King

Time flies, and another half a year has passed.

It's time to show off your connections and resources. All the big forces in the human world have sent representatives this time.

The founding ceremony of the Xueyue Principality is not so attractive, but the auction held in the Xueyue Principality is.

In order to increase momentum, Hudson deliberately held the auction two days after the founding ceremony, but the prepayment of the deposit was set a week before the founding ceremony.

The auction that shocked the continent, in addition to the high-end magic potions prepared by Hudson, also attracted countless sellers to participate.

The starting price of each of the 100 items selected was 100,000 gold coins, and the auction deposit also reached an astonishing 200,000 gold coins, directly setting many historical records.

In order to ensure the safety of the auction items, Hudson deployed 100,000 troops in the newly built Xueyue City and arranged for the Fallen Angel Team to guard it.

The storage location of the auction items is also the safest magic tower in the territory.

There are a large number of magic arrays deployed inside, as well as territory magic guards. Even the strongest of the third level of the Holy Domain cannot break in.

February 2, the founding day.

The first ray of sunlight in the morning spread to Xueyue City, and the founding ceremony kicked off under the attention of the public.

Compared with the previous empire founding ceremony held in Canglan City, the specifications of this time are much lower. The decorations in many places are crudely made.

Seeing this scene, Hudson glared at Franz.

There is nothing wrong with being thrifty, but saving in these visible places is too petty.

Facing his father's reproach, Franz looked aggrieved.

It's not that he is stingy. The founding ceremony of the Principality of Xueyue must be two levels lower than the ceremony of the Alpha Empire. This is the rule!

The layout of the scene was made with reference to the imperial ceremony.

However, the Alpha Empire is a poor idiot. The imperial ceremony, which looks bright and beautiful, is actually a framed showpiece.

On the basis of the showpiece, the specifications and grades are further reduced, and it becomes what it is now.

If nothing unexpected happens, most of the supplies on site are disposable products. After using them today, they can only be scrapped.

It is impossible to preserve them as cultural relics for future generations to admire.

After mechanically completing the process with the team and hurriedly completing the canonization of the meritorious officials, Hudson immediately ordered the celebration banquet to begin.

It can't be dragged on!

While everyone's focus is on the ceremony and their attention has not yet shifted to the rough layout of the scene, it is the right way to end the event quickly.

If it drags on for a long time, some nobles with bad brains will jump out to mess up the scene. It would be embarrassing to break the last window paper.

If this kind of thing gets out, he will be laughed at for a thousand years in the noble circle.

Fortunately, the worst thing did not happen. The nobles who can come to watch the ceremony are all masters of status, and they know the truth of seeing through but not speaking out.

Even if you want to see a joke, just go back and complain privately. If you say it in public, it will attract hatred.

In the absence of a conflict of interest, the nobles with big families and big businesses don't want to provoke a strong man like Hudson.

Everything has settled down, and the Xueyue Principality, which has been in need of reconstruction, has been officially established.

The Grand Duchy, which has a vast territory, can catch up with some small kingdoms, but unfortunately more than 80% of the land is uninhabited.

The main focus of the Principality is to build a homeland. Try to use the limited resources in hand to develop the domestic land as soon as possible.

This time period is destined to be protracted.

"Franz, the Principality of Snow Moon is now handed over to you.

If you can govern it well, I will pass the position to you in thirty years.

Don't rush to refuse, your task is not easy. In addition to governing the local area, you must also be prepared for war.

An economic crisis is brewing within the empire. Once this crisis breaks out, it will inevitably trigger a series of conflicts accumulated in the past.

There are two paths before the empire.

Either initiate internal reforms to solve long-standing problems and ease the conflicts among various classes in the country.

Or launch a war abroad and use the war to divert the internal conflicts of the empire.

For internal reforms, you can just watch from the sidelines, and there is no need to participate.

If a foreign war breaks out, then you must actively participate.

Your three younger brothers are still short of fiefdoms, which happened to be solved in the war!"

Hudson said with a smile.

He has already jumped out of the storm vortex of the empire, and he is not going to get stuck in it again.

Unless the empire encounters a life-and-death crisis, it is better for him, a retired marshal, not to go out and get in the way.

With the Alpha Empire's wealth, even if the top leaders of the empire are all prodigals, they will not be completely ruined in a short time.

The intensification of internal contradictions within the empire may be disastrous for individuals, but it is an opportunity to cure the poison for the country.

The nobles scattered across the empire have just come down from the battlefield and have not fallen into the world of luxury.

The crisis is most likely to be solved in the hands of these smart people.

Even if the problem cannot be solved, the person who created the problem can be solved.

For example: after the outbreak of the economic crisis, a large number of merchants and craftsmen went bankrupt, and it was impossible to save their wealth.

But it is still very simple to help them find a job again, just pull them to the grassland to open up wasteland.

Similar operations were done once ten years ago.

If the contradiction were more acute, it would be nothing more than an aristocratic civil war.

Whoever is stronger, whoever can win more allies, and whoever wins on the battlefield will make more sense.

If you are not convinced by one war, then fight again.

After a few times, no matter how angry you are, you will slowly calm down and passively accept the reality.

Aristocratic war has relatively limited destructive power.

When everyone got tired of struggling, the empire came out to mediate, and the problem was temporarily solved.

The biggest hidden danger is the military merit system, which can also be solved by foreign wars and will not collapse in a short time.

…

Of course, thinking that the empire's crisis was controllable was only for people like Hudson who jumped out of the chessboard. The nobles who were deeply involved did not dare to think so.

Especially for those in power in the court, once the situation in the empire deteriorates, all their previous political prestige will turn from positive to negative.

It's good to be able to solve the problem in time, but if the crisis cannot be solved for a long time, they are the most suitable scapegoats.

After all, Caesar V was still a child, temporarily unable to make decisions and did not need to be responsible for the empire.

The dishonored meal can only be enjoyed by the ministers of the DPRK and China.

"Father, how are you sure there will be problems in the empire?

You must know that these contradictions have always existed. There have been no problems for so many years, so the empire will not explode immediately after it is established! "

Franz asked with a confused look on his face.

The hidden dangers of the empire have never been a secret among the great nobles. But now Hudson is the only one who takes this seriously.

The other nobles are relatively optimistic. In any case, the current situation of the Alpha Empire is far better than when it was beaten every day.

“Because the external pressure is gone, everyone’s nerves are relieved!

Because the debt leverage of the Near East Development Bank has reached its limit, the gold notes issued indiscriminately are showing signs of depreciation. In order to maintain the credit of the bank, some gold notes must be recycled.

When you are preparing for the principality ceremony, the bank has already sold a large number of assets for cash. All branches, including some small local branches, have been sold.

So far, the Near East Development Bank has recovered gold tickets with a face value of more than 18 million.

These golden tickets will not be circulated again for a short period of time. With so much money disappearing from the market, it’s impossible for the empire’s economy not to have problems!

The upcoming auction in the territory is actually specially prepared to deal with the bank's money shortage crisis.

The situation of small and medium-sized banks is even worse. They dare to do any business for the sake of performance. They do not earn enough profits, but they follow the example of the Near East Development Bank and pay dividends.

The group of nobles behind the scenes were too greedy, either paying out high dividends or taking out large loans from banks. Most commercial banks were hollowed out by the shareholders behind the scenes.

Judging from the data collected, more than 98% of banks on the mainland are now insolvent.

The banking industry without rules has become a harvesting machine for the powerful. If you keep playing like this, do you think there will be no problems? "

After Hudson finished speaking, Franz understood instantly. No wonder his father knew that a crisis was about to break out and had an ignition device in his home.

It's normal when you think about it, the mainland war was so brutal. None of the five-nation alliance with poor finances is financially bankrupt. This is the charm of debt leverage.

"Father, the Near East Development Bank should be able to hold on, right?"

Franz asked uncertainly.

To guard the golden rice bowl, it is impossible not to reach out. The rapid development of Xueyue Principality in the past few years was also achieved by loans from the Near East Development Bank.

The total accumulated debt of Xueyue Principality directly reaches hundreds of millions of gold coins. The key is that these loans are repaid without interest.

Part of it is arbitrage based on the false accounts made in the past, and part of it is the printed golden tickets.

In the absence of effective supervision, at a critical moment in the development of the territory, Hudson, who was short of money, could not hold back.

The reason why there is a rush to recover gold tickets is because the actual amount of gold tickets circulating in the market exceeds the amount printed on the bank's books.

"Don't worry, I estimate that after the auction ends, the recovery of the golden tickets will be basically completed.

After filling this hole, as long as the value of the gold ticket is maintained and the credit of the bank is stabilized, all problems will not be a problem. "

Hudson replied calmly.

But he only told half of the story. If the Near East Development Bank can survive, other banks will suffer.

This auction was also the trigger for a crisis. A large amount of money poured into Xueyue Principality, which will definitely have an impact on other regions.

The question now is which country will explode first, and who will be the biggest loser. Lacking the means to deal with the financial crisis, this explosion is the collapse of credit in the banking industry.

…

Time flies, and everything goes as Hudson expected. The biggest financial crisis in the Aslant continent begins with the Kingdom of Dante.

The cause was that the city of a big noble was ransacked by enemy troops, and naturally the bank in the city was brutally attacked. After the enemy troops retreated, residents rushed to withdraw money, and a run crisis broke out.

Panic spread and soon affected other banks. First there was a run on the Kingdom of Dante, and then the Kingdom of Hesse was unlucky. Soon the crisis spread to the entire Five Nations Alliance, and finally swept the entire human world.

After the crisis spread to the Alpha Empire, almost all domestic banks went bankrupt, and the powerful Near East Development Bank also suffered an unprecedented run.

After the bank run, the Near East Development Bank sold a large number of risky loan bills to cash in under the pretext of recovering funds.

With the capital injection from major shareholders, it barely survived the bank run crisis. The bank's reputation was preserved, but the bank's cash flow was still mostly consumed, and it had to shrink strategically.

Affected by this, a large number of gold notes returned to the warehouse, and the currency circulating in the market decreased sharply.

After the bank bankruptcy wave, the money shortage crisis broke out. For a time, all industries in the empire withered, and the bankruptcy wave swept the country.

First, a large number of free people went bankrupt, and then the capital chain of small nobles broke. When the crisis reached its peak, many emerging nobles were also forced to declare bankruptcy.

Like governments of various countries, the imperial government did not take any effective measures during the crisis and completely let the crisis spread.

After the bankruptcy of free people, they were displaced. In order to survive, many people were forced to sell themselves to nobles as serfs.

After the financial bankruptcy of nobles with soldiers, they directly declared debt default.

Not only did they not repay the debts they owed, but they were also unwilling to deliver the promised mortgaged territories to the creditors.

This move angered the creditors. Those who were able to buy the IOUs in the crisis were all great nobles in the empire.

Some nobles went bankrupt because of their own business problems, while more nobles went bankrupt because they were calculated by nearby great nobles.

These great nobles took the risk to participate in the fire, not to earn a pitiful interest difference.

They made up their minds from the beginning to make the debtors default so that they could carry out land annexation legitimately.

Hudson, as the great creditor of the empire, withdrew in advance, and the great nobles from all over the country who took over the business directly fought with the bankrupt nobles in order to protect their own interests.

For a time, the war affected more than 30 provinces in the empire, and the sudden "debt collection war" stunned the top leaders of the empire.

They wanted to intervene, but they found that they were still the main force in the war.

Identity determines position, and it is now popular to help relatives instead of helping others.

Without any hesitation, the imperial government publicly stated its position: it is natural to pay back debts!

There is no doubt that bankrupt nobles with financial difficulties are definitely not opponents of great nobles.

Even though they resisted very fiercely, they still could not escape the fate of defeat.

The empire's annexation movement reached its climax and lasted for three years before the situation gradually stabilized.

The most direct consequence is that the great nobles have stronger control over the local areas, and the local noble councils have become a one-man show.

The great nobles in many provinces have occupied more than half of the local land.

The surviving small and medium nobles are either hard-core, or have a strong enough background, or are their own people.

After the "debt collection war" ended, the conservative government with obvious tendencies withdrew in disgrace amid the anger of the people.

However, they did not lose. Although they were burdened with countless insults, the families behind them benefited.

Several bigwigs in the royal camp were tragic. As soon as they stepped to the front, they took a huge black pot.

Regardless of whether the final decision was made by them, since they were in the position, they could only bear the responsibility together.

Including the Queen Mother in the deep palace, Grand Duke Madeleine, who happened to be in seclusion, was also scolded.

In order to calm the pressure of public opinion, senior government officials resigned one after another. However, the land that was annexed will never be spit out again.

The defeated bankrupt nobles could only migrate to the prairie with their remaining strength to temporarily avoid the enemy's edge and seek a comeback.

The famous Xueyue Principality became the first choice for the downtrodden nobles to flee. During the entire imperial civil war, the Xueyue Principality received nearly two million people.

Hudson, who was watching the show, passively became the big winner in the civil war. The noble lords on the prairie also became winners.

The influx of foreign population has injected new impetus into the development of the prairie.

With the rapid development of the prairie, the downtrodden nobles who were unwilling to live under the roof of others have become the most determined war faction in the empire in order to regain their territory.

The small and medium-sized nobles living in the rear provinces responded immediately.

There are fewer and fewer neighbors around them. After realizing that their families are in danger, they have to consider changing places for development.

If you leave on your own initiative, you can also make deals with nearby nobles. If we wait for others to take action, we can only be passively displaced.

The nobles of each province will definitely support the choice of each taking what they need.

In the year 100025 of the Holy Calendar, the Alpha Empire, despite the opposition of the Human Alliance, mobilized 700,000 troops to forcibly enter the seven grassland countries on the pretext of arresting the cult.

The Xueyue Principality, which is close to the water and gets the moon first, is naturally the main force in the war. Under the instruction of Hudson, Franz personally led 80,000 duchy troops to participate in the war.

The war of bullying rookies is completely one-sided. The battle lasted only half a year, and the top leaders of the seven grassland countries once again started the road of exile.

As the only winner, the Alpha Empire forcibly completed the occupation of the seven grassland countries despite the opposition of the continental countries.

Although Hudson did not directly participate in this war, his existence is the confidence of the empire to dare to annex the seven countries.

With Hudson, the first general on the continent, even if countries want to send troops to intervene, they must first consider whether they can win.

Coupled with the contribution of the Principality's army in the war, it naturally took a large piece of the pie, and the territory increased by 50%.

Hudson's sons all performed well in the war.

According to the tradition of the Alpha Empire, the eldest son stayed to inherit the family business, and the other sons went out to develop the family foundation.

Hudson demarcated three provinces from the newly added land as fiefs for the other three sons, and conferred the three as earls.

Eagles cannot live in a greenhouse. After sponsoring a sum of resources, they were allowed to go out and explore on their own.

Time flies, and it has been thirty years since the agreement.

After Franz's hard work and Hudson's advice. The Duchy of Snow Moon has become more and more powerful and has become the most powerful prince in the Alpha Empire.

Looking at the entire human world, it can also be ranked in the top ten, and its comprehensive strength is enough to rival the imperial family.

Such rapid development naturally attracted the royal family's fear.

However, there have been many problems within the empire in recent years. After taking power, Caesar V spent a lot of energy just to sort out the court.

Franz inherited Hudson's cautiousness, and his main focus is stability.

Although the royal family is afraid of the development of the Duchy of Snow Moon, they can't find an opportunity to get involved.

After all, the principality is freer than the local princes. Except for the vassal obligations to the emperor, other aspects are relatively independent.

If you want to curb the development of the Snow Moon Principality, you can't find a place to start.

Caesar V was worried about causing big trouble by deliberately picking faults and targeting, so he could only turn a blind eye to it.

It's February 2 again, this special day.

Franz, 49, got his wish and took the crown from Hudson and became the new Grand Duke of Snow Moon.

"Franz, from today on, you are the king of the Snow Moon Principality.

Being a king is not only an honor, but also a heavy responsibility!"

...