The orderly development of the land reclamation project pushed the wave of reform in the kingdom to a climax, public opinion boiled, and all government ministries introduced reform measures.

And with that comes stress!

The ministers in charge of reform, except for Hudson, who should still eat and drink, are about to turn white.

Even just rectifying the rule of officials has encountered unprecedented resistance. The local noble lords did not cooperate, and the reform was confined to the royal city.

Even in the face of so many difficulties, the Alpha Kingdom is still the envy of many countries that are going through reform.

No matter how great the difficulties are, the pace of reform has finally moved forward. Unlike them, they were all supporters in the country before the reform, and there were opponents everywhere after the reform began.

Sending away the foreign envoys who came to learn from the experience, Caesar IV was also crying and laughing. My own affairs are sad enough, I didn't expect that there would be so many more miserable unlucky people.

The reform of the kingdom has progressed to the present, not to mention the full support of the local real power faction, and even a large number of opponents have appeared within the royal family.

The aristocracy that supported the reform was basically concentrated in the new provinces of the poor and white kingdom, purely out of generosity.

The only consolation is that in the midst of opposition, the great cause of reform is still slowly advancing.

"Your Majesty, something is wrong!

In the pilot region, the tax collection in the quarter was far less than expected, and the tax received was even less than two-thirds of the previous one.

The noble lords who handed over the right to collect taxes were ostensibly cooperating with us, but their foreign transactions were all in the name of gifts, resulting in a large amount of tax revenue being lost in vain. ”

Count Francis said with a depressed expression.

The worst has happened. No wonder everyone was so cooperative before, it turned out to be premeditated.

There are few free people in the Alpha Kingdom, and the main body involved in market transactions is the noble lords of various places. These people have found a way to avoid taxes, and naturally the taxes cannot be collected.

It's just that the royal government can't say anything yet, people are doing things according to the rules, and no one can prohibit human exchanges!

All commodity transactions are tax-avoided, and the taxes generated by sporadic commodity transactions are only a few dollars!

At this moment, everyone discovered that the ancient tax package system was not only safeguarding the interests of the aristocracy, but also safeguarding the interests of the royal government.

No matter how backward the tax package system is, it can eventually collect taxes, and the royal government will end up in person, and even the most basic taxes cannot be collected.

Of course, it's not without benefits. After the royal government unified the collection of taxes, countless transit taxes were eliminated, which greatly promoted the development of industry and commerce in the kingdom.

The development of industry and commerce still brought new increments to the royal government, but these industrial increases were long-term and could not be financially immediate.

Theoretically speaking, as long as you persist and wait for the development of domestic industries, you can make up for the tax hole by making a bigger cake.

After all, now everyone is paying less than the commodity transaction tax, and the other taxes are still retained.

Now the impact is large, mainly because the traded commodities are too single, and there are only a few in total.

The merchants engaged in these transactions were also the vests pushed out by the nobles, so that they could complete the tandem in a short time.

When the commodity economy develops, the proportion of grain and other bulk commodities will become smaller and smaller, and the impact will not be great.

The problem is that the Royal Government doesn't have that much time!

Now it is only a pilot project around the royal capital, and the tax revenue has been sharply reduced by one-third.

You must know that the economic development tax of the royal capital is the highest in the whole kingdom, and the corresponding types of taxes are also the largest.

In some remote areas, there is very little tax revenue other than the grain transaction tax and the salt transaction tax.

Because the economy is too backward, the local purchasing power is limited, even if it is magic potions, magic crystals, magic equipment...... There is also no market.

"Do you have a solution to the current situation?"

Caesar IV asked with concern.

Frankly, this pilot was a tragedy. From the time he chose the place, he had not been idle. Every day, a large number of nobles came to complain, so that Caesar IV had to close his doors.

Under pressure, he forcibly pushed forward the reform, and as a result, he ran into big trouble at the beginning.

The reform initiated by the Royal Government was to increase fiscal revenue, and the sharp reduction in tax revenue was clearly the opposite, even if it was only a short-term decline.

"Your Majesty, this labor pain is inevitable!

There are many ways to avoid taxes in the acquaintance trading market. Under the pretext of exchanging gifts, it is just one of them.

If desired, they can also trade at a price on the surface and a price on the covert.

Theoretically speaking, selling a hundred tons of grain for a copper plate is also people's freedom.

Even if they change the tax collection model to one in kind, they will be able to think of better ways to avoid taxes.

Referring to the Frankish Empire and the Kingdom of Iliby, after the completion of the tax reform, their taxpayers became freedmen, not noble lords.

The percentage of freedmen in the kingdom is too low, the wealth they can create is limited, and the taxes they can collect are even less! ”

The Prime Minister, Marquis Delgado, replied with a solemn expression.

When researching the economies of the countries of the southern continent, he accidentally discovered that several economically developed countries in the southern continent were all countries with a high proportion of free people.

On average, a freeman creates two to three times as much wealth as a serf and contributes six to eight times as much in taxes.

Taxing the nobility was going in the wrong direction from the beginning, and it was strange that it could be put away.

The heart-piercing truth silenced the ministers. If there had been no war, the number of freedmen in the kingdom would have been rising.

However, the situation of the Alpha Kingdom is special, after the previous orc invasions, the country has been beaten and the people are poor.

There are not a few bankrupt little aristocrats, and it is even more difficult for the freedmen who are already struggling to survive to bear the risk.

Knowing the truth, Caesar IV not only did not feel easy, but had more and more headaches.

The low percentage of freedmen is not something that can be solved in a short time. The reform has been carried out so far, and it is already full of difficulties, and if the serfdom system is touched again, it is purely looking for death.

For a time, the reformers were in an embarrassing dilemma!

Continuing to deepen reform will inevitably touch the core interests of the aristocratic group, and the resistance is too great to be pushed forward at all.

Going back is also a dead end!

Not only will the previous reforms be overturned, but the political lives of the government officials who promoted the reforms have also come to an end.

……

Papal States, Cabot City.

Since the army of the Five Nations Alliance took control of the city, the wealth and population of the city have been disappearing every day.

For a moment, panic permeated the city.

"Can't wait any longer!"

"The enemy's immigration is very fast, and if we drag it any further, I'm afraid we will also be loaded and taken away.

Either activate the summoning immediately, or simply abandon the plan and evacuate the place while there is chaos! ”

The young man said with an anxious expression.

As a top second generation, he should have lived a happy upper-class life. The result was a war that destroyed everything.

There are no eggs under the nest.

The Holy See has suffered heavy losses, and their families, who are dependent on the Holy See, naturally have no small losses.

It's not that they want to be buried with the Holy See, the problem is that the enemy wants too much. What is the difference between looting all the people and treasures and killing them?

Surrender is at most a loss of life.

Fame and fortune, glory and wealth, don't even think about it. The ruling groups of various countries are all a turnip and a pit, how can they have the position of these generals?

If you don't have a choice, you can only follow the Holy See to the dark.

"No, Lancer!

His Majesty the Pope has decreed that he must not act without permission.

We're ready, but we're still preparing for other places. Once we act ahead of time and disrupt the plan above, the Holy Court will not be able to spare us. ”

The old man hurriedly stopped.

The last decade has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and there is a general lack of reverence among the younger generation, but the older generation is well aware of the horror of the Holy See.

In particular, the methods used to deal with traitors are even more cruel and unimaginably cruel.

If the Holy See's plan is ruined at this moment, I am afraid that the powerhouses of the Holy Domain will personally come out and clean up the portal.

Even if you go to other countries, it is difficult to obtain asylum.

No matter how much the Holy See declines, it is also supported by some heritage. Even if the Holy See disappears from the mainland, the high-end power will not die all at once.

Looking at the game between the Holy See and the countries, you can see that the situation has long been out of control, but the holy realms of the two sides still have not participated in the war.

On the one hand, it is mutual jealousy, and on the other hand, it is out of racial righteousness.

The top powerhouse is a valuable asset for any race.

As a last resort, everyone will not kill each other, and they will be cheap for nothing.

Except for the newly promoted Sacred Domain powerhouse who has a deep affection for the forces they are in, the remaining old antiques have long since become indifferent.

There was no way, all the relatives and friends died. Living alone for hundreds of years, if you were emotionally rich, you would have been driven crazy.

In essence, the strong need to endure loneliness.

Of course, there are just in case of everything, and it's not surprising that there are a few alternatives once in a while.

Instead of directly destroying the Holy See, the countries adopted the means of gradual encroachment, cutting off the hope of revival of the Holy See, and also giving face to these old antiques.

"Ancestor, why don't you urge the top! Keep dragging it out, and the plan will really be exposed. ”

As soon as Lancell's words were finished, the old man's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately spoke:

"The situation has changed, and the Pope ordered to do it in advance!

Tell the order to get all of us into action, and start the summoning at dusk.

Lancer, you and I are in charge of the main line.

Once the altar is activated, don't hesitate to leave immediately! ”

Finally the plan has been launched!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

During these lurking days, everyone tensed their nerves every day, lest their whereabouts be exposed.

At about the same time, the hidden forces of the Holy See everywhere received similar orders.

As the minutes ticked by, the afternoon seemed extraordinarily long.

The sun is setting and dusk is falling.

"Drop the sacrifice!"

At the old man's command, countless unconscious boys and girls were pushed onto the altar and tied to the pillar, and then their wrists were cut open, and blood dripped down the wounds.

In an instant, the men and women on the altar turned pale.

Perhaps it was the stimulation of pain, and the unconscious men and women came to their senses. It's just that the rope locks on their bodies restrict their movements.

The struggle didn't work, only a weak wail.

Seeing this scene, Lan Cel, who was presiding over the sacrificial ceremony for the first time, flashed a trace of unbearability in his eyes.

It was too cruel, hundreds of people wailed together in the dungeon, and the atmosphere of the scene was set to the limit.

With a cup of tea, the void suddenly flickered, as if a portal was being opened.

The men and women on the altar also ran out of oil at this moment.

Suddenly, the portal was opened, and the old man immediately flashed and disappeared directly into the dungeon.

"Demons!"

After exclaiming, the other people involved in the sacrifice also realized that something was wrong.

It's just that I want to run at the moment, but it's too late. The demons who rushed out of the portal, after feasting on the sacrifices, had already struck at them.

"Boy, it's your greatest luck to be able to be the food of this king!"

The voice in his ears sounded, and the thought of "Demon King" arose, and Lancell's face changed instantly.

As an insider, his evacuation speed was almost at the same time as the old man's, but it didn't make any sense.

Originally, he thought that he was summoning a high-level demon this time, and with his strength, as long as his reaction speed was fast enough, he still had a chance to escape.

After all, there is still a lot of "food" in the city, and the demons can't take care of him, the little fish that slipped away.

But among the demons summoned now, there is actually an Abyss Demon King who is comparable to the powerhouse of the Holy Domain, and it will be the end of the calf.

How could he be a sixth-order golden warrior who could escape for his life in the hands of a holy domain powerhouse!

In the blink of an eye, Lancel was captured by the demon. At the last moment of his life, he clearly felt that he had been bitten off half of his body.

There was also the sound of bones breaking in my ears, this was the Demon King eating!

The old man who fled first did not escape the catastrophe. As soon as he returned to the ground, he was blocked by the Demon King.

With years of life experience, he instantly understood that he had become an outcast of the Holy See.

It's normal to think about it, and such a thing as summoning demons definitely can't have anything to do with the Holy See.

As an executor, keeping him is the biggest hidden danger, just like when he abandons his own people.

Even the most valued grandson only reminded him vaguely.

It's a pity that even with such caution, he still didn't escape being wiped out.

The summoning method given by the Holy See is not to summon high-level demons at all, but to lure the demon king to come.

After all, only the Abyss Demon King with an army of demons can pose a threat to the enemy.

It's just a group of high-level demons, who is this looking down on?

It was too late to regret it, and the old man still died at the hands of the demon king he had summoned.

The rising black clouds soon attracted the attention of the coalition forces.

"Demons!"

Recognized the monster with fangs and claws, the griffon dragoons in charge of reconnaissance, almost fell from the sky.

After coming to his senses, he did not hesitate at all, and hurried to the camp to report the news.

At about the same time, altars across the continent were activated, and countless heterotopic creatures were summoned.

The peace is broken, and the troubled times begin!