I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 505 Doubt

Bagnia is thriving.

Thanks to the wars before and after the founding of the kingdom, as well as the complex and friendly relationship between the Kingdom of Bagnia and the Empire of Retelia, no new war broke out after Bagnia annexed Minicia.

The Bohemian Empire certainly wanted to intervene, but because the neighboring Bagnian territory was a continuous mountainous area with complex terrain, and because the Reteria Empire remained inactive.

The Bohemian Empire ultimately only severed the smuggling of saltpeter with the Kingdom of Bagnia, and did nothing more... They did not do so because they could not, not because they did not want to.

So far, Bagnia's assimilation of Minicia has been relatively smooth.

However, beneath the surface calm, undercurrents never cease to surge.

Such defection incidents, where a street was hacked down to eliminate the defector, are not uncommon, and are even considered relatively easy to handle.

Because on the land of Minicia, there are even more battles fought without gunfire, yet even more deadly.

Things are better in towns of some size, but the civil servants in the royal palace may have a very tiring job, may encounter setbacks, or even threats to their personal safety from hostile elements.

However, after the judges commanded the Blue Banner Army in the Minnesota region and carried out several ruthless suppression operations, virtually no one dared to kill these civil servants who were contemptuously called Chris's lackeys.

However, civil servants in underdeveloped areas still face threats to their personal safety, mainly because the illiterate farmers have little foresight and can easily rebel if incited by the local tyrant.

Even so, this doesn't mean that the kingdom's civil servants who stayed in the towns and cities were much better off; they also had their own troubles.

In towns of any size, civil servants may indeed find their lives less about the direct threats of violence, but they are trapped in a different kind of sticky and suffocating quagmire.

Their enemies were no longer mobs wielding pitchforks, but rather deeply entrenched local powers, outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant old Minisian bureaucrats, and a silent yet persistent hostility permeating the air.

The remaining remnants of the Miniese nobility, the merchant guilds whose interests were harmed by the unification of the kingdoms, and the die-hards who simply hated Bagnian rule, all wrapped their hostility in the guise of legality, turning it into a series of exhausting "soft knives".

For example, when the Kingdom's civil servants implement a new tax system or land registration, local government clerks will deliberately present them with mountains of outdated files, which are inconsistent in format, contain contradictory data, and even deliberately use local legal terminology that has long been abolished.

Every simple query will take you several turns in a maze of words.

As a result, the kingdom's civil servants had to spend most of their energy distinguishing between truth and falsehood and clarifying the context, which slowed down administrative efficiency to a crawl.

Newcomers to the kingdom's civil servants are often overwhelmed by such matters, their enthusiasm for work quickly consumed by endless document verification and the struggle against outdated practices.

This is true even though all the civil servant applicants are Minisians.

Faced with such a predicament, foolish people will try to compromise, give up, or endure it by sheer willpower.

The smart ones among them will quickly realize that in this quagmire that seems to be built by documents and regulations, personal diligence or integrity alone is not enough to break through the deadlock.

They will decisively abandon the futile attempt to fight the outdated system head-on, and instead use more ingenious, even poison-fight-poison, methods.

These astute civil servants do not see themselves as "outsiders" arriving alone, but rather keenly observe the contradictions within the local bureaucratic system.

The local officials in Old Miniscia were not a monolithic group; there were always disgruntled individuals, ambitious people, or simply those dissatisfied with the status quo.

Through private contacts, promises of benefits, or exchanges of information, they were able to find a breakthrough and dismantle the resistance alliance from within.

A marginalized deputy may be eager to use the kingdom's authority to replace his superior; a minor official in charge of key files may only need a little benefit or a hint of future prospects to make those "missing" documents miraculously reappear.

However, the above-mentioned methods are not all. In addition, there are also social isolation and slander, economic encirclement and seduction traps.

Few could withstand such a series of attacks. Fortunately, the kingdom's civil servants were not isolated and helpless. They had the support of the court and the Ministry of Justice behind them, and even the Blue Flag Army when force was needed.

The Blue Banner Army has now become the sharpest knife in the Kingdom of Bagnia for eliminating heretics.

This was something Chris hadn't anticipated.

Who would have thought that this force, initially composed of refugees from a fallen kingdom, would develop into the imperial fangs that strike fear into the hearts of the kingdom's enemies, its effectiveness even exceeding initial expectations.

The Blue Flag Army is effective primarily because of its efficiency and ruthlessness.

The Blue Flag Army is not bound by the local judicial system and is directly responsible to the Ministry of Military Affairs.

When they receive orders from the Ministry of Military Affairs or from the judges to enter a region, it means that conventional, mild administrative methods have failed, or that the kingdom has decided to skip those cumbersome steps and carry out the most thorough "sweep".

Their zero-tolerance approach to suppressing the rebellion, while bloody, had a powerful deterrent effect.

This ruthless approach meant that any potential rebel had to weigh the costs even at the planning stage... no longer exile or imprisonment, but complete, physical annihilation.

This extreme approach greatly suppressed the emergence of large-scale armed rebellion, forcing the opposition to resort to the aforementioned "soft knife" style of resistance.

Secondly, the very existence of the Blue Flag Army is a powerful psychological weapon.

As the old bureaucrats in the town tormented the kingdom's civil servants with their labyrinthine documents, they knew deep down that their tricks were still effective because the kingdom still followed the "rules of the game" to some extent.

However, the thought that "the Blue Flag Army might come" hangs like the Sword of Damocles over everyone's heads, reminding every ill-intentioned person that beyond the bottom line of the rules lies ruthless destruction.

This fear, in effect, provided the strongest support for civil servants fighting on the front lines, and forced many previously wavering centrists to restrain their behavior, or even turn to cooperate with the Kingdom's government.

Therefore, the kingdom's annexation of Minicia can proceed, but such a purely military action carries many hidden dangers.

So, Chris decided to do a thorough cleaning.

……

In the dim candlelight, Chris sat in front of the dressing table, her eyes slightly closed.

Queen Elena stood behind him, holding an exquisite ivory comb, gently combing his increasingly thick hair.

The air was filled with the calming scent of lavender essential oil, which mingled with the cool moonlight outside the window, temporarily dispelling the worries brought on by the day's official duties.

"Spring in Minicia is much wetter than in the capital."

Elena's voice, as gentle as the movements of her hands, broke the silence of the room.

"I have already instructed people to prepare more moisture-proof clothing and incense."

Chris didn't open his eyes, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a relieved smile.

“You always think things through more thoroughly than I do. This inspection tour is different from the one in the capital. I’m afraid we’ll encounter many interesting and dangerous situations.” Elena didn’t speak, but she paused for a moment as she combed Chris’s hair.

“Honey, this is very dangerous... Do you really have to go?”

We can't wait another two years for the situation in Minicia to stabilize further.

“If I don’t go on the inspection, Minicia will not truly settle down and become Bagnians.”

"Will little Charles come with you too?"

"of course."

Chris nodded. He knew Elena's concerns, but this was something that had to be done.

“Little Charles is now the Duke of the Kingdom of Bagnia, so he naturally needs to shoulder some responsibility, and his Blue Banner Army will also provide escort for our patrol.”

The candlelight flickered, reflecting the undisguised worry in Queen Elena's eyes.

She put down the ivory comb, gently placed her hands on Chris's shoulders, and could feel the stiffness in her husband's neck and shoulders through the silky robe.

Elena remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice, which trembled slightly.

"Chris... what I'm worried about is little Charles himself."

She walked around to face Chris, squatted down, and looked up into his eyes.

"Yes, it was he who personally presented you with the crown of Minicia, which led to the merger."

But what was the situation then? It was a situation where a large army was at the city gates, forcing him to make the least bad choice after weighing the pros and cons.

Her speech gradually quickened, as she poured out all the doubts that had been weighing on her mind.

“But things are different now. Little Charles has an army. His Blue Banner Army is the original Guard of the Kingdom of Minicia. This army is completely obedient to him, and he has a natural advantage in the old lands of Minicia.”

Those Minicians who might have otherwise longed for their homeland naturally saw him as their leader; the blood of the Minician royal family flowed in his veins—a fact that could never be changed.

Elena gripped Chris's hand tightly; her fingertips were icy cold.

“I’m afraid, Chris, that our forced surrender back then might lead him and his officers to have some inappropriate thoughts after we step into Minisian territory, which would put you in the most dangerous trap.”

"I have considered your concerns."

Chris's voice was steady, carrying a calm understanding of the world.

"But that's precisely why I need to bring him along, to make him stand in the open, and to let the Blue Flag Army under his command serve us, rather than become a hidden weapon."

He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between himself and Elena, and lowered his voice as if he were stating a crucial strategy.

"Keeping him by my side and placing him under the public eye, so that his every move is under my watchful eye, is itself the most effective way to keep him in check."

If he and his men truly harbor disloyal intentions, their ideal state would be to distance themselves from the center of power and remain isolated. By accompanying me on this inspection tour, they are essentially placing him and his core forces on our chessboard.

Besides that, Chris didn't mention a few other points.

First, the supplies, equipment, and even the placement of their families, which are transferred from the Minnesota Guards to the Blue Banner Army, are firmly in the hands of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Kingdom.

Secondly, young Charles is still young and does not yet have the ability to lead a kingdom. Even if he were possessed by some transmigrator and had any inappropriate thoughts, his followers would not dare to act recklessly.

Because if Charles Jr. had any improper thoughts, it could lead to the destruction of the entire Blue Banner Army and countless Minisians who depended on him.

Everything that the young Duke Charles and his Blue Banner Army possess now is built upon the continued existence and support of the Kingdom of Bagnia.

In other words, Elena is worried. In fact, anyone with a modicum of rationality would not think that little Charles would go crazy.

Of course, Chris also made some preparations for Charles Jr. and his Blue Flag Army. Even if the latter had any improper ideas, Chris would know before they took action, and then they would be unable to do anything about it.

The Blue Flag Army soldiers won't listen to them.

Of course, Chris wouldn't tell Elena about this, nor was there any need to.

Even with the person you love, don't tell her everything. At all times, a man should keep a few secrets for himself.

If there are truly no secrets, then the man will regret it later.

"Can't we do without little Charles?"

Elena said it again.

Chris didn't say anything. He was starting to suspect that his wife had recently met with someone and listened to some slander.

There is no faction in the party, all weird and strange.

Within the Kingdom of Bagnia, there were naturally its own factions and cliques.

For example, there were the civil servant faction, the Beach Town faction, the Hegland faction, and the Queen of Minisia faction.

As for the young Duke Charles, he formed his own faction and remained neutral, participating only in military affairs and not in politics.

Among them, the civil servant faction occupies the civil service system, the old guard from Beach Town holds real power in the military, and the Hegland faction, relying on the power of the Hegland Legion and Marquis Dirac, is now planning to develop the Ministry of the Interior first.

With the unification of Minicia, the "Queen's Faction," represented by Elena, which attempted to maintain or even expand the influence of the old Miniserian nobility, quietly formed their core strategy.

These are not intentionally opposing the kingdom, but they will inevitably strive to gain benefits for their own groups.

Could it be... that someone whispered the news to Elena's ears?

Are they the old guard who are worried that Charles Jr. and the Blue Banner Army's growing power will affect their own positions?

Or perhaps the remnants of Miniscia, fearing that young Charles would become more deeply entangled with the kingdom during his inspection tour, thus extinguishing their hopes of restoring the kingdom, wanted to exert influence through the Queen.
Chris thought about these things, but he didn't say anything.

Men should keep their thoughts to themselves and not say whatever comes to mind, lest they allow those around them to completely control their thinking.

(End of this chapter)