Chapter 710 Declined
“We are very lucky that the recruitment of our army has already begun.”
Rodney Eighteen said happily, “This way we will not let the surrounding Xiao Xiao What are they trying to do while the kingdom is newly defeated?"
He looked at Paul with some gratitude, "Thanks to the large amount of military tickets shipped from the western bay, a steady stream of strong young men are entering the kingdom's army. ”
“I have to say, Paul, the idea you proposed is great, and it can be said to have made a great contribution. ”
Paul nodded, "Your Majesty, I'm glad that it worked as expected."
The king continued: "In the days when you left, two new camps were built outside Jingyao City. One in the south and one in the north. I initially plan to organize a standing army of 50,000 people. "
"A standing force of 50,000 people?" Catherine exclaimed, "This is a huge number."< br>
"Yes." The king nodded, "Without military votes, this would have been unthinkable before."
The previous model of the kingdom's army was to maintain only one army composed of nobles. Elites composed of knights and soldiers were recruited temporarily to form large armies during battles.
Catherine shook her head, "But in my opinion, even with military tickets, this is difficult to accomplish. After all, military tickets also require a large amount of matching materials to support."
"And for those who As for officers, they are not just satisfied with obtaining the necessities of life, they must be paid in real metal currency."
The king put on a serious expression. "You are right, this is the purpose of my reform."
At this time Paul intervened, "As far as I know, the construction of the special economic zone centered on Sihanoukville has been very effective. Does it bring some benefit to the kingdom's finances?"
"Oh...well." The king's tone was awkward, "The special economic zone has benefited the kingdom a lot, but the royal government's previous deficit was already very high. The benefits brought by the special zone only wiped out the previous deficit.”
Rodney Eighteen suddenly touched his forehead in pain, "Now that the north has lost a large area of territory, it is conceivable that a large number of nobles will come to Jingyao, just like those loyalists who came from the south because of Giles' rebellion. , it took a lot of effort to arrange them.”
He suddenly stood up from the sofa again, seemingly full of strength, and hope appeared on his face again.
"I announce that from now on, you will be appointed..."
He pointed to Paul, "Margrave Paul Greiman, you will serve as the Prime Minister of the Aldo Kingdom and fully promote the entire The reform of the kingdom.”
After these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.
Paul stood up with a look on his face, "What about Lord Rupert?"
"Oh, I thank him for his great contribution to the kingdom, but to be honest, he is indeed a bit old. "
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your trust, but please forgive me for my difficulty in accepting such a major responsibility."
Rodney Eighteen frowned, "Why? "
Paul replied firmly: "With my shallow intelligence and mediocre abilities, I may be able to handle a territory, but I really cannot bear the responsibility of the entire kingdom."
The king was silent for a moment, obviously unhappy with what he had said.
“What if I insist on appointing you?” “Your Majesty, I understand your urgency, but please don’t be arrogant.” Paul said sincerely, “The complex political environment in Orda is really complicated. It's not something that an outsider like me from the border can sort out. If I were to take such an important position rashly, it would only make things worse."
Rodney Eighteen. He said dissatisfiedly: "When you encounter difficulties, just solve them. And what you said, can I interpret it as an escape? As a sword-bearing noble who coexists with the honor and disgrace of the kingdom, shouldn't you face the difficulties? ?”
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two became tense, Catherine quickly stood up to smooth things over.
"Your Majesty, if the kingdom's land occupied by the orcs is to be recovered in the future, the northwest bay must be built into a large military camp to serve as the starting point and logistics base for the future army. For now, there is no more suitable candidate than Paul."< br>
The king fell into silence again, and after a long time he sighed, "Well, what Catherine said does make sense."
He looked at Paul helplessly: "You are so slippery. You better stay where you are most suitable,”
Paul glanced at his fiancée gratefully.
“But…” Rodney Eighteen raised his tone again, “Starting from today, I will also set up a reform advisory group, and you will be my chief advisor. This time it cannot be taken back. Order, you must accept it, Paul Graiman, otherwise you will be despising the crown on my head!"
Paul put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly, "I am honored to accept your appointment." It's just an idea, as long as you don't put him on the fire.
Rodney Eighteen quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just listen to Paul say again: "It's just that the opinions I can provide may be scattered, unsystematic, and even inappropriate. Whether they can be truly implemented depends on your Majesty and those who are as wise as you." The wise men carefully screened them."
The king smiled helplessly, "Ha, you are really a non-stick pan. Don't worry, I won't restrain you for too long. All you have to do in Jingyao is to put it down. Write down everything you can think of in detail to provide ideas for future reforms, and then you can return to the west bay and prepare for war."
"Yes!"
"Ah, that's right!" Rodney Eighteen said again: "Jingyao's new army will be trained according to the model of Alda's army. Paul, I hope you can send a group of people over to teach you your experience."
"Of course."
"And...weapons."
"Huh?"
Rodney Eighteen smiled, "I have read the report , those firearms of yours are very powerful, it would be great if the army of the kingdom could be universally equipped with them.”
"This..."
"At this time, I hope you won't hide anything! And it's not like I asked you to hand it over for nothing. What did you do... Northwest Industry, right? As Aldo The largest weapons supplier, the Royal Government will purchase from you at a clearly marked price."
Paul breathed a sigh of relief and asked uneasily: "I hope the protection of patents also applies to..."< br>
"Of course!" Before he could finish speaking, Rodney Eighteen confirmed.
Paul finally felt relieved, "Okay, Your Majesty, Northwest Industry will do its best to cooperate with you in building a new kingdom army."
Like other technologies, the proliferation of firearms will be inevitable. Instead of waiting for others to quietly steal it, it is better to promote an orderly environment that is beneficial to oneself.