Broad World

Reform generally refers to various improvements and innovations made by political, social, cultural, economic, and religious organizations, and refers to the implementation of changes within the existing political system. , usually the success of a reform will affect the fate of a country. If it succeeds, the country will move towards a stable situation. If it fails, it may lead to civil strife or conflict.

Generally speaking, the political system of Faerun can be divided into several categories. The first is the ancient city-state union system, such as the Silver Moon Alliance, Waterdeep City, Neverwinter City, etc., which center on a large city and unite multiple towns. The formed regional governance structure is characterized by a loose structure and most members have great autonomy, so the economy is relatively prosperous and the living conditions of residents are better.

The second is the parliamentary regimes like Amn, Ser, Harua, and Tumis. The upper ruling class is composed of a small number of elites. It is characterized by many internal factions, and some confrontations often break out secretly.

Of course, this can also be subdivided, such as mage dictatorship, merchant association, and republic, but in general it is to restrict rights and prevent them from being excessively concentrated in the hands of a certain person.

The last thing left is the traditional feudal system, in which the king or emperor led the aristocratic class to divide each other's territories according to the oath, jointly formulate and abide by the law, and form a coalition of interests. Such a political system is more stable, because after each other's rights and obligations are determined, unless there is a terrible natural disaster, then there will be no large-scale turmoil at all. The Kingdom of Cormyr is the best example of this.

At present, the situation under Henry's rule is somewhat complicated, including the city-state union system left over from before Baldur's Gate. There were also local councils that came later. But after the establishment of the kingdom, the feudal system must be added. Therefore, a system must be sorted out as soon as possible, otherwise the administrative system will be in chaos, so a certain degree of reform is a matter of course.

"Your Majesty, this is the accounts we have repaired the city during this period and this year's tax revenue. Please have a look."

As soon as he entered the house, Hawk immediately took out a thick account book, which recorded every expense in detail.

Henry took it and flipped it over, then raised his head in surprise and asked, "Why is there a sudden increase in taxes this year? I remember you said that. After several wars, it will take at least half a year to recover. Is trade booming?"

"Our business tax this year is indeed not very good. The reason for the large increase is that the chief Fugner of Weywood City in the north sent a large amount of donations a few days ago. It was so much that I was surprised to see it. According to the accompanying tax officer, the orcs have not been idle since the city wall was built. They have been attacking the tribes of monsters near the high wasteland. The slave trade is simply a fortune." Hawke explained with a wry smile.

It was the first time he knew that there were so many valuable goods in those wild places. Not to mention those mineral deposits, gems, spell-casting materials, and rare plants. Just a simple cleaning of the stinky goblins, kobolds, and ogres, and countless people scrambled for it after changing hands. Merchants, especially from Luskan, have an almost insatiable demand for slaves.

Of course, this explosive commercial prosperity can only last for a while. As the monsters feel threatened and gradually recede into the depths of the wilderness, there will be fewer and fewer catches. Afterwards, the slave trade begins to shrink and is finally replaced by new economic pillars.

However, there is no need to worry about such a situation within a few years. Although the number of monsters in the High Wasteland has always been a mystery, at least it will not be less than 500,000. It is quite difficult to catch the light completely.

"So, the orcs have done a good job, and the first batch of people can be mobilized to open up wasteland in the spring of next year?" Henry put down the account book and asked a little excitedly.

He has coveted this swamp area rich in water resources for a long time. As long as one-third of it is fully utilized, it will instantly become the center of agriculture, animal husbandry and breeding, enough to feed more than 10 million people. You don't have to worry about food issues.

Hawke sighed slightly and replied: "I'm afraid it's not enough. The orcs can probably guarantee the safety of about 20 kilometers around Weywood City. If it is farther away, sporadic monsters and beasts will start to appear, which is too dangerous for ordinary people. , so I suggest that it is better to wait for a while."

"In that case, let's put it aside for now, and now let's talk about the reform." Henry took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to the two. "This is my plan for political, military and economic rectification. Please take a look and raise any questions."

"My God! You really want to abolish the poll tax!" Hawke jumped up from his chair after only looking at it twice.

In Faerun Continent, this is the most important source of tax revenue for all governments. Even in Amn and Waterdeep, which are prosperous in business, it will account for 20 to 30% of the total. It can be seen that once it is cancelled, there will be What a huge impact.

Henry smiled and comforted his chief interior officer and explained: "Yes, in order to ensure rapid population growth in the next two years, we must reduce the heavy burden on the shoulders of civilians, encourage births as much as possible, and at the same time attract immigrants from surrounding areas. .Although this will make the financial situation very bad in a short period of time, it will increase the purchasing power of ordinary people, thereby stimulating business prosperity. After a few years, generous business taxes can fully make up for this part of the loss. "

"But Your Majesty, have you ever thought that doing so will definitely be opposed by the local councils, especially those cities that have not made a clear statement. Their taxes are very traditional, and once they are reduced too much, they will not be able to sustain it." After finishing speaking, Huo A worried look appeared on Ke's face.

As the saying goes, cutting off one's wealth is like killing one's parents. What's more, the abolition of the poll tax is equivalent to cutting off one-third to one-half of the local income. It must be said that some guys can't help but take the risk and start a rebellion.

"Don't worry, since the poll tax has been cancelled, I will naturally cancel military expenditures in all towns. In the future, all local armed forces will be completely cancelled. The capital will send well-trained troops to garrison. This will not only reduce the local financial burden. Prevent the army from being bought by some people with ulterior motives."

After seeing the guards with deteriorating military discipline in Askatra with his own eyes, Henry vowed that he would never allow such a situation to happen on his site, so he did not hesitate to use his trump card.

In Faerun, where nationalism and nationalism have not yet awakened, the army usually serves the party that pays the salary, and the city where almost all countries' troops are stationed is responsible for raising military expenses.

Over time, the army will collude with local merchants and nobles, so that the capital's control over the place is often very weak. Therefore, it often happens that the entire city collectively mutinies and joins the enemy country.

Although it sounds unbelievable, a similar situation happened not long ago in the two cities in the south of Amn, "Ryan Tawin" and "Trace Stone". From the nobles to the merchants, to the civilians and the army, they all supported This action was taken, and until now the Council of Six is ​​still trying to resolve the dispute through diplomatic means.

As a person who advocates discipline and order, Corey immediately expressed his approval: "I fully support this decision. Only by keeping all the troops in the hands of the royal family can turmoil be avoided to the greatest extent. Mobilization could be done better, too. But are you sure you really want to disarm the locals?"

"Yes, their existence itself is a hidden danger, especially those mercenaries. It is too dangerous to work for whoever pays more money." Henry said with a frown.

"My lord. It's not as easy as you think. Do you know how many people are engaged in the mercenary industry in the area we rule?" Corey had a wry smile on his face. "As far as I know, there are no fewer than ten teams with more than a hundred people, and some intermediaries can even pull up a team of thousands of people at any time."

Hearing the news, Henry was immediately taken aback: "Damn! How could they afford to support so many people!"

Corey sighed slightly and explained: "It doesn't need to be raised all the time, most of them are armed farmers, and they have trained quite well in dealing with monster invasions, so when they are middlemen or mercenary groups If necessary, they will be temporarily recruited and paid according to the number of days employed."

"So that's it!" Henry nodded suddenly, and instantly understood how these mercenary groups operate.

Due to the rampant monster activities in the West Hartland area, coupled with the fact that it has been in a state of division for a long time, most villages and towns can only rely on militia defense to resist the attack of monsters such as goblins and kobolds. Many adults have The fighting level is almost the same as that of ordinary soldiers, so it is a pretty good soldier.

Some folks noticed their value by contacting nobles and merchants who needed protection, and then earning commissions from it.

It has to be said that this is somewhat similar to the Swiss and German mercenaries that appeared in the fourteenth century on the earth. Due to a large number of wars, their combat ability is several times stronger than that of recruits. dissolve. The cycle is short and will not cause too much burden, which is favored by many people.

Obviously, this is a complex industrial chain, which affects not only public security issues, but the most important thing is that it can bring residents a large amount of income, and it is completely impossible to eradicate it all at once.

"Okay, it seems that my thinking is too simple." Henry rubbed his forehead and sighed. "What do you think is the best way to deal with these guys? Or how can we reduce their number?"

After thinking about it for a few minutes, Corey stroked his upper and lower beards and replied: "It's hard to say, but easy to say. It's unlikely to be eradicated first, but as long as the surrounding area stabilizes, these mercenaries won't have so many jobs. The number will naturally start to decrease. In addition, we can also let them clear some monsters by issuing official missions."

"It makes sense, then follow your way first." Henry nodded helplessly while speaking.

In the following time, he successively made large-scale adjustments to policies, taxes, and military duties. The three of them talked in the room until midnight before ending this important meeting. At the same time, the future of the West Hartland Kingdom The governing policy has also been confirmed. As long as there is no unexpected situation, it will not be long before it will have a decisive force in the western part of the Faerun continent.

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