King

Near East, Crescent Harbor.

Amidst a blast of whistles, the ship slowly sailed into the port, and a roar of applause broke out on the dock.

In order to celebrate the port being officially put into operation, all major forces in the kingdom sent representatives to the site to participate in the celebration ceremony.

As the host, Hudson naturally cannot be absent.

"Everyone, the navigation ceremony is over. There will be a celebration banquet later. Now you can move freely!"

His short speech made all the guests confused. Although long speeches are not popular in the Alpha Kingdom, this is too simplistic.

Hudson ignored everyone's surprised expressions. It was a day when he was forced to open business. Who had the time to talk nonsense here?

As long as the ceremony is in place, it is not easy for the people below to have the opportunity to take a day off.

In order to meet the construction deadline, the construction of Crescent Port has been working in three shifts, day and night, from start to finish.

"Prime Minister, do you see this?"

An accompanying official asked anxiously.

As the representative of the kingdom did not even take the stage, Hudson directly announced the end of the ceremony, which would inevitably be interpreted politically.

Whenever big people clash, the little people suffer first. If a commotion breaks out, the officials responsible for planning will most likely take the blame.

"What's there to see? This is Marshal Hudson's usual style. Now that the ceremony is over, let's go back and rest."

The Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, said without changing his expression.

There was no reaction on his face, but deep down he knew very well that this was Hudson's declaration of sovereignty over Crescent Harbor.

As the first large port in the Near East, Crescent Port’s position in the Near East development strategy is self-evident.

Although it is on the land of Hudson, it was built with funds from the Kingdom. According to the tradition of the Kingdom, there is a precedent for direct management by the central government.

"Whoever controls Crescent Harbor controls the Near East."

Since the construction started, there have been voices in the kingdom calling for direct administration.

All the major factions in the country, including the royal family, are in a state of ambivalence.

Everyone is worried that the Koslow family will take control of Crescent Port and expand in the Near East; they are also worried that after the central government takes direct control of Crescent Port, Hudson will not be committed to the Near East strategy.

The contradictory psychology gave everyone a headache when making decisions, but in the end reason prevailed.

The Koslow family has become bigger in the Near East, and the kingdom has just one more powerful noble family, which everyone can afford.

If the orcs become bigger again, the kingdom will be destroyed.

The Grand Duke of Newfoundland restrained his emotions. The most important thing is that the royal family has been in trouble recently. The cake eaten at once was too big, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among the great nobles in the country.

Caesar IV is now also riding a tiger with difficulty. The six newly added provinces were all incorporated in the name of the queen's dowry.

The legal problem has been solved, but the possibility of dividing the cake has also been eliminated.

Even if he is willing to share it with the nobles in the country, he legally has no right to deal with these lands.

Even if he is a feudal noble, his allegiance is still to the queen, not to him, the king.

There is no doubt that even if Caesar IV could tolerate his queen's wanton enfeoffment, the royal family would not agree.

The vassal system of Aslant Continent follows the principle of "the vassals of my vassals are not my vassals".

In the face of power, couples cannot stand the test. If the queen is allowed to cultivate a group of her own people, the royal power will be divided.

Although the queen and the king have a son, the rate of newborn deaths remains high. Who can guarantee that he will grow up?

If an accident occurs, these lands will return to the hands of the Mossi royal family again!

In order to prevent accidents, the Alpha royal family must use all "its own people" to develop these six provinces.

Even if an accident occurs, he can keep the land in his own hands instead of returning it to the Mossi royal family.

Compared to the future development strategy of the royal family, the trivial matter of Crescent Harbor is not worth mentioning at all.

No matter how awesome Hudson is, under the rules system, he can only be a powerful minister at most.

Compared with the five arrogant and domineering Northland families before, the current Hudson is as well-behaved as a kitten.

As long as the royal family develops faster, there is no need to worry about the vassals below becoming bigger.

Comparing the actual situation faced by both parties, the royal family clearly has an absolute advantage, so naturally there will not be too many worries in this regard.

…

At the celebration banquet, Hudson warmly greeted representatives from all parties.

The Near East strategy has taken a substantial first step. If it is to proceed smoothly, support from all parties will be indispensable.

For a long period of time that followed, it seemed that he was leading the nobles in the Near East to confront the nearby orc tribes, but in fact it was a full-scale confrontation between the kingdom and the orc empire.

Although Hudson was commanding the battle, everyone had to contribute money, food, supplies, and soldiers.

"Marshal, I heard that the Orc Empire has undergone internal changes. The Beamon clan, which has fallen from the royal family, will move over to be our neighbors. I am afraid that the Near East will not be peaceful next!"

The Grand Duke of Newfoundland said solemnly.

As the prime minister of the kingdom, he must consider the overall situation. Since the establishment of the Near East strategy, this has been an important link that affects the rise and fall of the kingdom.

Even if the Behemoth clan lost their status as a royal family, their military strength is still not bad.

The Orc Empire asked them to move here. In addition to internal power disputes, they also wanted to rely on the Behemoth Cavalry to interfere with the development of the Near East.

Facing the Behemoth cavalry that came and went like the wind, the only ones the kingdom could compete with were the Warcraft Legion and the Knights.

Unfortunately, the Warcraft Legion was disbanded after the war, and the Knights were in the hands of various nobles.

As our core military force, we cannot let Hudson control it for a long time.

“It is indeed not peaceful, but this also proves the effectiveness of the Kingdom’s intelligence department.

If the internal fighting had not been too fierce, the Behemoth clan would not have gone to the front line to take root in order to avoid the limelight.

Next, it depends on how fast we build the city. As long as we build the city, there will be no problems in a short time.

After all, Behemoth couldn't bear to use cavalry to attack the city! "

As he spoke, Hudson stopped smiling.

I knew that the orcs would not watch their development, but I didn't expect that the enemy would react so quickly.

The only good thing is that most of the Behemoths are unwilling to move here to be neighbors.

No matter what results can be achieved, war will eventually kill people. Can the Behemoth tribe, which is already sparsely populated, afford to die now?

If all the clansmen died, their outstanding military exploits would only accelerate their decline. The emerging royal family that took their place would not want to see them rise again.

Praising the "remarkable work of the intelligence department" naturally does not mean simply collecting intelligence, but refers to provoking infighting among the orcs.

No one can tell how much role the kingdom's intelligence department played during the internal fighting among the orcs. Anyway, the orcs began to kill each other.

Even though Hudson believed that this kind of fighting was mainly due to lack of resources, each tribe needed to store more food for the winter, which was why the war started at this moment.

"It's good that the marshal has some concerns in his mind. The main reason is that the Behemoth family has cast too great a shadow on everyone. I guess many people will not be able to sleep after receiving this news!"

The Grand Duke of Newfoundland said with a smile.

Sometimes the failure of temptation is also a good thing. The fact that Hudson did not cry out for help was the greatest good news for the kingdom.

It had only been a few months since the war ended, and all parts of the kingdom were in a state of waste and waiting for improvement. It was really not suitable for a new round of war to break out.

The episode passed by in a flash, and no one knew that Hudson was just pretending to be calm on the outside, but deep down he was just as anxious as everyone else.

It's just that he is in a high position and now he has to be calm. If he, the coach, has no idea, the nobles who have not yet entered the Near East in a big way may be frightened and shrink back.

Without the participation of these people, it is unknown whether the Koslow family can hold Crescent Harbor alone, let alone the development of the Near East.

After a brief exchange with the big guys at the banquet, Hudson walked to the center of the banquet. Anyone with a little bit of discernment knew that something big was going to be announced, and everyone fell silent.

"Sorry for disturbing everyone's enjoyment.

The main reason is that it is rare for everyone to get together. If you miss this opportunity, you won’t know when the next time you want to communicate.

I am very happy that Crescent Port can be opened to navigation ahead of schedule, and I believe everyone is too.

Thanks to the strong support from all parties, the port construction was completed ahead of schedule. If you are grateful, I won’t say much more.

The kingdom is a whole, and those who can come here are our own people. Since we are our own people, there is no need to be so polite between us.

I know that many lords in the inland areas are worried about tax issues. After all, the development of new territories requires the transportation of materials.

As the most important port in the Near East, Crescent Port is bound to become a logistics transit center in the future.

As a lord, you must collect taxes, but we are all our own people, so there is no need to care too much about gains and losses.

In order to better develop the Near East, I think it would be enough to give you a symbolic copper coin every time your goods come in and out of Crescent Port.

No matter how much goods there are, as long as your caravan lands at the port until it leaves Xueyue Territory, it only needs to pay a symbolic transit tax of one copper coin! "

As soon as Hudson's words fell, the banquet scene started to boil. What is the difference between a one-copper-coin transit tax and free prostitution?

Sitting on such a golden waterway, Hudson actually did not levy taxes, which completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

All the noble lords present couldn't help it. This was a real money and silver profit. The absence of high transit taxes means that their territory development costs will be significantly reduced.

"Your Majesty Marshal, how long is the one-copper coin tax?"

Viscount Caillaux asked with concern.

Having witnessed the rise of the Mountain Territory with his own eyes, he has more confidence in Hudson than many others. After learning that Hudson was going to devote all his efforts to developing the Near East, he immediately applied to his uncle, Earl Pierce, to develop in the Near East.

Even the location of the territory, the Dalton family's connections were specially launched to find people, and the location was chosen close to Xueyue Territory.

It’s not to ride on the popularity of Xueyue Ling. Everyone has just started, so it’s hard to say whether the development is good or bad. This geographical location was chosen purely for the convenience of asking for help from Xueyue Leader when the orcs invaded.

"The kingdom has been tax-free for the Near East for thirty years. In the next thirty years, Xueyue Territory will implement a transit tax of one copper coin.

After thirty years, it mainly depends on the amount of taxation in the kingdom. If the tax exemption policy continues, the one copper coin tax will also continue. "

Hudson replied with a smile.

He would not miss this opportunity to build his reputation with ready-made praise.

The "one copper coin tax" is being implemented now, not because he doesn't want to tax, but because the current situation is simply not suitable for taxing these lords.

High taxes will not only reduce everyone's enthusiasm for investing in the Near East, but will also delay the economic development of the Near East.

The five major families in the North are the best negative cases. In a short period of time, a large amount of taxes were indeed collected from the lords of Northern Xinjiang, but the price paid was astonishing.

The key to offending the small personnel is that it has affected the economic and industrial development of the provinces in northern Xinjiang. When the orcs invaded, the defense line in Northern Xinjiang quickly collapsed. A large part of the reason was that the development progress of the provinces in Northern Xinjiang was too slow.

If the economies of the Northern Xinjiang lords' territories had developed faster and the castles and fortresses had been built stronger, the kingdom would not have given up on the seven northern Xinjiang provinces during the war.

Hudson is not a short-sighted person. He can still distinguish between short-term interests and long-term interests.

The current taxation of a number of lords can certainly make up for some of the fiscal holes in the territory, but it will affect the development of the Near East.

Temporarily giving up this part of the tax revenue will indeed put greater financial pressure on the territory in a short period of time, but this will increase the probability of successful development in the Near East.

As long as the Near East strategy is successful, what we pay now can be doubled in the future.

If he wasn't thinking about the future, he wouldn't be doing a "one copper coin tax", but a "tax exemption".

In terms of income, there is no difference between the one-copper tax and tax exemption. But when paying "one copper coin", all parties also paid taxes.

Under normal circumstances, no one would risk offending him, the "King of the Near East," by escaping the ultra-low tax of "one copper coin."

This can also be regarded as cultivating everyone's awareness of taxation. The tax exemption becomes a habit, and you will not be able to collect it if you want to tax in the future.

What's more, the elimination of transit tax does not mean that other taxes are also eliminated. The fleet had to eat, drink and sleep when it entered the port. The nobles' fleet passed through Xueyue Leader, and all kinds of supplies along the way cost money.

Indirect and implicit taxation is far more acceptable than taking money directly from everyone's pockets, and it can also stimulate the territorial economy.

What's more, the aristocratic world pays attention to mutual benefit and reciprocity. Hudson exempted everyone from transit tax. So when the Koslow family's caravan passed through their territory, did they still have the nerve to collect taxes?

If the transit tax can be abolished, it will definitely be a major benefit to the business development in the Near East.

Without this stumbling block, commercial trade will no longer be monopolized by a few large chambers of commerce. Other participants in business activities can also join in the feast.

The only problem is that the Near East has just begun to develop, and the plate is too small to accommodate too much industry and commerce for the time being.

As for talking about the kingdom's "30-year tax holiday", it is purely to make his personal image greater.

At that time, even if the transit tax is levied, it can be said to the outside world that it is the kingdom that wants to levy it, and it is not him, the lord, who wants to plunder everyone's wool.

Under the tax package system, the specific taxation situation is not disclosed to the public. As long as the quota tasks are completed, no one will care about how much tax was collected or where the tax was collected.

If everyone has great powers and can exempt the kingdom from the Xueyue Territory tax, Hudson would not mind continuing the "one copper coin tax" policy.

Hudson also doesn’t know what kind of power the tax benefits and geographical advantages can unleash.

Anyway, as long as the kingdom dares to be tax-free for a long time, Xueyue collar's industrial and commercial products will form an overwhelming advantage over other regions in the future.

Seeing the cheers of all the noble lords, the Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, felt mixed emotions. The "one copper coin tax" certainly promoted the development of the Near East, but the tactics displayed by Marshal Hudson in front of him were a bit too strong to win over people's hearts.

Comparing the five major families in the North with Roaring before, the two are not at the same level at all.

If the five major families in the North had half of these methods, the noble lords in the Northern Xinjiang region would have been won over by them long ago, and they would not be in a political situation where "everyone screams for beatings".

He is also a powerful minister, and he also guards the borders of the kingdom. The methods shown by Hudson are really excellent.

This wave of tax concessions and concessions are not only for the noble lords in the Near East, but also for the many nobles of the kingdom behind them.

It is conceivable that once this incident comes out, no one in the royal government will speak out on the issue of the ownership of "Crescent Port" in the future.

Vigilance is vigilance, but as the prime minister, he can't do anything. Even on the surface, he has to sing praises for Hudson.