King
Chapter 1020 - 1020 135 The Winds of Reform_2

1020: Chapter 135: The Winds of Reform_2 1020: Chapter 135: The Winds of Reform_2 On one side was a war involving the very survival of a species, on the other was nothing but passive and negligent work throughout the mission to accomplish the leader’s task.

The final outcome, as one might guess, was predictable.

By the time the Elf Army came knocking on the door, the Allied Forces led by the Black Forest Kingdom had failed to defeat the Stone People Race and instead had a large portion of their forces tied down by them.

“Hmph!”

“How come after such a long time, we’ve only managed to mobilize this small amount of troops?

Could it be that my Black Forest Kingdom has no more men to offer?”

Alexander V asked critically.

As one of the great powers of the Human Race, the Black Forest Kingdom, which had enjoyed many years of peace, had a population even larger than that of Alpha Kingdom, over forty million.

However, after the outbreak of the war, the total forces they had mobilized were astonishingly similar to those of the neighboring Moxi Duchy.

A duchy with a population of less than ten million at its peak had troops that once surged to over a million, whereas the Black Forest Kingdom’s cumulative mobilized forces barely reached a little over a million.

Such a stark contrast was unacceptable to anyone.

At this moment, Alexander V’s dissatisfaction with the Military Department had built up to a breaking point.

Bureaucracy kills, and Count Nicholas only felt wronged.

He truly had done his best, but some issues couldn’t be resolved by one person’s efforts alone.

The entire mobilization system had significant problems, whether it was the local mobilization mechanisms or the logistical support infrastructure, none of it met the needs of war.

“Your Majesty, this is decided by the Kingdom’s mobilization mechanism.

After the war broke out, you immediately issued a conscription decree.

Most Lords in the Kingdom have enlisted for service.

With these men away from their regions, our various measures cannot be implemented promptly.

After receiving the news, those in charge of the territories usually seek instructions from the Lords at the frontlines, and only after obtaining approval do they act.

Not only are the distances great, but the troops also continually change location, inevitably slowing down message transmission efficiency further.

Countless instances where orders couldn’t be executed in time due to the inability to make contact have occurred.

And this is just the execution phase; there are many procedures to get through before the issuances of commands.

According to regulations, orders from the Military Department must receive joint approval from you and the Noble Parliament.

You have indeed responded promptly on your part, but the efficiency of the Noble Parliament, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired.

When councilors are absent, we must send individuals to notify each of them; if they can’t make it personally, then they send representatives to vote on their behalf.

The Capital’s Noble Parliament holds one round of voting, then another takes place at the provincial level, followed by yet another round at the county Noble Parliament.

Once all procedures are done, we must review the resolutions from bottom to top, then publicly announce them for seven days, and only if no councilor objects can they officially take effect.

If everything moved instantaneously, it’d be fine, but if there’s a problem at any stage in the middle, the orders have to be sent back to the start.

All this back-and-forth, time is wasted on bureaucracy.

Since the outbreak of the war, all officials in the Military Department have had their leave canceled.

In some areas of the Kingdom, the decrees we proposed at the earliest stages still haven’t been passed.

The Chancellor should be aware of this aspect, as it’s been his biggest complaint in the past.”

Count Nicholas immediately protested.

Some blame simply couldn’t be placed on him; it wasn’t his fault that the mobilization efficiency was low.

In a shareholder nation, the Nobles’ rights were fully safeguarded.

Via the Parliament, they frequently vetoed the King’s commands as a matter of course.

“Your Majesty, Count Nicholas is right.

The Kingdom’s administrative efficiency indeed needs improvement.

In fact, cooperation with the work of the Military Department from all regions has already been complete.

Previously, it would take over a year, sometimes even a year and a half, for the government to accomplish anything.

And that’s just the Capital’s Parliament.

To implement it locally, the average time exceeds three years; if it’s to be promoted nationwide, the duration extends even further.

Over ninety percent of our proposals are rejected at some point during the process for various reasons.”

Duke Milton, the Chancellor, answered with a stiff neck.

Deep down, he was cursing Count Nicholas’s entire family.

Pointing out his name in this manner if not to set him up, then what?

Wasn’t the Kingdom’s low administrative efficiency common knowledge?

From the beginning of his reign, Alexander V wanted to initiate internal reforms, but too much resistance forced him to abandon them.

Everyone understood the logic, but when it came time to make sacrifices, they all backed down.

The efficiency of the Black Forest Kingdom might be low, but that protected the interests of the Noble Consortium, and the Noble Parliament gave them the power to say no to the King.

To increase the efficiency of the Kingdom’s governance, it was necessary to strengthen the authority of the Central Government and diminish the political influence of the local Nobles.

“If efficiency is low, then find a way to improve it.

If we keep going on like this, the Kingdom will be ruined.

Then what good will any special privileges do?”

Alexander V reprimanded immediately.

While his words were harsh, deep down he was very pleased.

The long-awaited opportunity for reform had finally arrived.

War time was not appropriate for major reforms, but it was also the easiest time to accomplish them.

In times of peace, asking the Nobles to give up their interests was as difficult as asking for their lives.

If someone dared to touch their core interests, even the King had no sway.

When the King could no longer represent the majority of the Nobles’ interests, there was a risk of being replaced.

Alexander V did not want to bear the stigma of a foolish monarch and be deposed in disgrace.

Plans for reform had long been sealed deep within his heart.