Divine Kingship

Chapter 588 Territory, Ascension to the Throne, Governance Issues I, II, and III
Spring has arrived.

This year is the spring of the 339th year of the Holy Calendar.

Preparations for Rand's coronation are almost complete.

However, Rand's desire to ascend the throne and announce the official birth of the Moon Phase Kingdom was not without its obstacles.

Within the Frostmoon Kingdom, there is some support for Rand, and many noble sons will join his ranks.

But outside...

The White Country and the Takagi Kingdom approve, and envoys will come to participate in the enthronement ceremony.

But other countries... the countries of the Northern Union are alright. Even if some don't quite agree, they won't openly oppose it or antagonize the RAND.

After all, the various events of the Northern Alliance and the spoils-sharing activities of the Wisteria Kingdom were all related to Rand, and everyone was quite indebted to Rand.

Therefore, even if there is a past relationship with the Kingdom of Bolen, or if the Kingdom of Bolen suffers losses due to the establishment of the Kingdom of Rand, it will not jump out to become an enemy of Rand at this time.

Moreover, they must also consider the influence of Rand's in-laws, the Calant family.

Strictly speaking, only Berlan remains of the Calant family now, but this one man is the White King.

The White King's own strength is that of a king.

The only king who exists openly in this world right now.

The White King is also the King of the White Kingdom.

The Northern Alliance nations cannot definitively determine the exact nature of the relationship between the White King and Rand, but the kinship ties are undeniable.

If you seriously offend Rand, you probably won't get anything good from the White King either.

Therefore, the Northern Alliance will not be an obstacle to the establishment of a kingdom in Rand.

However, the situation was the opposite in the southern kingdoms.

The Southern Kingdoms, which are close to the Frostmoon Kingdom, generally have poor relations with the Frostmoon Kingdom, and their relationship with Rand is particularly bad.

Only the Lionheart Kingdom, further south, has a much better relationship with the Frostmoon Kingdom because of a marriage alliance with its royal family.

However, the fact that the Lionheart Kingdom and the Frostmoon Kingdom have a good relationship does not mean that they have a good relationship with Rand.

There's a layer separating things here. Rand used to be the King's Hand of the Frostmoon Kingdom, but he's not anymore.

The relationship between Rand and Frostmoon Kingdom is good, and the relationship between Lionheart Kingdom and Frostmoon Kingdom is good, but this cannot be translated into the relationship between Rand and Lionheart Kingdom being good.

Rand, however, broke away and established its own nation.

As for the other southern kingdoms, most of them opposed the establishment of a kingdom by Rand.

Some questioned the legitimacy of Rand's establishment of the kingdom, some simply denied Rand's right to the land, and some insulted Rand's evil deeds.

There are even some countries far from Rand that have threatened to send troops to attack Rand.

However, none of the countries that are very close to Rand have threatened to send troops to attack.

RAND's military capabilities do indeed constitute a deterrent to a certain extent.

Other countries may not be afraid to go to war with RAND, but they must carefully consider the risks involved.

The direct breach of the Kingdom of Bolen was due not only to Rand's formidable military capabilities, but also to the Kingdom of Bolen's gradual decline over the years.

Other countries will not regard RAND's military command capabilities as too miraculous.

But while everyone is analyzing, we still need to be cautious and vigilant. RAND's military command ability may not be too mysterious, but it is definitely powerful, more powerful than the military commanders of most countries, and perhaps even much more powerful.

The strategies employed by these countries that opposed Rand's ascension to the throne were primarily to refuse to recognize the legitimate existence of the Lunar Kingdom and to impose comprehensive sanctions on it.

The sanctions include trade restrictions, transportation restrictions, and political restrictions, among others. These restrictions will have a significant impact on RAND, but...

In short, Rand wasn't afraid.

……

Today is another meeting with the Torch Church's nascent faction.

The Torch Church agreed to let Rand serve as the honorary head of the Torch Church's nascent faction. Once the Torch Church is reunified under Rand's leadership, the Torch Church will agree to let Rand officially serve as the head of the Torch Church.

This is already a huge show of trust and concession. It is the result of Karin and Bishop Kahn's great goodwill towards Rand and their hard work within the early Torch Church.

This issue would have been completely impossible to address when the Torch Church and RAND first began their collaboration.

The Torch Church is now heavily influenced by Rand's ideas and also by the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health.

Therefore, this proposal is unlikely to generate much opposition within the early cult of the Torch Church.

The Torch Church, as a church organization that originally had little to do with secular affairs, is quite different from the Church of Harvest and Health, which was derived from Rand politics.

It is very difficult to get them to accept that the popes of the Torch Church have always been the heads of Nicholas's family, and that the kings of the Moon Phase Kingdom are very difficult.

Apart from those newly recruited in recent years, the Torch Church members who follow Karin and Archbishop Kahn are all steadfast members of the Torch Church who have always remained true to their original aspirations.

Moreover, they are mostly old things.

In short, there are many stubborn old people, and it is really not easy to get them to agree to this kind of thing.

Therefore, these tasks are still arduous and have a long way to go.

It is already very difficult to agree on Rand's status.

It is likely that it will be even more difficult for Rand to make the position of head of the Nicholas family hereditary.

Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed very difficult.

Rand was also looking for a mutually acceptable solution.

Rand advocated for the union of church and state.

In fact, Rand was perfectly capable of accepting the independence of the Torch Church's early members in their own territory, but only for those Torch Church members who held firm to these ideals.

It is obvious that even if the Torch Church is reunified, it will not be able to maintain its purity forever.

At that time, several factions may emerge.

This was not something Rand could accept.

The corrupted Torch Church was clearly a huge hindrance to rule.

Rand could not be certain that his successor would not be a foolish monarch.

Rand could not guarantee the purity of his successor to the kingdom's rule, so he was not really qualified to demand that the Torch Church forever recognize the King of the Moon Kingdom as the head of the Torch Church.

Fortunately, there's no need to think that far ahead right now.

……

The moon sets and the sun rises, then the sun sets and the moon rises again, repeating this cycle dozens of times.

The coronation ceremony finally began.

Many countries with good relations with RAND sent envoys to attend and observe.

Rand, wearing a golden crown, holding a scepter, and dressed in a brocade robe, waited quietly behind the gate.

As the morning prayer bells dispelled the thin mist, the heavy metal doors slowly opened.

Accompanied by the slow, low sound of the door rolling across the ground.

The light of dawn shone on Rand.

Rand's magnificent robes suddenly shone brightly!

Rand's boots stepped onto the white marble steps of the square.

This is the square of the royal city of the Kingdom of Bolun.

Normally, the coronation ceremony should be held in the capital of the country.

But since he established a kingdom and became king as the conqueror of Rand, there was no problem with him proclaiming his conqueror's name in the capital city of the most extensive lands he had conquered.

Twelve silver-armored knights stood with halberds at their feet, the purple ribbons hanging from the tips embroidered with the scepter and wheat banner representing the Nicholas family.

Because of his great achievements, Rand has modified his family crest, changing it from the original wheat ears and sword and shield banner to the current scepter and wheat ear banner.

The scepter signifies ecclesiastical power, while the ears of wheat represent secular power. The banners gleam in the morning breeze, their colors mingling with the star-studded embroidery on the hem of the new king's robes.

Rand glanced at the high-ranking officials of the Sanctuary and members of the Church who were present.

In a religious country, the pope might be present to crown the king.

If it is a purely secular country, then different forms of rituals will be performed according to their culture.

For example, in the White Kingdom, the ascension to the throne has always involved offering the heads of beastmen as sacrifices.

But now that the orcs are extinct, it's likely that the ascension of the White Kingdom's king will be subject to change.

Rand's fingertips brushed against the sword at his waist—the sword that had slain countless enemies, now gilded in its scabbard.

Rand personally fought quite a few times.

Therefore, Rand's weapons were stained with a lot of blood. In fact, Rand wanted to use his signature weapon, the greatsword.

However, a greatsword is really not suitable for this occasion.

Rand pointed his sword into the distance.

Since Rand established the kingdom as a conqueror, it is only natural that he must use a sharp blade as a pledge.

"My blade will protect the land I rule," Rand whispered. "Those who offend my homeland... no matter how far away, will be punished!"

Rand's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present at the ceremony could hear it clearly.

Rand himself felt that this statement was a bit childish.

But the guests present all felt a chilling murderous intent.

At this point, the coronation ceremony, the first step, is officially complete.

Then an official would come to extol the glorious past of Rand, adding to the sacred authority of the king.

Rand's past has many commendable deeds.

From the initial unified Crescent Territory, it became a nominal but not officially recognized Baron of the Crescent Territory.

Now, they have trampled the royal city of the Kingdom of Bolun.

There are so many things to praise.

These stories fascinated the guests, but Rand himself was not overly proud of them.

The next step after ascending the throne was to bestow titles upon the first batch of nobles.

In fact, all the high-ranking members of the Holy Domain deserve to be granted titles, but since they have decided to join the Nicholas family, only the generals among the high-ranking members of the Holy Domain can be granted titles.

"Tan'er! My loyal general! In the very beginning, when the Moon Phase Kingdom was in its most perilous time, you followed me. We shared joys and sorrows, and defeated powerful enemies." Rand recounted many of Tan'er's deeds. Rand remembered Tan'er's significant contributions very clearly. Rand was very fortunate to have met Tan'er at that time. "You will become the first duke of the Moon Phase Kingdom, and I will grant you the fertile lands on the border."

“Fenris…”

“Thrath, Serai, Tata…”

"........."

Rand's voice lingered in the square for a long time.

Rand has always disliked tedious rituals.

But at this moment when he shared glory with his allies and subordinates who fought for him and for the power of the Holy Land, Rand was tireless.

Rand remembered every member who made a great contribution to the Holy Land's power and bestowed rewards upon them at this time.

Rand has not forgotten those who cannot be present today.

Then there are the newly joined nobles.

"Viscount Red Rose!..."

Then there were some nobles from the Kingdom of Bolun who saw the situation clearly and decisively surrendered.

……

After the enfeoffment was completed.

This led to the first problem in governing the Holy Domain's forces.

The land is vast and the people are sparse.

In fact, after receiving a large number of people from the Kingdom of Bolun, the Kingdom of Rand was not too short of people.

At least from the perspective of a normal kingdom, there won't be a severe shortage of people. After all, the conquest won't be stalled for too long, and if the stalemate doesn't last too long, it won't lead to too much population loss.

In those past histories of Rand, the situation where nine out of ten houses were destroyed was basically due to prolonged wars or famines that turned the land into barren wastelands.

If the war ends quickly, the resources in the mountains and fields can prevent the population from declining too rapidly.

The problem is that there aren’t enough nobles with the ability to govern.

Rand acquired far too much land at once.

In fact, RAND has been cultivating talent at a very fast pace. RAND started cultivating talent from scratch.

Since its founding, a large number of talented individuals have graduated from church schools and become capable leaders who serve RAND.

Alas, even so, it is still limited.

These talented individuals were somewhat stretched thin governing the original Moon Phase Duchy.

The territory has now expanded countless times.

It certainly attracted many nobles.

But it's still far from enough.

In fact, if Rand were to drastically expand the distribution of land, the countless nobles pouring into the Lunar Kingdom could fill these governance gaps.

Rand would certainly not do that.

No reward for no merit.

RAND cannot grant land ownership to people without merit simply because it needs talent and power now.

What will the heroes who were originally willing to go through fire and water for RAND think if this is the case?
If people's hearts are scattered, then the newly established Moon Phase Kingdom can be dissolved on the spot.

Rand wouldn't make such a foolish move.

But should we just let the land go to waste and be restored? Abandoned land will only become a haven for bandits and cults.

Rand decided to discuss the matter with the high-ranking officials of the Sanctuary after his coronation.

After the enthronement ceremony was completed, only one final step remained.

To receive congratulations from other countries and to conduct matters related to establishing diplomatic relations or trade.

The establishment of a new nation will inevitably lead to changes in the international trade landscape.

The Rand territory also contains a large number of ports.

This will inevitably have a significant impact.

Many countries need to reconsider their past trade contracts with the Kingdom of Bologna.

And some northern countries also need to reconsider the issue.

Many northern countries, such as the Ice Sea Kingdom, have pirates who make a living by plundering.

Their land could not grow enough food to feed them, so their only means of survival were hunting and raiding.

However, since Rand is not currently within the scope of the Ice Sea Kingdom's raids, they need to consider the changes in raid locations and targets.

Rand also had his own ideas.

The pirates' plundering revenue will inevitably decrease in the future, but for this country with which they have a good relationship, it will be a good thing.

Rand also did not intend to let the Ice Sea Kingdom suffer losses.

Rand thought that the Ice Sea Kingdom could participate in maritime trade and do some transportation-related work.

(End of this chapter)