Jerome's face froze at first, then anger surged, then calmed down, and he didn't even speak.
In fact, he was a war correspondent, with excellent eloquence and a perverse personality. Even though he was awarded a baronet, and later gave up his status as a member of the House of Lords and entered the House of Commons, he would not have changed at all. If it were not for the support of Philip and other nobles
, it is simply impossible to become the leader of the House of Commons.
If it was not the king who spoke, but Philip, Earl Hall and others, he would also directly refute. Because he knows that it is the royal family and the Augustus family that holds the power of the military now, and there may be any problems behind the front lines.
Let Fusac's "hunters" smell the fighter plane and take a bite.
This was very clear to him when he was working as a war correspondent in the Southern Continent and dealing with the Intis people.
Therefore, after he learned of MI9's actions, he, Philip, Hall and other nobles went to Thordrak Palace to meet the king.
Although he knew that MI9's investigation of grain reserves in the hands of grain merchants would be beneficial to the war situation, it also had many disadvantages. If he was not careful, it would cause greater chaos. If George III was still alive, he would still be willing to try it, but now this
The king’s surname is Gonzalez, not Augustus!
But Rawls had no intention of letting him go, and continued relentlessly:
"Do you really think that we can make a choice when the war has developed to this point? Like what we did more than 20 years ago, we and the Intis people retreated to lick each other after suffering mutual losses in the Honakis Mountains.
Licking wounds?
"Why am I here? It's because Prince Covington was assassinated, because His Majesty George III was assassinated. Tell me, in the past few hundred years, which war has developed to this point? Or are you saying
Do you think the oracles of the Church of Night and the Church of Storms are two pieces of waste paper?
The majestic voice echoed in the living room, like thunder in everyone's ears.
Yes, the wars and conflicts among the countries in the Northern Continent have weakened a lot after the "War of Broken Oaths". Even if it was Russell's unprecedented crazy move, the war has not evolved into what it is now. All the
The country was swept up in it.
And those two oracles were enough to show that this was more than a simple war.
Those who can enter this living room are not lacking in wisdom and knowledge. Once they are exposed, they will clearly understand the problem.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Rawls' voice slowed down and lowered:
"You are the important pillars of the kingdom. You must understand that this is a war involving the survival of the kingdom. Don't take any chances, otherwise we will be destroyed!"
Even though he said this, he knew very well that even if Fusac and the Intis troops came to the city, there would definitely be a sense of luck.
There was another moment of silence, and it was Prime Minister Jerome Spencer who spoke first:
"Your Majesty, what do you want to do? Let's not talk about moving farmers to the southern continent. How do you plan to deal with those grain merchants?"
These wartime cabinet members were all smart people. After Rawls's performance, they knew that it was impossible to relocate the peasants, let alone the Pope Albert Mendo who was famous for his wisdom.
His Majesty Sa Mian agrees to this kind of thing, and the most that can be done is to send some farmers to carry seeds to East Balam.
The purpose of their coming here today is to ask MI9 what the king will do after they investigate the grain reserves held by grain merchants.
It’s not that they are here solely to support the grain merchants. You must know that even the Negan family, which owns the most land, does not rely on selling grain as its main income, but relies more on land rent. Not to mention Earl Hall.
He is a big banker mainly engaged in finance and factories, and Count Levitt's fiefdom has long been under the fire of the Fusac people.
But for other nobles, especially those who have declined, they can only rely on the only land in their hands to obtain income, and naturally they will not let go of food sales. Although these nobles have limited influence individually, once they unite, even if
Even great nobles like Philip and Earl Hall had to avoid it.
"Restrict food prices and limit the price of staple food to less than twice what it was before the war."
Even if he wants to limit food prices, Rawls cannot restore food prices to normal conditions. When the war starts, food will naturally be tighter than usual, so those food merchants cannot be pushed too hard.
"Your Majesty, this is impossible." Earl Hall, who had not spoken yet, shook his head.
The standing Minister of Agriculture and Food, Charles Harker, ignored the sweat on his face and interrupted:
"Now rye is about 2p to 2.5p per pound, wheat is starting from 4p per pound, and rye bread costs an average of 5.5p per pound. Our previous limit was four times, and we can barely maintain it.
"
"I know all this." Rawls nodded and motioned for Charles to sit down. After the latter sat down, he took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his sweat. "That's why I asked MI9 to investigate the grain reserves in the hands of grain merchants, and then even more
It was ordered that anyone whose price is higher than the set price will be punished, ranging from confiscation of a certain amount of grain to confiscation of assets at worst.
"If you have grain in your hands but do not sell it, you will also be punished. At the same time, the government will come forward and organize people to build ovens and use the confiscated grain to bake bread and sell it."
The staple foods of different strata in Loen are inconsistent. The upper strata are mainly white bread, the middle strata are white bread, mixed with black bread, and the bottom strata are brown bread and potatoes. In addition to potatoes, bread is provided and sold by bakeries, mills, etc., even in rural areas.
is also like this.
This is largely because the oven requires a lot of firewood and charcoal fire. The more bread is made, the lower the cost, which is not affordable by the people at the bottom and some middle-class people. This also reduces a problem, that is, wheat, rye, etc.
The main buyers of grain are actually bakeries, not ordinary people.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Bread without preservatives cannot be stored for too long even in winter. Even the wealthy middle class cannot store large quantities of it.
Yes. Since the number of bakeries is limited, monitoring does not require much effort.
"Your Majesty, this will cause turmoil and must be treated with caution." Jerome thought for two seconds and then said.
I chose the wrong person... Rawls took a deep look at Jerome. He believed that the others also understood what Mr. Prime Minister meant. If it does not cause turmoil, or the turmoil is within the scope of resolution, then there will be no problem.
.
Count Wolfe touched his well-groomed beard, and the wrinkles on his forehead became a little deeper:
"Those grain merchants will definitely object to this."
I thought you weren't going to speak!
Rawls' eyes fell on Count Wolfe. Among everyone present, only the Wolfe family had the deepest connection with the grain merchants.
"I know this is unfair to them, so I also thought of a way to make up for their losses. If they are willing to donate the food in their hands, Mr. Prime Minister can nominate them, and I will personally confer them with titles. The minimum land required for the titles will also be paid.
Make corresponding reductions and exemptions.”
"His Majesty!"
"His Majesty!"
"How can this be done!"
After one sentence, except for Philip who had not yet figured it out, all the nobles present spoke one after another. In the end, it was Earl Hall who stopped them with his eyes and persuaded:
"Your Majesty, the title is of great importance and cannot be given lightly."
You must know that the titles now are different from those before. In the past, nobles like Baron Syndras who used money to buy titles also had the status of members of the House of Lords. They entered the political arena directly and relied on their strong financial resources to become members of the House of Lords in ten years.
It is comparable to great nobles like Hall and Negan.
This has already made those old nobles who hold their own status uncomfortable. Now they are lowering the standards for knighthood, and they are knighted as long as they are provided with food. This is not weird!
A few people, such as Earl Hall and Jerome Spencer, saw it more profoundly. This was forcing the nobles to make a choice. Should they choose to keep the grain merchants, or should they keep their power from spreading?
"Of course I understand, but this is an extraordinary period. The kingdom is at war. The credit for ensuring food supply is no less than defeating the enemy on the front line. This can even be regarded as military merit, but it is not given lightly."
Rawls smiled broadly. Shang Jun and Dr. Chao's method of entering millet to worship the nobility is very powerful even in other worlds. Although this method will also cause many problems, it is still very good to use in wartime. He
In fact, I really want these grain merchants to enter the House of Lords, but unfortunately, Earl Hall and other big nobles will definitely not agree.
"Moreover, it is just a proposal. Whether it will be implemented will depend on reality."
Earl Hall's expression was stagnant. He was sure that the news would spread once they left Thordrak Palace, and it had even spread now.
Jerome Spencer looked at Rawls with admiration. This shifted all the conflicts to the grain merchants and nobles. If the latter agreed, there would be no need to say more. It would be nothing more than a few positions in the House of Lords. If
If you disagree, the seeds of disagreement will be planted, and things will be easier to deal with later.
Although he has the title of baronet, he has long given up his seat in the House of Lords and chose to enter the House of Commons. Therefore, he is not very interested in the position in the House of Lords and his noble status.
"Okay, that's it for today!"
Rawls waved his hand, stood up and left, leaving a table of people behind.
Philip Negan was only a step behind a few nobles, knowing what reaction this incident would cause, but his attitude was similar to that of the Prime Minister. He looked around and said:
"Mr. Prime Minister, Earl Hall, everyone, shall we go back to the Prime Minister's residence first?"
…
Just as Earl Hall guessed, the news had spread out soon after they entered the palace. Although it would not cause a thousand waves, the undercurrent was naturally inevitable. But for most ordinary people, it was still
Looking forward to the arrival of the new King's Speech.
Three days passed by in a flash, and people began to pour out of their homes and gather in squares in various cities and regions just like they had done more than a week ago. It was just that compared to a week ago, there was a little more hope in the eyes of people, especially those who were not living a very good life.
Xio, wearing a black and white police uniform, maintained order in the crowd. She heard from the police who participated last week that today was much better than last week. Many people's emotions were vented and no trouble was caused.
But Xio, who knew the truth, felt a little uneasy. She was afraid that the new king's speech would cause riots, but she still wanted to live a good life!
Thinking of her experience during this period, she felt like she was bursting into tears. Prince Govington was assassinated, and as a bodyguard, she was directly placed under temporary custody and underwent relevant interrogation. Normally, even if the suspicion was eliminated, she would definitely
You may also face punishments such as demotion.
As a result, last week, I was suddenly told that the suspicion was eliminated, and I immediately went to work. Later I learned that George III had been assassinated. It was equivalent to taking a break and I didn't know what to do. But I was immediately driven around by work. Because MI9
The department sent in a group of people who participated in George III's speech operation, resulting in a shortage of manpower, so she resumed work without receiving any punishment.
After seeing that his men had already mingled with the crowd pretending to be ordinary people, Xiu walked to the edge of the square and stood near a group of soldiers, with a gray-white stone pillar equipped with a sound transmission device above his head.
Hugh was in charge of the West End, which was also the Memorial Square where George III was assassinated, but this time there was no king and no nobles. It is said that the new king was giving a speech in Thordrak Palace.
Glancing at the high platform where King George III turned into fireworks, she withdrew her gaze and focused on the crowd.
At ten o'clock exactly, the horn painted with dark blue paint on the stone pillar made a sizzling sound, and finally turned into a young and majestic voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am your king. I am the ruler of Loen, East Balam, and the Rhoside Islands. I am also the king of the Kingdom of Marsi. I am the leader of the Alliance of Central and Southern Nations. Rawls Gonzalez
Si!
"I believe you must remember what happened a week ago. His Majesty the former King George III was assassinated by the Fussac people during his speech and died unfortunately. And three weeks ago, His Majesty George III's eldest son, Prince Govington, was inspecting Pudong.
When he was in Leeds Port, he was also assassinated by the Fusac people and died unfortunately.
"This is sad, but what saddens us even more is that more people are losing their lives to guns and shells on the front line. At this moment, my feelings are the same as yours. We all have relatives who have fallen.
, fell to the guns of the Fusac people.
"Let us pay high respect to those heroes who fell on the battlefield and in a foreign land to protect their families. Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to mourn our heroes and their families."
The moment of silence was not long. Although the people's emotions had been vented before last week, it was far from enough. Sadness was once again building up across the country.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our heroes are great. Their sacrifices are to protect our homeland and their families. As your king, I cannot guarantee that every soldier who goes to the battlefield will return safely. I can only
It can let them know that their families have the best protection.
“I believe that most of the people listening to my speech are suffering from hunger, suffering from the torture of knowing that their families are going to the battlefield to protect themselves, but their lives are even more difficult. With only their savings and a day’s work,
I rushed to the bakery and market as a reward, not knowing if I could buy food for tomorrow..."