Unexpectedly, the Praetorian Guards mutinied at this time and promoted the fourth prince, His Royal Highness Frederic, to the throne. Claude thought for a long time before suddenly realizing that it was his attack by sending the Thunder Legion to land on the kingdom's mainland that delayed the Praetorian Guards' action plan.
, it took nearly a year to remove Sterling XI from the throne. It can be seen that the Guards Corps also has deep wariness and suspicion towards the overseas autonomous territories, and even if it is not hostile, it cannot be considered a friendly force.
Another unexpected thing is that Sterling XI was shot to death in the palace. This was really beyond the expectations of everyone in the overseas autonomous territories. Generally speaking, in a mutiny like this, the king
The basic consequences of being pulled off the throne will be life imprisonment or being forced to live in seclusion, but your life is still guaranteed. It is really surprising that Sterling XI was killed directly like this. After all, he is also a king.
He was also the biological brother of Frederick I who succeeded to the throne.
General Bolognik was very happy and immediately sent a congratulatory envoy to the Royal Capital. This time the envoy was not Colonel Bockard, but several members of the Dominion Parliament. The speaker, the one-armed Lord Bennett, served as the envoy.
General Bolognik, the head of the delegation, hopes that the overseas autonomous territories can restore normal relations with the Kingdom, just like they did when Stirling X was in power, and that people can travel freely to promote economic and trade development between the two sides.
Claude was not optimistic about the prospects of this overture to the overseas dominions. He doubted whether the newly ascended King Frederic I had the ability to control the royal capital and stabilize the situation in the entire kingdom. From Sterling Ten
The death of I made Claude think that the fourth prince, His Royal Highness Frederic, could not restrain the Guards Corps, because the consequences of doing so would easily leave a stain in the history books that he killed his brother to gain power. This could not be because of him.
original intention.
From March to June, a lot of information about the royal capital came through the Griffin Legion stationed in White Deer City in these three months. After Frederick I came to power, he officially issued three decrees. The first was to abolish the Sterling Ten
The people of the kingdom finally breathed a sigh of relief with the addition of seven taxation orders in the first generation. The second was to arrest and liquidate the crimes of the emerging commercial aristocrats who were against Stirling XI. The third was to encourage the local counties in the kingdom
Production was resumed, the Imperial Guard was dispatched to eliminate bandits and bandits in various places, and efforts were made to improve public security order.
From these three decrees issued by Frederick I, it can be seen that the new king has done a good job and has gained a reputation as a wise king among the people. However, the envoys returned to the overseas autonomous territories in mid-July and the news they brought back was not very good.
How should I put it? It is difficult for the parliaments of the overseas autonomous territories to accept the demands made by the Royal Capital, and Claude and others are even more unwilling to accept the conditions proposed by the Kingdom's Ministry of War...
Sir Bennett told the story of his trip to the royal capital. From his words, one can draw the conclusion that the newly elected Frederick I is actually just a puppet monarch. It is the old aristocratic families who really control the real power of the kingdom.
.The demands they made were considered extremely excessive by the members of the overseas autonomous territories, and they still looked at the overseas autonomous territories from the old perspective.
The first request is to cancel the title of overseas autonomous territory and restore the name of overseas territory. This can be agreed to. But then they ask for the dissolution of the autonomous region council and the restoration of the jurisdiction of the governor-general and the governor-general.
Jurisdiction is something that all members of the Dominion Parliament will firmly oppose, and no one is willing to give up their rights.
The second request is to resume the collection of taxes and tributes from the royal capital by the overseas territories. This shows that the adults in the capital still look at the overseas territories with the same old eyes. Because the taxes and tributes they propose increase every year.
The total amount handed over is only 500,000 gold crowns, which is not a heavy tax burden on the overseas autonomous territories, which currently costs nearly two million gold crowns a year, and is completely acceptable. However, it is very heavy to require overseas autonomous territories to hand over 70% of their mineral resources free of charge every year.
It's too much.
The third request is for the Dominion Military District. The king believes that the colonial war is over and the establishment of the war zone can be cancelled. At the same time, it requires reducing the strength of the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion, changing the corps into divisions, and allowing the retention of the Thunder Division and the Rock Division.
The name of the regiment was changed, the strength of the troops was reduced by half, and the command of the two reorganized divisions was returned to the Kingdom's Army Department.
The fourth request is about the ocean cruising fleet. The royal capital requires that the ocean cruising fleet be brought under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom's Navy Ministry, renamed the Beluga Fleet, and placed under the deployment of the Kingdom's Navy Ministry, but half of the sailors of the ocean cruising fleet are allowed to retire and be sent overseas.
The autonomous territories have separately established overseas cruise squadrons. To put it bluntly, this is to nationalize the ocean-going cruise fleet for free.
Finally, there is another request that is also directed at the Dominion Military Region. The royal capital requires the Dominion Military Region to dedicate the manufacturing process and drawings of the new rifle to the kingdom. Last year’s battle between the Thunder Legion and the Red Dragon Legion had already made it clear to the kingdom’s established aristocratic families.
Realizing the sharpness of the new rifle, they had been thinking about this new rifle for some time. However, the relationship between the two parties at that time was very delicate, neither enemies nor friends. For fear of angering the Thunder Legion, they could only endure it.
To a certain extent, the old aristocratic families have the same characteristic as the emerging business aristocrats, which is greed. The only thing that is better than the emerging business aristocrats is that they know a little more about propriety and do not act as unscrupulously as the emerging business aristocrats.
.They will restore local production in the kingdom, rectify public security, stabilize the situation in the kingdom, and promote commercial development.
However, they still have the same old view of the overseas autonomous territories. They regard the overseas autonomous territories as the source of resources for the Kingdom, and maintain a repressive and predatory attitude towards the economic development of the overseas autonomous territories. It can be seen from the first two demands they made,
The forces of the old aristocratic families hope that everything in the overseas autonomous territories will return to the way it was before the colonial war. They hate all new changes and developments in the overseas autonomous territories that are beyond their control.
Sir Bennett said that the royal capital told these envoys that if the overseas dominions agreed to these demands, then His Majesty the King could pardon the overseas dominions for sending troops to land in the kingdom to rob military industry and civilian machinery and equipment, and pardon them for organizing their own parliaments.
, pardon them for the crime of declaring autonomy without authorization.
As for the five generals in the war zone and the officers and soldiers of the two legions, their merits in the colonial war will be re-verified by the Kingdom’s Ministry of War, and His Majesty the King will personally reward them. Generals like Claude and Bolognik are very confident.
Promoted to the rank of general of the kingdom and granted a title, General Skree, General Beachlin, and General Albert were no exception...
Claude laughed dumbly. Is this considered an inducement? Unfortunately, the money spent was not enough to impress the senior leaders of the Dominion Military Region. Even though General Bolognik wanted to be a loyal minister of the kingdom, he could hear Sir Bennett repeating it.
His face turned livid at the demands put forward by those old aristocratic families, and he almost took a pen to write the words "I disagree" on his face.
"Too much bullying!" General Albert jumped out first: "What do the big shots in the royal capital think of our Dominion Military Region? A stray dog wagging its tail begging for food? Why are we asked to reduce the strength of the two legions?
The combat power of our two legions is obviously stronger than theirs. If we want to reduce it, we should also reduce their legions that are not useful..."
"By the way, I forgot to mention it." Sir Bennett remembered something: "When our envoy team came back, we heard that the Guards Corps was going to expand the strength of another division to form a large army with four divisions.
, the total strength is equivalent to two regular main field legions..."
The Guards Corps originally had three divisions, and one division would be left to guard the capital when going out to fight. Now it has been expanded to four divisions, with a combined strength of more than 100,000, which is equal to the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion.
The total strength of the army is added up. I wonder if there will be another garrison division or something added in the future, so that when we go out to fight, we can fight one against two.
General Skerry raised his head curiously and asked: "Didn't I say that Sterling XI ruined the treasury so much that even rats starved to death? Where did the Guards Corps get the money to expand its army?"
Sir Bennett sighed and said: "The mutiny of the Guards Corps was so sudden that no one could predict it. At the same time as the mutiny, the troops of the Guards Corps immediately blocked the entire capital and followed Sterling Eleven.
Not a single member of the emerging business aristocracy of this generation escaped, they were all arrested. When our envoy group arrived at the royal capital, we heard rumors that the new king had sent people to search the properties of these members of the emerging business aristocracy, and confiscated nearly
Tens of millions of gold crowns in stolen money.
That's why the new king issued those three decrees, which exempted the people of the kingdom from seven types of taxes and fees, reducing the burden on the people of the kingdom. On the day the decree was issued, the people of the royal capital happily took to the streets to cheer, thanking Frederick I for his
Grace and mercy. In fact, the ill-gotten wealth that the Guards gained from plundering from the emerging commercial aristocratic forces would be enough to sustain the new king for three years. And after three years, the kingdom's economy should be able to return to normal.
"
"How many members of the emerging business aristocracy have been arrested?" General Skerry asked.
Sir Bennett shook his head: "I don't know about this, there should be hundreds of them. The newspaper I read when I was in the royal capital said that there were forty or fifty people who were sentenced to hanging for heinous crimes, and their subordinates' homes were all confiscated.
Sentenced to work as a coolie in a labor camp."
General Skerry thought for a while: "That's more than nearly 10 million gold crowns. Just like the special envoy we sent last time, we cried and begged for mercy after being captured, and were willing to pay a ransom of two to three hundred thousand gold crowns to redeem them and return to the kingdom."
If the members of the emerging commercial aristocracy who were sentenced have the net worth of these kingdom envoys, then our new king should be said to have made a lot of money this time..."
General Bolognik slammed the table angrily, interrupting the discussion between General Skerry and Sir Bennett about how much ill-gotten gains the new king had gained from stealing the properties of the emerging business aristocrats: "Don't
What nonsense are you talking about? What do you think about these demands proposed by the Royal Capital? I would like to state in advance that I am firmly opposed to it. What do they think of our war zone? It is just a new rifle. There is no way we can agree to it.
Their demands! Claude, what do you think?"
What do I think? Claude shrugged, there was nothing to say, just refuse. The old aristocratic families in the royal capital got carried away just after they took over the power of the kingdom, and made so many harsh demands to the overseas autonomous territories. They really thought they could conquer overseas.
Dominion? If nothing else, the first and second demands cannot be approved by the Dominion Parliament. Now those members are all making the decision. Who wants to have two mothers-in-law on his head to serve him?
Not to mention the restoration of the governor-general's jurisdiction, the requirement that the overseas territories hand over 70% of their mineral resources free of charge every year will be firmly resisted by all members of the parliament. The reason is very simple. This is taking money from their pockets. Who would be happy?
Give 70% of your income to the royal capital every year for free, and then take a small share of it yourself. The most loyal people who serve the country will also think about whether it is worth it at this moment...
As for the reduction of the strength of the Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion into two divisions, and the requirement to bring the ocean-going cruise fleet under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom's Navy Department, to put it simply, Claude would like to ask why? The recommendation of the Guards Corps
Frederick I made great achievements in taking the throne and expanded it into a grand army. The Thunder Legion and the Rock Legion guarded the overseas territories without losing an inch of territory. They also added that colony to the kingdom. However, their achievements in opening up the territory and expanding the territory have to reduce the military strength. Who is this?
Can you be convinced?
The other ocean cruising fleet was the spoils of the two legions and was not originally under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom's Navy. The war zone reorganized the captured combined fleet into an ocean cruising fleet, responsible for guarding the waters of the directly governed war zone, and invested
It takes a lot of money to build an army, but now the royal capital wants to be nationalized without having to spend a penny of capital. Perhaps it also has the intention of restricting the ocean transportation capabilities of overseas autonomous territories directly to the kingdom's mainland. It is simply a daydream.
Finally, they also came up with the idea of a new rifle, which is the lifeblood of the overseas autonomous territories. Not to mention the five generals, most of the members of the parliament were opposed to handing over the manufacturing process and blueprints of the new rifle to the royal capital. No one wanted to see it.
In the future, when the enemies of the overseas dominions confront their own troops with new rifles, it will be too late to regret.
Take the grenade as an example. Claude transferred his production license and manufacturing process to the old aristocratic family. As a result, all countries in the Farea continent started imitating equipment and researching the grenade. The Kingdom of Hicks used grenade to attack
The two legions in the theater were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. No one wanted to experience such a war again.
Claude doesn't care much about the leakage of information about the new rifle, because the real key to the new rifle lies in the bullet, and the key to the bullet lies in the gunpowder invented by Mrs. Sonia. He keeps the formula of the gunpowder strictly confidential and handles the production.
They are all students in my sister Anna's laboratory. Each time a large bullet is produced, it is enough to produce bullets for ten and a half days. The gunpowder used for each bullet is only a tiny amount as big as a booger.
Without gunpowder, the bullet will misfire, and the new rifle with misfired bullets is not as effective as a spear. Claude can give the new rifle to the royal capital, but it is impossible to give him gunpowder. Of course, this is only for himself
Just thinking about it in my mind, because when the new rifles are in the hands of the old aristocratic families, it is guaranteed that all the countries in the continent will know how to make the new rifles.
Claude can't guarantee whether smart people from other countries will invent something similar to gunpowder to solve the problem of bullet misfire. If such a situation really happens, Claude won't even have time to cry, and he will be mute by then.
Eating Coptis chinensis brings unspeakable suffering. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to agree to this request from those established aristocratic families...
"How do we respond to the request from the royal capital?" Sir Bennett asked. He was the leader of the envoy this time, so he was very concerned about this issue.
Claude smiled and said: "Why should we respond to their request? We just need to write down the conditions we can agree with and give it to them. This thing is like bargaining in a grocery store. They are making an offer and we are counter-offering. Can we negotiate?
Just snap it together and break it up..."
"Okay, let's decide like this. Let's discuss what conditions we should propose to the royal capital." General Bolognik made the decision.
Soon, the members of the executive committee present discussed for a while and wrote a reply letter to the royal capital. The letter stated that the overseas autonomous territories could restore their original names as direct jurisdictions, but they must retain the parliaments of the overseas autonomous territories.
and the military region. Then the overseas autonomous territories can pay taxes and tributes of 500,000 gold crowns to the royal capital every year. As for mineral resources, they can be sold to local businessmen in the kingdom at a discount of 30% off the market price.
Regarding the two legions of the overseas autonomous territories, the requirements are very simple. The military expenses are self-funded and they are directly under the jurisdiction of the autonomous military regions to fulfill the late King Sterling X’s will to defend the overseas territories. Regarding the colonial war with the Kingdom of Hicks
After the battle merits have been settled, I hope that the royal capital will approve the reward and promotion lists of the officers and soldiers of the two legions as soon as possible and record them in the files. No deliberate embarrassment is allowed.
In addition, the ocean-going cruising fleet in the Dominion Theater is a trophy of the colonial war and is now under the jurisdiction of the Dominion Military District. It can help the Kingdom's Navy prepare to build a new ocean-going fleet, but it refuses to bring the ocean-going cruising fleet under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom's Navy. There are also new rifles.
He didn't even mention the matter. He clearly told the old aristocratic families in the royal capital not to think about this new rifle...
"What if they don't agree?" Sir Bennet asked.
"If you don't agree, just delay. We have nothing to rely on in the kingdom now. The most they can do is not give us rewards or promotions. What impact will this have on us? Our soldiers have long been accustomed to the king's treatment of us.
It's unfair. If they agreed, I would be really surprised. Will the sun rise from the west in the future..." Claude answered lightly.
Not to Claude's surprise, this reply letter was like a stone's throw after it was sent to the royal capital, with no response being heard. Instead, Admiral Hadro, the commander of the Griffin Legion stationed in White Deer City, sent it to the Autonomous Territory Military Region.
He wrote a handwritten letter in which he said that the big bosses in the royal capital became furious after reading the reply letter from the overseas autonomous territories. They cursed the overseas autonomous territories as traitors and would be the first to send troops to conquer the overseas autonomous territories when the kingdom regained its strength...