King-Chapter 1419 - 270, "Caesar’s Six Principles"_2

If I don’t step forward as a representative of the military to support the reformists, this reform will most likely not last half a year and will end with the dismissal of the Chancellor, Minister of Finance, and other reformist ministers.

If the internal conflict becomes more intense, there’s even a good chance that they’ll die abruptly in office, creating the biggest political scandal since the establishment of the Kingdom.

Even with my support, the reformists’ odds of success will at most increase by 10%. The follow-up challenges will still depend on their own efforts.

Don’t worry, even if I join the reformists, I won’t be stepping into the Court.

The Central Government needs reformists to devise policies, and the local administrations equally need reformist members to implement them.

Select whichever reform provisions are suitable for implementation, and handle the rest perfunctorily. As long as there are no major troubles in the jurisdiction, the rest of the matters are none of my concern.

I haven’t deeply involved myself in actions that create resentment. Even if the reform fails in the future and the Conservatives decide to launch retaliation, they won’t come for me!"

Hudson’s explanation allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

Not getting involved in Court disputes and merely waving the flag—this level of political risk is something their boss can bear.

But they quickly sank into a new wave of worries. If Hudson hadn’t brought it up here, they wouldn’t even have realized that the Kingdom was already in a precarious state.

Although there had been many signs before, they were all intoxicated by their previous victories, and no one imagined that such a powerful Kingdom walked a tightrope every single day.

...

As Hudson clarified his stance, the reformists gained a tremendous boost in momentum, and Caesar IV’s reform movement officially commenced.

At this moment, the reformists faced no true opposition. Although there were many nobles against reform, they hadn’t formed a unified faction and, at most, only whispered complaints in private.

To expand their influence and attract more allies, the reformists gathered opinion drafts in Canglan City, allowing every Kingdom Aristocrat to submit their recommendations.

In no time, letters piled up at the Government Affairs Department, and just processing the contents of these letters kept the officials overwhelmed with work.

Seeing the promising public interest, on July 11, 99999, Caesar IV issued the "Trial Reform Decree."

Compared to reforms in other nations, the Alpha Kingdom’s reforms held certain advantages. While others focused on strengthening their military before anything else, such concerns were unnecessary here.

In the past, the strength of a country was appraised through endless theoretical analysis of paper-based reports without any concrete sense of magnitude.

But now, with the grand stage provided by the Papal State, where armies from various countries could compare themselves, it became abundantly clear who was strong and who was weak.

The Noble’s Private Army dispatched by the Alpha Kingdom had gained a reputation across the Continent for their strict discipline and impeccable formation.

Even without actual battles, these veteran soldiers, freshly returned from the frontlines, emanated an intimidating aura simply by standing in rank formation from afar.

Without the hassle of military reforms, the Kingdom Government instead focused its reform efforts on politics and economics.

The "Trial Reform Decree" consisted of six major areas:

1. Agricultural Reform

1. Recruit agricultural technicians, establish the Ministry of Agriculture, promote the latest agricultural technologies, and increase the Kingdom’s grain output;

2. Encourage land reclamation—any adult male citizen (free man) may apply to the government for fifty to one hundred acres of wasteland for cultivation. Newly reclaimed land is tax-free for three years and taxed at half-rate for five years;

...

2. Tax Reform

1. Abolish the local nobles’ autonomous collection of transit taxes, replacing it with customs duties uniformly collected by the Kingdom Government;

2. Gradually abolish tax-farming within five years, transferring tax collection to a restructured tax department;

3. Simplify the taxation system: consolidate window taxes, threshold taxes, beard taxes, landfall taxes, marriage taxes, coffin taxes, and other taxes into poll taxes;

Consolidate entrance taxes, morning market taxes, goods taxes, transaction taxes, city entry taxes, and other taxes into merchant taxes;

Consolidate horse taxes, cart taxes, wheel taxes, fodder taxes, ship taxes, and other taxes into vehicle and vessel taxes;

...

3. Encourage the Development of Industry and Commerce

1. Protect the legal property rights of merchants and small factory owners;

2. Allow merchants to establish factories and engage in business services, as regulated by law;

...

4. Government Institution Reform

1. Establish the Tax Department to oversee nationwide tax collection;

2. Eliminate redundant government staff and clear vacant positions;

...

5. Strengthen Bureaucratic Oversight

1. Create a dedicated anti-corruption department to investigate Kingdom officials’ corruption issues;

2. Crack down on collusion between officials and merchants, and strictly investigate the smuggling of monopolized goods;

...

6. Strengthen Central Government Authority

1. Increase the centrally governed administrative districts—henceforth, no less than one-third of the Kingdom’s new territory may be under direct central control;

2. For governors and deputy officials of provinces and prefectures, appointments must be approved by the local Noble Parliament and then submitted to the Central Government for review and approval. The Central Government retains the right to dismiss and deal with unqualified officials;

...

The six transformative measures stirred an uproar among the populace and were mockingly dubbed "Caesar’s Six Principles." As they had not yet been approved by the Noble Parliament, they were considered provisional for now.

Perhaps due to the lack of time or relevant experience, the detailed implementation guidelines were not yet outlined, but the announcement already caused waves of public discussion.

Deep in the night, the residence of the former Prime Minister, Duke Newfoundland, remained brightly lit. Numerous nobles and royal dignitaries occupied the mansion, refusing to leave until they gained an audience with him.

In the inner chamber, three elderly men sat around a small circular table, drinking together as if completely unfazed by the chaos outside.

"Newfoundland, with so many people waiting outside, won’t it seem unreasonable if you don’t meet them?"

Duke Aefero, the former Minister of Military Affairs, said with a faint smirk.

Having both fallen out of favor in the bureaucracy and sharing royal blood, the two had grown closer after their retirements, with no need for political precautions.

"What difference does it make whether I see them or not?

I’m no longer the Kingdom’s Chancellor, and you’re no longer the Kingdom’s Minister of Defense. What does court politics have to do with us?

Instead, it’s you, Grand Pastor Tyron—if you’re interested, perhaps you could engage with them." freewebnøvel.coɱ

When the focus shifted to him, Grand Pastor Tyron responded irritably, "Newfoundland, what have I done to offend you?

After the Kingdom painstakingly achieved separation of church and state, why are you urging me to meddle in politics? What’s your true intention?"

Although he held considerable grievances against Caesar IV for leaving the position of Pope vacant, his frustration could be reasoned out.

No ruler likes having another "ancestor" above their head. If a monarch can retain control themselves, why would they invite trouble by instituting a Pope?

Caesar IV had maneuvered against him on the matter of the Papacy, but it was entirely understandable. Any politically competent monarch would have done the same.

"Tyron, stop spouting nonsense!

When have I ever tried to set you up?

You all know how much mischief Little Caesar can cause. The reforms have barely begun, and he’s already thrown out six sweeping measures. Trouble is sure to follow.

If you truly wanted to seize the moment, you could stand with the anti-reform faction right now. Soon enough, you’d gather ample supporters.

In their self-interest, they might even push you to ascend to the Papacy—it’s not out of the question!"

Duke Newfoundland spoke with a mock-wounded expression.

It seemed like he was encouraging Grand Pastor Tyron, but in truth, he was subtly advising him—stay out of this mess!

As someone who had once wielded power in the Kingdom, he was acutely aware of the challenges currently facing the government.

Choosing to pursue "reform" to address fiscal issues was undoubtedly correct. However, the reformists had far bolder ambitions than anticipated.

The current reforms, while encroaching upon some noble interests, had yet to touch their foundational privileges.

Due to the economic recession, many tax-farming contractors had endured losses, often paying out of pocket to plug shortfalls.

At such a juncture, reclaiming tax collection authority for the government was undoubtedly facing the least resistance.

The key issue wasn’t just whether the Noble Lords would cooperate by surrendering their tax authority but also whether the tax department’s bureaucrats could competently handle tax collection.

If the revenue collection fell short or the excessive cost of tax collection meant less tangible silver reaching the government than under the prior system, it would be a monumental embarrassment.

"Stop trying to fool me!

The people outside are here specifically for you. The reforms have affected their interests, so naturally, they need someone to champion their cause.

In this regard, my weight as a religious leader can’t compare to yours as a former Chancellor.

There’s no escaping it; if the reforms fail, the mess will still fall into the laps of you two to clean up!"

Grand Pastor Tyron’s jab earned little reaction as the pair shook their heads in disdain.

"Cleaning up the mess"—as if the Kingdom’s government had ever been anything but a mess.

Having seen it all, the two men’s resilience had long since been tempered.

...

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