King

The land reclamation project was carried out in an orderly manner, pushing the reform wave in the kingdom to a climax. Public opinion was boiling, and all government ministries introduced reform measures.

Along with it comes pressure!

Among the ministers responsible for reform, except for Hudson, who still needed to eat and drink, the others were almost graying their heads with worry.

Even just rectifying officialdom has encountered unprecedented resistance. The local noble lords did not cooperate and limited the reform to the royal city.

Even with so many difficulties, the Alpha Kingdom is still the envy of many countries undergoing reform.

No matter how great the difficulties are, the pace of reform will eventually move forward. Unlike hard-working people like them, before the reform, there were supporters in China, but after the reform started, there were opponents everywhere.

After sending away the foreign envoys who came to learn from their experience, Caesar IV was also dumbfounded. My own family's affairs are worrying enough, but I didn't expect that there would be so many unlucky people who were even worse.

The kingdom's reform has progressed to this point, not to mention gaining the full support of the local powerful factions. There are also a large number of opponents within the royal family.

The nobles who supported the reform were basically concentrated on adding new provinces to the impoverished kingdom, purely out of generosity to others.

The only gratifying thing is that despite the opposition, the cause of reform is still moving forward slowly.

"Your Majesty, the situation is not good!

In the pilot areas, the tax collection situation this quarter was far less than expected, and the tax collected was even less than two-thirds of the previous one.

The noble lords who handed over the power of taxation are cooperating with us on the surface, but their foreign transactions are all in the name of giving gifts, resulting in a large amount of tax revenue being lost in vain. "

Count Francis said with a depressed look.

The worst situation finally emerged. No wonder everyone was so cooperative before. It turned out to be premeditated.

There are very few free people in the Kingdom of Alpha, and the main participants in market transactions are the noble lords from various places. These people have found ways to avoid taxes, and naturally they cannot collect taxes.

However, the Royal Government can’t say anything yet. People are acting according to the rules, and no one can prohibit the exchange of favors!

All bulk commodity transactions are tax-avoided, and the tax generated from sporadic commodity transactions is only a few dollars!

At this moment, everyone discovered that the ancient tax farming system not only safeguarded the interests of the nobles, but also safeguarded the interests of the royal government.

No matter how backward the tax farming system is, it can eventually raise taxes. The royal government personally ended up failing to collect even the most basic taxes.

Of course, it's not without its benefits. After the royal government unified the collection of taxes, countless transit taxes disappeared, which greatly promoted the development of the kingdom's industry and commerce.

The development of industry and commerce has still brought new increments to the royal government, but these industrial increments are long-term and cannot have immediate financial results.

Theoretically speaking, as long as we persist, when domestic industries develop, we can make up for the tax hole by making the cake bigger.

After all, what everyone pays less now is only the commodity transaction tax, and other taxes are still retained.

The current impact is large, mainly because the commodities traded are too single, with only a few types in total.

The merchants engaged in these transactions are also the vests introduced by the nobles, so that they can complete the series in a short time.

When the commodity economy develops, the proportion of transactions in bulk commodities such as grain will become smaller and smaller, and the impact will not be significant.

The problem is that the Royal Government does not have that much time!

Right now, it's just a pilot project around the royal capital, and tax revenue has dropped by one-third. What if it's extended to the whole country?

You must know that the economic development tax of the royal capital is the highest in the whole kingdom, and the corresponding types of taxes are also the most numerous.

In some remote areas, except for grain transaction tax and salt transaction tax, other taxes are minimal.

Because the economy is too backward, the local purchasing power is limited, and there is no market even for magic potions, magic crystals, magic equipment...

"Do you have any countermeasures for the current situation?"

Caesar IV asked with concern.

Frankly speaking, this pilot is a tragedy. He has never been idle since he chose the place. Every day, a large number of nobles came to complain, so that Caesar IV could only thank guests behind closed doors.

Despite the pressure, the reform was forcibly pushed forward, only to encounter a big trouble at the beginning.

The royal government initiated reforms to increase fiscal revenue, and a sharp drop in tax revenue, even if it was only a short-term decline, was clearly in the opposite direction.

"Your Majesty, this kind of labor pain is inevitable!

In the acquaintance trading market, there are many ways to avoid taxes. Giving each other gifts as an excuse is just one of them.

If necessary, they can also set a trading price openly and secretly.

Theoretically speaking, if one hundred tons of grain is sold for one copper plate, that is also people's freedom.

Even if the taxation model is changed to: physical collection, they can think of better tax avoidance methods.

Referring to the Frankish Empire and the Iliban Kingdom, after completing the tax reform, their tax subjects became free citizens instead of noble lords.

The proportion of free people in the kingdom is too low, the wealth that can be created is limited, and the taxes that can be collected are even less! "

Prime Minister Marquis Delgado replied solemnly.

While studying the economies of various countries in the Southern Continent, he accidentally discovered that several economically developed countries in the Southern Continent were, without exception, countries with a high proportion of free citizens.

On average, a freeman created two to three times as much wealth as a serf, and contributed six to eight times as much tax.

Taxing the nobility has gone in the wrong direction from the beginning, and it would be strange if it could be put away.

The heart-wrenching truth silenced the ministers. If there had been no war, the number of free people in the kingdom would have definitely continued to rise.

However, the Alpha Kingdom is in a special situation. After all the orc invasions, the country has been beaten and the people are destitute.

There were many small nobles who went bankrupt, and it was even more difficult for the free people, who already had difficulty surviving, to bear the risks.

After understanding the truth, Caesar IV was not only not relaxed, but also had an increasingly headache.

The low proportion of free citizens cannot be solved in a short time. The reform has already been full of difficulties so far. If we try to touch the serfdom system again, we are just looking for death.

For a time, the reformists were caught in a dilemma!

Continuing to deepen the reform will inevitably touch the core interests of the aristocratic group, and the resistance is too huge to advance at all.

Going back is also a dead end!

Not only will the previous reforms be overturned, but the political lives of those government officials who promoted the reforms will also come to an end.

…

Papal States, Cabot City.

Since the troops of the Five Nations Alliance took control of the city, the wealth and population in the city have been disappearing every day.

For a time, panic spread throughout the city.

"Can't wait any longer!"

"The enemy's immigration is very fast. If we delay it any longer, I'm afraid we will also be taken away by ship.

Either start the summons immediately, or give up the plan and evacuate this place during the chaos! "

The young man said with an anxious look.

As a top second generation, he should have lived a happy upper class life. The result was a war that destroyed everything.

There are no eggs left in the nest.

The Holy See suffered heavy losses, and the families who were dependent on the Holy See naturally suffered huge losses.

It’s not that they want to be buried with the Holy See, the problem is that the enemy wants too much. What's the difference between plundering all the people and treasures and killing them?

Surrendering can at best save one's life.

There is no need to think about fame, fortune, glory and wealth. The ruling groups in various countries are like carrots and pitfalls. How can they have the position of surrendered generals like them?

There is no choice but to follow the Holy See's path to the dark side.

“No, Lancel!

His Majesty the Pope has orders not to act without authorization.

Although we are ready, other places are still preparing. Once we act in advance and disrupt the plans above, the Holy Court will not spare us. "

The old man hurriedly stopped him.

In the past ten years, the Holy See has taken a turn for the worse. The younger generation generally lacks awe, but the older generation is very aware of the horror of the Holy See.

Especially the methods used to treat traitors are even more cruel and unimaginable.

If the Holy See's plan is ruined at this moment, I am afraid that the strong men in the Holy Domain will personally commit suicide to clean up the door.

Even if you defect to other countries, it is difficult to obtain asylum.

No matter how the Holy See declines, it still has some foundation to support it. Even if the Holy See disappears from the continent, all the high-end forces will not die all at once.

Looking at the game between the Holy See and various countries, we know that the situation has long been out of control, but the sanctuaries of both sides still did not participate in the war.

On the one hand, they are afraid of each other, on the other hand, they are out of racial justice.

Top experts are a valuable asset to any race.

Unless absolutely necessary, everyone will not kill each other and take advantage of foreigners in vain.

Except for the newly promoted Saint Realm powerhouses who have deep feelings for their forces, the remaining old antiques have already become indifferent.

There was no way, all the relatives and friends were dead. Living alone for hundreds of years, if you were emotionally rich you would have been driven crazy.

In essence, a strong person needs to be able to endure loneliness.

Of course, everything is possible, and it’s not surprising that there are a few exceptions occasionally.

Countries did not directly destroy the Holy See, but adopted the method of gradually encroaching on it, cutting off the hope of the Holy See's revival, and also giving these old antiques face.

"Ancestor, why don't you urge the higher ups! If you continue to delay, the plan will really be exposed."

As soon as Lancel finished speaking, the old man's expression suddenly changed, and then he said:

"The situation has changed, and the Pope has ordered early action!

Send the order, let all our people take action, and start the summons immediately at dusk.

Lancel, you and I are in charge of the main formation.

Once the altar is activated, don't hesitate to leave immediately! "

The plan is finally launched!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

During the period of lurking, everyone was tense every day, fearing that their whereabouts would be exposed.

At almost the same time, the hidden powers of the Holy See in various places received similar orders.

Time passed by, and this afternoon seemed extremely long.

The sun sets and dusk falls.

"Put out sacrifices!"

The old man gave an order, and countless unconscious boys and girls were pushed onto the altar and tied to the pillars. Their wrists were then cut open, and blood dripped down the wounds.

In the blink of an eye, the faces of the men and women on the altar turned pale.

Perhaps due to the stimulation of pain, the unconscious men and women woke up one after another. It's just that the rope locks on their bodies restricted their movements.

The struggle was ineffective, and he could only let out waves of feeble wailing.

Seeing this scene, Lancel, who was presiding over the sacrificial ceremony for the first time, had a trace of unbearability in his eyes.

It was so cruel that hundreds of people wailed together in the underground palace, and the atmosphere at the scene was heightened to the extreme.

In the space of a cup of tea, the void suddenly flashed, as if a portal was being opened.

The men and women on the altar are now running out of oil.

Suddenly the door was opened, and the old man immediately dodged and disappeared directly into the underground palace.

"demon!"

After exclaiming, other people participating in the sacrifice also realized that something was wrong.

It's just that if I want to run now, it's already too late. The demons who rushed out of the portal had already attacked them after enjoying the sacrifices.

"Boy, it is your greatest luck to be able to become my king's food!"

There was a voice in his ears, and the thought of "Devil King" came to mind, and Lancel's expression suddenly changed.

As an insider, his withdrawal speed was almost synchronized with the old man's, but this didn't make any sense.

I originally thought that he was summoning a high-level demon this time. With his strength, as long as he reacted quickly enough, he still had a chance to escape.

After all, there was still a lot of "food" in the city, and the demons couldn't care less about his little fish that slipped away.

But among the demons summoned now, there is actually an Abyss Demon King who is comparable to a strong man in the Holy Realm, so that's the end of the world.

How could he, a first- and sixth-level golden warrior, escape from the hands of a strong man from the holy realm!

In a blink of an eye, Lancel was captured by the devil. At the last moment of his life, he clearly felt that half of his body had been bitten off.

There was also the sound of cracking bones in my ears. This was the devil eating!

The old man who fled first could not escape. As soon as he returned to the ground, he was blocked by the Demon King.

With many years of life experience, he instantly understood that he had become an outcast of the Holy See.

It's normal to think about it. Summoning demons must not have anything to do with the Holy See.

As an executor, keeping him is the biggest hidden danger, just like him abandoning his own people.

Even the grandson whom he valued most only gave a vague reminder.

It's a pity that even though he was so careful, he still didn't escape being silenced.

The summoning method given by the Holy See is not to summon high-level demons at all, but to lure the demon king to come.

After all, only the Abyss Demon King with his demon army can pose a threat to the enemy.

They are just a group of high-level demons, who are you looking down on?

It was too late to regret, and the old man still died in the hands of the demon king he summoned.

The rising black clouds quickly attracted the attention of the coalition forces.

"demon!"

Recognizing the monster with its teeth and claws, the Griffin Dragoon responsible for the investigation almost fell from the sky.

After waking up, he rushed to the camp to report the news without any hesitation.

At about the same time, altars across the continent were activated one after another, and countless alien creatures were summoned.

The peace is broken and chaos begins!