Chapter 1315 The Time Has Come
Under normal circumstances, the old emperor might have made a show of trying to persuade him to stay, and then let his old friend retire. Even if he can suppress this old man, he still has to consider his successor as emperor. I'm so old, I won't be surprised when I kick my legs. Some posthumous matters need to be arranged in advance.
But when is it now? The Rizal family died in an inexplicable explosion, but the two great duke families were still intact and on the verge of breaking out. At this time, if we withdraw a grand duke and allow the people under the two great nobles to cause trouble, it will not be a chaotic dance of demons!
Thinking again about who caused this chaos, the old emperor glared fiercely and said, "Is this the time to do such a thing!"
"This is the most appropriate time." Ricardo Carvey responded positively to his lifelong friend.
"Convince me." Emperor Armin Kazharnia asked directly without any fear of this old man who was known to be a good fighter.
"Your Majesty, do you know why the big countries in the Lost Lands now enfeoff lords from various places and create batches of nobles?" The old Duke directly asked a question that was beyond his reach.
The old emperor wanted to say that he had done it this way before, so he would do it this way in the future. But in fact, this answer was inaccurate in his mind.
As an emperor, he did not want too many lords that restricted the implementation of his political affairs. Because there are actually many laws and regulations that cannot enter the territory of certain nobles. All he can get from such people is taxes and military service. It seems that this is enough, but it is far from enough for an ambitious emperor.
But this time the emperor didn't answer. Talking about eloquence with a reckless man is simply a waste of the sophisticated skills he has honed over the years of sitting firmly on the throne of the emperor. He just raised his eyebrows and snorted coldly, and Duke Kawei continued talking obediently.
"Actually, I didn't think much about this issue before. Later, after discussing it with a child, I realized that such a system is actually inevitable. To put it simply, it is a matter of efficiency."
Having said this, the old emperor was thoughtful. In fact, he encountered many things more or less during his reign. When it comes to some experiences of success or failure, he has a lot to tell.
But how to summarize it? He has not thought about such a thing now. Perhaps, I have reached the age where I should think about it and tell my heirs.
However, this did not prevent the old emperor from listening to what the person in front of him had to say.
The old Duke continued: "In the past, when the land conquered by a conqueror was large, perhaps the messengers who conveyed the news would have to walk for several months from his core base to the conquered border. If there was a large army, It is not impossible to march for more than half a year. So whether it is daily governance and management, or there is a rebellion, an invasion of foreign enemies on the border, etc., I am afraid it is too late to dispatch everything from the central government. So the best way , is to appoint a person to be responsible for managing and guarding the affairs of the place. This person must also have the power to act expediently to avoid delaying the victory. This is the so-called lord."
Very simple truth. The old emperor could sum up five or six more points and give a long and eloquent speech. However, communications, counterinsurgency and resistance to foreign aggression are indeed key points that cannot be ignored.
But when he mentioned this, Emperor Armin seemed to have a very important thought flashing through his mind, but he couldn't grasp it. This actually made him feel itchy.
"The Point Guard Is Here"
The old Duke tilted his head slightly and lowered his voice and said: "However, in this era, there are forums for transmitting messages, and cars for transporting people and materials. We don't seem to need so many lords, and we can effectively manage various places."
With a sudden spring forward, the old emperor, regardless of maintaining a calm and steady attitude, almost had a cheek-to-cheek look with the old man who had followed him for most of his life. He was still gritting his teeth tightly, his eyes were wide open, his head was flushed, and veins were exposed at his temples. If the old emperor hadn't maintained good health on weekdays, he might have suffered an acute stroke immediately.
There's nothing we can do about it. The old guy in front of me knows his lifelong ambition. Now that he was quietly presented with the possibility of achieving his ambition, he couldn't help but feel excited. After a long while, the emperor finally managed to hold back a sentence: "How to do it?"
The old Duke took his son back a few steps, lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, the guilty minister raised the blood flag high and disturbed the peace of the empire. Now that the enemy is dead, in order to ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness. I am willing to transfer the title and let the eldest son inherit it, and I offer ten manors, as well as various cars and trucks equipped by the two legions. I only hope that Your Majesty will allow the Kawei family to return to the imperial court and die for you."
Marquis Farshed also presented a list, and naturally the imperial guards handed the list to the emperor.
On the list, there are ten manors to be dedicated. It occupies almost a quarter of the territory directly belonging to the Grand Duke of Kawei, and is also the most important grain-producing area, so the old emperor can easily judge its value and area.
It can be said that once these ten manors are donated, it will become an impossible luxury for the Kawei family's territory to achieve food self-sufficiency. You must rely on commercial trade and import enough food from other people to maintain the needs of the people and the army in the territory.
This not only weakens the power of the Kawi family itself, but is also equivalent to handing a major weakness into the hands of others in disguise. At least if the emperor imposes another commercial blockade next time, the Kawi family may have to surrender early if they don't have enough emergency food reserves.
As for the cars and trucks equipped by the two legions, Emperor Armin was even more satisfied.
In this family war, the most frightening weapon of the Kawei family is the vehicles equipped with three legions, which improves mobility to an unprecedented level. The reason why we are preparing to officially start the war in the spring is because the equipment is already available, and there are enough cars and trucks to carry the three legions to the battlefield at any time.
But if the war cannot start, how will these three armies be arranged?
You must know that the Grand Duchy usually does not have a standing army, nor is it allowed to have one. Some are just local garrison troops, ranging from a few hundred to a dozen. The total number of people in all places is only close to ten thousand people, which is approximately equal to the number of people in a legion.
With three legions in hand, this was already a standard wartime mobilization for Duke Kawei. For example, the Rizal family organized more than a dozen legions, which was a crazy number of mobilizations, tapping all the potential of the territory.
Since the war cannot be fought, Duke Kawei certainly cannot continue to maintain the three temporarily mobilized legions. Those who can be demobilized will be demobilized, depending on whether they go home to farm or something else; those who originally belonged to the local garrison will return to the local area, and then the militiamen who fill the garrison vacancies will be disbanded, and each will return to his home.
If we arrange it this way, what will happen to all the large and small cars and trucks?
Oil and seal?
The old Duke can settle accounts.
Ordinary swords, armor, arrows, bows and crossbows can be stored in the armaments warehouse until they are needed and then taken out to equip the army.
However, cars and trucks are being updated and replaced at such a rapid rate that even if the vehicle is not outdated after it is built, if it is stored for a year or two, the technology of the vehicle will have developed into nowhere. Besides, given the current emptiness in the market, storing finished cars in a warehouse is simply a heinous waste.
Then sell them as ordinary cars and trucks?
Duke Kawei ordered the purchase of cars and trucks to equip the legion. Although he still had to pay the automobile center, he still had the privilege to ask the center to design special models for the legion. For example, the steel beams may be thickened, or the personnel carrier may be equipped with some pedals or long benches to facilitate soldiers getting on and off the vehicle.
It would be a pity if these special models of vehicles were sold as ordinary cars and trucks. Although it is helpful to improve the transportation capacity of the overall economy, it would not be a better result if the original design purpose could be maintained.
The Kawei family itself does not have a standing legion, and even the local garrison can only absorb one legion's worth of vehicles. So the remaining two legions of cars and trucks might as well be dedicated directly to the emperor. There is not much to say about the friendship between the monarch and his ministers. If such a weapon of war wanders outside, the person sitting on that throne will not be relieved.
And doing so means that the emperor has two legions that can carry out quick strikes. In terms of internal governance, it has an unimaginable effect, and can even take a big step towards the centralization ambition in his mind.
These benefits, no matter how the king and his ministers benefit from each other, are not in vain. Emperor Armin stared at the old man in front of him with his misty eyes. After a long while, he said: "Whether it is to let your son ascend the throne, or to let the Kawei family who lowered the blood flag return to the palace, these gifts are too many. What else do you want?"
There were similar situations in the past, and most of the nobles gave some free money to solve the problem. Perhaps the cars and trucks presented by Lord Kawei from the two legions can be considered as temporary wealth, but they are the most cutting-edge equipment.
Not to mention the ten manors, these are good lands that can continue to produce food. The Grand Duke cut himself with a knife, which was cruel and painful. Even the emperor felt a little sorry for his old friend.
However, the sacrifice is huge and the request is also huge. The two trivial matters of seizing the title and returning to the palace are not worth the gift offered by the old man. So what else does he want, it is worthy of the old emperor to face it carefully. At their level, even if you want to have sex for free, you still have to be careful, and the appearance should not be too ugly.
The old Duke raised his head and showed a cruel look. Just say: "The Rizal family has no suitable heir!"
After saying this, the old emperor understood that he was planning to exterminate the Rizal family. Unfortunately, this matter was very easy to accomplish. The reason is that the people who have the right to inherit the title of Grand Duke Rizal seem to be... all really dead.
The inheritance rights of nobles cannot be ranked by blood relationship. To be recognized and recorded in Eucalyptus. Changes are allowed, but every change must have a good reason, and of course it will cause considerable political shock. If this is placed in someone's hometown, it is a bit like 'entering a family tree'. Being in the family tree and not being in the family tree are two different things in a clan.