Volume 3: Artifacts Chapter 43 Territory Management
Two days later, the news of the Moonlight Royal Court's victory reached the Sun Oasis, and the morale of the Western Territory nobles fighting outside the Sun City suddenly dropped completely. A large number of deserters appeared, and the coalition's military strength shrank by half almost overnight.
The Japanese troops, who had been preparing for the general attack for two days, rushed out with high spirits and fighting spirit.
The noble army of the Western Territory collapsed at the first blow.
Seventeen blacklisted nobles all died in the chaos at the instruction of Count Urd.
The victorious Sun Lord army immediately launched an attack on the seventeen noble lords, and the Falling Star Prime Minister, who was stationed in Sun City, issued a "Notice to the Entire Western Territory".
Order all the nobles in the western border to continue to garrison their own territories to prevent the roaming rebels from sneaking in and causing damage. The battle to retake the seventeen territories is entirely handed over to Earl Urd. Anyone who intends to get involved in these seventeen territories will be treated as a rebel!
At the same time, the Moonlight Royal Court held a victory parade, and all the barbarian warriors who defended the World Tree War participated. The parade teams marched to the entire Western Territory in multiple routes. During the parade, the barbarian warriors returned to their respective tribes nearby; at the end of the parade, the barbarian army summoned by the Moonlight Queen was disbanded.
In the Crescent Oasis, the Prime Minister's delegation inspecting the western border that had been staying here received the order from Meteorite. All members rode on the camels that had been prepared long ago into the desert and rushed to the Sun City at full speed.
With the Moonlight Royal Court army at their side, the Sun Lord army advanced rapidly. While other Western nobles were still hesitating whether to seize the seventeen territories, the Sun Lord army had already occupied all of them.
The Prime Minister's delegation to inspect the Western Territory arrived in Sun City. With a staff and his own administrative team, Luke established a temporary administrative office for the Prime Minister of the Empire and personally investigated the rebellion of some Western Territory nobles.
Under the order of the Prime Minister of the Empire, all the nobles of the Western Territory gathered in the Central Lake Castle of the Sun City Sun Manor.
An extra-long conference table is placed on the red carpet in the castle hall.
Luke, as the Prime Minister of the Empire, sat at the head, and other Western nobles sat on both sides of the conference table according to their respective titles and status.
Fully armored royal knights stood around the hall.
When the castle gate closed, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly depressing and tense.
Some nobles were sweating under the pressure. Although some of them did not directly participate in the rebellion, they knew some inside information and some even participated in it.
Seeing the Prime Minister of Meteorite sitting in the first seat without saying a word, the nobles of the Western Territory became even more uneasy.
"I am very disappointed in you!" After waiting for a long time, Meteorite finally spoke: "I actually learned the news that someone in the Western Territory was forming a rebellion from the Tedega Hills. I absolutely believe that some of you knew it earlier than me, but you all chose to conceal it and let the rebels grow and endanger the security of the empire!"
The Prime Minister was angry, and the nobles lowered their heads one by one, fearing that they would be targeted.
As soon as Luke finished his red-faced performance, Count Urd immediately eased the atmosphere.
"Master Prime Minister! They did not participate in the rebellion in the end, which shows that they are still loyal to the empire."
"Yes, Earl Urd is right! Your final choice will keep your heads on your necks. I hope you can recognize the path you want to take in the future and stop thinking about restoring the order of the West. The era when the West belonged to the nobles of the West is over!"
Luke's words resonated with the hearts of the nobles of Zaxi Territory. Some wanted to refute, but when they saw that everyone else was acting like cowards, they immediately buried their heads again.
Earl Urd said at the right time: "In the future, the nobles of the Western Territory will join hands with the Empire to create a prosperous Western Territory."
“Well said!”
Luke clapped, but no one else responded, and there was only one applause in the hall.
Luke glanced around the conference table and saw that the Western nobles who were targeted immediately applauded. A sparse and weak applause broke out, and at least there was no awkward silence.
Luke said, "Let's just let the rebellion go. The main players have already paid the price, and I don't want to cause too much trouble in the West when I first serve as the Prime Minister of the Empire.
Next, we need to discuss how to deal with the seventeen oases and the property left behind by the expelled families."
When they heard that the land was going to be divided, all the Western nobles who had been like ostriches just now raised their heads.
A noble stood up and saluted Luke: "Respected Prime Minister of Meteorite, I am Baron Morgan, and I am also the nephew of Viscount Kolmek. After Kolmek was stripped of his title, I am now the first in line to inherit the Kolmek family property.
I wish to gain full ownership of the Bay River Oasis and all life and property on it."
With someone taking the lead, other Western nobles stood up one after another to express their legal inheritance rights to a certain piece of land.
The castle hall suddenly turned into a vegetable market. In order to seize land and wealth, the nobles in the West completely ignored the grace and reserve that nobles should have, and even started throwing things at each other in anger.
The hall was becoming increasingly chaotic.
Prince MacDonald, who was standing behind Luke, stepped forward and shouted, "Silence!"
All the Royal Knights struck the breastplates together.
The hall suddenly became quiet.
Luke said slowly, "Intermarriage has always been popular among the nobles . Each of you has sufficient reasons to take a piece of land. But there is only so much land. No matter how it is distributed, there will definitely be people who are dissatisfied.
Count Urd, do you have any suggestions on how to distribute these seventeen oases?"
Count Urd knew it was time for him to be the bad guy.
For the title of "Governor of the Western Territory", Earl Urd said: "Since it's not fair no matter how we divide it... I think it's better to hand over these 17 oases to the Empire for governance. The nobles of the Western Territory will jointly own the 17 oases, and the Empire will have management and administrative rights. We can get operating dividends from the Empire every year, and there is no need to increase conflicts in the Western Territory over land. It will be good for everyone."
Upon hearing Earl Urd's suggestion, all the nobles in the Western Territory were dumbfounded.
Are you crazy? You actually gave so much land to the empire. I've seen people who were losers, but I've never seen such a loser . Besides, if the empire enters the West, will the nobles of the West still have a good life in the future?
While the Western Territory nobles were distracted, Luke immediately said, "This suggestion from Earl Urd is very good. It easily solved this problem that gave me a headache.
The land is jointly owned by you, the nobles of the Western Territory. The Empire will accurately calculate the shares you should hold and distribute dividends to you every year. In this way, you don't need to worry about an extra piece of land, nor do you need to hurt your feelings by fighting for land.
This is a win-win proposal for everyone!"
Win-win bullshit!
All the nobles in the Western Territory cursed in their hearts: It’s your family that wins alone!
The empire cannot be allowed to annex these lands. The nobles exchanged glances with each other, trying to figure out how to get this piece of meat out of the meteorite's mouth.
But they never expected that even more exciting things were yet to come.
In response to the praise from the Prime Minister of the Empire, Earl Urd said, "If the Empire does not mind having another burden, I would like to entrust the Empire with the management of my Sun Oasis..."
All the nobles in the West looked at Earl Urd in shock.
Is he really crazy!
He was already a spendthrift enough just now, but I didn’t expect that this time he would be even more ruthless, and he even wanted to abandon his home!
Luke asked cooperatively, "What happened that suddenly gave you this idea, Count?"
Earl Urd sighed and said, "Since I inherited this oasis, I have hardly had a comfortable life. I have to be on guard against others encroaching on my land and property all day long. I am also afraid that the army will rebel out of control when I expand the army.
I think now is an opportunity. With the Empire taking over the management of my army and land, I can just collect the money and enjoy life in Raging Waves City instead of living in fear. "
Luke praised: "Count Urd, you are a man of great wisdom, and you have a clear vision of the future. Because of the existence of the Moonlight Court and the World Tree, the Empire has designated the Western Territory as the most important strategic area.
Once the Western Border Railway is opened, the Empire will continue to increase its investment in the Western Border. These investments will of course be made in places that the Empire can directly manage.
Earl Urd, you can rest assured that under the management of the Empire, the Sun Oasis will always belong to the Urd family, and the wealth here is enough for the Urd family to live a comfortable and prosperous life for generations to come."
"This is exactly what I hope for." After speaking, Earl Urd seemed to have thrown off the shackles and began to look forward to his future life: "I used to live too hard, and I was afraid that the tragedy I witnessed would happen again. The ending of the seventeen Western nobles sounded the alarm for me. It is better to leave the Western Territory with money and family."
Luke said, "The Empire will remember your contribution to the Western Territory! After the meeting, I will immediately arrange for personnel to take over the army of the Sun Territory, and the Empire will also formulate a plan to take over the administrative power of the Sun Territory as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Prime Minister!"
Meteorite and Count Urd sang the same tune, and the nobles in the Western Territory were truly dumbfounded.
This is not a discussion about how to divide the seventeen territories, this is to put all of our Western Territory nobles on the chopping board and slaughter them!
That’s too cruel!
What a big appetite!
Luke looked at the nobles of the Western Territory and said, "Earl Urd proposed a governance plan that can bring long-term peace and stability to the Western Territory and achieve win-win results for all parties, and he personally set an example.
Everyone should also consider the future of themselves and their families. The sooner you make a decision, the sooner you will benefit. Stubborn resistance will not end well! "
The nobles of the Western Territory looked at each other. They looked like eggplants hit by frost, withered and without the momentum they had in the fight for land.
The meteorite has revealed its wolfish ambition: "Those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish"!
In the past, the nobles in the Western Territory could still unite and fight to the death.
But now...
Who dares to be the first to stand out?
After a brief silence, a noble suggested returning to the territory to discuss things with his family members.
“Okay…” Luke didn’t press too hard. Only by relaxing properly could he get things done with the least effort: “Such a big thing can’t be decided in a short time.
I'll wait here for you for half a month.
The nobles who come here first to sign the territory trusteeship agreement with me can get an extra 10% dividend. Those who have not been seen for half a month should weigh their own weight and think more about the future of the family.
Meeting adjourned! "
Luke announced the adjournment of the meeting. Some people stood up and wanted to leave, but when they saw some people not moving, they sat back down.
Half a month was barely enough for a noble who had to travel a long distance to make the round trip. If they were delayed by bad weather or other reasons, they would miss the fifteen-day deadline. If other territories had signed but they had not, they would be trapped to death even if there was no empire attacking.
Moreover, the first person to sign the territory trust agreement will receive an extra 10% of the dividend. If someone signs the agreement first at this time, the later ones will suffer a great loss.
So even though Luke announced the adjournment of the meeting, no noble dared to leave.
Seeing this scene, Luke already understood what the nobles were thinking.
"Aren't you going back to discuss with your family members? Why don't you leave?" Luke looked at the silent hall and said with a smile: "In fact, you all know in your hearts that you can't stop me now, and I have taken over the Western Territory, no matter what the cost.
The best thing about Count Urd's plan is that it reduces bloodshed. The Empire is paying you to make concessions. If you make concessions, the agreement you signed with the Empire will be valid as long as the Empire exists. If you don't make concessions, it won't change the final result."
Luke snapped his fingers, and the servants placed the agreements that had been prepared long ago in front of the nobles one by one.
Luke continued, "This is the Territory Trust Agreement. If you sign it now, no matter who signs it first, you will get an extra 10% dividend. If you leave and sign again, follow the rules I just mentioned.
Take a good look at it, think about it carefully…if you don’t understand, you can always ask me.”
The Western Territory nobles picked up the territory trusteeship agreement in front of them and looked at it carefully.
In order to obtain the Western Territory smoothly and without too many troubles, Luke did not dig too many traps in the territorial trust agreement, and the rewards for the noble lords were still very generous. There was not only wealth compensation, but also some noble titles for them to issue at their own discretion. Basically, direct descendants could at least obtain a hereditary lord.
For those who want to leave the West, Nutao City will give them a manor. They can take the money and enjoy the most luxurious life in the world's most advanced city.
Earl Urd signed his own agreement readily and said to the other nobles: "Don't be obsessed with what your ancestors left you, but think more about what you can leave for your descendants. If you don't like fighting, blood, and endless sand, your descendants will definitely not like it either.
I am going to leave the West and take my children on a round-the-world tour to see what the world outside the West is like."
Earl Urd's words resonated with some nobles in the West. In the past, the West was full of internal fighting. Oases were precious treasures in the desert. Everyone wanted to occupy more, and everyone was worried that their land would be occupied by others.
Many nobles have never left the Western Territory in their entire lives, nor do they dare to leave.
Since the ancestral land and power can no longer be maintained, it is better to leave wealth and prosperity to descendants.
A noble signed the agreement.
More nobles signed the agreement.
