Claude was very lost and full of frustration. Only at this moment did he truly realize what a pig teammate is...
If the overseas autonomous territories do not want to become independent from the Kingdom of Ovelas, then this conflict is actually the best opportunity to expand their influence in the royal court. During the war, the overseas autonomous territories responded to the royal court's requests and tried their best to support them, but they were ridiculed for being stupid and rich in money. It's just that the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion were so prestigious at that time, and their record and combat power were unmatched by anyone in the kingdom, so the overseas autonomous territories were able to have a say in the royal court.
But after the war, the overseas dominions were ostracized by the Kingdom's established aristocratic families and local people in the royal court. Of course, this had a lot to do with the fact that the overseas dominions stopped providing military aid to the royal court. After all, the kingdom's mainland has been completely recovered, and the sporadic taxes paid by various places can make the royal court live. There is no need to use the future tax revenue of the overseas dominions as collateral to obtain military aid, and it is also a problem to overdraw the tax revenue of the dominions for the next ten years. It's the limit.
As the war progressed, the overseas autonomous territories also deliberately increased their military aid to the Red Dragon Legion and the Griffin Legion, hoping to make good friends with the kingdom's aristocratic forces behind these two legions and attract support from the royal court. However, the overseas autonomous territories underestimated the dignity of the noble forces of these kingdoms, and tried to please them in every possible way before receiving military aid. After receiving military aid, they turned their backs and disowned them, and together with the noble forces of the Guards Corps, they squeezed out the overseas autonomous territories in the royal court, resulting in overseas The Dominion simply cannot find allies and spokespersons in the royal court, and no one speaks for the Dominion...
To a certain extent, Claude rushed to the capital with more than 100,000 troops from three divisions of the Thunder Legion, and even let the newly formed fourth division serve as the vanguard. He had already thought about using thunderous means to attack the king. They all opposed the plan of purging the aristocratic forces of the kingdoms in the overseas autonomous territories. Although the stupid queen who was blinded by the flash of golden crown was the best excuse for this conflict, Claude really didn't want her life. At least he would let it go for the sake of Lady Maria. Her and the king's.
Claude didn't want to do anything to kill the king. If King Frederic I refused to cooperate, at most Claude would only put the king's family under house arrest in an overseas autonomous territory, and then purge the kingdom's aristocracy. None of the unfriendly and hostile persons recorded on the list of overseas dominions can escape. As for what to do with the purged kingdom, we will discuss it at that time...
Of course, it would be great if His Majesty the King is willing to cooperate. What Claude has to do is to delegate the power of the House of Nobles to the National Assembly, so that the National Assembly has the power to govern the country, not just the power of supervision and suggestion. The biggest problem in the political arena of the Kingdom of Overas is that the aristocratic assembly has real power to govern the country, while the National Assembly has become a decoration. As a result, the aristocratic power of the kingdom has no opponent to balance, and even the national assembly has become their vassal.
Claude hopes to follow the example of Britain in its previous life and have the prime minister or prime minister who governs the kingdom be elected by the National Assembly, instead of the current king's designation and approval by the House of Lords. In the previous life of Britain, the House of Commons held the power to govern the country, so the House of Lords became a rubber stamp, which ultimately led to a major decline in the power of the kingdom's aristocracy, which was unheard of in later generations.
Claude also knew very well that relying on overseas autonomous territories could not control the kingdom's political power at this time. Regional discrimination was everywhere. Until now, the Overseas Dominions are still a barbaric land and a place of exile in the minds of most people in the Kingdom. Even if these people from the Overseas Dominions control the Kingdom by force, they are still regarded as bumpkins and nouveau riche. Starting a rebellion in the kingdom itself...
Therefore, Claude's plan was simple: to cleanse the royal capital of the aristocratic forces hostile to the overseas autonomous territories, delegate the royal court's governing power to the National Assembly, and support the National Assembly to govern the kingdom. Then select members of the National Assembly who are close to the overseas dominions to form a political force, so that the overseas dominions can maintain their influence in the kingdom and the royal court...
It's just that although the idea is good, there is no possibility of it being realized. Although the current Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Marquis Blancart, is a smart man and can deal with Claude to minimize the negative consequences of the conflict caused by Queen Christie, Claude holds a powerful weapon in his hands that can subvert the entire The kingdom's force can easily tear up all agreements no matter how negotiated.
What disappoints Claude is that these parliamentarians and military representatives from the overseas dominions are not ashamed of their suffering in the past, but are proud of it. In their view, His Majesty the King was very sincere in making such a compensation agreement. They were very happy that they could receive such favorable treatment and were grateful for it.
And Marshal Bolognik was even more of a loyal loyalist to the royal family. As Claude predicted in advance, someone in the palace was indeed trying to get the 30 million gold crowns. Prime Minister Blancart only talked with Marshal Bolognik for a while about the difficulties that His Majesty the King was facing, and Marshal Bolognik was busy. Patting his chest to show his loyalty, he didn't care whether the promises he made would have any adverse effects on the overseas dominions...
On the contrary, General Skerry was interrogated the day after he was captured. A man who claimed to be the head of the palace's internal affairs hoped that he could set an example and first obtain a hereditary family territory from His Majesty the King. General Skerry rejected the proposal without hesitation, and sarcastically said that His Majesty the King was crazy about money, and wanted to open a gap from him and collect the promotion fees and land selection fees for dozens of people, so that he could justifiably take this money. A huge sum of thirty million gold crowns. So he was severely beaten, but General Skerry gritted his teeth and said nothing...
Like General Skerry, more than 40 injured legislators and military representatives survived the first arraignment. The reason for their suffering is simple. They are young and in good health and can withstand severe torture. Unlike Speaker Bennett and President Hindman, who were too old to be stimulated, the palace guards did not dare to attack them for fear of trouble. It would be a big problem if someone died. The threats from the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion were no joke.
In addition, the Falcon message sent by Claude was also very timely, reminding His Majesty the King and the ministers of the Royal Court that no one can touch the 30 million gold crowns without his signature and that of the other two generals of the Dominion. , he wouldn’t admit it even if it moved. Of course, the most critical issue is that Claude and the other two generals are leading the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion to march towards the royal capital...
As a result, the torture of the captured parliamentarians and military representatives from the overseas autonomous territories was immediately suspended. Instead, they had to be helped to change their residences and provided with meticulous daily care and medical services. Although they were still under house arrest, the arrested parliamentarians and military officer representatives spent half a month of leisurely and quiet life in the palace. His Majesty the King and the Queen even took the time to express condolences to them. His Majesty the King also represented Queen Christie sincerely apologized for her recklessness.
This is what Claude discovered after he led the Thunder Legion to the royal capital. Not a single council member was interested in his proposal to purge the royal capital of anti-overseas dominion kingdom aristocratic forces. Even Speaker Bennett and President Hindman advised Claude not to put his hands into the muddy water in the royal capital. The two of them said it very straightforwardly. Our foundation is the overseas autonomous territory, and the next development is the Beibu Gulf area of Kannas Prairie.
As long as it is our hereditary family territory and is uniformly planned and developed, it will be equivalent to the overseas autonomous territory having a solid base in the Farea continent. The two regions can complement each other commercially, and can even develop freely without the control of the kingdom. Therefore, there is really no need for overseas dominions to get involved in the political arena of the royal capital. The turmoil and ups and downs here will not affect the development prospects set by our two overseas dominions...
The parliamentarians objected, and the officers did not agree with the implementation of Claude's radical strategy. It can be said that Claude found that he could not find a like-minded partner after arriving in the royal capital. Like Marshal Bolognik, his promise can be said to have betrayed the interests of the entire overseas dominion. Without any consultation, he promised to provide the Kingdom's War Department with new rifles and bullets, as well as an armored fleet to offset the shortfall. promotion fee and land selection fee.
Several military industries controlled by the kingdom's old aristocratic families have indeed imitated the new Sonia 91 rifles equipped by the overseas autonomous military regions and produced a similar new rifle, named the Tigerston 600 new rifle. According to intelligence from secret agents, this new rifle is five to six centimeters longer and about half a kilogram heavier than the new Sonia Type 91 rifle equipped by the Dominion Military Region. The reason why they are unable to mass-produce this new rifle is that they still cannot figure out the primer problem for the bullets equipped with the new rifle...
It is said that the technicians in the military industry of the old aristocratic families have not thought of ideas. It's just that even if they scraped off the base gunpowder from the bullets produced in the overseas autonomous territories for research, they still couldn't tell what kind of formula and ingredients it was. When there was no way to successfully trial-produce a primer, a technician invented the method of using ground fire crystal powder as a primer, continuing the style of firing bullets using fire chips as primers.
It's just that the price of fire crystal ore is rising day by day, and has increased four to five times so far. Moreover, the output of this fire crystal mine has never been large. If all of it is used as base fire powder, firstly, the mass production will be too small and the supply will be insufficient. Secondly, the price will be high. That's why the military industries controlled by the old aristocratic families quoted the Kingdom's Ministry of War forty-five gold crowns for a new rifle and one silver taler for one bullet. To be honest, the cost of this bullet is really not expensive...
Reminiscent of the fact that the old aristocratic family had asked the Dominion Military Region about the price of bullets a few months ago. Since the new Tygerston 600 rifle they produced was copied from the new Sonia 91 rifle, bullets of the same caliber could still be used. generic. Claude wondered if these old aristocratic families had the idea of using the new rifles produced by them and equipped with bullets produced by the Dominion Military Region.
Unexpectedly, it would be better now. Marshal Bolognik agreed to Wang Ting's request and provided the Kingdom's Army Department with 400,000 new rifles and 40 million rounds of ammunition to equip the Kingdom's three main ace field regiments that had been reorganized and reorganized. At the same time, he also provided The kingdom provides an armored fleet consisting of sixteen armored warships!
This is simply unreasonable! Claude was furious. Although Marshal Bolognik's reason was to use new rifles and armored fleets to offset the insufficient 16.4 million gold crowns for promotion and land selection fees, it seems that the overseas autonomous territories can earn half of this arms deal. profit. But the problem is that Wang Ting is also a white wolf, using the so-called promotion fee and land selection fee to offset the cost of this arms transaction...
Just when Marshal Bolognik was complacent, thinking that both parties in this arms deal were mutually beneficial to the country and the people, Claude pointedly pointed out that Wang Ting had gained time and immediate combat power. The three main ace field legions, the Red Dragon, Griffin and Imperial Guard, equipped with new weapons, will pose a great threat to the two legions in the autonomous military region. Although they are still no match for the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion, they have gained the combat strength to make the two armies of the Dominion pay more and greater casualties to defeat them...
In addition, what reason made Marshal Bolognik agree to provide the kingdom with an armored fleet of sixteen armored warships? What was going on in his mind? Did he understand the significance of the armored fleet to the overseas dominions
Claude couldn't hold back his anger and cursed loudly. Tell Marshal Bolognik that the Kingdom's own armored fleet means that the ocean-going transport fleets of the overseas autonomous territories can no longer escape the escort of the armored fleet. The entire coastal waters of the Kingdom are no longer safe for the free movement of the ocean-going transport fleets of the overseas autonomous territories. Sea area!
Even if several major shipbuilding workshops in the kingdom unite to study the manufacture of armored battleships and make great progress, they will not be able to have a real armored battleship within three to five years. The development of iron-clad battleships in overseas autonomous territories was largely guided by Claude, a prophet. Many unnecessary mistakes and research directions were avoided, and a lot of time and money were saved. After three or four years of sea trials, the project was finally completed. With the current achievements!
No matter how much money and manpower the coastal countries of Falea continent invest in developing armored warships, they will never be able to reach or exceed the level of armored warships in overseas autonomous territories in a short period of time. It can be said that the armored fleet is the national artifact of overseas autonomous territories.
But Marshal Bolognik was generous and gave the kingdom an armored fleet as soon as he opened his mouth. Thinking about the grenades, we can conclude that this armored fleet given to the kingdom will soon become a replica of the mainland countries. It will be thoroughly studied from head to toe, and it will soon be able to promote the production of armored warships by various countries. s level!
Compared with Claude's thunderous rage, General Skree, General Albert, and General Beach Green were also angry, but they still remained rational. The reason they were angry was that Marshal Bolognik did not have the power to make the decision without authorization and sell the new rifles and armored fleets of the overseas autonomous military regions to Wang Ting.
Even though Claude is now in charge of the greatest power in the entire Dominion Military Region, he will discuss with them before making decisions, and only implement them after reaching a unified view and opinion. Unlike Marshal Bolognik, who signed an arms transaction agreement with Wang Ting on behalf of the Dominion Military Region in his own name.
It's just that the agreement in black and white has been signed. No matter how dissatisfied I am, I still have to hold my nose and wipe Marshal Bolognik's butt. However, Marshal Bolognik was so ashamed that he announced on the spot that he would resign from his military post in the Dominion Military Region and switch to the management of civil affairs, finally saving some face for himself. Claude had no choice but to accept the arms deal agreement signed between him and Wang Ting and became the actual executor.
Fortunately, the arms deal reached between Marshal Bolognik and Wang Ting only involved new rifles and not new artillery. This can be regarded as Marshal Bolognik's self-awareness. Because the new artillery is produced in Claude's Blackstone Firearms Manufacturing Workshop, while the production line of the new rifle has been handed over to the Lanhu Military Manufacturing Industry controlled by Mr. Veblen. Therefore, Marshal Bolognik could decide the deal for new rifles, but he could not meet Wang Ting's demand for new artillery.
Claude's private Blackstone Gun Manufacturing Workshop is now involved in the production of new artillery, sniper rifles and bullets, as well as the development of various types of naval guns and new weapons. The production line of new rifles will be transferred to Lanhu Military Manufacturing Industry to avoid occupying too much manpower and material resources. There are still hundreds of thousands of new rifles in production and inventory over the years. After another year or two of emergency production, they can be delivered to Wang Ting to complete the order of 400,000 new rifles.
As for the armored fleet, Claude planned to delay it for a while. Anyway, even building an armored warship would take a long time. However, Claude still needs to discuss with the fleet admiral, General Muriel, to see if there is any way to fool him.
While Claude was busy, two pieces of news came from the Kingdom of Hicks and the Overseas Dominion, both of which were not very good news. The first is the Kingdom of Hicks. Melchid III announced the establishment of the exiled royal court of the Kingdom of Nasseri in its royal city. His Royal Highness Vidalio, the seventh prince of the Kingdom of Nasseri who was exiled to the Kingdom of Hicks, ascended the throne and became Nasseri VIII. On the same day, the Grand Duke of Karrnath also announced the establishment of the Prince-in-Exile of the Principality of Karrnath.
The Kingdom of Hicks declares that it does not recognize the Kingdom of Ovelas' occupation of the Nasseri region and the Karnas Prairie, and will fully assist Nasseri VIII and the Grand Duke of Karnas in their restoration of the country, and will fund their formation of the Restoration Army. Calling on all righteous people who are unwilling to succumb to the cruel rule and oppression of the Kingdom of Ovilas to participate in this sacred battle for national restoration...
The news coming from the overseas autonomous territories is that the colonies of various countries on the west coast have jointly issued a statement. From now on, they will make every effort to prohibit the import of goods from overseas autonomous territories to the colonies of the west coast countries, vigorously crack down on their maritime smuggling, strengthen maritime prohibitions, and ban the trading of overseas autonomous territories’ trading houses in their colonies. The right to do business and expel their business personnel from the country...