flstandardbreds Chapter 649 Surgery
Chapter 649 Surgery
The stone walls of Wyndam Palace are thick, and sunlight shines through the stained glass windows in the high windows, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
The office is simply furnished, with a smooth, polished solid wood desk and piles of documents that exude the mixed smell of ink and paper.
King Midland sat behind his desk, reviewing documents with focused attention, his brow furrowing unconsciously. Over the past year, the heavy burden of reform had left him with almost no time to breathe.
The reforms in the military and industrial sectors have begun to show results, but these achievements have not made him truly relax, because the core goal of the reforms—strengthening central authority—still faces many obstacles.
What he wanted was not partial improvement, but a complete overhaul of the power structure of Midland, concentrating all key powers in the Wyndam court and into his own hands.
This means changing the long-established power structure, and the feudal nobles scattered throughout the lands are destined to be the biggest obstacle.
He had anticipated this, so from the beginning he avoided directly touching on the most sensitive areas for nobles, such as fiefdoms and taxes.
He used a portion of the profits from the reforms as leverage to gain concessions from the nobility. His first move was to use factory dividends to subsidize the nobility in exchange for extending their military service.
With the frontline battles intense and troop replenishment a persistent problem, this proposal, while seemingly fair, was in fact his first step in weakening the autonomy of the nobility and strengthening the central government's control over the army.
Initially, this tactic did work.
Those minor nobles had limited territories and a single source of income, so the factory dividends were a considerable amount of extra income for them.
Most of them readily agreed to the request to extend their service time, and even actively cooperated with the court's various arrangements.
But for those earls who wielded great power, this amount of benefit was far from enough to satisfy them.
The new factory's production capacity is still ramping up, and profits have not yet reached their peak, so the bonuses distributed to the counts are naturally limited.
More importantly, Midland is currently in a passive defensive position, with the front-line battlefield at a stalemate. The participating nobles not only find it difficult to obtain the plundering benefits of previous wars, but also bear the risk of being captured, because Yoda on the other side is also carrying out reforms.
Within the territory, traditional income channels have not seen significant growth. Under such circumstances, extending their service time would only increase their burden without any corresponding reward.
King Midland was aware of the counts' discontent, but what alarmed him even more was that some of the counts had already realized his true intention to strengthen central authority.
Instead of open confrontation, they passively resisted in various covert ways.
Tax payments were repeatedly delayed, and the court sent out collection notices time and again, but the responses were always various excuses.
When the appointed service date arrives, they always find a reason to postpone it, either saying that the military equipment has not been fully prepared or that there are unexpected events in the territory that need to be dealt with, often delaying their departure by one or two months.
Faced with this situation, King Midland had no better solution at the moment.
He couldn't easily lose his temper, much less punish them directly, since these counts were still needed to maintain local stability, and the front lines couldn't do without their military support.
Each time he received a report from local officials, he could only write down a few words of criticism to convey his dissatisfaction through written communication, but he was unable to take any more severe measures.
The accumulation of contradictions eventually led to problems. Not long ago, some nobles' service terms expired, and they withdrew from the front lines in accordance with regulations.
Meanwhile, another group of nobles who should have replaced them still failed to arrive with their troops.
This directly resulted in the actual number of troops on the front lines being as many as 10,000 to 20,000 fewer than the authorized number.
The troop shortage increased the defensive pressure on the front lines, and urgent reports from all over the country poured into the Windam Palace.
King Midland had no choice but to urgently dispatch his brother, Earl Yuris, to lead the White Dragon Knights to the front lines.
The White Dragon Knights are an elite force directly under the court. They can not only fill some of the troop shortages, but more importantly, they can boost morale at the front and stabilize the army.
At the same time, he accelerated preparations for the new regiment outside Windam.
This new legion was trained by Heldran officers, and its soldiers were young men recruited from the vicinity of Wyndam. Equipped with the latest weapons, they were his core fighting force, completely loyal to him.
The legion is still in the training phase, but the situation no longer allows him to wait. He can only urge the Heldran officers to speed up the process and strive to achieve combat capability as soon as possible.
Just as King Midland was pondering the training progress report of the new legion, the office door was abruptly pushed open.
Young Hoss strode in. As the king's secretary, he had the authority to freely enter and leave the office without being stopped by guards.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the east."
Little Hoss handed over a sealed letter with an urgent sealing wax stamp on the envelope.
King Midland put down his pen, took the letter, and forcefully tore open the envelope with his fingertips. The contents of the letter instantly sharpened his gaze.
The letter clearly states that the three armies of Count Ander, Count Kreuz, and Count Alleira, after completing their service at the front, did not return south to their fiefdoms as is customary in previous years, but instead turned around and marched north, with no known destination.
King Midland's mind raced, and he instantly grasped the key to the matter.
With the White Dragon Knights dispatched to the front lines, the elite forces near Windam were left vulnerable, and these three counts clearly saw this as an opportune moment.
They intend to bring their army to Windam, using force as a backing, to "explain the pros and cons" to themselves, forcing them to abandon some reform measures, especially those policies that affect their potential interests.
These three counts all came from the south and frequently interacted with the Issu people.
They had an extraordinary passion for gunpowder weapons, especially artillery. They not only established gunpowder workshops in their own territory, but also invested a great deal of resources in research and improvement.
In siege battles on the front lines, their artillery units always played a crucial role, and their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.
King Midland pondered to himself that perhaps it was the previous move to raise commercial taxes that had finally made them restless.
The Southern Earl's territory is bustling with commercial activity, and the increase in commercial taxes has directly impacted their core income.
The previous exchange of benefits failed to appease them, and this opportunity of depleted troops became the fuse for their attack.
A thought immediately came to mind: to order the entire city of Windam to be on high alert and prepare for a defensive battle.
But he immediately suppressed the thought. He knew perfectly well that this battle absolutely could not be fought in Wyndam, or even near Wyndam.
Wyndam is the capital of Midland and a symbol of power.
If this place were to be attacked by the army, regardless of the final outcome, it would be a fatal blow to his prestige.
A king who can't even protect his own capital can't possibly control the whole country; he should just abdicate sooner rather than later.
The example of Ludwig next door is right before our eyes. Back then, Ludwig was besieged in the capital. Although the siege was eventually lifted, his authority had vanished. Soon after, he was forced to abdicate by a group of nobles and met a tragic end.
More importantly, if these three earls lead their troops to approach Windam, even without directly attacking the city, they are likely to plunder the surrounding areas.
The territories surrounding Windam were all directly under the king's control, and the people had the highest level of trust in the court.
Once their property is plundered by noble armies and their lives are affected, their trust and reverence for themselves will be greatly diminished.
The implementation of the new policy is now facing numerous difficulties in various regions. If even the people in their own directly controlled territories are no longer cooperating, then the so-called reform will truly become a joke.
Therefore, this battle must be fought, and it must be won.
Not only do we have to win, but we also have to fight hundreds of miles away from Wyndam.
Only a decisive victory on the battlefield far from the capital, an epic triumph worthy of being recorded in history, can completely turn the tide.
In this way, he could ride the wave of victory to publicize it widely, making all the nobles of Midland realize the situation. The new policies brought not only increased wealth and equipment, but also a powerful military deterrent under centralized control.
This was meant to make those discontented and passively resistant nobles understand that there was no good outcome in resisting the court, and that only by conforming to the reforms could they share in the benefits.
In short, the new policy is great!
Having made up his mind, King Midland no longer hesitated. He raised his head and looked at little Hoss standing in front of the table.
"Go to Blackwatch immediately and sign a defense contract."
When young Hoss heard the king speak, he took out paper and pen, ready to take notes.
"The contract must include an artillery unit, with a total size of 1,000 men."
"Send someone to the new army camp and have the officers of Heldran select a combat-ready infantry regiment to assemble and stand by immediately."
Although the new army is still training, some soldiers have already mastered basic combat skills, and the upgrades in equipment are enough to make up for the lack of experience.
This infantry regiment will cooperate with Blackwatch's thousand-strong squad to form a highly capable combat force.
Little Hoss nodded, confirming each command clearly.
"Also, send scouts to closely monitor the movements of the armies of Count Ander, Count Kreuz, and Count Alle, and report to Windam daily."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Little Hoss put away his pen and paper, and seeing that the king was silent, he turned to leave.
"and many more."
The King of Midland called out to him.
"Tell Blackwatch that the contract compensation can be increased by 10%, but the troops must be assembled and deployed to the designated battlefield within two days."
Time was of the essence; he had to complete the troop deployment as quickly as possible and set up the battlefield in his chosen area before the armies of the three earls approached Windam.
"clear."
Young Hoss responded and hurried out of the office without stopping, his footsteps quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Silence returned to the office, and King Midland sat back down at his desk.
He picked up the urgent report from the east and read it carefully again to make sure that no key information had been missed.
The three counts' armies were numerous and their fighting strength was not to be underestimated, but he was not afraid.
As the sunlight outside the window gradually slanted westward, the light and shadow cast by the stained glass slowly shifted.
King Midland turned his gaze out the window, over the palace roof, toward the south, where a power struggle was about to begin.
He was ready to use a great victory to clear the way for his centralized power and ensure that his orders were carried out in every inch of Midland.