King
Chapter 715 - 715 21 Too Many Smart People_2

715: Chapter 21, Too Many Smart People_2 715: Chapter 21, Too Many Smart People_2 No matter the reason, messing things up like this is a political scandal.

If a reasonable explanation cannot be provided, the path for Crown Prince Caesar will become increasingly difficult.

“Father, you were unconscious at the time, and I didn’t want to disturb your recovery with these troubles, so…

I took it upon myself to handle the situation.

In order to encourage everyone to prioritize the bigger picture, I wrote personal letters to the major nobles in the kingdom, detailing the pros and cons.

I thought they would show some respect, but they have actually gone so far as to clearly disregard the royal family!”

Crown Prince Caesar said indignantly.

All of them promised him privately that they would take the bigger picture into consideration.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, they presented him with a pile of war bonds to offset tax payments.

He was infuriated by the feeling of being fooled by the people under him.

If he had ascended to the throne, he would have retaliated against each and every one of them!

“Enough!”

“Regardless of your grievances, this incident happened, and it’s your negligence as a regent.

Little Caesar, you’re not a child anymore, how can you so easily believe what others say?

Go back and carefully read their replies.

Who in their letters guaranteed you that they wouldn’t use war bonds as tax payments?

Taking the bigger picture into account, that’s just a polite response.

What is really needed is to see their actions, not listen to their words!

No use talking about all this now.

The time for your wedding is not far off, why not use the wedding as an occasion to invite them all to the capital for a discussion.”

King Caesar III said with a sigh.

His son is filial, but he clearly lacks political experience.

If his health hadn’t deteriorated, he could have trained Caesar for another ten or eight years to surpass the average level of a monarch.

Regrettably, his health is not as robust as before and he simply doesn’t have that much time to allow Crown Prince Caesar to learn gradually.

“Your Majesty, I fear the matter is not so easily solved.

This incident happen so suddenly, and the signs were quite subtle.

If not careful, it could be easily overlooked.

The traces of man-made manipulation behind the scenes were too obvious.

They picked the perfect time to strike and were undoubtedly prepared.

Even bringing everyone together may not persuade them.

After all, according to Kingdom’s laws, as long as their tax payments reach the capital and are deposited into the treasury, they have fulfilled their obligations.”

Chancellor Duke Newfoundland suggested cautiously.

No matter how strong Caesar III is, the relationship between the king and the nobility is like that between large and small shareholders.

Every concession has to happen within the boundaries of the rule.

Whoever crosses that line has to bear the backlash of the rule.

Now that they have fulfilled this year’s obligations, if the major nobles refuse to cooperate, Caesar III can’t do anything about it.

“Rest assured, Chancellor.

I know what they want!

No major noble wants to see the kingdom collapse.

The Magical Beast Legion has just started their plan with such fanfare, it’s clear what they want to do.

If you look at the numbers, the war bonds they used to offset taxes lined up exactly with our annual military budget, can you believe this coincidence?”

King Caesar III said with a sneer.

The blatant hint, if not clear enough, there’s no need to play politics anymore.

But even though it’s clear, that doesn’t mean it can be said openly.

It’s okay for King Caesar III to mock, but if someone else were to make bold statements here and word got out, they would immediately feel the iron fist of the major nobles.

“Your Majesty, if they are really after the Magical Beast Juveniles, should we compromise?”

Duke Aefero asked unwillingly.

Everyone wants to strengthen their own forces.

According to the previous agreement, the Magical Beast Juveniles raised by the Alpha Kingdom should be divided equally between the Kingdom’s army and the cooperating nobles.

Clearly, the nobles are no longer satisfied with this distribution ratio when the cake can’t be enlarged, they want a higher quota.

After all, the threat of the Orcs is gone.

In the eyes of the lords, the kingdom doesn’t need to maintain a strong standing army.

Even though the military has always been indirectly controlled by the major nobles, a significant portion of these Magical Beast Juveniles would still end up with their tribe members serving in the army.

But indirect control is never as secure as direct control.

With many nobles vying for power, King Caesar III has always firmly held the military in his hands due to their mutual constraints.

Even in this war, with his control over the military weakened, Caesar III still has the greatest say.

“We’ll have to see how determined they are.

If they’re really determined to weaken the military and strengthen their own forces, no one can stop them!”

As he spoke, a touch of despair appeared on Caesar III’s face.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay strong, but his physical condition didn’t allow it.

Most importantly, he can be strong while in power because of his significant contribution to the kingdom and his high prestige domestically.

If Crown Prince Caesar succeeds him, the situation will fundamentally change and another conflict is inevitable.

Perhaps in ten or twenty years, a politically mature Crown Prince Caesar could attempt to grapple with the major nobles in the kingdom, but clearly it’s a long shot at the present.