King-Chapter 1420 - 271: Prelude to Chaotic Times

The clamor of public opinion is merely the beginning; the true battlefield lies within the Noble Parliament.

The reforms outlined in "Caesar’s Six Principles" pertain to transformations in the Kingdom’s political system—changes that the Central Government cannot just declare unilaterally.

The introduction of policies has never been the crux of the matter. Their efficacy depends entirely on implementation.

Without the support of the regional influential nobles, these reform articles would remain mere words on paper.

Against such a backdrop, for new policies to take shape, the first challenge is to secure the backing of the Governors and Prefectural Governors of each province, as they are the linchpins for the implementation of these policies.

Without question, this reform adversely impacts everyone’s interests. Under normal circumstances, the likelihood of passing these policies in the Noble Parliament would be nearly zero.

However, the current situation is far from ordinary. Most of the Governors and Prefectural Governors are making fortunes in the Papal State, making it impossible for them to return home quickly to attend meetings.

Although the noble councilors are not fully assembled domestically, they still meet the minimum requirement for convening the Noble Parliament.

To ensure the reform articles pass through the parliament, the reformists have not remained idle, launching continuous public opinion campaigns and garnering the support of young nobles.

Hudson, upon arriving in the Capital, immediately felt the pulse of reform.

Countless ambitious heirs of noble families were eagerly advocating for reform. Some young noble children were even discussing representing their elders and casting supportive votes in the Parliament.

The Kingdom Noble Council does not traditionally allow proxy voting, but there is no explicit regulation banning it.

Referencing special statutes of the Kingdom, in cases where nobles are absent for specific reasons, their heirs can exercise their power and perform their duties in their stead.

Originally drafted to address military obligations, this rule is now being expanded and reinterpreted by the reformists to include the Noble Parliament.

Witnessing this, Hudson, who had been skeptical of the reforms, grew increasingly attentive.

If the reformists manage to maintain this level of political maneuvering, they might actually succeed.

Involving the heirs of prominent families into the reformist bloc essentially acts as a kind of implicit political coercion.

To politically suppress the reformists, one must first disavow one’s own children. No one would take such a step lightly.

...

"Marshal, the tide has turned; all we need now is for you to step forward..."

Before Marquis Delgado could finish his sentence, Hudson waved his hand to interrupt:

"Chancellor, we should each focus on our own specializations.

As a soldier, I am suited for fighting enemies on the battlefield, but I am truly not adept in internal reforms. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The specifics of the Kingdom’s reforms should be led by you all. At most, I can only assist from the sidelines!"

The reformist momentum has been remarkably successful, outperforming other reforming nations across the continent.

But this is merely the opening act; Hudson remains uncertain about how the subsequent developments will unfold.

The young nobles are indeed the driving force of these reforms and are the most capable of breaking traditional constraints, yet they lack actual power in governance!

Currently, they have managed to generate considerable momentum, suffocating the Kingdom’s conservative faction, but they primarily rely on the prestige of their parental generation.

Once the influential nobles from various regions return, this borrowed authority will no longer suffice.

Only a handful of young nobles genuinely desire the success of reforms; the majority simply follow the trend, their support largely limited to ideological alignment.

Expecting them to risk their lives for reforms would be pushing them too far.

The only influential figure openly supporting the reformists at present is Hudson, standing alone in his stance.

A few newly emerging major nobles have been persuaded by the reformists, but these individuals lack the courage to act as trailblazers.

Prime Minister Delgado is urging Hudson to take the lead, primarily to leverage his reputation to attract other major regional nobles to join the reformist camp.

In theory, as long as Hudson’s position remains resolute, most of the nobles from the Near East Seven Provinces and the Northern Border Seven Provinces can be swayed.

The Kingdom has a total of 45 provinces (including the Queen’s dowry provinces), securing the support of 14 provinces at once, coupled with the backing of the Royal Family and the Central Government Administrative Area, means the reformists are on the verge of gaining overwhelming dominance.

Future additions from other provinces are also likely to lean towards supporting the reforms.

At the end of the day, one’s position determines their perspective. Without sufficient government funding, national defense cannot be adequately maintained.

On the surface, the reformist’s situation seems exceptionally promising.

However, reality is quite the opposite: determining the fate of the Alpha Kingdom still lies with the original 25 established provinces, while the newly added provinces are, at best, minor players.

Potential remains mere potential; until development is realized, it amounts to nothing.

Take the Near East Seven Provinces, for instance—it can’t even rival the economy of the Southeastern Province.

Many of the newly added provinces fall short except in size and future potential for development to meet the standards of a full province.

Of course, these emerging provinces do have advantages. Starting from a blank slate is conducive to implementing political reforms.

Using "Caesar’s Six Principles" as an example, while it appears to impact many nobles’ interests, it does not affect the nobles in the emerging provinces.

Whether it’s the "abolition of transit taxes" or the "elimination of tax farming systems," these regions didn’t have them to begin with!

Hudson took the lead in reducing transit taxes to one copper coin to promote Near East’s development.

He then lobbied other nobles to jointly lower transit taxes.

Since the tax rate dropped so low, many noble lords couldn’t even be bothered to send people to collect them.

With transit taxes gone, other tax categories followed suit.

In territories where there are no free citizens, external trade is conducted mainly by the nobles themselves, making the appointment of tax officials unnecessary.

If they’ve never had access to these revenues, there’s naturally nothing for them to grieve over.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss