Realm of Power

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Nord Kyoto,

This is a majestic city surrounded by mountains, without the biting cold wind, without the ice and snow, with a typical mountain basin climate, large tracts of emerald green dense forests, like golden green flowers, extending along the towering mountains to the distance,

The whole city looks hazy in the morning mist in the autumn wind, with pointed roofs vaguely revealed,

Round statues, white marble sculptures, wide and straight streets, even the Nords who lack artistic sense,

There are enough for hundreds of years Enough time to develop this small town, which was just a mountain fortress hundreds of years ago, into a luxurious capital with 350,000 people and filled with all kinds of drunkenness and money.

Early in the morning, the carriage of Duke Harristi, the new Minister of Finance of Nord, slowly came out of the gate of his mansion under the escort of several cavalrymen on white horses.

The axle of the carriage pressed on the flat and clean road surface, making a crisp creaking sound. Moving at a constant speed on the street, Duke Harristi, who was sitting in the carriage, opened the curtain of the carriage.

Looking out from the opened curtain, there were few people on the street, which seemed deserted. Many shops were still closed. The newly announced double tax on business made many shops have big words like "closed" written on their facades, which looked bleak. Updated

This situation made Duke Harristi frown slightly. From the current situation, it can be seen that the tax revenue of this quarter will be greatly affected.

As a Minister of Finance. This is the most troublesome thing. Without money, everything is useless. The ever-expanding military organization, various mandatory grants from His Majesty the King, and the demands for money from the adults below with various reasons and grounds have already emptied the last bit of funds in the Nord treasury.

Taking the two newly formed legions as an example, the gold coins consumed in recruiting soldiers reached 690,000, and the consumption of weapons and equipment is even more difficult to calculate.

Nord is not a country known for its rich mineral resources. There are only three places in the entire kingdom where iron ore can be mined. In this era where mining is basically based on manpower, the total annual output is only more than 600,000 catties.

These limited amounts of iron ore still need to be refined and forged by blacksmiths. In the end, what is left is called refined iron, which can be used as a weapon material. Less than 400,000 catties, based on a light infantry armor of 20 catties, is only 20,000 sets of armor.

If it is heavy infantry armor with higher weight and quality requirements, its consumption is 4 times that of light infantry armor. The annual output is only enough to equip a heavy infantry flag regiment.

This is just armor. If you count the broad shield and the heavy sword, the number will be greatly reduced. So even though the Nord infantry is famous for its good fighting skills, it has always maintained the tradition of using small round shields, which can at least effectively reduce some consumption.

So Nord has always been a major importer of iron ore. Now everything seems more difficult. The Falcon Dynasty in the north has begun to block the iron ore. If you want to rank the most miserable people on the continent now, the Nord's Minister of Finance must be among them, because he not only has to face the external dilemma, but also the internal constraints are equally serious.

In order to quickly recover from the impact of the defeat and gather more troops to fight with the northern falcon The Eagle Dynasty was in opposition, and the merchants' comments that were unfavorable to the kingdom were suppressed.

The angry King Agroerk announced in the royal meeting a month ago that the Kingdom of Nord would implement a double tax on business. The essence of this tax is that a commodity must be taxed twice, once when it is bought in and once when it is sold out. When this new economic policy came out, the Nord merchants were undoubtedly hit hard. They were gloomy and depressed. Being taxed twice meant that no matter how high the profit was, there was no profit.

They sent five representatives to petition His Majesty the King, but they were answered with the sharp axes of the Kyoto City Guards. The heads of the five representatives are still hanging in the Nord Kyoto. The city gate, but in just over half a month, the prosperous Nord Kyoto has fallen into such a state. All profits are paid as taxes. Many merchants are ready to pack up and leave Nord Kyoto. Occasionally, someone passes by the street, but they walk quickly with their heads down and silently.

A crisp sound of horse hooves came from a distance. It was a team of Kyoto city guards patrolling the night. They looked at everyone on the street with hostility, as if they were enemies with sharp blades.

Harristi put down the curtain in his hand. As an important official of the kingdom, he did not have a good impression of these rough city guards. Without merchants, how would the tax be collected this year? What to do? What about the flow of goods in the market? What about the iron ore needed for forging weapons? These tools that only know how to kill and suppress are cutting off the last bloodline of the Nord Kingdom.

A gust of wind blew across Harristi's curtains. For some reason, he felt that this summer was a bit cold. He couldn't help but pull his clothes tight, but he still couldn't help shivering and felt a chill on his back.

"Hurry up, you cowards who can only run away!"

He heard a rough scolding from outside the window, and just saw a team of city guards outside the carriage escorting a dozen teenagers who were only about thirteen or fourteen years old.

The teenagers all had their heads drooped, and some were still crying softly. A city guard soldier holding a whip kept beating the last person. He was a skinny boy who could only lie down because he was too weak. The ground was screaming, and I couldn't move no matter what.

"Stop! He's just a kid!"

Harristi couldn't stand it anymore. That scrawny boy reminded him of his own and Yang's skinny son.

If someone dared to treat his son like this, he would definitely fight him to the death. He ordered the car to stop, got out of the car and asked

"What's going on? What crimes have these children committed? If you were a father, would you treat your children like this?"

The leading city guard officer clearly recognized this important minister of the kingdom. With a somewhat embarrassed look on his face, he hurriedly stood upright and replied respectfully, "Sir, these people are not children. They are all soldiers who were drafted in the city this morning. These dirty guys are untouchables who were rounded up from the homes of residents in the city. Because they resisted military service and were in hiding, their subordinates tied them up with ropes."

"It's military service again..." Harristi sighed helplessly, not daring to look at those eager children anymore. He closed the door of the carriage tightly, extinguishing the fire of hope that had just been ignited by those children.

He pitied these teenagers who were less than thirteen years old and wanted to rescue them, but. He has no power to intervene in military affairs. Thinking of the possibility that these innocent young people who don't know what real war is like, will accept the beckoning of death in the near future. His heart was indeed cut by a knife.

Because 100,000 young men were lost in the Battle of the South, resulting in a serious shortage of qualified soldiers in Nord, His Majesty Jagrolk signed an order to increase the recruitment age of soldiers from sixteen to fifty. Expanded to thirteen to sixty years old. All civilian men within this age group must serve in the military.

These teenagers happened to be thirteen years old. Although their parents proved in many ways that they were under thirteen years old, the Kyoto City Guards were eager to show off. Still without hesitation, he ordered them to be targeted for unlimited recruitment.

This is still the case in Rode Kyoto, but also in other places. Needless to say, boys as young as eleven or twelve may also be forcibly recruited into the army. to fill the vacancies in the army. More and more soldiers were added to the rear, and there was even a strange phenomenon that the number of troops was several times greater than before the defeat.

However, who would believe that what role these forcibly captured teenagers can play on the battlefield? In addition to using their own thin bodies to resist the iron hoof of the Falcon Army, what else can they do? This battle The war against the Falcon Dynasty is dragging the Nordic Kingdom into the abyss

At the end of the road is the Nord Palace. The dignified and solemn, brilliant and gorgeous outer walls of the palace are reflected in the rising morning sun, as if dyed with a faint golden light. This makes Harristi's eyes narrow slightly. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt that the majestic and tall palace in the past seemed so weak and helpless today, and the solemn sword of royal power seemed to be crumbling.

"Creak!"

The carriage slowly stopped in the parking lot of the palace. A Guards officer wearing a black and blue uniform was already waiting there. When he saw Duke Harristi's carriage, he came over with a serious face and said softly Opening the door of the carriage, he said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, is already waiting inside. Please come to me!"

"How is your Majesty's health today?" Duke Harristi stepped out of the carriage and stepped up the thirty-six steps of the palace in front of him, asking in a low voice.

"It's not very good." The Guards officer hesitated for a while, and then replied briefly as he walked away, "Your Majesty has been suffering from insomnia recently, and sometimes he even sits in his room all night. The doctor said it is because of the war on the border. , making it difficult for His Majesty to feel at ease, which is why this situation occurred. If this continues, His Majesty's physical condition will get worse and worse."

"That's right. It's been almost a month since the Battle of Anruode, and there's still no news!"

Duke Harristi nodded with deep sympathy and looked very pessimistic. At this time, he saw a few people standing at the top of the steps, Minister of the Interior Aikes, and Minister of Military and Logistics Saugus.

"Lord Harristi is here! Lord Aikes is here, Lord Saugus is here!"

The heavy palace door has been opened in front of them, revealing the magnificent hall behind, which is as wide as a small square. The sun shines in through the door. Several maids in palace clothes are busy inside. They sit down in the meeting hall. People were waiting quietly for the arrival of His Majesty King Yagrolk.

Because the war on the front line was indecisive, and the domestic economy was basically in collapse due to the double taxation issue, the three of them were very heavy-hearted and silent.

Usually before the meeting, the three of them would briefly exchange views on some major issues, but at this time they were not in the mood to speak. Even if they didn't speak, everyone knew very well that this war could not continue. Now, the huge frontline army is constantly destroying the foundation of the Kingdom of Nord.

"His Majesty the King has arrived!"

A loud registration sound came from the door of the hall, and the pale Yagrolk was helped by two palace maids on the left and right. Only then did he sit on his own throne with great difficulty.

Compared with the high-spirited time when he announced the invasion of southern Wikia three months ago, Yagrork is now completely old, haggard, and desperate. The face is so pale that there is no blood, the body is useless, the eyes are dull,

The three important ministers all felt very sorry in their hearts. There seemed to be a sore and painful feeling lingering in their hearts. It was very uncomfortable, but they could not be eliminated. They wanted to say something. I can't find the right words to describe it.

The three of them have always been Yagrork's favored ministers, and they have followed this great king throughout his life. Although the internal structure of the traditional martial arts family makes it difficult for three people to play a decisive role in major national policies. But the kingdom has reached the point where it is today, and the three of them naturally have unshirkable responsibilities.

This is the sorrow of a monarch! Looking at the old Yagrork on the throne, several important ministers felt a sense of sadness in their hearts. Your Majesty is still old.

If so. If Yagrolk was willing to be a king who could just muddle along and even die in a dream, he would never become what he is now, but. By the way, Yagrork is definitely considered among the Nord monarchs. An extremely powerful one,

in the previous twenty years. If it weren't for Harraus, the Lion of Rhedian, who was also a hero of the generation, fighting against them, the mighty Nords might have unified the continent of Ika like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. He worked hard to govern, prepared for war, and constantly launched wars with his only opponents, the Reedians, in an attempt to further expand the territory of the Kingdom of Nordea and become the veritable first kingdom on the Ikadiva continent.

He wanted to achieve a goal that none of the previous ten kings could achieve before he took the throne, which was to defeat the Reedians and make himself the most outstanding king in the history of the Kingdom of Nord.

for this goal. He spent a full thirty years, militarily and at all costs, expanding his army and preparing for war. He finally defeated the Ruidian people and captured the Suluo area. In one fell swoop, he reversed a century of passive defense against the Ruidian people. The continent was shaken, with an aura that looked down on the world.

However, the rapid rise of the Falcon Army completely shattered His Majesty Yagrolk's dream and severely frustrated his ambition. Under the attack of the Falcon Army, first the Kujit people, then the Dongting people, and finally the Ruidian people. These were all regarded by themselves as opponents and targets for conquest. Without exception, they all fell to the ground. Under the talons of the falcon,

In just a few years, the balance of the Ikadiva continent, where the three powerful powers once stood, was broken. Even the Redian lion Haraus, whom he regarded as his lifelong rival, could not withstand the final blow of the Falcon army.

In the Battle of Staros, the 200,000 Riedian army was wiped out in ashes, which was shocking. In the once powerful continent, only the Falcon Dynasty in the north, the Doroks in the eastern mountains, and the Nords in the south are left. The weak Doroks cannot be counted on. The scars of the defeat in the south are still there. Yagrork fell into a painful struggle,

But he was still unwilling to fail and was unwilling to admit defeat. This was the source of his pain. Rude had never been a monarch who admitted defeat, neither before nor in the future.

"Is there any battle report from Anruode? The two sides are still in a stalemate?" Yagrolk asked in a daze.

"It should still be the same. The latest battle report was also 3 days ago." Duke Harristi quickly stood up from his seat with a solemn expression and reported, "I heard that there are some problems in the Rua area in the south."

"The local garrison reported that the refugees who moved in from the southern coast have often robbed local villages due to food shortages recently. I have sent people to check out the Rua area to investigate what happened, but so far, there are still no reports. There is no news. For the sake of caution, I suggest that the local garrison take certain measures in the Rua area..."

"Those refugees are indeed a problem. Now it's better to say that once winter comes, how to resettle them will be a big problem!" Interior Minister Aikes and Logistics Department Chief Saugus both nodded in agreement. The flow of refugees has always been a headache for the kingdom. problem, and the Rua area where a large number of refugees are resettled is only about 2 days away from Kyoto. Once riots really break out, Kyoto will also be affected.

"Just a few?" The reaction of Yagrolurk on the throne was beyond their expectations. He didn't seem to feel anything was wrong with the anomalies in the Rua area. On the contrary, it seemed that it was a bit of a fuss. When I heard Harristi's suggestion, there was no obvious expression at all.

"Aikes, tell me about this quarter's taxes!"

Yagrork was obviously not in the mood to hear this depressing news. He muttered feebly and vaguely, hoping to get some good news from the Minister of the Interior, even just a little bit of good news.

"This quarter we earned 120,000 gold coins! It has doubled compared to the previous quarter." Aikes adjusted his thoughts slightly and reported back the most favorable news of all.

"Oh, so we can support it for another month!"

The dull-eyed Yagrolk seemed to have lost sight of the existence of the three ministers. He seemed to only have those gold coins in his heart, and he just nodded numbly.

His demeanor made the three ministers doubt whether his report was necessary. With his current mental state, he might not know what the other party said even if he reported it.

All this shows that the sixty-year-old king is obviously at the end of his life. It is not an exaggeration to describe him as dying. The reason why he has not let go is only because of some undecided things.

Seeing this situation, Duke Harristi and the other two important ministers looked at each other tacitly.

Everyone knows that His Majesty is waiting for the final result of the battle that will determine the fate of Nord. Will the final victory of the Battle of Anrud belong to Nord! For this, he is willing to sacrifice the entire kingdom! To be continued.