King
Chapter 1006 - 1006 129 Land Bonds_3

1006: Chapter 129, Land Bonds_3 1006: Chapter 129, Land Bonds_3 The gaze for help was cast upon the ministers, but unfortunately, everyone was too wise to take on a responsibility they shouldn’t bear.

Especially in military matters, it was best not to babble without understanding, as the consequences could be very severe.

“Your Majesty, the Marshal is right.

Now that we have suffered such heavy losses in strategic resources, the Kingdom should adopt a defensive stance for the foreseeable future.

Even if we want to counterattack, we must wait until we have gathered enough strategic resources.

Otherwise, even if we defeat the Orc Army, the Kingdom will not have the capacity to pursue further victories,”

Grand Duke Aefero said, seizing the moment.

The front lines had suffered a defeat, but the main force of the Kingdom’s army remained intact; it was really a matter of strategic resources being pressing.

A good cook can’t do much without rice.

Without addressing the gap in resources, it wouldn’t matter who was sent to command the army.

So why offend people needlessly?

At least Hudson had given the Royal Family face and didn’t demand harsh punishment for Marquis James.

As for the crime of “losing cities and territory,” that was, after all, his responsibility as the Commander in Chief.

Compared to these issues, how to explain the situation to the various Nobles within the Kingdom was what the Military Department needed to consider.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Marquis Delgado’s face darkened.

To fill the gap in strategic resources wasn’t something that could be solved with just a few words, and it would require the Ministry of Finance to spend money.

With such a huge deficit suddenly appearing, what could be used to fill it?

“Your Majesty, the loss of materials this time is too great.

It will be hard to make up for the shortfall in a short amount of time by just collecting domestically.

It would be best to accelerate our own resource gathering while also purchasing strategic materials from overseas.

The Kingdom’s debts have already piled up, and the amount owed to various Lords has reached an extremely frightening figure.

…”

The Minister of Finance directly showed up lamenting poverty, making everyone all the more depressed.

Everyone knew the Kingdom was short on money, but there was no choice—the war required funds!

“Gathering resources” sounded simple, but where should the funds be gathered from?

Increasing taxes was out of the question; the Noble Lords in various regions were not faring well as it was.

As Hudson knew, there were incidents in some areas where minor Nobles had gone bankrupt, and Major Nobles had stepped in to pay their taxes.

Help wasn’t given for nothing; so much goodwill would incur a debt, making it impossible not to become dependent on the Major Nobles in the future.

Everyone present had some integrity; they weren’t about to shake the foundations of the Kingdom.

“Your Majesty, the financial difficulties of the Kingdom are a fact.

The best course of action for now, I’m afraid, is to issue bonds to address this urgent need.

However, since the Kingdom already owes a great deal of debt, simply issuing bonds might not inspire confidence.

Even if we manage to sell them, the high interest on the funds could suffocate the Kingdom.

It would be best to provide an additional guarantee for the bonds.

I propose using the land on the Orc Prairie as collateral for issuing land bonds.

One acre equivalent to one Gold Coin, directly wagered.

As long as the Kingdom wins the war, bondholders could exchange their bonds for the land.

To strengthen confidence, I ask Your Majesty to lead by example, to ensure the public that: land bonds will be prioritized for payment.

After the war, when bestowing Noble titles and lands, priority should be given to small Nobility, followed by Intermediate Aristocracy, then Major Nobility, and the Royal Family.

If the land acquired isn’t enough to distribute, then we here will simply go without.

Of course, if the Kingdom is defeated, then these land bonds will become void,”

Hudson declared, making sure his words made an impact.

Such rebellious speech was an outright challenge to the Nobility system.

The Royal Family and Major Nobility always took the lion’s share; when had it ever been the case that those below got to divide up the assets first?

“Marshal, obtaining titled lands with just a small sum of money is practically an insult to the Nobility!

We…”

Before the Minister of Internal Affairs could finish his sentence, Hudson interrupted, “If Your Excellency has a better solution, then pretend I didn’t say anything.

If you can’t think of any, then please shut your mouth.

What’s needed now is a solution, not a debate on the merits of the proposals.

As for the impact on the Nobility system, I think such worries are unnecessary.

The sale of titled lands isn’t without precedent on the Continent.

One Gold Coin per acre might indeed seem very cheap, but the land is on the Orc Prairie; without real power, who can develop it?

Once you have the land, you’re obligated to pay taxes; if you don’t have the strength to develop it, it’s not a wealth but a burden.”

The hint was clear; if they still didn’t get it, it would be as if they’d wasted their time in government.

The land bonds seemed to be available for anyone to buy, but only those within the Kingdom with enough money and power could develop them.

The meat would still be in the pot in the end; the difference was simply making those who were taking the biggest piece pay for the war.

Once this was understood, the rage within everyone subsided significantly.

During late stages of Orc invasions in the past, when the finances of the Kingdom were on the verge of collapse, vested interest groups inevitably had to make sacrifices.

The land bonds Hudson now proposed were simply a different way for everyone to pay.

Putting the distribution of spoils last seemed like the Major Nobility group was paying a hefty price.

But with the distribution rights in their own hands, how big could the losses be?

This gesture, shown to the outside world, could boost the morale of the army and assuage the grievances of the smaller Nobility.

After a slight hesitation and seeing no objections, Caesar IV slowly said, “Since nobody is opposed, let us issue a batch of land bonds to give it a try!”