On the afternoon of the 17th, in the town hall of the town of Tyre, Prince Sinda urgently summoned the new Marquis of Barry Victor, the new Minister of War of the Empire, and Count Stu Gara, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who were accompanying the army.

At this time, the prince of the empire was no longer as energetic as when he had just taken over the power, and he stared at Count Stu with a pair of bloodshot eyes: "Tell me the results of today's negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce Alliance." ”

"No progress, Your Highness. Count Stu did not dare to lift his head.

"Those damned merchants, they are also nobles, and their ancestors have fought all their lives for the honor of nobles, is it really worthless to them at this moment?" Prince Sinda had no anger to vent on, his face full of disappointment.

"Your Highness, we can't be toyed with like idiots by merchants. Marquis Barry said in a low tone: "The Fourth Cavalry Regiment has arrived in the north of Suke City, now, it's time for those merchants to understand who the master of the empire really is!"

"Oh, Goddess, what are you going to do?" Count Stuth's eyes bulged, and his fat body jumped from his seat.

"I should ask you what you and your merchant friends are going to do?" Marquis Barry also stood up, his cold eyes waiting for Count Stu: "Anyone, anyone I am talking about, anyone who dares to challenge the authority of the Empire, anyone who dares to challenge the authority of the Emperor, must be punished!" he pointed to Count Stu's chest, "If you still want to continue to defend them, I will let you understand what the authority of the Empire is." ”

"Is it true that in your eyes, authority can only be maintained by killing?" said Count Stu fearlessly confronting the Marquis of Barry, "killing is only rewarded with endless hatred and hostility from merchants, and only the most stupid ruler would wield his butcher's knife at his subjects." ”

"You are now like a dog groveling before those merchants. Marquis Barry smiled sarcastically, "You seem to have forgotten who your master is!"

Marquis Barry's words made Count Stu angry, the fat on his whole body trembled violently, and his right hand pointed at Marquis Barry's chest, "You..."

"Slap" Marquis Barry coldly slapped Count Stu's finger away, and said in a condescending tone: "Don't forget your own identity, and don't forget who got your current status and power!"

"Everything I do is for the Empire, the current Empire needs a change in order to be reborn, you don't understand anything, you are intoxicated with the glory of the past every day. Count Stu roared desperately, "If glory can restore the empire to its former prosperity, I am willing to worship it!"

"Bang" Marquis Barry was even more angry, he was so angry that he smashed the coffee cup on the table, "Are you questioning the honor of the nobles of the empire? you don't understand what a nobleman is, you only use your commoner head to think about things, honor has supported this empire to dominate the Elland continent for more than three hundred years..."

"I have never questioned honor, honor is supreme. Although Count Stu was angry, he was still very measured when he spoke, "It's that you don't understand honor, honor is not only on the battlefield... You're only going to wield butcher's knives at those who oppose you!"

"Archduke Patved once said that only a sword in his right hand and a bouquet of flowers in his left hand can maintain the rule of the empire. The Marquis de Barry said, "All I have to do is remind the merchants that we have not only flowers in our hands, but also a sharpened knife!"

"But..."

"Alright, two—" Prince Sindar stood up suddenly.

Earl Stu, who was about to continue arguing, immediately shut his mouth, and the Marquis of Barry also bowed respectfully.

The prince took a deep breath, the temperature in winter was very low, and his lungs transmitted this cold feeling to his whole body to dispel the fatigue of his body, and then looked at Count Stu and said: "I have ordered the Fourth Cavalry Regiment to be stationed in the northern plains of Fort Norma, this is an established fact, you don't need to say it. ”

As he spoke, the prince looked at Marquis Barry again, "The main purpose of the Fourth Cavalry Regiment stationed in the central area of the Suke Plain is not only to deter the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, but also to prevent the rebels from attacking Suke City through the Rohnes Gorge. ”

"Rest assured, Your Highness, your order has been delivered. The Marquis of Barry replied with a humble bow.

"Well—" Prince Sinda nodded, then fell silent.

Count Stu and Marquis Barry did not continue to quarrel, for both of them could see that the current ruler of the empire had something else to say.

A few minutes later,

The prince raised his head, he first glanced at the Marquis of Barry, and then quickly moved his gaze to Count Stu, "I've been thinking about what you mentioned earlier these days... Well, it's about the reward system for civilian merchants who donate money, food, and materials. ”

"Your Highness, this—" Marquis Barry's face changed drastically.

"Marquis, let me finish my sentence. Perhaps it was the recent period when the young prince had exhausted his anger, and he became very calm at the moment, and when he quietly took a sip of cold coffee, he said: "I don't want to admit it, but the facts are the facts... The strength of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance is undeniable, and they are now able to influence the fate of the empire to a certain extent. ”

As he said this, Prince Sinda seemed to think of something that made him depressed, and suddenly fell silent again.

The Marquis of Barry's Adam's apple agitated to say something, but in the end nothing was said.

Count Stu was a little surprised by Prince Sinda's transformation, and he waited earnestly for the prince's next words.

"I thought about putting all these people on the gallows... And it almost did, don't look at me like that, Count Stu, as the ruler of the empire, I have the right to do this, the emperor's right is even more terrifying than you think... But I don't want to use that privilege. A serious expression appeared on the prince's tired cheeks, and a pair of cold eyes stared at the Imperial Chancellor.

A smile appeared on Prince Sinda's face when Count Stu felt like a man on his back, and then he said in a joking tone: "If I really do that, those old men of the Imperial Court will definitely try to remove me from power and find someone in the Danediv family who can inherit the golden throne again." ”

Although this sentence was pleasant to say in the mouth of the prince, in the face of this topic, neither Count Stu nor the Marquis of Barry, who claimed to be the upper nobleman of the empire, dared to answer.

After making a boring gesture, Prince Sinda continued: "My wife said something to me some time ago, she said: 'The power of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance is too large, if you can't find a way to deal with this organization, then you should make them a tool of the empire', I've been thinking about this sentence for the past few days..."

"But now they don't want to be instruments of the empire, they try to be masters in vain. When the Marquis of Barry heard this, he couldn't help but interject.

"Yes!" Prince Sinda nodded, he looked at Count Stu, "Marquis of Barry is exaggerating, but you have to admit that the conditions of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance are too harsh, and it is impossible for the Cabinet to have their seats now. ”

"But that's the bottom line of the Chamber of Commerce League, and they're afraid to be the second O'Britton Bob. Count Stu frowned, and it was already clear from Prince Sinda's words that it was impossible for the cabinet to add seats for merchant representatives.

"So, the empire now needs to have the strength to compete with those merchants. Prince Sinda sat back down and leaned back in his chair, "I've asked Chief Bailly to investigate, there's a huge conflict between the commoner merchants and the Chamber of Commerce allies... The reason why those people in the Chamber of Commerce were able to earn countless wealth was entirely because of the exploitation of ordinary businessmen such as foot merchants and middle- and low-level workshop owners from all over the world. ”

Prince Sinda and Count Stu looked at each other, "You should know better about this." ”

"I think I get it. Count Stu nodded.

The Marquis of Barry did not object any further.

"Well, we've got a consensus. Prince Sinda clapped his hands lightly, "However, I need time to convince the other nobles on this issue... At the very least, we have to put the Prime Minister of the Reich on our side, because this decree involves the laws of the Reich, and amending the Reich Constitution is a big deal. ”

"What do you mean?" said Count Stu, frowning.

Prince Sinda said, "You need to find a way to convince the farmers and workshop owners to donate some supplies to meet our next war..."

"This is impossible, Your Highness. Count Stu shook his head, "Some of the farmers are even more savvy than our tax collectors, and they are not stupid. ”

"You should hear me, Count. Prince Sinda frowned, "I can give donors and their families certain rights, such as exemption from military service, exemption from hard labor, and the right of private litigation, and I allow them to establish their own merchants' unions." ”

Earl Stu's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Will Duke Nick agree?"

"He'll agree, he knows better than you what the Empire needs most right now. Prince Sinda said confidently: "I can even agree to them buying land to build their own estate, but only if they have to pay a certain amount of business tax." ”

Hearing this, Count Stu suddenly came to his senses.

He suddenly understood that these questions could not be thought up by the young imperial prince in front of him.

But who will it be?

At the same time as this question appeared, a figure suddenly appeared in Count Stu's mind,

The figure always wears a signature smile, his figure looks very thin because of his injuries, he is always standing in front, walking in front, sitting in front...

Yes, the Prime Minister of the Empire, Duke Nick Reagan!