Before the other Grand Dukes could put forward their opinions, Lin grabbed the conversation again and said, "Don't say anything like now, divide it into five positions, and everyone will discuss who sits it." Even if there are more positions, is there no one who is not convinced? Even if so many positions are really put out and everyone is arranged, some people have to care about why others are taller than me, not that I am taller than others. In a word, there is no end to greed. If you have been able to create the current situation, I think there must be some bitterness in it that no one knows. ”

The Grand Duke of Montezuma did not defend himself or solve the question of a magician, but asked directly: "Then how do you think you should evaluate the strength of a nobleman?" ”

"Money? No, a nobleman who can spend money, and not being able to save money does not mean that his strength is poor, it may just be that he is not so stingy. Even if the number of coins is not simply calculated, some of the places where the money was spent are not disclosed, and naturally cannot be converted into capital and included in the calculation of the wealth of the nobility. So money is not a criterion. ”

Lin came up with an idea of his own, but rejected it himself. Save these aristocrats from thinking and build a preconceived notion for themselves. He continued:

"Land? Actually, it doesn't quite fit. Some of the land is fertile, some of the land is barren, some of the land has mines underneath, and some of the land has nothing to see except yellow sand. Under these differences, the value of the nobility is not suitable for judging by land.

"Some people will say that the area of arable land is the most important criterion. That's right, it's not true. Food is important, but even if those wealthy merchants don't farm and don't have any arable land under their names, are they weak? I guess not.

"Military? The person who proposes to use this as a standard, you adults should first treat this guy as a bad intention, and dispose of it directly. Such talents are not worthy of living in the world at all. ”

Lin asked himself this time, but it made a certain elder feel annoyed. Grand Duke Pilcenza said: "Who can say that the military is used to make a comparison." The ultimate embodiment of all strength is in the army in hand. If there is a weak person who dares to override the strong, the army in the hands of others is just a decoration. ”

Lin replied: "What if someone is reckless? What if someone indiscriminately fills the number and temporarily brings in a group of farmers to fill the scene? What should I do about the kind of gameplay of making a book and eating military salaries? How do you calculate the strength of the nobility with the local army, the orthodox army, and the ace army, these different levels of army? Is it really a fight when pulled out? If you can really solve it like this, don't stay by the emperor's side, just to get a small errand envoy, wouldn't it be good to fight directly. beat up the mess, subdued everyone else, and became the emperor himself. ”

……

When the Grand Duke heard this, there was nothing wrong with this. If you want to list military strength as an indicator, if you don't pull it out and fight, not many people will be convinced.

Even if it is the empire itself, no one thinks that it is worse than the other among the several legions, at most it is a different direction of expertise. For example, dragoons can fly, wolf cavalry is good at raiding, horse cavalry is running, and sheep cavalry is fighting in the mountains.

It's just that the military exploits accumulated from generation to generation have given them one, two, or three. But when it comes to confrontation, victory or defeat depends on many factors, and it is not just who wins.

So the military power, it really doesn't look suitable.

Lin denied several indicators in the general direction once, changed the conversation, and said: "In fact, the indicators for judging the strength of the nobility should be considered from the root of the power of the nobility. ”

"The source of power?" Grand Duke Mushi, who was still outspoken, repeated in confusion.

Lin explains: "The reason why a nobleman is an aristocracy is that he rules a group of people and gives them a promise of protection. And he has enough wisdom and fairness to let him act as an arbitrator in the event of a dispute. Land, wealth, military power, these things are all produced by these people. The greater the population, the more wealth it can bring to the nobility; The population must be large enough to have both territorial development and the ability to organize an army. Some people may think that you need land to be able to afford people. But in fact, such an idea is limited by the current situation. If I had wealth and an army, it would not be convenient to grab a piece of land. If I don't have enough troops, I can keep the land that has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the population is the root of all the power of the aristocracy. ”

The distinction between the aristocracy and the commoners, in the old days of Europe, was basically based on two arguments. One is the divine right of kingship, and the other is the theory of noble blood. The lord is ordained by the king, and the king is recognized by the one god, so the nobles are different creatures from the commoners, and the former is much more noble. Don't drink the same water, don't eat the same things, don't even poop together.

However, in the Lost Land, the divine right of the monarch is completely unacceptable, because there really are gods in the Lost Land. In other words, the god of the lost land is not as unattainable as the god of his hometown. Even if the noble lords of the Lost Land can accept that there is a king and a god on their heads, when the two conflict, who will they listen to?

The so-called "no two days" is not a kind of arrogant saying that it is only self-serving, but has its actual needs. Even if I work in the company, I have two direct leaders, and I have to listen to everyone. When one of them is going east and the other is going west, and the work can be done, then hell is it.

Not to mention that he has become a king and an emperor, how can he accept that there are other existences on his head that can command him!

As for the nobility of blood, it may be possible to talk about it in other parts of the Lost Land. But in the Karlsruhe Empire, this argument is weak and unchallenged.

Because behind the selection of the meritocracy of the Karlsruhe Empire's succession is the thinking of the capable on the top. Everyone's blood was red, and no one was golden. Even if the starting point is high, it does not mean that the achievement is also high.

】

Without ability, it is a matter of course to be replaced by the capable. Even lords with proper titles have been replaced in the history of the empire by people who are not related by blood.

Some are heirs and are inherited by others. Some of them are really too fucked up by what they do, and their feudal lords can't keep it if they want to, so they can only deprive them of their titles and hand them over to others. If you don't do that, don't talk about the problem of public grievances, you may even be in danger yourself.

The folk customs of the Karlsruhe Empire are so fierce.

This is also why a certain large cross-legged people will try to establish a constitution in this empire and promote the process of legalization. Because the Karlsruhe Empire already had suitable soil, and there were such sprouts.

Even if you don't do it yourself, in a hundred or two hundred years, the empire will face change, and only need to encounter an opportunity. So, it's a matter of going along with the flow. Some people who are afraid of trouble will want to try what it feels like to be the promoter of this kind of history.

The grand dukes in front of them, of course, are not the ones who say anything to others, and they accept everything unconditionally.

The Grand Duke of Pilcenza then said: "This is the reason why you think that the Lower Council should be formed." A certain number of people elect a delegate, and then the more deputies, the more advantages they can have in voting. If that were the case, wouldn't it be nice for each nobleman to represent the population of his domain. When it comes to voting, he represents how many people he represents. ”

Instead of directly refuting this opinion, Lin raised a question: "If the lord of the territory is directly represented by the population under his jurisdiction in this way, then the cities of Neuquen, Sani, and Hurricane Bay can all nominally belong to the emperor's direct domain." There are also many aristocrats who gather together, and cities that thrive on commerce and trade, have similar situations. It's all to the emperor, or to some lord who is lucky enough to have a title, okay? ”

Now it was the turn of the Grand Dukes to stop talking, silently calculating an account.

Not counting those subordinate titles, among all the nobles of the empire, the nobleman with the largest territory, the largest population, and the strongest strength is the emperor. If you count the sub-titles that are divided into two categories, there are quite a few large cities in the emperor's direct domain.

The status quo of these big cities is not the emperor's word. In the city, large and small forces are staggered, and there are few big nobles who do not plant flags.

Perhaps the taxes and labor were nominally owned by the emperor, but in fact they were in the hands of the imperial finance ministers, but which of the great nobles did not profit from them. According to the method of the ownership of the territory, its lord can represent the population of the territory, this is not to give the things in his pocket to the emperor for nothing, and no one can agree to this stupid method.

If the method of electing the representatives of the council with a certain number of people means that the nobles can not only have the number of representatives in their own territory, but also can win over the representatives of the council in the area of Mohu. Some even wondered if there was a way to reach out to the territories of other nobles and win over the councilors in those disputed areas.

Thinking about it this way, perhaps the solution proposed by the magician in front of him is to open up a new battlefield for these nobles. But this battlefield is a virgin land that has not yet been developed, which means that there is a lot to be done.

If it works well, it can also expand its political influence without involving the taboo of territorial disputes between nobles. Such benefits and challenges, who would not be willing to try.

The Grand Duke, who has a good brain, figured it out in a few clicks. Even those who are used to pretending to be stupid in front of outsiders understand the twists and turns.

It can be said that this method not only allowed them to legally divide the power of the emperor, but also provided an opportunity to expand his influence. Even if someone doesn't think of this level for a while, they don't reject this method in their hearts.

However, the expressions and acting skills of the Grand Dukes have still been trained, and Lin and others can't see their inner thoughts from their performances. Unless you come out with a cheating device and read their minds. But he didn't do that after all, and threw something else.

As with the Constitution, the text is displayed on a magnified water mirror screen so that several Grand Dukes can see it clearly.

At first, the Grand Dukes thought it was a constitution-like document. But if you look closely, the title reads 'Imperial Law', and the content also revolves around some privileges and norms of the emperor and his family. Everyone frowned and puzzled.