Claude felt that it was the wrong place to hold the assembly in Northbay. Every single one of the councilors and honorary nobles of the kingdom were letting themselves go.
It was a rare opportunity for them to go sightseeing together. Of course, they had to fork out their own money for private enjoyment.
Compared to getting a fief, they were more interested in making new friends, understanding the business situation in Northbay and discussing business partnerships.
That was especially so in the short span of three days. Claude found out that the twenty or so unmarried subordinates of his who had earned the title of honorary baron were all engaged to the younger sisters, daughters, nieces, nieces and even granddaughters of the councilors.
It was said that these women were all good-looking and beautiful. They were diligent and thrifty, and they were virtuous and gentle. They also had an unusually generous dowry. It could be said that they had both the body and the money …
On the 12th of the ninth month, Claude felt that the meeting was nothing more than a farce. The councilors talked a lot during the meeting while the honorary nobles of the kingdom cheered and applauded from the side.
Because the first topic of the day was unanimously approved by all the councilors. The promotion fee and land selection fee for the hereditary family land would be paid by the overseas autonomous region to show their gratitude for their contributions to the overseas autonomous region's military might …
This was great news for the newly promoted officers of the two armies who were short of money.
Their net worth couldn't compare to the councilors at all.
The councilors could easily fork out 400,000 crowns for the promotion fees and land selection fees, but the newly promoted officers were used to spending extravagantly and didn't have much in the way of savings.
Their windfall came from the distribution of spoils of war. Only a few of them could fork out 10,000 crowns when they needed it.
So, the fact that the region was willing to pay for them was a huge boon for the newly promoted officers. Otherwise, they would have to get a loan from the Minsheng Bank if they wanted to get a fief. Then, they would have to take on a debt that they wouldn't be able to repay in their lifetime for a piece of land that they didn't even know how much it would yield. They might even lose the fief due to bankruptcy and have to pay for the lost fief.
Of course, the only condition the council had for them to pay for the promotion fees and land selection fees was that they had to stand on the council's side in the process of granting the fief.
Everyone would either be granted a hereditary territory, or they would be given nothing and return to the Dominion with the title of an Honorary Noble.
They wouldn't privately beg the king to grant them a fief. If they went against that, they would automatically leave the region and all their properties would be confiscated. Their relatives would be driven out of the country.
All the high-ranking officers and honorary nobles of the kingdom agreed to the parliament's request, expressing that they would stand on the same side as the parliament.
Claude and Skri looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The newly promoted officers were so easily tied to the same boat by the council.
It was obvious that not having money was the biggest mistake. They had no choice but to be assigned a position and stand on the council's side.
However, even though Claude and Skri were already nobles, they were on the same side as the councilors, so they didn't object to it.
The councilors didn't lose out. They had already discussed it. The Overseas Minsheng Bank would pay the promotion fees and land selection fees for the officers and the other honorary nobles of the autonomous territory. At the same time, they would also pay half of the two fees.
In other words, they would need the king to give them a 50% discount and the Minsheng Bank would pay half of it. That way, the promotion fees and land selection fees would only be a quarter of what they originally had to pay.
The fees paid by the Overseas Minsheng Bank would be included in the investment and development costs of the territory.
For example, the Autonomous Territory would be entrusted to the Autonomous Parliament to develop and manage the territories for more than ten years after they acquired the hereditary territories of the officers and honorary nobles of the kingdom.
The annual profits would be split into three parts: development costs, taxes and collective profits. Only when the collective profits of the fief were aggregated would the individual dividends be distributed.
Only by uniting all those who were qualified to inherit their family's territory would they be able to bargain with the king and the royal court.
Once all the councilors and honorary nobles of the kingdom had been granted a hereditary family territory in a region, they would unify all the hereditary family territories in the region, develop and manage them together, and obtain the greatest benefits …
To put it bluntly, the councilors were actually preparing to unite all the hereditary family territories and develop them into another autonomous region in the region.
They would have a unified plan for investment, development and business. All the profits would be distributed among the individuals after deducting the investment costs, taxes and tributes to the royal treasury.
Apart from that, they weren't interested in what the council members did in their own fief as long as it didn't affect the overall planning.
"The hereditary territory that we want from His Majesty the King is this North Bay and the surrounding areas. Everyone's territory is here!
Do you have any objections? "Speaker Bennett slammed the table in front of him with his single hand and roared.
Of course, no one objected. Everyone in the meeting cheered and clapped.
Henderman, the chairman of the mining and commercial association, stood up and announced in a loud voice, "His Majesty must agree to our request and give a 50% discount on the so-called promotion fees and land selection fees.
He can't use a piece of barren land to take away the wealth we've worked so hard to accumulate for most of our lives. We must be satisfied with what we've invested!
Otherwise, we'd rather not have a fief that has no guarantee … "
Another round of applause rang out. Everyone cheered and expressed their agreement. Occasionally, someone would speak out in support of the council's decision.
Some council members even stood up and said that if His Majesty didn't agree to the council's request, they could give up on the so-called honorary nobles. After all, the council members of the autonomous region were the noblest titles …
"This is a hysterical fanaticism. It can be contagious at times," General Skree whispered calmly to Claude.
"But we won't object. In fact, we'll be happy to see it happen," Claude replied.
General Skree laughed, "Of course, compared to those hypocritical traditional nobles, I still like these fellows here.
At least they keep their promises. They know their roots and like order. They don't have much ambition.
Even though they like to play by the rules for their own benefit, they still abide by the law.
They're not like those traditional nobles who are used to using their status to trample on the law. They think they have a noble bloodline, but they're actually rotten on the inside … "
"You still hate nobles," Claude reminded, "Don't forget that you're also a member of the kingdom's nobles.
Perhaps in a hundred years, your descendants will be proud of your bloodline.
Another thing. I don't like nobles, but I don't like these people either. They're actually merchants.
Merchants are the most untrustworthy. They'll even betray their own parents for their own benefit.
If there's a 300% profit, they'll also trample on the law and go even further than the nobles. You just haven't seen their darkest side. "
"You're talking about an extreme case. There are cruel and unscrupulous people in all walks of life, but it's not common. Otherwise, the world would be destroyed," General Skree retorted.
"For me, the only thing I have to do when I'm with these fellows is to be careful of my own wallet.
On the other hand, when I'm with the traditional nobles, I have to be wary of their poisonous daggers and arrows at all times.
If His Imperial Majesty casually bestowed the land with the traditional nobles, I'd have to sleep with one eye open to protect myself and my family. "
The one who stood up to speak was Count Gooditch, the manager of Minsheng Bank. Thanks to His Imperial Majesty, he was promoted from an honorary viscount to an honorary count, saving him at least 20,000 crowns in the promotion fee.
"… This time, we brought 30 million crowns in cash. It's stored in 60 large ironwood chests. Each chest requires a sturdy four-wheeled carriage and four strong draft horses to pull it on the road.
We'll bring these 60 chests to the capital and place them in front of His Imperial Majesty and the court.
We'll open the lids and let the gold crowns in the chests dazzle their eyes.
Then, I will tell His Majesty the King and the esteemed ministers of the court that these sixty large ironwood chests contain all the wealth of the Self-Governing Dominions.
If they agree to our request, we'll offer the 30 million crowns to His Imperial Majesty and the court.
If they reject our request, we'll take the 60 chests and return to the autonomous region. We'll never ask for any hereditary family lands again. "
"What if they detain us and take the 30 million crowns?" Someone asked a childish question loudly.
"Haha …" Many of the councilors burst into laughter.
"Good question …" Count Gooditch did not laugh. Instead, he clapped his hands. "Actually, you should be asking me why I dare to bring the 30 million crowns to the capital to see His Imperial Majesty and the court.
It's actually quite simple. Thunderclap and Monolith are the reason why I dared to bring 30,000,000 Minsheng Bank's reserves to the Royal Capital.
His Imperial Majesty and the court won't. They know that if they touch us and the money, it'll be akin to starting a war between the kingdom and the autonomous region. "
Count Gooditch pointed at the officers who were in charge of clapping and cheering. "With brave and loyal soldiers like us, we don't have to worry about our safety or the whereabouts of the 30 million crowns. No one can touch us and the 30 million crowns without paying a price. Not even His Imperial Majesty!"
Everyone cheered. The officers from the two corps stood up excitedly and pounded their chests with their fists. They expressed that they would not disappoint the councilors and the 30 million crowns as the leaders of the autonomous region. They swore to protect the councilors and the 30 million crowns with their lives.
"This guy should be in charge of giving a speech before the war …" Claude muttered, "If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have shipped the gold and silver back to the Dominion. Wouldn't it be a waste of time for you guys to ship them back?"
"No, we didn't touch the ones you shipped back," Skri said.
"We've kept some of the gold and silver coins from Canas, Rimodra, Siddings, and Nasri as souvenirs.
Since those countries are gone, there won't be any more gold and silver coins in the future. We've even destroyed the printing plates that were used to make the coins.
The 30 million crowns were remade from the gold reserves of the Minsheng Bank over the past two years.
The original plan was to put them in the kingdom's market and use them to compete in the bidding war. We'd be able to crush a few industries that were monopolized by the old noble families.
But for now, we'll use it as a promotion fee and land selection fee. "
"How much gold and silver does the Minsheng Bank have left?"
"Don't worry. Including the batch you shipped back, there's still 20 million crowns worth of gold and silver.
We also allocated 3 million crowns to the four shipyards in Port Patres to build four cruisers, 12 destroyers, and six transport ships. By next year, we'll have our second fleet, "Skri replied.
"I've decided to reform the military next year," Claude said.
"I need a sum of money to build an experimental unit. I want to see if it's suitable for use.
The current unit is a little awkward with the new rifles and cannons. We're no longer a matchlock unit, after all, so there's no need to use the old regiments.
Last year's battle with the alliance made me feel that using a division against an entire army was too much, but using a regiment against them was too little.
Also, the ministry of the army promoted so many generals for our two corps. Apart from five generals who decided to retire, the rest are still young and strong and need to be reassigned.
So … "
Skri cut him off. "A million crowns is no problem, unless you're planning to recruit new soldiers to form a new unit."
"No, Thundercrash already has four divisions and 150,000 men. Don't you think we're taking on too much?"
Claude smiled bitterly. "I'll retire a batch of veterans in the second half of the year, so I won't be recruiting new soldiers.
As for the experimental unit to be formed next year, I'm going to transfer all of the soldiers on active duty. That way, I'll be able to get a rough result within half a year.
"Oh, by the way, Monolith is going to rotate next year. The division stationed in the region will be moved here and the veterans will be retired to reduce their numbers.
In times of peace, there's no need to maintain three divisions. However, Birkin requested that one of Monolith's divisions be converted into a light cavalry division.
Now that we've occupied the Great Plains of Canas, it'll be easier to fulfill that request. "
General Skri nodded. "Alright, I got it. The military will coordinate with your plan."
At that moment, the second topic of the meeting was to decide on the distribution of hereditary lands in Northbay and the surrounding areas.
That was rather simple. Apart from Claude and Bolonik, the others would be promoted to hereditary barons at most, just like Skree, Eiblont, and Beechlin, who had already been bestowed the title of hereditary barons. They were all baronies, with no difference in size.
So, Claude's territory was arranged to be in Cainpaster. As a hereditary count, it was only right for him to have such a city.
General Bolonik's family territory was the Beaumaris Grand Duke's Castle. As a hereditary viscount, he had the right to own this fortress.
As for Eiblont and Birkin, the other two towns along the coast of Northbay belonged to them.
Skri, on the other hand, chose a town in the Likumada Hills. That was where the blackstone mine was produced.
All the councilors, officers and honorary nobles of the region totaled up to 200 people. They divided up the territories of the former Canas Duchy's Northbay, Beaumaris Castle's agricultural region and Likumada Hills' mining development. They also occupied a small part of the Great Plains.
The method of selecting one's own hereditary territory was very fair. The Barons would be given a number on the landmarks, and then placed into the lottery box.
Claude and the other five military heads would supervise and notarize the process. Everyone drew their lots based on their luck.
No one minded whether the place was good or bad. After all, the council would take the lead in the investment and development. They didn't have to worry about the management of the territory themselves.
Of course, those who weren't satisfied could find someone else to swap. For example, those who wanted to start a ranch in the future could swap with those who drew the grasslands.
In the end, everyone had to remember the numbers and locations of their fiefs. That way, they would be able to point out the territory they wanted when they reached the royal capital.
After a sumptuous dinner, the meeting resumed after a short break. Now, there was only one topic left to discuss, and that was who should be sent to the royal city to negotiate with His Majesty and the ministers of the royal court.
Marshal Bolonik and General Skri represented the region to the royal capital and brought the officers of Monolith with them.
Half of the council members had also gone. Chairman Bennett, Head Gooditch, and Chairman Henderman had all been chosen.
Weyblon, on the other hand, was left behind as the acting chairman to discuss China's future development plans with the rest of the councilors. They calculated the cost of investment and planned the transportation routes between the territories.
Claude, Eiblont and Birkin stayed behind to prepare for any changes. They also cleaned up the bandits in the Great Plains of Canas.