King
Chapter 1067 - 1067 152 Protectorate of the Near East_2

1067: Chapter 152: Protectorate of the Near East_2 1067: Chapter 152: Protectorate of the Near East_2 Particularly, Major Nobles like Hudson, who are both exceptionally skilled in combat and very young, are prime targets for suppression.

Fortunately, the Koslow Family’s heritage isn’t deep; they are currently being pulled forward by Hudson and can only muster the resources of an Intermediate Aristocracy on their own.

The Koslow Family, with its shaky foundations, is essentially a castle in the air, subsisting and slowly progressing is fine, but being too ambitious and reckless would quickly lead to its collapse, providing the Royal Family with a small measure of relief.

In fact, initially, the Moxi Duchy only wanted to tear two or three provinces away from the Warhammer Kingdom, but nobody expected that under Hudson’s manipulation, they would end up securing half of the Warhammer Kingdom.

Hudson himself carries enough weight, and coupled with the constraints of the Magic Contract, the cost of breaching it is exorbitantly high; naturally, he could only honor the promises made.

At the very least, the Royal Family ended up with a larger slice of the cake.

After assimilating the gains, the Koslow Family’s power would grow rapidly, but the growth of the Royal Family’s power would be even greater.

Princess Madelena, unaware of the inside story, merely thought her Royal Brother and sister-in-law were truly generous to give away such substantial benefits.

“Queen, there’s no rush with the compensation; let’s focus on the task at hand first.

Annexing half of the Warhammer Kingdom is just a beginning; the key is how to establish a stable foothold afterwards.

The Ancient Heritage Alliance itself isn’t scary; the real challenge is the difficult-to-deal-with Elf Race behind them.

I’ve compiled some information that may come in handy for dealing with the Elf Race threat, and I’d trouble you to pass it on to King George,” Hudson said with a cheerful smile.

Respect is mutual.

Though bound by the contract, the entitled benefits were still inescapable, but as for when to transfer them, there was room for flexibility.

Given the respect shown by the other party, Hudson didn’t mind doing things nicely.

If there had been any evasion or quibbling, this information wouldn’t have surfaced.

Intuition told Hudson that the Queen in front of him was no ordinary character.

Normally, these matters would be discussed by Caesar IV.

Taking the King’s duties without causing any dissatisfaction in Caesar IV required skill.

No matter how you looked at it, Caesar IV wasn’t a pushover, and taking control of him wouldn’t be easy.

Whether it was conjugal harmony or the Queen’s growing influence, Hudson couldn’t immediately discern; the only certainty was that the Queen was about to make her mark politically.

According to the agreement, the benefits to be transferred from the Moxi Duchy to Hudson and the Royal Family would all be registered in the Queen’s name as her dowry.

Legally, the Queen and the King had now become strategic partners, inseparable ones at that.

A fraction of three-fourteenths of the Warhammer Kingdom, even if a part is to be given to Hudson, still leaves them with a seventh of the Warhammer Kingdom.

After swallowing this piece of the cake, the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Family would expand from the current six provinces to ten.

Of course, this number is somewhat abstract.

Among those ten provinces, only three that have been managed by the Royal Family for many years have been truly developed.

From the standpoint of the Royal Family, the development of these seven provinces and the construction of the Middle East Front are a must.

Following a round of mutually beneficial business flattery, Caesar IV suddenly rose and unfolded a map of the Northern Continent, saying solemnly, “Marshal Hudson, we’re all friends here, so let me be forthright.

The compensation that the Royal Family can offer, besides the previously agreed upon Southeastern Province, all lies in the Northern Border.

If there’s any place you fancy, we can discuss it.

However, due to political implications, the official narrative must be ‘land trade.'”

How it’s publicly presented isn’t important at all.

Regardless of the transaction amount, it’s not his pocket that’s affected.

The Royal territory in the Southeastern Province covers only 4,000 square kilometers, equivalent to a small county, with a population of just four to five hundred thousand.

Due to its well-established development, its value is roughly equivalent to half a derelict province.

Theoretically, Hudson could still obtain compensation from the Royal Family for a large province or a territory half the size of an ordinary one.

Coincidentally, the territory of the Royal Family in the Northern Border has also been ravaged by Orcs, so a direct exchange would be of similar value.

The key issue is that all three provinces of the Royal Family in the North Border Region are concentrated in the inland area, and none is what Hudson desires.

Caesar IV seems generous, but in reality, he wants to find a caretaker for his own territories, to safeguard them from the constant threat of Orcs.

“Your Majesty, carving out so much territory directly from the Royal domain is too impactful.

Even if it’s under the guise of a trade, it would still be noticed by the Kingdom Aristocrats.

Perhaps we should consider compensation from other aspects.

All parties in the Kingdom agree that it’s crucial for me to take charge in the Near East Region, ensuring the safety of the North Border Region.

Having suffered such a loss, some recompense is in order.

A slight increase in the size of my fiefdom should be acceptable to everyone.

I’ll take this area near Snow Moon Lake.

Additionally, the Kingdom must build a large port for me, forge seven fortress cities, along with thirty auxiliary fortresses, and connect them with walls to form a basic defensive line.

The necessary expenses can either be covered by the Kingdom or by the Royal Family.”

Hudson casually circled an area on the map, encompassing all the land from Snow Moon Lake to the coast.

By sheer area, it equaled one third of the Near East Region, far exceeding the standard allotment for a fief.