Chapter five hundred and seventy-one rejecting three requests
Chapter 571: Reject three requests
Claude expressed his sincere admiration and contempt for the wishful thinking and whimsical thinking of the royal ministers. He had a heated debate with Prime Minister Blancart, showing disagreement, non-cooperation, and dissatisfaction with the three demands he made.
Resolute stance on leasing. Refuse to increase troops, refuse to invest in railway lines in the eastern region, and refuse to lease seaports entrusted to the Dominion Military Region.
Regarding the Red Dragon Legion's request for more troops, Claude laughed and asked: Will His Majesty the King and the royal ministers want to occupy the territory of the Kingdom of Hicks for a long time or forever? If they really want to increase their troops, the Dominion Military Region will not be able to control it.
As soon as the Dominion Military District is evacuated and the Kingdom of Breault closes its internal channels, the Red Dragon Legion and the reinforced standing army will wait to die in the Kingdom of Hicks. The land channels are closed and the sea routes are impassable. You have occupied Xixi.
What is the use of the several local counties in the central part of the country? Are you planning to establish an independent principality?
The plan formulated by the Dominion Military District to attack the Kingdom of Hicks was only to eliminate this mortal enemy country that poses the greatest threat to the Kingdom of Overas and the overseas Dominions. Now most of the plan has been successful, leaving only a few counties in the central and western parts of the country.
The six local counties have not been raided. As for the eleven local counties in the north, they can be ignored. No one wants to fight in the highlands and die in vain.
Now the Red Dragon Legion is asking for more troops and is assuming a posture of long-term occupation. This is simply holding back the Dominion Military Region. Claude and Prime Minister Blancart have made it very clear that if you want to increase troops, you will be responsible for the consequences. Wait until the Thunder Legion and
After the Storm Legion evacuates as planned, if anything happens to the Red Dragon Legion and the reinforced standing legions, just don’t blame the Dominion Military Region. Originally it was a war to make a quick profit, and the Red Dragon Legion must occupy it for a long time, so forgive the Dominion Military Region for not accompanying them.
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Prime Minister Blancart felt very conflicted. The report sent by the Red Dragon Legion to the royal capital believed that the local counties in the central part of the Hicks Kingdom were elite areas with large populations, rich products, and prosperous commerce. If they could occupy it for a long time, a
The local counties can provide the kingdom with at least about 200,000 gold crowns in tax revenue every year. The tax revenue from the three local counties currently occupied by the Red Dragon Legion is enough to meet the Red Dragon Legion's military expenditure for a year.
There are now fifteen counties in the central part of the Hicks Kingdom. The National Guard Army has occupied five counties. The Dominion Military District has also occupied the two central local counties that the road from the Breault Kingdom to the Wangjing area passes through. The remaining eight
Of the local counties, the Red Dragon Legion has occupied three, and there are still five local counties that have not been mopped up. Therefore, the Red Dragon Legion requested more troops, just to capture these five local counties, so that eight local counties, one
The annual tax revenue is more than 1.6 million gold crowns, which is enough to meet the military expenses of three standing legions and still make you rich.
It was simply a matter of feeding the enemy. It was a good idea to let the Hicks help the Kingdom of Overas raise a few standing legions and reduce the kingdom's military expenditure. Claude sneered and told Prime Minister Blancart,
If the royal capital decides to station troops in the Kingdom of Hicks for a long time, it might as well send a few more legions here. When the autonomous military region evacuates, the Wangjing area and Wangjing St. Hyprian City can be given over to the troops sent by the kingdom, and
I hope they can stay here longer.
Prime Minister Blancart knew in his heart that without the Thunder Legion and Storm Legion of the Dominion Military Region as the main attack, and the eight so-called Hicks Returning Divisions to maintain local order, then this Hicks Kingdom strategy plan would not be successful.
.Even the Breault Kingdom is an ally of the Overseas Dominion, not the Overas Kingdom. The reason why the channel is now open to allow the Kingdom's legions to pass is for the sake of the Dominion Military District.
Once the Dominion Military Region withdraws from the Kingdom of Hicks, the Kingdom of Breault will inevitably close this land passage. At that time, whether the royal capital wants to increase its troops or withdraw its troops, it will have to deal with the Kingdom of Breault, and even pay the money to buy the road.
Troops can be allowed to pass through their country. The same goes for sea routes. Of the five seaports along the southern coast of the Kingdom of Hicks, two belong to the Kingdom of Breault and three belong to the sphere of influence of the National Protectorate. In addition, the kingdom is not as large as the overseas autonomous territories.
A huge ocean transport fleet...
The Red Dragon Legion wants to occupy several local counties in the central part of the Hicks Kingdom for a long time. The basis for collecting taxes to support the army is to shelter under the wings of the Overseas Dominion Military Region. And if the Dominion Military Region withdraws from the Hicks Kingdom, the Red Dragon Legion will become
A lone army, even if the kingdom adds a few more standing legions. They will become a thorn in the side of the resistance elements in the Kingdom of Hicks, and the target of all the Hicks separatist forces. These forces will attack and destroy the Red Dragon Legion from Ovela.
The invaders from the Kingdom of Sri Lanka came to show their patriotic enthusiasm and show their strength...
To be honest, the Red Dragon Legion will become the scapegoat for the demise of the Kingdom of Hicks. As long as the Dominion Military Region evacuates, the Hicks separatist forces that have been supported will attack the Red Dragon Legion. They can do nothing about the Dominion Military Region and are afraid of the Thunder Legion and the Hicks Kingdom.
The Storm Legion's attacks and superior combat power do not mean that they are also afraid of the Red Dragon Legion of the Kingdom of Overas. Once the Dominion Military District leaves, the Protectorate Army may fight against the Red Dragon Legion to seize it.
The territory expansion is powerful, and it is justifiable...
Claude told Prime Minister Blancart very clearly that the Thunder Legion would soon complete the strategy plan of sweeping through the nine eastern counties, and would return to the King's Saint Cyprian City to rest in two months, while the Storm Legion would rotate with the Thunder Legion.
When attacking, the first target to attack is the five local counties in the central region that have not been raided.
As for the target of the separatist forces to be supported, the Autonomous Territory Military District has also been determined. After the remaining five central local counties are swept away, they will be handed over to the Hicks armed organization called the Patriotic Front. Therefore, the Red Dragon Army still gives up its long-term occupation.
He also wanted the kingdom to increase its troops, abandon the three occupied local counties as soon as possible, and immediately attack other local counties, so that he could make a lot of money before evacuating.
Of course, if the Royal Capital insists on sending more troops and implementing long-term occupation, then the Autonomous Territory Military Region will not object, as long as the Kingdom does not regret it in the future. At the same time, do not expect the Autonomous Territory Military Region to send troops to rescue or anything like that.
With records as evidence, the capital will not blame the Autonomous Territory Military Region for any unforeseen events in the future. Anyway, the Autonomous Territory Military Region has done its part with good words and persuasion...
The topic of increasing troops passed by, and Claude did not want to say more. Then Prime Minister Blancart brought up the matter of building a railway, but Claude still expressed opposition and refused to allow overseas dominions to invest in this railway line that would bypass most of the eastern region.
Prime Minister Blancart persuaded Claude with earnest words that the Dominion Military District should use the captured war proceeds to invest in this eastern railway, which would benefit the country and the people. And the returns would be great. Think about the railways in the overseas Dominions. After they have been built, the benefits have already outweighed the costs.
The wealth of shareholders of all railway companies has increased several times...
Claude sneered, pulled up the map of the eastern region of the Farea continent, and asked Prime Minister Blancart since His Majesty the King Frederic I came to the throne, has the Kingdom invested a single gold crown in these areas of the eastern continent? No, nothing.
Even local garrisoning is entrusted to the autonomous military regions because the kingdom cannot afford the cost of garrisoning. However, these areas have been repeatedly warred, the economy is depressed, and the revival of handicrafts and commerce is far away. They can only rely on planting and breeding to barely obtain some basic taxes to pay for official expenses...
...
A railway line in the eastern region like this is of strategic significance to the kingdom. It can heal the war wounds of people in various regions, increase the influence of the kingdom, and strengthen the consciousness of a country. No matter how big the economic difficulties are, the kingdom should take the lead.
Build this railway line. But you cannot calculate the economic accounts. Use investment income or something to induce overseas autonomous territories to allocate funds to build this eastern railway, because for the autonomous military region, this railway line is meaningless...
Claude calculated an account for Prime Minister Blancart on the spot. If the overseas dominions invested in this eastern region railway line, the payback date would be at least thirty to fifty years. Prime Minister Blancart was still not convinced, but
Claude proved this with detailed data. The economy in these areas was in a slump, and it would take a long time for commerce and handicraft industry to recover. Most of the towns were small traders communicating with each other, and there were no large commercial banks to invest or open handicraft workshops.
In addition, don’t forget that the Dominion Military Region owns the entire eastern coastline, and the huge ocean-going transport fleet has replaced the eastern railway line. Calculating distance and speed, the ocean-going transport fleet traveling along the coastline is even faster than the train.
, after all, the current speed of trains does not exceed thirty miles per hour. Therefore, building this eastern regional railway line will be thankless for the Dominion Military Region, and it will also be taken as a big deal...
Prime Minister Blancart said angrily that Claude was a miser. Why didn't he invest so much money from the Kingdom of Hicks into something beneficial to the kingdom's economic revival? Claude replied with a wry smile, first
These seizures are not our own, nor do they all belong to the Dominion Military Region. They also need to be divided with the Dominion Council. Many of the proceeds from the seizures must be invested in the construction of the Beibu Gulf Territory.
Second, the Dominion Military Region is short of money. Don’t forget that the west coast of Nubicia is still fighting a war for freedom and liberation for indigenous peoples. As a behind-the-scenes supporter, the Dominion Military Region has invested more than 10 million gold crowns.
It is estimated that at least 30 million gold crowns will be needed in the next few years. As for the recovery of these investments, it will only be possible after the situation in these indigenous nation-states has stabilized, which will also happen in a few years...
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Since the first two requests were denied by Claude, then the third, even more unreliable, loan request, Prime Minister Blancart, believed that it would also be rejected by Claude. As expected, Claude ridiculed Wang Tingda.
You guys all have such a beautiful idea, leasing the place that was originally entrusted to the Dominion Military Region to the Dominion Military Region. Do you really think that Claude is a traitor?
However, Prime Minister Blancat could not figure out why the Dominion Military Region was willing to spend huge sums of money to lease the Patkara Port from the Breault Kingdom. He said that after receiving the news, he looked at the Patkara Port on the map for a long time, and
I have collected all the information about Patkara Port and found no difference between it and other seaports. And didn’t the Dominion Military Region say that it would withdraw its troops from the Hicks Kingdom? Why did Patkara Port be leased so that subordinate troops of the Dominion Army could have
A garrison base?
Claude picked up a red pen and drew a line marked on the sea between the Gulf of Tonkin and the Port of Patkara on the map, and then told Prime Minister Blancat that this sea line was nothing surprising from a military point of view and was very ordinary.
But if you look at it from a business perspective, if you think about it more, you will understand that if this merchant land develops, it will become a famous golden sea route...
Prime Minister Blancart is naturally not a stupid person. After looking at it for a while, he finally understood the intention of the Dominion Military Region in leasing Patkara Port. This is not only to maintain the existence and influence of the Dominion Military Region over the Hicks Kingdom, but also to maintain its presence and influence in the Kingdom of Hicks.
The purpose is to get a share of the huge profits from the maritime trade between the two places in the future. The efforts made now will be collected back in the next few years.
So Prime Minister Blancart began to carefully examine the seaport cities in the eastern region on the map, hoping to develop a seaport town in a certain coastal area and get a share of the business activities of this golden sea route.
Claude told him bluntly, stop dreaming. It would be very difficult for the royal capital to make a profit without investing even a penny in these seaport cities in the eastern coastal areas. Unless in the next twenty or thirty years, the capital of the eastern region will be able to
Only when these seaport cities develop freely can they reach a certain scale and get some leftovers from this golden sea road...
But isn't the Florik seaport developing well? Prime Minister Blancart pointed to the map and argued unconvinced.
Claude laughed. The port of Floric was the most complete and largest seaport city in the original Principality of Modera. During the First Eastern War, it was also the base and base camp for the anti-Austrian Five Power Alliance fleet.
The later Grand Prince Hansback returned to the newly occupied territory in the east after the kingdom's civil war, and was also assassinated in the palace of the lord of this seaport city.
After the Dominion Military District decided to intervene in the Second Eastern Regional War, the Thunder Legion landed at Florik Seaport, catching the Alliance army by surprise. It launched a surprise attack on the Royal City of Polyvisia in the Kingdom of Nasseri from the Sidings area, laying the foundation for the first war in the Eastern Region.
The foundation of the victory in the Second World War in the Eastern Region enabled the Kingdom of Overas to turn from the edge of subjugation to victory and become the dominant power in the Eastern Region.
Therefore, Florik Seaport has become the most important logistics supply base of the Dominion Military Region in the eastern region of Farea. All dock facilities and urban traffic roads have been maintained and repaired by the garrison. This is what Florik Harbor looks like.
The main reason why it developed better than other seaport cities has nothing to do with the indifference of the royal capital.
Now Prime Minister Blancart said that the development of Floric Seaport was good, which just gave Claude a chance to slap him in the face. Claude told the Prime Minister that he knew why Floric Seaport felt better than other seaport cities in the eastern coastal area.
Is it a better reason for development?
That's because the ocean-going transport fleet of the Dominion Military Region has always used Florik Seaport as a logistics supply base. Almost half of the agricultural products in the Rimodra region have been gathered in this seaport city and become materials purchased by the ocean-going transport fleet. And the Dominion
The military region has always paid according to the price and traded fairly, which has given the Florik seaport a bit of business atmosphere and vigorous vitality.
It's a pity that after so many years of efforts by the Dominion Military Region, Florik Seaport is still a place for selling agricultural products and has not formed a large commodity trading market. Most of the farmers and breeders in the Rimodra area have
They trade the materials they produce at home to the logistics purchasing department of the autonomous military region and then go back. They rarely buy goods produced in overseas autonomous territories. People in this area are more accustomed to a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economic life...
After Claude said this, Prime Minister Blancart knew that his visit this time was in vain. Claude did not agree to any of the three requests, but was laughed at by him. This made Prime Minister Blancart feel very
Embarrassing. But there was nothing he could do. Claude had already stated that the Dominion Military Region refused to cooperate.
You have to increase your troops at your own risk. It is impossible to invest in railways. It is impossible for the Autonomous Region Military Region to abandon its martial arts. If there is an ocean-going cruising transport fleet, there is no need to build railways to compete with itself. What is the point of having enough to eat and nothing to do? As for leasing, it is even more of a joke. The Autonomous Region Military Region
I look down upon these semi-abandoned seaport cities along the eastern seaboard.
So is there any way you can raise funds to build this eastern railway line? This is Prime Minister Blancart's first question.
Claude's answer is to sell railway bonds and set the interest rate at a high point, such as a three-year or five-year term, with an interest rate of 15% to 25% upon maturity. One batch is sold every year, such as
The quota is five million gold crowns. Anyway, the railway will take several years to build. You can slowly sell railway bonds to raise funds for a special purpose. If the interest is too high, sell more bonds and use the proceeds from railway operations to finance the project.
repay......
Is there any seaport in the Kingdom that the Dominion Military Region would like to lease? This is Prime Minister Blancart's second question.
"Yes," Claude replied: "White Deer City, if the Kingdom is willing to lease White Deer City to the Overseas Dominion Military Region, the rent will be twice as high as that of Patkara Port. The Dominion Military Region is also willing. It just hopes that the lease term can be extended to ninety
Nine years..."
Prime Minister Blancart stopped talking. The kingdom would not agree to this request. White Deer City is an important town in the three southwest counties and is directly connected to the trading port of the overseas autonomous territories. When it develops, the ocean trade between the two continents will make every inch of White Deer City valuable.
, becoming the cornucopia of the Kingdom’s homeland.
Prime Minister Blancart left with a melancholy look on his face.
Claude ordered his adjutant, Captain Fahsselin: "Has Albert, who calls himself my elder brother, been waiting in the conference room? Let him come in and let me see what he has to say..."
Soon, Albert, whom he hadn't seen for more than 20 years, appeared in Claude's office. The difference from Claude's impression was that he was dissolute, stingy, hypocritical, jealous of his siblings, and had no eldest brother-like manner.
The prodigal brother Albert has now become a stable middle-aged gentleman. He graciously thanked Captain Fachsselin who led him in, and then greeted Claude with a friendly smile: "
Long time no see, Claude."
Claude stared at Albert's face, expressionless: "I want to know, when I was awarded the title, the character I chose was Chinese, how did your character "mulberry" come from?"