Volume 2: Empire Chapter 69: Respect for the Great Empire
After lunch, Luke and Dale returned to their room and saw a group of court tailors waiting there. The eunuchs accompanying them informed Luke that the emperor would meet him alone at the dinner and he needed to tailor a set of formal clothes for the audience.
So Luke was invited to stand on a wooden platform, and several tailors took various measurements on him with tape measures. Several other tailors set up a cutting table and cut the fabric on the spot according to the measured data.
The tailors measured very carefully, accurate to the millimeter.
The eunuch explained to Luke the etiquette of meeting the emperor of the empire and the things that must be paid attention to when dining.
With such fanfare and complicated etiquette, it is clear that having a meal with the emperor is definitely not an easy thing.
Fortunately, Agatha had told Luke about the relevant etiquette.
She also said: These rituals were made by the ceremonial officers, and His Majesty doesn't care much about them.
Luke was tossed around by a group of people for a whole afternoon and the dress was finally sewn.
Influenced by the new era, people's pace of life accelerated, and the nobles' clothing gradually changed from complicated to simple. The nobles put more effort into the fabrics and decorations of their clothes to show their different status from the common people.
He wore an off-white silk shirt, a black calfskin vest, and a ribbon lace scarf around his neck. On the outside was a light blue Lafk coat, double-breasted, with a peaked lapel and a hem that went below the knee, a reference prototype for the tuxedo popular among the rich and aristocrats today.
The coat was decorated with a large number of gold thread patterns, and medals representing the Lord and Royal Knight were hung on the left chest.
The whole set of clothes is very comfortable to wear, and one can feel that one's spirits have been lifted.
The eunuch brought a mirror, and after looking at it, Luke praised, "Very generous! I didn't expect that when I meet His Majesty, I can get a dress specially sewn by the palace tailor. Not many people can get such treatment."
The eunuch replied respectfully: "Your Excellency, the Acting Governor has governed Nutao City and brought important tax revenue to the empire. You are an important official that Your Majesty appreciates and you deserve this treatment."
Luke looked at himself in the mirror again, smiled and didn't reveal the other meaning behind this suit. They were afraid that they were hiding dangerous goods, so they simply found an excuse to change themselves inside and out.
Could it be that there were executioners hiding in the houses on both sides of the dinner restaurant, just waiting for Emperor Augustine to smash the cup as a signal?
Luke fantasized happily, and then asked, "When will I see His Majesty?"
The eunuch looked at the pendulum clock on the table and replied, "It's now. Please follow me, Governor-General."
This special dinner was held in a small but high-ceilinged dining room. A small long table was filled with food served on golden utensils, and Augustine the Great and Luke sat at the two ends of the long table.
The person in charge of serving the table was a puppet dressed in eunuch uniform. Except for the royal chief knight Milscom, who stood behind Augustine, everyone else was ordered to leave.
The door is closed.
Emperor Augustine smiled and said, "Don't be so restrained. Etiquette is established to let people outside see the royal majesty. It's better to be casual behind closed doors.
Let's have a drink first.
To the great empire."
Luke picked up the golden cup in front of him and raised it above his head: "Cheers to the great empire! Cheers to the great emperor of the empire!"
After one glass of wine was finished, the puppet waiter refilled each glass.
Augustine the Great cut a piece of meat from the steak on the plate and put it into his mouth. He chewed and said, "The most tender meat is fried by the best chef, but I still have some difficulty chewing it. Sometimes I have to admit that I am old, lack energy, and have poor health, so that some people take advantage of it and threaten the rule of the empire.
Meteor, you have done a great job in Nutao City. The increased taxes have greatly eased the pressure on the empire's finances. However, the empire is facing multiple wars, and the taxes paid by Nutao City are far from enough to cover various expenses. Does the Nutao City Council have any plans to increase the amount of taxes paid in the near future?"
Luke also cut the steak on his plate and ate it. The steak was fat, tender, juicy and full of fragrance. It was simply a high-end enjoyment.
Facing the implicit hints and demands of Emperor Augustine, Luke answered easily: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness the Princess, and Prime Minister Gabriel have all discussed in detail the troubles and difficulties that the empire will face in the future.
According to the current national strength of the empire and the executive power of the imperial court, victory in the war of Tedega Hill is only a matter of consumption and time. The economic and social systems of the barbarians are out of touch with this era. The longer the war lasts, the more serious their own problems will be.
The forces on the Western Front are complex, with lords supporting the Duke of Celtic, lords supporting the Empire, and a large number of small neutral lords and ethnic minorities. Banditry is serious but it does not threaten the foundation of the Empire. His Royal Highness the Second Prince is stationed on the Western Front. Even if the bandits cannot be eliminated in a short time, the Empire does not need to invest too much energy in the Western Front.
The greatest threat to the empire comes from the north, and the invasion of the Art County Alliance is already known to both the enemy and us .
Once the North was attacked, the South, West, and Central regions under the direct jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital would not be able to provide strong support to the North. The only region that could support the Empire in a full-scale war at that time was the Eastern coastal region.
The Nutao City Council has a plan to boost the economy of the eastern coastal areas of the empire. The main content is to use Nutao City as the economic development hub, integrate the eastern coastal cities of the empire, and form division of labor and economic cooperation within the system.
The Council of Raging Waves City has drawn up a blueprint for the structure of the Empire's coastal economic zone based on my ideas. I brought this document with me in my briefcase."
Luke's briefcase was taken away by the palace guards before entering the restaurant and was placed outside the restaurant.
Augustine the Great asked Milscombe to fetch the briefcase and give it to Luke.
Luke took out the relevant documents and asked Milscom to pass them to Augustine.
And briefly introduce the contents of the document.
“I have already reached an agreement with Prince MacDonald of the Kingdom of Lucien on a large-scale investment plan for Lucien Bay, and this investment plan has also been supported by Her Majesty the Queen.
The agricultural product processing industry and light industry require small investments and have quick returns, and the Kingdom of Lucien has very rich resources of grain, meat, seafood, wine, and dairy products. The investment from Nutao City can help the Kingdom of Lucien quickly realize their excess production capacity.
Not only can the empire gain a huge amount of wealth from it, but the factories in the Kingdom of Lucien can also continuously provide the empire with cheap and sufficient military supplies.
The amount of this investment is very large, and the finances of Nutao City are unable to bear it all, so the World Bank is needed to assist in financing. Fortunately, I have a very good personal relationship with Director Pan and Director Yin of the Nutao City branch of the World Bank, and I was able to convince the World Bank to support this investment project.
In addition, the expansion of Nutao City and the investment in supporting nearby coastal cities all require a large amount of money in the short term, so Nutao City is unable to provide more financial support to the empire..."
Emperor Augustine looked at the pages of documents in his hands very carefully.
When Queen Christina told him that Meteorite was going to invest in the Kingdom of Lucien, he already thought that the scale of the investment was very large. But after looking at the documents in his hand, he realized that the investment in the Kingdom of Lucien was only part of the plan to boost the economy in the eastern part of the empire.
In Luke's plan, the maritime forces of Nutao City will gradually completely control this sea area with a large number of international routes. Then, with the advantage of the sea, more business opportunities will be attracted to Nutao City. Then, Nutao City will use itself as a hub to transfer industries to surrounding cities, forming a concentrated industrial scale of the same type, lowering production costs and improving competitiveness in the international market.
Take the Kingdom of Lucien as a pilot. As long as the agricultural and sideline products of the Lucien Bay form an intensive commodity supply chain, the advantages of the rich land can be fully brought into play. At that time, no grain-producing area in the world can compete with the Kingdom of Lucien.
Luke used a large amount of data to prove his idea and developed an international food monopoly plan. Once the Golden Shield Empire can control international food prices, it can first use low food prices to defeat agriculture within the Art County Union, then raise food prices to harvest the Art County Union, causing chaos within the Art County Union and then divide it.
Emperor Augustine was enjoying the show at first, but as he watched more he couldn't help sweating.
Can war still be fought like this?
Augustine the Great read more deeply and was so absorbed in his study that he forgot to eat.
Luke ate heartily, even directing the puppet waiter to serve him a full plate of delicious food, and drank glass after glass of wine.
Milscom noticed something was wrong with Emperor Augustine. He thought that Meteorite had placed some spiritual magic in the file, so he quietly put his hand on the back of Emperor Augustine and used the awakening skill to whisper in Augustine's ear: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh!" The mental reminder brought Augustine the Great back to his senses from his concentration, and he replied to Milscombe: "I'm fine."
"Your Majesty, do you want me to check this document?"
Milscom wanted to check if there was any suggestion spell in the document, but Emperor Augustine folded the document and held it in his hand cautiously, as if he was afraid that someone would snatch it away: "No need, there is nothing wrong with the document, I was attracted by the content inside.
You don’t have to be nervous.”
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Milscom let down his guard and looked at the meteorite curiously, wondering what was written in the document that could make His Majesty feel like he was under a mental spell.
Emperor Augustine used his other hand to pick up the napkin and wipe the sweat from his forehead, then drank another glass of wine and let out a long breath.
“Who has seen this document?”
Luke responded, “The most important part, only you have seen it.”
Augustine the Great pressed his hand down on the document, and the paper burned to ashes in the flames.
"It's a very bold idea, and no one has ever implemented it before. How can you be sure that you can do it? How can you be sure that you will succeed if you do it?"
Luke took a sip of wine and answered confidently: "No one has implemented it before because the current conditions were not available. Large-scale industrial production, prosperous international trade, and the free market advocated by those .
This era has all of these.
Whoever has a larger industrial scale, lower costs, and stronger maritime capabilities will more easily gain the right to speak in the market.”
Emperor Augustine fell into deep thought again.
The Golden Shield Empire has its current national strength because at the critical moment it did not choose to protect the small peasant economy as advocated by the conservative nobles, but boldly used the new nobles to encourage the development of industry and commerce.
Facts have proved that my choice was right.
The imperial court was generally optimistic about the war on the southern front because the empire had a complete industrial system.
However, this national strength advantage ultimately needs to be reflected through war, requiring soldiers to occupy the enemy's land and capture the enemy's cities step by step with their flesh and blood.
What Meteorite had just shown him was a completely new mode of warfare. The troops used for attack were no longer well-trained soldiers, but full warehouses of goods transported by sea.
Now no country in the world is wary of such an army, and all countries are defenseless against it.
If the economic development plan of the eastern coastal area of the empire is completed, the empire will have an invincible army and its territory will no longer be restricted by borders.
At this moment, Emperor Augustine finally understood why political enemies in the court regarded meteorites as guests of honor.
Even I...was holding the wine glass very carefully at this moment, for fear that it would fall to the ground.
"Although the empire is facing many difficulties now, it can still persist by cutting some unnecessary expenses. The plan of Fury City to boost the economy of the eastern coastal area of the empire is very good, and I am qualified to wait patiently for it to hatch. At that time, Fury City's contribution to the empire will definitely be much greater than the current increase in tax revenue.
If you still need funds, I can order the Imperial Bank to provide you with some support."
Milscombe was a little stunned.
Just now, Your Majesty wanted to ask for some money from Nutao City, but after reading that document, he actually took the initiative to give money to subsidize Nutao City!
What is the most important content in the document?
Unfortunately, the document had been burned to ashes, and the only people who knew its contents were Augustine the Great and Meteorite.
But Milscombe was sure of one thing… His Majesty would not kill Meteor.
Even though he knew that his support would accelerate Meteorite's transition to becoming a powerful official who threatened the royal rule, the document contained temptations that allowed him to suppress his imperial instincts.
Milscombe knew Augustine the Great, and he could never imagine the temptation that could make him make such a choice so easily.
Milscombe looked at the ashes under Augustine the Great's hand. Even though the document had been burned cleanly, he still didn't take his hand away.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Any financial support at this time will help speed up the completion of this plan." Luke raised his glass: "Cheers to the great empire, to the great emperor of the empire."
Emperor Augustine wanted to pick up the wine glass, but his hands trembled with excitement.
He tried several times, and finally took his hand back: "I am old and can't drink too much. I received your respect.
Let us salute the great empire together!"
