King

"Please check it for me. If there is no problem, send someone to the royal capital and hand it over to His Majesty the King."

After the words fell, everyone was startled, and then focused their attention on the content of the official document.

As a powerful commander-in-chief, there were only a handful of times when Hudson personally wrote official documents, and each time it meant something big had happened.

In the blink of an eye, after the content of the letter was circulated, the expressions of all the staff became solemn.

"Duke, since ancient times, reforms have always brought disasters, and less than one in ten has succeeded. There is absolutely no need for you to go through this muddy water!"

Jacob persuaded sincerely.

His duke loves to mess around, and he knows it. As a noble lord, no one from the outside world will interfere in his own territory as long as he doesn't cause anger and resentment.

But tossing one's own family is different from tossing the kingdom!

Once you are involved in "reform", sooner or later you will face off against vested interest groups. Even if he is in Hudson's position, once he confronts interest groups, he might be in the crosshairs.

There are many negative examples in the Aslant continent where people have rebelled against their relatives due to political reforms.

Everyone has worked hard with Hudson for so many years and is about to usher in a better life. Naturally, they don't want to watch their boss take risks.

"When you are in the court, you can't help yourself!"

"The situation in the kingdom is far from as good as what the outside world sees. In recent years, we have been fighting in the north and south, and the orcs have been retreating steadily. The price is that the kingdom is on the edge of the cliff.

You may not be able to feel the problems in the court, but you are aware of the economic conditions among the people.

The number of ships entering and exiting Crescent Port is now less than one-third of what it was before the war, and Xueyue’s commercial tax revenue has dropped by 90%. Even in the mountainous territory in the rear area, there are not many business travelers now.

These are not isolated cases, the entire kingdom's economy is on the verge of collapse. If it weren't for the good news of victory in the war, the kingdom might have collapsed.

There are no eggs left in the nest!

The Orc Empire was severely damaged, but not destroyed. Once problems arise in the kingdom, they will come back again.

Without the support of the kingdom, the aristocratic private army on the Near East Front cannot stop the enemy's advance!

As nobles of the kingdom, we must step forward in times of crisis to turn the tide.

All three plans proposed by the Ministry of Finance were rejected. Now the kingdom is left with only two options:

Either stop the eastward strategy, abolish half of the standing army, and let the people rest and recuperate for twenty years; or start reforms and invigorate the kingdom's economy to increase government revenue!

Do you think it is better for me to be the leader of the anti-war faction or the leader of the reformists? "

The perfect explanation made everyone speechless.

Everyone has their own frustrations. As the core decision-maker of the kingdom, it is destined that Hudson must have his own position when deciding the fate of the kingdom.

He has blocked all three sets of fraudulent policies of the Ministry of Finance, and now it’s time to take multiple-choice questions again.

There is no doubt that being an anti-war activist in the Alpha Kingdom is ten times more dangerous than being a reformist.

The "anti-war leader" will immediately fall into the spotlight. No matter how high Hudson's prestige is in the military, he can't go against everyone.

Every country that resorts to militarism will inevitably be overwhelmed by the general trend. Either achieve strategic goals or fail halfway.

The Alpha Kingdom's strategy is actually pretty good. Everyone is relatively simple and just wants to destroy the Orc Empire. This goal is possible.

Even without considering the risks, it was impossible for Hudson to resist the war for his own benefit.

As the kingdom expanded eastward, his territory would also expand, and he would get the best-located coastal areas.

Although as we continue to move eastward, the coastal areas will no longer be fertile soil, but will become the most troublesome salt-alkali land and swampland, but Hudson does not mind slowly transforming it.

The renovation cost is high, so no one will compete with him. By the way, when enclosing the land, you can circle a little more.

"Duke, the kingdom's chariot has been running for hundreds of years. It has finally given everyone hope. To stop it is to go against everyone.

The lesser of two evils!

There's nothing wrong with supporting the reformists, but you don't have to go out personally!

Given your status, as long as your involvement is not too deep, even if the reform fails in the future, you will not be blamed. "

Jose on the side quickly spoke to persuade.

There is no problem in taking political sides, but if you go directly to become the boss, then the nature is different.

Once the reform fails and vested interest groups fight back, no one knows how serious the consequences will be.

"Ha ha……"

"You think it's too simple!

Although there are strong calls for reform in the kingdom, the reform has not been officially launched. Once the reform starts, the power of conservatives will expand rapidly.

Most of the reforms in history ended in failure. In addition to the problems of the reformists themselves, the core factor was that the conservatives were too strong.

The current situation in the kingdom is similar. The local governors of the provinces are worried that the reform will affect their own interests, and none of them want to make any changes.

Of course, they also want the kingdom to become stronger. As long as it does not affect its own interests, it will not obstruct the reform.

The only people who really want to promote reform are the king and the important ministers in the court. To put it bluntly, once the reform starts, the conservatives in the royal capital will be stronger than the reformers.

If I do not stand up for the reformists on behalf of the military, there is a high probability that this reform will not last for half a year and will end with the resignation of a number of reformist ministers such as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance.

If the internal fighting becomes more intense, several of them may suddenly die in office, becoming the biggest political scandal since the founding of the kingdom.

Even with my support, the reformists' chances of winning will only increase by 10% at most. Follow-up questions still depend on their own efforts.

Don't worry, even if I join the reformists, I will not enter the court.

The central government needs reformists to formulate policies, and local governments also need members of the reformists to implement them.

Select the appropriate reform provisions to implement, and just deal with the rest. As long as there is no big trouble in the jurisdiction, the rest has nothing to do with me.

I am not deeply involved in the hatred thing. Even if the reform fails in the future and the conservatives want to play the game of liquidation, they won’t be able to liquidate me! "

Hudson's explanation made everyone sigh in relief.

Not getting involved in court disputes, just waving flags and shouting, this is a political risk that my boss can bear.

Then I fell into new worries. If Hudson hadn't mentioned it here, they wouldn't even have known that the kingdom was in danger.

Even though there were many signs before, everyone was dazzled by the victory. No one would have thought that a powerful country would be walking on a tightrope every day.

…

As Hudson expressed his position, the reformists gained momentum, and the "reform movement" led by Caesar IV officially began.

The reformists at this moment have no enemies. Although there are many nobles who oppose the reform, they have not formed a unified group. At most, they can only criticize in private.

In order to grow the momentum and attract more people to join. The reformists are collecting opinions in Canglan City, and all nobles in the kingdom can submit letters.

For a time, letters were piled up in the Ministry of Government Affairs, and the contents of the letters alone made the officials exhausted every day.

Seeing that people's hearts can be used, on July 11, 99999, Caesar IV issued the "Edict on Trial Reform."

Compared with the reforms of other countries, the reforms of the Alpha Kingdom still have advantages. When others want to strengthen their country, they must first strengthen their army. There is no need to worry about it here.

In the past, how powerful a country was was analyzed based on paper data, and the specific strength was not intuitively felt.

Now that there is a big stage in the Papal State, the armies of various countries are brought together to compare, and it is clear at a glance which one is stronger and which one is weaker.

The noble private army sent by the Alpha Kingdom is famous throughout the continent for its strict discipline and neat military appearance.

Although they have never fought each other, these veterans who have just come off the battlefield can feel the murderous aura from a distance when they are arranged neatly together.

Without the trouble of military reform, the royal government focused its reform on political economy.

The "Edict on Trial Reform" has six major sections:

1. Agricultural Reform

1. Recruit agricultural technical talents, establish an agricultural department, promote the most advanced agricultural technology, and increase the kingdom’s food production;

2. Encourage land reclamation. All adult men (free citizens) in the kingdom can apply to the government to reclaim 50 to 100 acres of wasteland. The newly reclaimed land will enjoy tax exemption for three years and half tax for five years;

…

2. Tax Reform

1. Abolish the separate transit taxes levied by nobles in various places and replace them with unified tariffs collected by the royal government;

2. The local tax package system will be gradually abolished within five years and will be collected by the reorganized tax department;

3. Simplify tax types and merge window tax, threshold tax, beard tax, landing tax, wedding tax, coffin tax and other taxes into a head tax;

The opening tax, morning market tax, commodity tax, transaction tax, market entry tax and other taxes are combined into business tax;

The horse tax, vehicle tax, wheel tax, fodder tax, boat tax and other taxes are merged into the vehicle and boat tax;

…

3. Encourage the development of industry and commerce

1. Protect the legal property safety of business travelers and handicraft workshop owners;

2. Allow businessmen to open factories, mines and engage in business services under legal provisions;

…

4. Government Institutional Reform

1. Establish a tax department to be responsible for national tax collection;

2. Abolish redundant government personnel and clear vacancies;

…

5. Strengthen the construction of official administration

1. Establish a special anti-corruption department to be responsible for investigating corruption among officials in the Kingdom;

2. Crack down on collusion between government and businessmen, and strictly investigate the smuggling of specialized commodities;

…

6. Strengthen the power of the central government

1. Add areas directly under the central government's jurisdiction. In the future, when the Kingdom adds new territory, the areas directly under the government's jurisdiction shall not be less than one-third of the total area;

2. The appointment of chief officials and assistant officials in various provinces and counties shall be approved by the local aristocratic assembly and then reported to the central government for review and approval. The central government has the right to revoke and deal with unqualified officials;

…

The six major reform measures were released and caused an uproar among the people. They were nicknamed "Caesar's Six Points". Because it has not yet been approved by the Noble Council, it can only be considered a trial implementation at present.

Perhaps because the time is too short, or perhaps because of a lack of relevant experience, the specific implementation details have not been listed yet, but it has already caused an uproar.

Late at night, the mansion of the former Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, was still brightly lit. A group of princes and nobles stayed directly in the mansion and would not leave until they saw the rightful owner.

In the inner courtyard, three old men were sitting around a small round table drinking, seemingly undisturbed by the noise from the outside world.

"Newfoundland, there are so many people waiting for you outside. If you don't go out to meet them, I'm afraid it won't make sense!"

The former Minister of Military Affairs, Archduke Efiero, said with a half-smile.

Both were frustrated in the officialdom, and both came from the royal family. After retiring, the two people did not need to avoid suspicion, and their relationship became closer.

“What’s the difference between seeing or not seeing?

I am no longer the prime minister of the kingdom, and you are no longer the military minister of the kingdom. What matters in the court have nothing to do with you and me!

On the other hand, Tai Lun, the religious leader and patriarch, if you are interested in these people, you can contact them. "

Seeing that the topic was brought to him, the Tyran Patriarch responded angrily: "Newfoundland, I didn't offend you!

The kingdom has finally achieved the separation of church and state. Why do you encourage me to get involved in politics? "

Although he had a lot of objections to Caesar IV because he failed to become the first pope, that was understandable.

No monarch likes having multiple "ancestors" above his head. Why go to the trouble of establishing a pope when you can control it yourself?

It was completely understandable that Caesar IV would side with him on the issue of establishing a pope. As long as the monarch's political level is up to standard, he will do this.

“Taylen, stop talking nonsense!

When did I want to trick you?

You have all seen how much Little Caesar can do. The reform has just begun, and if six major measures are immediately introduced, there will definitely be trouble later.

If you are really serious and stand with the guys who oppose the reform now, you will be able to gather enough supporters in a short time.

It is not impossible for them to push you to the throne of the Pope for their own benefit! "

The Grand Duke of Newfoundland said with an aggrieved look.

It seems that he is encouraging the Tyran Patriarch, but in fact he is trying to persuade him in a subtle way - don't join in the fun!

As the former ruler of the kingdom, he is fully aware of the difficulties faced by the current government.

There is definitely no problem in choosing to carry out "reform" in order to solve financial problems. Unexpectedly, the appetite of the reformists was greater than expected.

Although the current reforms have touched the interests of some nobles, they have not touched everyone's bottom line.

Because of the economic depression, many unlucky people responsible for paying taxes have to pay their own way to fill the holes.

At this time, taking the power of taxation into the hands of the government is undoubtedly the time of least resistance.

The key to the problem is not only whether the noble lords will cooperate with the transfer of power, but also whether the bureaucrats in the tax department are qualified to collect taxes.

It would be embarrassing if the money could not be collected, or because the cost of taxation was too high, and the real money that ended up in the hands of the government was not as much as what was paid before.

"Stop fooling me!

These people outside are all here to find you. The reform affects their interests, so naturally they need someone to help them fight for it.

In this respect, I, the religious patriarch, cannot compare to you, the former prime minister.

There's no point in hiding. If the reform really fails, there will still be a lot of mess waiting for you two to clean up in the end! "

The two men shook their heads in disdain at the mockery of the Tyran Patriarch.

"Cleaning up the mess" is said as if the Royal Government is not a mess at any time.

After many experiences, the two of them have already developed their endurance.

…