king.

Canglan City.

During the period when the reformists were in power, things happened every now and then, and the royal capital as the political center was very lively.

Once the conservatives came to power, everything was different.

As a vested interest group, what they hate most is change. After taking office, apart from denying most of the measures taken by the reformists, they have not taken any major actions.

In the era of feudal lords, if the royal government did not take the initiative to find things to do, there would really not be much work for them.

Government departments that were originally busy suddenly became idle. After dinner, everyone’s conversation shifted from domestic politics to international affairs.

Whether this change is good or bad cannot be seen in the short term. At least the situation in the kingdom has not become worse.

All parties were still able to accept this, except that Caesar IV's life was a little aggrieved.

If you don't do something, you won't do anything wrong. The conservatives haven't done anything important, so even if he, the king, wants to find something, he has no chance.

If I want to regain control of the court, I don't know how to wait until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.

For a young king, the loss of power was undoubtedly very serious.

Added to all kinds of anxiety, Caesar IV's mental state became very bad, and he urgently needed something big to happen to restore the majesty of his king.

"Your Majesty, good news!

News came from Xueyue Leader that Marshal Hudson hopes that you can convene a palace meeting and invite all the governors of the kingdom to discuss dealing with the Orc Empire. "

Earl Mitchell said excitedly.

As the palace minister, his power is deeply tied to the king.

If Caesar IV is ostracized by conservatives, he, the palace prime minister who represents royal power, will also lose his political voice.

After waiting anxiously for more than half a year, we finally reached the key point of breaking the situation.

Conservatives may reject anything else, with the exception of dealing with the "Orc Empire".

"what happened?"

Caesar IV asked with concern.

On the issue of the orcs, Hudson made his position clear early on. He would not launch a full-scale war until the kingdom had accumulated enough wealth.

The major forces within the kingdom also recognized this statement.

In the eyes of all parties, a new round of war between the kingdom and the orcs will break out in the next five to ten years.

With a few more years of recuperation, everyone's overall strength will be at its peak.

"Your Majesty, the front line has been peaceful recently, and the orcs have no intention of making any changes.

Although there are many international dramas, there are almost none that have a profound impact on the kingdom.

Not to mention the situation in the country, it was as calm as a pool of stagnant water with no waves in sight.

It was probably Marshal Hudson who had a new idea and asked for a palace meeting! "

Earl Mitchell explained hurriedly.

In recent days, he summarized the reasons for the failure of the reformists, one of which is: the confidentiality between the emperor and his ministers.

His own king, who led the reform, only consulted with a group of ministers in the royal capital when making decisions, ignoring the powerful local nobles.

In terms of loyalty, the reliability of these ministers in the royal capital is indeed higher. However, their power comes from the royal power. Although they seem to have high positions and authority, their own strength is very limited.

On the contrary, it is the local authorities who support reform and are the real core of the reformists.

The relationship between the two parties was not close enough, which led to the dispersion of the reformists' forces. They failed to suppress the conservatives when they had the upper hand, and were overturned by others.

The outside world only thought that the emerging nobles betrayed the reformists at the palace meeting. In fact, the two sides had already had conflicts, but they were hidden.

After suffering a loss once, Earl Mitchell did not dare to let his king think at will again.

If you make a mistake in judgment and it becomes self-defeating, things will be difficult to handle later on.

"Tell Marshal Hudson that I have agreed to convene a palace meeting, and the time will be set in one and a half months!"

Caesar IV thought for a while and said.

No matter what plans Hudson has, he needs to find an opportunity to brush his presence.

Conservatives are a bunch of old men who just need to maintain the status quo, but this king is different.

If there is no action for a long time, the political reputation accumulated previously will be slowly cleared.

……

Prime Minister's Mansion.

A group of conservative leaders gathered together. Since receiving the news that Hudson requested a palace meeting, everyone has become anxious.

In politics, there are no always victorious generals.

Ever since the defeat of the reformists, the kingdom's political arena has been like a backwater, which is extremely abnormal.

The emerging nobles admitted defeat too simply, without any means of counterattack, which directly made these old guys suspect that they were holding back their ultimate move.

Even though there are many children of their families mixed in the emerging aristocratic camp, they have their own political stance from the moment they separate.

It is normal for different branches of the same family to be politically opposed in the Aslant continent.

In order to spread risks, large families rarely make all-out bets on a certain political group.

"Don't worry too much, we haven't done anything during this period, so it's impossible for us to get caught.

We have also sent people to keep an eye on the emerging aristocratic groups. They are still busy developing their territories and have no energy to establish connections.

Perhaps Marshal Hudson proposed convening a meeting simply to deal with the Orc Empire! "

Duke Beckett said calmly.

As the new prime minister, he has a thorough understanding of the situation in the kingdom.

In the past half year, a group of emerging nobles, including Hudson, have been busy sorting out internal affairs.

After working for so long, I definitely can’t let the early efforts go to waste. For a long time to come, "development" will be the first core of the emerging aristocracy.

If they want to fight for power and profit, they must at least wait until their territory is almost fully developed before they have enough energy to make troubles.

"Prime Minister, you mean that Marshal Hudson should prepare for the Eastern Expedition, but this time is too early.

The kingdom is not ready yet, and even if a war is to be launched, it will be several years away.

It's too early to take action now. The kingdom's financial resources cannot support the destruction of the Orc Empire. We must persuade him! "

Duke Richard, the Minister of Military Affairs, said with a serious face.

Under normal circumstances, it's time for these old guys to retire, and even family power is gradually being handed over to the younger generations.

He lowered his face and jumped out to seize power, not only for family interests, but also because he was worried about the reformists taking power.

Aging has extinguished the passion, but that does not mean that the hatred has also disappeared.

In fact, it is these old guys who have the deepest hatred for the orcs, and now "revenge" has become an obsession.

Before the rise of Hudson, the nobles of the kingdom were risking their lives every time in order to stop the orcs from attacking.

During the fighting, their elders, brothers, sons, comrades... kept falling in a pool of blood.

For every Alpha, the longer they live, the deeper their hatred for the orcs becomes.

The opportunity to destroy the Orc Empire was the first time in the history of the kingdom and the only time in their lives.

In this context, they do not allow any accidents to occur.

"Richard, you are too nervous.

We have all dealt with Hudson, and this man is not a pushover.

From when he became famous at a young age to now, when have I ever seen him suffer a big loss?

The kingdom had a bumper harvest last year, and this year's spring grain harvest is another bumper. It may not be enough to destroy the orc empire, but fighting a war is not a big problem.

The kingdom is short of nothing but money.

However, this kind of local war should not satisfy Marshal Hudson's appetite.

According to rumors coming from the Xueyue Territory, Marshal Hudson wants to retire more and more, and he is currently strengthening the training of his sons.

The Orc Empire is not something that the Kingdom can swallow in one bite. The most optimistic estimate is that we will launch three more major battles, and this process will last for decades.

It is estimated that Hudson wanted to cripple the Orc Empire before he retired, leaving a stable foundation to his descendants! "

Marquis Zuel said with a smile.

There have been rumors that Hudson wants to retire in the past year or two.

The Koslow family has come out to refute the rumors many times. As a result, the more they refute the rumors, the more people believe them.

It was all caused by the mismatch in information. In the eyes of the outside world, Hudson was already at the second level of the Sanctuary. At this moment, he needed to compete with the top powerhouses on the mainland for further opportunities.

In the eyes of these waning old guys, worldly power is really nothing compared to doubling their longevity again.

The awareness of asymmetry made all parties feel at ease, fearing that things would get too much trouble, so Hudson gave up his pick in advance.

We will discuss other issues after the Orc Empire is destroyed.

……

There are turmoil in the outside world, but as the protagonist who caused it all, Hudson is like a normal person.

In the past six months, both the kingdom and the Xueyue Territory have undergone considerable changes.

If anyone keeps statistics, they will be surprised to find that the Kingdom of Alpha actually has a surplus in foreign trade.

What caused all this to happen was the War Horse Exit.

In just six months, the Alpha Kingdom exported 40,000 war horses to various countries on the mainland, of which the Xueyue Territory accounted for one-third.

In fact, this speed is already considered slow. If the governments of the three countries in mainland China were not too poor, doubling the amount would be an easy matter.

Under the self-sufficient feudal lord economic model, the import and export trade volume was not large, and a sudden surge in exports easily led to a surplus.

The change of gold coins from continuous outflow to inflow is also a big benefit to the kingdom's economy.

Various industries that were originally depressed showed signs of recovery, and the private economy began to slowly recover.

The biggest change was among the noble lords in the Near East. As the main force in selling horses, everyone had an extra cash flow on hand, and their lives were much better.

Influenced by Hudson, many lords in the kingdom learned to bundle sales, and the unsalable products in the territory were directly added to the mix.

It doesn't matter if you don't want to buy it, but the price of purchasing the war horse separately will be a little higher.

In an era when supply and demand are unequal, these unreasonable demands are naturally accepted by buyers.

Cavalry cannot be trained in a day. The earlier you get the horse, the earlier you can train the elite.

Economic difficulties are not a reason to give up the development of armaments.

Perhaps due to the influence of the Alpha Kingdom, the principle followed within the Five-Nation Alliance is: the poorer they are, the more military power they need to develop.

Either passively or proactively, the three kingdoms of the Central Continent and the Principality of Moxi also followed the footsteps of the Alpha Kingdom and went further and further down the path of militarism.

Right or wrong cannot be decided for the time being. The military strength of the four countries has indeed entered an upward channel.

In troubled times, the military provides a sense of security. Only with a strong army can you sleep peacefully.

As a beneficiary, Xueyueling’s economic data last year was very impressive.

The fiscal deficit is still inevitable, but the amount of the deficit has narrowed by 18% compared with the previous year.

The peak period of huge deficits has passed, and the fiscal deficit will fall every subsequent year.

According to projections from the Ministry of Government, the territory is expected to achieve balance-of-payments within the next five to eight years.

The prerequisites are: there will be no war and no major natural or man-made disasters.

The main reason is that Hudson's territory planning is too expensive, and the initial investment in infrastructure construction alone is a huge amount.

Fortunately, the construction of new cities has not been put on the agenda, otherwise the financial balance will be far away.

Although the development of Crescent Harbor is good, its geographical location is still too remote. If it serves as an administrative center, it will be difficult to effectively radiate the entire territory. Hudson's fiefdom is divided into two parts: the Mountain Territory and the Snow Moon Territory. Currently, both territories are equally important, but in the future, the Snow Moon Territory will obviously have more development prospects.

It is only a matter of time before we choose a new place to build a city and establish a new administrative center.

Considering that after the destruction of the orcs, the territory of Xueyue Territory will be further expanded, the plan to build a new city has been put on hold for the time being.

However, the planned area is not small at all, and the specifications are based on those of the royal capital.

In a sense, this is also Hudson's attempt to paint a cake for his men.

The bigger the cake, the more portions can be divided into bowls.

In order to prevent your subordinates from being poisoned by hedonism prematurely, it is very important to set an ambitious goal.

It’s funny to think about it. Because of its smooth development, Hudson has to re-draw everyone’s pie every few years.

It is also due to the continuous realization of the previous goals that the cakes drawn by Mr. Ha have always been very popular in everyone's mind.

“The negotiations between the kingdom and the Franks and Iberians are about to end.

Judging from the intelligence collected, it is only a matter of time before the three countries reach a compromise. It is preliminarily confirmed that starting from the second half of the year, the kingdom's war horses will be able to enter the southern continent.

The gap between supply and demand in the market is getting worse, and the price of war horses is bound to rise in the future.

The territory’s share of war horse exports this year is tentatively set at 35,000. Only 10,000 horses can be exported in the first half of the year, and the rest will be put into the second half of the year. "

Hudson said as he closed the report.

War horses are different from other assets in that the holding cost is quite high.

In the second half of last year, the most active people in selling horses were the small nobles, and almost all the excess horses in their hands were cleared out.

Those who dare to wait and see with a large number of war horses are nobles with relatively strong family backgrounds.

However, this kind of reluctance to sell the disk can only be played once in a while. Every year new war horses come of age, and the market will eventually be saturated.

War horses can enter the military service at the age of three. In an era when everyone is expanding production, huge profits will not last long.

Of course, no matter how crazy the price is, you will not lose money.

In an era when aristocrats controlled production, when the market experienced drastic fluctuations, everyone could still join forces to support the market.

The war horses exported from the kingdom are all stallions. If countries want to reproduce and support themselves, they can only rely on local varieties.

The high-quality war horses currently on the market are all hybrids of wild horses and monsters.

In terms of breeding technology, the Alpha Kingdom, which has the largest number of war horses, still has an advantage.

“Duke, the orders we have signed exceed this number.

If you suddenly breach the contract, I'm afraid it will affect your reputation!"

Rudolph reminded in a low voice.

The monopoly business is so good that in an era when supply exceeds demand, there is never a lack of orders.

There were fewer war horses traded last year, not because of the small number of orders, but because the transportation of war horses was inconvenient.

Most cargo ships do not have the ability to transport war horses and must be upgraded, which seriously restricts the transportation speed.

Many customers placed orders, but due to limited shipping capacity, they had not had time to take the horses away, and the transaction time was postponed to this year.

"If it exceeds the limit, then follow the order quantity!"

Hudson nodded and said.

To hang out, you rely on credibility.

Since a contract is signed, it must be performed.

The small benefits are not worth his breach of contract.

Even if the market price immediately increases several times, Hudson will still choose to act according to the contract. This is the basis for his foothold on the mainland.

……

Time flew by, and it was time for the palace meeting to be held.

Caesar IV, who had been silent for a long time, appeared in front of everyone again, but his face seemed five years older.

The king's poor condition directly affected the mood of the governors.

The prince is still nursing. If something happens to Caesar IV, another uproar will be caused in the political arena of the kingdom.

This is undoubtedly the biggest hidden danger for the strategic plan to destroy the Orc Empire.

The conservative ministers were the most embarrassed. Facing the almost questioning looks of the ministers, they only felt that they were wronged.

Seize power, seize it, they are not rebellious officials and traitors. After taking charge of the government, he never caused any trouble to the king.

In order to allow Caesar IV to rest in peace and recover from his illness, they took care of all the trivial matters themselves and did not dare to bother the king at all.

It just so happened that nothing major happened in the kingdom in the past period of time.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

Hudson asked concerned.

Even though Caesar IV caused a lot of farce, it still cannot be denied that he was a good king.

In the more than ten years since he ascended the throne, Caesar IV has also made considerable contributions to the kingdom.

Whether it was supporting the military reforms and agricultural reforms he led, or sitting at the rear during the war to raise food and grass for the frontline army, Caesar IV did a good job.

Especially during the war, in order to raise more strategic materials, this person really followed the quota.

In normal times, there would occasionally be troubles, but this person could not stand it and could listen to advice. He would give up as long as all the ministers opposed him.

And he will basically only make the same mistake once.

The most important thing is to feel safe working under him!

Although there is no guarantee that the job will be comfortable, at least this person is not murderous. He has never found an excuse to execute a minister for so many years in office.

The most serious consequence is just to drive people home.

If the king of a country can do this, then he is qualified.

The effect was very obvious. No matter how fiercely the reformers and conservatives fought, they never tried to pull him from the throne.

"I've been infected with wind and cold recently. It's not a big problem. Let the marshal worry about it!"

Caesar IV said with a smile.

There were no accusations, no complaints, and no accusations.

It can be seen that Caesar IV has become more and more mature and is very aware of his situation.

The strength of the royal family is not weak, and it effectively protects his personal safety and right to speak.

The conservative government's arrogant behavior does exist, but it is done in a sufficiently subtle way, and it follows procedures during its administration.

The government has every right to handle trivial matters on its own.

He, the king, was not asked for instructions, simply because nothing major happened in the kingdom.

If we insist on talking about the big event, it is the diplomatic negotiations with the Franks and Ilibans.

However, this negotiation is in a secret stage, and it is reasonable to delay it until the final decision is reached.

If you can't find anything to do with conservatives and launch criticism without reason, it will only lower your own standing.

"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself, the kingdom cannot do without you!"

After the greetings were over, Hudson suddenly changed his attitude, looked at the ministers and said:

"You don't need to be confused. I invite you here today to discuss how to deal with the orcs.

The situation on the mainland has been turbulent recently, and our old enemy the Orc Empire has also launched a reform movement.

We can ignore how other countries reform, but the orcs' reform must fail!

Against this background, our previous response plan seemed too weak.

Compared with more than ten years ago, the territory actually controlled by the Kingdom has more than doubled, and the border lines have been continuously advanced.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

The vast territory provides the kingdom with a basis for continuous development, and also limits the kingdom's external expansion.

Frankly speaking, the last time I fought against the orcs, I felt the kingdom’s logistical weakness.

Now that the border has advanced another eight hundred miles, the logistical pressure we need to bear will further increase when the two countries go to war.

Obviously, this is not advisable.

The Kingdom's goal is to overthrow the Orc Empire, not defeat it, which means we have to solve logistical problems first.

After a series of research, I found inspiration from the kingdom's original strategic layout.

Since we can hoard supplies on the front line, why can't we directly produce strategic supplies on the front line?

Northern Xinjiang, Near East, Xueyue Lake, these vast lands have sufficient resources.

We can mine, smelt steel, and forge armor locally, and we can also farm locally to produce food and cloth.

Once the development of these areas is completed, our logistics transportation lines can directly shorten most of the distance.

If another war breaks out with the Orc Empire, the attack range that our logistics can support will inevitably increase greatly! "

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall started to boil.

Everyone knows the benefits of developing these places, but the problem is that it really can’t be done in a short time!

"Marshal, we have tried our best to develop the territory, but in the end we are still unable to do it!"

Earl Doug's words fully expressed the grievances of the emerging nobles.

Territory development requires a lot of investment in manpower, material resources, and financial resources. Without these hard-core things, hard work alone will definitely not work.

"Your Excellency, according to the normal development speed, it will definitely not be possible.

But the kingdom is a whole, and as long as everyone unites, everything will be different.

My personal idea is: the lords of Northern Xinjiang, Near East, and Xueyue Lake provide land and part of the labor force;

The nobles in the central and southern parts of the kingdom provided technology, labor, and equipment to complete this plan.

Prioritizing military industry and agricultural production, in addition to meeting their own needs, all the materials produced were hoarded as strategic material reserves for the war against the orcs.

After the war, everyone can evacuate with their own personnel and equipment. The kingdom will calculate these as military merits based on everyone's respective contributions. "

Hudson explained patiently.

The more deceptive you are, the more selfless you have to be.

Anyone who has a little knowledge of the development of each province will know that once industries are transferred, Xueyue Ling, which has relatively complete infrastructure, will be the main force to undertake it.

In this context, it was proposed that the materials produced were all used to fight the orcs, and he was picked out in one fell swoop.

It seems that after the war is over, everyone can still evacuate their people and equipment, but is it necessary to relocate the old equipment?

Selling it to local lords at a low price was almost the only option.

The outsiders left, but the local workers stayed.

With an injection of capital, the industry immediately came to life.

It is not difficult to understand Hudson's calculations, but the problem is that everyone is tempted.

War is the biggest gold-swallowing beast. Once the flames of war are ignited, everyone must provide people, money, and supplies.

Considering the heavy logistical pressure, moving the industry directly there will save some money economically.

The minimum number of laborers mobilized will be greatly reduced, and the damage caused by the war to the agricultural production of the territory will be suppressed to a minimum.

For a while, everyone began to weigh the pros and cons.