Volume 2: Empire Chapter 95: Western Border Raiders
Others are the butchers and I am the meat.
Not only will the nobles of the Western Territory have to purchase the barbarian goods at high prices during this Harvest Festival, but in the future they will also lose the unilateral pricing power over the barbarians due to the existence of the Moonlight Court.
After the harvest festival, the first thing these nobles did when they returned to their territories was to reduce the military and cut all extravagant expenses. They also had to be on guard against possible rebellions due to the sudden reduction in the treatment of the territories.
At this time, the nobles in the Western Territory had no right to negotiate with the Empire.
Luke proposed the plan to build the Great Western Railway. In the past, it was like snatching food from the tiger's mouth, which fundamentally shook the ruling foundation of the Western nobles. But now... the ruling foundation of the Western nobles is gone, and the plan to build the Great Western Railway has become their life-saving panacea.
This large-scale project can greatly absorb the troops that the Western nobles have laid off, so that these soldiers have jobs to fill their stomachs and will not cause trouble or mutiny. At the same time, after the railway is built, the empire's materials can reach the Western Territory at a lower price, and the tight purse of the Western nobles can support their luxurious life.
As for other thoughts, just give up on that idea!
Luke's plan to build a large railway in the West was approved unanimously by the major nobles in the West.
The main line of the Western Border Railway starts from New Moon City and ends at the Moonlight King's Court in the Ancestors' Grassland, with a transfer station set up in Sun City in the middle. The entire railway plan is fully invested by Nutao City, and the Nutao City Railway Company will undertake the railway operation.
During the construction of the railway, Raging Waves City can work with the lords of the Western Territory to build a highway network centered on Sun City. At the same time, Raging Waves City will give Sun City a power plant and a glass manufacturing factory.
Luke promised... any good cooperation plan in the Western Territory will be strongly supported by the City of Raging Tides. Not only can they get low-interest loans, but they can even get related supporting equipment as gifts for free.
Kalina placed printed copies of the Western Territory Development Plan in front of the Western Territory lords one by one.
The content explained in more detail the large-scale development plan for the Western Territory, which left the Western Territory lords stunned.
Shouldn't we cede territory and pay compensation if we lose a war?
We are already prepared to make a profit, why are you still giving us money?
Who wins this?
Luke saw the doubts in the hearts of the Western Territory nobles and said with a smile: "Swords and swords will only intensify conflicts, and win-win cooperation can forge friendship. Your ancestors were the heroes who established and maintained the empire, and they have a deep comradeship with the Augustine family.
It’s just that distance makes this friendship fade away, and misunderstandings cannot be explained because of distance.
Her Royal Highness the Princess and I have been on a diplomatic mission to the Western Territory. From the time we set out until now, we have never considered you to be an enemy of the Empire. It's just that the ideas of the Blade Brotherhood are no longer suitable for this country.
This era is advancing rapidly and will not stop for anyone. Internal friction will slow down the empire's pace, and those who fall behind will never recover!
There are some things you may not understand. But it doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just accept my plan for the West, put away all your ambitions, and be a lord and enjoy life peacefully... That's all!"
Looking at the thick plan for the development of the Western Territory, the nobles of the Western Territory knew that Nutao City had spent enough money here to buy the entire Western Territory, just to integrate the entire Western Territory into the empire's system.
The families entrenched in the western border must give up some or even most of the power in their hands.
Seeing that the other nobles dared not speak, Earl Urd relied on his status as the first to surrender and asked Luke: "Governor, the desert in the west is very unstable. If the lords do not have sufficient military force, they will not be able to resist the robbers from the sand bandits who plunder the people in the territory."
Luke said: "Necessary military force can be retained. Moreover, Her Royal Highness the Princess and I have a plan to recruit the sand bandits. Most of the sand bandits will transfer to the logistics company established by Nutao City to participate in the circulation of goods into the western border. The defense pressure on your territory will be very low.
I hope you will give up your monopoly on the territory's water resources; allow your territory's people to be freely employed by investment companies; foreign investors can freely buy and sell land; and you must protect the safety and legal income of investors. "
When Count Urd heard that the Sand Bandits accepted the amnesty, he remembered that Meteorite had gone to Slave Corner this morning.
The Howling Jackals of Slave Corner have close ties with many large-scale sand bandits. Meteorite said that it is very credible that most of the sand bandits would accept the amnesty.
This means that in the middle of the real siege of the nobles in the Western Territory, some things are no longer a question of whether to give them up or not, because they belong to others even if they are not given up.
Earl Urd no longer had the confidence to fight for the rights and interests of the nobles in the Western Territory. After all, the right thing to do was to protect the interests he had gained.
"Sunday Oasis is willing to fully open to investors!"
The other Western nobles knew that they had no power to struggle, so they all expressed their willingness to accept Governor Meteorite's "suggestion" and open their territories to foreign investors.
Luke did all the work... treating him to a meal, beheading him, and taking him in as a dog.
After giving them benefits and taking away their power, these nobles in the Western Territory boarded their boat after the capital of Nutao City and the Innovation Society entered the Western Territory. The remaining power in their hands could not cause a big storm, but it was an indispensable part of the Empire's rule in the Western Territory.
Luke asked the nobles of the Western Territory to sign the Western Territory Development Agreement, and after putting it away, he said, "In the future, Nutao City will fully participate in the development of the Western Territory. As the governor of Nutao City and the chief minister of the Moonlight King's Court, I will do my best to seek benefits for the Western Territory.
I also hope that all the lords can cooperate with me according to the agreement and build the Western Territory into a prosperous place for the empire."
Earl Urd and the Western Territory nobles stood up. They saluted Luke and said in unison: "We are willing to obey the orders of the Governor of Meteorite."
"Okay, very good! Let's end this meeting here today. Everyone go back and calm down and think carefully about the future of the family.
Regarding the follow-up matters, I will ask my staff officer Yomington to contact the lords. We will try to get investment from Raging Waves City after the Harvest Festival is over."
The Western nobles saluted Luke again, and then left the venue one by one with heavy hearts.
After the nobles left, Luke waved his hand and the guards lined up to leave. Soon, Luke was the only one left sitting in the hall.
There was a sound of a cork being pulled out of a bottle, and two glasses were placed on the table. Agatha, who had taken off her armor and was wearing only her lining, sat next to Luke. She poured red wine into the glass and said, "This trip to the West is completely beyond my imagination, and definitely beyond everyone else's imagination.
The Western Territory, which has troubled successive emperors since the founding of the empire, was conquered by you so easily.
I heard what you said to those lords, and I saw them leave. From now on, the Empire no longer has to worry about the West. "
Luke unceremoniously picked up the glass and clinked it with another glass. With a pleasant sound, Luke drank half a glass of red wine in one gulp, and then he exhaled a long breath.
“What a long day!
Since Your Highness recognizes my work so much, then I will give you all the credit for conquering the Western Territory. Do you have any objection?"
Agatha picked up her glass of wine and tasted it slowly: "Give it all to you? I don't mind, but I'm afraid Alec will be unhappy.
He reorganized the Western Border Army in order to pacify the Western Border, make great contributions, and increase his bargaining chips in the fight for the throne.
You conquered the Western Territory as soon as you arrived, but you didn't let him take the credit. How could he be content?"
Luke smiled helplessly: "I didn't want to get involved in these messes in the West Territory. It just adds a burden to the City of Raging Waves.
But His Majesty sent you and me here, and I must consider the safety of both of us. For me, taking over the Western Territory is the safest, and other impacts can be considered later.
If the credit for the western border is given to the second prince, the eldest prince might take risks on the southern frontier. I am also considering the overall situation."
"I understand your concerns..." Thinking of the struggle in the palace, Agatha couldn't help but frowned: "You do what you think is right, and I will explain to Alex.
It would be useless even if he took away the credit here, and the emperor is not stupid.
However, Miss Qingkong is the queen of the Moonlight Royal Court, and you are the chief minister of the Moonlight Royal Court. With the full entry of Raging Waves City into the Western Territory, my father will probably be even more suspicious of you."
Luke laughed. "He's already suspicious of me enough, so I don't care if he gets more suspicious. He didn't kill me last time, and he won't kill me again.
If you want to worry, worry about the North.
Once the news of the pacification of the Western Territory spreads, the Art County Alliance will definitely not wait any longer."
Agatha, who was already worried, became even more worried.
The pacification of the Western Border meant that the Empire could free up some of its national strength. The Art County Alliance, which had been preparing for war, would definitely not wait for the Empire to send this spare part of its national strength to the Northern Border.
If you want to fight, you must fight as soon as possible!
If it is too late, the Art County Federation will pay a higher price.
Agatha asked Luke, "After you return to Raging Waves, how long will it take you to free up your forces from Rio and move troops northward?"
Luke drank the wine in the glass and said, "I don't know. This trip to the West took up a lot of my time. I have to wait until I return to Raging Tide City to get the intelligence from all sides.
Your Majesty's sudden appointment disrupted many of my plans, accelerated the progress in the north, and slowed down the strategy in the east.
All I can say is...as soon as possible!
Anyway, we have the Second Prince's Western Border Army, which can reach the northern battlefield when necessary, even though the northern border is the First Prince's territory."
Agatha thought about it and found that it was difficult to transmit intelligence from the West. Even if she and Meteorite analyzed it, it would be just groundless guesses.
Agatha pinched her nose to relieve the rising sleepiness. "The day after tomorrow is the Harvest Festival. Now that the matter in the West is over and the Harvest Festival begins, you leave the necessary personnel behind to implement the West Development Plan, and we will return immediately.
Miss Qingkong, will you come with us?"
"No, she will wait until the Harvest Festival is over before returning to the Prairie of the Ancients. The Moonlight Royal Court will hold a celebration to commemorate the revival of the World Tree. After the celebration, she will return to Saint Lun City, and the Royal Court will be handed over to the Council of Elders and the Moonlight Knights."
Agatha stared at Luke. "I really can't guess what your relationship with Miss Clear Sky is. Are you her...adopted son?"
Luke yawned and said, "If you can't guess, don't guess randomly... I have been busy from morning till late at night today. If I don't rest, even an iron man will fall apart due to exhaustion.
I'm going back to my room to sleep. Don't call me tomorrow if you don't have anything else. I can sleep until the Harvest Festival begins."
After saying that, Luke stood up, stretched, turned around and walked towards the stairs.
Agatha, who had completed her mission, was full of gossip. She drank the rest of the wine in her glass in one gulp and chased Luke up the stairs. "You can't be her son, but you don't seem to have elven blood."
"Don't guess, you can't guess it."
"You saved her life, and she swore allegiance to you."
"Can you please be a little more reserved like a princess..."
The next morning, a shocking piece of news came into Sun City from the west.
The World Tree has revived!
A fierce war song who had traveled abroad returned to the grassland of the ancestors. She brought with her a method to revive the world tree and actually made a new world tree grow from the Moon Lake.
The new generation of World Tree was favored by the moon, so it was named Moonlight Tree King. The fierce war song and the Moonlight Tree King inherited the legacy of the previous generation of World Tree and were called Moonlight Queen. They jointly established the Moonlight King Court.
Now the Moonlight Queen calls on the descendants of the former World Tree to return to the Moonlight Royal Court to protect the newborn World Tree together.
All the barbarians in Sun City were excited. They danced with joy, even happier than they were after watching the fireworks all night last night.
The barbarians who believed that they were descendants of the deceased World Tree wept with joy and bowed in the direction of the grasslands of their ancestors. They devoutly sang the ballads passed down from generation to generation, praising the greatness and selflessness of the World Tree...
Among those kneeling were Maeve Siman, the poisonous scorpion with slave horns, Screech the jackal, the steward of the sand bandits, and a mother and son with a thin elven bloodline who were redeemed and became free.
There is the orc Andre, the commander-in-chief of the Sun City army.
There is Ham, an orc who came from the Scorched Wood Camp to participate in the harvest festival.
At this moment, there is no distinction between sand bandits, soldiers, merchants, free people, and slaves. The revival of the World Tree allows hearts that have been scattered like sand to reconnect, and the noble beliefs inherited from ancient times allow all the barbarians in the western border to hold their heads high.
They are all the people of the World Tree. No matter where they are, their spirits belong to the Moonlight Court.
The wind and sand carried the news from the ancient grasslands to further places. Wherever it passed, the climate changed from dry to cool. It rained a little in Sun City that night, and the moon was particularly bright in the rainy night.
Under the moonlight, Qingkong stood on the highest peak of the Central Lake Castle. She stretched out her hand and let the raindrops fall into her palm.
Refreshing and cool, with a little bit of recovery effect.
This rain was the World Tree's response to the devout believers' prayers. Before long, the oasis would expand rapidly under the nourishment of sufficient water. Small oases would connect into large ones, and large oases would connect into grasslands.
Although the early attack on the West Territory disrupted the original plan, it was not a bad thing. No matter how well the City of Raging Tide was managed, it was only a crowbar, while the West Territory could be managed as its own base.
There are so many known and unknown things that can be developed on the World Tree!
