Claude felt that he had chosen the wrong place to hold a meeting of all the members of this overseas autonomous territory and the honorary nobles of the kingdom in the Beibu Gulf. All the members were letting themselves go. For them, this is a rare group trip that is reimbursed at public expense. Of course, private enjoyment requires their own money. Compared with how to obtain hereditary family territory, they are more interested in meeting new friends, understanding the business situation of Beibu Gulf, and exploring business cooperation, etc...
Especially in just three days, amid the blue sky, white clouds, and various parties held on the sea and beach, Claude suddenly discovered that there were twenty or so unmarried men under him who had made military exploits and were granted honorary barons by the kingdom. The subordinates have arranged marriages with the sisters, daughters, nieces, nieces, and even granddaughters of these congressmen. It is said that all of these women are dignified and pretty, manage their families well, are diligent and thrifty, and have virtuous and gentle personalities. They also have a very generous dowry, which can be said to be a good combination of people and wealth...
When the formal meeting was held on September 12th, Claude felt that the meeting was a farce. The members made false remarks at the meeting, while the honorary nobles of the kingdom were responsible for applauding and applauding.
Because the first issue today is unanimously approved by all members of the parliament, the promotion fees and land selection fees for these officers who have made military achievements for the kingdom and have been awarded honors will be paid by overseas autonomous territories for their acquisition of hereditary family territories. payment, as a way to express our gratitude for their contribution to the military prestige of the overseas autonomous military regions...
This is really great news for the cash-strapped officers of the two legions. Their net worth cannot be compared with that of the members of the Dominion. The congressmen can easily spend 400,000 gold crowns for promotion fees and site selection fees, but these promotion officers are used to spending a lot of money and basically have very few savings. Windfalls come from the distribution of captured loot. When it comes to money, there are very few people who can come up with ten thousand gold crowns.
Therefore, it is a great blessing for these promoted officers that the overseas autonomous territories are willing to help them with money. Otherwise, if they want to obtain a hereditary family territory, they would have to go to the Overseas Minsheng Bank for a loan, and then they don't know how much income they can produce every year for a piece of land. The poor land will be burdened with debts that it will never be able to repay in its lifetime, and it is even very likely that the management of the territory will go bankrupt and the family territory will be lost. The family will have to continue to pay off the debts for the lost territory...
Of course, the Overseas Dominion Parliament only has one requirement to help these officers pay the promotion fees and land selection fees, which is to stand on the side of the parliamentarians in this collective granting of hereditary family territories. Either everyone will get the hereditary family territory granted by the title, or there will be nothing and everyone will continue to wear the title of honorary noble of the kingdom and return to the Dominion to live life as usual. Never collect money privately to beg His Majesty the King to grant a territory. If anyone violates the rule, he will automatically leave the overseas autonomous territory. All properties in the overseas autonomous territory will be confiscated and relatives will be expelled from the country...
All the promoted officers and the rest of the kingdom's honorary nobles agreed to the request of the Dominion Parliament, saying that they would stand on the same side as the members. Claude and General Skerry looked at each other and smiled bitterly. These promoted officers were so easily tied to the same boat by the MPs. It can be seen that having no money was the biggest mistake. Someone arranged the seat and position involuntarily. It's just that although Claude, General Skerry and others are already hereditary nobles, their positions are consistent with those of the congressmen, so they have no objection.
The congressmen did not suffer. They had already discussed that the Overseas Minsheng Bank would help these promoted officers and the remaining honorary nobles of the Kingdom in the Dominion pay the promotion fees and land selection fees, and also help them pay half of these two fees. In other words, they need His Majesty to give a half discount on these two fees, and then Overseas Minsheng Bank will help them pay half of it, so the real promotion fee and land selection fee they have to pay is only about a quarter of the original amount.
These fees paid by Overseas Minsheng Bank will be included in the cost of investment and development of the territory. For example, after acquiring the hereditary family territories of these promoted officers and honorary nobles of the Kingdom in the Dominion, they will be entrusted to the Dominion Council to develop and operate the territory for more than ten years. The annual income will be divided into three parts, development costs, taxes and collective income. The collective income of all territories will be aggregated before individual dividends are distributed.
Only when all the people in the overseas autonomous territories who are qualified to obtain hereditary family territory unite together, and the greater the momentum, the more likely they are to bargain with His Majesty the King and the Royal Court. After all the members of the overseas autonomous territories and the honorary nobles of the kingdom have been granted hereditary family territories in a region, they will make unified planning, joint development and management of all hereditary family territories in this area, so as to obtain the maximum benefits. . ...
To put it bluntly, the congressmen are actually preparing to unite all the hereditary family territories and develop them into another overseas autonomous territory. Unified planning and deployment are carried out in investment, development and business. All profits are distributed individually after deducting investment costs, taxes and fees paid to the treasury and tribute paid to the royal family. In addition, no one is interested in what the members do on their own territory, as long as it does not affect the unified planning and overall management.
"The hereditary family territory that we want to be granted by His Majesty the King is the Beibu Gulf and the surrounding areas. Everyone's territory is here! Do you have any objections?" Speaker Bened slapped the table in front of him loudly with one hand. roared.
Of course no one objected, and everyone in attendance cheered and applauded.
President Hindman of the Overseas Dominion Mining and Commerce Association stood up and announced in a very high voice: "His Majesty the King must agree to our request and reduce the so-called promotion fee and land selection fee in half. He cannot use a piece of The wasteland we don’t know where is taking away the wealth we have accumulated after working hard for most of our lives. Our efforts must yield results that satisfy us! Otherwise, we would rather not have some unprotected hereditary family territory... "
There was loud applause again, and everyone cheered and expressed their approval. From time to time, some people spoke out to support the decision made by the Dominion Assembly. Some members even stood up and said excitedly that if His Majesty the King does not agree to the request of the Dominion Parliament, then everyone can give up this so-called honorary title, because being a member of the Dominion is the most noble title...
"This is a kind of hysterical fanaticism, which can sometimes be very contagious." General Skerry calmly whispered together with Claude.
"But we won't object, and we can even say that we are optimistic about the outcome." Claude replied.
General Skerry laughed: "Of course, compared with those traditional nobles wearing hypocritical masks, I still like these guys here. At least they keep their promises, know the basics, like order, and don't have much ambition. Although they like to manage things Pursuing profits on the sidelines can still be regarded as abiding by the law. Unlike those traditional aristocrats who are accustomed to using their status to trample on the law and think they have noble blood, in fact they are rotten inside... "
"You still hate nobles so much." Claude reminded: "Don't forget that you are actually a member of the kingdom's nobles now. Perhaps a hundred years from now, your descendants will also be proud of the bloodline you have inherited. There is another point. , I don’t like nobles, but I don’t like these people either. They are actually businessmen. But businessmen are the most untrustworthy. For profit, they can even sell their biological parents. If there is 300% profit, they will also They will trample the law and do more than those nobles, you just haven't seen their darkest side."
"What you are talking about is also a very rare case. People with a bad heart and a lack of moral values exist in all walks of life, but they are not universal. Otherwise, the world will be destroyed." General Skerry retorted: "For me, and These guys only need to pay attention to their wallets when they are together. But when they stay with those traditional nobles, they must always be on guard against the poisonous daggers and hidden arrows they stab in secret. If they are granted a title at will by His Majesty the King and are connected to the territories of those traditional nobles, Then you have to keep one eye open when sleeping to save yourself and your family’s lives.”
The person who stood up to speak at this time was Earl Gudich, the general manager of the Overseas Minsheng Bank. Thanks to His Majesty the King, he, the Honorary Viscount of the Kingdom who has not changed in the past twenty years, was promoted to the Honorary Earl of the Kingdom this time, at least 20,000 less. Promotion fee in gold crowns.
"... When we came this time, we brought 30 million gold crowns in cash, packed in sixty large iron and wooden boxes. Each iron and wooden box required a sturdy four-wheeled carriage. It takes four strong pack horses to pull it on the road. We will bring these sixty large iron and wooden boxes to the royal capital and place them in front of His Majesty the King and the royal ministers. We will lift the lids of these iron and wooden boxes, Let the golden light of the gold crown inside the box dazzle their eyes.
Then I will tell the noble King and the distinguished ministers of the royal court that these sixty large iron and wood boxes contain all the wealth of the overseas dominions. If they are willing to agree to our request, then we will dedicate this wealth of thirty million gold crowns to His Majesty and the Royal Court. If they reject our request, then we will return to the overseas dominion with these sixty large iron and wooden chests filled with gold crowns, and we will never ask for any hereditary family territory again. "
"Then what if they detain us and take away these 30 million gold crowns?" I don't know who asked such a childish question loudly.
"Haha..." Many congressmen laughed.
"That's a good question..." Count Gudicchi didn't smile, but clapped his hands: "Actually, you should ask me why I dare to take these 30 million gold crowns to the royal capital to meet with His Majesty the King and the King. Ministers of the Court. In fact, it is very simple. The Thunder Legion and the Rock Army of our Dominion Military Region are the ones who dare to go to the Royal Capital with 30 million reserves of the Overseas Minsheng Bank of the Dominion. His Majesty the King will not do it, and the Ministers of the Court will not dare. , because they know that if they touch us and this money, it means provoking a war between the kingdom and our overseas autonomous territories..."
Count Goodich pointed at the officers who were applauding and cheering: "With loyal and brave soldiers like ours in the Dominion Military Region, we don't need to worry about our personal safety or the whereabouts of these 30 million gold crowns. No one You can touch us and these 30 million gold crowns without paying any price, not even His Majesty the King!"
The audience burst into cheers, and the promoted officers of the two legions even stood up excitedly, beating their chests with their fists, and performing a heartfelt salute, saying that as soldiers of the Dominion, they would live up to everyone's trust and entrustment, and swore to the death to ensure that the MPs and The security of this huge amount of 30 million yuan...
"This guy should actually be responsible for giving a pre-war speech..." Claude muttered: "If I had known that the captured gold and silver reserves and gold and silver coins would not be transported back to the Dominion, I would transport them there and you could transport them again. Isn’t your hard work in vain when you come back?”
"No, we haven't touched the ones you brought back." General Skerry said: "We have selected all the gold and silver coins from the Principality of Karnas, the Principality of Rimodra, the Principality of Sidings and the Kingdom of Nasseri. My best friend kept some as a souvenir. Because these countries are gone, these gold and silver coins will no longer be available in the future. We even destroyed the printing plates for casting these gold and silver coins.
This time, the 30 million gold crowns were recast in the past two years using the gold reserves in the Overseas Minsheng Bank. It was originally planned to be put into the kingdom's local market and used for commercial bidding to bring down several commercial industries in the kingdom that were monopolized by the forces of established aristocratic families. But for now, it will be temporarily used as promotion fees and land selection fees for conferring hereditary family territories. "
"How much gold and silver reserves does Overseas Minsheng Bank have?"
"Don't worry. Including the batch you brought back, we still have gold and silver reserves worth more than 20 million gold crowns. Before we set off, we also allocated three million gold crowns to four shipbuilding companies in Patres Port. The workshop is preparing to build four more armored cruisers, twelve armored destroyers, and six armored armed ocean transport ships. By next year we will have a second armored fleet." General Skerry replied.
"Next year I have decided to reform the military system." Claude revealed some of his plans: "I need a sum of funds for the formation of an experimental force to study whether the establishment of this experimental force is reasonable and acceptable. Use. The current army organization is a bit awkward for troops equipped with new rifles and new artillery. After all, we are no longer a matchlock unit, so there is no need to adopt the old-fashioned legion organization.
Last year's battle with the alliance army made me feel that using one division to deal with the enemy's army seemed to have too many troops, while using one regiment to deal with it seemed to have too few troops. In addition, this time the Kingdom's Army Ministry has promoted so many generals to our two legions. Except for five or six generals who have decided to retire, the rest of the generals are in the prime of life and need to be relocated. so... ... "
General Skerry interrupted Claude directly: "Within one million gold crowns, no problem, unless you are planning to recruit new soldiers to form a new army..."
"No, now the Thunder Legion has four divisions and 150,000 people. Don't you think our Dominion has borne too much military expenses?" Claude smiled bitterly and said: "We will arrange for a group of veterans to retire in the second half of this year, so we are not planning to recruit them. There are new recruits. I have prepared to draw all the officers and soldiers of the experimental unit to be formed next year from active officers and soldiers, so that I can get the general results within half a year.
By the way, the Rock Army is preparing to rotate next year, moving the division stationed in the Dominion here, and at the same time arranging for veterans to retire and reduce their strength. There was no need to maintain the organization of three divisions in peacetime, but General Beachlin requested that one division of the Army of the Rock be reorganized into a light cavalry division. Now that we occupy the Karrnath Steppe, this requirement is relatively easy to meet. "
General Skerry nodded: "Okay, I understand. The military region will coordinate with your plan to arrange actions."
At this time, the meeting was engaged in the second topic, which was to first select the distribution of hereditary family territories in Beibu Gulf and surrounding areas. This is very simple. Except for Claude and Marshal Bolognik, the rest can only be promoted to hereditary barons of the kingdom at most, and General Skerry, General Albert and Bechik who have already received the title of hereditary baron. Like General Lin, they are all baronies, there is no difference in size.
Therefore, Claude's hereditary family territory was arranged in the city of Canpaste. As a hereditary earl of the kingdom, it was justifiable to own the territory of such a city. The family territory of General Bolognik is the Archduke Castle of Beaumaris. With his qualifications as a hereditary viscount, he can still own this fortress-type castle. As for Generals Albert and Beachline, it was fitting that the other two towns on the shores of the Gulf of Tonkin should belong to them. General Skerry, on the other hand, had a long-term vision and chose a town in the Likumada Hills, which is the production base of black stone mines.
All the members of the Overseas Dominion Parliament, promoted officers and honorary nobles of the kingdom, a total of nearly two hundred people, combined the three areas of the Beibu Gulf area of the former Principality of Karnas, the Beaumaris Archduke Fort Agricultural Planting Area, and the Likumada Hills Mineral Development Area. The territory of each community has been divided up, and it also occupies a small part of the prairie area.
The method of selecting the respective hereditary family territories is very fair. These barony territories are marked with numbers, made into strips, put into the lottery box and shaken. It is supervised and notarized by Claude's five military district magnates who do not need to draw lots. Everyone draws lots by luck. No one cares about the quality of the place. Anyway, the Dominion Council leads the investment, unified planning and overall development, so there is no need to worry about the management of the territory.
Of course, if you are really dissatisfied, you can find someone to exchange it yourself. For example, if you want to open a pasture and gallop horses in the future and get the hill lottery, you can find someone who draws the grassland territory. In the end, everyone must remember the number and location of their own territory, so that when they arrive in the royal capital, they can point out where and where their favorite family territory is.
After a sumptuous dinner, we rested for a while and the meeting continued. Now there was only one last issue left, which was who to send to the capital to bargain with His Majesty the King and the royal ministers. Marshal Bolognik and General Skerry went to the Royal Capital on behalf of the Dominion Military Region and brought with them the promoted officers of the Rock Legion. Half of the members of the Assembly were also elected. Speaker Bennett, Supervisor Goodich, and President Hindman were all elected.
However, Mr. Veblen was retained as the acting speaker of the parliament and the remaining members studied China's future territorial development and management plans, calculated investment costs and unified planning of transportation roads between various territories.
Claude, General Albert Lund and General Beach Kerin all stayed behind. While preparing for the emergency, they also took the opportunity to clean up the horse bandits on the Karnas Prairie...