Law of the Devil Chapter 195: [Erosion situation]

Chapter 195 [Erosion Situation]

Dewey, of course, will not take these four thousand rebels with him to the territory slowly. After all, this thing is a bit shameful. Of course, Du Wei does not expect anyone to hide this thing, especially the regent of the imperial capital. Du Wei believes that all these actions are known to Prince Chen, but he has to take a foothold in the northwest tiger and wolf place, and always grasp all the foothold capital. The 4,000 rebels say more or less, and less, but also within the tolerance of Prince Chen: The Highness disparaged and disperse the entire Luo Lin family, and looked at a large number of Luo himself The "sinner" of the Lin family cannot be used, and Du Wei cannot be a duke to go northwest with both hands, right?

When you are very unusual, you can do something extraordinary. I believe that Prince Chen still has it.

But after all, this is not something that can be put on the table. These 4,000 people were stopped by bribery. If you took these 4,000 people all the way to the northwest, they would be too little for the regent. Face-saving. This kind of thing, everyone just like to say nothing.

The Knights of Robert, with two hundred Imperial Forest Commanders, led the 4,000 rebels marching quickly. Instead of taking the road, they turned to the path and headed for the territory first. Don't worry about supplies along the way. With Du Wei's official documents, the local defensive government along the way will provide food.

And Du Wei, he still has to move forward slowly. Before reaching the territory, Du Wei is going to make a general inspection of the situation in the northwest. It is one thing to hear many things, but to experience it in person and to see it with your own eyes is another matter.

Mulan City, the capital of Nulin Province, cannot be regarded as a big city if it is placed in the prosperous central or southern part of the mainland. The size of a population of over 100,000. Can only be regarded as second-rate. But in the northwest, it is already No. 1 in the bustling province of Nulin Province.

This is the last major city on the commercial road in the Northwest. Caravans from the south and caravans from the northwest will converge here. Various rare goods trafficked from the southeast of the mainland, as well as cattle and sheep or fur traders who cross the desert from the grasslands of the northwest, will also stay here.

The carriage was just near the outskirts of Mulan City, and Du Wei had opened the window. Enjoying the view outside the window.

Northwest, because of geographical reasons, there are so one or two months of wind season each year. Although the Kilimaro Mountains is a natural barrier that blocks most of the strong winds, but the annual wind season, There will still be a lot of sand and dust from the desert on the other side of the mountain.

It's windy and sandy. This is a characteristic of the Northwest Territories. Therefore, the buildings here will not be too high, like the mansion of a mansion in the capital, or buildings that are more than ten meters high, there is absolutely no land.

The tallest building in Magnolia City. It is the walls of Mulan City. The twelve-meter-high city wall fully complies with the Imperial Land military system.

Because they are generally low-rise buildings, this city with a population of more than 100,000 has a small area.

Because the Robert Cavaliers have sneaked in with 4,000 rebels. The person in charge of leading the cavalry to open the road was replaced by the chief of the 500 Yulin Army who was responsible for escorting Dewey to the northwest. Although he was only a small officer of the 500 Cavalry, the identity of the Yulin Army was naturally different.

In the south of Mulan City, it is the largest bazaar here. It was originally a town outside the city, but it has evolved into the largest trading place for business groups from south to north. When Dewey's team passed here, they immediately felt the noise of the place.

When passing by the road. Du Wei overlooked the bazaar not far, crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder, those with flat noses and curly hair wearing cow and sheep fur northwestern aliens, and merchants from all parts of the empire, riding horses, driving herds, and hanging Shops of all kinds of fur goods ... Noisy and noisy.

But Duvy aimed his money bags at these merchants.

"Sir. This is the largest trading place in the Northwest. Although Mulan City has a small population. However, the annual commercial tax income is extremely objective. The capital of the forestry province, the annual business tax income can be five times more than the agricultural tax! "

This is a handsome young man sitting next to Dewey in the carriage. This man's name was Philip, and he was the best of the eighty disciples recommended by Blue Ocean scholars to Du Wei. Twenty-eight years old, but born with a beautiful appearance, looks like a teenager. His surname "Philip" should be an ancient aristocratic surname on the mainland of Roland. This surname was also a famous family on the mainland before the establishment of the Roland Empire a thousand years ago. Today, the once prominent Philip family no longer exists.

This Philip is of civilian origin and is a child of a civilian family in the southern part of the Imperial City. Among the 80 disciples recommended by the blue ocean scholars, this person immediately received Du Wei's attention. Easy to learn, stable, rigorous, and no shortage of hasty. It is a very potential staff member.

What makes Dewey even more valuable is that when he was young, Philip came to the Northwest with a business group. When Philip was young, he was very fascinated by the customs and customs of all parts of the mainland. With the encouragement of blue ocean scholars, the disciples under the blue ocean door were extremely disgusted with empty talk and were keen to do hard work. And when Philip was young, he committed himself to join a business group, acted as an apprentice to bookkeeping, and walked a large circle in the northwest.

Du Wei didn't expect that the situation in the Northwest had eroded to such an extent, but he came out of Sin City that day, and he felt an inexplicable absurdity about the so-called temporary doctrine of twenty years ago!

Twenty years have passed since the war ended. What kind of wartime doctrine has not yet been abolished? Let the military of a region control the financial power of the entire region? It even replaced the right to material distribution in the central empire. Can you interfere with the administrative power of local governments at will?

This is ridiculous!

Isn't it a downright warlord? No wonder the empire has never interfered in the situation in the northwest, but in fact it is simply unable to interfere! The faintness and great joy of Augustine VI, the old emperor, made him “won” the Northwest War, and did not take any effective measures on the issue of the Northwest after the war. Instead, he concentrated his energy on allowing him to continue to show off his might Nanyang!

The Northwest Army has almost become the emperor of the Northwest! Such a military group controls the northwest region. Fiscal revenue can be self-sufficient, and it has become less and less bound by the central government of the empire, and it is even extremely exclusive!

Without saying anything else, just last time the old Raymond told Dewey, there were two lords in the Northwest who were driven out by the Northwest Army, and one of them lost his life ... How arrogant? !!

The military and political power is in your hands. Who else is the Northwest Army afraid of? !!

After learning about these things, Du Wei immediately found Philip, a disciple under the blue ocean who is familiar with the Northwest. Along the way, Philip stayed in Dewey's carriage and Dewey introduced what he knew about the Northwest situation. The more Du Wei heard the back, the more shocked! I couldn't help but regret it, and didn't talk to this Philip earlier.

"The governor's office of Nulin Province is located in Mulan City. The current Governor is Bonham, Baron, Northerner, and this guy also has a little background. He used to be a provincial governor in the south. Later, I was promoted by political achievements. When I was in the capital, I worked in the Finance Department. I have no doubt that this guy has a certain skill. And the central government of the empire put him to the northwest. Control in the northwest has caused some alarm. The Baron Bonham was sent to restore central authority. He has done a good job in recent years. However, this place in the northwest is not the south after all, and he is a good man in financial management. It is also good to handle government affairs, but it is worse in the military. So when facing the Northwest Army, his waist bar has not been able to harden. And the Northwest Army has stood up to the so-called wartime doctrine 20 years ago. Do not relax, according to that decree, the Northwest Army has the right to interfere with the local finances throughout the Northwest. Every year, the revenue of local finances must be allocated and not submitted to the Imperial Finance Department. Directly handed over to the Northwest Army to serve as military supplies in the theater. Financial self-sufficiency is only one, and the other situation is helpless: According to the temporary regulations, in the theater, the commander's headquarters of the Northwest Army has the power to meet the needs of the war And temporarily appointed some military officers to serve as war zone chiefs and have the power to control local governments! This is the so-called 'military government'. As a result, even some local governments have been overrun by the Northwest Army. "

Du Wei's brow froze: "So, in the Northwest region. No one can control the warlords of the Northwest Army?"

"There are still." Philip thought for a moment. His wording was careful, after all, in his current position. It ’s just a civilian. When talking about these big men with big powers, I did n’t dare to be too sharp: “When I came to the Northwest a few years ago, I felt that the situation in the Northwest had eroded to the extreme. At that time, I even ... Well, I personally feel that if the central government of the empire does not do anything, I am afraid that in less than five years, the northwest will become a state within a country. Here, the administrative documents of the empire are far less authoritative than the northwest military. Military order. This is a terrible thing, but in recent years, I am curious that the situation in the Northwest has actually eased. This has to be said, it is the Governor-General of Nulin Province, Baron Bonham. Credit. "

"Oh?" Du Wei secretly noticed and asked, "tell me about the Baron Bonham."

"Fair, my lord, I really admire him." Philip, the handsome young man, did not conceal his admiration: "I even think that this Baron Bonham is almost twenty in the Empire. The best talent in the past year! When he came to the Northwest, the situation here was much worse than it is now! "

Speaking, Philip suddenly took out a thin booklet from a pocket he had written with him, smiled, and said, "When the teacher asked us to follow you, I was already at home and took me Over the years, some views and understandings of the situation in the Northwest have been written on it, and many of them are the decree of Mr. Bonham I have recorded. A closer study will find you very interesting.

Although the Northwest Army dominates the Northwest, they still have one of their biggest weaknesses!

Food!

The Northwest is not a food-producing region. The grain output here is very low. Each year, the two provinces in the Northwest need to buy food from other provinces on the mainland to meet local demand. And to feed an army of nearly 200,000 people, the food required is not enough for the Northwest.

So, the annual military rations. Buy from the south of the empire ... Grain became an important means for the imperial central government to restrain the Northwest Army.

The Baron Bonham also caught this!

There was a big weakness in that temporary decree that year, which was caught by the keen Baron Bonham. That is, the statute stipulates that the Northwest Army can intercept the northwest local government's fiscal revenue to supplement military funding, but ... ... only for agricultural income!

"This doctrine has a strong epochal character. The era in which the doctrine came into being. Northwest alien rebellions continue. Where is there any commercial tax? Not many businessmen are willing to risk their lives to do business in the northwest, despite the cattle and sheep of the northwest alien. Both horses and horses were in short supply. At that time, the Northwest was poorer than it is now. Most of the annual fiscal revenue was agricultural taxes, and wartime regulations were derived on this basis. That is to say ... After that, the local government received new taxes in other aspects, and the Northwest Army could not intervene! This is a key issue. "

Speaking. Philip opened his booklet, turned to one of the pages, and laughed, "Sir, please see, this is my statistics. According to the official statistics of the Empire Finance Department, oh, these data are published from the official every year The data was copied, although the figures in the official newspapers have always been hydrated. But they are also informative.

"Before Baron Bonham took office, the annual fiscal revenue of Nu Ninh Province was 3.8 million gold coins, of which agricultural taxes accounted for 2.4 million gold coins. This is a large proportion. But you Looking at the back, after Baron Bohan took office, in the following three years, the agricultural tax in Nulin Province began to decrease, to 2.2 million in the first year and 1.8 million in the second year. In the third year, it suddenly dropped to 1.2 million! Only half of the original! What does this mean ... "

Du Wei's eyes flashed: "Baron Bonham wants to‘ starve to death ’of these Northwestern troops.”

Philip laughed: "Master, the word 'starved to death' is very accurate. In fact, after Baron Bonham took office, grain production in the whole province of Nulin started to decrease! He passed a series of administrative orders ... … These orders are very clear. As a good administrative officer, he is much better at this than the military guys. The military guys were initially blinded by him. They didn't take it to heart. But they waited until the decree happened. When it was used, the Northwest region ’s grain production has been reduced a lot! And grain. It is the biggest killer of the Northwest Army. The Northwest Army depends on purchasing foreign food to survive every year! As the output of grain decreases, the Northwest Army The dependence of the central government will be stronger! This is a means of weakening, although some ... but it is very effective.

"Of course, if you blindly reduce food production and waste agricultural work, the Northwest Army will be weakened, but the civilian life in the Northwest will become more difficult. In this regard, Baron Bonham did a good job. He vigorously The development of business, the annual tax revenue is rising steadily, and now the financial revenue of Nulin Province is higher than that before Baron Bonham took office.

"Of course, the Northwest Army is not without its own way, at least in terms of military strength, they have been firmly suppressing Baron Bonham. The local defense forces in the Northwest region belong to Governor Bonham in command. However, in terms of supplies ... according to wartime regulations, the Northwest Army distributes them. Therefore, the equipment of the local defense forces throughout the Northwest Territory is very backward, and the supplies are often delayed. The fighting strength of the local defense forces is low. There is no way. Although he has money, he cannot spend money to supplement the army himself, because that is against the imperial decree! The Northwest Army is very smart in this regard and has been staring at Baron Bonham firmly if he dares If you act rashly, you will be accused of interfering in military affairs. However, I have reasons to suspect that Governor Bonham has secretly done something, at least as far as I know, to defend the army in Mulan City, the equipment is very neat, and daily Training is also very formal. "

"Generally speaking, the current situation in the Northwest is that Governor Bonham alone stands up against the Northwest Army. Governor Bonham is desperately overwhelming the Northwest Army on food, and the Northwest Army is dying on military strength. The governor is under pressure from Governor Bochham. The two sides have been confronting each other for several years. At present, it seems that the Northwest Army has the upper hand. But the biggest ace in the Northwest Army is the wartime doctrine of twenty years ago. "

At the end, Philip couldn't help complaining: "Sir, this doctrine is the biggest dependency of the Northwest Army. A wartime doctrine twenty years ago is still in use today, and it must be said that it is ridiculous to the extreme Things. "

"But this decree has never been cancelled by the Central Empire, has it?" Du Wei sighed.

"Good." Philip nodded, and he turned to another page: "Look, this is my record. The Northwest Army's spring exercises are very strict every year, which has to be said to be a show of force. In my opinion, the Empire wants to eradicate the scourge of the Northwest. Baron Bonham's weakening policy is difficult to accomplish this task, because even if weakened, the military power is still in the hands of others, he ca n’t help it. Unless ... "

At this point, Philip is afraid to continue.

Du Wei did not hesitate, and said lightly: "Unless the central empire has the courage ... to fight a civil war!"

Philip shivered, looking at the young duke in front of him. The appearance of this young aristocrat was still young and unique, but the cold light in his eyes and the sneer in his mouth left a trace of nothing. Childish?

"Master, sir ..." Philip smiled reluctantly: "You can't just say this randomly."

"Huh." Du Wei smiled and shook his head: "I can only talk about it. With the current national strength of the empire, can it support a civil war!"

Philip's eyes darkened, he knew very well that Du Wei was telling the truth!

To completely eradicate the chaos in the Northwest, there is no way to thunder, and only by weakening and restraining, we can barely maintain a balance. In order to eradicate, we must be able to bear the painful price!

It's just the price ... Can the empire afford it now?

Thinking of this, Philip couldn't help but glance at the duke. Frankly, when the teacher recommended himself to the Duke of Tulips, Philip was still skeptical. After all, this duke is famous, but his age is hard to convince. A teenager who is under fifteen years of age, go to a place like tigers and wolves in the northwest, and have not been swallowed by the warlords so that there is no residue left?

Even if he is a powerful magician! Such things, the strength of the individual does not control everything!

But with these intensive conversations with Dewey these days, Philip felt more and more extraordinary about the duke. From his silence, he obtained a complete Infantry Regiment of the former Emperor Capital from Daer City. In the conversation these days, the words of Du Wei have revealed this temperament. It can be said that Philip was completely convinced by the teacher's arrangement. This duke, definitely has the qualifications worthy of his own work!

However, Du Wei's occasional look in his eyes and words made Philip worry a little.

Will such a decisive boy come to the northwest to bring stability to the northwest ... or is it a big mess? !!

"Philip." With a smile on Du Wei's face, he woke up the contemplative staff member: "Looking at the gate, the Governor must have sent someone to meet us. I really want to meet now The Governor Bauhan whom you admire. "