On the way back, Claude had been thinking about whether to send troops directly to occupy the Karnas area... Now that the garrison troops in the Royal City of Polyvisia are the Rock Legion, Claude can order the Rock Legion to divide its troops. Guarding the city of Amis and the Odin Mountains, plus the Thunder Legion's control of the Karnas region, the royal capital will never be able to get involved in the Sidins region, the Rimodra region and the Eskiline region, plus one more Karrnath Steppe.
In other words, as long as the Thunder Legion and Rock Legion of the Overseas Dominion Military Region set up a defense line in the Odin Mountains and Ames City, and then to the Royal City of Polivisia and the Karnas region, then one-third of the eastern part of the continent The above-mentioned territories will say goodbye to the Kingdom of Overas, and they will all become the sphere of influence of overseas autonomous territories.
If the royal capital wants to send troops to attack this line of defense, the Odin Mountains are a natural danger and cannot be passed through. The only defense lines that can launch an attack are the two sections of the defense line from Ames City to the Royal City of Polyvisia, and from the Royal City of Polyvisia to the Karnas area. But it is a pity that these two sections of defense are near the noble territories that have just been granted by His Majesty the King. If the kingdom's army wants to pass through, it must seek the consent of the lords in advance and guarantee compensation...
This should be regarded as self-inflicted, Claude felt a little funny. His Majesty the King and the Royal Court must not have expected that they would confer so many territorial nobles in the Nasseri area, but it would turn out to be a roadblock that hindered their army from conquering the rebellion of the overseas autonomous territories. By the way, can the kingdom really gather a large army for conquest? You must know that the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion destroyed nearly 700,000 Alliance troops, and destroyed the Kingdom of Nasseri and the Principality of Karnas...
The plan in Claude's mind is wonderful, but can it really be put into practice
Judging from the timing and current situation, the Kingdom of Ovilas simply does not have the strength and capital to fight a war with the overseas autonomous territories. Claude was even sure of destroying the Kingdom of Overas and placing the entire eastern region of Falea continent under the jurisdiction of the Overseas Dominion. But is that possible? Claude was very hesitant and doubtful...
If the Overseas Dominions and the Kingdom of Orvilas are currently at war, then Claude, who is in charge of the military, can attack however he wants. But now the overseas autonomous territories and the royal capital maintain a good relationship, which can be said to be like a honeymoon. If Claude takes it upon himself to attack the kingdom or cede territory to himself, he will immediately become what Wanfu refers to as a kingdom treason!
This is the feeling of the people of the Kingdom of Olvilas. The Sterling royal family’s rule of the Kingdom of Olvilas for more than three hundred years has made all the people in the kingdom regard themselves as Olvilas people, even immigrants from overseas autonomous territories. exception. If you ask an immigrant from an overseas dominion, he will proudly tell you that he is from Ovelas, and the bloodline inherited from the Sterling royal family is the king he obeys...
Therefore, no matter what thoughts Claude has in his heart, he cannot express them. Otherwise, not only will he be opposed by officers from all walks of life, but there may even be cases where soldiers use illegal weapons. Even Claude himself, after fighting for the kingdom for more than ten years, unconsciously regarded himself as a soldier of the Kingdom of Ovelas.
After walking for two days in random thoughts, and still one day away from Canpaste City, the capital of the Beibu Gulf region, Claude met the messenger sent by General Albert. The messenger only brought a message from General Albert, saying that the king had changed and asked Claude to rush back to the Thunder Legion headquarters in Campast City as soon as possible.
Claude had no choice but to abandon the large group of people and lead the guard team to rush back to Campast City. After entering the legion headquarters, General Albert came up to him and said: "Our congressmen and Marshal Bolognik who went to the royal capital, as well as General Skerry and other officers who were promoted to nobility were all put under house arrest. The thirty million gold Krona's cash was also taken away, and the councilors who received the letter from Falcon Eagle are now very angry and are asking us to send troops to attack the royal capital... "
Claude suddenly wanted to laugh. This was just like handing him a pillow when he was dozing off. It was really a good excuse to fall out. It's just that he doesn't understand why the people in the capital dare to do such a mindless thing in the face of the world's disapproval? Logically speaking, King Frederic I and Prime Minister Marquis Blancart are not stupid people. How could they be fools who could plan to grant the title? Why do they think that doing so will not lead to retaliation from the overseas autonomous military regions?
Take the three recently reorganized Guards Corps, the Red Dragon Corps and the Griffin Corps. They are still equipped with old-fashioned matchlock guns. Even if the combat effectiveness has improved, it is not a match for any legion in the Dominion Military District. The Kingdom's Ministry of War should be very aware of this, but why do they have the guts to put under house arrest the parliamentarians and officers who went to see the king? Aren't they afraid that the newly stabilized kingdom situation will be beaten to pieces again
"Don't worry, tell me the whole thing." Claude said.
In fact, what happened is very simple. The royal court of the Kingdom of Ovelas has always had a tradition, that is, a royal meeting will be held on the 10th, 20th and 30th of each month. His Majesty the king and his wife will meet with everyone in the royal court. Together with the ministers, they summarized and made decisions on various official affairs of the kingdom in the previous ten days. In normal days, national affairs are handled by the Royal Affairs Meeting, which is the responsibility of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom. They also have to report to His Majesty the King at the Royal Meeting...
A few days ago, at the General Assembly on November 10th, Marshal Bolognik, General Skerry, Speaker Bennett and President Hindman also attended the Assembly on behalf of the parliaments and military regions of the overseas autonomous territories. Then they bid farewell to His Majesty King Frederic I and Queen Christie at the court meeting, saying that they were preparing to leave the royal capital and return to the overseas autonomous territories the next day.
His Majesty the King was shocked and asked them if they wanted the hereditary family territory? Speaker Bennett said the price was too high and they couldn't afford it, so they didn't want it. Prime Minister Blancart hurriedly came out and told Marshal Bolognik and General Skerry that they were promoted to hereditary nobles due to their military exploits and could obtain the hereditary family territory without paying any fees...
However, what the royal ministers present did not expect was that Marshal Bolognik and General Skerry smiled and rejected the free hereditary family territory in front of His Majesty the King. They said that Marshal Claude, General Albert and General Beachlin have all made the same decision. They will stand with all the parliamentarians of the overseas autonomous territories, the promoted officers and the honorary nobles of the kingdom, or Everyone gets a territory, or no one gets one, which shows that everyone in the overseas autonomous territories is closely united.
It is said that the atmosphere in the royal court was very awkward at that time, and at this time Queen Christie spoke inappropriately. She said that if you have no money, I can lend it to you, so that you can each get a piece of it. Hereditary family territory.
Speaker Bennett stood up and retorted, saying that it is not that our overseas dominions have no money, it is just that we feel that this deal is not worthwhile. For a piece of hereditary family territory, we have to pay a price of half a million gold crowns. So even if this hereditary family territory can bring us an income of five thousand gold crowns a year, it will take us a hundred years to get back the money.
Moreover, this kind of granting is not fair to our overseas autonomous territories. We have learned that almost all kingdom nobles who obtain territories have discounts, discounts, and even free services. Especially those nobles of the kingdom who borrow from Her Majesty the Queen, they can get a 50 to 40% discount. But for our overseas dominions, there is no discount at all, so we reject this unfair deal...
trade? How dare you call His Majesty the King's grant of a title a transaction? Queen Christie almost turned her face with anger, and the faces of His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, and the royal ministers who were present also looked very unhappy.
It really is a deal. President Hindman also stepped forward. He said that we paid money to obtain the hereditary family territory from His Majesty the King. What is this if not a transaction? The only difference is that the object of the transaction is the king, the commodity is land, and the name is a grant. It sounds nice in name, but the real essence is still a transaction. It's just that as buyers, we feel that this transaction is not worthwhile, so we refuse to buy...
How unreasonable! Queen Christie was furious, "If you don't have money, you don't have money. You are a bunch of paupers and overseas bumpkins, and you are the only ones who will regard the favor given by the Wang family to you despicable businessmen as a kind of transaction!" It is the greatest insult to the royal family to have you stand in this noble court. Guards, drive these despicable businessmen out!
General Skerry stood up and said sternly, Your Majesty the Queen, please don’t forget that it was us, a group of bumpkins from overseas and despicable businessmen, who paid the taxes and tributes of the overseas autonomous territories in advance for ten years at the critical moment of the kingdom’s demise. Gold sustained the kingdom. It was also the two legions formed by us overseas bumpkins that swept across the entire eastern region of the continent, annihilating the kingdom's mortal enemies, the Kingdom of Nasseri, the Principality of Karnas, the Principality of Sidings and the Principality of Rimodra, and regained the lost territory, allowing You and His Majesty the King can return to the Royal Capital.
We despicable businessmen have completed the agreement reached with His Majesty the King, eliminated the alliance army, expanded the kingdom's territory to the entire eastern region, and are now garrisoning the newly occupied territories for the kingdom free of charge. We are truly grateful for the grace the royal family has bestowed upon us. So when we come to the capital this time, we also bring full sincerity. You can go to the balcony to see if we have no money...
The palace hall where the royal court conducts business is built on a stone hill, with a height difference of about five meters from the square below. The square was where the attendants of the ministers who came to discuss matters were waiting, but today a large area was occupied by 60 large iron and wooden boxes brought by the overseas dominion councilors. There were four tall palace guards standing next to each large iron box. They were responsible for the security of the royal court. These large iron wooden boxes were locked and they could not open them for inspection, so they had to send people to stand guard next to the boxes.
If Speaker Bennett insists on moving these large iron and wooden boxes into the meeting hall, they must first open them and let the royal guards inspect them. But it doesn't matter if it's placed in the square more than twenty meters away from the meeting hall above. But there were many ministers and servants watching the excitement around the square, as well as servants and maids in the palace, all wondering what was in these big iron and wooden boxes, which were so heavy...
"It is said that those overseas country bumpkins want to put it here for His Majesty the King to see. I wonder if it is filled with gold coins?" An attendant had already guessed the truth, but he didn't know it.
Sure enough, his guess was ridiculed and ridiculed by his companions: "Pull it down, how can it be filled with gold coins? Such a big box can hold hundreds of thousands of gold coins. How can those overseas country bumpkins be so rich? Look at what's going on here." Sixty big boxes."
"The last time I followed our family to the treasury, I saw that the iron boxes containing gold coins were only twice as big as this one. It is said that they can hold one million gold crowns. But I have never seen a box full of gold coins. The bottom was covered with gold coins, and the man in charge of the warehouse used a big iron ladle to reach into the iron box to get the gold coins..." said another attendant who was watching the fun.
"Hey, you said, two or three soldiers can be hidden in such a big box. Do you think those overseas bumpkins want to rebel and hide soldiers in these big boxes, waiting for the opportunity to rush out and murder His Majesty the King and the ministers? They?" The guess has begun to become outrageous.
At this moment, four representatives from overseas autonomous territories and several curious ministers walked out of the side door of the meeting hall. This side door leads to a very large balcony. Sometimes several ministers would drink afternoon tea here and take a break in the warm sunshine. Standing on the balcony, you can clearly see the plants and trees in the square below...
"Open the box!" General Skree shouted from the balcony.
Five or six guards wearing the brown-gray military uniforms of the Dominion Military District ran up to the edge of the square. They held a series of keys in their hands. They came to the big iron box and unlocked it while saying to the palace guards standing next to them: "Brothers, , please pay attention when I open the lid of the box, and don’t let others take advantage of you, otherwise you will not be able to shoulder this responsibility... "
A guard was about to retort, but at this time the guard holding the key had already unlocked and opened the lid of the box. Under the sunlight near noon, the inside of the box was shining with a brilliant golden light. The guard and his three companions were stunned for an instant, and then the exclamations from all around reached their ears: "Gold, all gold coins, all gold crowns, my God, how much is this?" Money!”
"It's not just one box. All the boxes I opened are gold coins! Oh my God! I'm not crazy! Are all the sixty big boxes filled with gold coins?"
Congratulations, you got the answer right, but unfortunately there is no reward...
To be honest, it is not that there are no ministers of the Kingdom who have never seen huge amounts of money. As the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Marquis Blancart has handled more than two National Bank exchange coupons with a face value of 10 million gold crowns. It's just that this kind of huge face value exchange coupons, which are specially used for the turnover accounting of various administrative departments in the kingdom, feel light and fluffy no matter how much they are taken. They are nothing more than a few pieces of paper with exaggerated face values. Even if they are taken outside, they will not Being used as money...
But now the sixty large iron and wood boxes placed in the square below are all filled with shiny gold crowns. Under the sunlight, the entire square seemed to be enveloped in a layer of golden light. Whether it is His Majesty the King and Queen who are looking down from the balcony above, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom and the Royal Ministers, and even the onlookers and palace guards around the square, they are almost completely immersed in this extremely charming golden light. . ...
"Pah! Pah!" Two crisp claps sounded, and the guards standing at the edge of the square ran up again. This time they covered the boxes one by one and locked them again. After all the sixty large iron-wood boxes in the square were covered again, you could still vaguely see the intoxicated expressions on everyone's faces and eyes.
"These are sixty large iron and wood boxes filled with gold crowns. Each box contains half a million gold crowns in cash, for a total of 30 million gold crowns." Speaker Bennett said: "This It is all the reserves in the Minsheng Bank of our overseas autonomous territories. We have brought all these gold coins over to show our sincerity.
Unfortunately, we never expected that the so-called promotion fees and land selection fees would be so expensive. For us, it makes no sense to obtain a hereditary family territory at such a high price. It is true that the congressmen of our overseas dominions are from humble business backgrounds, but we businessmen also have our own vision.
Maybe we will never become noble nobles of the kingdom, but we all agree that instead of investing so much wealth in acquiring some hereditary family territory, it is better to invest in overseas autonomous territories, open more manufacturing workshops, and build more A school and the purchase of one more armored warship are more meaningful than a piece of hereditary family territory.
Therefore, your two distinguished majesties, we put these sixty large boxes filled with gold coins in this square for you to see, not to show our wealth, but to express our sincerity. It's just a pity that we can't reach an agreement. We will embark on the return journey tomorrow. How did we transport these big boxes and how do we transport them back..."
After triumphantly arranging a performance in front of everyone, the four representatives of the Dominion, Speaker Bennett, Marshal Bolognik, President Hindman and General Skerry, stepped forward and bowed to retire, and then escorted the sixty people away. A large box filled with gold crowns returned to the overseas dominion's office in the capital.
"But that night, the palace guards followed Queen Christi's order and arrested all the parliamentarians and promoted officers of the overseas dominions, including Marshal Bolognik. They were all taken to the Red Stone Castle in the royal court. , Everyone knows that Red Stone Castle is the prison dungeon in the palace. The excuse for those palace guards to come to arrest the parliamentarians and promoted officers was that they were slandering the reputation of the king and queen behind their backs, and were treasonous... "
General Albert held a falcon message and said: "This is news from another secret line in the Royal Capital. Our overseas autonomous territory's office in the Royal Capital has been sealed, and the 30 million gold crowns have also been sealed." They were all transported away by the palace guards, and they should all be transported to the palace."
"Do all the congressmen know the news?" Claude asked.
"Yes," General Albert said with a wry smile: "The MPs from the Dominion and the honorary nobles of the Kingdom who are staying here have seen the news from the royal capital. They are furious and demand that the two legions of our military region immediately send troops to the royal capital. But at this time, we received another falcon letter signed by His Majesty the King and a falcon letter from Prime Minister Marquis Blancart.
The two of them said in the letter that this was just a misunderstanding, because the 30 million gold crowns carried by our congressmen were exposed in the square, and everyone in the entire royal capital already knew about it. In order to ensure the personal safety of all personnel, they sent palace guards overnight to invite everyone into the palace, and even transported funds there. The main reason was that they did not want young people to take advantage of the opportunity... "