Heroes of Might and Magic: Knight Chapter 405: Half Moon

(Wait a moment, I am writing, I will change it when I finish)

Golden Dragon City

Different from the coldness of the snowfield, the Golden Dragon has entered the hottest time of the year at this time. Most pedestrians on the road only wear a short shirt to cover their bodies, and some even go bare-chested. But no matter where I stay, the sweat can't stop flowing.

It's okay for those who can take shelter in the shade, but there are still many people who still have to work hard when the sun is at its peak.

Since the beginning of the year, the burden on the people has more than doubled, and materials from all over the world are collected at the dock of Jinlongjiang River every day.

Every time a ship docks, hundreds of coolie workers must brave the scorching sun to board the ship to carry goods. These are all laborers recruited from nearby farms. And working in this weather requires almost every day. It will kill some people.

Not only has the labor force become much heavier, but the land tax has also increased significantly. Fortunately, the Golden Dragon Kingdom has enjoyed peace for so long, and most people still have some food left in their homes, so they will not be unable to survive. As for those who really can't pay the money and food. Part of it is also simple, and naturally someone will give them more labor to offset the showdown.

As for resistance? There is no need for the knights to take action. A quasi-knight wearing simple equipment and a few soldiers can easily suppress an entire village of farmers. If the situation fails, there will be even more terrifying knights who will take action in person. Faced with the heavy corvee and taxes this year, ordinary civilians have no choice but to curse inwardly.

In an era when this kind of extraordinary power dominates everything, the kingdom's pyramid structure is extremely stable. Not to mention that the Charman family has ruled the kingdom for five hundred years now. If there were no foreign threats, this kind of rule would probably still be possible. Last for another five hundred years.

For ordinary people, the increase in the kingdom's corvee taxes is a real tyranny, but for Ren, who implements tyranny, it is a last resort. With the war coming, he has no choice but to squeeze the people's power and do his best. Be prepared for war. As for doing this to resist the orcs, before the orcs came to the city, how many people understood this truth.

…

In a side hall of the palace, Ren, who has been regarded as a tyrant by the people, is sitting on the main seat. Below him are more than a dozen people who are important ministers of the kingdom, including top officials like the Prime Minister and Thor. And the eldest prince Wolf, who has recently captured many garrison troops.

Most of the people present have a knight-level physique. Even King Ren himself is a master of the knight-level, not to mention a sky-level expert like Thor. Everyone wears very solemn clothes because they are very sensitive to cold and heat. The weather is somewhat resistant.

Although the hot weather will not make them impetuous, the matters being discussed at this time are a bit heavy for everyone except Sol.

"So when we levy and raise taxes on the common people, everyone can reach an agreement for the sake of the country's racial justice. Now I say that it is so difficult for each noble family to contribute people and efforts?"

There was a hint of anger in Ren's tone. Faced with Ren's questioning, most people lowered their heads and did not dare to answer, fearing that something wrong would be brought upon them. They would agree when the time came. No, it’s okay not to agree.

After all, according to Ren's idea, all nobles must increase taxes like ordinary farmers. For these nobles, they usually try their best to pay less taxes, so there is no reason to accept more taxes.

And not only did they have to pay taxes, the king actually asked the nobles to take responsibility. They had to bring their equipment and private soldiers to the military camp to report and participate in the war according to their titles and territories.

The barbarian nobles in the north or some recently awarded military nobles may be able to recruit some capable personal guards to fight. Most of the nobles have enjoyed wealth for hundreds of years, except for a few big nobles. , each generation can have a knight who can't even swing a sword to kill people to inherit the title, which is their greatest pursuit of force.

It is conceivable that if Ren's two demands must be implemented, it will simply be poaching from the kingdom's vested interest groups. If he comes out to answer the question, he may be ostracized by the entire interest group.

Don’t agree. Facing Ren, who was obviously a little angry now, they didn’t have the courage to say anything. They simply kept their heads down and pretended to be dead. No matter how Ren’s eyes swept around, they wouldn’t move. .

Only Thor looked at Ren calmly. One-third of his status came from blood, one-third from the golden dragon, and one-third from his personal strength. It had nothing to do with these nobles. He was Lane's staunchest supporter.

But his support was useless. Among the others, even Wolf, as the eldest prince, did not dare to stand up and answer the question. In addition to Ren's support, his reorganization of the garrison also required the support of various noble families. The nobles who had little investment in him gave him real talent and material support. If he stood up to support Ren's approach, it would probably shake his own base.

"Bang!"

The angry Renn slapped the table hard. Renn's strength was not weak. The blow made a loud noise. The quality of the table was good enough to withstand Renn's angry blow. .

Ren was so furious that the people below could no longer remain calm. With this loud noise, more than a dozen people below, including the eldest prince Wolf, fell to their knees with their heads on the ground. , looking sincere and frightened, but just unwilling to accept Ren's words. Only Thor still stood firmly in front of the crowd, standing out.

"Left Prime Minister, what do you think about sending more troops to the nobles?"

After angrily banging on the table, Ren simply named someone to speak.

The left prime minister who was named by Renne had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out. After thinking for a long time, he replied:

"Now the military actions of the orcs at Longxing Pass have become more and more obvious. The Golden Dragon clan is betraying the covenant again. The kingdom is already in crisis. All the nobles are vassals of the kingdom. Some people have money to contribute. It is the right thing to do. Even if His Majesty does not send additional troops, each family should take the initiative to contribute to the war."

Although everyone had their heads buried, Zuo Xiang listened with open ears when he spoke. Zuo Xiang said a lot of truths that everyone knew. Now the news that Jin Long will betray the alliance is no longer under control. Strictly speaking, many middle- and lower-class nobles who are more well-informed have already heard the news. If all the nobles can rely on reason to cooperate with the kingdom's actions, there will not be so many troubles.

Now Renne obviously wants to implement a specific and executable order to poach flesh from the nobles. Specific measures are needed, but the left prime minister did not respond directly. After saying a lot of good things, he looked at The old enemy with his head buried at the side smiled slightly in his heart and changed the topic:

"It's just that I'm not as familiar with the Right Prime Minister as to how to apportion the money to each noble family. It's up to the Right Prime Minister to come up with specific measures on how to do this."

Right phase: "..."

"Oh?"

"Does the Right Prime Minister think the apportionment to the nobles should be increased?"

Although the left-minister's change of topic was a bit abrupt, Renn didn't seem to care. He followed the left-minister's words and turned the conversation to the right-minister. He had already gotten the attitude he wanted from the left-minister.

The right minister who was named by Ren slowly came out. According to the system of the kingdom, no fool can reach this position. In fact, he was like a mirror in his heart. When Ren was furious just now, he He has already figured out the key. He is the right prime minister and administrative officer of the kingdom. He cannot run away when both the left and right prime ministers are named. He behaves quite calmly and unhurriedly when he is out of the queue. Speaking of:

"Your Majesty, it is natural to increase the assessment to all the nobles of the kingdom, but I am afraid it is not appropriate to double the tax as before."

"Why, civilians can get it, but not nobles?"

Of course not, the common people have to suppress their dissatisfaction due to increased taxes. They cannot form any resistance force that can affect the kingdom, and the nobles are the foundation of the kingdom's rule. If these nobles with financial resources and military force are forced Being anxious can really shake the foundation of the kingdom's rule.

Ren showed such an aggressive look, but he was actually just trying to bargain.

Yes, the king bargained with the domestic aristocratic class, using the king's authority and some means to get the entire aristocratic class to hand over part of its interests.

"Your Majesty, these are the descendants of meritorious ministers. If you want to force the apportionment to the common people, I am afraid it will chill the nobles in the country."

"Then how does the right minister think the material gap at Longxingguan should be replenished? The war is about to begin, and the corvee and field taxes have been doubled, so we can't continue to send more."

At present, the burden of the kingdom is mainly placed on the shoulders of the common people. Although the nobles are also contributing, but compared with the interests and resources they occupy, the amount of effort is definitely not enough. If they could achieve the level of the Ross family in the West, Renn wouldn't have such a headache.

"I suggest that the additional allocation be increased by 20% on the existing basis, and that the nobles be allowed to use money and food instead of sending troops."

"The bonus will be increased by at least 30%..."

"If each family cannot fulfill its obligation to participate in the conscription, it must provide five hundred gold nards, and the amount increases with the title."

"Your Majesty, is this too much? I think..."

In the end, the discussion became like market bargaining. After several rounds of bargaining, the two parties settled on a number, and then Renne announced the end of the discussion with a livid face.

After everyone dispersed, Ren's expression returned to normal. His goal had actually been achieved. Renn didn't really want to alienate the nobles, although he knew very well that at least half of the nobles in the kingdom now It has completely turned into a moth.

But he cannot violently remove these moths. He is different from Richard. Richard can carry out reforms without scruples because the power of the nobles in the North is not strong, and Richard does not rely on that group of nobles to rule. , they are not Richard's base at all, and even when Richard is full-fledged, he can directly use violent means to suppress the nobles in the valley and directly seize the benefits.

But Ren is different. The foundation of the Golden Dragon Kingdom is based on these nobles. Although they are corrupt, Ren does not dare to remove them at will. That will only plunge the kingdom into greater chaos. He can only It’s just a matter of gradually finding a balance point in struggle and compromise.

Judging from the results of this Umrah meeting, Renn still achieved his goal. By singing and harmonizing with the two prime ministers on the left and right, he set a tone of extra party in front of more than a dozen people. I believe that soon, The news will spread throughout the aristocratic class through these dozen people.

With the authority of the king and the endorsement of the left and right prime ministers, I believe that most nobles will not do anything impulsive for the sake of this small extra faction.

"Uncle King Thor, after this additional dispatch, it should be enough to maintain the Longxingguan army."

There were only two people left in the hall, Saul and Harris, and Renn was no longer as tense as before.

"That's enough for now."

"Huh."

"Uncle King Thor, why do you think that during His Majesty Aragon's time, our clan's population was less than one-third of its current size, but we could easily maintain ten million soldiers? Now, the kingdom's population is one hundred million. It is so difficult for everyone to maintain the five million troops at Longxingguan."

To put it bluntly, the problem is that the exploitation of people's power is not as good as in the Aragon period, and the subjective initiative is insufficient. At that time, humans followed Aragon to fight for the human race, and most people did their best to fight for the human race. The human race fights.

Now people can rest on their merits and live a comfortable life. The oppression of the orcs has become a thing of the past hundreds of years ago, and humans no longer have the spirit of the Aragorn period. In addition, Renne is not on the same level as Aragorn in terms of strength and prestige. The relationship with the domestic nobles is subject to mutual checks and balances. At that time, Aragorn said that his nobles should not say anything about money or food. , he wouldn't even blink an eye when he was about to die.

Saul was silent for a moment after listening to Ren's question, and it took him a long time to reply:

"The nobles at that time were always the first to rush into battle."

It is better not to have the nobility now.

When Ren thought of this, he couldn't help but think of Richard who was "messing around" in the Northland.

"Is there any new news recently about my good son-in-law?"

"Your Majesty, Sir Richard seems to have launched troops against the snowy plains recently."

Harris, who had remained silent, only answered when Ren asked about Richard's situation.

"Deploy troops against the snowfield?"

When Ren heard about this strange place, he didn't react at all. After thinking about it for a while, he roughly figured out where the snowfield was.

"Why did he send troops to the snowfield to fight those giants?"

"Yes, and according to the intelligence, Lord Richard has achieved another great victory."

"Can even the Snow Giant win? He is so capable, why not save your energy and prepare for the next battle with the orcs."

Ren was already a little surprised that Richard had done some magical things. In addition, he knew very little about the snowfield, so he did not delve into this issue and turned the topic back to the orcs.

"Send someone to remind him. It's almost time to report to Longxi Pass."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

…

Northland, Miracle City

Half a month has passed since the battle in Snowfield City. It seems that the Snow Giant Royal Court has not even elected a new king. The construction work on the outer positions of Snowfield City has been going on. The surrounding Snow Giants are now doing nothing. Without any intervention, Snowfield City has established a firm foothold in the snowfield.

Several flag regiments that suffered serious attrition during the war have basically been replenished. The Hunter family is very efficient and has replenished new recruits shortly after the battle.

After being busy for a few days, Richard became the hands-off shopkeeper again. Every day he was either patrolling around or waiting for Messiah to stay with her for a while after she returned home from learning magic.

But today was an accident. Richard did not accompany Messiah in the mansion, but came to the Stone Castle, waiting for the market and tavern to be refreshed...