This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

"Everyone has been waiting for you for a while."

On Dick's large bed, Belfast, Rita, Tia, and Red Leaf, his four earliest followers, were lined up, all dressed in scant "combat gear," waiting for him.

Dick knew that ever since Frederick the Great became pregnant, the women around him had inexplicably developed a strange competitive spirit.

Even Belfast, the usually elegant and composed head maid, has recently been looking at him with such ambiguous eyes that it seems as if pink hearts are about to pop out, leaving Dick quite unable to resist.

Dick felt this was not good. His great cause was not yet accomplished, and his subordinates had all become pregnant without dying halfway through. What was going on?

However, given the current situation, if he doesn't meet everyone's demands, it will be somewhat detrimental to unity.

Since things have come to this, there's no other way but to go for it!

To Dick's surprise, the most proactive person this time was actually Momiji, who usually seemed the most shy and had the most Yamato Nadeshiko demeanor.

Just as she had offered her purity to Dick back then, Hongye kowtowed with her ten fingers together.

"My lord, please allow me to bear your child."

"We want some too, Master. If you show favoritism, you won't be able to walk out of this room upright today."

Rita, that wretched maid, licked her lips and spoke threatening words to her master.

Meanwhile, Belfast remained gentle and considerate, and stepped forward to help Dick undress.

Surrounded by four stunningly beautiful women, Dick felt like he'd become a fully automated cream puff production machine, filling each line of "bread dough" with his "nozzles." The sounds of erotic moans and ecstatic cries filled the air, making Dick wish he had three heads and six arms like Nezha, so he could kiss more of those fragrant lips and take all those soft, warm treasures into his grasp.

Belfast and Momiji's breasts, Rita and Tia's legs!

Dick considered himself a refined person who was good at discovering beauty and enjoyed appreciating and playing with it. At the same time, he was also good at using his own strengths to make up for the shortcomings of others. The beauties he made up for experienced repeated orgasms, and the sweat and juices were all testaments to his hard work.

Faced with Dick, whose succubus physique was fully activated and who seemed tireless, the four women were defeated one after another. They felt weak and numb all over, and their blank minds were still savoring the afterglow of their peak.

Dick felt incredibly powerful at that moment and wanted to arrogantly shout, "Who else dares to challenge me?" But after a moment's thought, he wisely chose to remain silent, having entered a state of enlightenment.

Because if he really shouted that, a lot of people would rush over and teach him a lesson about how young people shouldn't be so hot-blooded.

Chapter 309: Contingency Plan

Dick felt that this winter was like the breeding season for him, and as the only male lion in the entire pride, the burden on his shoulders was no lighter than carrying the weight of two capitals and thirteen provinces.

Despite the hard work and exhaustion, Dick found joy in it.

If there's anything to regret, it's that ship girls have a much longer gestation period than humans. The Great Emperor said that her baby will take at least two and a half years to "go to sea," which is comparable to the time it takes to build a battleship in the real world.

This made Dick somewhat relieved that the Great Mother wasn't an Indian warship, otherwise he would have had to wait a long time!

This winter, not only Dick, but the entire Lagug needs a period of rest and recuperation, while also digesting the Northwest region that they have effectively annexed.

Dick knew that some things couldn't be rushed. Overexpansion of territory was a strategic debuff; if not handled properly, it would be like overeating, causing indigestion.

Dick and the Northern Alliance do have a certain reputation in the northern part of the empire, but not enough for everyone to bow down to them. The mess in the northwest is indeed an opportunity, but if not handled properly, it would be tantamount to inviting trouble.

Currently, the construction team in Laguge is braving the snowfall to repair the railway leading to the northwest. Dick personally led his valuable magician corps as a snow removal team, using magic to melt the snow and loosen the soil. The construction team adopted a phased and simultaneous construction approach, which ensured a progress rate of eight kilometers per day.

This railway, which runs east to west through the North, is a matter of life and death for millions of people in the Northwest. Even if Dick returns all the grain he has taken back from Harvey to the people of the Northwest, it will not be enough to keep them alive through the winter. Without relief from the Northern Union, it is conservatively estimated that another third of them will die.

It should be noted that Harvey's tax collection team was far more brutal than the bandits!

Even bandits don't know that you can't exhaust the resources of a pond, but officials from the capital don't care at all about the lives of a few commoners in remote areas.

The tax collection team acted just like the Japanese invaders who went to the countryside to carry out the "Three Alls" policy, smashing and looting, throwing away things they didn't care about, or simply burning them, in order to intimidate the locals' will to resist.

In a sense, Dick should thank Harvey, who is now in hell. In just two months, Harvey came to the North and made the entire North alienated from the Empire, creating a deep-seated hatred for it!

Meanwhile, in the capital, cabinet officials were racking their brains over the mess they were in.

It was supposed to be an emergency measure to fix one problem at a time, but not only did it fail to fix the other one, the other one collapsed too!

Some angry cabinet officials hurled insults in the council hall, cursing the dead Harvey as a useless piece of trash and also cursing the unruly northern mountain folk for not understanding the "big picture" and not being loyal enough to the empire.

Other insects, however, clamored that this matter should not be left unresolved, and that they should teach the lawless northerners a lesson. They then came up with a truly "genius" idea.

That is to send the hundreds of thousands of troops in the south who are still owed wages to the north under the pretext of "suppressing the rebellion," allowing them to enter the city without sheathing their weapons and to plunder "military pay" on their own.

Fortunately, although there were many scoundrels in the cabinet, not everyone was insane, which prevented this brilliant proposal from being passed.

Just when the cabinet ministers were at their wits' end, Duke Rune Best, who had been recuperating at home for half a year, suddenly appeared in the council hall wearing the robes of the Minister of the Army.

"Grand Duke Best, what brings you here?"

"I am the Minister of the Military. I have recovered from my illness and am now back at work. Is there anything strange about that?"

"..."xN

Rune's high-sounding speech left the bureaucrats present looking at each other in bewilderment, none of them able to guess what the old fox was thinking.

Ignoring the whispers around him, Rune walked to his seat, sat down, and then spoke.

"Gentlemen, I know what's troubling you. As for military pay, the army suffered a huge loss in the southern battle. A loss is a loss, there's no way to hide it. But to appease those hundreds of thousands of troops, we need tens of millions of gold coins. The national treasury can't come up with that money, so you chose that idiot Harvey and sent him north to squeeze oil out of rocks. I'm not even insulting you... are you all pig-brains?"

"Lord Rune, you've finally 'recovered,' are you just here to make sarcastic remarks?"

When Rune launched a scathing attack on the entire cabinet, calling them "pig brains," the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who had never gotten along with him, couldn't help but retort, deliberately emphasizing the word "recovery."

Rune looked at the other person and sneered.

"You old leech, weren't you quite clever before? How come you're starting to get senile before you're even sixty? If you want to make money, there's a gold mine right under our feet, why go looking for something far away?"

Upon hearing Rune's words, all the officials present felt an urge to curse.

Everyone knows that the entire capital city, the center of power, is also a place where wealth gathers, especially the wealthy areas on the east and west sides of the palace, which are home to many powerful families whose wealth rivals that of a nation. The Best family is one of them.

The problem is, these powerful families not only have money, but also power! These people are truly untouchable.

Now that you, Rune, have suddenly declared that you're going to target the wealthy, are you perhaps planning to take everyone down with you?

Seeing that everyone was looking at him strangely, Rune smiled calmly.

“I know what you’re worried about, so I’m not asking you to raise taxes on the nobles, but rather to solicit donations from them and sell them things that they would absolutely be interested in and willing to pay for.”

"what?"

"Title of nobility".

As soon as Rune finished speaking, a gasp erupted in the council hall. Many people could no longer contain themselves and directly denounced Rune as utterly insane.

Although the empire was corrupt, selling official positions and titles was always a major taboo. The country had not been able to expand its territory in any substantial way for nearly two hundred years. To the south, it was blocked by maple trees, to the north was a desolate wasteland, and to the east and west, it had reached the sea, leaving only a few unclaimed islands.

Moreover, the very fact that titles of nobility are rare and finite makes them precious.

Which of these bureaucrats who can enter the cabinet doesn't hold a noble title? And who would want their title to be demoted out of nowhere?

Rune ignored the noisy rebukes and continued speaking loudly.

"An honorary title! It comes with no land and cannot be inherited. That's what we're selling."

"How could anyone possibly buy this kind of rubbish?"

"Why not buy? How many nobles are there in the empire today? But how many of them have bloodlines but no titles? Would they not want to be ennobled? What if we added a law that required a title to become an official? Do you think anyone would want to buy it?"

"But...that's against the rules!"

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Let's get through this difficult time first before thinking about the future. Otherwise, what are we going to do? Wait for those hundreds of thousands of soldiers who haven't received their pay to rebel and help us kill a bunch of nobles?"

"..."xN

Rune's words silenced the previously noisy hall. The reason everyone was so anxious was because they were afraid this situation would occur.

"So, since there's no other way, let's do as I say. But in this kind of matter, it's not enough for just the cabinet to say it; we also need to involve His Majesty. Everyone's in the same boat; it's time to get to work."

Chapter 310: Someone Wants to Speed ​​Things Up

In the empire, the number of nobles is actually quite large, especially in the capital, where nobles love to congregate. If you randomly kill seven unlucky people on the street, one of them will be a noble.

According to the rules of aristocratic law, as long as you are recognized by a family with a hereditary title and your name can be recorded in the family genealogy, you are a nobleman. As a result, many long-established families with many members have grown to a very large size after thousands of years and dozens of generations.

The Best family, as one of the founding fathers, may not have many direct descendants in the line of Duke Rune, but the family has dozens of branches and collateral branches.

Some have already obtained titles and separated from the family, which can be considered a "family division." Others, to this day, remain attached to the direct line, responsible for managing a portion of the family's businesses. Their status is equivalent to that of high-ranking servants of the direct line; aside from still bearing the Best name, they may not even have inheritance rights.

Therefore, simply having a noble status is nothing special. The key to judging nobility lies in whether one is a direct member of the family, a legitimate son or grandson, or whether one has been granted a title.

There are essentially three ways for nobles to obtain a title.

One option is to wait for the family succession, but the prerequisite is that you must be a direct descendant and have no other brothers competing with you.

Secondly, one could go to the front lines to fight, but on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes, and one wrong move could end one's life.

Third, one can enter the bureaucratic system in the capital, but this requires accumulating seniority, knowing how to choose sides, and being adept at navigating complex relationships.

Many nobles were desperate to get into the capital, hoping to rise above others and obtain a title. Even court nobles without fiefdoms could stand out and become "people above people".

In light of this, when the cabinet announced that the coveted titles could now be bought with money, everyone became incredibly excited.

The cabinet officials knew that setting this precedent was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst; at best, it offended the old nobles who had already been granted titles, and at worst, it undermined the foundation of the empire.

But when the cabinet submitted the proposal to the palace, King Hesse VII, who had been out of the public eye for a long time, responded with a speed that exceeded their expectations. He actually agreed.

"Hmph! Of course he'll agree, isn't that exactly what he wants! That selfish guy only cares about himself; this empire is nothing compared to what he wants."

Inside the Duke of Best's private chamber, Rune coldly commented on Hesse VII, his tone full of mockery and devoid of any respect.

Opposite him sat Prince Heinz, who had secretly returned to the capital from the south.

"The morale of the Southern Legion is wavering, and their pay has been three months overdue. My nephew, who is obsessed with miracle drugs, is not able to control the situation at all. On the other hand, Reinhardt is very popular with some soldiers, but because of this, the conflict between him and Bailey is getting bigger and bigger."

"The Third Prince is nothing but an ambitious but incompetent playboy. If the old Crown Prince Charles were still alive, I would be somewhat wary of him, but he... the more trouble he causes, the more he is helping us."

"Father, when do you think it would be appropriate to take action? Also... as for my brother, shouldn't we find an opportunity to tell him the truth?"

“I need to talk about this personally. You should hurry back to the South and try to win over as many people as possible. You don’t need to worry about Dick.”

"Yes, Father, please take care of yourself as well."

After Heinz finished speaking, he got up, put on his cloak, and left Best's house through the secret passage.

At the end of the passage lies an inconspicuous farmhouse courtyard outside the main city wall of the capital.

As soon as Heinz emerged from the secret passage, he heard a cold female voice ask him a question.

"Are you done talking?"

"Yes, we've finished talking."

"Then keep me company."

In the shadows of the room, a stunningly beautiful woman sat on the edge of the bed. She had the same red vertical pupils as Heinz, and wore a huge bronze collar around her neck, which faintly emitted a strange energy fluctuation that was different from magic.

Upon seeing the other person, Heinz's gaze softened considerably. He reached out to touch the other person, but his fingertips were blocked by an invisible force more than a foot away. The fingertips that touched the barrier quickly turned red and emitted a burnt smell.

Looking at his burned fingertips, Heinz felt a pang of heartache, but the object of his heartache was not himself, but the woman in front of him who was "protected" by the barrier.

"Rona, wait a little longer, we'll succeed soon."

The following morning, the cabinet officially began selling titles under the guise of "patriotic fundraising." Although only the lowest three ranks of court titles—viscount, baron, and honorary knight—were being sold, it was the first time such a thing had ever happened in the Hessian Empire.

Nobles without titles were praising it, while those with titles were criticizing it. As for those who weren't even nobles but were not commoners, most of them just watched the show. Some wealthy commoners, however, were thinking about whether they could manipulate things a little. If they could get the title of "honorary knight" and marry the daughter of a minor nobleman, their descendants would also become nobles.

Meanwhile, in the north, Dick was quite surprised after receiving the news. He thought to himself, "It's one thing for these cabinet nobles to dare to think, but how come you, Hessen VII, are so brave? Not only do you dare to think, but you also dare to do it?"

It's important to understand that honorary knights within the court's nobility system are different from knights conferred by local nobles.

Knights appointed by local lords are essentially vassals of nobles and do not have the ability to inherit their positions. Whether your descendants can inherit your position depends on the approval of the lord above you. At best, it is a "noble experience".

The title of Knight of Honor is one of the six ranks of nobility in the court. Although it is the lowest rank, it can be inherited through bloodline. In the past, this title was mostly used to bestow honors upon meritorious members of the Royal Guard.

But the real key is the potential for advancement. Once you become an honorary knight, you will have the opportunity to accumulate military merits and continue to rise in rank, while local knights do not have this opportunity.

So this wave of buying and selling of titles caused dissatisfaction among many members of the Imperial Guard.

After reading these messages, Dick was puzzled and scratched his head, feeling that the abstract nature of the cabinet was gradually exceeding his imagination.

"Why do I keep feeling like someone's flooring the gas pedal to try and accelerate?"

"Young Master, don't just talk the talk, hurry up and do it!"

"oh oh!"

Hearing Shizuka Marikawa urging him on, Dick quickly put the information aside and sprinted forward, supporting the female doctor's hourglass figure. Next to him lay Natasha, who had been filled up like a cream puff.

The two members of the medical team will soon be traveling to the Northwest region on the newly opened train to oversee the construction of a new hospital there, so as is customary, they asked Dick for a "blessing" before departing.

Compared to the chaotic capital, everything in the north is now stable and improving. All Dick needs now is time. If he can develop steadily for another two or three years, he will be able to complete the integration of the entire northern part of the empire, including the central and southern parts that are still putting up a stubborn resistance.