Chapter 120 Saint Ann's conspiracy
After the Duke of South Carleton entered the desert, he was in a bad mood.
Poor, and I am used to the humid climate in the south. The dry wind blows in the desert and I feel uncomfortable all over, and even have nosebleeds.
He has been clothed and clothed all his life, and he still has such a large family to support. He eats and drinks every day, and his expenses are like flowing water.
Although the territory is not small and the income is not small, the untouchables have been squeezed and squeezed, and they still can't satisfy the family's rising expenses...
With such pressure, coupled with his greed, the Duke of South Carleton risked everything, thinking of making a wave of national calamity by hoarding grain.
As a result, because of Mokela's sudden birth, the price of food in the empire plummeted after being raised, and his chances of making a fortune were slim.
By helping the Tianming Army with missions, the Duke of South Carleton gained a fortune, which he used to maintain and increase his position at the bottom of the valley, and then join forces with the nobles to put pressure on Queen Yongye to ban Mokela, a harmful thing.
It's a pity that the alliance of the nobles failed. Instead, everyone was forcibly suppressed by Empress Yongye, and there was an extra Night Guard on top of their heads.
Facing such a tough Queen Eternal Night, the nobles began to show their magical powers, fleeing, becoming independent, surrendering, and watching...
The only impossible thing is to unite and toughen up the queen.
The collective pleading at the triumphant celebration was their brightest moment, a swan song performed by thinking that the law doesn't punish the public...
Then they died.
The Duke of South Carleton fled in time, and everything went well in the early stage until he encountered a bandit, and the wealth he had accumulated over the past century was completely emptied, and now he only had carloads of food left in his hands...
The good news is that you can't die from starvation, and the bad news is that you can't die from starvation...
However, food in this era is also a hard currency. There is no problem that the same rice can be eaten by the imperial people, but the orcs will not eat it.
After successfully leaving the country and arriving in a beautiful country without Mokela, the Duke of South Carleton believed that he still had a chance to turn around by selling food.
If the old social circle of the Duke of South Carleton is still there, and if he chats with other escaped nobles, he may find that they are not the only ones who have encountered gangsters.
If they can realize this, they will know that there is something wrong with the professional who helped them arrange the route.
Some people are eating up their last value bit by bit in batches, and they must not be allowed to leave comfortably.
It's a pity that the catastrophe is imminent, the nobles have already flown separately, and have no time to communicate with each other. They can only ask for blessings, and attribute the encounters on the border to "bad luck".
In the future, there will be no chance to have a ball to reminisce about the old days, and then I realize that this is a farewell ceremony prepared by Margaret for them...
From a certain point of view, even if they live, they will not be able to take revenge on Margaret. Not knowing why they were robbed will help the nobles have peace of mind.
If there is a loss, there must be a gain, although not everyone needs this kind of "gain".
Following the Duke of South Carneton's march to the depths of the desert, he found that after the defeat, the orcs were indeed short of food and clothing.
There are still countless opportunities to sell food that cannot be sold at a high price in the empire, on the side of the orcs.
The Duke of South Carleton looked at the rising grain prices, his heart fluttered, and he inevitably began to hesitate to sell them again.
He wants to sell more slowly, wait for the price to rise, strive to make enough money, and then take the whole family to the Elf Empire for retirement, enjoying the taste of an elf girl as an extra.
Just as the days were getting better and better, the Duke of South Carleton heard that Grand Duke Fergus had established the Alliance of Free Principalities.
Then, within two hours of announcing its establishment, it was cleaned out by the Night Guard.
"This stupid old pervert thinks he can beat the queen?"
The Duke of South Carleton smiled mockingly, thanking himself for running fast.
Although saving Empress Yongye's life is bragging, he has indeed fought with Empress Yongye and knows the fighting power of that woman very well.
The strength gap between the two sides cannot be compared to these domestic nobles, who only held together for warmth.
So it was both wise and lucky for me to choose to flee secretly.
Although the environment is a bit difficult, at least the whole family's life can be saved, and they can also make a lot of money by the way!
As the saying goes, having fun while suffering; he has had a miserable life recently, but knowing that others have had a worse life than himself, he has gained considerable psychological comfort.
Not long after the news of the defeat of the southern nobles came, the Duke of South Carleton heard another piece of good news from the orcs:
A new Beastman King Tent is rising.
The powerful new king is preparing to unite more orc tribes to establish a country of orcs against the tyranny of Ivy.
The orc king called on the orcs who were constantly fighting to put down their blood feud and unite. Under the protection of the Goddess of War, they ushered in precious freedom and strength for the orcs.
Judging from these reactions, it is obvious that the orcs will make big moves.
The Duke of South Carleton suddenly became active.
The big move this year is to fight, and if you want to fight, you need food and grass.
Now the orc tribe is impoverished. This orc king is ambitious enough, and there is a high probability that he will sell the food and grass in his hands at a premium as a trump card to command those poor tribes.
At the same time, if the orc king needs it, the Duke of South Carleton doesn't mind exchanging some information about the empire for more wealth.
For a businessman like him, war means opportunity. As long as the other party can set a high price, there is nothing that cannot be sold.
After inquiring about the location of the new orc king's tent from the orcs who knew the news, the Duke of South Carleton ordered the convoy to turn around and chase after the new orc king.
He is quite proud at the moment, feeling that his ability to manage the territory may be mediocre, but his level of business, speculation, and grasping opportunities is top-notch in the world.
No, it's a superclass♪(^∇^*)
...
...
Fergus Castle.
Roger was sitting in the luxuriously decorated meeting room of Grand Duke Fergus, his body nestled into a comfortable leather sofa, and he was meeting several distinguished guests:
Empress Yongye and her two prime ministers.
The core members of the Alliance of Free Principalities were arrested at the speed of light, and the other nobles were either arrested or fled. The empire won a complete victory.
However, without the noble lords, a large area of land in the south of the empire fell into a short-term power vacuum.
Roger controlled the Night Guard temporarily in the form of a military government, directly governing the aristocratic territory, arresting the remaining aristocrats, and restoring production order, but this is not a long-term solution.
The management of the vacant territories, due to the lack of a large number of nobles, is an important matter that Empress Yongye must decide on as soon as possible.
The tradition, of course, was to entrust new nobles to manage these lands.
However, instead of respecting tradition, the queen used a series of tricks to make the nobles recognize reality and establish the authority of her majesty.
A new change is imperative. The Ivy Empire has reached the eve of change and will enter a brand new stage in the future to fully complete the process of the industrialization of magic.
The industrial revolution is also a revolution, its essence was unlike the smooth-sailing nature of regular technological progress and the establishment of factories.
Such a major event that changes the world cannot be triggered naturally if the technology is enough, otherwise, the developed production and business environment in the south of Danang may continue to survive.
The revolution of the industry requires a suitable system, a suitable social atmosphere, sufficient wealth accumulation, and a bit of luck to complete the transformation from an agricultural country to an industrial country.
And the process is not beautiful and romantic, but the most barbaric side of civilization.
Capitalism continuously conquered colonies and established bloody regimes, carrying out slavery, creating large numbers of child laborers, and sacrificing several generations before it broke the traditional living and farming model of the past thousand years and finally completed the global industrialization system. Productivity increased by hundreds, or even thousands, of times.
Before the end of the revolution, no matter which continent it was, more than 95% of the population was scattered across the countryside. The concentration of people required by a labor force needed to drive industrial production led to the birth of more modern metropolises.
The empire wanted to complete within ten years what took hundreds of years to complete on earth, so there must be no hesitation in making every choice and seizing every opportunity.
Empress Eternal Night doesn't need to understand Roger's many considerations. She just dislikes the current noble enfeoffment system from the bottom of her heart.
It was hard for her to get rid of a group of nobles, exile a group, and gather a group. She can't lift them again and make herself unhappy.
After Roger's impassioned speech, Empress Eternal Night first determined the general policy for the future path of the empire:
"The era when I will directly manage the entire empire must come."
Margaret didn't care. It could even be said that she was very happy. She supported all the queen's decisions.
She is an orphan, and she was awarded a title because of her achievements. She doesn't have much sense of identity with the aristocratic system in her heart, and she doesn't think that her title is a natural honor, an excellent bloodline, etc...
The most she could do was to compare her titles with others, and then she found out that Roger was also a marquess, Angelina was a duke, and everyone in the Charles family had a higher title than her, which was disgusting and dazzling.
Angelina remained silent with worry on her face.
She understood the reasons Roger stated, and also felt His Majesty's determination, but after all, she had to think a little more, worrying about the chain reaction of such strides forward.
Can the empire withstand such turmoil? Can the subsequent transfer of power be successfully undertaken?
In the view of the Right Prime Minister, this is a brand-new system unprecedented in history and without any reference, and every step is a trial on the edge of a cliff.
If one is not careful, he may fall into the abyss and be lost forever.
If it was the past, she would suggest that His Majesty take a more gentle policy, boiling frogs in warm water to weaken the power of the nobles step by step, instead of directly directing the imperial power to the state.
I'm afraid that even the people at the bottom will not be able to quickly accept such a change. They will have doubts about the sudden disappearance of aristocratic rule and find it difficult to adapt.
But at this moment, the one discussing this issue is Her Majesty whom she is loyal to, and the younger brother she brought up with her own hands.
No matter how much Angelina doubts him, she couldn't tear down her younger brother.
On the contrary, in the process of implementation, it is necessary to eliminate the influence as much as possible for the proposer of my brother...
Otherwise, everyone would not dare to directly oppose the Queen of Eternal Night, but if there is a slight difference, Roger may encounter the scene of being opposed again, which is even more spectacular than the scene of the triumphant celebration.
Those who are determined to change have always been difficult to end well.
[So, my sister is still useful, right? 】
Angelina's expression gradually became resolute. This time His Majesty brought himself to discuss with her, which relieved her previous discomfort of being ignored a lot.
She was absent from too many key decisions before, but this time she was able to participate and contribute her strength.
At least, she is still "needed".
Angelina took the initiative to suggest, "Nobles are still valuable to the empire, and their abilities are worthy of recognition. As long as they can guarantee their loyalty and don't reserve certain privileges and wealth for the territory, they can also contribute to the construction of the empire."
"But people's hearts are the most unpredictable. With power in their hands, it is difficult to avoid corruption. How can we guarantee their loyalty?" Empress Yongye asked back.
"Magic."
"A Jie, you know what I know. If I were willing to use magical means to forcibly control others, would there still be these bad people and things?"
"Your Majesty, what if the nobles signed the contract voluntarily?" Angelina showed a confident smile, "Politics is the exchange of interests, depriving them of territorial rights, but giving them personal glory, power, and longevity, such compromises and concessions, It’s so hard for them to take it, it’s human nature."
Margaret objected, "We have an absolute advantage, why should we compromise with those pigs?"
Angelina just smiled faintly, "Because the current territory of the empire is too large, if you, Mrs. Margaret, can handle all the affairs of nearly a hundred provinces by yourself, then you don't need these nobles."
"I, I, I... I'm a military expert!" Margaret turned her face away and stopped arguing with Angelina about internal affairs.
Angelina said softly, "Your Majesty, I propose that you sign an oath of glory with the nobles, use your limited longevity as a lure, add the spiritual hint of putting the empire first, and create a new land without territorial rights but still retaining glory." Noble class. In this way, His Majesty can directly govern the empire, while retaining the loyalty of the nobles."
Roger looked at his sister. At this time, she was not the saint Ann, but the devil who controlled people's hearts.
Immortality is impossible to achieve, but with the power of a magician, there are many ways to prolong life.
It doesn't have much effect on a strong person like the queen, but for ordinary people and low-level professionals, such means are rare and precious.
If, as Angelina said, a magical ritual to prolong life is constructed, the price is to regard the empire as the most sacred and important thing in their hearts. I believe that the nobles will be willing to accept it after hesitation.
After all, they have been driven to a dead end, and suddenly there is such a choice that they can retain their glory, power, and wealth for a limited time, and live for a long time. This is a decent temptation.
And after such a "glory oath", the empire gained territorial control and a group of absolutely loyal administrative officials.
When they have dedicated themselves to their posts for some time and won the love of the people, the false glory may also become real.
Maybe in a few years, the people of the empire will completely change their view of the nobles, thinking that they are public servants of the people and deserve the word "noble" as a matter of course.
This is indeed a highly feasible solution that can achieve a win-win situation.
At the same time, it is also an upright conspiracy. Only after the careful thinking of those nobles can they come up with such a strategy.
Empress Yongye pondered for a while, then looked at Luo Jie, "What do you think, Ai Qing?"
"What the right minister said is a clever plan that I can never think of myself."
"Then it will be dealt with like this. The secret law will cooperate with the right minister to complete the details of the oath of glory, allowing the existence of a new noble class."
With Roger's affirmation, Empress Eternal Night decided to copy Angelina's homework this time.
I am a good queen who is wise, martial, and kind~
