Chapter 471 Transaction Under Game
After an awkward chat all the way to the palace, the middle and lower-level generals who were accompanying them all went to attend the celebration banquet, but a group of high-level generals entered the meeting hall.
Caesar IV had no choice but to convene a meeting in a hurry. If we don't solve the problem while everyone is at it, it will be difficult to solve the Near East problem after they return to the territory.
We have sent people to communicate with all parties in private. Unfortunately, many nobles, including Hudson, have no love for the Near East.
Nobles did not have the power to choose fiefs, but they had the power to refuse fiefs.
As usual, fiefdoms that no one wants to accept will be directly ruled by the kingdom.
As soon as this terrible idea was proposed, it met with collective opposition from all the officials in the court, especially officials from the Ministry of Finance.
The kingdom's direct jurisdictions were either metropolitan areas or strategic locations.
Either it can generate financial revenue for the kingdom, or it can strengthen local control and ensure the implementation of government power.
The Near East has nothing to do with either of these points. It is simply a burden in your hands.
The difference between the cost of ruling by noble lords and the cost of direct jurisdiction of the kingdom is not even the slightest.
Immigration, city building, land reclamation, and defense lines all cost money. Letting bureaucrats lead these tasks is a bottomless pit.
Even if you grit your teeth and get through the initial investment stage, you will still have to spend money every year to defend against orc invasion.
The nobles don't want it, the government doesn't want it, and the royal family doesn't want it either.
The royal family's hometown in the three provinces of northern Xinjiang is a heavy burden. From the time of recovery to the present, administrative expenses of hundreds of thousands of gold coins have been lost every year on average.
The Near East region, which is larger than the northern Xinjiang royal family, will only pay more compensation, and it will still be unlimited compensation as far as the eye can see.
According to the Minister of Finance, if we take over this gold-eating beast in the Near East, the kingdom's finances will go bankrupt at least ten times.
It is uncertain how much exaggeration there is, but Caesar IV was frightened anyway.
The big nobles are not willing to jump into this pit, and the small nobles below alone cannot fill this pit.
Without the leadership of a big force, no matter how many small and medium-sized nobles are thrown over, they will not be able to support the Near East defense line.
“The Near East is home to many rivers and lakes, with superior natural conditions, fertile land, and luxuriant water and grass. The area is more than 1.3 million square kilometers, comparable to the twelve provinces of the North.
Once developed, the kingdom's national strength can increase by at least 30%, and everyone can get generous returns from it.
The orcs have suffered heavy losses one after another and will be unable to look back in the next few years. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, as long as everyone..."
The Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, worked hard to promote the benefits of the Near East, but unfortunately, everyone just didn't buy it.
After the initial development of the Near East, everyone gritted their teeth and lived frugally for more than ten or twenty years, and it was achieved.
However, it is still unknown whether it is possible to retain the Near East region with all the strength of the kingdom.
It is easy to destroy but difficult to build. If the threat of orcs is not dealt with, it will be impossible to farm with peace of mind.
Destroying the Orc Empire is just a political slogan, shouting about something that has not been completed for hundreds of years. Who can guarantee that it can be solved in their lifetime.
It looks like a loss-making business, so no one would be willing to do it.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the development of the Near East is indeed of great significance. However, we suffered heavy losses in the war and are really unable to participate.
What's more, the Near East is the frontline of the kingdom, and our provinces, which are adjacent to the elves' sphere of influence, are now also the frontline.
It is urgent to build the southern Xinjiang defense line!
In the Near East, if the kingdom has the ability, it will develop it; if it doesn't, it will slow down. Building a defense line with the seven northern Xinjiang provinces as the border can also save some money. "
The words of Marquis Zuel also represent the position of the nobles of the border provinces.
The overall situation is indeed important, but everyone should take care of themselves first. Under normal circumstances, elves are unlikely to invade the kingdom, but there are abnormal situations.
They did not propose to abandon the seven provinces of Northern Xinjiang and directly use the original Northland defense line. This is a responsible performance.
"Marquis Zuel, you know how big the threat from the orcs is.
If we don't take the opportunity to occupy the Near East, perhaps in a few decades we will face another Orc Empire in its heyday.
If the kingdom wants to get rid of its strategic dilemma, we must move eastward, continuously compress the orcs' activity space, and limit the orcs' recovery speed in terms of resources. "
Duke Rodriguez's words successfully drew everyone's attention back to the Near East.
The casualties on both sides of previous orc invasions were in the millions, and the elves' small population simply could not withstand the attrition.
Even if a conflict breaks out, it is still a local war. If a full-scale war is launched, even if the elves win the war, they will lose the future.
Compared with the threat from orcs, the "elf threat theory" is obviously less convincing.
What's more, the elves are famous for their magic on the mainland. In front of the elves magicians, the ordinary defense line will not play much role at all.
If you really want to fight them, the most effective way to fight is in the field.
As long as it can cause certain casualties to the elven army, failure doesn't matter. After a few more failures, both parties will come to the negotiating table.
"It is not easy to compress the living space of the orcs. Even the orc tribe is not something that ordinary noble lords can deal with.
In order to form an effective defense, the best way is to coordinate the military forces of the frontline provinces and coordinate the defense.
At the same time, the kingdom will also station heavy troops in the Near East so that it can provide timely support to the noble lords in the border areas.
There are only a handful of generals in the kingdom who are capable of coordinating the overall situation, I am afraid..."
Governor Pierce's words brought the matter to light, and he almost mentioned Hudson's name directly.
Coordinating the armed forces of the nobles in the provinces and commanding the standing army of the kingdom, there was no other candidate for this job besides him.
Although the position is high and powerful, it does not mean that it is a good job.
The border line is so long that there is no even the most basic line of defense. The enemy can break through at any time, making it completely impossible to defend against.
No matter how well the coach coordinates, accidents will happen frequently. It doesn't matter once or twice. If the enemy breaks through one hundred and eighty times, the coach will be scolded to death.
The noble lords whose interests have been harmed have no time to consider the overall situation. They will only think that the coach is incompetent.
It was obvious that this proposal was not made by Governor Pierce alone, but was more like the result of a compromise between the major factions in the kingdom.
It was all caused by too much prestige, and now all parties want to suppress the development of Hudson. Conspiracies and tricks are not fun, so just go straight to conspiracy.
The Dalton family has been hardest hit by Hudson's rapid rise.
If they don't find a way to kick Hudson out, it won't be long before the first family in their province changes hands.
After understanding the intentions of all parties, Hudson still drank tea without changing his expression. He has made up his mind to pretend to be confused as long as his name is not mentioned.
Judging from the current situation, he cannot escape the huge pit in the Near East, but there is still room for discussion on how to get there.
After all, there is work to be done, and it doesn't end just by trapping someone. He must be willing to go there, so that everyone can rest assured.
The probability that the kingdom can gain a firm foothold in the Near East is not high. The choice of entering the Near East is more of a strategic necessity. If the coach cannot devote himself wholeheartedly, there will be no hope.
Seeing that the situation was on the verge of getting out of control, Foreign Minister Count Francis stood up and said: "The Near East issue involves too much, and it is difficult to discuss the results in a short while. Let's discuss the international situation first!
The Human Alliance has adjourned its meeting, and the Alien Alliance has also temporarily announced its adjournment. There was no formal contact between the two major alliances, but they unanimously chose to end the war, with the actual control area as the boundary between the two sides.
The southern continent has all fallen into the hands of the human race. The land occupied by the human race in the central continent has shrunk by nearly 40%, and the area controlled by the human race in the northern continent has shrunk by three-quarters.
Affected by the war, the only human countries neighboring us are the Principality of Moxi and the Kingdom of Hesse, and the strategic space has been severely compressed.
A total of thirty-one human nations were destroyed in this war, and we took over five governments-in-exile alone, the most important of which were the Eastern and Western Warhammer Kingdoms.
After many consultations, the Eastern and Western Warhammer Kingdoms have decided to merge. I hope we can support their restoration! "
The northern continent suffered serious land losses. The most important thing was the destruction of the Seven Grassland Kingdoms and the loss of the vast orc prairie.
One Orc Steppe is equivalent to three Alpha Kingdoms, which directly increases the number of territorial losses.
In terms of economic value and population, the Central Continent suffered the most.
The official population of the fifteen countries in the Central Continent that were destroyed was as high as 60 million. The actual population could easily be doubled, or even more.
Not to mention the economic value, the fiscal revenue from destroying these countries alone is four times that of the Alpha Kingdom.
You must know that the tax collection capabilities of both parties are different. With the same economic size, the tax revenue that can be obtained under the Alpha Kingdom system can easily be doubled.
This is the power of peace in the world. As long as there is no large-scale war and the lords do not impose excessive taxes, the population will grow rapidly.
In fact, many of the small countries in the northern continent that were destroyed also had a large population. It's just that their situation is not as good as that of the countries in the Central Continent, and they have to send heavy troops to participate in the activities to resist the invasion of the orcs.
The current tragic fate, in a sense, is to pay for their paddling during the last orc invasion.
If the Warhammer Kingdom had not been crippled, and the losses of the Principality of Moxi and the Kingdom of Alpha had been smaller, the Ancient Relics Alliance would not have been able to be formed at all.
Maybe after weighing the strength on paper, they found that the price to pay for penetrating the northern continent was too high, so the elves simply gave up.
One careless move and everything is lost. It's too late to say anything now, and governments in exile in various countries can only secretly regret it.
"The Warhammers want to restore their country, so I don't think the kingdom will interfere with it. Just verbal support is enough, but deeply interfering with the kingdom won't bring that much money and food!
What's more, it also involves our allies the Moxi people. It's totally not worth paying such a high price for the Warhammer people! "
Hudson picked up the topic.
Others only thought this was to ease the atmosphere. Only Caesar IV knew that this was the result of insider trading.
According to the agreement between the Alpha Kingdom and the Elves, the territory of the Warhammer Kingdom was divided into two parts. Currently, the areas controlled by the humans are all in the hands of the Mossi.
Eighty percent of the local resistance leaders have accepted the title of the Principality of Moxi, and still support the armed forces of the Warhammer Kingdom at an absolute disadvantage.
What's worse is that these supporters are divided into two camps. In order to concentrate their efforts on restoring the country, the exiled governments of the Eastern and Western Warhammer Kingdoms completed the merger.
However, this is still not enough. These limited supporters alone are simply not enough to support the restoration of the Warhammer Kingdom.
Under the pressure of Moxi's army, these supporting armed forces did not even dare to recognize the legitimacy of the exiled Warhammer government, and still insisted on the banner of the East-West Warhammer Kingdom.
It seems that they want to use the restoration of the country as a bargaining chip to make a final bargaining with the Moxi government.
If the conditions are negotiated, it is not impossible to fake the show for real. After all, loyalty has a price.
With neighbors around you constantly defecting, insisting on restoring the country is a dangerous job.
Being able to survive to this day is only because the Moxi people pay attention to their eating habits. Once patience is exhausted and extreme measures are taken, the death of a few nobles is not a big deal.
On the Human Alliance side, the Warhammer people have appealed countless times, but unfortunately the decision of the Alliance Council is not binding.
The only one that can effectively intervene in the Warhammer Kingdom and let the Mossi hand over the control area is the Alpha Kingdom.
"Marshal Hudson is right, the kingdom is now unable to intervene in the dispute between the Mossi and the Warhammer people, so it might as well remain neutral!
The rise of a powerful Principality of Moxi will help us share the pressure from the elves, which is also a good thing for the kingdom.
It's getting late, so I'll stop here today. After attending the celebration banquet, we will discuss the Near East issue tomorrow. "
Caesar IV said with a smile.
Everything was so logical. Things in the Warhammer Kingdom seemed to be designed to ease the atmosphere. The king made a decision directly without waiting for everyone to participate in the discussion.
I want to speak out to object, but I don’t know where to start. After all, supporting the restoration of the Warhammer people requires spending real money, and allowing the Mossi people to expand does not cost anything.
We were vaguely aware that something was wrong, but we couldn't tell what was wrong. We could only attribute the problem to--the relationship was good.
It was common knowledge that Hudson and the Mossi were on good terms. King Caesar IV and the Mossi royal family are even related by marriage, so it is normal for them to help each other but not to take care of each other.
As they walked out of the hall in twos and threes, everyone suddenly discovered that the Minister of Foreign Affairs only mentioned supporting the restoration of the Warhammer people, but did not mention the benefits that could be obtained by supporting the restoration.
People who are neither relatives nor friends cannot work in vain. Under normal circumstances, if the exiled Warhammer government wants to gain support, it must promise generous benefits to the kingdom.
After hesitating for a while, everyone still chose to remain silent.
There is no way, no matter how generous the benefits promised by the Warhammer people are, they must be able to be fulfilled.
The most important thing for the restoration of the country is land and population, but the exiled Warhammer government has neither.
Even if the resistance forces supporting them are included, the population is only 1.8 million, and the specific control area is only one or two provinces at most.
The remaining land and population belong to the Moxi people, and at least the population belongs to the Principality of Moxi. Unlike land which cannot be moved, people are allowed to move across borders.
The refugees who poured into the Principality of Mossi, as long as George granted them national status, they were legal Mossi people.
Not to mention the nobles who accepted George's canonization, they resisted until the end in the face of the alien invasion, and only defected to the new owner after the destruction of Warhammer.
In contrast, it was the royal family and the government that ran away and were the first to betray.
No amount of interference can force the Mossi to be loyal to the Warhammer Kingdom. Cross-border interference without a bottom line will lead to no friends.
At this time, the Principality of Moxi is far more important than the Kingdom of Warhammer.
After quietly completing a cooperation, Hudson felt much better. At the banquet, he continued to enjoy the compliments of everyone, and the dispute that just happened in the inner hall seemed not to exist.
In particular, a group of noble lords from the north kept coming over to get acquainted with each other.
Except for their old enemy, Duke Torsten, who still had a bad look on his face, everyone behaved very kindly.
The topic of discussion also changed from the sensitive Near Eastern issue to the issue of their respective military exploits.
The big nobles were all in a good mood, but the faces of the small and medium nobles below were uglier than the last. Even on special occasions like the celebration banquet, everyone smiled very reluctantly.
Obviously, these people already knew that the kingdom wanted to conquer the Near East.
Those who have made meritorious deeds are likely to be sent to the front line in the Near East and become neighbors with the annoying orcs.
The nobles who had not made any military exploits were not happy either. Money, food, and labor force to develop the Near East will definitely be allocated to them.
Otherwise, who knows how long it will take to build the Near East defense line just by relying on the abilities of the local lords.
If you are unlucky, you may be forcibly transferred.
Usually this is an extreme measure taken when no one is stationed in the border area and no one is willing to fill the hole.
Generally speaking, the kingdom allocates quotas to each province, and then a group of noble lords draw lots.
There are ways to deal with it. If some noble children take the initiative to shoulder the important task, then everyone only needs to gather the number of immigrants and soldiers.
The specific method to fill the hole depends on the outcome of the game between all parties, but this does not affect everyone's first burning of incense at the temple gate in Hudson.
Not going to the Near East is considered a profit. If unfortunately he joins the Near East Development Team, this relationship may be able to save his life at some point.
Some people came over to show their goodwill, and Hudson always accepted them.
With the future uncertain, the big nobles in the kingdom are unwilling to invest too much power in the Near East. To develop the Near East, they can only rely on the small and medium-sized nobles who have no choice.