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Chapter 941 - 941 106 Post-War Aftermath_3

941: Chapter 106, Post-War Aftermath_3 941: Chapter 106, Post-War Aftermath_3 In the face of victory, drills transformed into surprise assaults on the battlefield, and in everyone’s mouth, they became “adapting to circumstances and seizing the opportune moment.”

There’s nothing wrong with that – attacking while the enemy’s siege is halfway through and achieving a complete victory is a textbook example of a successful war strategy.

Astute nobles silently took out their notebooks and recorded what they had learned.

These notes would serve as study materials for future generations.

In an era without military academies to train officers, officer training relied entirely on the experience of previous generations.

Since the heroes were on the front lines, naturally, there was no celebration banquet.

The Alpha Kingdom was now implementing a strategic rationing system, where any kind of extravagance was not permitted.

These past few days, whenever people appeared in public, they were all eating black bread with vegetables.

As a consequence, domestic entertainment venues, restaurants, and hotels had all suffered a heavy blow.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too; the implementation of any policy inevitably involves choices and trade-offs.

After all, most areas of the Kingdom operate under a tax-farming system, so if anyone should be crying, it would be the tax farmers – the Kingdom’s commercial tax revenue is hardly affected.

As the beneficiaries, if they lack even this little spirit of sacrifice, then they might as well not be in their positions.

“Everyone has seen the battle report.

Do you have any suggestions regarding the handling of the prisoners of war?”

Caesar IV said with a smile.

Hudson only requested that the prisoners not be killed, but he did not specify how to deal with them.

The troops at the front still needed to continue their campaign and didn’t have time to guard prisoners; hence the follow-up work would be undertaken by the governments of the two countries.

“Your Majesty, the garrison at Augustusburg suffered heavy losses, and the hatred has just been seeded; now is the time when their anger is at its peak.

If the Moxi People want to take over the prisoners, they must ensure that they do not use the garrison or the Warhammer Defeated Soldiers of Augustusburg for guarding duties.

Marshal Hudson did not bring this up, probably due to concern for the feelings of the front-line officers and soldiers.

After all, they might still be needed for cooperation in the upcoming battles.

We can probe the Moxi People’s stance on the matter.

If they have no special demands, then the two countries can jointly dispatch troops for the guarding task.

For safety’s sake, the Kingdom should immediately prepare a batch of Demon-Banning Potion for the prisoners to take.”

Duke Newfoundland suggested.

“Chancellor, all other issues are negotiable, but the Kingdom alone cannot bear the cost of the Demon-Banning Potion.

The war has just started and we already have fifty thousand prisoners; we don’t know how many more we will capture later on.

Even if only one-tenth of the prisoners are cultivators, the required amount of Demon-Banning Potion is enormous.

The cheapest Demon-Banning Potion on the market costs at least Thirty Gold Coins.

With such quantity, even if the Kingdom organizes production, the cost will likely not fall below Ten Gold Coins.

The price of higher-grade potions meant for strong individuals is even more exorbitant.

Furthermore, apart from cultivators, we also need to administer potions that reduce the physical capabilities of certain special species, or else guarding them will be very difficult.

With the Kingdom’s limited fiscal income, it will be difficult to cope with such a sudden and massive expenditure.”

Marquis Delgado immediately objected.

Even allies must keep clear accounts; helping in war is one thing, but contributing financially is quite another.

However, the Minister of Finance’s proposal did not win everyone’s approval.

It is true that the Kingdom’s finances are scarce, but how could the Moxi Duchy, which is in the midst of war, be wealthy?

Besides, most of their Magicians have now been conscripted onto the battlefield, and the rest are engaged in the production of military supplies.

They are already faced with numerous difficulties, and to ask them to produce Demon-Banning Potions is simply impossible!

In everyone’s eyes, it’s a miracle that the heavily indebted Moxi Duchy has not gone bankrupt.

If the Moxi Duchy cannot hold out and declares financial bankruptcy during the war, the messy aftermath will have to be dealt with by the Alpha Kingdom, which would be a real hassle.

“Marquis Delgado, the issue of the Magic Potions can be communicated with the Moxi People by the Department of Foreign Affairs, but given the actual circumstances, the necessary expenses will most likely have to be advanced by the Kingdom.

After all, under the current situation, our losses are shared with the Moxi People, and we cannot be too calculating.

We will address all issues after the war.”

Count Francis said with a look of helplessness.

No money means no money; you can’t expect to squeeze oil out of a pauper.

To say we’ll talk after the war is merely a comforting phrase; it would be a miracle if the Moxi People don’t declare bankruptcy then.

Even the Kingdom’s finances will most likely go bankrupt after the war.

The Ministry of Finance has already done everything it can to collect money for this war.

Some areas tax-farmed by merchants have prepaid taxes up to thirty or fifty years in advance.

Even the tax-farming areas of the Noble Lords have been collected for five years in advance.

Even so, the finances are still tight.

There is no way around it; the mess left by the last war has not yet been cleared up, and here comes another war—there’s not enough leek to harvest!

The issue of rewarding military achievements was not even raised.

It’s better to drag it out for now and settle after the war, at least the Ministry of Finance can keep a bit more cash in hand.

The Noble Consortium is quite aware of this aspect, with the Major Nobles personally taking the lead and setting an example, so no one made a fuss.

If an officer of Major Noble origin performs exceptionally on the battlefield, they might even pay out of their own pocket for rewards.

To motivate the troops and boost morale, everyone is doing their utmost.

The soldiers following Marshal Hudson reaped the most benefits, but that’s because they seized supplies from the enemy and shared the spoils, not because they paid out of their own pockets.

“Post-war handling is fine, but the additional expenditures must be somehow raised.

It’s impossible to cut costs, so we are left with only generating more revenue.

We can either levy an additional war tax or pre-collect one year’s commercial taxes.

You all figure it out, but the Ministry of Finance is powerless at this point.

If anyone has a better way, the Ministry guarantees its full support.”

Marquis Delgado said as he spread his hands.

Everyone wanted to object but didn’t know where to start.

Based on past experience, if they raised objections at this point, the Minister of Finance would immediately have someone deliver a thick stack of account spending records.

There’s no doubt, the military is where the money’s gone.

Strengthening defenses, training troops, gathering strategic materials, purchasing military equipment…

everything requires money.

Even though most materials are gathered domestically, Gold Coins are still used for settlements.

Materials within the scope of duty might not cost money, but the Kingdom still has to pay for anything beyond that range.

While everyone’s profits can become debts on paper, the production costs still need to be paid; otherwise, no one can sustain a loss-making business.

The large purchases of War Bonds by the Kingdom Aristocrats in the last great war came about mostly in this way.

Indeed, if everyone were asked to pay out a large sum of cash at once during the war, very few could manage it.

…