Grandmaster Hunter of Age of Mythology

The clerk of the Ministry of Rites sought a way out for his family and repeatedly begged Tan Aili for guidance. He looked so anxious, like a drowning person eager to grab a life-saving straw.

Tan Aili reluctantly agreed to this because the Buick family had protected her. In fact, Tan Aili made a lot of money for Lord Lin Xi, which was enough to repay the life-saving grace. However, it seems that the matter of repaying the favor will never end.

Tan Aili just wanted to make an exception and talk about the reason. The matter of repaying the favor ended here, and they could no longer ask for favors endlessly.

Tan Aili secretly made up her mind that she would never ask anyone for help from now on, so as to avoid being entangled. After all, it is difficult to repay a favor.

The hardest thing to settle in this world is the debt of favor.

"I heard that your family has invested heavily in supporting the king's reforms, and has punished the branch family for the sake of justice. You are so upright and righteous, and you are serving the country and the people. But now, His Majesty is promoting a new tax law. I wonder if your family supports it..." Tan Aili looked sharply at the clerk of the Ministry of Rites.

"This! Your Majesty has violated the ancestral system and oppressed the nobles too much. The heads of the families have complained. No noble is willing to accept such a harsh tax law. Your Majesty's move is unpopular..." The clerk of the Ministry of Rites spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction and helplessness.

"Haha! Mr. Secretary, the interests of the nobles and your Majesty's national policy have always been incompatible like fire and water. If the empire cannot collect enough taxes, it will be like a huge ship losing its power and unable to sail;

Just like an eagle with broken wings, it is difficult to soar into the sky; just like a tree without roots, it is difficult to grow branches and leaves. How can we govern the country?

So in principle, those who resist taxation are all enemies, and your family should take care of themselves. A large number of new nobles are eager to pay national taxes, and they will become the replacements for you old nobles, so take care of yourself! "

The noble lady shuddered. Various signs indicated that there was an inevitable logic behind His Majesty's replacement of officials with sons of commoners and promotion of Tan Aili, who was of commoner origin, to be commander.

At present, resisting the tax is undoubtedly a dead end. If the new nobles in the court give an order to attack their family, there will be no mercy at that time because they are not familiar with each other.

"Thank you for your advice, Marshal. I will persuade the head of the family to support the new tax law. We will be able to turn the crisis into safety. The tax is nothing compared to the family crisis..." The lady was relieved, with beads of sweat on her forehead.

It’s not that they don’t understand the overall situation, but they are blinded by greed and cannot see through even such simple things.

"If your family can follow the general trend, there is no need to worry about disaster! The nobles have received the grace of the country for generations, and they should set an example. If they go against the national policy, they will suffer disaster. Your family has enjoyed wealth and honor for hundreds of years, and you should be content..."

Although Tan Aili's words were unpleasant to hear, they were indeed the truth. From ancient times to the present, all the problems with the state machinery were caused by the corruption of the nobles.

Many once-prosperous families have fallen into decline because they did not know how to restrain themselves. Now, it remains to be seen whether the Buick family can learn from the lesson and make a wise choice.

The clerk of the Ministry of Rites saw that the idea of ​​placing his sons in the Imperial Guards to make meritorious deeds would not work for the Marshal, so he had to give up. The disadvantages of this move outweighed the benefits, and it might only bring trouble to the family...

So he stood up and said goodbye. After Tan Aili politely saw him off, he finally got rid of the Buick family's entanglement and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then went to the villa to think about how the military camp could adapt to the position of the anti-rebellion marshal.

The palace is destined to be busy today. The king is receiving Blainey and his party in the study. They have just returned from their diplomatic mission to the three countries, and the situation is not ideal.

The three kingdoms became divine kingdoms one after another, and they joined forces to suppress the Mercenary Association, which once forced the Mercenary Association to stop its activities. Now the elite mercenary associations of the three kingdoms have suffered heavy casualties and have stopped their activities.

Therefore, they would support the self-defense war of the Quick Province without hesitation and would not accept any suggestion of neutrality.

The king was not angry but happy: "Very good! Haha, I have made my position clear. I am a heretic. I will attack and destroy these small countries one day. There is no need for excuses. Peace will no longer exist from now on. But I am indeed alone and I don't have any potential allies. War will follow me endlessly!"

Bryony elegantly picked up the exquisite coffee cup, gently pinched the handle with her slender fingers, and slowly brought the cup close to her face. She lowered her head slightly, and took a sip of the fragrant coffee through the rising hot steam.

With a roll of her throat, she swallowed the warm liquid, then put down the cup and raised her head.

“Your Majesty, in my opinion, although the three duchies each have a certain amount of territory and population, their strength is insignificant compared to our great kingdom.

I'm afraid they are not as powerful as one of our counties combined, so there is really no need to worry about them." Blaney's voice was clear and firm, revealing his confidence in his country's strength.

However, she immediately changed the subject, with a trace of worry on her face: "But if we rashly send troops to wipe out these three small countries, we will directly border the powerful Zaun Empire. You know, the two countries have been in a state of tension and confrontation for a long time. Once the border changes, it will inevitably cause countless frictions and conflicts.

By then, both sides would probably deploy hundreds of thousands of troops on the border. Whether choosing to go to war or seek peace through diplomatic means, it would require huge military expenditures.

This huge expense is undoubtedly a heavy burden on the national finances..."

The king, sitting behind the desk, nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Blainey's opinion. He looked into the distance with deep eyes, as if he could see through the walls of the palace and see the tense situation on the border.

“Your Excellency is right. That is why our ancestors wisely left these three principalities and never launched large-scale conquest wars.

Back then, after our ancestors successfully seized the Kuik Province, they adopted a defensive strategy and actively worked to improve relations with the three neighboring countries. After years of hard work, this peaceful coexistence has been maintained to this day...

The king's words show both admiration for the wisdom of his predecessors and careful consideration of the current situation.

Blaney said with a smile: "Even so, taking over Quick Province must be the top priority. Domestic affairs can be put aside for now. Now after the Battle of Ankola, Quick Province has lost all its elite troops. It is just an empty city, so..."

"Hahahaha, that's it. We have to turn the Quick Province into an indestructible city to guard this area on the border. Oh no! These untouchables actually rebelled first. All the money the empire spent on construction was wasted, and the hinterland of the kingdom has become a place with no defense at all..."

The king felt so sad that he lost the Province of Queques without any sacrifice. The situation was getting worse and worse, so he especially hated the people and things in the Province of Queques.

Blaney: "When will your majesty send out the troops? The sooner the better. Which lord is willing to go on the expedition?"

The king looked back at the map. The nearest prince to the Quick Province was Tan Aili. She wanted to lead the army to suppress the rebellion now, but she couldn't do it. Most of the other princes had already secretly become "independent" and were themselves targets of suppression. There was no suitable candidate at the moment, and she could only watch as the opportunity slipped away.