Volume II The Fallen Light Chapter 65 The Cabinet Meeting...
"I agree with His Majesty's opinion." Zangwill agreed with Peter's idea of marrying Fiona, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Charles.
The marriage between Yu Gong, Albrex and Charles is indeed the most correct choice to enhance national strength and focus on the overall situation.
Personally, when Peter was still a prince, Zangwill's daughter marrying a prince who was not interested in political affairs was considered to be mutually beneficial. However, after Peter's rebellion and ascended to the throne, this became impossible.
First, Zangwill is not a flattering person, especially after Peter came to power. He, who has always been aloof, is even less likely to continue to promote the marriage contract between his daughter and Peter for the sake of his father-in-law who is the emperor.
If Zangwill had not wanted to make greater contributions to Albrex and avoid causing civil strife in the empire after Peter ascended the throne, he would have wanted to resign immediately as chancellor, lest his great reputation would end up being stigmatized as greedy for power and betrayal of his old master.
.
Secondly, Zangwill knew that being a queen was not easy. As a powerful minister, if his daughter married Peter as his queen, it would inevitably create the appearance of a foreign relative’s authoritarian power, which would destroy his family’s success.
It will be wrong for everyone, which will lead to disaster.
However, after Peter ascended the throne, Zangwill was very satisfied with his performance and skill in governing. Although he despised his character, he was indeed much better than his father in terms of his ability to govern the country and the overall situation.
"Prime Minister, I am sorry that I cannot fulfill my agreement with you. I'm sorry." Peter the Great looked sincere.
"It doesn't matter, Your Majesty should put the overall situation first." Zangwill also looked calm,
Peter and Zangwill's daughter Catherine met at an early age. It was the lowest point in Peter's life when he met her as a young girl.
Catherine was gentle and kind, and her smile warmed Peter, comforted him at a low ebb, and gave him the motivation to regain his faith.
Even though he later had Helen, in Peter's heart, Helen could not be compared with Catherine. One was his assistant and lover, and the other was the most suitable choice for his wife.
However, the current situation was chaotic and Peter's foundation was not yet stable. As the emperor, he could not only consider himself. In desperation, he had no choice but to bear the pain and regret his beloved Catherine.
After the issue of marriage with Charles was passed, the cabinet members moved on to the next issue, which was how to handle the relationship with the Holy Church.
Without the intervention of the Holy Church, Peter would never have been able to achieve victory in the coup. We have to admit that in terms of high-end combat power, the Holy Empire is second to none on the continent.
The conditions for the Holy Empire to help Peter were very simple, that is, the belief in the God of Light should be relaxed in Ablix, and the Holy Cathedral should be built in the administrative areas above the town.
These conditions are not a big deal. Peter is confident that he can curb the expansion of the Holy Church's faith within the empire, but the most critical thing is another requirement of the Holy Church.
That is, believers who believe in the God of Light are exempt from war tax.
War tax is one of the oldest taxes in the continent of Toril. It is the general name for related taxes levied by the country to raise war supplies. In Albrex, war tax accounts for about one-sixth of civilian income. Other empires have
Even in a quarter.
Even in peacetime, war tax must be paid, as it is an important source of military expenditure for the empire. War tax has caused countless civilians to complain. After all, the tax rate is too high, not counting other taxes.
It can be said that this move of the Holy Empire is too vicious and will shake the foundation of the empire. I am afraid that as soon as the policy is announced, countless civilians will believe in the God of Light. In time, the Holy Empire will be able to overthrow Albrex without any blood.
This is exactly why the three great empires fear the Holy Empire.
Peter knew that agreeing to the conditions of the Holy Empire was undoubtedly seeking skin from the dragon, but the power he secretly cultivated at that time was simply not enough to overturn the rule of Charles III. In desperation, Peter had no choice but to agree to the conditions of the Holy Empire.
Now, after Peter had finished using the Holy Empire, he wanted to regret it. His own national interests did not allow others to interfere.
It’s just that it’s not good to fall out directly. After all, the Holy Empire’s high-end combat power is too strong. There are too many. If they can help Peter subvert the rule of Charles III, they will also help others to subvert Peter’s rule, such as those who have fled to Shire
Catherine the Great.
"Tell me, how to deal with the conditions of the Holy Empire. After all, it was an expedient way for me to gain their support. Now that I have ruled Albrex, I will never allow them to shake the foundation of the empire."
Servais said forcefully: "Your Majesty, we can just fall out. There is no paper treaty anyway. Our Forbidden Army, Dark Blade and Knights of Order have all been issued with guidance arrows in large quantities. If they want to be disadvantageous to Your Majesty,
, I will make their legendary strongman never come back."
"Marshal Servais, this is too tough. I'm afraid that the Holy Empire will rebound violently. If they are really angry, it will be quite troublesome. This matter needs to be discussed in the long term." said the wily "Eight-clawed Spider".
"The people of the Holy Church can actually predict that we will repent, but their calculation is very good. They want to subvert a country's political power at the minimum cost, causing civil strife and a decline in national strength. In this way, they will be one step closer to trying to agree to the mainland.
It’s a pity that this time they lost a legendary cleric, who was also a high-level official of the Inquisition.”
At the end of the speech, the "Eight-clawed Spider" began to gloat a little, causing everyone to laugh.
Peter frowned and repeatedly tapped the long table with his index finger, making a dull tapping sound. After a long time, he said to everyone:
"The empire can agree to the Holy Church's request to let go of their faith and build a holy cathedral. As for the condition of exempting believers from war taxes, that's a no-brainer. For this reason, Albrex is prepared to fight at all costs.
.”
"Your Majesty is wise!" the cabinet members said in unison.
At this moment, most of the cabinet members truly recognized Peter. Previously, except for Servais and the "Eight-Clawed Spider" who were Peter's true confidants, everyone else had only been attached to the new emperor out of necessity.
Maybe a real emperor cannot use moral character to restrain him, or perhaps ordinary standards limit the performance of a qualified politician. After all, as long as the emperor of the empire can make the most correct choice based on the interests of the country, his morality will
There is no requirement.
As the saying goes, the winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. If Albrex can reach the pinnacle of the continent under the leadership of Peter, then the stain of his father-killing and brother-killing can be infinitely reduced.
Peter glanced at everyone and saw that the newly appointed Finance Minister, Marquis Galil, was somewhat lack of interest and listless, and he knew the crux of the problem.
"Dear Marquis of Galil," Peter woke up the distracted Marquis of Galil, "I know that losing Augustus is a big blow to you, but he died for the great cause of the empire. Next
In the next step, I will posthumously award him with the Empire’s highest honor—the Double-Headed Eagle Badge.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Marquis Galil thanked Peter hurriedly.
"Marquis Galil, you are still young and strong. Please give birth to another heir. Helen has several stunningly beautiful mages under her command. They are gentle, considerate, and powerful enough to protect your safety. So be it, I make the decision.
, you pick two.”
Peter's generosity immediately made Marquis Galil elated, temporarily forgetting the tragic death of his son Augustus. Helen's female mages were all stunning, and they had long been coveted by Marquis Galil, so he quickly thanked her.
Peter.
The Galil family is a long-established noble family. Its family history is even longer than that of Albrex. The wealth accumulated by the family is countless. Most of the land in the Sulander province of the empire is owned by the Galil family.
What the Galil family relies on most is not their wealth. After all, monarchs cannot directly ask for the wealth of their subordinates. The key is that the Marquis of Galil in the past generations are top experts in large-scale business, so they can win over the family and make good use of their talents.
, can bring more wealth to the empire.
This is the important reason why Peter values and wins over the Marquis of Galil so much.
Furthermore, the female mages under Helen are all members of the Mensis sect and have mastered many secret techniques that can monitor and control Marquis Galil for him.
In this way, the night cabinet meeting ended successfully. The current major national policies and strategic layout have been determined, and everyone has reached a unanimous opinion.
Only Zangwill was worried.
Because he didn't know how to tell his daughter to cancel the engagement with Peter. He knew her daughter very well. Although she had a gentle temper, she had a deep love for Peter and was afraid she wouldn't be able to let him go.
Back in the mansion, his daughter Catherine did not go to bed, but was waiting for him in the living room.
Catherine took off Zangwill's coat and ordered the servant to prepare water for washing. Zangwill had never been afraid of anything, but at this moment he was a little afraid to face his daughter.
"Catherine, your engagement..." After hesitating again and again, Zangwill felt that he could not delay it any longer. Long-term pain would be better than short-term pain.
Catherine stretched out her gentle hand and placed it on Zangwill's mouth, signaling him to stop talking.
"I understand, father. On the day of Peter's incident, I already understood that it was impossible for him and me to be together. No matter what others think of him, I know very well that he belongs to Aleks, and marriage cannot be based on his
It’s up to personal preference.”
Looking at Catherine who looked determined as if nothing had happened, Zangwill sighed and patted his beloved daughter on the shoulder. Little did he know that his daughter's heart was already broken, and he was just trying to comfort himself.
Back in her room, Catherine clutched her chest and burst into tears.
He murmured:
"Peter, it would be great if we could go back to the past!"