King

Canglan City, Jade Palace.

The grand celebration banquet started again, but the guests' attention was not on the banquet, and everyone looked preoccupied.

The ladies and young ladies who had been active in the past were very wise and stepped aside to leave some space.

It is no secret to the great nobles that the wave of reform is rising again.

At this juncture, inviting everyone here in the name of a celebration party is obviously a pretense.

The expedition to help the allies defeat the invaders was of great significance in international politics, but it was nothing within the Alpha Kingdom.

There can be a celebration banquet, but the standard should not be so high.

Prior to this, the celebration banquet held by the kingdom's army for defeating the race in the center of the earth was much lower than this.

For vested interest groups, reform is tantamount to cutting off the flesh.

The previous reforms in the kingdom have already touched everyone’s interests.

It's just that due to practical needs, we can't let the big ship of the kingdom sink, so everyone can only make concessions.

The situation is different now. Although the royal government is very poor, the combat effectiveness of the army is constantly improving.

The problem of survival has been solved, and the threat from foreign enemies has been greatly reduced.

For the surrounding alien races, it was a blessing that the Alpha Kingdom did not cause trouble for them.

Invading the Alpha Kingdom is such a terrifying thought that no normal mind would have thought of.

In this context, the kingdom's aristocratic group was directly divided into two factions.

The emerging aristocracy headed by Hudson, as well as some aristocrats that relied on foreign trade, chose to side with the reformists for their own interests.

The traditional old aristocrats who did not want to go through the trouble and were worried that their interests would be damaged in the reform process chose to support the conservatives.

If the power of the royal family is added, then the military strength of the two camps at this moment is almost the same.

Judging from the number of support for the two major provinces, the reformists have the upper hand.

It's just that the newly conferred nobles have not yet established a firm foothold. The governor and county governor are all vacant. Military and political affairs are temporarily in charge of Hudson.

Caesar IV was in a hurry to install cronies in the army. In fact, he had no choice but to do so. Hudson's hand was indeed a bit long.

However, these powers were forced upon him by the royal government.

The orcs are not given for free. If someone were to take charge of these areas, something would happen every three days.

Unable to provide security, expanding territory is a joke.

From this perspective, Caesar IV was also forced to push forward reforms eagerly.

Placing cronies in the military is a drop in the bucket. To truly exert a check and balance effect, it is definitely not something that a few middle- and high-level officers can do.

If he did not want to have a situation where the leader was weak and the ministers were strong, Caesar IV had to find ways to enhance his prestige.

Of course, he can also choose to support the conservatives and use the power of the established aristocrats to form a check and balance on Hudson.

However, this would be disastrous for the long-term development of the kingdom.

You should cherish your own country and country, and you cannot ignore future generations just for the sake of temporary pleasure.

After all, news had just spread in the palace that the queen was pregnant again.

Just look at the level of the banquet and you will know that all kinds of spices are available. If His Majesty the King hadn't been in a good mood, he would never have been so extravagant.

Of course, this has something to do with the new round of dividends from the Near East Development Bank.

While distributing large sums of cash, they also distributed many luxury goods, including spices that were not in good sales due to the war.

The guests attending the banquet were discussing international affairs in small groups, which directly changed the taste of the banquet.

As a core figure, Hudson was naturally surrounded by a group of people who began to give advice on the topic of reform.

In this context, the banquet naturally ended early.

Caesar IV did not whet the appetite. As soon as the celebration banquet was over, he summoned the ministers and a group of governors to hold a palace meeting.

…

"Prime Minister, please introduce me first!"

As soon as Caesar IV finished speaking, everyone's eyes focused on Prime Minister Marquis Delgado.

After wondering for so long, it was finally time to unravel the mystery.

"Okay, Your Majesty!"

“Everyone, the theme of today’s meeting is reform, I think everyone has guessed it.

The international situation is changing rapidly. Except for the elves, which have not made any big moves, all races on the mainland have launched reform movements.

The same is true within the human race. Even the most powerful Frankish Empire is also undergoing internal reforms.

In order to increase their strength, all major forces took action, and the situation did not allow the kingdom to sit still and wait for death.

In the past ten years, under the auspices of Marshal Hudson, we have completed military reforms and have today's Alpha Kingdom.

However, the kingdom's development has once again encountered a bottleneck.

The poor financial situation and weak economy have become the biggest drawbacks restricting the kingdom's upward development.

In order to change all this, the Royal Government has made many efforts, including agricultural reform, economic reform, tax reform, and political reform, but these are still not enough.

We formulated the policy, but when it came time to implement it, it completely changed.

Take tax reform as an example. The decree to unify tariffs has been promulgated for so long, but very few provinces have been able to implement it.

Affected by the lack of implementation, the Royal Government's fiscal revenue fell instead of rising last year.

If things continue like this, the kingdom will inevitably follow in the footsteps of the Mossi people.

They are just a small country, so they can go bankrupt if they are financially bankrupt, but we can't!

As the third most powerful country in the human race and the head of the Five-Nation Alliance, you all know how terrible the consequences will be once the royal government goes bankrupt. "

Prime Minister Marquis Delgado's earnest words made all the governors present frown.

When the tax farming system was abolished, everyone did not jump out and fiercely oppose it. That was because they knew that the royal government would not raise taxes at all.

This is also true. Provinces that have tried out tax reform saw their revenue shrink significantly last year.

The conservatives took no further action. On the one hand, they did not want to intensify the conflict, and on the other hand, they wanted the reformists to retreat in the face of difficulties.

The effect was very obvious. After the trial failed, domestic opposition to the reform suddenly became louder.

Under the pressure of public opinion, the reformists were overwhelmed.

If it hadn't been for Hudson's intervention to bring the southeastern provinces into the reformist camp, I'm afraid the reformist camp would have chosen to compromise long ago.

Everyone is a noble, and even if there is reform, it will be an improvement within the aristocratic group.

Far from risking their lives, the true stance of the reformists is not as tough as they appear.

Having survived the most dangerous moment does not mean that the reformists can make a difference.

If local lords do not cooperate, there is actually not much the central government can do.

Enforcement does not exist!

No one can bear the responsibility of provoking a civil war.

If it really develops to that point, the kingdom's good situation will be completely destroyed.

The game between the two factions is essentially a political struggle, testing the art of mutual compromise.

If the reform wave in mainland China had not broken out and stimulated domestic reformists, the two camps would most likely have reached a compromise in the game.

Marquis Delgado's goal is very clear, which is to take advantage of the international wave of reform and force conservatives to make concessions.

“Prime Minister, the problem is not as serious as you said.

The financial difficulties of the royal government are largely due to the fact that many provinces in Northern Xinjiang, Near East, and Xueyue Lake are in the development stage.

When these provinces are developed, the royal government's fiscal revenue will be doubled in no time. The current difficulties are temporary.

Everyone, just hold on a little longer. After a few days of hardship, things will get better soon.

On the contrary, rashly abolishing the tax farming system and destroying the inherent system that the kingdom has implemented for hundreds of years may lead to even greater risks.

Establishing a unified tax system cannot be completed in a day or two. We cannot trust the integrity of bureaucrats.

The damage caused to the kingdom by hastily replacing a group of uncontrollable tax officials will be unimaginable.

The central government can only set tax rates, but the power to verify and assess the taxes lies with tax officials.

The exact value is entirely decided by the tax officer.

Even if all these bureaucrats are clean and honest, they still need to have professional skills.

Does the Taxation Department have so many professionals? "

Duke Beckett responded with a smile.

There was not a single word against reform in the audience, but every reason he listed struck at the weakness of the reformists.

Who has the ability to protect the integrity of bureaucrats?

The professional quality of tax officers is a big problem.

There are so many commodities and prices are constantly changing, so collecting them will definitely be a big trouble.

The reason why the tax package system can be implemented smoothly is because the complicated tariff system restricts the circulation of goods.

Most of the commercial trade was between a few nearby noble lords, and only a small part of the goods could be circulated throughout the country.

Once this barrier is broken, the speed and breadth of economic circulation will be greatly increased.

"Duke Beckett, the problems you raised do exist, but they can all be solved.

Everyone is worried about the integrity of bureaucrats, so we will supervise their behavior.

If the professional quality of the tax officer is not good, then we should organize training first and then take up the position.

Our hands and feet cannot be tied just because there are problems.

Looking at the entire Aslant continent, our financial revenue is almost at the bottom of the kingdoms.

Even the Falcon Kingdom, which is isolated overseas, has three times our financial revenue.

Compared with the Frankish Empire and the Iliban Kingdom, this gap will be even wider.

Year-round wars have led to a massive outflow of wealth, which is the main reason. However, our tax system and economic system are also one of the reasons that restrict the kingdom's financial growth. "

Count Francis, the finance minister, immediately retorted.

The reformists have been planning for this meeting for a long time, and it cannot be defeated by a few difficulties.

They were prepared with words to deal with all kinds of difficulties. Regardless of whether you can do it or not, you will definitely not lose in a verbal battle.

No matter what reasons the opposition comes up with, they will refute it forcefully.

If we cannot take advantage of the general trend and force the conservatives to make concessions, we will really have to wait for the provinces in Northern Xinjiang, Near East and Xueyue Lake to pay taxes.

Relatively speaking, the tax-free period in Northern Xinjiang is shorter, so you may still have to wait.

For the provinces in the Near East and Xueyue Lake, the tax exemption cycle can be as long as thirty years, a proper lifetime series.

Even if King Caesar IV can wait, the ministers in the court cannot wait. The probability of holding power for twenty or thirty years and not moving away is really low.

Unless the reform is successful and he has a lot of political achievements, he may still be able to stay in office.

Once the reform fails, they will immediately pack their bags and leave.

“Count Francis, the solution you proposed only exists in theory.

Even if it is really implemented, will the kingdom's fiscal revenue be able to increase?

Don't use the future as an excuse. No one can predict what has not happened.

We are different from all other countries on the continent!

The kingdom has a large population and a vast territory, but this does not mean that our domestic market is also vast.

Presumably, everyone has conducted a census in their jurisdiction to know the population composition of the kingdom.

Business is not suitable for the kingdom. We only need to develop agriculture and military well to stand on the top of the continent.

The paper data on fiscal revenue are all illusory data, only the knight gun in your hand is real!

After the completion of agricultural reform, the Kingdom's grain production capacity has greatly increased, and our comprehensive national strength has been greatly improved.

After three to five years of recuperation, enough food has been saved, and enough soldiers and armor have been built, we will have the capital to start another expedition.

As long as the Orc Empire is destroyed and the Orc prairie is invaded, we can replace the Frank Empire and become the most powerful country in the human race or the mainland.

The development path is so clear, why bother?

If the reform is successful, the government will only increase some taxes, but it will not be able to produce more food. It will not increase the strength of the kingdom that much! "

As soon as Duke Richard finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became polarized.

The best weapon against reform was found, and conservative members rejoiced. Some governors who were originally inclined to the reformists also changed their positions at this moment.

Who is willing to continue to cut flesh if they can bring the kingdom to the top of the continent without harming their own interests?

The reformist members on the side looked ugly.

He wanted to open his mouth to refute, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.

After seeing this, Hudson's face also darkened.

All other issues can be refuted, but this "unique farming war theory" is difficult to defeat.

"Focusing on agriculture and suppressing commerce" is a common method used by the feudal dynasty. For an agricultural country, as long as agriculture and military are well developed, everything else is a minor problem.

At least in terms of the strategy of destroying the Orc Empire, it is definitely the least labor-intensive to implement it according to this set of theories.

No matter what kind of system reform is carried out, it will take time to accumulate. Given the size of the Alpha Kingdom, it may not be possible to complete internal reforms within ten years.

With a rich country and strong military, the time period for the destruction of the orc empire will be extended even longer.

This alone is intolerable to many nobles.

After glancing at the crowd, Hudson knew that the Reformists had basically collapsed.

The enthusiasm for reform of the emerging nobles has been extinguished, Caesar IV's position has also been shaken, and Governor Pierce, who was pulled over by him, also began to wander.

In the blink of an eye, he was the only one left among the local power faction who supported the reform.

The defection of powerful figures can only be done by shouting from a few people in the central government.

Of course, the greater possibility is that the ability to shout will be lost.

The political struggle was cruel. Powerful aristocrats like Hudson could escape unscathed, but other core members of the reformists did not fare so well.

Reforms that touch the core interests of all parties are really too hateful.

Since ancient times, few politicians who initiated reforms have ended well.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late now. Why not come here first for today's meeting!"

Hudson spoke decisively and interrupted the meeting.

The reformists were defeated in today's meeting, and if it continues, it will soon turn into a political reckoning between the conservatives and the reformists.

The reformists, who lack the support of powerful factions, will be completely unable to resist in the future.

The situation is inextricable, and there is nothing that Hudson can do about it. All he can do now is delay this political reckoning.

Immediately afterwards, a group of emerging nobles spoke in agreement.

It is disgraceful to betray political allies for one's own benefit. Hudson spoke out to extend the life of the reformists, and everyone was happy to restore their own image.

"Um!

Everyone has worked hard. Let's go back and take a rest. We will find time to discuss later. "

Caesar IV said slowly.

Today's meeting was so unexpected that it directly broke all his plans.

Now that the decline of the reformists has become a foregone conclusion, a major reshuffle will surely follow in the court. Even if he is a king, he cannot reverse the trend.

In order to strengthen the momentum of the reformists, he single-handedly promoted the six high-ranking ministers to the reformists. Now the backlash has resulted in the group being destroyed.

It seems that he gave up the reformists in time and got rid of the impact of the failure of the reform. In fact, he, the king, was also a big political loser.

Not only was the monarch's authority severely damaged, losing so much power at once, but his subsequent control over the court was bound to decline.