotions. Maybe not only will they not lose money, but they will also have the opportunity to make a fortune.

For example: acquiesce in some of their small actions.

Everyone suffers economic losses together, and the worst sufferers must be the small nobles at the bottom. Maybe there will be a bunch of unlucky people who fall into the family due to financial ruin.

This is the opportunity!

It is impossible to annex land wantonly, but with the cooperation of the Governor's Mansion, there is still hope to take advantage of one or two knight territories.

Especially at this moment, Caesar III's physical condition is worrying, and the replacement of kingship may occur at any time, and the probability of taking advantage is even greater.

As far as Hudson knew, most of the land annexations within the Alpha Kingdom in the past hundred years occurred during the period of kingship change.

Generally speaking, the lower the new monarch's prestige and the longer he is unable to control the court, the greater the appetite of the nobles.

After smoothing his thoughts, Hudson's original idea of ​​taking the opportunity to win over the provincial nobles was instantly abandoned.

Not everyone is eligible to participate in the feast of land annexation. As a new aristocracy, the Koslow family has not even digested the current results of the war. If it engages in land annexation, it will easily fall into public criticism.

From the family's point of view, they cannot engage in land annexation to increase their strength. The best option is to let the Southeast Province maintain the status quo first.

There is no doubt that the strategy of the Koslow family is contrary to the interests of many established nobles in the province.

It's not enough to talk about speculation, let alone when the interests are conflicting. It is destined not to be a stranger, and trying to win people's hearts is a waste of effort.

The little nobles below seem to be easy to win over, and their interests are consistent with the Koslow family's strategy. Unfortunately, this group is too complicated.

There are salt-fish nobles who want to maintain the status quo; there are also enterprising nobles who are waiting for the death of Caesar III, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

The situation of salted fish nobles is usually not very good.

Their own strength is very limited and they cannot withstand the wind and rain. Just surviving consumes all their efforts, and there is no soil for breeding ambitions.

I don’t know how much strength can be increased if we really win them over, but the burden it will bring is heavy.

Not to mention the latter. A few years ago, the Koslow family was an enterprising little aristocrat who directly used the system to force their children to continue to forge ahead.

You don't need to think about it to accept a young man who is too enterprising, and you know that there will definitely be trouble in the future.

As long as the younger brothers' own strength and ambition match, that's all. What they fear most is that they will encounter a few scammers who have high ambitions and low abilities, causing the boss to suffer the same fate.

After making up his mind to wait and see the situation, Hudson had no intention of paying attention to everyone's complaints.

However, the new younger brother does not have to be accepted, but the younger brother who is already under his command has to be taken care of.

The nobles who now follow the Koslow family are mainly composed of two parts.

Some of them followed Hudson to conquer the world. They were used to his cheating and rise to prominence, and had too much confidence in him as the boss, so they defected to him without even thinking about it.

The foundation of these people may not be deep, but they have followed Hudson all the way. Whether it is military strength or its own financial resources, it is top-notch among the small nobles.

The other part of the younger brothers are old relatives and friends from the past, and young nobles who just completed their marriage not long ago.

After the rise of Hudson, it was impossible to marry into the Koslow family without some financial resources. A poor little nobleman cannot win the attention of a big nobleman.

Nowadays, those who are really in trouble and need financial help are only a small number of unlucky ones among relatives and friends.

Due to various reasons, I completely missed the rise of Hudson and was unable to get a bowl of broth.

…

"My lord, are we going to let the governor do whatever he wants?"

A familiar voice sounded from his ears, interrupting the thoughts in Hudson's mind.

"Caitley, you are too impatient. The game has just begun, why should you rush to deal with it?

In this case, we may not have really suffered a loss. Everyone contributed more money together, but the Dalton family needed to spend the most gold coins among the nobles in the province.

The wealth of the old nobles is indeed rich, but it is also accumulated by their ancestors for countless years. According to Earl Pierce's current tossing method, it is impossible that there will be no opinions within the Dalton family.

If you lose money once or twice, you can still take the overall situation into consideration. Once the number of losses increases, it will be difficult to say.

But you are right. If we let him go completely, people might think we are afraid of him.

That's good. Let people spread the news and say: Earl Pierce knows everyone's suffering. If you have no money, you can go to the Dalton family to borrow it! "

Hudson said with a sneer.

"My lord, a rumor may not have much effect. The Dalton family is deeply rooted in the southeastern province, and ordinary small nobles would not dare to provoke him.

Unless we secretly take the lead and organize the nobles in the province to fight against him and refuse to pay the repayment tax.

However, there is also a serious problem. Once the matter gets serious, it will definitely alarm the kingdom. In order to raise funds to repay debts, various domestic forces will most likely require us to continue to fulfill our tax obligations! "

Baron Kettle said worriedly.

After glancing at the little brother in front of him, Hudson doubted whether he had ruined the man, and then he understood.

Kaitley's ability is indeed impressive, but after a series of blows, his confidence has long been wiped away, and he has lost his original arrogance and momentum.

If you start your own business, this change can be disastrous. But as a younger brother, it’s better not to be too ambitious.

"You are just talking about normal situations. Humans are the most complex creatures. Once forced, they can do anything.

We don't need them to go to war with the Dalton family. We just need to gather a group of financially bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy at the critical moment and run to the gate of the Governor's Mansion to cry for poverty.

If you have any difficulties, go to the Governor. These are all official matters. Our Governor Pierce is a responsible nobleman. Because of him, everyone's life is difficult, so we can't just let it go! "

Hudson said mockingly.

These are all inconspicuous little tricks, but at critical moments, they can make Earl Pierce panic.

If you don't help, your reputation will be affected if word spreads; if you help, it costs a lot of money and blocks the way of many people.

In order to win over a bunch of losers and offend the powerful factions in the province, no matter how you look at it, it will be a loss.

…

In the royal capital, after sending away all the nobles in the country, Caesar III, who was holding on, lay down.

Originally, there was another task in calling everyone here this time - to formally canonize the meritorious officials in the war.

Unfortunately, Caesar III's body could not hold up and he was unable to perform the ceremony. Simply use the kingdom system: canonizing nobles once every five years as an excuse.

Counting the days, it has been five years since the last noble conferment in less than half a year. Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing would be done together to save everyone a trip.

But the rules can be changed. Anyway, the actual benefits have been obtained. Now the only thing missing is a ceremony. No one is willing to compete with the king on such a small issue.

After all, dying people are not easy to mess with!

No one can guarantee that the current Caesar III can always remain rational. If he accidentally makes him angry, wouldn't it be a tragedy if he insists on dragging the leading bird along to see the Lord of the Dawn, despite his posthumous reputation?

"Little Caesar, from now on, all the affairs of the kingdom will be in your hands.

Since our ancestors founded the Alpha Kingdom, the inheritance has lasted for more than 300 years. During this period, we have gone through countless ups and downs, but we have survived.

Now you inherit the best of Alpha Kingdom, and also the worst of Alpha Kingdom.

Without the threat of the orcs, we can focus on development and catch up with several powerful countries in the southern continent; but it is also due to this that the country is no longer as united as before.

The current dispute is just the beginning. As time goes by, the internal fighting in the kingdom will become more intense.

Remember one principle: stability is everything.

On this basis, you must also vigorously develop the royal family's foundation and maintain the balance among the major forces in the country.

The great nobles are the pillars of the kingdom, but the small and medium nobles are the foundation of the royal family. No matter how the situation develops, they cannot be allowed to annex land.

I have paved the road for you, and it is up to you how you go next. All I can do now is to hold on for a few more days to buy you the last moment.

Little...Caesar...you...want to..."

At the end of the speech, Caesar III couldn't even connect his sentences together, and he uttered words intermittently, which made everyone shed tears.

Crown Prince Caesar in front of the bed even burst into tears, but continued to respond, until Caesar III lost consciousness and passed out on the bed.

The priests and magicians guarding the area hurriedly stepped forward and poured a bottle of mysterious potion into Caesar III's mouth.

"Okay, Little Caesar. Your Majesty is tired and needs to rest. You are an adult too, and you must learn to face it on your own.

Judging from His Majesty's physical condition, he can last for another three months at most. You must take control of the court within these three months and ensure a smooth transfer of complete power! "

Archbishop Tyron said with a sad look on his face.

The most outstanding generation of kings in the Alpha Kingdom is about to come to the end of his life. No one knows what the next era will be like.

All the people appearing in the ward at this moment are members of the royal family. We are all grasshoppers on a rope. We all gain and lose.

"Is there any way to let my father live a little longer? No matter what the cost, no matter what treasures are needed, I will work hard to find them!"

Crown Prince Caesar said excitedly.

Father's love is like a mountain. You don't feel it very much in normal times, but when it comes to life and death, it suddenly becomes apparent.

Bits and pieces of the past kept popping up in his mind. Even if he got into trouble and got beaten, it has become a good memory now.

"Okay, Little Caesar. You are the next monarch of the kingdom, don't be a little girl.

Your Majesty's body is exhausted, so don't torment him any more. What you have to do is to take control of the court as soon as possible and let him sleep peacefully. "

Archbishop Tyron's words extinguished Crown Prince Caesar's last hope. Without his protective father, he fell into endless hesitation at this moment.

After a long time, he nodded seriously.

"Prime Minister, my father has repeatedly told me: If I ask you for advice on political issues, where should I start?"

It can be seen that Crown Prince Caesar has grown up, but the price of growth is indeed a bit heavy.

"Your Highness, the central government has been run by our royal family for hundreds of years, and most of the core important positions are in the hands of the royal family, so basically no trouble can occur.

The real trouble you need to face now is still local.

Except for the jurisdiction of the royal family, all other major provinces are under the control of local nobles, and there are not many places where we can intervene.

During the previous changes in royal power, the biggest problem was that local nobles took the opportunity to annex land. Now the strength of the great nobles in the country is already very powerful, and their power cannot be allowed to continue to expand.

In fact, His Majesty has left you with a countermeasure, which is to use the mutual restraint between nobles to maintain the balance of the kingdom.

In the days to come, whoever dares to annex land will be targeted! "

…

make up for yesterday