Just as the attention of the entire civilized world was attracted by the disaster of the night elves on Mount Hyjal, in the middle of the continent of Kalimdor, a sudden reform broke out under circumstances that no one expected.
Salt Mine County is the southernmost border county of the Kingdom of Stormwind in the Shining Plains. It does not cover a large area, but because it is rich in extremely high-quality salt and some associated minerals, coupled with the addition of the commercial city of the Hot Sand Consortium,
Kitson is very close, so in just a few years from the establishment of the county 3 years ago, Salt Mine County has become one of the most important commercial distribution centers in the entire Stormwind Kingdom.
The manager of this county is Earl Nelson, an ancient nobleman of the former Kingdom of Stormwind. According to the provisions of the temporary land allocation act after the entire human empire moved westward a few years ago, the entire Salt Mine County plus the mountains in the border areas belong to Earl Nelson.
territory.
And this count...how should I put it, he is not a likable person.
According to the matters discussed with the nobles when King Varian returned, the entire Salt Mine County should pay one-tenth of the total trade volume as taxes every year, but Earl Nelson, like other stubborn nobles, was not prepared to fulfill this responsibility.
Not only did he refuse to pay taxes to the king, but in the name of the king, he also increased the taxes that all civilians in Salt Mine County had to pay, which made people hate him for a while and made the people of the entire territory miserable.
Resistances broke out several times in Salt Mine County from the oppressed and miserable civilians. However, through business dealings with the goblins of Gadgetzan, Earl Nelson purchased sufficient thermal weapons in Gadgetzan to arm his private soldiers.
Every small-scale civilian uprising will be suppressed quickly, and those captured insurrectionists will be thrown into their own salt mines by the black-hearted count, where they will work all day until the "sins" they have committed are paid off.
.
Earl Nelson is the most representative lord among the old nobles in the current 12 counties and royal capital of the Kingdom of Stormwind. Of course, in the entire kingdom, there are not many nobles like him who are as reckless as he is, especially those who lack territory and
The oily little nobles dare not oppress the people so blatantly, but the dissatisfaction factors have been planted in the hearts of the people, and they are just waiting for a suitable opportunity to burst out.
Turning into a raging wildfire, under the guidance of a wise man, it completely burned away the evil diseases in the body of the entire kingdom.
In the early morning of this ordinary day, people in Salt Mine County opened their doors and prepared to start a new day of work in the somewhat dry sunshine of the Shining Plains. It was not easy to make a living in the greedy Earl of Nelson territory. Common people even had children.
They didn't even dare to be angry. The "poll tax" levied by Earl Nelson in the territory was much higher than that in other territories. It was already a heavy burden for the common people.
Fortunately, this greedy earl is still reasonable... and has not come up with any outrageous bill such as "right of first night".
However, people walking on the streets today were attracted by some strange documents posted on the streets and alleys. The literacy rate in the Kingdom of Stormwind is very poor. Most civilians can only write their names crookedly, so this
No one recognized the beautiful handwriting on the document, but the people all saw the blood-red seal underneath the document.
Anyone who lives on this land knows that thing. It is the coat of arms of the Wrynn family, and represents His Majesty Varian, who is now nominally in charge of the kingdom.
"Old Frank, come on! Read this thing for us!"
The crowd gathered more and more, and many good-hearted people called Frank, the owner of the grocery store in the town. This skinny old man was already considered an intellectual talent in the town who could read and write.
Old Frank was also willing to help, which would make his grocery store business better. So amidst the people's discussion, Old Frank cleared his throat and turned to look at the clerk on the street, but only
After taking one look, Old Frank's eyes suddenly widened.
"Read it! What's the matter? Frank?"
Some impatient people pushed Frank, while others saw something bad in Frank's strange expression.
"Is that damn lord going to raise taxes again?"
"This is the king's seal. Maybe that king wants to recruit young people to fight again! I heard that our king is a gladiator and likes to provoke wars. He is not a kind person..."
"Don't talk nonsense! When His Majesty Varian was crowned, I went to Stormwind City to see him. When we were in the Eastern Continent, King Varian was famous for being considerate of the people. He was a good king. The bad things were all those
It was done by the nobles who deceived the superiors and concealed the truth from the inferiors!"
"Old Frank, how long are you going to be stunned? Read on!"
Amid the loud urging, Old Frank swallowed hard. Looking at the curious eyes of the civilians behind him, he said at a loss:
"No! It's not a tax increase! This is a new law promulgated by King Varian himself...it's called...it's called Affirmative Action. It's us, it's a bill we've never seen before."
"You really want to read it!"
Old Frank's words made the others even more excited. Under their urging, Old Frank read word by word in a hoarse voice:
"Varian Wrynn, the current king of the Kingdom of Stormwind, writes to all the people:"
"In the name of the King, I hereby declare that the Affirmative Action Act is promulgated throughout the country today, and all free people living in the lands of the Kingdom of Stormwind enjoy the sacred rights conferred by this act."
The voices of the surrounding civilians gradually became quieter. From Old Frank's trembling voice, they all heard a serious tone. This was probably the most plain-spoken of all the orders issued by the king since the establishment of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
, it is so simple that any civilian with the ability to think can understand it.
"1. From today on, the political rights of the Kingdom of Stormwind will be handed over by the King to the Council of Cabinet. Varian Wrynn and his descendants voluntarily give up their right to rule the Kingdom of Stormwind, retaining only the title of "King" and the name of the Wrynn family.
Ownership of the three palaces and manor, but will no longer interfere in all domestic political affairs. The king will only be a symbol of the country. In times of war, the king will automatically become the commander of the military system."
"2. From today on, all free people in the Kingdom of Stormwind will enjoy the same rights. All the powers of all nobles remaining in the old era will be returned to the royal family, including but not limited to the land share that exceeds the free people's share. For free people, normal
Intervention in life and life, immunity from national laws, power of family inheritance, and control of all powers within the so-called territory, all the above powers are suspended and abolished today!"
"3. From today on, all free people in the Kingdom of Stormwind will enjoy the right to elect and be elected, as well as the rights of citizens to personal freedom and freedom, and private property will be protected by the state and inviolable."
"4. From today on, all free people in the Kingdom of Stormwind will pay taxes in accordance with the kingdom's tax laws. This will be the only tax that the free people of the kingdom need to pay. In addition, no one has any authority to levy additional taxes anywhere!"
Old Frank's voice became louder and louder, and at this moment it even turned into a roar. All the civilians on the street had gathered here, and even those who had stayed at home patiently rushed out. The whole neighborhood was silent.
Everyone was stunned by these words read by Old Frank.
"Don't read it! Don't read it!"
The tax collector who came after getting the news was of course a tax collector from the Earl Nelson family and rushed over with a few guards. He pushed away the silent civilians arrogantly. The guards pointed their sharp knives at old Frank. The tax collector was furious.
shouted:
"Go home! The king is crazy, these are all lies! Don't listen, don't believe! You, don't read! You are arrested! In the name of the count!"
Before the arrogant tax collector could finish his words, a heavy shield hit him hard, knocking the arrogant tax collector to the ground in embarrassment. The guards wanted to protect him, but in turn,
When he turned around, a dozen cold muskets were pressed against his head.
The leader, a dusty knight dressed like a cowboy, raised his head and looked at the others. He had a silver lion emblem on his chest, which was obviously formed by His Majesty Varian Wrynn.
A member of the "Lion Chapter", he cleared his throat and shouted in a low and majestic voice:
"Don't be afraid! Citizen, King Varian has your back!"
"Keep reading! After reading it, let all citizens know the laws promulgated by His Majesty Varian!"
"Yes, yes."
Old Frank nodded with a dry mouth. A silent old man next to him took the initiative to hand him a glass of water. The grocery store owner Frank drank the glass of water in one gulp, and then under the gaze of nearly a hundred people, he said "
The last few articles of the Affirmative Action Act were read out in a roaring manner.
"5. From today on, the New Stormwind City Heraldry House will be abolished, and after the verification of the kingdom's currently reclaimed land is completed, the illegally occupied land will be redistributed to the people in accordance with the subsequently promulgated Land and Homestead Law.
"
"6. From today on, the existing nobles in the Kingdom of Stormwind must disband all illegal armed forces and voluntarily go to the kingdom tax collectors in each territory to register all their properties within 3 days. Those who exceed the deadline will have all their properties confiscated and paid into the national treasury.
.”
"Addendum: Due to the disruption caused by the enactment of the Affirmative Action Act, His Majesty the King and the Storm Parliament have decided that all taxes this fall... will be reduced by one-third..."
Old Frank finished speaking, but everyone on the street remained silent until a few minutes later, a still confused farmer asked in a low voice:
"In other words, we don't need to pay any more poll taxes? My son will get married next month, so he won't need to pay marriage taxes?"
"What if I want to move and build a house?"
Another woman shouted: "No more new property taxes?"
"No!"
Old Frank turned back and read the simple clause again. He shouted loudly: "No need! The king said that you don't need to pay these messy taxes! Nelson is no longer an earl, and there is no earl in the kingdom! We don't need it.
Don’t be afraid of him anymore!”
"He is a free citizen just like us!"
"Wow"
The crowd was in an uproar. These honest civilians could not accept the unexpected "gift package" in front of them. They acted at a loss. Everyone was trying to say something, but no one could fully describe their inner feelings, but
Even so, a slightly chaotic momentum slowly broke out among these people.
The king is the biggest!
Whatever the king says is what it is!
The king has now said that there are no nobles in the kingdom! No one can oppress them... The king is right! So we have to listen to the king! Let those damn nobles die!
In the simple thinking of the people, such a simple syllogism quickly took shape. They even forgot that the first article of the "Affirmative Action Act" said that His Majesty Varian has voluntarily given up all the rights as king, but this
But it cannot change the deep-rooted thoughts in people's hearts.
And no matter how stupid people are, they all know what kind of wonderful new life this bill will bring to the lowest common people. People are selfish, so soon, more and more people gathered on the streets stood firm.
From the king's side, they would never see Varian even in their lifetime.
Seeing that the atmosphere was enough, the pioneer knight who came from the dusty world raised his hands and shouted loudly, attracting everyone's attention to him. The young knight stood on a table moved by Old Frank.
He shouted condescendingly:
"I am a pioneer knight who leads the "Lions Chapter" managed by the King and the Storm Council. My name is Carlos! I heard that the local Nelson imprisoned many innocent people who resisted him in a mine not far from here.
, in the name of the Affirmative Action Act promulgated by His Majesty the King, this behavior is a crime!"
"Now, I need some guides to take us to rescue our compatriots! And in the name of the law, arrest the criminal Casa Nelson. Who is willing to go with us?"
This request makes the civilians in front of them somewhat fearful. After all, Earl Nelson has ruled this land for almost 8 years, and the terrible impression he has left on the hearts of the local people will not be reversed for a while.
"Fear not! Citizens!"
Carlos, the pioneer knight, pointed to the document behind him with Varian's seal, and he shouted proudly:
"The king is on your side. Nelson can no longer hurt you... Are you willing to contribute your strength to the king's reforms? Aren't you willing to contribute your strength to the future of yourself and your descendants?"
"Would you rather that your descendants be like you, slaves that villains like Nelson can beat and scold at will?"
"Now, citizens, with the sacred mission given to me by His Majesty the King, I am going to rescue the suffering compatriots. I am going to defeat the villains like Nelson who are causing harm to the country. Who wants to come with me?"
"I!"
Old Frank was the first to raise his hand and shouted:
"I go with you! In the name of my poor son who died in Nelson prison!"
Old Frank's raised hand was like a spark, completely igniting the most intense desire in the hearts of the silent people at this moment. The next moment, hundreds of arms stretched out from the crowd, and some people
Shouting excitedly.
"Go together! Go together!"
"very good!"
Carlos drew his sword from his waist and swung it towards the mine:
"Then let us...dedicate everything to the future of this country!"
