In fact, we, who seem to be idiots in some ways, have no idea what the cardinal priest is different from the cardinal.

"From the current point of view, the Protoss thinks that the three red-clothed priests of the temple are not suitable to come forward, in fact, the red-clothed chief priest has been imprisoned. The First Cardinal explained with a smile: "After our investigation, the Cardinal Priest did participate in the civil strife in Spia, so the whole temple is sorry for this rebellion. Please also be considerate of us, after all, there are still many innocent people in the temple. ”

"Of course, of course. Cohen said noncommittally: "There will always be a day when things will come to light, and it depends on whether the people can wait for this day to come." ”

"It seems that His Majesty the Emperor still has some complaints, but this is not important. The cardinal smiled magnanimously, "Let's get down to business!" But there is one condition, you can't do it yourself, the determination of the guilt of these priests is determined by the Temple of Paradise Island, and we send someone to punish it. ”

"Punished by the Temple?" Cohen's mind raced through analysis, "In other words, the Temple has the right to acquit these heinous priests, or even let them go?"

"Theoretically, there is indeed such a possibility as His Majesty said. The cardinal priest continued: "But please note that the main premise now is that both the Bright God Clan and the Heaven Island Divine Temple have already determined that they are guilty, and the people sent will naturally not let them go, this is just a determination of the terms of reference. After all, these people are not secular officials, and they are not big things, but they are related to the prestige of the temple. ”

"As you wish. The Paradise Island Temple has already set a punishment for Cheng Dù?" His Majesty Cohen looked at the priest in front of him. He didn't even roll his eyes: "For my peace of mind." Let's just reveal something first!"

"Your Majesty, Emperor, you are really good at embarrassing people. The cardinal smiled wryly and said, "I don't want to deceive you, in fact I do know the final decision to deal with them, but at the same time I can't leak it out in advance......"

After a moment of silence, all three people in the room smiled.

"You're a wise priest, and I personally have a good impression of you, if nothing else. Cohen smiled and stood up and removed his helmet. He also took a few glasses of red wine and handed them to the minister and priest: "For these friendly conversations, let's toast." ”

"Where, where and where, to be able to get His Majesty's understanding is the biggest gain of my trip. The cardinal was very good at being a man, and immediately curried favor with Cohen: "Also, I would like to know when His Majesty's enthronement ceremony will take place." ”

"It was a solemn ceremony, and we couldn't do it in a hurry, so we decided to do it in two months' time. The Prime Minister approached with a wine glass: "We hope you will come too." ”

"I'll try my best! Recently, due to the civil strife in Spia, the temple has been very busy. I will report the situation here truthfully, and it is estimated that the envoy sent will arrive a few days before the enthronement ceremony of His Majesty the Emperor. The cardinal said, "If nothing else." I'm leaving, and the guards are still waiting for me outside the city. ”

"It's over. It's hard work, if there is any rudeness, make up for it next time......" The minister of state politely sent the cardinal all the way out of the room, and then arranged for someone to send him out of the city.

When he turned around, the Prime Minister had a solemn look on his face.

"After decades of being an official, the Bright God Clan's attitude towards the empire has never been as vague as it is today. When Cohen asked, the Minister of State replied: "In the past, whether it was the Bright God Clan or the Heaven Island Temple, their answers were always categorical and unequivocal. But this time's reply always makes people feel that the attitude is not so resolute!"

"Is there a conspiracy?" Cohen laughed self-deprecatingly, "What kind of conspiracy do you need to come up with such a mess now? ”

"You are now the emperor, of course you will not take any conspiracy against you lightly. The prime minister sighed: "However, they can take their anger on ordinary people when they are dissatisfied with you. Listen to my advice, and restrain your sharpness a little, your sharpness is used to kill the enemy, not to make the enemy take precautions early. ”

"Understood. Cohen nodded in agreement, "I'm going to be my character wholeheartedly, a big madman." ”

"Here you go again, who allowed you to have a hippie smile in the palace?"

Cohen was taught a lesson by his father, but he didn't care, and asked about the current situation in the provinces with a smile.

"As of today, two provincial governors have sent letters of repentance, publicly declaring their affiliation with us. The minister smiled slightly: "Now that the cardinal priest of Paradise Island has arrived, we have been recognized by the Bright God Clan, and the governors of the remaining provinces will write in a short time." ”

"I want them to come to the enthronement ceremony, father, you can comfort them. Cohen sat down by the window: "By the way, Dad, you said before that you had a way to replace them. ”

The Prime Minister nodded with a smile.

"So. Two years — no, a year and a half is okay?" Cohen's eyes sparkled.

"A year is fine, as long as our justices know how to cooperate. The minister nodded: "O officials of these old factions of the empire! none of them are clean, and no one has done any dirty things, and one year is enough time for the chief justice to have ironclad evidence." ”

"Well, I'm here to give the Chancellor a chance to make a name for himself. Cohen almost laughed out loud: "Then I will go to the General Staff and tell him that he is going to send troops to these provinces." ”

"Why are you in such a hurry?" asked the prime minister, looking back.

"It's okay to do it!" Cohen's voice came from the stairs.

As an emperor, Cohen had many places to work, but for things like troop transfers, Cohen still preferred to handle them on the ninth floor of the Royal House. There's a lot of space and there's a lot of maps to work with.

When His Excellency the General Staff Officer reached the ninth floor, he found that his emperor was staying with several "officers" who made the sand table. The teachers of the academy who had been forcibly conscripted into the army had new companions—the other geography, hydrology, and even horticulture teachers of the Sanctuary Academy, all of whom had been sent by Dean Lorenzo to work for the emperor as soldiers.

His Majesty the Emperor holds a book in his hand. Stand in the sand table that is half-made in several seats. A quarrel between the "officers" was watching. A geography teacher disputed the height and direction of a mountain. The sculpture teacher waved the map in his hand and insisted in a tough tone that he was right. They were so engaged in the quarrel that they did not even notice the arrival of the General Staff.

Cohen nodded to Carlos, then calmly said, "Shut up." ”

The scene immediately calmed down.

"From my point of view, it doesn't matter if you quarrel all over the world. Cohen tossed his book aside and whispered, "But beware, time is running out for you, before I ascend the throne." You must give the correct sandbox for the entire territory of the Spya Empire. ”

"Your Majesty the Emperor, there are still a lot of things we don't know......"

"That's your business, do you think I'll do it myself, I've given you the best information, and you'll do the rest. Cohen smiled and turned to Carlos, "That's it." ”

The people present knew that Cohen's words had been finished, and hurriedly saluted: "Send Your Majesty." ”

"Chief of Staff, let's change places!" Cohen patted Carlos on the shoulder, "This place will be arguing again soon." ”

Carlos smiled and followed Cohen to the garden outside.

The garden outside the ninth floor has been renovated to completely restore the old landscape, and an artificial stream flows through the garden. All kinds of rare flowers and plants are scattered on both sides, purple and red, fragrant and lingering.

"This garden isn't bad, is it?" said Cohen. In a very dissatisfied tone, he said: "But I can't figure it out, why should I repair this thing on the roof? It takes a lot of manpower to hold down the water in that stream, and the annual maintenance cost of the garden is even more expensive, is it the only way to show the extraordinariness of the royal family?"

"Or maybe it!" Carlos looked around, "Your Majesty, you must know that royalty and nobility are treated very differently. ”

"When no one is around, you might as well call me sir. Cohen sat down on the rattan chair next to him: "I have been studying for the past few days, and although I have only flipped through a few books, I have found that the bad habits of the royal family are like mosquitoes in summer. ”

"Sir, you're not trying to eradicate these traditions, are you?" said Carlos, seated down on the other side of the wicker chair.

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that it simply doesn't work. Cohen shook his head: "If I don't want to enjoy these royal treatments, then how can the nobles be at ease? Only when I enjoy these things, can they enjoy all the benefits that belong to the nobility...... In the current empire, there are more than 1,000 people with noble titles, from the lowest knight-in-waiting to the highest first-class duke, many of whom are prominent families. Whatever I do, I have to think about their feelings first. ”

"I feel relieved that the sir can think of this. Carlos smiled: "As for the affairs of the nobles, sir, you can take your time!"

"I have a lot of laws and proclamations here that need to be enacted, but I know the nobles will be against it, so I'll have to put these things on hold for now, but I'm not going to let this happen for long. Cohen exhaled, "Carlos, how many of our officers are qualified to be promoted to general in this crusade war?"

"Now it seems that nearly 10 people can be promoted to major general or above, and nearly 20 more can be promoted to brigadier general. ”

"Think of a way, we have to expand the army as much as possible. Cohen looked at Carlos and sighed heavily: "In two months, I need twenty major generals, forty brigadier generals. After two years, I need ten lieutenant generals, fifty major generals, and a hundred brigadier generals, and you can arrange it for me, be flexible. ”

"It's a bit troublesome, even if we promote officers, we don't have so many troops now!" Karos scratched his head and said in embarrassment, "Sir, so many soldiers can't be changed." ”

"I don't need you to change, I will soon deal with the nobles in the empire, and I need a large number of upstart officers to achieve a balance of power with the nobles. Cohen glanced at Carlos meaningfully: "First set up the numbers of each unit, and the personnel can be supplemented later." ”

"Yes, sir. That's fine. ”

"It's done. Cohen nodded, "By the way, we have to send troops to the other provinces that have just joined us." There should not be too many of the early ones, lest the governors be afraid. ”

"In that case, we can send a new force of dissatisfied, and each province can send at least one wing. But only two or three thousand people went. Carlos thought for a moment: "Let's put up the shelf first." Later, the number of troops will be gradually replenished. That way, the local government will not be wary. ”

Cohen looked down for a moment, then called for a map.

"How many troops do we have now, and where are they distributed?" Cohen said, spreading out the map.

"We have three corps, and some other units. Martin. Lieutenant General Luther's troops were defending the border on the front line of the Riva Empire. Karos pointed to the map and said, "All three wings of the First Legion are in the Holy Capital, one wing of the Second Legion guards the roads with the provinces, one wing pursues the rebels, and one wing acts as the general reserve; the Third Legion is one near the Holy Capital, one is returning to the Dark Moon, and one is rushing to the border with the Porta Empire to set up defenses." ”

"Look! Our troops are all scattered, and this will definitely not work. Cohen shook his head: "The three legions are completely disrupted. If there is a war. Communication between the various units is poor, and the main and subordinate forces are not clear, and it is easy to fall into confusion. ”

Carlos has also been troubled by this question these days: "Sir, we can't come up with a better plan now. Each legion is not good at what it is good at, and it is already difficult for us to keep the first legion intact. ”

"I have a way to free the three legions from defense, but I can't do it yet. Cohen leaned back in his chair and fiddled with the ring in his hand: "I'm going to set up a war zone in the territory bordering other countries." ”

"I think I heard you say ...... last time"

"Yes, but it's not yet mature, and it's only halfway there...... Each theater is roughly two or three provinces, and the theater commander has full jurisdiction over all forces in the area, including defense, training, combat readiness, and so on. Cohen pointed to the map, "For now." I'm going to set up two theaters of war first, one on the border with the Riva Empire. A place bordering the Porta Empire...... As for the direction of the dividing line between gods and demons, I'm not too worried. ”

"Sir, according to you, the power of the commander of this theater of operations will be great. Carlos looked up at Cohen and expressed his concerns: "Of course, there is nothing wrong with our officers now, but in the future, such a large power will bring great hidden dangers to the rule of the Empire." ”

"This question comes to mind, you see, all military forces in a theater of operations are purely defensive in nature, and I will not lightly equip any theater with offensive troops. Cohen smiled with relief: "The logistics are in our hands, the military law is also in our hands, and there is a complete intelligence system, so I don't have to worry about someone turning the knife against me." ”

Carlos shook his head: "Sir, I don't really understand......"

"I intend to separate the three major armies as a purely strategic offensive force. Within a year, I want you to recruit 200,000 recruits. Cohen patted his forehead and explained to his staff officer again: "At the same time, I want to throw the heavy burden of border defense to the local provinces, and I can't raise so many soldiers." ”

"But sir," Carlos clapped his hands, "the local provinces can't afford to raise an army either!"

"But they have a lot of people in their prime, and you know that people have eight months of free time in a year, which is enough time for training, and I want them to be organized to go to the barracks for at least four months a year. Cohen said the point directly: "In this case, we will have enough reserve soldiers in the war, and there will be many fewer people who will flee to the interior - more importantly, these soldiers will have families and jobs, and they will not be lightly disturbed." ”

"All I can say is, let's try it!" Carlos laughed dryly, "Sir, do these people want to pay the army?"

"Do you still want military pay to defend your homeland?" Cohen raised his eyebrows: "It's good to give food, and the weapons and equipment they use don't have to be too good, use the ones we captured the rebels first, and the defense equipment will be gradually handed over later." ”

"Okay! I'll set up a war zone in Porta first, because the rebel stragglers have fled to Porta, and there will probably be trouble. Carlos agreed with the emperor's idea: "Sir, regarding the matter of military academies, we have almost made preparations, there are a total of twelve academies, and the candidates for deans and instructors have been confirmed, do you need to listen to my report now?"

"I'm not busy for the time being, I'll talk about this matter after I ascend the throne. Cohen waved his hand: "Let the responsible people come to the Holy Capital first, and the deans will give the rank of major general...... By the way, isn't your new uniform ready? Why don't you wear it?"

"The staff is a favor, how can we have time to put on new uniforms?" Carlos tried to keep his eyes open, "Sir, look at it! my eyes are bloodshot......"

"If you don't give me this set, you can still be busy with the war? I think you're making a mistake. I want to get a handle on things again. Cohen said angrily, "You have a good night's rest." Tomorrow morning I will attend the funeral of the fallen soldiers. The officers were neatly dressed. ”

"Then why don't you attend, sir?"

"I'm just doing a favor here, don't you see the bloodshot in my eyes?"

"I can't see it. ”

"That's because you're not smart enough, fuck off!"

After Carlos was gone, Cohen pondered for a long time in the garden, and only before dinner did he get up and go downstairs to the rooms of the overseers.

The room of the Imperial Interior Overseer's office was on the seventh floor, and the four imperial concubines were all in one hall for the convenience of communication. Coupled with twenty secretaries and chamberlains, this floor seems to be very lively.

As Mr. Cohen walked into the hall, the overseers of the interior were listening to a report from the head of the finance department, the official holding the account book in his hand and spitting out long strings of numbers. Any one of them can make Cohen dizzy, but fortunately, Cohen has four princesses to help him, so he doesn't have to worry about these things at all...... He gestured to his wives to continue, then found a place to sit down, smiling, and watching them go about their business.

"The enthronement ceremony requires three thousand imperial flags. Three thousand royal flags are also needed, because the previous ones were not needed. So it has to be done all over again, and the cost of each flag ranges from three to five silver coins...... The flags used in the palace are relatively large, and the cost of each is seven silver coins......"

"Isn't there an Imperial flag in the warehouse? "Diere. Merlin interrupted the treasurer, "Why not?"

"Those are the first Emperor Kremer. Can the banner that Xia Mai made when he was in power still be used?" the treasurer was confused.

"The emperor has an order, although the Al Kaida family is now in power, the Sibia Empire is still the same as it was, so the imperial flag remains the same. Dill explained, "You only need to order 3,000 flags from the Al Qaeda family. ”

"Yes, then the following are the salaries and clothing of the officials, and the return gifts prepared for the envoys of various countries......"

"Okay, I'll deal with these things, if you talk like this again, when will I wait until ......" Cohen couldn't help but walk over: "The salary of officials is the same as before, and there is no adjustment before ascending the throne, and two sets of clothes will be made first, and the envoys of various countries will return the gift...... Just give them a few flags of the Demon Alliance, and share in the most perfect victory of the God Alliance, what an honor it is!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. It would certainly be an honor to return the favor with the banners of the Demon Alliance, but the enemy banners we captured would certainly not be enough......" For this miserly emperor, the treasurer knew that he had little room for bargaining.

"Not enough, not enough for you to make a few new ones?" Cohen casually knocked the treasurer's head: "The other return gifts are hundreds of gold coins, but the last banner is only three or five silver coins...... Will you settle accounts?"

"Your Majesty, you are the Emperor!" Hearing Cohen's words, the treasurer was about to cry: "Let's go to make the banner of the Demon Alliance, and let people know about it?"

"It's true that letting others know about this will be very serious, so I've decided to let you take the blame once the news leaks. Cohen was indifferent to his pleading expression: "Remember, not only do things in the future have to spend less money, but also stand firm in reason, so as not to let people grasp the sore spots." ”

"Understood. ”

"If you get it, you can do it. Cohen waved the treasurer away and came to the table of the four wives: "My dear concubines, let's talk!"

The four internal affairs superintendents were all laughing at what had just happened, and none of them had yet relieved themselves.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Felin softly after a while.

"I want to know what's important in the near future, so I can arrange a few things. Cohen grabbed a chair and sat on it: "What else is important besides the enthronement ceremony?"

Filine smiled and told the maid to close the hall door so that the emperor's indecent movements would not be seen by others.

"One of the most important things we need to do recently is to re-establish the tax system and make the tax methods of the Dark Province and the Dark Moon Province slightly modified and implemented throughout the country. Kelly flipped through the thick official documents: "This matter is very difficult, and if you rush it, it will make many nobles dissatisfied." ”

"What's the difficulty? Every move of the empire requires a lot of money, and of course it is better to enact a tax system sooner. "Any number Cohen has heard since he took over the palace has been ten times greater than before. So the biggest concern now is money. As soon as he heard that the money was in trouble, he immediately became anxious: "Isn't the dark tax system perfect?"

"Husband, the people of darkness only need to pay taxes to the governor. There will be a very good surplus. And as far as the whole empire is concerned, there is still a layer of lords between the people and the monarch!" Kelly explained angrily: "Royal taxes, governor's taxes, and lord's taxes, and how much can a people leave behind to support their families after paying these things? We must at least let the people leave enough money to live!"

"I see, the problem is with the lord. Cohen's fingers tapped on the back of his chair, his eyes looking left and right: "At the current pace, how much can we save this year?"

"If we do a good job, our savings this year ...... There is no surplus. We will post 500,000 to 700,000 gold coins upside down, and we will only be able to save a little next year. Dill gave a most charming smile: "We have done our best, even counting the five thousand gold coins you just saved for us, husband." ”

"What? and lose money!" Cohen immediately jumped up from his chair, "Sue me, how much did the lords charge to leave?"

"Well, of course we have the exact number. Dill shook his head slightly, and the sapphire earrings shone brightly: "If you promise you're not excited, I'll tell you." ”

"Okay! I'm not excited!" Cohen said excitedly, trying to convince everyone that he was calm now, "Fillen, my dear, your hairstyle today is my favorite; The graceful shape of you in your sapphire jewelry is my favorite, Winsley, where are your wings?"

"Put it away. Is it pretty?" Winsley was glad that her husband had noticed her, "The magic that White Shadow taught me!"

"Beautiful—but spreading wings is another kind of beauty!" Cohen chuckled, "Diel, tell me how much money they took?"

Dill and Filine looked at each other with a look of helplessness.

"Although this year's harvest is good, because of the scourge of war, the lords will probably take nine ...... from it Million gold coins," Deere said, "This is an optimistic estimate, and we hope to reduce that number to seven million next year...... Cohen? You promised not to get excited. ”

"I'm not excited, I'm not excited at all......," Cohen laughed dryly, his head shaking from side to side: "After the rebellion, they will take nine million gold coins, and my wife will have to use her private money to fill the gap in her income and expenditure...... When I was governor, I never had more than ten gold coins in my pocket, and when I became emperor, did I not even have a copper plate in my pocket? I didn't even buy any gifts for my wives......"

"My husband. Kelly held her hands high and laughed at Mimi's debunking of Cohen's lies: "I don't think that last point has anything to do with money." ”

"I agree. Wen Sili echoed what she wrote on the text.

"I'm sorry, it was my negligence. Cohen nodded: "But I can't spare them, I'm not excited at all!" After yelling at this, Cohen turned around and slammed the door.

The four internal affairs overseers looked at each other and smiled, shook their heads and continued with what they were doing, but before they could write a few words, His Majesty Cohen strode in again.

Facing the puzzled gazes of the four wives, Cohen winked his eyebrows and shook a large bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Ladies, this is my greetings from my husband. Cohen handed out flowers, and his mouth was full of compliments: "Philin, your beauty has struck my heart, Kelly, your face is more beautiful than any flower, and I want to take you away again, even though you are already my wife...... Give me a kiss, Winsley, or I won't be able to breathe. ”

The interior overseers took the flowers, felt the tenderness that the husband rarely showed, and smiled.

"Look, I'm not excited. Cohen took a step back after receiving the kisses from the princesses, and made a gesture that was all right: "I haven't ascended the throne yet, I have to act carefully...... I'm not going to embarrass them now, so don't worry. ”

"Just calm down. Filine nodded and said, "We can figure it out." ”

"Then I'll go upstairs and write something, and I'll see you in the evening. ”

"See you in the evening. (To be continued......)