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Chapter 500: Decision to Send Troops
Lady Maria did not just ask the overseas dominions to send troops to save the kingdom in danger. It may be because Claude's conversation with her on the train finally made her understand something. So after arriving at Lanhu City, she happily revealed her trump card and placed the kingdom's conditions in front of the Dominion Council and the five generals of the military region. As for what choice the Dominion Parliament and the Military Region will make, that is none of her business. She is just a special envoy of His Majesty the King.
All the conditions submitted to the Kingdom by the Overseas Dominion Parliament were agreed to by Frederick I. It was nothing more than that the Kingdom of Overas was the suzerain of the Overseas Dominion, and the two were consistent in terms of diplomacy and military affairs. The administrative measures, personnel promotions, finance and taxation, economics and finance, and military strength of the overseas autonomous territories remain independent and are not subject to the jurisdiction of the Kingdom, but must be reported to the Kingdom so that coordination can be carried out in case of emergencies... ...
At the same time, the Kingdom allows the goods produced by the overseas autonomous territories to have pricing rights for sale in the Kingdom's local market. Although it cannot fully liberalize the commercial exclusivity of each local county, it can issue ten commodity access passes to the overseas autonomous territories. As long as the trading houses of the overseas autonomous territories have this commodity access pass, their goods can be traded freely throughout the kingdom...
It can be said that the wishes of the Overseas Dominion MPs have been fulfilled by the Kingdom. Seeing the official document signed by Frederick I in black and white and the official official document stamped with the state seal and the King's seal symbolizing the Stirling royal family, the Dominion MPs felt in their hearts. But it was a bit dumbfounding. Everyone knows that the Kingdom of Overas is in a bad situation now. This may be the real reason why Frederick I agreed to all the conditions of the overseas autonomous territories. Why did he go there long ago...
In addition, Mrs. Maria also brought the long-lost promotion orders from the Kingdom’s Army Department to the five generals of the Dominion Military Region and the soldiers of the two legions. This was a general promotion order that was nearly three years late, and the king His Majesty conferred honors on the meritorious soldiers who won the colonial war with the Kingdom of Hicks.
General Bolognik and Claude were officially promoted to the rank of generals of the kingdom. Their military ranks were originally lieutenant generals of the kingdom. This promotion to generals was justifiable. Generals Skree, Albert, and Beachlin were also promoted to lieutenant generals of the kingdom. In addition, seven colonel officers were promoted to major generals of the kingdom,
Murield, Belklin and Diavid, three of Claude's younger brothers, have all crossed the dividing line between military officers and generals and become the official major generals of the kingdom. As for Michael, he was lucky. Perhaps because he was Claude's brother-in-law, he also caught the last train and was specially promoted to the rank of Major General of the Kingdom by His Majesty the King. This time, the Thunder Legion promoted four people to general officers, and three others were promoted to colonel officers of the Rock Legion.
Compared with promotions to military ranks, His Majesty Frederic I's honorary conferments were more generous. He conferred 24 meritorious personnel in the military region as new nobles of the kingdom in one go. Among them, Claude's conferral was the most generous. It may be related to Claude's original title of honorary earl of the kingdom. This time he was granted the title of hereditary baron of the kingdom. This title can be passed down to descendants from generation to generation.
General Bolognik was granted the title of the third Viscount, and General Skerry, General Albert Lund and General Beachlin were all granted the title of the third Baron. Their titles can be passed down for three generations. Nineteen senior officers of the military region, including Murield, Belklin, Diavid and Maijack, were awarded honorary barons. The decree of granting the title stated that the reason why His Majesty the King lavishly bestowed the title was to commend the officers and soldiers of the Dominion Military Region for their contribution to the expansion of the territory, and to thank the officers and soldiers of the legion for their sacrifice and contribution to the Kingdom in the bloody battle on the battlefield...
The Overseas Dominion Parliament has also been granted the title of three people by His Majesty the King. One is the one-armed Lord Speaker Bennett, who was granted the title of Honorary Viscount. This may be because he lost his arm in an assassination attempt by the Gray Tower Mage. This grant of title was a compensation given to him.
There is also Mr. Xia Zolak, the director of the patrol department of the overseas autonomous territories. He was once forced to retire from the army because he was involved in the assassination of the Gray Tower Master. Later, Claude asked him to take charge of rectifying the patrol affairs of the overseas autonomous territories. This time it was because the good public security order in the overseas autonomous territories was rated as excellent and he was granted the title of Honorary Baron by Frederick I.
The last member of Parliament to be awarded the title was Mr. Veblen, which was very unexpected. But the reason why he was granted the title was very sufficient. He spent a large amount of money to fund Master Bird's research and improvement of steam engines, and finally completed the development of trains, which changed the traffic conditions in overseas autonomous territories. It can be said that the emergence of trains was far from the beginning. Thanks to Mr. Veblen's insight and strong support, he was also granted the title of Honorary Baronet.
Seven people were granted the title by the people of the overseas autonomous territories, but only five were accepted in the end. Master Bird was granted the title of hereditary baron of the kingdom in recognition of his achievements in inventing trains and improving steam engines, and collaborated with his four rune magicians. All were granted honorary barons. The two people who declined the title were Lady Sonia and Claude's sister Anna. They were awarded the title for their invention of a new rifle, but they both declined the title in unison. First, they felt it was unnecessary. The second is to keep a low profile.
The reason why Frederick I agreed to the request for autonomy and granted such generous titles to the overseas autonomous territories was very simple. He only made two demands to the Overseas Dominion Parliament and the Military Region. The first was to have the overseas autonomous territories pay annual payments to the kingdom and the royal family Taxes and tributes of one million gold crowns, and secondly, two legions from the Dominion Military Region can be returned to the Kingdom to help it resist the invasion of the National Alliance Army in the Eastern Region...
"What is the current war situation in the kingdom?"
"Reporting to the general, the Kingdom's Ministry of War has reorganized two defensive fronts in Kulia County, Chaniyalar County, Krimes County, Billing Moro County and Baigasantana County. The main force currently deployed on the front line The legion is a division of the Guards Corps and all the men of the Griffin Legion. In addition, there are two second-line legions, with a total of more than 200,000 troops. In addition, the Kingdom's Ministry of War also recruits young men from the kingdom's refugees in White Deer City. Prepare to form two second-line legions again.
The Eastern Region National Alliance army confronting the King's Army on the front line has a total strength of 430,000 troops and seven legions. Among them, the Kingdom of Hicks has three standing legions, the Kingdom of Nasseri has two standing legions, and the Principality of Karnas has one. The rest of the Light Cavalry Legion is a legion jointly formed by the Principality of Sidings and the Principality of Rimodra.
Perhaps due to the fact that they have occupied the capital of our kingdom, the seven legions of the Eastern Region National Alliance currently deployed on the front line lack fighting spirit and will to fight. They reluctantly launched two large-scale attacks more than a month ago and only suffered losses. After gathering thousands of troops, they quickly withdrew and only maintained a state of confrontation. However, there are indications that the enemy is still deploying troops from within their own country, and it is estimated that six more standing corps will arrive at the front line within three months. Maybe when the enemy's reinforcements arrive, it's time for them to launch a general attack..."
Now the kingdom no longer imposes an intelligence blockade on the overseas autonomous territories, and new war situation reports are sent to the autonomous territory military headquarters almost every half month.
"Do you think our Dominion Military District should send troops?" General Bolonik asked.
This is almost a no-brainer. All senior officers in the military region unanimously agree to send troops. Frederick I's generous granting of titles in the Dominion Military Region finally achieved unexpected results. Whether it was the soldiers of the Thunder Legion or the Rock Legion, or the officers and soldiers of the Dominion's ocean cruise fleet, they were all noisy and red-eyed as they sent troops back to the Kingdom to teach the unscrupulous Eastern Region National Alliance troops a profound lesson... ..
Although the overseas autonomous territories have gained true autonomy, the people here still regard themselves as subjects of the Kingdom of Ovelas. Now that the kingdom is in trouble, public sentiment in the overseas autonomous territories is raging, and they are asking the autonomous military regions to send troops to fight back to the kingdom. There are even young men lining up outside the military headquarters or at the entrance of the military camp, volunteering to join the army and return to the kingdom to resist the Eastern Region National Alliance. The invasion of the army.
As for the soldiers of the two legions, let alone mention them. King Hicks has always been defeated by his own men. The results of the colonial war and the more than 500,000 prisoners who served in labor have proved this. The Kingdom of Nasseri was originally the sworn enemy of the Kingdom of Overas. The principality of Karnas had not yet avenged the losses suffered by the kingdom before the end of the last five-year war in the eastern region. As for the Principality of Sidings and the Principality of Rimodra, Qiu No one will take the grasshoppers seriously.
Therefore, the soldiers of the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion were all demoralized. Firstly, they did not take the enemy seriously, and secondly, they wanted to be rewarded for their meritorious service, and perhaps earn a title for themselves so that their families could be glorious for the rest of their lives. Third, I feel a little unaccustomed to not having fought for such a long time. Especially after being equipped with new rifles and new artillery, the idea that I am the best in the world has penetrated into the minds of every officer and soldier. They can't wait to go to the battlefield to show off, and some even signed a letter in blood asking for a fight.
This is no longer something that the five giants in the Dominion Military Region can handle. Even General Bolognik and others hope to return to the Kingdom to fight. Perhaps it was Claude's hereditary baronage that stimulated them, and they also wanted to make further military exploits. A hereditary title can be passed down to descendants from generation to generation, which is more enviable than their third-generation title and honorary title.
"We can send troops." Claude remained calm: "But we require independent command and combat rights, not under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom's Army Department. After all, we are an autonomous military region, and our combat methods are different from those of the Kingdom's mainland armies. , logistics supplies do not need to rely on the supply of the Kingdom's Army Department, and there is no need to accept the random command of the Kingdom's Army Department. Sometimes, the enemy face to face is not scary, but it is the friendly forces with ulterior motives that need to be careful... "
Yes, Claude is right. The senior officers in the military region who participated in this meeting woke up and realized that it was okay to send troops to join the war, but the two legions of the Dominion could not accept the command of the Kingdom's Army Department when they returned to the Kingdom. Otherwise, what if they were pushed to the front and used as their shield. It’s not that the Kingdom’s Ministry of War cannot do such a thing. Military regions must have independent combat and command powers.
"We will discuss this with Madam Maria as a condition for sending troops. Are there any other requirements?" General Bolognik asked.
General Skerry spoke: "Perhaps we can also ask His Majesty the King to open the migration permission for the Kingdom's refugees. Didn't it mean that there are now two to three million refugees gathered in Bailu City? They all rely on the batch of food and agricultural products we provided to the Kingdom for free last time. Supplies to survive. If His Majesty allows our overseas autonomous territories to relocate those refugees, we can provide the kingdom with another batch of food and military supplies... "
Ever since Claude led the Thunder Legion to land in White Deer City in the Kingdom the year before last, robbed the machinery and equipment of various local counties and relocated the Kingdom's refugees, the Royal Capital has issued a ban on relocation, prohibiting the people of the Kingdom from moving to overseas autonomous territories. This is also to avoid the loss of the kingdom’s local human resources.
However, the current war to resist the invasion of the National Alliance Army in the Eastern Region has once again caused a large-scale refugee flow in the Kingdom. Countless people in the Kingdom fled with their families from the enemy-occupied areas to the southwest of the Kingdom. That is Frey The city where Delhi I was located. The refugees believed that they would always be safe when they came to the king's side. The steady flow of refugees from the kingdom brought great pressure to White Deer City...
However, this is a very good immigration opportunity for overseas autonomous territories. Claude once jokingly calculated that if the overseas autonomous territories were to truly have ever-lasting development capabilities, their population would have to reach more than 15 million. At present, there are less than 7 million immigrants from the Kingdom in the entire overseas autonomous territories. The developed areas of states with a population of more than one million only account for one-third, and those with small populations even only one-seventh. Except for those around towns, more areas are developed. It's all wild.
Therefore, General Skerry does not mind using this opportunity to send troops to increase the population of the overseas autonomous territories.
"Okay, this request to allow our Dominion to relocate refugees from the Kingdom will be the second condition for our Dominion to send troops." General Bolonik said: "Are there any other requirements? If not, then fine, since we all said we would Send troops, then let's discuss how to send troops this time and how many troops should be sent. Claude, please tell me first... "
Claude tapped his fingers on the table, pondered for a moment and said: "I think both of our legions have to be dispatched, but the Dominion Military District must also leave at least one division of garrison troops just in case. Although we already have twenty The local garrison equipped with new rifles is enough to deal with any situation that occurs in the overseas autonomous territories. Even if there is another colonial war in the Kingdom of Hicks, there is no need to worry. But this is our new home now, and we cannot be too careful.
Everyone here is a soldier who has participated in the war in the eastern region for five years. You all know that in such a regional war, the investment of one or two legions on the frontal battlefield cannot play a key role in the battle situation. Just like the positional offensive and defensive battles in the Principality of Modra back then, after our Kingdom's so-called most elite and most powerful Guards Corps entered the battlefield, it was eventually dragged down by the enemy's layer-by-layer defensive positional battles and was eventually damaged by more than half, with no morale at all. Do not step back and recuperate.
This war takes place in the mainland of our kingdom. If we engage in offensive and defensive battles with the enemy, it will not only consume time, but also cause the greatest damage to the kingdom. Therefore, I demand independent combat and command rights. There is no need to dance with the enemy's baton. As for the number of troops dispatched, the more the better, because if our legion is damaged on the battlefield, it is impossible for the Kingdom's Army Ministry to replenish it for us.
Therefore, if we want to send troops this time, we must first expand our legions. At least each legion must increase the strength of one division. The Thunder Legion is a light cavalry regiment that is good at attacking. I hope that we have reliable armed forces behind us to guard our rear. If we invest two divisions to attack, then there will be at least one division behind us to guard supplies and supplies. Ammunition gives us no worries.
The same is true for the Rock Legion. One division was expanded to stay in the overseas autonomous territories, and two divisions went to fight in the kingdom. Nowadays, the public opinion in the Dominion is fierce, and young and strong people who voluntarily sign up to join the army are crowded at the entrance of the military camp and the headquarters every day. I think we should not let their desire to serve the country go nowhere, so we simply comply with their wish and let these young men enlist in the army and train for three months. As for officers and veterans, a group can be recruited from those local garrison regiments..."
Claude proposed the method of expanding the army out of helplessness. He did not expect that His Majesty the King would be so generous this time and promoted seven new Kingdom Major Generals. Just like Belklin, if he still has the rank of colonel, then there is no problem for him to lead a regiment. But now that he has become a major general of the kingdom, it would be ugly to call him a regiment commander. The position assigned according to military rank is division commander, so it is imperative to expand the corps establishment. Anyway, if you want to return home to fight, as long as the equipment can keep up, it will be a good thing to have more troops, and you will have more resources on hand to mobilize troops.
"Okay, let's build another division for each of the two armies." General Bolonik nodded. These military affairs were already accustomed to him. He asked General Skerry about the logistics of expanding the strength of the two divisions. After there were no problems, the conscription order was handed over, and General Albert and General Beachlin were respectively responsible for the reorganization and training of new recruits of the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion, so as to prepare for war before the expedition.
"We have reached an agreement here and can send troops. But how is the parliament discussing the condition that His Majesty the King requires our overseas autonomous territories to pay taxes and tributes of one million gold crowns every year?" General Skerry asked curiously.
Different from the decision to send troops reached by the Dominion Military District, the parliament and Mrs. Maria had a very heated debate on this issue. In the end, the members of Parliament voted to reject Frederick I's request. They were only willing to pay taxes and tributes of 500,000 gold crowns per year, which was 100,000 gold crowns more than the previous 400,000 gold crowns.
Mrs. Maria pointed out angrily that the total tax revenue of the overseas autonomous territories currently exceeds two million gold crowns, and it is an obligation to hand over half of it to the kingdom. But Speaker Bennett countered that the overseas autonomous territories were paying the military expenses of the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion on behalf of the Kingdom. If the overseas autonomous territories are allowed to hand over half of their taxes, then it will be very simple. The military expenses of the two legions in the autonomous military regions will be paid by the kingdom...
Lady Maria shut up immediately.