245 – The Road to the Emperor (1)
“Could you give me a minute to think about it?”
As Count Meter said that, it seemed as if it was written on his face that said, ‘I knew that Your Majesty would ask such a question, so I prepared an answer.’
It must be because he wants to make a good impression by showing a prudent attitude in front of me.
“You can do that.”
After about 5 minutes had passed after saying that, Count Meter cautiously opened his mouth and spoke.
“The reason I murdered the former emperor, that is to say, Adolf, was at the invitation of Baron Volkin, with whom I had been conspiring beforehand.”
“I know. However, it is easy to make a recommendation, but isn’t it difficult to put it into practice? Even the knights talk as if they could take on 100 regular soldiers by themselves, but in reality, it’s like a single knight can’t handle 6 regular soldiers. It is difficult to put anything into action like that.”
To be exact, it is easy to seduce or invite someone in a state where you don’t have to take a big risk, but a topic like the assassination of an emperor is a different level because you risk having your entire family executed just by jokingly mentioning it at a drinking party.
But if you’re someone like Count Illius, who’s on the verge of being crushed by Schwein or me, he’ll pretend to be humble and accept it as a compliment.
But if Count Meter is a man of real worth…
He shook his head and sighed.
“Certainly, as Your Majesty said, boasting exaggeratedly about one’s prowess or exaggerating one’s martial prowess in war is a simple thing that even a knight or even an ordinary soldier can do. But what Baron Volkin said to me was at the risk of me being killed on the spot, or in the worst case, my family and vassals being charged with treason. Besides, with your wise judgment, you were conspiring with Your Highness much faster than I did.”
I expected him to praise Baron Volkin for recommending treason, such as a high-risk investment, but I never thought he would put his men’s exploits ahead of himself.
Anyway, it would be a waste to leave them in the court like Farius, Alas, and Zach and have them live on pensions.
I accepted people like Elias and Isra, who at the time didn’t have any value other than two counties, but it’s a waste to put someone with the qualifications of a master in Nantes and let them play…
“So, if I am rated as the greatest of the nobles who surrendered, it is not because of my ability, but because Baron Volkin urged me to assassinate the Emperor. So please consider his achievements before rewarding me.”
As he said here, he made his own achievements, but I like the way he emphasizes the achievements of his subordinates before his own.
Moreover, from an objective point of view, in this case, rather than Count Meter, who may have impulsively murdered the Emperor…
Although it can be seen that Baron Volkin’s credit for making Count Meter raise the sword himself is a little bigger.
People will mostly remember Count Meter who killed the Emperor…
“Good. Let me take your opinion into consideration. Then how about doing this?”
“I will listen.”
“First of all, I will bestow the title of Viscount on Baron Volkin and bestow the Baronship of Windheim. If it had not been for your remonstrance, I originally intended to grant him a barony in Brussels or Aquitel and put him under the command of another count, but… When he goes to Windheim, he becomes a nobleman under my direct command, so his treatment goes up.”
Of course, I cannot give you the right to manage factories like the sugar factory installed in Windheim, the right to collect taxes, or the right to trade products…
Thanks to the factory I built there and a huge commercial city boasting a population of 20,000, it was able to generate an enormous income of 7 to 8 thousand gold coins even with indirect taxes such as tariffs paid by factory workers and merchants. You can get it.
Since the population is about 100,000 people, only the title is Viscount, but the actual power will be stronger than that of the moderate counts in Romania.
Other servants may point out that it is too much to receive in return for recommending the assassination of the emperor, but…
If it had not been for Baron Volkin, this war would have destroyed Elysium and Ellain’s direct domain beyond repair for the time being.
“You are about to lose a competent vassal. Can I do that?”
When Earl Meter heard that, he sighed and said jokingly.
“Until the title is formally conferred, he is under me, but after receiving the title, I might go to him for a drink or something to eat. Now that this has happened, on the day he officially becomes a noble under His Majesty’s direct control, we should get a drink.”
As the saying goes, even a horse has bones, this guy looked at me now and said, ‘Now, like the other nobles who surrendered to His Majesty Kreutel, I’m going to be a courtier receiving only a pension.’
“Now then, I will tell you about your treatment. First of all, you know that he can’t award you the Earldom of Meter again, right?”
“Yes, even the people of Earl Meter will not accept the helplessly defeated lord again. It may cause inconvenience to His Majesty’s reign in the future.”
A talented person with the skill and boldness of Count Meter would be able to suppress the resistance of the people faster than expected.
However, the Kingdom of Croytel almost doubled in size with this expedition, and in order to quickly improve the lives of the territories devastated by the Franchi Expedition and the Eline Expedition and stabilize the reign, the territory was returned to Count Meter. It is best to give him a chance to recover by giving him another fief, rather than letting him risk his reign.
Although it would be nice to deploy them to another county in the Elaine Empire.
In other regions that were the territory of the Elain Empire, there is a strong backlash against the nobility from Elain…
“Okay, then I will grant you the territory that Count Aquitel ruled before the French expedition. Also, I’ll give you the title of count as well for killing the emperor under my instructions. How is it?”
When Earl Meter heard that, he was in a daze for a moment, as if he didn’t understand what he was talking about, and then his tears began to flow.
Now that he thought he would become a court aristocrat and receive a pension for the rest of his life, he didn’t think he would be given the earldom.
“It’s disappointing…”
“Then you can go. Aren’t you a busy person?”
After patting the shoulder of Count Meter, who was so moved and crying, I sent him away, and immediately called the magistrate at the Elaine Palace and said.
“Immediately call Irina, Ella and my children from Nantes to Elysium. At the same time, allow the family members of barons and above to come along. When you come, mobilize the entire 2nd Fleet, load food and supplies, come to Elliott Harbor, and bring them comfortably by wagon. And immediately send a dispatch to order the 1st Fleet led by Braim at Peridot Harbor in Brussels to come to Elliot Harbor with the same food and supplies loaded. ASAP.”
The magistrate listened to me and asked in a questioning voice, as if he did not understand the instructions well.
“The 2nd Fleet alone has more than 50 caravels. However, if you mobilize up to 1 fleet, you will reach 100 caravels. In addition, the country already transports enough grain by land to be consumed in the Elean territories and other territories. But why does His Highness bother to mobilize two fleets?”
Certainly, the cost of moving two fleets from Nantes, Peridot to Elliot is equivalent to the cost of maintaining 4,000 men.
And yet, moving a lot of food overland is already costing us a fortune, and moving a fleet… It might look like we’re pouring money into the sea with a little bit of exaggeration.
“Certainly, mobilizing two fleets would be wasteful in normal times. No, you can just see it as a waste.”
When the magistrate heard that, he put on a serious expression and whispered to me with his eyes.
‘If you can afford to spend that much money, please hire a new recruit or more. I will die.’
I am recruiting myself, but there aren’t that many educated people, and it’s no longer possible to take people from the upper ranks…
Anyway, I looked at the old magistrate looking at me with the eyes of a Jeongseung who couldn’t resign his post and said.
“But that’s enough to drive out the 60,000 soldiers sent by the damn British United Kingdom. Those goddamn island nations wouldn’t want to deal with 100 or even 200 merchant ships. Also, with the ruin of the Elaine Empire, they have no reason to leave soldiers in Lens any more.”
The magistrate seemed to understand my meaning only then, his eyes twinkling, admiring my cleverness of preventing a war with two fleets instead of an expedition mobilizing tens of thousands of soldiers.
“Also, send a message to the Marquis Simon of the French Empire asking him to come to Elliot and prepare to move 20,000 troops, including the Royal Guard. I’ll give you a month and a half.”