King

"Madeleine, send Marshal Hudson off for me!"

Caesar IV ordered.

The play must be performed in full, and if you want to deceive others, the details must be in place.

The contact between the princess and the marshal is at best a story about a hero and a beautiful woman, and no one will meddle in it. If the king had private contact with the marshal, everyone would have to think carefully.

"Marshal Hudson, shouldn't you ask me to dance?"

Princess Madeleine said depressedly.

The scene of dividing the spoils just now directly refreshed her knowledge. Fortunately, he was born into a royal family and developed the ability to remain calm at an early age.

Deep in my heart, there was still a faint feeling of regret. If she had known that Hudson, a potential stock, could soar so fast, she would have taken action immediately when they first met.

Of course, Baron Hudson was unlikely to be a royal marriage partner. But as long as she takes action in advance, she can delay Hudson's marriage.

The royal marriage will not accept grassroots nobles, which does not mean that it will not accept a marshal who controls the kingdom's army. Now Hudson has the value to be attracted by the royal family.

For a princess who is destined to marry, the treatment of staying in the country is much better than marrying outside.

There are no ifs in reality. If you miss it, you will miss it. Thinking about this has no meaning other than sulking.

"Your Highness, please!"

Hudson said slightly embarrassed.

Conscience, he really can't dance. No matter how well Hudson did, his native family was only a small baron with only a handful of resources.

Daily practice alone consumes a lot of resources. How can there be resources to invite professional dance teachers to learn dance subjects that are meaningless to the lower class nobles.

I won't and must attend this kind of occasion. It's the same dance, and if other nobles can't keep up with the rhythm, they will be laughed at. With Hudson's current status, that is a reflection of his personality.

There was no surprise. On the stage, Hudson showed a very unique personality. He had close contact with Princess Madeleine several times, and those who didn't know it thought they were flirting.

There was no collision with the people around us. It was because everyone was very clever and spontaneously made space.

"Marshal, please pay attention to the occasion!"

Princess Madeleine reminded in a low voice.

In an instant, Hudson's face turned green. Even if he jumped into the Canglan River, he wouldn't be able to escape this wave.

He had never studied systematically in the first place, but Princess Madeleine still wanted to play difficult games to show off her elegance. As a result, he took advantage.

Fortunately, Princess Madeleine was not really angry, otherwise the reputation of being a disciple would have fallen on him today.

"Your Highness, let's go down and have a drink!"

Hudson suggested hurriedly.

We can't continue to mess around on the stage, otherwise this charming incident will spread throughout the aristocratic circle tomorrow.

This may be a good thing for Princess Madeleine who does not want to marry, but it is a miserable situation for Hudson, who must give an explanation to the royal family.

In everyone's envious eyes, the two walked off the stage. What these people don't know is that Hudson also envies them.

Compared to Princess Madeleine, who can only be seen but not touched, they have the opportunity to have a real romantic encounter tonight.

Love masters all went to the widowed noble lady to talk about their lives, but Xiaobai still hung around the noble lady.

…

Frankish Kingdom, after the end of the Continental War, Lutecia became more and more prosperous.

Rather, the entire southern continent became more prosperous. The hardships of the countries in the Northern Continent and the Central Continent have injected a source of development into the Southern Continent.

Faced with the plundering of foreign armies, the nobles and businessmen in the central and northern regions who longed for peace directly moved their families and families to the southern continent with their wealth accumulated over thousands of years.

The Frankish Kingdom, which took the initiative to recruit refugees, was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary. In a short period of time, millions of immigrants were received.

The arrival of these people provided both human and financial assistance to the Frankish Kingdom in developing new territories.

The economy prospered, the living space expanded, and opportunities were everywhere. For a time, the social conflicts in the Frankish Kingdom dropped to the lowest point.

Everything is developing for the better, and the only constraint that troubles the Frankish kingdom is the "religious problem."

The Frankish Kingdom, which has grasped the pulse of the times and successfully reaped the biggest dividends of the continental war, has surpassed its competitors and reached the pinnacle of the continent.

And this leading advantage continues to grow as time goes by.

In the dark corners, there are ship after ship of "human slaves" transported from the Central Continent and the Northern Continent, injecting "fuel" into the development of the Frankish Kingdom.

No one can tell whether it is the slave traders who have great magical powers or whether there is a secret deal between the first human kingdom and the alien alliance.

If there is no evidence, it is equivalent to non-existence. What's more, it's not just the Frankish Kingdom that is doing the buying of slaves from foreign races. The difference is that they are the first to act and the scale of the transaction is also the largest.

Everyone gets what they need from the deal, not talking about capitalizing on the enemy. From the moment the alien coalition led by the elves stopped engaging in genocide and accepted the surrender of human soldiers, the seeds for this deal were sown.

The humans who control the area are themselves a hidden danger to the alien alliance.

When it is inconvenient to slaughter, selling in exchange for the resources needed for one's own development is undoubtedly the best choice.

The human race destroyed thirty-one nations, seemingly at the hands of foreigners, but in fact it was the remaining human nations and the foreigners who shared their inheritance.

On the contrary, it was the two alien races that were destroyed. They were really wiped out. It's not that the Franks and Iberians didn't sell foreign slaves, it was mainly because no one wanted to buy them.

The alliance of alien races is just an alliance. If a fellow race is captured, it doesn't matter if they pay a ransom. Forget about other races!

We are not that holy. If we really wanted to redeem a group of orcs and ogres, wouldn't we have to divide a piece of land to raise them?

The war has been going on so far. Except for the arms dealers, the dwarves, who still have considerable financial resources, the rest of the alien alliance is very poor.

In the recent dozen continental wars, the human race has been able to win more and lose less. The main reason is not the strong military strength, but the victory in logistics.

Many times, in the early stages of a continental war, the alien alliance has the upper hand. As long as it drags on for a year or two, the situation is reversed.

There is no way, no matter how prepared the foreign alliance is, the resources that can be mobilized are only enough for them to support the early stage operations.

Even omnivorous orcs who don't even spare the corpses of their own people will soon face logistical problems as long as they can't break through on the battlefield.

In addition to being "poor", the uneven distribution of spoils and various interest entanglements within the alien alliance also laid the foundation for the prosperity of the slave trade.

If the balance of power is disrupted, it will inevitably affect the political structure.

As its strength continued to grow, calls within the Frankish Kingdom for the establishment of a separate Holy See became increasingly louder.

"Your Majesty, the time has come. The Holy See's poor performance in the mainland war has caused its reputation to decline. Now is the best time to attack!"

Archbishop Edward persuaded him hard.

The Holy See was scolded bloody in the Human Race Parliament, and was even considered by the outside world to be the party most responsible for the collapse of the situation in the Central Continent. Naturally, there were promoters from various countries behind it.

The Frankish Kingdom, the most anti-bone boy, is the main force among them. I had been prepared to set up a new branch for a long time, just waiting for an excuse to make trouble.

"Bishop Edward, the performance of the Holy See in the mainland war is indeed not good, but it is a bit far-fetched to say that they colluded with the alien alliance to betray the interests of the human race, right?"

Charles III said slightly hesitantly.

Prepare to prepare, to completely raise the banner of anti-Vatican, but everyone still can't help but feel hesitant.

Compared to other human nations, the history of the Holy See can be traced back thousands of years. In the continent of Aslant, there is a law: ancient must be powerful!

In this long history, the Holy See has declined. Just relying on their deep foundation, they will revive again every few hundred years.

On the contrary, the enemies of the Holy See have disappeared into the long river of history over the long years. Only a few strokes in history books can prove their existence.

“Your Majesty, at this point, the evidence is no longer important.

According to the intelligence sent by Marquis Landry from the Alpha Kingdom, they have also been taking action recently.

The Tyran Archbishop even secretly formed: the Privy Council, the Inquisition, the Holy Knights...

Except that there is no pope, the organizational structure is exactly the same as that of the Holy See of Dawn, and its ambitions are obvious.

As long as we start, they will follow. Once the Alpha Kingdom takes action, the Principality of Moxi will also be passively involved, and the church in the entire northern continent will be separated from the control of the Holy See.

The three countries in the Central Continent are currently at odds with the Holy See, and they will definitely not be able to be appeased for a while. Even if they don’t follow us and establish another branch, they will not fully support the Holy See.

Now all it takes is to persuade the Church of the Kingdom of Iliba to establish a separate branch, and the Holy See's rule on the continent of Aslant will completely collapse! "

Marquis Jesus, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said with high spirits.

These changes are all due to their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conflicts between the three countries in the Central Continent and the Holy See were provoked by them, and the actions of the Alpha Kingdom Church were also instigated by them.

Even the Iliban Church, under their instigation, had the idea of ​​breaking away from the Holy See.

After all, who wants to be someone else's little brother when he can be the boss himself?

The Frankish Kingdom is not prepared to unify the beliefs of various countries. Its current actions are just to break the monopoly of the Holy See and get rid of the control of religion on politics.

Similar political demands exist widely in mainland countries. In order to reduce the influence of the Holy See, governments around the world have tried their best.

"Oh, the Alpha Kingdom has shown such a positive attitude. It seems that Caesar IV is not as weak and incompetent as the rumors say. The rumors are probably nonsense!"

Charles III said with a smile.

The Holy See's prestige is too deep, and its influence extends to every corner of the continent. Going out alone to oppose the Holy See is still too risky even for them, the first kingdom on the continent.

With a few more allies working together, the situation would be different. When he first came to power, he dared to declare the Pope illegal. In addition to being young and energetic, he also had Caesar III to help share the pressure.

After Caesar IV came to power, the nature of the Alpha Kingdom's opposition to the Holy See remained unchanged, but its specific implementation efforts slowed down significantly.

"Your Majesty, since the alliance of the five major families in the North was suppressed, the forces of the various factions in the Alpha Kingdom have become more balanced.

When all parties are evenly matched, it is difficult to truly give birth to powerful ministers. However, the rumors that Caesar IV was dismissed are not groundless.

It is said that Caesar IV loved military affairs before he came to the throne, and personally led an army to expedition to the Principality of Mosey. Unfortunately, he failed miserably.

Afterwards, Caesar IV still did not repent, and repeatedly pointed out his poor military skills, forcing the top leaders of the Alpha Kingdom to unite their stance and not allow him to interfere in military affairs.

However, it was a blessing and a curse, and it was his disastrous defeat that laid the foundation for Hudson's rise.

The Alpha Kingdom was able to attack the Orc Empire in the north, cripple the Alliance of Ancient Relics in the west, and frighten the elves despite suffering heavy losses. The commanding ability of Hudson, the number one general in the Northern Continent, was also an important factor! "

Prime Minister Duke Bergson said with emotion.

These assignments were all done recently. Previously, I thought that the Alpha Kingdom had entered a period of decline and its attention level had dropped to the third level. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, it was resurrected with full health.

Perhaps the overall national strength is not as good as it was at its peak, but its record is no worse than at its peak.

"There is nothing surprising. The resilience of the Alpha Kingdom is recognized by the mainland. This unlucky kingdom has been teetering on the edge of life and death since its birth.

Archbishop, be prepared to choose a good day when the Kingdom Church will officially break away from the Holy See.

For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to do a good job of coordination, it would be best if they could get the Alpha Church to act together.

As for the three countries in the Central Continent, they are all busy cleaning up their own messes. Even if they hate the Holy See in their hearts, they dare not do anything at this time. Just let them remain neutral.

There is no need for the Iliban Kingdom to have extravagant hopes. They have always wanted to replace the kingdom. We want to rebel against the Holy See, and they are the most loyal ministers of the Holy See! "

Charles III said mockingly.

Especially the last three words "great loyal minister" add emphasis to the tone.

Everything is for profit. Conflicts between the eldest and the second oldest are usually difficult to reconcile. If the eldest and second eldest brother were living together, there would be no need to talk about it.

It is very unfortunate that the two big countries of Frankia and Iliba are the first and second kingdoms of the mainland respectively, and they happen to be close neighbors.

When the foreign race was strong, the two countries held each other together to warm each other, and they were also the closest allies.

Unfortunately, as the two countries successfully reformed one after another and each embarked on the road to becoming a powerful country, the threat of aliens no longer existed, and the original allies became current competitors.

The countries fought fiercely, but the nobles of the two countries had a close relationship. Many marriages between families could be traced back more than ten generations.

With this blood relationship as a bond, the two countries have been at odds with each other in the past years, but no major war has broken out.

How long this calm can last, no one can tell. Anyway, the reality is that the more powerful the two countries become, the more irreconcilable their conflicts become.

Perhaps when the alien alliance disappears, the two countries will meet each other.

Of course, it is more likely that before internal strife occurs, a wave of camp confrontation will be played to force various countries to take sides.

…

At the Emerald Palace, the symposium on Near East issues kicked off again. Thanks to the fact that he had finalized the agreement with the king in advance, Hudson experienced a wave of what it means to have someone in the government who is easy to serve as an official.

With the support of the royal family and ministers, many sensitive issues were dealt with in an understatement under the protection of each other.

The progress was smooth, much faster than Hudson expected. It is obvious that everyone truly has no love for the lands in the Near East.

Although some people had doubts about Hudson's Donadoza, they were asked to go over to keep him company, but they all backed down.

The major nobles are not completely uninvolved in the Near Eastern issues, but the resources they are willing to invest are limited. At most, they will throw in a few members of their direct lineage who are not valued, and more often they will use the descendants of the collateral lineage to make up the number.

Although their participation was small, the fiefdoms they obtained were not large at all. Basically, they all start from one county, and some even win several counties in a row.

Part of it was exchanged for land bonds, and part of it was rewarded for military exploits. Although military exploits are not transferable in principle, special circumstances still exist.

For example, now, major families have centralized and managed the fiefdoms obtained by their children due to military merit, indirectly completing the transfer of military merit.

As for how to distribute internal benefits after playing like this, everyone has established rules, so just follow the original rules.

Compared with the fiefdom issue of generosity to others, the defense line in the Near East, which requires real money and silver investment, is the focus of the dispute between the parties.

The plan of the Ministry of Military Affairs is very reliable. Not only the territory of Hudson, but the entire Near East is covered by defense lines.

According to the plan, the kingdom must build at least thirty pass cities, hundreds of war fortresses, thousands of kilometers of city walls, and thousands of kilometers of battle roads to connect the Near East.

Such a large-scale investment in infrastructure would place great pressure on a feudal kingdom.

Except for the major provinces in the north that expressed support, the remaining major provinces in the kingdom either had doubts or directly expressed opposition.

When things get to this point, the problem becomes awkward. The provinces that expressed support for the construction were all poor.

There was no money or food, and even the labor force could not contribute much. On the contrary, it is the provinces that clearly oppose it that are the main force in providing people, money, and food.

"Governors, you are all knowledgeable about military affairs, and you should know how difficult it is to bring a piece of prairie into your jurisdiction.

If we don't build city walls, what will we do to resist the orcs' invasion?

Investing a large amount of resources in the Near East in a short period of time is indeed a loss-making business, but the accounts cannot be limited to the present.

Think about it, everyone, once the defense line in the Near East is stabilized, the current twelve provinces in Northern Xinjiang will be out of danger, converted from front lines to normal provinces, and will be able to contribute a large amount of finance and tax to the kingdom every year.

As long as the time period is extended long enough, this income will definitely be able to cover the cost of building the Near East defense line.

As our national power grows, the orcs' national power is correspondingly weakened. As one goes, the kingdom's advantage over the orcs will become greater and greater.

If the plan is successful, we can continue to copy it in the future, gradually advance to the grasslands, and slowly encroach on the orc empire.

It is indeed difficult for everyone now, but this difficulty can be overcome. As long as we cooperate with each other to build the Near East defense line, we can actually build it without spending a penny.

Lords in various places provided food when they had food, resources when they had resources, and labor when it was inconvenient.

According to the original plan, this war would last two to three years. The provinces that had not yet completed the corresponding tasks took the opportunity to complete the tasks. "

Grand Duke Efiero revealed his family background to everyone with a calm face, making representatives from all parties look at each other.

The war ended early, and naturally everyone was not exhausted to the point of running out of fuel, but poverty was real.

In order to silence the opponents, the military minister directly sent a "planned construction model", or a continuation of the kingdom's wartime economic model.

The material and manpower required to build the defense line were all requisitioned by the kingdom for free on an apportioned basis, so the cost naturally came down.

The only thing that needs to be tested is the kingdom's organizational ability. However, the Alpha Kingdom has mobilized twice in the past five years, and the kingdom's organizational capabilities are at their peak.

As long as everyone is determined to do it, they will be able to build the Near East Defense Line. The only problem is the time it takes.

Seeing that everyone was still silent, Caesar IV slowly stood up and walked to the middle of the ministers.

"What do you have to hesitate about? You are just making your own calculations. Don't forget the kingdom's current strategic situation.

The reason why Southern Xinjiang can be stable is that we have shocked the elves and let them know that invading the kingdom requires paying a heavy price!

Once this shock disappears, do you think that the elves are really peace-loving, or do you think that the alien alliance is a harmless slime?

If there is no problem with the Near East defense line, there will be no problem with all the kingdom's borders. If the Near East is lost, all the borders of the kingdom will become war zones.

With the kingdom's current military strength, it is simply impossible to support multi-front operations, and we are still fighting enemies that are stronger than us.

If you fantasize about dealing with enemies on one front first, it’s better to give up this unreliable idea as soon as possible!

I have decided that in the next five to ten years, the Kingdom will devote all its efforts to building a defense line in the Near East. The worst that can happen is that we will have to live with hardship for a few more years, and it’s not like we haven’t experienced it before.

From now on, until the construction of the Near East Defense Line is completed, the royal family will donate all annuities and the palace expenses will be simplified.

You should also set an example for the nobles below. In normal times, you can save as much as you can, and avoid extravagance and waste.

Don't think it doesn't make sense!

If we don't make every effort to build the Near East defense line, how can the nobles below who have been entrusted to the Near East develop with peace of mind.

If the next Orc invasion breaks out and the Near East defense line is like paper and is squeezed through by the enemy, then everyone will be finished together!

I don’t think the alien alliance would mind destroying the last two human countries in the northern continent, thereby forming a strategic pattern of north-south confrontation with the human race! "

Caesar IV's sudden outburst shocked the ministers.

Their vigorous and resolute side made them feel as if they had returned to the era of Caesar III. He was completely opposite to the previous king who was suppressed by his ministers.

Slightly startled, Hudson was the first to react. The reason why Caesar IV gave in on military issues earlier was because no one supported him.

A king without the support of his ministers is a rubber stamp. The current situation is obviously different. Not only does it have the support of the provinces in northern Xinjiang, but it also has the help of ministers in the DPRK and the central government and the military.

With such a good opportunity, it would be a pity not to take advantage of it.

If it were replaced by Hudson, he would have to use the topic to his advantage and take the opportunity to restore the majesty of the royal power.

"Your Majesty is right. It is imperative to build a defense line in the Near East. The Kingdom must not take this issue lightly!"

After being stunned for a moment, the governors of the northern Xinjiang provinces expressed their support.

The sudden reversal of the situation made many southern governors doubt the plan to establish a province in the Near East.

The alliance between the northern provinces, the royal family, and the court will be able to vaguely dominate the government. If more representatives came out, wouldn't it be worse?