Before the other Grand Dukes could put forward their opinions, Lin took the lead and said, "Don't talk about dividing the seats into five places like now. Everyone can just discuss who will sit. Even if there are more seats, isn't there anyone who is dissatisfied? Even if there are more seats.
There are really so many positions available, everyone has been assigned, and some people want to care about why others are higher than me, rather than why I am higher than others. In short, there is no end to greed. You adults can create the current situation,
I think there must be some unknown bitterness in it."
Grand Duke Montezuma did not defend or solve the problem raised by a certain magician, but asked directly: "Then how do you think you should evaluate the strength of a noble?"
"Money? No, a noble who can spend money but cannot save money does not mean that he is poor in strength, it may just be less stingy. Even if it is not a simple calculation of the number of coins, some places where the money is spent cannot be disclosed, so naturally it cannot be converted
It became capital and was included in the calculation of aristocratic wealth. Therefore, money is not suitable as a criterion."
Lin himself proposed an idea, but rejected it himself. This would save these nobles from having to think wildly and create a preconceived concept for themselves. He continued:
"Land? In fact, this is not very suitable. Some land is fertile, some is barren, some has mines under it, and some has nothing but yellow sand. Under these differences, the value of the nobility is
It is not suitable to judge by land.
"Some people will say that using the area of cultivated land as a criterion, food is the most important. This is right, but it is wrong. Food is important, but even if those wealthy businessmen do not farm land and do not have any cultivated land to their names, their strength is weak.
Is it? I don’t think so.
"Military strength? For those who propose using this as a standard, my lords, please treat this guy as a person with bad intentions and deal with him directly. Such a talent is not worthy of living in the world."
Lin asked and answered his own questions this time, but this made a certain elder feel annoyed. Grand Duke Piercenza said: "If you use military strength to evaluate, who can say that it is wrong. The ultimate manifestation of all strength is the army in hand."
If there is a weak person who dares to overpower the strong, then the army in their hands is just a decoration."
Lin replied: "What if someone resorts to militarism? What if someone pulls in a group of peasants to fill the scene? What should we do if someone makes a list and gets military pay? There are different levels of local army, orthodox army and ace army.
How to calculate the strength of the nobles in the army? Is it really possible to pull it out and fight? If it can really be solved like this, don't stay by the emperor's side just to get a small messenger, why not just fight directly. Beat them to pieces and destroy the others.
Once you've conquered them all, you can become the emperor yourself."
…
When the grand dukes heard this, there was nothing wrong with what they said. If you want to use military strength as an indicator, not many people will be convinced unless you draw them out to fight.
Even in the empire itself, no one thinks that the several legions are inferior to each other. At most, they are good at different directions. For example, the dragoon cavalry can fly, the wolf cavalry is good at raids, the horse cavalry is good at running, and the sheep cavalry is good at mountain combat.
It's just the military achievements accumulated over generations that give them first, second, and third place. But in a confrontation, victory or defeat depends on many factors, and it's not just about who wins.
So the military strength seems really inappropriate.
Lin dismissed several general indicators once, then changed the topic and said: "In fact, the indicators to judge the strength of the nobility should be considered from the root of the power of the nobility."
"The source of power?" Grand Duke Mu Xi, who was still outspoken, repeated in confusion.
Lin explained: "The reason why a noble is a noble is that he rules a group of people and promises to protect them. He is also wise and fair enough to act as an arbiter when disputes arise. Things like land, wealth, and military power are all
It is produced by these people. The larger the population, the more wealth it can bring to the nobles; the population must be large enough to develop the territory and organize an army at the same time. Some people may think that you need land to support them.
People. But in fact, this kind of thinking is limited by the current situation. If I have wealth and an army, wouldn’t it be convenient to grab a piece of land? If I don’t have enough troops, I can maintain the inheritance from generation to generation.
It’s the land that came down. So, population is the source of all the power of the nobility.”
The distinction between aristocrats and commoners was basically based on two arguments in Europe in the olden days. One was the divine right of kings, and the other was the theory of noble blood. The lord was conferred by the king, and the king was recognized by the only god.
Yes, so nobles and commoners are different creatures. The former are much nobler. They don't drink the same water, don't eat the same things, and they don't even poop together.
However, in the Lost Land, the divine right of kings is completely unacceptable, because there are real gods in the Lost Land. In other words, the God of the Lost Land is not as unreachable as the gods back home. Even if the noble lords of the Lost Land can accept it.
There is a king and a god. When the two conflict, who will listen to them?
The so-called "God is perfect" is not an arrogant statement, but has its actual needs. Even if I am from a modern hometown and work in a company, I have two direct leaders, and I have to listen to everyone. When they are one
One wants to go east and the other wants to go west. If this work can be done, then damn it.
Not to mention that you have become a king or emperor, how can you accept that there are other beings above you who can command you!
As for the theory of noble blood, it may be possible to talk about it in other places in Midland. But in the Karlsruhe Empire, this argument is very weak and cannot withstand the challenge.
Because behind the selection of talents rather than elders in the succession of the Karlsruhe Empire is the idea that the most capable will rise to the top. Everyone's blood is red, and no one is golden. Even if the starting point is high, it does not mean that the achievements are high.
】
If one has no ability, it is natural for him to be replaced by someone who is capable. Even lords with serious titles have been replaced by people with no blood ties in the history of the empire.
Some are extinct heirs and are inherited by others. Some are really so fucked up that they can't keep their titles even if they want to, so they can only deprive them of their titles and hand them over to others. If we don't do that and don't talk about the issues of public grievances, we may not even be able to keep them.
You will be in danger yourself.
The folk customs of the Karlsruhe Empire are so fierce.
This is also why a certain great time traveler will try to establish a constitution in this empire and promote the process of legalization. Because the Karlsruhe Empire already has suitable soil and there are signs of this.
Even if you don't do it, the empire will face changes within a hundred or two hundred years, and all it takes is an opportunity. So, this is a matter of smooth sailing. Only a time traveler who is afraid of trouble will want to try and become a
What is this feeling of being a promoter of history?
Of course, the grand dukes in front of them are not people who will accept everything others say without any conditions.
The Grand Duke of Piercenza said at this time: "This is the reason why you think it is necessary to form a lower assembly. A certain number of people elects a representative, and then the more representatives, the more advantages they will have when voting. If so,
Wouldn't it be nice if each noble represented the population of his domain? When voting, that's how many people he represents."
Without directly refuting such an opinion, Lin raised a question: "If this method is used to allow the lords of the territory to directly represent the population under their jurisdiction, then cities such as Neuquen City, Sani City, and Hurricane Bay can nominally
They all belong to the direct jurisdiction of the emperor. There are also many cities where nobles gather and prosper due to commerce. They all have similar situations. Just like that, it all belongs to the emperor, or it belongs to a lucky lord who just wears a title, okay?
?”
Now it was the turn of the grand dukes to stop talking and silently calculate an account.
Excluding those secondary titles, among all the nobles in the empire, the noble with the largest territory, largest population, and strongest strength is the emperor. If the secondary titles that have been enfeoffed are also calculated, there are quite a lot of big cities in the territory directly under the emperor.
.
The current situation of these big cities is not something the emperor can say. In the cities, large and small forces are intertwined, and there are few big nobles who do not fly their flags.
Perhaps taxation and labor belong to the emperor in name, and are actually in the hands of the imperial finance minister, but which noble noble has not profited from it? According to the method of territorial ownership, its lord can represent the population of the territory. Isn't this a mistake?
The things in one's pocket are given to the emperor for nothing. No one can agree to this stupid method.
If a certain population is used to select representatives, it also means that the nobles can not only have the number of representatives in their own territories, but also win over these representatives in the Mohu area. Some people have even thought about whether there is a way to reach out to other countries.
In the nobility's territory, win over the members of the disputed areas.
Thinking about it this way, perhaps the solution proposed by the magician in front of him is to open up a new battlefield for nobles like them. But this battlefield is virgin land that no one has developed yet, which means that there is a lot to be done.
If it works well, it can also expand its political influence without involving the taboo of territorial disputes between nobles. Who wouldn't be willing to try such benefits and challenges.
The great Duke, who was smart, figured it out in a few moments. Even those who usually pretended to be dumbfounded in front of outsiders also understood the twists and turns involved.
It can be said that this method not only allowed them to legally share the emperor's power, but also provided an opportunity to expand its influence. Even if some people did not think of this level for a while, they did not reject this method in their hearts.
However, the expressions and acting skills of the grand dukes were still well-trained, and Lin Bianxian could not tell their inner thoughts from their performances. Unless he took out the Haggiri cheat device and read their minds. But he did not do that in the end.
, but throws something else.
Just like the Constitution, the text is displayed on a magnified water mirror screen so that several grand dukes can clearly see it.
At first, the grand dukes thought it was a document like a constitution. But upon closer inspection, the title actually read 'Imperial Law', and the content also centered on some of the privileges and norms of the emperor and his family. Everyone looked at it with frowns and disbelief.