King-Chapter 1418 - 270, "Caesar’s 6 Articles

"Please review this for me. If there are no issues, send someone to deliver it to the capital and hand it to His Majesty the King."

As soon as the words fell, everyone was taken aback before turning their gaze to the contents of the document.

As the highly influential Army Marshal, Hudson rarely penned official documents personally. Each time he did, it signified the occurrence of a major event.

In a matter of moments, after the letter was circulated and read, the expressions of the assembled staff turned grave.

"Duke, historically, reforms often lead to chaos, with less than one in ten succeeding. There’s really no need for you to wade into this mess!"

Jacob advised earnestly.

He knew his Duke had a penchant for making things happen. As a Noble Lord, as long as one stirred things up within their own domain without provoking widespread indignation, outsiders generally wouldn’t interfere.

But stirring up one’s own domain is entirely different from shaking up the kingdom!

Once you get involved in "reforms," it’s only a matter of time before you clash with vested interest groups. Even someone in Hudson’s position might find himself besieged by enemies if things went awry.

Examples of reformers who ended up isolated and betrayed are plentiful across the Continent of Aslante.

After working so hard alongside Hudson for so many years, with a brighter future just within reach, naturally, his staff did not want to see their leader take such risks.

"When you’re part of the court, you’re not free to act as you please!"

"The kingdom’s situation is far less ideal than it appears from the outside. In recent years, despite our southern and northern campaigns forcing the Orcs into defeat after defeat, the cost has brought the kingdom to the edge of collapse.

The issues in the court may not be evident to you, but you surely sense the economic distress among the populace.

Currently, the number of ships passing through New Moon Port is less than one-third of what it was before the war, and Snow Moon Territory’s commercial tax revenue has plummeted by 90%. Even in the Mountain Domain, deep in the rear, merchants are now a rare sight.

These are no isolated incidents; the kingdom’s entire economy is on the verge of collapse. If it weren’t for the morale boost from our victories in the war, the kingdom might already have fallen apart.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact!

The Orc Empire has been severely weakened but not destroyed. Should the kingdom falter, they will undoubtedly come back in force.

Without the kingdom’s support, relying solely on the Noble’s Private Armies at the Near East front line is insufficient to withstand the enemy’s offensive!

As Kingdom Aristocrats, in times of crisis, we must step forward and turn the tide."

"The Ministry of Finance proposed three solutions, and all were rejected. Now, the kingdom faces only two options:

Either halt the eastward strategy, dismiss half of the Standing Army, and allow the nation to recuperate for twenty years; or undertake reform to revitalize the kingdom’s economy and improve government fiscal revenue!

So, do you think I should position myself as the leader of the anti-war faction or as the head of the reformists?"

The flawless rationale rendered everyone speechless.

Each had their own struggles, but as a central decision-maker in the kingdom, Hudson was destined to have his own stance when determining the nation’s fate.

The three impractical policies from the Ministry of Finance had been blocked by him, and now it was time again for another difficult choice.

Undoubtedly, acting as an anti-war faction leader in the Alpha Kingdom is ten times more dangerous than becoming a reformist leader.

Being an "anti-war faction leader" would immediately put him at odds with everyone. No matter how commanding Hudson’s authority was in the military, he couldn’t stand against the masses.

Every nation exhausting soldiers and wars inevitably gets swept along by the tide of events. Either it achieves its strategic goals, or it collapses midway.

The Alpha Kingdom’s strategy is actually quite clear, with relatively straightforward intentions: to overthrow the Orc Empire. This objective is within reach.

Even disregarding other risks, Hudson could not oppose the war due to his own interests.

As the kingdom expands eastwards, his lands would also expand eastward, claiming the prime coastal regions.

Although the further east one goes, the less fertile the coastal regions become—turning into saline-alkali soil and marshlands that no one wants—Hudson didn’t mind taking his time to transform them.

The high cost of transformation meant no one would compete with him for them. Moreover, during the land grab, he could seize even more territory.

"Duke, the kingdom’s war cart has been in motion for centuries. It’s hard-won that we’ve finally given everyone hope—halting now means going against all of them.

Between two evils, choose the lesser!

Backing the reformists is fine, but there’s no need for you to take the lead yourself!

With your status and position, as long as you don’t get too deeply involved, even if the reforms fail in the future, they won’t come after you."

Jose urgently interjected with advice.

Taking a political stance was fine, but stepping forward as the figurehead was entirely different.

If the reforms failed, no one could predict the ferocity of the backlash from the vested interest groups.

"Haha..."

"You’re oversimplifying things!

Don’t be misled by the loud calls for reform within the kingdom—that’s only because the process hasn’t officially begun. Once reforms are initiated, the power of the Conservative Faction will balloon rapidly.

Historically, reforms have mostly ended in failure. Aside from issues within the reformists themselves, the immense strength of the Conservative Faction is a key reason.

The kingdom’s current state is similar. Governors from various provinces are worried that reforms might threaten their own interests, and none of them wish to engage in these upheavals.

Of course, they do hope the kingdom becomes stronger. As long as their interests remain untouched, they won’t obstruct the reforms.

Those truly eager to push reforms are limited to the King and a few senior ministers in the court. To put it bluntly, even in the capital, the Conservatives outweigh the Reformists."

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