Gawain sat at the top of the conference table, relaxed his body and leaned against the high chair back, and watched with a smile the changes in the expressions on the faces of every southern nobleman present.
Everyone's reaction can be seen in a panoramic view, and no one's reaction is beyond his expectation.
Confusion, astonishment, silence, resistance, a little thought, and the outspoken anger of a few people.
These nobles themselves are useless, their rule has collapsed, after losing their land and army, these nobles who walked out of the castle became useless, putting them in cells can only consume food, and sending them to labor can't create much Wealth and Gao Wen didn't think that simple labor and education and transformation could fundamentally change these stubborn and dull people, so he didn't care about these people's attitudes and their own wishes.
But the "added value" of these nobles besides themselves is useful.
To establish a new order in the rigid and backward old order, the easiest and biggest problem for the pioneers is the stubbornness and counterattack of the old order.
It is difficult for the people at the bottom to change their customs, but in this social background close to the Middle Ages, the people are numb and have no freedom. At most, they will only appear slow in responding to orders due to their own numbness and ignorance, but they will never refuse the orders of the lord Therefore, although it is difficult to change customs and promote education, it is more of a matter of time and cost. In contrast, the "system" left by the old nobles is the biggest difficulty.
The "scholar group" and "retainers" born attached to the aristocratic system rely on the employment of the old aristocrats, or are simply extrajudicial mercenaries (legal extraordinary robbers) composed of the illegitimate children and adopted children of the old aristocrats. The exiled knights and forsworn knights who left after the collapse of the old nobles, these groups that are destined to be affected or have been affected in the process of changing the old and new orders are the biggest obstacles in the process of social transformation. The lack of cooperation of these people is enough to give newborns The government affairs department has caused huge troubles, not to mention that some of them have even become violent factors that directly threaten territorial security.
Gao Wen knew that he was lucky. Compared with many pioneers who tried to establish a new order, his biggest advantage was that he was not only the founder of the new order, but also represented the highest authority of the old order as the foundation of the Ansu Kingdom. He is one of the people who has sufficient "jurisdictional justice" to formulate the norms of social operation, and even if someone questions this, he does not need to care about it at all.
Now that he knows this, of course he must maximize his "jurisdictional justice". He must deprive and transfer the ownership of the old nobles in a legal way, and use the "jurisprudential claims" of these old nobles to complete the system A smooth transition in order to minimize the counterattack of the old order or, in other words, reduce their excuses for counterattack.
Gawain can despise the rules and order of the old aristocratic system, but since people in this era recognize it, he can also use these rules and order without any pressure, as long as they can exert enough value.
"Ladies and gentlemen, these documents are not so difficult to understand," Gao Wen estimated the time, and he broke the silence when he saw that some nobles couldn't help but want to speak, "If you understand it, Just sign it."
"Duke... Your Excellency the Duke," a chubby middle-aged man finally couldn't help standing up first, "The contents of these documents... are you serious?"
"Of course," Gawain nodded, "what else?"
Afterwards, he stood up slowly, glanced at everyone's face, and said unhurriedly: "...except for keeping the castle, all land and property attached to the land belong to the principality; abolition includes taxes, legislation All the privileges of the old system, including recruiting soldiers, all powers belong to the government affairs department; unify the laws and abolish all the old private laws... I have written clearly. "
"My lord, we are willing to swear allegiance to you, but these things... are these things still negotiable?" Another nobleman boldly stood up, "This is almost a complete subversion of order, even if it is for your authority, You should also think more about…”
They've at least learned awe and humility, but they clearly haven't figured it out yet.
"I think you guys made a mistake." Gao Wen barely changed his expression, he just stated the facts quietly, "The things written in these documents have actually been implemented, as early as the day the war ended. , you have already lost your land and property, and the things you want to keep are no longer in your hands, so I am not here to discuss with you today, I am just notifying you officially."
The southern nobles in the hall started to commotion, and dozens of days of prison life could not completely wear away their thoughts, so when these thoughts collapsed, even if there were a circle of guards standing around the hall, even if there were people from the southern border sitting in front of them. They couldn't help but start talking in a low voice.
However, Gao Wen just watched quietly, waiting for the discussion of these people to quiet down.
They finally calmed down, and Gao Wen continued: "Sometimes, it is more important to recognize the reality than to strive for those things that will never be obtained. Sign this document, you can at least live a decent life, your 'nobles' Titles are still preserved, and you can also rely on annuities to maintain a comfortable life, and even maintain a relatively prosperous life. If you can open your eyes and look at the people who are hungry and cold under your rule, you will know that you have How lucky you are to make a big mistake and still be so comfortable and at ease, what's not to like."
On both sides of the long table, everyone's face became tangled and embarrassed. Some frowned and thought, some hesitated to speak, and finally someone couldn't control it anymore. A middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and sunken eyes stood up. : "Please forgive me for not being able to accept the Duke, please forgive me for not being able to accept it! I refuse to sign, even if you have to pay your life for it, you can't destroy our traditions and laws like this!"
While talking, the middle-aged man looked to the side, his emotions seemed very excited: "Everyone, we have gone through the most difficult days, we have nothing to lose, glory is the only thing we have left, I... I'd rather take it in a coffin..."
Gawain looked at the middle-aged man's act of venting, and watched the various reactions of the nobles on both sides of the long table after hearing these remarks, which he expected: nobles have a special way of thinking, they can When the gunfire falls, they can flee with their heads in their arms, and they can abandon the castle and the people without hesitation when the sword is approaching. But sometimes when it comes to the so-called "glorious blood and surname", these spineless guys stick out their chests instead. The behavior pattern that seems to be schizophrenic is difficult for outsiders to understand, but it fits the background of this era.
"Viscount Wayne Snape, I hope I called your name correctly."
Gao Wen's sudden opening interrupted the middle-aged man's impassioned statement, and the nobles who had already become agitated again followed suit. They all looked in Gao Wen's direction, and the latter waved to the side. An official from the government affairs department immediately left the room. After a while, the government affairs official returned to the conference hall, holding a small metal safe deposit box in his hand.
Gao Wen opened the safe deposit box and took out an ancient document from inside. This document was written on enchanted parchment. Even the copied version has a history of hundreds of years. If it were not for the protection of magical power, it would have been weathered and dilapidated. degree.
Gawain opened the file and said casually: "Mr. Viscount, doesn't it look familiar? I believe that you have similar things in your homes, and they are kept in the deepest part of your castle to prove the legitimacy of your titles and fiefs, and to prove your Surnames are ancient and orthodox such as this one.
"Wayne Snape, the Snape family, viscount, noble of the southern border, branched from the Spencer family in Ansu 476, and received the surname; the Spencer family, earl, noble of the Holy Spirit Plain, began with the ancestor Maximilian Spencer; Maximilian Spencer, knight lord, earl, knight of Gawain Cecil, was entrusted in the harvest month of the first year of Ansu, and the original territory was located on the west side of the gray mountain in the south. Later, due to the influence of the demon tide, the fief Moved to the southern part of the Whitsunday Plains…”
"Then, this is another document," Gao Wen said while taking out an even older and more fragile parchment document from the safe deposit box. This document is so ancient that it acts on it The protective magic is about to lose its effectiveness, and the old parchment has been severely weathered and corroded. "Maximilian Spencer's canonized document is, of course, a copy."
Gawain raised his head and quietly looked into the eyes of the middle-aged nobleman beside the long table.
"Mr. Wayne Snape, whose signature at the end of this document do you think?"
No one could have predicted this incredible situation in advance. Even though Gawain had been resurrected for such a long time, the nobleman named Wayne Snape did not keep the share hidden deep in the family castle. Only then did he take out the documents for a glance and associate them with the "living person" in front of him. This has nothing to do with wisdom, but a limitation in the direction of thinking, so now he can only stammer: "Duke... Your lord Duke..."
"Mr. Wayne Snape, you ask for tradition and law, so I will give you tradition and law. Maximilian Spencer is a bright and motivated young man, and I am sorry to see that one of his heirs cannot bear his burden." It is the master's duty to protect the reputation of his followers with honor and merit, and for this reason, I have to deprive you of your title of nobility."
Wayne Snape's eyes widened, and his mouth was open like a suffocated fish on the shore. In this blow that hit the weak point, he heard a sentence behind Gawain Cecil in a daze: "... Mr Nepe, you may go now."
The hall became deathly silent, and Gawain watched the result with satisfaction. Prescribing the right medicine to the case is always the most efficient solution. Using the greatest weakness of the nobles to attack them is far more effective than any reasoning or debate.
For them, deprivation of titles is more terrifying than death.
Of course, the reason why he can do this is because he first mastered the crushing force, forcing these people to sit at the negotiating table by force, otherwise even if he holds the canonization documents of every noble in the country, what he said It won't work either.
"Everyone, I actually don't want to do this," Gao Wen said with a slight increase in volume after putting away the documents again, "I prefer to get everyone to sign in a harmonious atmosphere, so I have to do it here Let me emphasize that the titles and surnames of each of you present will eventually fall under the names of Charlie Moen and the Duke of the Four Realms after going back several generations. You can deprive each of you of the title of nobility. Even if the canonization document of your ancestors is not my signature, I am also a witness to the canonization ceremony seven hundred years ago. As a witness, I can question whether each of you eligible to inherit your surname"
Gao Wen did not say the following words, but his meaning was very clear:
He can question the compliance of everyone's title here, and if anyone wants to raise an objection... unless Charlie Moen and the other three founding dukes climb out of the coffin.
Don't the southern nobles want tradition and law
Such is the tradition and law of Ansu.
"It's almost time, ladies and gentlemen, the pens for signing are in front of you."