For the nobles of Quel'Thalas, the happiest time was undoubtedly the period when Dath'Remar was in power after the founding of the country.
Not to mention the short-lived second generation, starting from the King of Homs, passing through Anasteria to Kael'thas, each generation of Sun Kings has tried every means to weaken the power of the nobles.
Honorable men are also nobles.
As the saying goes, when the cunning rabbit dies, the lackey will be cooked.
After the suppression of Anastria, the power of the old aristocracy has declined, and the four major nobles have almost completely surrendered to the royal family.
The nobles were once raised as rivals of the old aristocratic forces. Now that the enemies are about to disappear, will the lackeys used to bite the enemies still have value? Will the royal family worry that they will not be able to lose their tails like the old aristocrats?
Including the Sangunar family, most nobles have been worried about this issue in recent years.
With the gradual decline of the old nobles, many of the powerful nobles in the northern part of Yongsong Forest who were unable to survive sold their fiefdoms back to the country, leaving only a nominal noble title, and their lives were extremely difficult.
This will inevitably make the rising nobles feel sad and worried that their families will one day end up in this situation.
What makes them even more uneasy is that Kael'thas is vigorously developing the territories that have been nationalized and does not seem to intend to grant these original noble territories again.
"I know what you are worried about."
Looking at the uncertain faces of the powerful nobles present, Sarlayan maintained a formal and light smile and said: "Here, on behalf of His Majesty Kael'thas, I would like to make a guarantee to you."
"As long as they do not evade taxes or collaborate with the enemy or betray the country, the nobles who operate their territories in accordance with the laws of Quel'Thalas will never receive any unwarranted punishment."
There is another meaning behind this guarantee. If someone breaks the law in order to make money and gain power...then don't blame me for not warning you beforehand.
Compared with the old nobles who are accustomed to resting on the merits of their ancestors and lording it over, the time for the nobles to rise is not too long. For the high elves, 3000 years is only 2-3 generations at most.
There is a folk saying in another world that wealth cannot last more than three generations.
At least at this time, most nobles have not been completely corrupted, and are still willing to stand and earn money.
The royal assurance conveyed by Sarlayan made many people present breathe a sigh of relief, but some also showed anxiety.
Sarlayan ignored the changes in the expressions of everyone present.
"Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't like to engage in meaningless pleasantries, nor do I like to beat around the bush. Let's get straight to the point."
"If you want to make money, that's no problem. A gentleman should use his money wisely. Even if it doesn't break the law, there are plenty of ways to make money in Quel'Thalas."
Facing the two dozen powerful nobles present, Sarlayan spoke without any stage fright.
"I think you all must have heard about the shameful incident that happened not long ago. His Majesty Kael'thas was very angry about it. He has clearly ordered to rectify the navy and shouted the slogan of the first five-year plan."
Viscount Sangunar, who was sitting next to Sarlayan, took up the topic and asked: "Of course we will hear about such a big thing, but what is the relationship between developing the navy and making money?"
"Of course it does matter."
Sarlayan smiled at Viscount Sangunar, who was self-consciously choking, and said, "Vigorous development of the navy means that Quel'Thalas will fully open up the sea."
"Do you think Yangfan Port alone can support the upcoming large number of ship building orders and trade volume?"
Sarlayan's reminder made many people present brighten their eyes, especially those nobles whose territories were close to the sea, with excitement on their faces.
The nobles of Quel'Thalas have a very obvious trend: the north is rich and the south is poor, and the west is rich and the east is poor.
The reason why the north is rich and the south is poor is because Silvermoon City, the capital of Quel'Thalas, is located in the north of Yongsong Forest. The territory closer to the capital is naturally richer.
The broad west and poor east are due to geographical reasons.
The terrain in the western part of Yonge Forest is relatively flat, and most of the land connected to the sea is flat beach, which can be easily developed.
This has been confirmed through the tourism development of the Windrunner family.
In addition to the Windrunner family, there are several noble families in the western coastal area of the southern forest.
Being close to the sea, the nobles with ports in these territories were obviously wealthier than those in the east.
The terrain in the eastern part of Yongge Forest is more complicated, and it is separated from the east coast by rolling mountains, making it difficult to enjoy the benefits of sea trade.
The only territory in the southeastern part of the forest that can directly build a port is located within the ruins of the former Zul'Aman city.
The Red Dragon Knights have been hiding in the ruins of Zul'Aman for several years. After the battle of Yangfan Port, they may no longer be able to hide.
Since it was difficult to replenish the mounts of the Red Dragon Knights, Kael'thas was unwilling to let them waste themselves in meaningless disputes.
The Sun King and the Silver Moon Council intend to move the Red Dragon Knights' headquarters outside Silver Moon City, and will only put them on the battlefield in certain special battles.
With the in-depth exchanges with the tauren of Highmountain, the Eagle Knights, which were only formed a few years ago, gradually formed a combat effectiveness and became one of Quel'Thalas's regular air forces, competing with the traditional Dragon Eagle Knights of Quel'Thalas.
Each has its own characteristics.
Once the Red Dragon Knights are moved to Silvermoon City, Zul'Aman's old land will be free again.
Sarlayan had previously proposed to develop this old forest troll capital into an important town on the eastern coast, as the first barrier against the "pirates" from the East China Sea heading north.
In addition, Saryan also proposed to build military ports in the Viscounty of Sangunar and the Earldom of Darthweiser on the same coast, forming three lines of defense in the eastern coastal area, front, middle and rear.
This proposal has been voted on by the Silver Moon Council and should have a high probability of being approved.
The ruins of Zul'Aman have not yet been awarded to any nobles, and are under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family.
The development of the Viscounty of Sangunar and the County of Darthweiser requires the consent of the local lords.
Viscount Sangunar is a die-hard royalist and will not object to the royal family's decision.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Previously, Kaelthas asked them to give up growing grapes and instead raise horses. Viscount Sangunar did it without any complaints, and this time will be no exception.
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Judging from the results, Viscount Sangunar, who listened to others' advice and had enough to eat, not only did not lose money, but actually made a lot of money relying on the unicorns bred in the territory.
Having had a good cooperation experience, Viscount Sangunar decided to continue to follow Saryan's footsteps without hesitation. He believed that Saryan would not let his family suffer.
This is indeed the case.
Due to the harsh geographical environment on the east coast of Quel'Thalas, there is very little land eligible for the construction of ports, and there are only three of them.
Considering transportation costs, nobles whose territories are located in the east prefer to transport their own goods to nearby ports rather than crossing the forest to the west.
The three ports of Zul'Aman, Viscounty of Sangunar and Earl of Darthweiser can just meet the shipping needs of most eastern nobles, speed up logistics and transportation, and increase the income of the lords in disguise.
Sarlayan's in-depth introduction made the lords present more and more excited, but this was just an appetizer.
Now that we have decided to vigorously and comprehensively open up the sea, the corresponding supporting facilities and tools must naturally keep up.
In addition to escorting naval ships, civilian merchant ships also need to be vigorously built so that bulk cargo can quickly travel between the north and the south through offshore transportation.
The requirements for the wood needed to build naval ships are relatively strict. It is best to harvest old trees that are more than a hundred years old from the cold zone, and then they need to be dried in the shade for a period of time before they can be put into use.
Although the geographical location of Quel'Thalas belongs to the subarctic zone, due to the existence of the sunwell, Eversong Forest is like spring all year round, and the trees here do not meet the construction needs of naval ships.
So where do the materials for building large naval ships come from?
The answer is Crystal Song Forest.
Of course, the rich timber resources in Yonge Forest do not mean they are useless.
Although it cannot be used to build naval warships due to hardness issues, it is completely sufficient for civilian merchant ships.
Shipbuilding is a complete industrial chain, from the harvesting and drying of wood to ship polishing, sailors, dock cargo loading and unloading, shop operations, etc., people are needed everywhere.
Once this industrial chain is established, it will provide a large number of jobs in Quel'Thalas.
Building ships and selling goods are jobs that arcane puppets cannot do for them, and they are just the thing to get the high elves who are used to being lazy to take action.
When they taste the sweetness of getting paid, except for those hopeless lazy people, most hard-working civilians will habitually put into work, exchange labor for money, and get rid of the previous lazy style of having nothing to do.
[This is called an arrow...how many eagles are there?]