When she walked into the study covered with a dark blue velvet carpet, Victoria felt as if the stars had changed and the people had changed.
The first time she came here, she was with her father. Under the leadership of the former Duke of the Northern Region, she saw Francis II, who was still in his prime, and Wales, who was still young. Moen. At that time, she was still a naive girl, and the country was running as steadily and dully as it had for hundreds of years, as if there would never be any change.
The last time she came here, it was on the eve of the departure for the Great Wood Path. Sitting behind the desk was Wales, who had returned to the Silver Castle. Moen, the kingdom was falling apart, and a terrible crisis that no one had expected was brewing in the Holy Spirit Plain.
Now, she had experienced a life-or-death crisis and was facing the turning point of the country's destiny. The master of this place had become the duke who had come back from the dead. She had a vague feeling that history was gradually focusing on this room, and she … was experiencing it all herself.
"Sit down, make yourself at home." Gwen stood by the desk and watched the two dukes enter the room. He watched the attendant close the door and leave. He said in an easy-going tone, "We want to talk about the future of this country."
"Yes, Duke." Bodwin nodded and found a seat. He still called Gwen "Duke" because Gwen had not been crowned, finalized, or announced the future framework of the country. For the time being, he could only continue to call him Duke.
"Wait a minute, there's another participant." Gwen waved his right hand and asked the two dukes to wait. His eyes fell on the magic net terminal that had just been installed on the desk. "She's establishing a connection. The magic net here is not very stable. It's being tested."
The two grand dukes turned their eyes to the shimmering arcanotech machine with a triangular metal base and a crystal core. It was not the first time that Victoria had seen the magic network terminal, but Duke Bodwin had never seen it in person before. He had only read about it in some reports and sketches. The Duke of the Western Region stared at it, not hiding his curiosity at all. "Is this the magic device that can make communication magic cheaper?" he asked.
Gwen nodded. "You can think of it that way. But in fact, it's much more useful than messaging. Although it needs a set of complex infrastructure to operate, its upper limit and unit cost are far more than messaging."
"I have thought about how to expand the range of messaging and reduce its casting requirements. This is of great benefit to the economy and military. But the research has not made any progress." Bodwin could not help but get closer to the device as if he wanted to understand its principle. "It's a completely different route.........
Hum! Hum!
While they were talking, the magic net terminal suddenly buzzed, and then the projection crystal as the core lit up in an instant. Duke Bodwin was a little surprised and took a step back. He saw the holographic projection above the crystal show a beautiful lady in an elegant dress with a quiet and elegant temperament.
"Good afternoon, ancestors." Heti first greeted Gwen, then turned to the two dukes. "Grand Duke Franklin, Grand Duchess Werder, good afternoon."
She had never seen Duke Bodwin, but she had read about almost all the high-ranking nobles in the kingdom. Much of the basic knowledge of the Kingdom of Ansu was from the teaching materials in Cecil Academy. The people of the Southern Region were no stranger to the top nobles of this country.
"Good afternoon." Bodwin returned the greeting. After a moment of hesitation, he matched her with the information in his mind. "Heti? Madam Cecil, you are as beautiful as the rumors say. "
"Thank you for the compliment."
"We have entered the Silver Fortress," Gwen said. "You should have received the detailed information."
"Yes, the communication between the government office and the frontline is smooth." Heti nodded with an undisguised relaxed smile on her face. "I'm glad to know that the war is going well. The additional supplies and civilian personnel sent to the north have been boarded from Pompeii. They are using fast mechanical ships."
Gawain heaved a sigh of relief. Having such a reliable and capable great-granddaughter like Heidi was truly a relief. He basically did not have to worry about logistics and local order. Apart from the fact that she could not get married, the fact that she had to paint her face with magic and draw dark circles under her eyes to cheat sick leave, Heidi was basically flawless in his eyes.
He sat down behind the desk, and the two guardian dukes sat on the two high-back chairs next to him. With Heidi's holographic projection, a remote meeting that was rarely seen in this era began.
"The history of the Ansu is over. As for the evaluation of the kingdom, the merits and demerits of the kings, and its end, these will be discussed by historians. Now we have to consider how to ensure the stability of the social order, ensure the survival of the people after this disaster, and end the disorder of the country as soon as possible." Gwen looked at Bodwin and Franklin. "Although the feudal system is backward, it at least reflects one advantage. The feudal territories operate independently. To some extent, they are like countless self-sufficient and self-sustaining small kingdoms. The end of the Ansu's kingship will not immediately lead to the collapse of the order in these territories, so we have some time to work."
"Yes, I have discussed this with Victoria." Bodwin nodded. "The two of us still have influence among the nobles of the old kingdom. We will do our best to cooperate with you in the process, minimize the backlash, and ensure the stability of the country's reorganization process."
Heti also nodded. "The Southern Territory is ready. A team of governors and government officials and security forces are on standby at Firmrock Fortress. They can go to the North at any time to restore order."
"To restore order in the North, to some extent, we need the cooperation of the local forces. The Military Intelligence Agency is experienced in this. I will let Amber assist," Gwen said. "The other two dukes will also help in the process."
After a pause, he added, "At present, the Southern Territory has limited manpower, and the digestion and control of the government system is limited. It is impossible to swallow the whole Ansu in one go. The priority is to reorganize and rebuild the Sacred Plains. First, restore the production function of the country's hinterland. As for the Western Territory and the Northern Territory … I will leave it to Bodwin and Victoria. I will send government officials to assist you. Is that okay?"
The two dukes pondered for a moment and responded, "No problem."
"In the process, all the old nobles must sign and obey the new law, including the two of you. At the same time, the military power of the two territories will be returned to the Military Department of the Supreme Government. The original mountain army and the Western Territory army will be reorganized, and the two territories will be garrisoned by the Supreme Government," Gwen said one by one. "The economy, military, politics … all must be unified. The enfeoffment system will be ended and replaced by Cecil's law and order. Obstacles will inevitably appear, and there may even be regional and periodic repetitions, but I hope that everyone can at least be clear about one thing: the new era has arrived, and its advancement is inevitable. There may be obstacles, but they must be eliminated in the end. "
He glanced at Victoria and Bodwin. One of the two dukes maintained an indifferent expression, while the other looked free and easy.
"The era of the Moen Royal Family is over, and the aristocratic system in the Sacred Plains has been disintegrated. If there is any factor in this country that is qualified to be an obstacle, it is the two of us," Bodwin said with a smile. "We choose to support you, so the remaining nobles are not qualified to be an obstacle. In this regard, I still have some confidence."
"The mountain army has been greatly weakened, but the Wilde family's deterrence to the mountains of the Northern Territory is still there," Victoria said briefly.
"Very good. After that, I will use the system of the Duchy of Cecil as the basic template, and after some adaptation and improvement, promote it to the whole country. I plan to use the Supreme Government Office in the capital as the center, and divide Ansu into several provinces. Each province will have a provincial governor, and then, with the big cities as the center, we will set up city government offices and city governors … "
"I am the supreme ruler of the country, but I will also be subject to the restrictions of the law. At the same time, my rule of the country will be carried out through the government office system. Under me, the Great Governor will be the person in charge of the highest government office. At present, the Great Governor is Heti, but I plan to add two more people, with the two dukes serving as the guardian … After that, the combination of three Great Governors will be the norm until the system is not suitable, or there is a situation that has to be changed … "
"The Great Governor will execute my will and carry out the specific management of the Supreme Government Office, but he should also make timely suggestions to me based on his own judgment …"
"The Supreme Government Office in the Duchy of Cecil has accumulated a lot of experience in the specific implementation methods. Besides reference, we can also discuss with the officials in the Southern Territory …"
Gawain shared his ideas one by one, and Heidi kept adding to his ideas. Gradually, Bai Dewen and Victoria got used to the rhythm and changed from one-sided listening to Gawain to a fruitful exchange. In this place that once belonged to Francis II and Wales? In the study of Moen, they discussed how to restore the order of the country, how to rebuild the production activities damaged in the disaster, how to establish a new national framework …
In the process of discussion, Gwen's ideas were also improved little by little. Many of the ideas he put forward were actually just a general framework, and even an overly idealized framework with many gaps and mistakes. But the greatest significance of his ideas was their inspirational point. Under his inspiration, Bodwin and Victoria put forward a series of valuable reference suggestions, gradually filling in the framework made by Gwen.
Even so, the discussion they had today was still destined to be preliminary and framework. There were certainly many parts that needed to be improved and changed according to reality. And even if the framework was made well, a lot of trial and error, running-in, adjustment, and a lot of repetition and setbacks were needed in the later implementation. The last king of Ansu did his best to remove the obstacles to change, but the obstacles would never completely disappear. After all, it required the three major costs of time, manpower, and material resources to be slowly solved.
Gwen was well aware of this and was mentally prepared for it.
Their discussion lasted for a long time, so long that everyone seemed to have forgotten the passage of time. It was only when the sun set outside the window and the castle area lit up that the discussion came to an end. As for Bodwin? Duke Franklin let out a long sigh and asked, "Then, we should give this new kingdom a name."
"The era of kings and suzerains is over. It's no longer a kingdom," Gwen said slowly, "It's an empire."
After a pause of three seconds, he said word by word, "The Cecil Empire."
He chose to name the new empire with his current surname, completely distinguishing it from the former 'Ansu Kingdom'.
He was going to bury the former Ansu Kingdom. The old and once glorious kingdom would become history along with its name. Whether symbolically or practically, the new empire had to be separated from the word 'Ansu'. This was also one of the measures to weaken the influence of the old forces.
He would also embody his authority in the name of the new Empire, indirectly ensuring the centralization and efficient operation of power. In order to face the challenges and the crises that were about to erupt, he had to choose to centralize power to improve the efficiency of society so that he could be prepared to deal with the crisis as soon as possible.
The study was suddenly shrouded in a solemn atmosphere. After a long while, Victoria said softly, "From now on, regardless of merit or demerit, you have to bear it."
"When I chose to lead the army north, I was already prepared."
"Then," Bodwin stood up from his chair, "Salute the Cecil Empire."
Victoria stood up next. "Salute the Cecil Empire."
"Salute the Cecil Empire," Heti said.
Gawain looked at the three of them and exhaled softly.
"It will be worthy of your salute."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
