In the Name of the Queen

This civil code is a patchwork of Roland's reference to Napoleon's civil code and the addition of the legal thought of Carlo, Desanders and others.

It has both positive and progressive aspects, and will not be too radical to be implemented. Overall, it is a comprehensive law.

Alina is knowledgeable. She just flipped through a few pages and her eyes lit up.

She found the shadow of her father's compilation of the code in this civil code, and also saw the ideas that Desanders often mentioned recently, and some of the content she and Roland discussed.

There are even some legal provisions issued during Marco's rule.

Alina couldn't stand this. Her voice trembled and she bit her lip and asked, "You even accepted the laws made by the traitor Marco?"

"Even if it's an enemy, as long as there is something desirable, I am willing to learn." Roland was very calm.

Alina was silent for a moment, let out a long breath, and slowly said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

She invited people, so she naturally had to trust them to the end.

Although she felt a little uncomfortable in her heart, she still decisively agreed with Roland's idea.

A sentence her father once said flashed through her mind. Don't deny the advantages of your enemy just because of your different positions, otherwise hatred will blind your eyes.

If Marco was really useless, how could he let his father lose everything, and how could he monopolize power and establish a dictatorship in the Golden Kite Country with many talents.

Denying Marco is equivalent to denying all efforts to defeat him.

Her nails pierced deeply into her palms, blood seeped from Alina's fingers, and her breathing was a little messy.

Although she kept persuading herself to accept it, she still felt indescribably uncomfortable as long as she thought of her father's tragic death.

She thought faintly, how good it would be if her father had met Roland as his assistant.

This code is very detailed, covering everything from how to define "Golden Kite People" to various legal interpretations of civil rights and property rights and related provisions.

Alina naturally couldn't read it all. She just glanced through it briefly and it was already dawn.

Closing the book and putting the code away, Alina hesitated a little and decided to be frank with Roland.

"Roland, I admit that this law is very meaningful, but this should be considered after the war. Our top priority now is to build a strong army."

"It's not that I don't trust Saint Christine, but you have to take responsibility for some things."

Roland smiled and nodded, "I'm not idle."

He raised the heavy code and said softly: "Do you think I made this law because I was bored or fighting for the right to speak?"

Alina was speechless for a moment.

Of course, she didn't think so, but she always felt that Roland was not doing his job properly.

In short, compared with building an army to fight against the Ruriks, making laws is important but not a high priority.

She didn't object directly, but the doubts in her eyes did not disappear.

"This is the extra cost of conscription when the whole nation is tired of war, and it is also a promise to those who are about to die in the war."

Roland put down the code and said in a deep voice: "In the past ten years, the Golden Kite people have shed too much blood. Hundreds of thousands of people died in overthrowing the old royal family, hundreds of thousands of people died in establishing a new order, and nearly one million people died in the turmoil caused by Marco and the civil war in which we overthrew him."

"These are not cold numbers, but living people. They died, leaving behind sad families and war-weary relatives and friends."

"Have you ever thought about what reason we use to conscript soldiers?"

Alina answered without hesitation, "To defend our motherland."

Roland shook his head slowly, "Ordinary people don't think so. They only think that the Golden Kite Kingdom is the Golden Kite Kingdom of nobles and officials, and has nothing to do with them."

"Especially after Marco's destruction, the people's trust in the government has almost disappeared. Although your father overthrew the old empire, he also brought Marco's chaos and civil war. Don't think of using this little favor to kidnap them for life."

"If the emperor's life is worse than before without him, what is the point of overthrowing the emperor?"

Alina was choked and speechless.

She had a headache.

She knew Roland was right. Overthrowing the empire and liberating the shackles was a great contribution to the country, but it did not mean that she could rest on her laurels for the rest of her life.

If you want people to join the army and support you, you can't rely on dry slogans. You must have real benefits.

This code that stipulates the rights of the people is the interest of everyone.

If you think this code is in your interest, then stand up and defend it.

It's a very simple truth.

This is also the reason why Roland made more concessions in the code.

Seeing that Alina was slow to speak, Roland said calmly: "Alina, have you ever thought about the future retreat and the continuation of the family?"

"Ah?" Alina didn't expect Roland's thoughts to be so jumpy, and she was stunned for a moment.

Her brain was working fast, and she began to think about the deep meaning of Roland's words.

She didn't think that Roland was preparing for the family after his abdication. After all, few people would retreat bravely.

Future retreat? Family continuation?

Could it be that...

A bold idea flashed through her mind, and her already healthy face was covered with crimson clouds.

Wait, but he already has Queen Sylph, what on earth is he thinking?

Alina was very confident in her feminine charm until she met Sylph.

There is no comparison, absolutely no comparison.

No matter how you think about it, Roland will not choose her unless there is a crisis in his relationship with Sylph.

Thinking of Roland's sudden parachute landing on Mont Blanc, his willfulness to accompany her in racing against the avalanche, and his joy in readily agreeing to help her govern the country, her heart began to beat wildly.

Could it be that.

Seeing Alina's rapidly changing eyes, Roland was a little confused.

Why is this guy distracted at a time like this? Let me tell you something serious!

He coughed angrily and reminded loudly:

"Alina, the monarch's rule will eventually end. Either he will take the initiative to give up power in a dignified manner, or he will be driven out of power. We must be prepared in advance."

"Then, what should we do? Are we going to suppress it when we see signs of it?" Alina did not expect that Roland was actually thinking of a way out, and she answered in a confused manner.

Roland: "."

He didn't understand how such words without political logic could come from Alina's mouth.

Just as he was about to give her a serious lesson with a straight face, he saw her eyes were confused and flustered.

Roland sighed softly in his heart and gave up the idea of ​​severely torturing Alina.

Forget it, this is a woman.

Their thoughts change faster than flipping through a book.

Roland had no choice but to patiently explain to Alina the historical significance of introducing this law.

To get war-weary people to support war outside their own homeland, they have to see the benefits.

A Sussex-style military merit system would certainly not work.

The martial Jin Yuan people are almost dead. Most of the Jin Yuan people who can escape Marco's destruction are tactful by nature and seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Getting them to join the army is no less difficult than mobilizing citizens to defend Paris during World War II.

This code is the aphrodisiac that awakens their martial spirit.

No one can resist the temptation of benefits unless there is not enough.

This code provides a visible path for everyone, especially those at the bottom of society.

No one wants to rot in the mud forever and live in a hazy state, dying inexplicably.

In this terrible era, even if they are cowards, most people only have a life span of forty or fifty years.

Sufficient benefits, coupled with appropriate publicity, can incite at least some people to become enthusiastic.

Roland did not want to form a large-scale army. In this era before the advent of railways, the first thing a large army would defeat was not the enemy, but its own logistics support system.

According to his estimation, even if it is a home battle, the upper limit of combat troops that the Freedom Alliance can support will not exceed one million people.

This is also the limit of Christine's commanding ability.

When the number approaches one million, the command system will be bloated and military orders will not be communicated smoothly, and the army's combat effectiveness will decrease significantly.

In order to ensure the fighting of millions of troops, the number of supporting logistics personnel is as high as several million. The entire national machinery must be converted to wartime status, and the entire society must serve the war.

This kind of extreme mobilization that squeezes everything out cannot last long.

Roland and Alina both knew that 1795 was the beginning of the war, and it might also be the end.

After Roland explained, the gossip thoughts running around in Alina's mind finally calmed down and she began to think seriously about the future of the country.

After understanding the importance of the code, Alina quickly thought of another thing.

"Roland, have you ever thought that when the state machinery is running at full speed, the lives of the people at the bottom will be more difficult. It is very likely that some people will be forced to the point of desperation. They"

Roland responded calmly: "Of course I have thought about it. The small citizens living in the city are okay. Their savings are enough to last for a while, so they will not be easily disturbed. The real hidden dangers are industrial workers and farmers from the countryside."

"Yeoman farmers need to bear more taxes during wartime, and greedy tax officials will increase their exploitation. If you charge one more catty of grain, they will dare to charge three more catties from farmers."

Alina nodded and sighed helplessly: "There is nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, our Jinyuan territory is vast and fertile. Even if we harvest three times more, the farmers will not be unable to survive."

"I will compensate them after the war is over. Now I can only make them work hard for a while longer."

Roland asked curiously: "How do you plan to compensate them in the future?"

"There is a tax exemption for one year, and food subsidies are given according to the number of people. If we win, there will be plenty of food for them. If we lose, we will give them food subsidies."

She didn't say the result of losing. Losing meant death. She was too lazy to think about it that much.

After I die, I won't care about the flood. This makes sense.

Perhaps to strengthen her argument, Alina said calmly: "You have done this before, and the effect is very good."

The effect is indeed very good, but I am taking the initiative to exempt myself from tax instead of trying to make a pie.

Roland was a little helpless to complain, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Alina, after the war is over, we will send food tax-free. Can those who starve to death during the war get up from the ground and eat this food?"

Alina was choked and couldn't speak. Her chest was heaving up and down. She was obviously a little angry, but she didn't dare to talk back to Roland, so she could only bite the bullet and explain:

"The national stockpile of grain is only enough to barely sustain half a year of war consumption. Even if you want to get tax exemption, you can't do it. Farmers have grain in their hands, so they have no choice but to..."

"Tax-free, and food will be purchased from them in the form of cash + bonds, but it must be voluntary."

Roland gives a solution.

He introduced the operation process of this acquisition method to Alina in detail.

Tax exemption not only increases the goodwill of farmers, but also prevents greedy tax officials from profiting from it. By the way, it can also purify the tax officials and civil servants.

As Roland's former intelligence chief, Alina was very aware of Roland's methods.

There is already a template, and now it is just a simple copy. Of course she is not unfamiliar with it.

After it was confirmed that agricultural taxes would be exempted during the war, Alina's nerves that had just been relaxed became tense again.

"What did you mean by the cash + bond acquisition method just now?"

"It's very simple. After the agricultural tax is exempted, we still need a lot of grain, but our funds have more uses, so we need to purchase a lot of grain, but we have to save costs."

Roland took out a pen and paper and began to calculate.

"If we purchase grains entirely in cash at market prices, we will go bankrupt before Sophia calls us. It's not even possible to write a blank check, which is equivalent to exchanging farmers' grains for grain."

"If we do this, the farmers don't hate the tax collectors. They should hate us."

Although she was worried, Roland's humorous words still made Alina couldn't help laughing.

Since her father's death, she hasn't smiled so heartily for a long time, even when she killed the traitor Marco and regained her power.

Perhaps it was because Roland's presence made her feel at ease, or perhaps it was the emotions that had been suppressed for a long time and needed to be released, so she couldn't stop smiling.

Laughter is contagious. Although I didn't understand why Alina laughed suddenly, she smiled so beautifully that Roland couldn't help but laugh too.

He thought of the heroic captain Alina when he first met. Everything seemed to be back to the past, but people could never go back, and neither could three years.

Unknowingly, they have crossed the threshold of twenty years old and are about to enter their third year of life. If the parents were still alive, it would probably be time to get married and have children.

Fortunately, they are all orphans.

Thinking of this, Roland's smile gradually solidified, and his expression became a little unnatural.

After a moment of silence, Roland coughed lightly and continued to introduce the mixed acquisition plan.

His plan is very simple. There are three options for grain purchase.

The first is an all-cash payment, with the price lower than the market price but not too much lower.

The farmers will be somewhat reluctant, but as long as they think of Alina's kindness in pardoning agricultural taxes, this small loss is naturally nothing.

The second method is to pay part of the bond in cash and acquire it at market price, with a lower interest rate on the bond.

The third type is to purchase all bonds, the price is slightly higher than the market price, and the bond interest rate is also higher than the second type.

From a farmer's perspective, the first option will inevitably result in losses, but not much. People who strive for safety will choose this option.

The second option can make a small profit, but the premise is that Jin Yuan Kingdom can win the future war.

The third option makes the most money, but if the Jinyuan Kingdom loses, it will lose everything. There will be no new government to pay bonds to the destroyed old government.

After listening to Roland's introduction, Alina thought for a long time and sighed softly: "I guess most people will choose the first option. It seems that we have to prepare a lot of funds. I hope the already stretched treasury can support our squandering. "

"There will be many people who choose the third option."

Roland said with a smile: "Even if you put aside the benefit of agricultural tax exemption, the third option is also the best choice."

"The first option is a pure loss, and it is a loss on the spot. The second option seems safe, but in fact it takes the same risk as the third option but has much less profit. The third option has the highest risk but the highest reward."

Alina was slightly startled and quickly understood what Roland meant.

Although she understood, she couldn't help but shake her head, "Roland, I can understand what you said, but can those farmers understand?"

“That’s going to require work on our part.”

Roland took out a few pages and put them on the table.

"Sketch, cross talk, allegro, what are these?" Alina's eyes were a little confused.

“You could think of it as a country version of a minstrel show.”

Roland pointed to the scripts for various theatrical performances and said with a smile: "As long as the performances are promoted in rural areas across the country, I think farmers will make the right choice."

Alina looked at these performance scripts blankly, frowned and shook her head, "The language in these scripts is too vulgar. I cannot admit that they are part of literature and art."

This is the standard aristocratic arrogance of Lao Jinyuan.

According to the rules of her hometown, stubborn old nobles like Alina will be paraded through the streets.

Fortunately, the times here have not progressed so fast, and it is not so exaggerated.

According to Alina's growth trajectory, it is reasonable for her not to understand this.

Naturally, Roland would not argue with her about the difference between Xidai Baixue and a country person.

He didn't explain, he just refused to let go.

"Please trust me."

This sentence ended the dispute.

During the discussion stage, Alina can speak as she pleases, but when it comes to the decision stage, she will unconditionally support Roland's decision, even if it seems outrageous.

This was Roland's insistence and the prerequisite for helping her.

After the discussion, Alina, who had not slept all night, was a little tired. She stood up and said goodbye to Roland.

Accompanying Roland to the door of the palace, after saying a few polite words and getting ready to go about their business, Alina suddenly stopped and asked casually: "Roland, are you homesick these days?"

Roland's footsteps were frozen in place.

Of course it was a lie to say that she was homesick, but it seemed like she was accusing Alina of not fulfilling her duty as a landlord.

Roland shrugged and gave a high-EQ answer.

"I'm too busy at work. I have a lot to do. I'll think about it later when I have some free time."

After saying this, Roland left without looking back. He didn't want to continue this topic and always felt a chill behind his back.

Looking at his hurried away figure, Alina's lips raised slightly.

Maybe she wasn't just guessing, there were indeed some problems in Roland's family.

She disdains to break up other people's families, but if the other party's family disintegrates on its own, you can't blame her for taking advantage.

Massage and lap pillow services must be arranged every night.

I don't mean anything else, I just can't bear to see Roland too tired.

Alina hurried to the office and saw Madam Elaine waiting to present her with the sorted intelligence.

After quickly reading the recent intelligence that was not a big deal, Alina burned the file and called the Minister of Intelligence who was about to leave.

"Madam Elaine, help me pay attention to the frequency of recent correspondence between Roland and Queen Sylph. Remember, this is not surveillance, just concern."