The King

  Chapter 349 Power Change

  The deal was concluded, the meeting was over, and Hudson, who was on his way home, could only forcefully suppress the joy in his heart and put on a bitter face in front of everyone.

  Looking at the high-spirited Earl Pierce, who kept pointing the country along the way, he couldn't help wanting to beat someone up.

  Hudson's complexion is not good, let alone the mood of his subordinates. This wave of "repayment tax" apportionment, the southeastern province has taken over the bulk.

  After much deliberation, in addition to Earl Pierce's proposed repayment of 6 million principal, the shortfall in bond interest paid by the finance department will also be apportioned to the repayment tax.

  The final total amount of "repayment tax" was fixed at 9.37 million gold coins. A total of 1.3 million gold coins were apportioned to the southeast province, accounting for nearly 14%.

  Such a high proportion of undertakings is short of engraved on the head-"take advantage of"!

   Obviously, it is not easy to be taken advantage of in any world. The repayment tax of 1.3 million in the southeastern province will be shared by the nobles of the 15 counties in the province.

  Except for Earl Pierce's younger brothers who can still laugh, the expressions of the others are not very good.

  Especially the little nobles who were already in financial difficulties, their faces were even more gloomy and terrifying at the moment, as if their parents had died.

  People who are in a good mood get together to chat and chat, and those who are in a bad mood get together to complain to each other, and soon the team becomes two distinct waves.

   Seeing several mid-level nobles in the province join Earl Pierce's team one after another, Hudson immediately realized that something was wrong.

  The situation was very obvious. Earl Pierce obviously realized how much hatred he had done, and took action in advance to win over the powerful factions in the province.

  Different from emerging aristocrats who need to spend a lot of money on construction, established aristocrats only need to operate the fief step by step, and they don’t need much capital.

   Even if they pay an extra repayment tax now, the impact on them is very limited, nothing more than feeling a little uncomfortable.

  With the influence of the Dalton family, it couldn't be easier to appease everyone. Maybe they will not only lose money, but also have a chance to make a fortune.

   For example: acquiescing to some of their small actions.

   Everyone bears the economic loss together, and the worst must be the little nobles at the bottom. Otherwise, there will be a bunch of unlucky people who will fall into the family because of financial bankruptcy.

   This is the opportunity!

   It is impossible to wantonly annex the land, but with the cooperation of the Governor's Mansion, there is still hope for taking one or two knight collars.

   Especially at this moment, Caesar III's physical condition is worrying, and the kingship may change at any time, and the probability of taking advantage is even greater.

  As far as Hudson knows, most of the land mergers within the Alpha Kingdom in the past hundred years have occurred during the period of kingship change.

  Generally speaking, the lower the prestige of the new monarch, the longer it takes to control the court, the greater the appetite of the nobles.

   Straightening his mind, Hudson's original idea of ​​taking the opportunity to win over the nobles in the province was instantly dispelled.

   Not everyone is eligible to participate in the feast of land annexation. As an emerging nobleman, the Koslow family has not even digested the results of the current battle, and it is easy to fall into the target of public criticism if they engage in land annexation.

  From the standpoint of the family, I can't engage in land annexation to strengthen my strength. The best choice is to let the southeastern province maintain the status quo first.

   There is no doubt that the strategy of the Koslow family is contrary to the interests of the veteran nobles in the province.

   Talking is not speculative, let alone a conflict of interests. Doomed not to be a one-way person, running to win people's hearts is a waste of effort.

   The little nobles below seem to be easy to win over, and their interests are also in line with the Koslow family's strategy. Unfortunately, this group is too complicated.

  There are salted fish nobles who want to maintain the status quo; there are also enterprising nobles who are waiting for the death of Caesar III, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

  The situation of the salted fish nobles is usually not very good.

   Their own strength is very limited, and they cannot withstand the wind and rain. Just surviving consumes all their efforts, and there is no soil for breeding ambitions.

  If we really win over, we don't know how much strength we can increase, but the burden it will bring is heavy.

  Not to mention the latter, the Koslow family a few years ago was an enterprising little nobleman, who directly used the system to force his children to continue to forge ahead.

   Accepting such an aggressive younger brother, you can know it without thinking, and there will definitely be troubles in the future.

   As long as the younger brothers match their own strength and ambition, that’s fine. What I’m most afraid of is encountering a few scammers with high eyesight and low power, which will bring bad luck to the boss.

   After making up his mind to wait and see the situation first, Hudson complained about everyone's complaints, and he didn't have the mind to pay attention to it.

  However, the new younger brother may not be accepted, but the younger brother who has already been recruited has to be taken care of.

  The nobles who are now mixed with the Koslow family are mainly composed of two parts.

   Part of him followed Hudson to fight the world. He was used to his rise and rise, and he had too much confidence in him as the boss, so he defected here without thinking.

  The roots of these people may not necessarily be deep, but they eat meat and drink soup with Hudson all the way. Whether it is military strength or their own financial resources, they are all top-notch among the minor nobles.

  The other part of the younger brothers are old relatives and friends in the past, and the little nobles who just completed the marriage not long ago.

   After the rise of Hudson, it is impossible to marry the Koslow family without any family background. The little nobles who are poor and white cannot catch the eyes of the big nobles.

   Now those who are really in difficulty and need financial help are only a small number of unlucky ones among relatives and friends.

  Due to various reasons, he perfectly missed the road to Hudson's rise and failed to catch a bowl of broth.

  …

   "Master Earl, shall we let the governor do whatever he wants?"

   A familiar voice rang from his ears, interrupting the thoughts in Hudson's mind.

   "Kately, you are too impatient. The game has just begun, why bother with it?

  This time, we may not really suffer. Everyone paid more together, and the Dalton family needed to spend the most gold coins among the nobles in the province.

  The family background of the veteran nobles is indeed rich, but it is also accumulated by the ancestors for countless years. According to Earl Pierce's current tossing method, it is impossible for the Dalton family to have no opinions.

   One or two losses, everyone can still take the overall situation into consideration. Once the number of losses increases, it will be difficult to say.

  But you have a point. If we let it go completely, people might think we are afraid of him.

   This is good, let someone release the news, and say: Earl Pierce knows everyone’s suffering, if you have no money, you can go to the Dalton family to borrow it! "

   Hudson said with a sneer.

   "My lord, a rumor may not have much effect. The Dalton family is deeply rooted in the southeastern province, and ordinary minor nobles dare not provoke him at all.

   Unless we take the lead in the dark, organize the nobles in the province to fight against him and refuse to pay the repayment tax.

  However, there is also a serious problem. Once things become serious, the kingdom will definitely be disturbed. In order to raise funds for debt repayment, there is a high probability that various domestic forces will require us to continue to fulfill our tax obligations! "

   Baron Kettley said worriedly.

   Glancing at the little brother in front of him, Hudson doubted very much whether he had raised someone for nothing, and then he understood.

  Kately's ability is indeed not bad, but after a series of blows, his confidence has long been wiped out, without the original arrogance and drive.

  If you start your own business, this change is catastrophic. But as a younger brother, it's better not to be too ambitious.

   "What you're talking about is just the normal situation. Humans are the most complicated creatures. Once pushed, they can do anything.

   There is no need for them to go to war with the Dalton family. We only need to gather a group of small nobles who are financially bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy at the critical moment, and run to the gate of the Governor's Mansion to cry poorly.

   It is difficult to find the governor, these are official business. Our Governor Pierce is a responsible aristocrat, because of him, everyone's life is difficult, so we can't let it go! "

   Hudson said mockingly.

  These are inconspicuous little tricks, but at critical moments, they can make Earl Pierce in a hurry.

  If you don’t help, it will affect your reputation if you spread the word;

  In order to win over a bunch of shabby people to settle down and offend the powerful factions in the province, no matter how you look at it, it is a blood loss.

  …

  In the royal capital, Caesar III, who was supporting himself after sending away all the nobles in the country, lay down.

  Originally, everyone was called this time, and there was another task-to formally confer meritorious officials in the war.

  It's a pity that Caesar III's body couldn't hold on and he couldn't preside over the ceremony. Simply use the kingdom system: conferring nobles once every five years as an excuse.

   Counting the days, it has been less than half a year since the last noble canonization, and it will be five years. Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing will be done together to save everyone another trip.

  However, the rules can be changed. Anyway, the actual benefits have been obtained, and now the only difference is a ceremony. No one wants to compete with the king on this small issue.

   After all, dying people are not easy to mess with!

  No one can guarantee that the current Caesar III can always remain rational. If he accidentally provoked him into a panic, and he insisted on dragging the early bird to meet the Lord of Dawn with his name behind him, wouldn't it be a tragedy?

   "Little Caesar, from now on, all the affairs of the kingdom will be in your hands.

  Since our ancestors founded the Alpha Kingdom, it has been passed down for more than 300 years. During this period, we have survived countless winds and rains.

   Now you have the best Alpha Kingdom and the worst Alpha Kingdom.

  Without the threat of orcs, we can develop wholeheartedly and catch up with several powerful countries in the Southern Continent; but also because of this, the country is no longer united as before.

  The current dispute is just the beginning. As time goes by, the kingdom's internal strife will become more intense.

   Remember one principle: Stability trumps everything.

   On this basis, you have to vigorously develop the royal family's foundation and maintain the balance among the major domestic forces.

  The great nobles are the pillars of the kingdom, but the small and medium nobles are the foundation of the royal family. No matter how the situation develops, they cannot be allowed to carry out land annexation.

  I have already paved the way for you, it is up to you how to go next. All I can do now is to hold on for a few more days and fight for the last time for you.

  Little...Caesar...you...will..."

   In the end, Caesar III couldn't even connect the sentences together, and spit out words intermittently, which made everyone's tears fall straight down.

  Crown Prince Caesar in front of the bed cried even more, but he continued to respond until Caesar III lost consciousness and fell into a coma on the bed.

  The priests and magicians guarding the vicinity hurried forward and poured a bottle of mysterious potion into the mouth of Caesar III.

   "Okay, little Caesar. Your Majesty is tired and needs to rest. You are also an adult, you have to learn to face it yourself.

   Judging from His Majesty's physical condition, he can support it for another three months at most. You must control the court within these three months, and the complete power transfer will be smooth! "

   Archbishop Tyron said with a sad face.

  The most outstanding king of the Alpha Kingdom is coming to the end of his life. No one knows what the next era will be like.

  The people present in the ward at this moment are all members of the royal family. We are all grasshoppers on the same rope, we all prosper and we all lose.

   "Is there any way to make my father live longer? No matter what the price is, no matter what treasure is needed, I will try my best to find it!"

  Crown Prince Caesar said excitedly.

  Father's love is like a mountain, and I don't feel it very much in normal times, but when it's time for life and death, it suddenly becomes prominent.

  The bits and pieces of the past kept reappearing in his mind. Even if he got into trouble and was beaten, it has now become a good memory.

   "Okay, little Caesar. You are the next monarch of the kingdom, don't act like a little girl.

   Your Majesty's body is exhausted, so don't torment him anymore. What you have to do is to take control of the court as soon as possible and let him sleep peacefully. "

  The words of Archbishop Tyrone extinguished the last hope of Crown Prince Caesar. Without his father who can shield him from the wind and rain, he fell into endless hesitation at this moment.

   After a long time, he nodded seriously.

   "Prime Minister, my father has repeatedly explained: If I ask you for advice on political issues, where should I start?"

   It can be seen that Crown Prince Caesar has grown up, but the price of growth is really heavy.

   "Your Highness, the central government has been run by our royal family for hundreds of years, and most of the core important positions are in the hands of the royal family, so there is basically no trouble.

  The real trouble you need to face now is still in the local area.

  In addition to the royal family's jurisdiction, other major provinces are under the control of local nobles, and there are not many places where we can intervene.

  The biggest problem in the previous kingship changes was that the local nobles took the opportunity to annex land. Now the strength of the great nobles in the country is already very strong, and their power cannot be allowed to continue to expand.

  In fact, His Majesty has already left you a countermeasure, which is to use the mutual restraint among the nobles to maintain the balance of the kingdom.

  In the days to come, whoever dares to carry out land mergers will be suppressed! "

  …

   Make up for yesterday

  (end of this chapter)