King

After a series of haggling, the Near East Defense Line plan was finally adopted. Without any surprise, Hudson's territory became the core of the defense.

The geographical location is second, and the key is the reputation of Hudson. Unless this nail is pulled out, the orc army will not dare to go deep into it.

The expeditionary legion's deep battle into the orc prairie has fundamentally changed the mode of war, making everyone realize: It turns out that war can still be played like this!

Without any logistical support, the expeditionary legion was able to achieve outstanding results. If it had the bridgehead in the Near East as a support, its power would only be greater.

In this context, it is very obvious that the first city to be built in the kingdom is a port!

If there are conditions, you must go up, and if there are no conditions, you must go up. The biggest feature of the extraordinary world is that human power can transform nature.

Theoretically speaking, deserts can be turned into oases, wilderness can be turned into fertile soil, and mountains can be turned into plains. It is just a matter of the amount of investment.

No doubt this is just theory. Reversing the laws of nature is by no means as simple as it seems.

The desert has turned into an oasis. Unless the local climate can be completely changed, it will not be long before it will degenerate into a desert again.

To turn wilderness into fertile soil, not only must the climate keep up, but you must also know how to nourish the land. Otherwise, after the fertility of the land is exhausted, it will become a barren land again.

Relatively speaking, man-made ports have minimal backlash. As long as no major changes occur, there will be no major problems in 180 years.

However, the construction of the port still has to wait for on-site surveys before the specific location can be determined.

Everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as the construction of the first port is completed, subsequent work can rely on the port to slowly expand externally.

The plan was perfect, but the execution was tricky. The hardest problem is people.

The release of the Near East Defense Line plan has indeed reassured the hearts of many nobles, but it does not mean that everyone is willing to go over and open up wasteland.

The construction of the defense line takes time. Before the construction of the defense line is completed, how can we ensure the security of our territory?

The so-called security of the kingdom only means that the orcs will not invade in a short period of time.

Occasionally, it is inevitable to accidentally fall into a group of orc cavalry. The enemy will not simply watch as the Alpha Kingdom takes root in the Near East.

Of course, there is nothing in the Near East now, and it must be safe. If the orcs come to plunder, that will only happen after the next autumn.

If the kingdom's development progress is slow, the plundering time may be pushed back to two to three or three to five years.

With the joint efforts of a group of big guys, the fledgling aristocrats are naturally no match for them. He was soon stunned by the various favorable conditions promised by the kingdom, and accepted the canonization in a daze.

Seeing this scene, Hudson realized that these nobles were really ruthless and deceived people, even his own family members.

Don’t worry about scarcity but worry about inequality; don’t worry about poverty but worry about insecurity.

First, Marshal Hudson accepted the fiefdom in the Near East, and then many of the children of the great nobles followed suit. Naturally, the small and medium-sized nobles with asymmetric information could only follow the trend.

Each and every one of them was immersed in the preferential policies promised by the kingdom, and took this confinement as an opportunity, imagining that they were the new chosen sons of God, who would soar into the sky in the Near East.

A few sober nobles were aware of the risks, but unfortunately their arms could not hold their thighs. Refusing the reward was equivalent to giving up the fief.

People are all lucky, and no matter how high the risk is, there is still a possibility of success. If so many nobles go together, they can't be wiped out.

If you are lucky and stick with it, you will make a lot of money. After all, the kingdom is really generous this time, and the fief area is not as large as usual.

The knighthood grants fiefs according to the specifications of the barony, the barony grants fiefs according to the specifications of the viscounty, and the viscounty grants fiefs according to the specifications of the earldom.

Further up is the newly minted Duke Xue Yue - Marshal Hudson. His land area is the largest in the country, and he has become the largest landowner second only to the royal family.

There was no actual earl, it was mainly a few powerful middle-level nobles in the kingdom who had arrived in northern Xinjiang a few years ago.

The remaining middle-class nobles are limited by their own strength. Even if they want to give it a try, they are not qualified to participate in the chess game.

Unlike the inland areas, the great nobles in the border areas have more obligations than benefits.

Taxation is straight up nonsense. According to the conditions promised by the kingdom, the Near East will be tax-free for thirty years.

We all have to fight side by side on the battlefield next. Don't expect to squeeze out the benefits from your younger brother, otherwise someone will take advantage of you.

In addition to a higher political voice, there are almost no economic benefits. But the obligations assumed are not less at all.

If the orcs come over, the governor will lead a group of subordinates to the battlefield and fight the enemy with real swords and guns.

The minimum standard must be maintained until the kingdom's reinforcements arrive, otherwise you must be loyal to the country!

Without enough strength at hand, he could not even command the nobles in the province, let alone fulfill his obligations.

The children of the great nobles are qualified to compete for the position of governor, but the family behind them does not support it!

It's not that I don't want to support it, it's because after a large area was taken away by Hudson and the remaining areas were divided into provinces, there were more than one descendant of a big noble family in each province.

If you want to be in a high position, you have to spend a lot of money, don't think about fooling around and harming others and yourself.

At the kingdom meeting, everyone clearly set the standard. To serve as the governor of the province in the Near East, he must maintain a standing army of at least 8,000 people, equipped with two eighth-level experts and eight seventh-level experts.

Not deliberately making things difficult, a governor without this strength may have his head cut off by orcs at any time on the front line.

If the middle and lower nobles die, they will die. If the big nobles die so casually, where will the kingdom's face be put?

Sending troops to retaliate would not be able to support the country; failing to retaliate would expose the weak nature of the kingdom and trigger more prying eyes.

Exceptions can also be made. If the governor himself is a strong man from the holy realm, or there is a strong man from the holy realm accompanying the army, these restrictions will be cancelled.

There's nothing wrong with it, the exception clause is completely tailor-made for Hudson. Without opening this back door, where would the weak Koslow family find so many seventh- and eighth-level experts?

As a result, the newly released seven provinces of the Near East, including the super-large province of Hudson, have governors, and the remaining six provinces are vacant.

Caesar IV several times nominated sons of great nobles to serve as governors, but they were all declined. For no other reason than to send so much military power to the Near East, the risk is simply too high.

For some weak nobles, their entire family wealth must be added together to meet the standards, which is simply asking them to relocate their families.

The standards required by the Kingdom are high and the compensation is not small. In the past, the canonization edict was issued, and the tax exemption was completed within a few years. Now it also comes with population support.

The knights supported 500 people, the baron supported 1,500 people, the viscount supported 4,500 people, the earl supported 15,000 people, and the duchy of Hudson was directly allocated 100,000 people.

There is no surprise, these people are all refugees gathered by the kingdom.

A number of small countries in the Northern Continent and the Central Continent fell. Not only the countries in the Southern Continent were full, but the Alpha Kingdom was also a beneficiary.

A large number of refugees are pouring in. In addition to various nobles recruiting people, the royal government is also not idle.

The few people given by the Kingdom of Light are naturally not enough to develop the land of the Near East, but for the grassroots nobles, this is already a rare wealth.

Then call your friends and recruit some people to come over, and you can initially set up the territory. The remaining problems will be solved slowly.

During every major war, slave traders were most active. These guys who wanted money rather than their lives took action early.

It is a pity that in this war, too few people can make war profits. In addition to the gains made by the expeditionary legion, the remaining nobles fighting on the mainland were basically doing nothing.

If you don’t have money in your pocket, you can’t buy anything. What matters in this wave is family status. The richer the family behind you, the greater the support it gives, and the stronger the power in your hands.

The poor and destitute children of the declining aristocracy are miserable, and they can only rely on their own efforts for everything. Putting aside development, they are even more worried about how to feed the people.

If nothing else happens, they will be "contractors" for a long time to come, leading the people assigned to them by the kingdom to fight on the front line of construction.

The development path has been planned for them by the big bosses above. Either accept employment from the kingdom to build defense lines, or work for wealthy nobles to build castles first.

After accumulating a certain amount of wealth, he went back to build his own castle. If the relationship between each other is managed well, you can also hug the neighbors and stay there for a few decades.

In border areas, this kind of hugging together for warmth is too common.

If they don't know how to unite, the knights and baronies alone will not be able to withstand the scourge of the orcs.

…

"What, establishing a new Holy See?"

After hearing the news, Hudson almost cursed on the spot. He has no objection to those who rebel against the Holy See, but that also depends on time!

The kingdom is busy dealing with the Near East issue. In the next few years, the strategic focus will be dragged on the Near East defense line, and there will be no time to make trouble with the Holy See.

Although Hudson did not think that the Holy See, with its naval strength greatly weakened, had the courage to send the fleet north to cause trouble for the kingdom, there was no need to rush out to stir up hatred.

"Your Majesty, who the idiot came up with this plan? Don't you know that it is not appropriate for the kingdom to have extraneous affairs now?"

Hudson responded unceremoniously.

No matter who proposed it, he was definitely against it. If the kingdom insists on going its own way, then there is no need to go to the fiefdom in the Near East. It can just go back to the fiefdom and close its doors to live a small life.

"Marshal, this is none of our business. It was the Franks who proposed this plan. Although we have prepared an independent plan, we are not ready to launch it now."

Archbishop Tailen hurriedly explained.

He wanted to be pope, but that was also for the development of the kingdom. If the development of the kingdom is delayed because of the establishment of a separate Holy See, then it is putting the cart before the horse.

In essence, the Holy See is both a faith and a business. In addition to the obvious "tithe", the Holy See also has many ways to make money through faith.

Every year, a large number of believers donate wealth to the Holy See and purchase indulgences. Even if the Alpha Kingdom and the Holy See do not deal with each other, they will not be able to prevent the Holy See from sucking blood from the Kingdom.

Hearing that it was not his family's fault, Hudson's face looked much better, and the expressions of the nobles present also softened.

"Even if it is proposed by the Franks, we must reject it. At least before the kingdom has a firm foothold in the Near East, it should not cause unnecessary problems!"

The words of the Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, were obviously telling everyone in a subtle way that he was not aware of this matter and was still firmly opposed to it.

In an instant, Hudson understood the inside story. The royal family had not reached unity on the issue of establishing a separate Holy See.

It was obvious that the glory and power he had given him before had stimulated the ambitions of many people, but it did not make these powerful elders of the two dynasties lose themselves.

With the prime minister taking the lead in opposition, Hudson would naturally not intervene. In any case, it is basically impossible for a proposal to be passed by the Royal Parliament if the position within the royal family cannot be unified.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, you know the secret agreement between us and the Frankish Kingdom.

According to the previous agreement, when one party stands up against the Holy See, the other party must provide full and unconditional support.

In the past, the Kingdom's repeated confrontations with the Holy See have always ended peacefully. In addition to our own strength, the support of our allies is also a core factor. "

Archbishop Tyron's words made the Grand Duke of Newfoundland hesitate to speak. The secret agreement is indeed not binding, but it involves national credibility.

The Holy See is not easy to mess with, and the First Kingdom of the Mainland is not a soft persimmon either. Judging from the current development momentum, it is only a matter of time before the strength of the Frankish Kingdom surpasses the Holy See.

"Your Majesty, I think everyone present has the right to know the specific content of the secret agreement!"

Duke Hero said angrily.

The mainland war has just come to an end, and the smell of gunpowder between the royal family and the five major families in the North has become increasingly intense.

From the initial dispute over tolls, it gradually escalated into a family dispute, making it difficult for them to get off the ground for a while.

It's not impossible to give the royal family a face, but it must be communicated in private. How can there be any reason to directly bring people over?

If this precedent is set and a group of nobles in Northern Xinjiang use their connections to exert pressure, will they still give in?

If you take this step back, they will no longer be able to collect toll taxes. Not only would the nobles not pay taxes, but even businessmen would choose to work under the nobles and refuse to pay taxes.

However, transit tax is an important part of the territory's tax revenue, and it is a common rule in the Aslant continent that the lords set their own collection standards.

It's just that they were a little greedy and took advantage of their monopoly to set the tax rate a little higher.

This "high" is still relative to the outside world, and the five major families in the North do not think it is high.

The original tax collection standard was 70%, but now it has been lowered to 30% to save everyone’s face, which is very interesting.

Compared with five years ago, the transit tax revenue of several of them has been cut in half and then cut in half again.

Of course, the previous high taxes were mainly due to the fact that these goods were smuggled to the Orc Empire, which itself had a very high profit premium.

It is not impossible for the final selling price to increase several times or more than ten times. Even if the tax is very high, it is still a huge profit transaction.

Now that the harvest targets have changed, the situation has changed. The five major families in the North, who were cornered, could only hold on for dear life.

At this critical moment, the weaker you show, the more enemies will gain ground.

Everyone is a shareholder of the kingdom, so if you want to make a fuss, just make a fuss. Anyway, as long as you do it within the rules, the royal family can't do anything to them.

"Your Majesty the Duke, the secret agreement was made under the pressure of the Holy See. All the terms were aimed at the Holy See and did not involve everyone's interests.

The captain of the guard, immediately go get the secret agreement and show it to all the ministers! "

Caesar IV explained with a gloomy expression.

The king must also abide by the rules of the political game. The five major families in the North were an eyesore, but unfortunately he could never find an entry point.

As the great nobles of the kingdom, even if ordinary charges were placed on their heads, they would not be able to move them.

Unless it involves serious crimes such as regicide and treason, it will be disgusting at best and will not hurt their vitality at all.

After circulating the contents of the secret agreement over a cup of tea, the storm was finally brought to an end.

The secret treaty was signed by Caesar III back then, and it did not involve the interests of all parties. It was understandable that no high-level meeting was held.

In fact, during the reign of Caesar III, there were many such side-effects. It's just that the prestige of the kingdom's ZTE Lord is too high, so it's hard for everyone to get into it.

If it were Caesar IV who made a secret agreement with the outside world in private, it would probably be a big noisy place. Even if a noble pointed his nose and scolded him, it wouldn't be strange.

Who is a qualified nobleman who has never challenged the king?

If you haven't done it before, it only proves that you are incompetent, weak, and have no say in the kingdom.

As long as you grasp the handle, feel free to attack. There is less need to worry about the nature of the quarrels between shareholders at shareholder meetings.

As long as they are not clamoring against humanity or regicide, all remarks made at the meeting are exempt from liability.

The princes openly challenged the king to fight, and the king's army was abandoned. This has happened in the history of the Aslant continent.

Of course, the nobles of Alpha Kingdom are not that tough yet. At most, it was just a verbal spat, and we rarely played with it in practice.

"The content of the treaty is nothing to dispute. According to the agreement, the Frankish Kingdom will establish a separate Holy See. We do have to support it, but it does not mean that we will follow up immediately.

Didn’t the Franks say that the Pope is illegitimate? We followed suit and questioned the legitimacy of the Holy See.

Calling on all the followers of the Lord of the Dawn to take action and reorganize a legal Holy See, but it is only a verbal call.

The matter of establishing a new Holy See should be postponed for a while. After the Frankish Kingdom takes action, we will see if the Holy See can take strong measures before deciding whether to follow up! "

Count Francis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said with experience.

It is self-evident who attracts more hatred between the talkative party and the doer.

Scolding the Holy See is nothing new. If you get into a big fight because of a few scoldings, it is estimated that the Holy See will repair all human countries in less than a year.