I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 317 Opportunity (Part Two)

Silence fell over the office. Marquis Dirac Sisso pondered the prince's words, while Chris patiently awaited his response.

"Your Highness, could you tell me what your objective is? And is your desire to attack Minicia based on something I do not know?"

Otherwise, if a small country attacks a large country, even if we achieve a temporary victory, our standing army will be exhausted in the long war, leaving us unable to even defend our own territory.

Dirac cautiously and discreetly persuaded Prince Chris about his war plans from the sidelines. He did not want the latter's ideas to be based on momentary impulse or mere military adventure.

After all, although Baghnia's national strength is growing rapidly, it still lags behind the long-established power of Minicia in terms of size.

"I bet you had some questions before you met me about why I would send people to attack Tavitsky."

Chris said, and Dirac watched as the former walked to the large map and pointed to the city of Minicia circled in red.

“There is a body here… the body of Albert III. The troops I sent to attack Tavitsky have already identified the body.”

Marquis Dirac's eyes widened suddenly. He rushed to the map, looked at the red circle, and thought carefully for a moment.

Wait a minute, this seems to be the spot where the old king was before. If someone is to die, shouldn't it be the old king who dies?
How did it come to be that Albert III, the King of Minicia, died here?

Is there something wrong here?

Dirac turned to look at Prince Chris, his question, which was on the tip of his tongue, stopped and he swallowed it back.

There's no need to ask about this. Knowing too much is bad for your health. Anyway, Albert III is dead, and that's that. The old King Auckland is dead, and the Marquis of Dirac will be saddened, after all, he was the king to whom he had served for most of his life.

Albert III?

Dirac disliked the old king's brother-in-law who had sent troops to invade the Kingdom of Bagnia. Emotionally, with the latter dead, Marquis Dirac felt he could eat two more pieces of bread at dinner tonight.

No, just eating two more pieces of bread isn't enough; he also needs to open a bottle of his treasured red wine to celebrate properly.

When did Albert III die?

"Late spring and early summer period."

Judging from this timing, and setting aside any distractions of joy, Dirac, simply by considering the political situation in Minicia and the circumstances of the three heirs, understood why Prince Chris would attack the Kingdom of Minicia in the autumn.

Because this is the weakest moment for Minicia. A shrewd glint flashed in Dirac's eyes as he quickly sketched out the current political situation in Minicia in his mind... A civil war in Minicia was highly likely to break out.

What are the usual signs that a country is about to break out into civil war?
According to Dirac, there are usually three obvious signs: a sudden surge in prices, secret troop movements, and intensified power struggles among nobles.

Prices soared because war led to shortages of supplies, while the struggles among nobles stemmed from power struggles over the succession to the throne.

As for the troop movements, it was because all factions were preparing for a possible civil war and trying to gain an advantageous position in the conflict.

"Your Highness, you intend to take advantage of the power struggles within Minicia to seize strategic locations and gain an advantage at the negotiating table in the future, is that right?"

Dirac's sharp eyes revealed Prince Chris's intentions.

However, Chris was surprised.

"Negotiation? Negotiate what? I want to attack Tavitsky because it's a plain with lots of arable land. Taking it will allow the kingdom to feed a larger population and recruit more soldiers."

"But this is a plain, easy to attack but difficult to defend. If the Kingdom of Minicia launches a counterattack, it will be difficult for us to gain a foothold here?"

"No, I won't play defense. After taking down Tavitzky and resting a bit, I'll continue attacking."

Chris raised his head and gestured around the map with his hand.

"After autumn arrives, I will deploy five newly formed corps and your Hegland, enough for six corps, enough for 12,000 regular soldiers, and the First Army, consisting of over 30,000 militia and auxiliary troops, to attack Tavitsky and take this plain of nearly 2,000 square kilometers."

Dirac's breath hitched. He knew his prince was quite ambitious, but he never expected that His Highness would try to swallow up the bigger one with the smaller one.

However, upon careful consideration, for a small, mountainous country like the Kingdom of Bagnia, if it wanted to grow stronger and rise to power, launching attacks against larger powers was indeed a necessary path.

If we don't attack the Kingdom of Minesia now and instead strengthen ourselves, will they let Bagnia go once the former has recovered and weathered the chaos of the succession crisis?
No, the war of the previous three years has made Marquis Dirac realize many things. In an era when firearms are about to replace cold weapons, Bagnia has only one chance left. If it does not seize it, then this country will never rise again.

Faced with a volley of flintlock musket fire, the Bagnians' pride in their courage would melt away amidst a hail of lead bullets.

After figuring this out, Dirac let out a long sigh of relief.

"Your Highness, is a civil war really going to break out in the Kingdom of Minicia?"

“I’m not 100% sure, but I want to seize the opportunity.”

"Understood, Your Highness. Let my Hegland Legion lead the charge in the autumn campaign."

"Will the Hegland defense line be in trouble after your troops are transferred away?"

Chris asked.

"will not."

Dirac said it with absolute certainty.

“My son will be stationed in Hegland. The militiamen of Hegland are all brave men who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their country. As long as the weapons supply is not cut off, even if the Bohemian Empire sends 100,000 troops to invade our country, they will not be able to cross the Hegland defense line!”

Chris nodded, believing the Marquis Dirac's almost boastful remarks, for historical precedents forced him to accept them.

"My only concern is the Oncandra defense line."

Dirac continued.

"Although the possibility of the Retalia Empire invading our country is very low, considering that if we launch an attack on the Kingdom of Minicia, resulting in a depletion of our domestic military strength, the Retalia Empire might want to take advantage of this to force us to the negotiating table and cede territory."

Chris had considered this as well, and then he felt it wasn't a big problem.

"I will leave the five newly formed corps, totaling more than 7,500 regular soldiers, on the Oncandra Line. Together with the local militia, the defense there should be very stable."

"I can rest assured that."

"Do you have any other questions?"

Chris asked.

"Have."

Dirac quickly said.

"Your Highness, the Harvest Festival will be here soon..."

Dirac's voice suddenly became hesitant, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword.

"Traditionally, the coronation ceremony of a new king should be held on this day."

Chris slowly walked back to his desk, scratching his head. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about it. Speaking of which, do you know anything about this royal coronation ceremony?"

Chris didn't care whether he ascended the throne or not. With a large army at his command, even if he was still the so-called prince, no one would object to or resist any decrees he issued. If anyone did, it would be the dead talking.

Dirac paused for a moment, then remembered that Prince Chris had grown up in the Bohemian Empire and it was understandable that he was unfamiliar with the kingdom's traditions.

Just as the Marquis was about to say something, he suddenly remembered the Harvest Festival coronation ceremony, which required the participation of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess. This church was currently being suppressed by Prince Chris, and the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture was actively trying to take its place.

Should the goddess of agriculture replace the church of the Earth Mother to hold the king's coronation ceremony for the harvest festival?

No, that's not appropriate. Judging from Prince Chris's actions after returning home, he clearly has no affinity for religion and prefers to concentrate power in his own hands, showing a very obvious tendency towards centralization.

Wouldn't the participation of religious forces in the king's coronation ceremony diminish His Highness's power and prestige?

Upon thinking of this, Dirac immediately fell silent. To suggest that such a thing would yield almost no benefit while carrying such immense risks was simply out of his mind!
“Your Highness, I feel that this old coronation ceremony… is a bit inappropriate for you.”

Dirac suddenly changed the subject, his voice becoming firm and clear.

"I believe the most important aspect of the harvest festival is celebrating with the people and showing them the royal family's approachable image. As for the coronation ceremony, that can wait until our triumphant return."

Chris tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. Sure enough, the old fox was the old fox; his reaction was quick, and he immediately guessed that he didn't like the mixing of religion and politics.

"Go on."

"Wouldn't it be far better to return in triumph, amidst the cheers of the people, and hold a coronation ceremony then, than to act hastily now?"

Dirac carefully considered his words.

"More in line with His Highness's style?"

The wind outside the window carried the distant roar of steam engines, and Chris suddenly smiled.

“Yes, Dirac, that’s exactly what I think.”

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the industrial area in the distance, which was faintly visible and emitting black smoke.

"I will have the religious affairs bureau tell the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture that they can also host this year's harvest festival, but the organizers can only hold it near the church, and no more than one kilometer away..."

Chris turned around, his military boots making a crisp sound on the floor.

"The same applies to the Church of the Earth Mother."

Dirac secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This arrangement not only appeased the newly emerging Church of the Goddess of Agriculture, but also subtly suppressed the traditional Church of the Earth Mother. More importantly, it completely avoided the possibility of religious forces participating in the change of royal power.

As for whether the Church of the Earth Mother will go crazy after learning this news... they definitely will, because the rule that the Harvest Festival can only be held and presided over within one kilometer of the church is tantamount to depriving the Church of the Earth Mother of its right to operate within Wotradnoi.

The fact that the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture can preside over the harvest festival in the capital, while the Church of the Earth Mother can only do so in the countryside, is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the traditional church.

Dirac could even imagine how furious the white-haired bishops of the Church of Mother Earth would be when the news spread.

"Your Highness is wise."

Dirac bowed slightly.

"However, those fanatical believers probably won't let this go easily."

Chris sneered.

"The people of the Goddess of Agriculture will deal with their anger. If they cannot, then I have nothing more to say. They are so incompetent that they have no right to live in Bagnia."

Okay, that's all minor stuff. The real big deal is here.

Chris turned around, took a beautifully bound booklet from the bookshelf, and casually tossed it to Dirac.

“Look at this.”

Dirac opened the document and found a plan for a new system of granting land to soldiers based on merit. It detailed that any soldier who made meritorious contributions in battle would be rewarded with land in newly occupied territories, specifying in detail how much land would be awarded for each meritorious act.

Officers received a share, and soldiers were not left out either.

"this……"

Dirac's eyes lit up; he saw the possibility of a military aristocracy emerging... What creates an aristocracy? Is it gorgeous clothes and impressive titles?
No, it's land. Only nobles who own land are nobles!

"Is Your Highness a knight-errant?"

"Maybe in the future, but not now."

Chris walked to the map and traced his finger across the Tavitzky Plain.

"I want every soldier to know that they are going on this mission to fight for their land and their future."

Dirac, I need you to tell your soldiers all this, to make them understand the purpose of this expedition to Minicia.

"understand!"

Dirac left, clutching the pamphlet tightly in his hand, his face flushed with excitement. The old nobleman seemed to see a new glory for his family.

Rumors that Prince Chris wanted to abolish the aristocracy have been circulating in the country, but with the appearance of this booklet, they are now dispelled.

Looking at the Marquis's excited back, Chris knew without even thinking what the former was thinking.

Abolish the aristocracy?

Chris didn't actually have that idea, but the new nobles that appeared later might not be the same as the nobles that Marquis Dirac had imagined.

No sooner had Dirac left than the clerk knocked and entered.

"Your Highness, Mayor of Watradnoy, Minister of Transport and Minister of Industry of the Kingdom, Lord Diu Ni Rem, is requesting an audience."

"Oh, let him in."

Chris nodded and gestured for someone to let the newly appointed high-ranking official of the kingdom in.

Diu Ni Rem, this name may be strange, but this player is really capable. When he was the mayor of Beach Town, he did a great job, transforming Beach Town from a poor agricultural town into an industrial town.

Most of the original residents of Beach Town no longer farmed; they either went out to become officers to serve Prince Chris, or became workshop owners, or landlords/landlords, living a life of leisure and idleness.

Not only that, Diu Ni Rem also built a railway connecting Beach Town, Boras Fortress, and Oncandra, thus opening up transportation.

Because of his good performance, Diu Ni Rem's position has been rising all the way up, until now he has become the mayor of the capital and a high-ranking official in the State Council, holding three positions and the title of two ministers.

If Rem requests a meeting now, it must be something important.

(End of this chapter)