Marshal Bolonik, General Skri, and the selected councilors would set off for the royal capital in two days. Claude sent Thundercrash's reinforced band to escort them.
Not only did they have to protect the councilors, but they also had to ensure the safety of the 60 iron wooden chests filled with gold crowns during the journey.
As for the royal capital, it was said that the king and the ministers had been waiting anxiously for the arrival of the councilors and had long since sharpened their swords for the arrival of the fat sheep.
A well-informed source revealed that the wealthier nobles or those who could afford the promotion fees and land selection fees had all received hereditary fiefs from His Majesty.
While there were quite a number of nobles in the royal capital, most of them were in dire straits or couldn't afford the money. Most loan sharks wouldn't lend to them, mainly because they didn't have the ability or credibility to repay their debts.
While nearly 900 noble families had obtained hereditary lands in the Nasrian region, the income of His Majesty and the national treasury wasn't as optimistic as they had initially expected due to the discounts and waivers from relatives of the royal family.
On top of that, the price of taking back control of the Red Dragon Legion and Gryphon Legion, as well as the compensation for the losses the old noble families had suffered in the past few years of war, had eased the financial burden on the national treasury and was no longer in a financial crisis.
But if he wanted to implement the economic plan submitted by the Prime Minister, Marquis Blancarte, there was still a huge gap in funds.
Apart from that, Her Majesty Christie, the queen of King Frederick I, withdrew around five million crowns from the royal treasury for loans.
At the same time, she hoped that His Majesty would agree to renovate the palace. The wealthy King Fredrey I spent another two million crowns on palace repairs.
Blancarte stomped his feet in anger. Spending so much money wasn't just for repairs, but for reconstruction.
The promotion fees and land selection fees for nearly 900 territorial nobles were not as much as His Majesty and the Prime Minister had imagined.
More than 500 of them were hereditary nobles granted by Aueras more than 300 years ago.
While most of the hereditary nobles were killed or hanged during the Renaissance War during Stellin IX's reign, there were still many that survived.
In this hereditary family land bestowal, they only needed to pay the land selection fee to obtain a piece of family land.
However, His Majesty only took 20 million crowns from them for the land selection fee. The reason was simple. Relatives of the royal family and nobles who were related by blood were exempted from the fee. It was a preferential treatment.
The rest were all old aristocratic families of the kingdom. Even if they had not contributed to the kingdom, they had still worked hard for it, so they deserved a discount. His Majesty had no choice but to give them face.
Apart from the hereditary nobles of the kingdom, there were also nobles of the third generation. They only needed to pay the promotion fee and land selection fee to be promoted to hereditary nobles. Similarly, they also asked for a discount by using their connections. However, His Majesty only received ten million crowns from them because of their friendship and persuasion.
Finally, there were more than 200 honorary nobles of the kingdom who had been granted fiefs. They were supposed to be the main source of income for His Majesty and the national treasury in the plan to grant fiefs to hereditary families.
In the end, most of the honorary nobles took loans from Her Majesty Queen Christy. Although there were more than 40 million crowns recorded in the account books, the total cash income was less than 20 million crowns. The remaining amount could only be slowly collected and repaid in the future.
For King Frederick I and Marquis Blancarte, the 50 million crowns they received was a huge sum of wealth they had never heard of before.
Thinking back to the debt war with Nasri over the 8 million crowns and how the kingdom was almost destroyed because of the intervention of the Alliance, both of them felt a deep sense of sorrow.
But before the king and prime minister could recover from the joy of receiving the money, creditors from all walks of life were already lining up.
First was the military expenses and the salaries of the officials in arrears. Second was the various IOUs that the former Stellin XI and the current Frederick I had borrowed from the kingdom's nobles. There was also the debt and expenses of the palace and the royal court.
With money, he naturally became more generous. With a wave of his pen, the king lost nearly 10 million crowns.
Then, the prime minister reminded the king that he had to hold on to military power.
Thus, 10 million crowns were allocated to the ministry of the army to reorganize and rebuild the three ace corps of the kingdom. Many unqualified nobles who had entered the army through the back door were dismissed and the three corps returned to the Stellin royal family.
Finally, the old noble families, the King, and the Prime Minister gathered to discuss their plans for His Majesty's ascension to the throne, as well as their compensation for the losses they suffered in the war.
When both sides were satisfied with the outcome, the king and the prime minister realized that they had less than ten million crowns in their hands.
This was also the main reason why the prime minister was upset that the king had allocated 2 million crowns to renovate the palace.
However, the palace had been through a few wars since Stellin X's reign and it was indeed dilapidated. It was necessary to renovate and rebuild it.
No matter how unwilling the prime minister was, he couldn't stop the king and queen. All he could do was think of another way to get the funds needed to revive the kingdom's economy.
There were still a few hundred honorary nobles left in the capital, but they were all poor. Usually, they relied on their status as nobles to get by.
When the kingdom was in danger, not a single one of them could be found. But when there were benefits, they could be seen everywhere.
When news of the king bestowing hereditary fiefs to their families spread, almost all the honorary nobles in the kingdom rushed to the royal capital.
They knew they had no money, but they wanted to try their luck. Perhaps they could find an investor and get a fief or something.
Blancarte, on the other hand, had heard of a few cases of wealthy commoners investing in the fallen nobles of the kingdom.
He picked a few of them and paid for their promotion and land selection fees, choosing a few decent hereditary fiefs.
The few nobles who had already been promoted to hereditary barons of the kingdom acted as puppets, waiting on them with good food, drinks, and fun.
As for the fief, it was left to the commoners to manage it.
Two of the ministers wanted to use this opportunity to punish the nobles and commoners, but Blancarte stopped them.
He didn't care if the nobles of the kingdom lost face or anything like that. Instead, he wanted to get more promotion and land selection fees to revive the kingdom's economy. Having investors was better than having none.
Aueras had many honorary nobles, but most of them were hereditary nobles.
From hereditary nobles to third-generation aristocrats, then honorary nobles, they were getting worse with each generation. All that was left was their noble title to show off.
When it came to honorary nobles, their children would basically become commoners. It was the survival of the fittest among the nobles of the kingdom.
The bestowal of hereditary fiefs was the best opportunity for the nobles of the kingdom. If they didn't grasp this opportunity, there was no point in saving it.
His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister were now focused on the members of parliament, the honorary nobles of the kingdom, and the newly conferred officers of the autonomous region. They hoped that they would come to the capital as soon as possible to hand in the promotion fees and land selection fees, making their due contributions to His Majesty's private purse and treasury.
The region was overflowing with wealth. It was said that Thundercrash and Monolith had obtained tens of millions of crowns from their campaigns in the eastern regions of the continent.
This was the real fat sheep, a good target for slaughter.
The king even made an agreement with the prime minister that there wouldn't be any favors to be spared. Everything would be done according to the rules. They would have to pay the promotion and land selection fees.
They had already calculated that they would be able to raise more than 50 million crowns from the councilors, officers, and honorary nobles. That way, the prime minister wouldn't have to worry about a lack of funds and would be able to implement the kingdom's economic revival plan.
Over the past two months, there had been no movement from the autonomous region. Even the nobles of Thundercrash and Monolith who were stationed in the capital of Polivisia seemed to have no interest in the hereditary lands granted by His Majesty the King. They had been watching coldly as the nobles who had been granted lands led their troops to their respective territories through the capital of Polivisia, silently watching as the number of noble lands in the 28 prefectures of Nasri increased.
Just as the king and the prime minister were wondering why Bolonik and Beechlin didn't come to the royal capital to claim their family fiefs, there weren't many good places left in Nasry. Just as they were about to find someone to remind Claude of the principle of first come, first served, news of Thundercrash's departure for the Great Plains of Canas arrived.
What was Thundercrash up to? Even if they wanted to move, they should have informed the ministry of the army in the royal capital first!
But when they received news of the bandits wreaking havoc on the Great Plains of Canas, the king and the prime minister were relieved.
It turned out that Thundercrash's troops stationed in Canas were unable to deal with the bandits. They were more than capable of defending, but not enough to advance, so they had no choice but to seek reinforcements.
Then, they received news that the councilors of the region were escorted by an armoured fleet to Northbay to meet with Claude and the others. The king and the prime minister finally smiled happily.
As long as the councilors, honorary nobles, and military officers weren't uninterested in this hereditary land granted by His Majesty, the kingdom would definitely accept the promotion fee and land selection fee.
After waiting patiently for a few more days, he finally received news that the overseas autonomous region's council members and high-ranking military officers were on their way to the capital. It was said that a group of light cavalry from Thundercrash were escorting them along the way, accompanied by a large transport team that seemed to be carrying very heavy goods.
However, the security was tight and the spies had no way of knowing what was being carried on the carriages.
So, the king and the prime minister waited patiently for the arrival of the councilors and officers while sharpening their knives in preparation for a fat sheep to be slaughtered.
However, they found out that the group didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. Not only did they enjoy the scenery along the way, they even took a day off to rest in every town they passed, allowing the councilors to investigate the local specialties and prices.
The ministers of the royal court sneered at the councilors for being country bumpkins who had never seen the world and thought that good fiefs could be found anywhere.
Even if they paid the promotion fee, the king would definitely grant them a piece of barren land that no one wanted. Otherwise, how would they be able to collect the fee?
Only when they reached the royal capital and were granted their fiefs would they understand that there were no good places in the entire Nasrian region.
It took them twenty-three days to arrive at the capital. The Prime Minister, Marquis Blancarte, personally came out to greet them. Marshal Bolonik did not mind, but the representatives of the autonomous region were flattered by the high standard of reception. They even said that they were too polite to accept it.
Blancarte, on the other hand, was very cordial and didn't put on any airs as he greeted the councilors. His eyes were carefully sizing them up as if he was pondering where to start.
The welcoming ceremony and banquet on the first day were joyous and the atmosphere was harmonious.
After a day of rest, they had an audience with the king on the third day. Bolonik represented the region's military while Bennett represented the parliament and presented precious gifts to King Frederick I and Queen Christy.
They thanked His Majesty the King for bestowing the title of Honorary Baron upon the Dominion Councilors. The King and Queen had a cordial and friendly meeting with the councilors and the newly promoted officers.
At noon, His Majesty the King even hosted a lunch to welcome the arrival of the overseas autonomous region's councilors and high-ranking officers. He also thanked the overseas autonomous region for all their efforts and contributions to the kingdom when the kingdom was being trampled by the Alliance's army.
Unfortunately, the king and queen were unable to enjoy the lunch together. After the speech, they left first, leaving only Prime Minister Blancarte to accompany the group of country bumpkins to enjoy the lunch given by His Majesty.
After lunch, the councilors and officers were accompanied by the prime minister on a tour of the royal garden before leaving the palace.
At this point, the overseas autonomous region's councilors and nobility officers had come to the capital to thank His Majesty the King for bestowing the title of nobility. His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister were waiting for these overseas bumpkins to come and discuss the hereditary family fief in the next few days …
However, contrary to the expectations of King Frederick I and Prime Minister Blancarte, in the next five to six days, none of the councilors from the autonomous region came to inquire about the hereditary family's territory. Instead, they visited their relatives and friends in the royal capital, handed over the various trading companies in the royal capital's business circle, and learned about business opportunities. They even reached business agreements with several large trading companies and settled many trade orders.
Prime Minister Blancarte's heart was burning with anxiety. These country bumpkins from the autonomous region finally came to the capital, but they were all busy with business. Were they that uninterested in the hereditary family's territory?
That was impossible. In the kingdom, having a noble title was a great help in business and gave them a lot of priority.
Did they not understand that nobles were also divided into three types and that honorary barons like them were the lowest and most useless?
Coincidentally, he heard that the chairman of the Mining and Commerce Association, Hendman, had booked the most luxurious White Swan Hotel in the royal city to hold a thank you banquet to thank his friends in the royal city for their help and cooperation over the years.
Therefore, Prime Minister Blancarte invited a merchant friend of President Henderman to come over and asked him to remind President Henderman at this banquet that he should seize this opportunity to get himself a family territory that could be passed down for generations while the King's decree was still valid …
Blancarte anxiously waited until 11 o 'clock in the evening. The slightly drunk merchant came to report that he had mentioned the hereditary family's territory to President Henderman, but President Henderman smiled and patted his shoulder, thanking him for his reminder and kindness.
But the problem was that the other parts of the kingdom's Nasrian region weren't of interest to the councilors, so they decided not to ask for the hereditary family territory.
How could they give up the territory? The kingdom just wanted to scrape money from them. Letting them leave the royal city and return to the region without spending a single cent would be the greatest humiliation of his life!
Chief Executive Blancarte went to the palace that night to report to King Frederick the First. The two of them discussed until dawn. Finally, they gritted their teeth and decided to first ask the councilors of the overseas autonomous territories what they liked. If possible, they would agree to it, as long as they could get some benefits from them!
And so, Blancarte received the map of Canas. The prime minister was furious. "So it was premeditated. Even the numbers of the territories have been set and the names of which territories will be given to whom.
These country bumpkins are really sly. I thought they weren't interested in the hereditary family territory and almost fell for it … "
But when the map of Canas appeared in front of King Frederick the First and the ministers, they exploded before the king could even say anything. "This isn't fair, Your Majesty.
You already said that the fiefs are only limited to the Nasrian region, not the Great Plains of Canas and Northbay. Otherwise, the nobles would have long since taken these places as their territories.
If we agree to the request of these country bumpkins, Your Majesty's prestige will be criticized by the nobles. I'm afraid more people will disregard Your Majesty's orders in the future! "
Blancarte's face was full of bitterness. He didn't want to speak for these country bumpkins, but these country bumpkins had already said that if they didn't agree to their demands, then everything would be fine. They didn't want any hereditary family territory either.
For the sake of money, he had no choice but to speak up for the country bumpkins and argue fiercely with his colleagues.
In the end, the king agreed to the request with a cold face, but he asked for the land selection fee to be doubled …