Chapter 21: Nicosia (2)
“Take the initiative? Are you crazy, Matthew! Right now, our forces are not even enough for defense—how can we possibly take the initiative? Do you really think the Iron Cross Army already has the strength to confront the orcs head-on? That’s absurd!” Even the usually calm Minister of Internal Affairs couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
Seeing that His Majesty the King was also looking at him with doubt, the officer in fine robes hurriedly explained, “No, Tez, you’ve misunderstood me. What I mean is that we shouldn’t passively defend within our own territory; instead, we should go out and defend actively. Now that Mellen, Main, and Susor have been destroyed, although most of their fortresses in the north have been ruined, some fortresses in the south and near our borders remain intact. But due to the fall of the country, the soldiers in these fortresses have scattered. We can take control of these fortresses—first, to extend our defense lines beyond our country’s borders, and second, to show the three kingdoms that our defensive operations abroad are actually meant to protect their safety. From this perspective, we can also have those kingdoms cover the costs of the army. In that way, all the expenses for the Iron Cross Army would be covered.”
The officer’s explanation made both the elder and the Minister of Internal Affairs’ eyes light up. This was indeed a good idea—it would effectively strengthen border defenses, train the army, and even allow them to demand military funding from the central three kingdoms (city-states). What a win-win situation—why not go for it?
“Matthew, Tez, you two go down and discuss the feasibility of this with Parker. If it’s feasible, proceed immediately. I believe the kingdom’s army is too weak now. Relying solely on border guards to defend the frontiers is no longer sufficient, especially with the orcs’ increasingly fierce attacks. I think it’s necessary to change our military structure.”
The old man’s words made the officer in fine clothes and the Minister of the Interior feel uneasy. The formation of the Iron Cross Corps was something unprecedented in recent decades. If the army were to be expanded further, it would mean the kingdom would form a third corps—the Blue Dove Corps. The last time the Blue Dove Corps was established was over a hundred years ago, during a full-scale war with the kingdom’s southwestern neighbors. Forming the Blue Dove Corps would signal to all the people of the kingdom that it was in a state of emergency and needed to mobilize for war, which would have a significant impact on the entire population. No one could say for sure what negative consequences this might bring.
“Your Majesty, once the Iron Cross Corps is fully trained, I believe it will be able to deal with the orcs’ provocations. If we expand the army further, it will likely strain our finances even more, and it will also give neighboring countries, especially some in the alliance, an excuse to claim we are aggressive. Such public opinion would be very unfavorable to us,” said Tez after careful consideration, feeling he should express his opinion for the king’s reference.
“Matthew, what’s your opinion?” The old man did not respond to his own Minister of the Interior’s view but instead turned the question to the officer in fine clothes.
“Uh, Your Majesty, I would like to know whether the purpose of expanding the army is solely to deal with the orcs or if there are other intentions. If it’s just for the orcs, my opinion is the same as Lord Tez’s. If Your Majesty has other plans, I dare not speak rashly,” said the officer in fine clothes, speaking in a very tactful and careful manner.
The Minister of the Interior seemed to pick up some clues from the officer’s words as well. His eyes sparkled, and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but then seemed to remember something and swallowed his words, fixing his gaze on the old man.
“Tez, since there are only the three of us here, you explain the problems and dangers the kingdom is facing. I think this might help us understand the current situation better and determine what measures we need to take.” The old man ignored the opinions of the other two and abruptly changed the subject.
The Minister of the Interior was momentarily stunned, then quickly regained his composure, organized his thoughts, and after a while, slowly said, “There are currently three main problems and difficulties facing the kingdom. First is, of course, the continuous military attacks by the orcs in the north, which are intensifying. This forces the kingdom to strengthen its military forces to defend against the orc threat, but it also leads to a negative issue: severe overexpenditure on military affairs, causing financial difficulties. Second, several major lords within the country feign compliance while secretly resisting the ‘Utrecht Edict’ issued by the kingdom, preventing the kingdom from achieving its financial targets and weakening the central authority of the kingdom. In the long run, this may even pose a greater threat than the orcs. Third, the dispute between the Church of Light and the kingdom over religious preaching rights within the kingdom persists, continuing to strain relations between the Church of Light and the kingdom, as well as affecting the kingdom’s relations with some countries in the Western Alliance. At present, it seems to have not affected the kingdom’s operations, but it cannot be ignored, especially since the power struggle between the major lords and the central government has not yet been resolved. The attitude of the Church of Light is quite important and requires our close attention.”
“Combined, these three issues suggest that the operation of the kingdom’s government has already been affected to some extent by these adverse factors, and in certain situations, the situation becomes quite serious,” the Minister of the Interior added, feeling that his explanation might not have been precise or clear enough.
“Teyz, regarding the first issue, I believe Matthew will handle it for me. As for the second issue, do you have any better solutions?” Perhaps because only his two most trusted ministers were present, the old man’s expression gradually turned gloomy and cold, and his questioning became increasingly direct and blunt.
“Your Majesty, the issue of the great lords cannot be resolved overnight. They occupy the richest lands in the kingdom. According to my investigations, the great lords and the lesser lords under their control have seized more than three-fifths of the kingdom’s lands—most of which are the most fertile farmlands, forests, mines, ports, docks, and cities. The wealth they derive from these lands far exceeds the kingdom’s treasury revenues. Yet they still complain to Your Majesty about their poverty, delaying the payment of taxes owed to the treasury, and even resisting the Utrecht Regulations that have been in effect for years. Meanwhile, the royal government must spend heavily on military expenses to defend the kingdom from foreign invasions. Your Majesty, you should see how extravagant the lives of these great lords and some of the lords under them are. While we tighten our belts to raise military funds, while our soldiers fight bravely on the northern borders, and while our officials go months without receiving their meager salaries, those men indulge in a life of luxury and debauchery.”
Seizing that His Majesty the King intended to use this opportunity to resolve all problems, the Minister of the Interior spoke without his usual caution. Although using military force was not the best solution, having a strong military force would at least allow the royal government to pose a significant psychological threat to the great lords. In many cases, having certain advantages often suffices to resolve issues, especially when dealing with those who are feisty on the outside but weak on the inside.
“Just look at their behavior in Versailles. The night before last, Count Poninsky lost two hundred thousand gold shields in a gambling game with Marquis Hataki and Viscount Tholon. Yet the next day, Count Poninsky bought a diamond collar worth sixty thousand gold shields for his new mistress, and spent twenty-three thousand gold shields on a mink coat made from mink fur from the Mogan Wasteland for her. Yesterday, Marquis Bremen lost two hundred fifty thousand gold shields in a deer-hunting competition with Duke Zelin, while Duke Zelin lost four hundred thousand gold shields by placing wrong bets on horse races.” The Minister of the Interior had detailed information, and a series of astonishing figures poured out of his mouth. “And that’s not all. Philip’s nephew, Viscount Devon, wanted the wife of Baron Rom from the Evan region, so he paid Baron Rom fifty thousand gold shields to allow his wife to accompany Viscount Devon on a vacation to Lake Sinai.”
Even though he had long heard about the corrupt and extravagant lifestyles of these lords within his kingdom, the old man was still shocked by the detailed account given by his minister of internal affairs. The degree of luxury and indulgence among these lords was beyond his belief—these very people would go to great lengths to obstruct his tax collectors from collecting taxes, even for mere tens or thousands of gold shields, yet they spent lavishly on gambling and women without hesitation. This stark contrast left him at a loss for words to express his anger.
The officer in fine clothes beside him was equally shocked by his colleague’s description. The authority of the kingdom’s central government was clearly seen by these people as worthless trash; they could squander huge sums of money recklessly but refused to pay their due taxes to support the soldiers fighting foreign invasions at the northern borders. Such outrageous behavior was a profound desecration of the heroic sacrifices made by those soldiers for the kingdom.
“Tayz, are these words truly true?” The old man took several heavy breaths, his face turning extremely grim. It was clear that the minister’s words had had a profound impact on him. These noble lords were not only corrupt and degenerate but also engaged in behaviors so vile that even he, who was generally tolerant of private lives, could not accept them. Acts like openly using money to buy another noble’s wife’s chastity would undoubtedly destroy the common people’s respect and goodwill toward the noble class—something utterly intolerable.
“Your Majesty, I am accustomed to such phenomena; they happen day and night. Many officials in the kingdom’s central government are equally indulgent and corrupt, living in reckless pleasure. However, I prefer not to comment much on the nobles’ private lives, as it is not within my responsibilities. But from the amount of money these lords spend, it is evident how much they cherish a luxurious lifestyle, and in contrast, their contribution to the kingdom seems minuscule. This situation must and should be changed.” The minister gradually regained his composure, his views becoming more focused. “However, I believe that relying solely on military means is not the best approach. The lords have intricate interests tied to the kingdom’s central government—changing one thing can affect everything. I suggest using a multi-pronged strategy to gradually weaken the authority of these powerful lords, first by preventing them from controlling their subordinate lords, then taking control of those subordinate lords’ territories back under the kingdom’s rule, and finally dealing with the powerful lords themselves.”
Seemingly understanding his Home Minister’s strategy, the old man blinked meaningfully, nodded, and smiled, saying, “Is that Caucasus boy the seed you chose?”
“Your Majesty is wise. This seed is excellent—he not only holds a deep-seated hatred for Philip but also possesses ambition and talent. Only with these two qualities can he even compete with Philip. These 150,000 refugees are the first batch of fertilizer I’ve provided for this seed. Only by absorbing this nourishment can it grow strong enough to hurt Philip. And once this seed takes root in people’s hearts, no one will be able to control it. I think we should cultivate more such seeds.” A sinister smile appeared on his gaunt face, looking utterly out of place, like the knowing grin of a fox when it spots its prey in its grasp.
“Will this guy cause us trouble in the future?” The king might be deeply troubled by these lords who were outside the kingdom’s central control, so he was very cautious.
“Your Majesty, to be honest, that country bumpkin is quite cunning and resourceful. But his territory is a barren land thousands of miles away, bordered by the Abyssal Sea where pirates thrive, inhabited by barbarians to the south, and bordered by that guy Poninsky’s territory—Leon—to the north, and the vast marshlands along the Catalonia River to the west. No matter what he does, at most he can stir up trouble around Leon. Not only is it far from the kingdom’s lands, but it’s also separated by Philip and Zelin’s territories. If he can really provoke both Philip and Zelin, that would be exactly what we want. I’m just afraid he lacks the ability and courage.” Teyz had clearly conducted thorough research on the environment around the Caucasus before choosing Komer as his first seed. “Your Majesty, I believe once this seed takes root, it will grow into a thorn that will plague Philip and others, including Poninsky, causing them great distress.”
“Teyz, you’re exaggerating a bit. Just the Caucasus, even with over a hundred thousand refugees, probably can’t pose any threat to the entire Homer region under Philip’s control. The gap in strength between them is too huge.” The officer in fine clothes beside him finally understood whom the two were talking about, but he wasn’t interested; he was more concerned with military matters.
“Hehe, Matthew, I didn’t say to have Caucasus confront the entire Homer region. I only hope that Caucasus becomes the first seed of rebellion in the Homer region. The kingdom might as well encourage this phenomenon, openly or secretly, which will trigger a domino effect. If these small lords want to challenge the great lords, they will inevitably turn to the kingdom’s central authority, which suits our interests. When all the great lords are gradually abandoned by the small lords, that will be the end of those great lords. In the end, the kingdom will become a collection of small territories under unified control by the central authority, with no territory having the strength or power to resist it. Achieving uniform governance throughout the kingdom is our ultimate goal.” Tez’s eyes sparkled with hope—this was the best governance model he envisioned for the kingdom. As for whether it could be achieved, only by trying would they know.
The old man was clearly intrigued by the minister of internal affairs’ plan. If the large lordly territories could indeed be divided into many smaller ones, those small lords would naturally be unable to resist the powerful central kingdom. The reason these great lords dared to challenge the central government was their strong political, economic, and military power, which made the central government hesitant to act rashly—especially during orc invasions, when it even had to rely on their support and assistance.
“Since you’re so confident, Tez, go ahead and do it. I hope you can give me a surprise when the time comes.” The old man finally nodded in agreement. “Besides, I have another question. That kid from Caucasus is said to be involved in the death of Mage Melon. What exactly happened?”
“I’m not very sure either. It seems Onia suspected he had magical skills, so she went to visit him, but it seems she gained nothing, as Onia left peacefully in the end. As for the details, I didn’t ask further, and Onia didn’t seem eager to publicize it either.” Tez shrugged his thin shoulders, a strange smile on his face. “If it really is this small lord who did it, things will get really interesting. A small lord has managed to bring trouble to the kingdom. This kid has already been entangled with Princess Tracy, the daughter of Philip, whom Prince Hoffman admires. These days, he’s also getting quite close to Princess Kakiya. I’m really worried that if he stays in Versailles any longer, he might really disrupt the upper echelons of our kingdom.”
Hearing the Home Minister mention his family affairs again, the old man frowned and casually changed the subject: “Tez, you need to pay attention to the interactions between the orcs and the various countries within the Northern Alliance to see if there’s anything strange about them. I always feel that the arrival of these siege engines is too suspicious. And have you noticed that in recent years, the orcs seem to favor countries and city-states east of the Ural River and the Ural Mountains? This trend is becoming increasingly obvious. We need to thoroughly investigate the reasons behind it.” The old man’s words sent shock through the other two, making their backs feel cold. What did His Majesty’s words imply? There seemed to be too many hidden meanings behind this.