In order to calm the uneasiness of the nobles, Roland specially arranged a sumptuous banquet.
A long table covered with a white cloth was placed in the center of the hall. The nobles who came sat facing each other, and in the middle were all kinds of dishes, wine, and flowers.
After two glasses of red wine, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Moreover, the major nobles had all fallen, and the Honeysuckle and the Elks were on Roland's side. The remaining minor nobles were even less likely to jump out at such a time. Instead, they expressed their intention to join Roland's side. In this situation, Roland knew it was time to put his new order on the table.
After eating and drinking, he distributed the small booklets that he had prepared in advance to the nobles.
It was the "publicity album" that he had carefully prepared.
"Your Highness... What is this?" As expected, soon a noble asked in surprise, "Why are the paintings so realistic?"
"Yes, they're almost real."
"They don't look like paintings... No paint can express such delicate colors."
As expected of the nobles in the big city, it was obvious that these people had a certain appreciation for paintings. Roland clapped his hands and smiled. "They are indeed painted by a painter, but if there's anything different, it's that the painter is a witch, and the paint she used is omnipresent magic."
These words made the nobles stiffen, and they did not know whether to put down the booklets in their hands or not.
"The power of the local church has disappeared. What are you worried about?" The prince raised his eyebrows. "Witches are no different from us. I've verified this many times."
"Ahem... ahem." Pérot almost choked. "You're right, Your Highness."
"As expected of Prince Roland, haha... haha." The other nobles also laughed awkwardly.
"Uh, it seems that I've said something quite ambiguous." Roland pretended to be nonchalant and changed the topic. After more than a year as a prince, he found that his level of calmness... or rather, the thickness of his skin had increased by leaps and bounds. "The pictures are just to make the content more vivid. The main point is the story."
They continued to read a few more pages. Aurelia, the little girl from the Elk Family, quickly raised her head and asked, "Is this the family history of a noble?"
"Aurelia!" Rennes reminded her in a low voice, "Call him His Highness!"
"Yes, he used to be a noble of the Western Region." Roland made an OK gesture. "Some of you should remember him."
"Your Highness … I know him," a Knight said. "Sir Pine, he is my neighbor. Our territories used to be next to each other."
"I've seen him too," another man recalled. "I think he was a Baron. His father was Joey Cole's vassal. Ever since Lord Joey left the Western Region, his territory has declined. "
"Viscount Tigu is currently in Border Town," Roland said with a smile, "and this album is a record of how I got to know him … as well as what happened afterwards. As you can see, he is a noble living under the new system. He is currently busy practicing his flintlock. It is estimated that after the end of the Months of Demons, he will take his daughter and attendants to the Misty Forest to enjoy the fun of hunting. As far as I know, since he sold the territory east of Stronghold and settled down in Border Town, not only has his title been promoted, but his family property has also increased several times. "
Fear came from the unknown, and so did resistance to the change of the system, because they did not know what kind of impact the change would have on them. Roland asked Soroya to depict the life of Pine in a small town in the form of a comic, as an example for his own propaganda, in order to reduce the resistance and fear of the nobles. Compared to those dry and boring biographies, the expression of a comic was obviously more vivid.
"You should all know that I am about to build a city in the Western Region. In fact, I have been preparing this plan for a long time. When the time comes, Border Town, Longsong Stronghold, and the long and narrow land between the two places will be integrated into one. " Roland continued, "Some people will ask, how can the two towns be connected to each other when they are so far away from each other. First of all, the overall meaning refers to the administrative, that is to say, the new city will implement the same law, the same policy, this is also the reason why I want to take back the nobles' enfeoffment and lawmaking rights. "
"Your Highness, then our territory..." someone asked.
"It will still belong to you," he interrupted, "I said, taking back these rights doesn't mean that you will lose anything. The essence of enfeoffment is to hand over your territory to others to form your own inferior nobles. In this way, you can strengthen your own power, resist the enemy together, or fight together to seize benefits. Under the new system, the task of resisting foreign enemies will be completed by a professional army. As long as you do things according to the rules, you will earn far more than in the past. After all, compared to dividing a little cake, it is better to make the cake bigger. "
Seeing that everyone was silent, Roland smiled and said, "You have never been to Border Town, so it is normal that you don't know how big the cake can be. In fact, in the second half of the year, the town's financial revenue reached as much as 30,000 Golden Dragons. If it were not for the early arrival of the Months of the Demons, this number is likely to increase by about 10,000."
The nobles all gasped, "30... 30,000?"
Roland had already learned from Pérot about the financial situation of Stronghold over the years. The annual income of City hall was no more than this amount, not to mention these small nobles, 100 Golden Dragons was a huge sum of money for them.
"And as the future managers of all industries here, you will naturally get rich returns from it." He raised the corner of his mouth, "Back to the construction of the city, in addition to the administrative unification, in terms of geography, the two towns will gradually move closer. For example, it only took me one day to go from Border Town to Longsong Stronghold. When the construction of Kingdom Avenue is completed, the time on land will also be reduced to one day. If you ride a horse or a bicycle, it will only take you half a day, not to mention faster transportation. "
"What is a bicycle?" Aurelia asked curiously.
"A human-powered riding tool that runs very fast on flat ground," the prince said with a smile, "I dare say that in five... no, in three years, we will be able to have breakfast in Stronghold and then go to Border Town to work." Because the Kingdom Avenue was a straight line, the distance between the two places was shortened to 60 kilometers, which would only take half an hour by rail or car.
However, most of the nobles did not pay attention to this. The Knight, who claimed to be Sir Pine's neighbor, asked cautiously, "Your Highness, what you just said, do you want us to manage Stronghold?"
"Yes and no," Roland said with a smile, "As I said before, after the construction of the city, the two places will be administratively integrated. Stronghold will be transformed into a district of the city, under the jurisdiction of the Central City hall. But for now, a day's journey is still too long, so I will set up a subordinate City hall in Longsong District, which will be divided into many subordinate departments according to the current model of Border Town. You will work in these departments and be responsible for the specific matters here. "
"Subordinate... departments?" The nobles looked confused.
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