The King

  Chapter 473 Near East Line of Defense

   "Madelaine, help me see Marshal Hudson!"

   Caesar IV ordered.

  The play needs to be performed in full, and if you want to deceive people, the details must be in place.

  The contact between the princess and the marshal is at most a good story about a hero and a beauty, and no one will meddle in their own business. If the king contacts the marshal in private, everyone should think carefully.

   "Marshal Hudson, shouldn't you ask me to dance?"

  Princess Madeleine said depressedly.

  The scene of distributing the loot just now directly refreshed her cognition. Fortunately, he was born in the royal family, and he has cultivated the ability to stay calm since he was a child.

  Deep in my heart, there was still a faint regret. If she had known that Hudson, a potential stock, could soar so fast, she would have jumped at it the first time they met.

   Of course, Baron Hudson cannot be the marriage partner of the royal family. But as long as she makes a move in advance, Hudson's marriage can be delayed.

  Royal marriage will not accept grassroots nobles, but it does not mean that it will not accept a marshal who controls the kingdom's army. Now Hudson already has the value of being wooed by the royal family.

  For princesses who are destined to marry, the treatment of staying in the country is much better than marrying abroad.

  There is no if in reality, if you miss it, you miss it. There's no point in thinking about it other than sulking.

   "Your Highness, please!"

   Hudson said with a little embarrassment.

   Conscience of heaven and earth, he really can't dance. No matter how good Hudson is, his native family is just a baron, with only a handful of resources in his hands.

  Daily practice alone consumes a lot of resources. How can there be resources to invite professional dance teachers to learn dancing, which seems meaningless to the low-level nobles.

  In this case, it will not and must be done. It's also dancing, and other nobles will be laughed at if they can't keep up with the rhythm. With Hudson's current status, that is the embodiment of personality.

   There was no accident. On the stage, Hudson showed a very individual character. He had intimate contact with Princess Madeleine several times. Those who didn't know it thought they were flirting.

   There was no collision with the people around, because everyone was very winking and made a space spontaneously.

   "Marshal, please pay attention to the occasion!"

  Princess Madeleine lowered her voice to remind.

  In an instant, Hudson's face turned green, and he couldn't wash it off even if he jumped into the Canglan River.

  He hadn't studied systematically before, but Princess Madeleine wanted to play difficult games to show her elegance, and it turned out that he was taking advantage.

   Fortunately, Princess Madeleine was not really angry, otherwise the title of apprentice would fall on him today.

   "Your Highness, let's go down and have a drink!"

   Hudson hastily proposed.

   I can't continue to toss on the stage, otherwise tomorrow this romantic affair will spread throughout the aristocratic circle.

   It may be a good thing for Princess Madeleine who does not want to marry, but Hudson is miserable, and an explanation must be given to the royal family.

   Under the envious eyes of everyone, the two walked off the stage. It's just that what these people don't know is that Hudson is also envious of them.

  Compared to Princess Madeleine, who can only be seen but not touched, they have the chance to have a real affair tonight.

  The masters in the field of love all ran to chat with the widowed lady about life, only Xiaobai still revolved around the noble lady.

  …

  In the Frankish Kingdom, after the Continental War, Lutetia became more and more prosperous.

  To be precise, the entire Southern Continent has become more prosperous. The hardships of the countries in the northern continent and the central continent have injected the source of development into the southern continent.

   Facing the plunder of foreign armies, the nobles and businessmen in the north-central region who longed for peace directly brought their wealth accumulated for thousands of years, and moved their families to the southern continent.

  The Frankish Kingdom, which took the initiative to recruit refugees, is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary. In a short period of time, millions of immigrants were harvested.

  The arrival of these people provided a double boost of human and financial resources for the Frankish Kingdom to develop new territories.

  The economy is prosperous, the living space is expanded, and opportunities are everywhere. For a while, the social conflicts in the Frankish Kingdom dropped to the lowest point.

  Everything is developing for the better, the only thing that troubles the Frankish kingdom is the "religious problem".

   Grasping the pulse of the times, the Frankish Kingdom, which has successfully won the biggest dividend of the continental war, has surpassed its competitors and reached the pinnacle of the continent.

  And this kind of leading advantage, along with the passage of time, continues to be widened.

  In the dark corners, there are also ship after ship of "human slaves", transported from the Central and Northern Mainland, injecting "fuel" into the development of the Frankish Kingdom.

   Whether it was the slave traders who were supernatural, or whether there was a secret transaction between the First Kingdom of the Human Race and the Alien Alliance, no one could say for sure.

  Things without evidence are equivalent to non-existence. What's more, the purchase of slaves from foreign races is not just done by the Frankish Kingdom. The difference is that they are the first to act, and the scale of the transaction is also the largest.

   Each takes the deal he needs, not to mention capitalizing on the enemy. The seeds of this deal were planted from the moment the elves-led alien coalition forces accepted the surrender of human soldiers instead of playing genocide.

  The humans in the control area are themselves a hidden danger to the alien alliance.

  Under the circumstances that it is inconvenient to slaughter, it is undoubtedly the best choice to sell in exchange for the resources needed for one's own development.

  The human race destroyed thirty-one countries, seemingly at the hands of foreign races, but in fact, the remaining human race countries and foreign races shared their inheritance together.

   On the contrary, it was the two major alien races that were destroyed. They were really exterminated. It's not that the Franks and Iberians don't sell alien slaves, the main reason is that no one wants to buy them.

  The alliance of different races is just an alliance. If the same race is captured, it’s okay to pay the ransom, and forget it for other races!

   You are not so holy, if you really want to redeem a group of orcs and ogres, wouldn't you have to divide a piece of land to raise them?

  The war has progressed to the present, except for the arms dealer dwarves who still have good financial resources, the rest of the alien alliance is poor.

  In the last dozen or so continental wars, the main reason why the human race was able to win more and lose less was not because of their military strength, but because of their logistical victory.

  Many times, in the early stage of the continental war, the alien alliance was dominant. As long as it dragged on for a year or two, the situation would be reversed.

   There is no way, no matter how the alien alliance prepares, the resources that can be mobilized are only enough for them to support the early stage operations.

  Even the omnivorous orcs, who don’t even spare the corpses of their own people, will soon face logistical problems as long as they can’t break through on the battlefield.

  In addition to being "poor", the uneven distribution of loot within the alien alliance and various interest entanglements also laid the foundation for the prosperity of the slave trade.

  The balance of power is broken, which will definitely affect the political structure.

   Along with the continuous growth of strength, the calls for a separate Holy See within the Frankish Kingdom have also become louder.

   "Your Majesty, the time has come. The poor performance of the Holy See in the Continental War has led to a decline in reputation. Now is the best time to attack!"

   Archbishop Edward tried his best to persuade.

  The Holy See was scolded bloodily in the Human Race Parliament, and was even considered by the outside world to be the party most responsible for the collapse of the situation in the Central Continent. Naturally, the pushers of various countries were behind it.

  The Frankish Kingdom, the number one rebel, is the main force among them. I had already made preparations to set up another sect, and I was waiting for an excuse to make trouble.

   "Bishop Edward, the performance of the Holy See in the Continental War is indeed not good, but it is a bit far-fetched to say that they have colluded with alien alliances to sell the interests of the human race?"

  Charles III said hesitantly.

  Preparation is back to preparation, and the banner of anti-Holy See is completely raised, and everyone still inevitably hesitates.

  Compared to the countries of the human race, the history of the Holy See can be traced back thousands of years ago. In the continent of Aslant, there is a law: ancient must be strong!

  In this long history, the Holy See has not declined. Just relying on their deep foundation, every few hundred years, they will revive again.

   On the contrary, the enemies of the Holy See have disappeared into the long river of history over the long years. There are only a few records in the history books that can prove their existence.

   "Your Majesty, at this point, the evidence is no longer important.

  According to the information from Marquis Landry from the Kingdom of Alpha, they are also in action recently.

  The Archbishop of Tyrone even secretly formed: the Privy Council, the Inquisition, the Paladin...

   Except for the absence of the pope, the organizational structure is exactly the same as that of the Holy See of Dawn, and its ambition is obvious.

  As long as we launch, they will follow. Once the Alpha Kingdom takes action, the Principality of Moxi will also be passively involved, and the churches in the entire northern continent will break away from the control of the Holy See.

  The three countries in mainland China are now angry with the Holy See, and they will definitely not be able to appease them for a while. Even if you don't follow us to set up another sect, you won't fully support the Holy See.

   Now it is only necessary to persuade the Church of the Kingdom of Iberia to set up a separate sect, and the rule of the Holy See on the continent of Aslante will completely collapse! "

   Foreign Minister Marquis Jesús said in high spirits.

   These changes are all due to their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They provoked the conflict between the Three Kingdoms of the Central Mainland and the Holy See, and the actions of the Church of the Alpha Kingdom also had factors of their instigation.

  Even the Church of Libya, under their instigation, has the idea of ​​​​separating from the Holy See.

   After all, who wants to be someone else's younger brother if he can become the boss by himself?

  The Kingdom of the Franks has no plans to unify the beliefs of the countries. The current action is only to break the monopoly of the Holy See and get rid of the control of religion over politics.

  Similar political demands exist widely in mainland countries. In order to reduce the influence of the Holy See, the governments of various countries have tried their best.

   "Oh, the Alpha Kingdom is so active, it seems that Caesar IV is not as weak and incompetent as the rumors say, and it is mostly nonsense to be ostracized!"

  Charles III said with a smile.

  The prestige of the Holy See is too deep, and its influence spreads to every corner of the mainland. Coming out alone to fight against the Holy See, even for their number one kingdom on the mainland, the risk is still too great.

  With a few more allies working together, the situation will be different. Back then, when he first came to power, he dared to declare the pope illegal. Apart from his youthful vigor, he also had Caesar III to help share the pressure.

  After Caesar IV came to power, the essence of the Alpha Kingdom’s anti-Holy See has not changed, but the specific implementation has slowed down a bit.

   "Your Majesty, since the alliance of the five major families in the North was suppressed, the forces of the various factions in the Alpha Kingdom have tended to be balanced.

   When all parties are evenly matched, it is difficult to truly give birth to powerful ministers. However, the rumors that Caesar IV was evaded are not groundless.

   It is said that Caesar IV loved military affairs before he succeeded to the throne, and he personally led an army to expedition to the Principality of Moxi, but the defeat was really terrible.

  After the incident, Caesar IV still did not repent, and repeatedly pointed out the country with his poor military skills, forcing the top leaders of the Alpha Kingdom to unify their position and not let him intervene in military affairs.

   But fortune and misfortune depend on each other. It was his fiasco that laid the foundation for Hudson's rise.

  Alfa Kingdom was able to attack the Orc Empire in the north and defeat the Alliance of Ancient Remnants in the west to deter the elves despite heavy losses. The command ability of Hudson, the number one general in the Northern Continent, is also an important factor! "

  The prime minister, Duke Bergson, said with emotion.

   These homework are all done by him recently. Previously, I thought that the Alpha Kingdom had entered a period of decline, and the level of attention had dropped to the third level, but I didn't expect it to be resurrected with full blood in the blink of an eye.

   Maybe the overall national strength is not as good as it was at its peak, but its record is no worse than it was at its peak.

   "There is nothing surprising. The resilience of the Alpha Kingdom is recognized on the mainland. This unlucky kingdom has been hovering on the edge of life and death since its birth.

  Archbishop, get ready, pick a good day, the Church of the Kingdom will officially separate from the Holy See.

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should do a good job in coordinating the work, and it is best to be able to get the Alpha Church to act together.

  As for the three countries in mainland China are busy cleaning up their own mess, even if they hate the Holy See in their hearts, they dare not do anything at this time, let them remain neutral.

  The Kingdom of Iberia doesn't have to hope, they have always wanted to take the kingdom instead. We want to rebel against the Holy See, they are the great loyal ministers of the Holy See! "

   Charles III said mockingly.

  Especially the last three words "Great Loyal Minister", which accentuated the tone.

  Everything is for profit. The conflict between the boss and the second child is usually difficult to reconcile. If the boss and the second child are neighbors, there is no need to talk about it.

  Unfortunately, the two big countries of Frank and Iberia are the first kingdom and the second kingdom of the mainland respectively, and they happen to be close neighbors.

  When the foreign race was strong, the two countries hugged each other to keep warm, and they were once the closest allies.

  Unfortunately, with the successful reforms of the two countries one after another, after each embarked on the road to becoming a powerful country, the threat of alien races no longer exists, and the original allies have become current competitors.

  The fight between the countries is fierce, but the relationship between the nobles of the two countries is close, and the marriages between many families can be traced back more than ten generations.

  Relying on this blood relationship as a bond, the two countries have fought back and forth in the past years, but no major war broke out.

  How long this calm can last, no one can tell. Anyway, the reality is that the stronger the two countries are, the more irreconcilable the conflicts will be.

  Perhaps the day when the alien alliance disappears will be the time when the two countries will meet each other.

  Of course, it is more likely to play a wave of faction confrontation before internal fighting occurs, and force countries to end up in the same team.

  …

  Emerald Palace, the Seminar on Near East Issues kicked off again. Thanks to the finalized agreement with the king in advance, Hudson felt a wave of what it means to have someone in the court who is easy to be an official.

   With the support of a series of ministers of the royal family, many sensitive issues were under the mutual cover of everyone, and they were understated.

  The progress was smooth, a little faster than Hudson expected. Clearly, there is genuine love for the lands of the Near East.

  Although some people had doubts about Hudson's Donado, but let them go to keep company, one by one flinched.

  It is not that the major nobles do not participate in the Near East issue at all, but the resources that everyone is willing to invest are limited.

  Although the participation was small, they won a lot of fiefdoms. Basically, they all started in one county, and some even took several counties in a row.

  Part of it came from the exchange of land bonds, and part of it was rewards for military exploits. Although military exploits cannot be transferred in principle, special circumstances still exist.

  For example, now, the major families gather and manage the fiefdoms obtained by the children of the clan due to military merits, and indirectly complete the transfer of military merits.

  As for how to distribute the internal benefits after playing like this, everyone has customary rules, just follow the original rules.

  Compared to the fief issue of generosity to others, the Near East defense line that needs to be invested with real money is the focus of disputes among all parties.

  The plan of the Ministry of Military Affairs is very reliable. Not only Hudson's territory, but the entire Near East is covered by the defense line.

  According to the plan, the kingdom needs to build at least 30 pass cities, hundreds of war fortresses, thousands of kilometers of city walls, and thousands of kilometers of battle lanes in order to connect the Near East.

  With such a large-scale investment in infrastructure, one can imagine the pressure on a feudal kingdom.

   Except for the support of the major provinces in the north, the major provinces of the rest of the kingdom either have doubts or directly express their opposition.

  When things got to this point, the problem became embarrassing. The provinces that expressed their support for the construction were all poor ghosts.

   There is no money or food, and even the labor force can't contribute much. On the contrary, the provinces that clearly opposed it were the main force that provided people, money, and food.

   "Governors, you are all soldiers, and you should know how difficult it is to bring a prairie into your rule.

  If we don’t build a city wall, when the orcs invade, what can we use to resist?

  In a short period of time, investing a lot of resources in the land of the Near East is indeed a loss-making business, but the account can't just be counted.

  Think about it, everyone, once the defense line in the Near East is stabilized, the twelve provinces of northern Xinjiang will be out of danger, and they will be converted from the front line to normal provinces, and they will be able to contribute a lot of money and taxes to the kingdom every year.

  As long as the time period is long enough, this income will definitely be able to cover the cost of building the Near East line of defense.

  As our national power grows, the national power of the orcs is correspondingly weakened. With the ebb and flow, the kingdom's advantage over the orcs will become greater and greater.

  If the plan is successful, we can continue to copy it in the future, gradually advancing to the prairie, and slowly eroding the orc empire.

   It is indeed difficult for everyone now, but this difficulty can be overcome. As long as we cooperate with each other to build the Near East line of defense, we can actually spend no money at all.

  The lords in various places will provide food if they have food, and resources if they have resources. If it is inconvenient, they will provide labor.

  According to the original plan, this war will last for two to three years, and the provinces that have not yet completed the corresponding tasks just took the opportunity to complete the tasks. "

  The Archduke Effiero revealed his fortune with everyone calmly, causing representatives from all parties to look at each other in blank dismay.

  The war ended ahead of schedule, and everyone was naturally not consumed to the point of exhaustion, but it is true that poverty is true.

  In order to silence the opponents, the Minister of Military Affairs directly sent the "planned construction model", or in other words, he was continuing the kingdom's wartime economic model.

  The material resources and manpower needed to build the defense line were requisitioned by the kingdom free of charge in an apportionment model, and the cost naturally came down.

  The only thing that needs to be tested is the kingdom's organizational ability. However, the Alpha Kingdom has mobilized twice in the past five years, and the kingdom's organizational ability is at its peak.

  As long as everyone is determined to do it, they will be able to build the Near East line of defense. The only problem is the time it takes.

  Seeing that everyone was still silent, Caesar IV stood up slowly and walked among the officials.

   "You all have no hesitation, just think about your own calculations, don't forget the kingdom's current strategic situation.

  The reason why the southern border can be stable is because we have deterred the elves and let them know that they will have to pay a painful price for invading the kingdom!

  Once this deterrence disappears, do you think elves really love peace, or do you think that the alien alliance is a harmless slime?

   There will be no problems with the defense line in the Near East, and there will be no problems with all the borders of the kingdom. If there is a loss in the Near East, all the borders of the kingdom will become war zones.

  With the kingdom's current military strength, it is simply impossible to support multi-line operations, and it is still fighting against enemies stronger than us.

   Fantasy to deal with the enemy on one front first, let's get rid of this unreliable idea as soon as possible!

  I have decided that in the next five to ten years, the Kingdom will devote all its efforts to building a defense line in the Near East. The big deal is that there will be a few more years of hard life, and it's not like I haven't experienced it.

  From now on, until the construction of the Near East Line is completed, the royal family will donate all annuities, and the palace expenses should be kept simple.

  You also set an example for the nobles below, save as much as you can in normal times, and put an end to extravagance and waste.

   Don't think this is pointless!

  If we don't put all our efforts into building the Near East line of defense, how can the nobles below who have been entrusted to the Near East region develop with peace of mind.

  If the next orc invasion breaks out, and the defense line in the Near East is like paper and is smashed by the enemy, then everyone will die together!

  I don’t think the Alien Alliance would mind, destroying the last two human nations in the Northern Continent, thus forming a strategic pattern of confrontation between the north and the south with the human race! "

  The sudden outburst of Caesar IV startled all the ministers.

  The resolute side made them seem to have returned to the illusion of the era of Caesar III. It is completely two extremes from the previous king who was suppressed by his officials.

   A little startled, Hudson was the first to react. The reason why Caesar IV backed down on military issues earlier was that everyone did not support him.

  A king without the support of his ministers is a rubber stamp in itself. The current situation is obviously different, not only with the support of the provinces in northern Xinjiang, but also with the help of officials in the DPRK and China and the military.

   Such a good opportunity, it would be a pity if you don't take the opportunity to build your prestige.

  Switched to Hudson to deal with it, but also to use the problem to take advantage of the opportunity to reshape the majesty of the kingship.

   "Your Majesty is right. It is imperative to build a defense line in the Near East. The Kingdom must not take this issue lightly!"

   After a moment of stunned effort, the governors of the northern Xinjiang provinces expressed their support.

  The sudden reversal of the situation made all the southern governors doubt the plan to establish a province in the Near East.

  The provinces of northern Xinjiang, the royal family, and the court can be combined to dominate the government. If more representatives come out, it will be even worse.

  (end of this chapter)