Chapter 1669: Chapter 94: Utter Defeat
Canglan City, Jade Palace.
The grand celebration banquet is once again underway, but the guests’ attention is not on the banquet itself; everyone seems to have something weighing on their minds.
The usually lively noblewomen and ladies have sensibly stepped aside, leaving space for discussions.
The wave of reform has risen once again; for the Major Nobles, this comes as no secret.
At this crucial moment, using the celebration banquet as an excuse to gather everyone here is obviously just a facade.
An expedition to help allies defeat invaders holds significant international political implications, but within the Alpha Kingdom, it doesn’t mean much.
A celebration banquet is warranted, but the scale should not be so grand.
Previously, the Kingdom Army’s victory over the Earth Core race had a much lower-profile celebration banquet.
For the vested interest groups, reform is akin to cutting flesh.
The previous reforms in the Kingdom had already affected everyone’s interests.
However, faced with the practical necessity to prevent the Kingdom’s mighty ship from sinking, everyone could only make concessions.
The situation is now different; although the Kingdom Government is financially strained, the army’s combat power continually enhances.
Survival issues have been resolved, and external threats have greatly diminished.
For the surrounding Different Races, Alpha Kingdom not seeking trouble with them is already a blessing.
The terrifying idea of invading the Alpha Kingdom wouldn’t cross a sane mind.
Against this backdrop, the noble consortium of the Kingdom is directly divided into two factions.
Led by Hudson, the emerging nobility, along with some nobles who depend on foreign trade, choose to align with the reformists for their own interests.
Not wanting turmoil and fearing that their interests might suffer during the reform process, the traditional major nobles opt to support the conservative faction.
When considering the strength of the Royal Family, the military might of the two major factions is evenly matched at the moment.
In terms of supporting the number of provinces, the reformists have the advantage.
However, the newly enfeoffed group of nobles is yet to find their footing, with all Governor and Prefectural Governor positions vacant, leaving Hudson temporarily overseeing military and political affairs.
Caesar IV is in a rush to insert confidants into the army; in fact, it is out of necessity as Hudson’s reach is indeed a bit too long.
Yet these powers are forcibly entrusted to him by the Kingdom Government.
The Orcs are not easy to manage; replacing Hudson with someone else in these regions would lead to frequent incidents.
Without providing security guarantees, territorial expansion becomes a joke.
From this perspective, Caesar IV’s urge to push forward reform is equally out of necessity.
Inserting confidants into the army is like a drop in the ocean; true balance is not achievable by just a few middle and senior officers.
Caesar IV must find ways to enhance his own prestige to avoid a situation where the ruler is weak, and the ministers are strong.
Of course, he could choose to flip towards supporting the conservative faction, using the major nobles’ power to counterbalance Hudson.
However, such an approach would be catastrophic for the Kingdom’s long-term development.
It’s important to cherish one’s own kingdom and not disregard future generations for momentary satisfaction.
After all, word from the palace has just come out that the Queen is pregnant again.
Judging by the banquet’s scale, a variety of spices are freely available. Had His Majesty the King not been in high spirits, such extravagance would be unthinkable.
Of course, this is also related to the Near East Development Bank’s new round of dividends.
Along with distributing substantial cash, luxury goods, including spices with poor sales due to the war, were also given away.
Befitting the event, the guests at the banquet, grouped together, are discussing international affairs, which directly changes the nature of the banquet.
As the central figure, Hudson naturally has a group of people surrounding him, starting a discussion on reform topics.
Under such circumstances, the banquet ended earlier than planned.
Caesar IV didn’t keep people waiting; as soon as the celebration banquet concluded, he gathered ministers and a group of governors for a palace meeting.
…
“Chancellor, please introduce the topic!”
As Caesar IV’s words fell, everyone’s gaze converged on Chancellor Marquis Delgado.
After much confusion, the time for unveiling the mystery had finally come.
“Alright, Your Majesty!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the theme of today’s meeting is reform, which I believe most of you have already guessed.
The international situation is rapidly changing; across the continent, except for the elf race, all species are launching reform movements.
This applies within the Human Race as well; even the most powerful Frank Empire is conducting internal reforms.
To enhance strength, all major powers are moving, and the situation doesn’t allow the Kingdom to sit idle.
Over the past decade, under Marshal Hudson’s guidance, we have completed military reforms, creating the Alpha Kingdom we see today.
However, the Kingdom has now hit another bottleneck in its development.
Poor financial status and a weak economy have become the greatest hindrances to the Kingdom’s upward growth.
To change all this, the Kingdom Government has made numerous efforts, including agricultural reform, economic reform, tax reform, and political reform, but these efforts are still insufficient.
Though we have devised policies, they completely transform when it comes to specific execution.
Take tax reform as an example; the decree for unified tariffs has been issued for some time, but very few provinces have implemented it.
Due to poor implementation, the Kingdom Government’s fiscal revenues last year did not increase; they instead decreased.
If this continues over the long term, the Kingdom will inevitably follow in the footsteps of the Moxi People.
They are just a small country, so if they go bankrupt, it’s not a big deal, but we can’t afford the same fate!