Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 239 A Century-Old Chess Game (Part 2)

In that instant, Rumba's words, like the chilling edge of a blade, pierced the ears of all the grand dukes:
“Long ago, Xingchen established qualification examinations, stipulating that only certain types of people could become specific officials and become the king’s right-hand men.”

"They used titles and privileges, status and honors to attract low-ranking nobles who were originally of humble origins, or commoners who could not possibly rise to the ranks of nobility, entrusting power to these officials from poor backgrounds and allowing them to enter the forbidden areas of the kingdom that belonged only to bloodlines and families."

Rumba's voice, like a working anvil, resonated in the hearts of the dukes: "And so, thousands upon thousands of professional officials, of different backgrounds but with clear duties and divisions of labor, stood together to form a sturdy chariot that was breathtaking, carrying the ancient nation inherited from the ancient empire, and speeding forward."

"What's even more terrifying is that, in order to obtain such a promotion, many low-ranking nobles, merchants, and even villagers are willing and can only become the king's lackeys and loyal subjects."

Almost all four dukes frowned, carefully considering the meaning behind those words.

Rumba's eyes were icy cold: "First are the tax collectors: Merchants and accountants obtain official positions through qualification training and examinations, register in the Palace of Restoration, and become the king's professional servants, collecting taxes for him in his direct territory, fulfilling their duties and forming a system and custom: each tax collector is directly responsible to the chief treasurer and his subordinates, strictly abides by the rules, is good at calculation, has sharp ears and eyes, will not miss a single copper coin, and dares not conceal any account."

"So the taxes the king receives are more and more detailed than when he sends out his noble confidants to collect them based on loyalty, personal connections, and the closeness of relationships, and they increase year after year—do you really think the wealth of the Shining Star royal family is just due to the tyrant raising taxes?"

Do you know what this means? — Rumba silently added in his mind.

Short-sighted and dull-witted dukes.

"And what about us, Exter?"

Rumba's tone suddenly changed, his sharp eyes piercing the four stunned dukes: "To ensure their interests remain intact and their authority unshaken, the dukes and nobles only send their trusted confidants and subordinates as tax collectors, armed with swords and spears, using their personal relationships with their lords to collect taxes from various castles and villages, acting arrogantly, deceiving their superiors and subordinates, exploiting them at every level, and lining their own pockets!"

"If the vassals under my command can deliver 50% of the planned tax amount to the lord each year, then I can consider it a happy ending and a sign of their loyalty."

Archduke Aurelius lowered his head, his expression solemn, and said nothing more.

Rumba continued, "In many cities of the Stars, there is a position called the Guard Officer, which can only be obtained through examination and training. The Guard Office is directly under the Garrison Commander and is specifically responsible for the city's security and order. It is clearly separated from the City Defense Force, which is the city's standing private army, and they are strictly prohibited from interfering with each other."

"And what about us?" The Grand Duke of Black Sand gritted his teeth, his expression terrifying: "For so many years, Exster has been plagued by commercial depression and a scarcity of goods? Apart from those shady characters like the Cornassians with their ulterior motives, half of the merchants would rather do business in the Stars than come to Exster. Is it really because the south has more abundant resources?"

"No!" Rumba's eyes hardened.

“That’s because merchants know that in the Star Kingdom, at least the rules and order of trade are clearly written down, at least there are professional officials and departments to appeal to, at least the Guard Bureau and Guards Officers openly maintain market order, and at least they don’t have to argue with unreasonable armies or deal with influential figures,” Rumba clenched his fist as he remembered something.
"But in Exster, even a lowly order officer in charge of patrols can use connections and double-crosses to engage in large-scale arms smuggling and drive away businessmen they don't like—as long as the higher-ups turn a blind eye!"

Grand Duke Trudida pursed his lips, his lively eyes fixed on one spot, only blinking occasionally.

Rumba sneered: "In the cities of the Star Kingdom, all the officials in the city hall, from clerks to copyists, from signatories to judges, are all qualified people. They have clear divisions of labor, are familiar with the regulations, and transmit information and execute orders from top to bottom. They only recognize hand seals and stamps."

"In the bloody year, they were all sent to the River of Prisons, from the Supreme King to the Prince. Foreign enemies were watching with predatory eyes, and the nobles were filled with fear! However, thanks to the Prime Minister and his professional officials who followed the rules, the precarious city of Yongxing still managed to operate steadily for more than ten days! Until the last prince returned, compromised with the nobles, and was crowned!"

"What about us?"

Rumba pounded his chest hard: "Today, less than a few hours after the death of the once mighty King of the North, Dragon City is in chaos because of the loss of his authority. Chaos, rumors, conflicts and contradictions are emerging one after another, and the people are in a state of fear and unease. I estimate that Risban even hesitated for a long time about whether to overstep his authority and use the patrol team—he has gotten used to asking Nunn for instructions."

"I led my army and rampaged through the city for hours! It wasn't until I captured the first gate, until I stood here, close enough to spit on you, that the Prime Minister finally arrived, completely bewildered."

Grand Duke Ronnie's face darkened, and he let out a long breath, his gaze hesitant.

Rumba paused for a full ten seconds.

For such a long time, no one spoke out.

Finally, Rumba exhaled a helpless and difficult breath, his face showing exhaustion and pain.

"I know that your territory is far from the stars, and in recent years you've only been focused on your struggle with Dragon Sky City, but..."

"But I've already said so much, can't you feel it?"

At that moment, Rumba gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and was drenched in cold sweat, as if he were facing an unprecedentedly terrifying beast.

"Some shocking, unprecedented, and terrifying changes..."

"It is happening quietly in the Star Kingdom, behind that country that is the remnant of an empire and has been fighting us for years."

The expressions of the several dukes changed slightly.

“This change,” Rumba continued, his voice trembling slightly, “is as still as an undercurrent, as calm as water dripping on stone.”

“But believe me, this is a terrifying situation that has never been seen in the past thousands of years, not even by ancient empires,” Rumba felt his hair stand on end, and a chill like polar ice seemed to penetrate his chest and reach his heart: “The Star Kingdom—our adversary for six hundred years—is undergoing an unprecedented transformation.”

The four dukes exchanged glances, caught between disbelief and utter astonishment, unable to move forward or backward.

But Rumba continued: "Through the most direct contact with the war, I saw only the tip of the iceberg of this horrific transformation."

"Like the faint vibrations that come from within a pupa on the eve of its metamorphosis."

"Inconspicuous, yet crucial."

Lumba suddenly raised his head, his eyes like swords, sharp and piercing, staring directly at the four dukes.

"Gentlemen, please open your eyes," the Black Sand Grand Duke gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse and resolute: "Where exactly is our greatest threat?"

The dukes didn't seem to have realized what was happening yet.

But at that moment, Grand Duke Leco's face was more grim than ever before. He slowly raised his head and looked at Lumba.

The eldest duke spoke wearily and listlessly, his voice hoarse and unpleasant: "Mindis III?"

The other three dukes' expressions changed. Rumba's gaze towards the eldest duke softened somewhat.

His gaze dimmed.

“Yes,” Rumba said quietly, sitting down again. “This is what it will be like 150 years from now—our comparison with the stars.”

Archduke Aurelius looked up in surprise:
"One hundred and fifty years? Could it be..."

Rumba nodded weakly.

"Yes," he said affirmatively.

“What I just told you,” Rumba said calmly, his eyes once again filled with apprehension and solemnity, “is all of this.”

"It all originated from 150 years ago..."

“It originated from that supreme king of the stars who was almost ignored by everyone.”

"Mindis III".

In that instant, all four dukes turned their gazes toward Lumba.

Their emotions were complex, and their reactions varied.

Looking at their expressions, the Black Sand Grand Duke couldn't help but sneer.

"You say he didn't do anything significant?"

All that could be heard was a cold snort from Chaman Lumba, which was neither entirely positive nor negative:

“More than a hundred years ago, it was Mindis III who, at the cost of offending the collateral branches, confidants, in-laws, and even direct vassals of the Canxing family, meticulously and precisely established countless official positions and departments—the City Hall, the Security Bureau, the Finance and Taxation Bureau…”

"King Mindis granted them his authority, established rules and regulations, trained and assessed them, and paid them salaries even if they had to go into debt to make ends meet, so that these new officials could manage the central government of the royal family and even the entire Star Kingdom."

“More than a hundred years have passed, and even the most remote and powerful vassals, for the sake of tax revenue, efficiency, power, and more importantly, to more effectively oppose the king, have had to compromise with the rules of the game left by the ‘wise king,’ acknowledging the king’s officials and beginning to recruit their own bureaucrats,” Rumba raised his head, a sharp, cold glint in his eyes:
"With the help of these people, the Star Kingdom gradually penetrated into every corner of the kingdom, controlling the entire country from top to bottom like never before."

"Do you think the Starshine Legion is just a combination of luck and talent?"

"No, this steel chariot composed of countless professional officials originated with Mindis III. It has been quietly operating, adapting, and settling for over a hundred years amidst contradictions and frictions, during our years of dominating the Western Continent. It has taken root and sprouted imperceptibly!"

Upon hearing this, Grand Duke Ronnie of Qiyuan City lowered his head deeply, his eyes filled with struggle.

"Furthermore," Rumba spoke again, his tone cold, "you say that King Mindis is weak and incompetent, and compromises with the nobles?"

“That’s right. The High Noble Council seems to be a forum where a group of powerful vassals unite to challenge the king. But conversely, rules and systems are formed as a result. No matter what matters the vassals of the Star Kingdom need to handle, they have to abide by this rule and are forced to return to the chessboard of this so-called Noble Council, to the cage that the king has built for them to tame beasts!”

"A national council where all the lowly, humble, and uncouth commoners can sit in on important national affairs? It seems ridiculous, and it has indeed been laughed at by other countries in the world for over a hundred years... But have you ever thought about it? No matter how many names are used, in countless national councils where the nobles are on one side and the king on the other, the weak and humble commoners can only choose to side with the monarchy, gather under the nine-star crown and the staff of stars, and fight against the king's enemies!"

"And today, more than a hundred years later, if I may remind you, it is precisely because of the High Noble Council and the National Affairs Conference left by King Mindis that we have achieved this by 'compromising with the nobility'..."

"Our King Kessel V to the south has turned the millions of commoners of the Star Kingdom into powerful tools for him to fight against the great vassals! Over the past five years, he has launched a nationwide war against the fierce opposition of almost all the vassals and irresistibly appointed a royal heir!"

"This is his royal power! For the Star Kingdom, this is already the norm!"

Lumba slammed his fist on the square table, his face full of anger, and shouted, "If King Nuen were standing here and asked you to gather troops within a month and follow him into the Great Desert, how many of you would do it without hesitation?"

"Similarly, if King Nuen inexplicably pulls out an illegitimate son as his heir and demands your allegiance to him, how many people would kneel down without hesitation?"

Aurelius and Trudida gaze at each other from the air.

One person hesitated, shaking their head slightly, while the other gritted their teeth and breathed rapidly.

"As for your claim that King Mindis is living on borrowed money?" The Grand Duke of Black Sands raised his hand and waved it indifferently: "But what's even more ironic is..."

Rumba leaned forward, clenched his teeth, and his face was cold.
“More than a hundred years ago, King Mindis III, who had a large number of officials under his command, was constantly in debt and never got tired of it. So he ordered that all the debtors be gathered in one room and that IOUs be written for them in a unified manner, with the royal charter and even the next year's tax revenue as collateral.”

"More than a hundred years later, that house, where countless merchants have come and gone, has been expanded many times and renamed in imitation of the city-states of Commas," the Grand Duke of Black Sands said with a grim expression and hesitant tone, as if he were about to describe something strange that he himself did not understand: "It is now called 'Royal Bank'."

The dukes cast puzzled glances at them.

Lumba gritted his teeth and shook his head, saying, "Five years ago, King Kessel didn't raise taxes or confiscate property. He simply wrote an IOU to the so-called 'Royal Bank,' a treasury made up of countless merchants, and took out a large sum of money to raise countless armies and fight a costly desert war. After returning, he even expanded his standing army!"

"Can you imagine this, given that we have to raise taxes every time there's a war?"

"Do you still think that this war, which was waged on debt, is solely due to the wealth of the Starry Sky royal family?"

Silence again.

No one speaks.

A war that can be started without raising taxes?
The Grand Dukes of Exeter were all feudal lords whose territories were comparable to those of a kingdom, and they understood better than anyone else what this truly meant.

Suddenly I remembered that I forgot about security measures again.

It made me so angry!

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(End of this chapter)