I will be crowned king

"I-I don't understand, brother, what do you mean by danger?"

In the dark carriage, Anson looked at his "brother" Christian with a stunned and confused expression, completely unaware of what was going on.

He originally planned to ask the other party directly "What do you know?", but after thinking about it carefully, it may not fit the personality of "Anson Bach"; although if the memory of the owner of this body does not have deviations, including himself, In the past two or three years, I haven't met my family members for six or seven years. Even if I have any impressions, they should have been faded long ago.

However, after careful consideration, he still felt that it would be better to pretend to know nothing and see the other person's reaction; after all, he did not inherit the complete memory of this body, and there would definitely be deviations no matter how much he imitated it - who knew "Anson" Is there any secret or little habit of verifying each other's identity with his family?

But he obviously misjudged the relationship between the two... Before Anson could say anything further, Christian snorted and waved his hand helplessly: "Okay, there are only two of us here, and the coachman outside also You can’t hear the noise in the carriage, so there’s no need for you to be so pretentious.”

"I, I didn't." Anson pretended to be flustered: "Brother..."

"Brother...Ha! I heard this title again after so many years, more times than I remember you saying it all put together." Christian couldn't help laughing, tilted his head and looked at him in admiration. :

"Anson, old Anson of the Bach family... It seems that working alone outside is really a training for people. It actually makes a guy like you who has been tired of politeness since he was a child, take this kind of red tape as a normal thing!"

"Tell me, how many losses did I have to suffer before I started to learn to be polite? I guess it must be no less than two digits, huh? Hahaha."

"Huh?" Anson was really stunned this time.

Judging from the memories he inherited from this body and the "content" in the diary, the original Anson should have been quite polite and very polite to others; he would always be "Dear Professor Mace Honnard" ", "Dear classmates", "my brother"... but in the eyes of family members, he is actually the type who is never polite and calls his elders by their first names?

Could it be that this is the so-called "complex duality": being informal at home, being humble and polite outside, and being outgoing and generous?

And in Christian's eyes, his reaction became the best proof of his guess - if he hadn't suffered enough, how could he be surprised by the "courtesy" he was accustomed to?

"Okay, okay, if you are really used to it, you don't have to change. After all, we haven't seen each other for six or seven years, so it's normal to feel a little strange." Christian waved his hand, and the smile on his face faded slightly. some:

"But you can probably guess the reason why I'm here, right?"

"There are some guesses." Anson also took the opportunity to calm down his expression and looked at the other party solemnly: "Beigang, or the Cecil family is so grand, just to win over the forces of the Free Confederacy and our Bach family..."

"The Bach family, there is no need to continue to be polite, you are the one they want to win over!" Christian interrupted directly:

"The Cecil family has taken a fancy to you, or the forces of the Free Confederacy behind you, ah... and the Storm Legion!"

"Storm Legion?" Anson raised his eyebrows: "The legion is a standing army established by the kingdom, not my own levy or private army... What's the use of them taking a fancy to it?"

"It might not be useful now, but it might not be useful later."

In the dark carriage, Christian's playful expression seemed meaningful: "You have stayed in the new world for too long. I don't know. The situation in the Kingdom of Clovis now is very different from that of two years ago."

"Rural people like us Bach family don't know exactly what happened. We only know that more and more factories have gone bankrupt in the past two years. Many young people have gone to cities and towns to make a living. Another batch of One by one, they returned to the countryside; but they had long since lost their own fields and did not want to be sharecroppers. They hung out in taverns all day long and either became soldiers or became pickpockets and bandits."

"Not only that, this year's taxes are also much higher than in previous years. The blacksmith shop, mill at home, and the grocery store in the town can only be regarded as no profit or loss; the business in the tavern is good, but the hotel There is no business with the restaurant, the circus that used to come here did not appear, and even the tuition fees of the missionary college have increased by some book fees to subsidize the teachers hired by the city."

The more he talked about it, the more Christian sighed: "If we let it go, my father would definitely say that the king is preparing to go to war again, or that there is going to be a famine, and ask the family to stock up on food; but the price of food this year is incredibly cheap. With expenses and commissions from tenant farmers, farming is almost no longer profitable!”

"Not only our family, but also many relatives and close friends are experiencing similar situations at home; the shops are out of business, farming is not profitable, and young people cannot find jobs when they go to the city. It is everywhere outside. There are bandits and robbers, but food and other things are very cheap...it’s chaos, the world is really in chaos.”

Looking at the sighing Christian, the silent Anson already had his own guess - in the final analysis, it was the result of the superposition of the wasted time of Clovis' long war and the "false prosperity" created by the just-ended holy war. the consequences.

The war that broke out with the empire led to the interruption of many trades, but the demand will not be reduced. Therefore, "leading companies" like the Northern Chamber of Commerce, which have connections on both sides, will monopolize the trade network and eliminate those small chambers of commerce. , all small factories went bankrupt, but they used various methods to avoid paying taxes on the extra profits.

Clovis has been engaged in a war for more than four years, and the financial pressure has already exceeded the ceiling. Just knocking out bones and sucking out marrow can no longer meet the needs. He must also borrow money from the church bank; before, he could barely make it back by working as the main logistics force within the Jihad Army. The tone made up for the financial hole, but new problems also came.

The originally scarce supplies and cash were alleviated by eating the logistics of the Jihad Army, but the depressed market could not prosper immediately, and unemployed workers could not find jobs immediately; on the contrary, a large number of cheap goods, especially grain, salt, etc. A large amount of necessities were put into the market by the Kingdom in the form of "relief", which directly drove the price to the bottom, making it unprofitable for both industrial owners and businessmen, and the unemployment wave broke out again.

And this is reflected in the eyes of small rural aristocrats like the Bach family, that is, everything is cheap, and at the same time, they do not make any money.

Of course, this "false prosperity" is unsustainable... As the influence of the jihad gradually subsides, the ensuing cash flow and massive supplies will return to their original places, and then prices will skyrocket in most of Clovis, and the kingdom will be heavily in debt. , ever-increasing taxes continued to drive the remaining factories and chambers of commerce into bankruptcy, and then large-scale conscription was launched to avoid riots, which further increased military expenditures due to conscription.

This spiral of collapse will continue until the Kingdom of Clovis loses the war and is forced to declare bankruptcy and reorganize; but strictly speaking, Clovis's finances are actually in the hands of Luther Franz. The level of the Archbishop should not lead to such an unmanageable situation...

"This is not the most dangerous thing. The real crisis is that after this, more and more rumors spread from Clovis City; the adults in the upper echelons of the kingdom seem to be quarreling over the current situation and even want to There’s a big fight!”

Christian's expression became more and more serious: "I even heard that many generals in the Army Ministry are secretly planning to dissolve the House of Representatives, and then kill the powerful ministers in the cabinet, so that His Majesty will personally rule!"

"This...how is this possible?" Anson almost laughed out loud, but still maintained a surprised look: "Whether it's the army or the navy, they...we are not the previous Guards. Military expenses and allowances are approved by the parliament. How can it be overturned?”

"But all the generals have sworn to be loyal to His Majesty and the Osterian royal family forever. This is correct, right?" Christian's expression did not look like he was joking at all:

"You must know more about things in the army than me, a person who has never been on the battlefield, but the current situation in Clovis is very chaotic, but it is an indisputable fact!"

"Otherwise, why would Beigang and the Cecil family go all the way to the countryside in the central province to invite me, the head of a small noble family, here? Hmm... at best, they are flattering you, the Storm Legion. Commander-in-Chief.”

"At worst, they want to tie you to their chariot and stand with them, otherwise the entire Bach family will be their hostage!"

Christian snorted disdainfully: "Whether it's bribery or threats, most of the time these two are actually the same thing; if you don't tell the truth and cooperate obediently, everyone will be happy on the surface; if you refuse or violate it, then It’s the enemy that needs to be targeted, and all the past flattery can be manipulated now!”

After the words fell, Anson's face showed a flash of surprise.

If the person who said this was Archbishop Luther, or even Karl, he would probably be used to it, but an ordinary little nobleman from the countryside who might not travel a few times in two or three years...

"Brother...Christian, what do you think I should do?"

"I, I have nothing to say, I just want to tell you to be more vigilant." Christian was stunned and couldn't help laughing: "You have been to Hantu again in the past two years, and you have been in the New World and the colony. , the Empire and even the Holy See’s Holy War, they must have more experience in dealing with this kind of thing than I do.”

"No, you are wrong... It is precisely because I have been dealing with various wars most of my time that I have relatively little experience in dealing with this kind of thing."

Perhaps under the influence of the other party, Anson's expression gradually became more serious: "How to get along with wealthy families, deal with potential allies without using force, and maintain your own independence so as not to be completely There is no one more experienced in binding than the head of the Bach family, Christian Bach!”

"You kid...just listening to what you said, I know that you must be very experienced in dealing with these things!" Christian shook his head in confusion:

"Well, since you want to hear it so much, I might as well give you some advice. Let's just say it first. It's just advice. If something goes wrong, don't put the responsibility on me, your brother!"

"Of course not, I guarantee it in the name of the Ring of Order!"

"The Ring of Order... Well, doesn't that mean there is no guarantee?" Christian rolled his eyes: "If I were yours, the best choice is not to choose, and wait for the Cecil family to come to you. "

"The current situation is still unclear, and we don't even know what Clovis City's attitude towards you is. If you accept Beigang's kindness rashly, it is very likely that people who originally wanted to stand on your side will think that this is... It is a manifestation of disloyalty to the kingdom; it is a clear crime for a general who has returned from leading an army to hook up with a city that has repeatedly fought for independence and has evil intentions!"

"Of course, there is no need to be too afraid, because Beigang is definitely waiting for Clovis City's attitude... These people, no matter how warm they are to you now, when it comes time to trick you, they will never show mercy. .”

"As for what you want to do now..." Christian held his chin and thought seriously for a moment: "If you ask me to say it, it is to stabilize your subordinates and the Free Confederate mission. You must not let it go. They were bribed by Northport.”

"In the past, the officers in the legion were your retainers and your fief knights, while the Free Confederacy was an ally who had a close relationship with you and could frighten powerful enemies. No matter what, neither of the two could be included in the alliance. being pried away by potential allies; at the same time, you should also work hard to pry away the enemy's retainers and allies to increase your capital and strengthen your power!"

Christian said sternly: "I recommend starting with the juniors of the Cecil family. Judging from the young officer who came back with you, he should be a very good potential target."

"As for your own people... you'd better call them together as soon as possible, and tell the situation honestly and openly. If anyone has really been bribed, or is planning to leave from the beginning, then make it easy to break up, so as not to affect unity; At the same time, you must also provide enough benefits—I’m talking about real money and silver benefits, so that they can see that there is definitely a future for them to continue to follow you!”

"The Free Confederation should be tighter... What I mean is to let them understand that only by following you will the Confederation not suffer, and only you will definitely stand on their side. Other forces in the Kingdom of Clovis, They just want to take advantage of them, you are different from them."

"Of course, part of what I said is my own summary of daily life, and some of it is the habit of my father and grandfather's generation in dealing with relatives and friends." Christian suddenly laughed:

"It's an old story, just listen to it. It's just a reference."