Royal Capital——Lee Yestije.
A city with a long history, dating back more than fifty years before the emergence of Thirteen Heroes.
Although it was initially just one of the many immigrant strongholds scattered from Slane Theocracy, with the establishment of the Kingdom it gradually became the economic and political center of this land.
However, due to the corruption and depravity of the entire ruling class, the people here have been basically controlled by a criminal group named "Eight Fingers".
The guards are almost all civilians without any ability, discipline or training, and they are not even equipped with weapons and equipment.
With their quality, let alone confronting a powerful criminal organization like "Eight Fingers", even bullying the poor may trigger a riot and be overthrown.
Therefore, the order, law and security of Royal Capital can basically be said to be a joke, which is equivalent to nothing after rounding.
Most of the houses on both sides of the street look dilapidated and old, which cannot be compared with the clean and tidy Imperial Capital.
Maybe...
The only thing that can make Kingdom people feel happy is the stone paving on the main road.
However, all this soon changed completely after the 100,000 troops led by Artoria returned.
Especially those nobles and bureaucrats who were deeply involved with "Eight Fingers" simply staged a veritable clown show.
If I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be most appropriate to quote the format of a France newspaper's report on the Napoleon restoration.
"The ridiculously stupid bastard has usurped the throne that does not belong to him!"
"No one can sign an agreement with any country without the permission of all the nobles! This is a shameful traitor!"
"The despicable and shameless thief actually dared to march towards Royal Capital with an army of beggars!"
"Arthur has captured the only way to Royal Capital!"
"His Royal Highness Arthur, who is trying to turn the tide, has arrived at the city!"
"His Majesty King, the Supreme One, arrived today at his loyal Royal Capital!"
Although it sounds exaggerated and funny, this is what these guys really do.
No one dared to mention Artoria's illegitimate status after more than 100,000 troops took over Royal Capital.
Even Marquis Besbeia, who was married to the eldest princess, had a higher legal right to inherit, and also received support from a large number of nobles, very consciously kept his mouth shut.
Because on the day he ascended the throne and became king, this "King Arthur" who looked neither tall nor majestic, directly issued a decree to cancel the military, administrative and judicial power of all nobles in their own territories, and nationalized the unowned land that was currently being fought and fought over, and then distributed it to the tenant farmers who had no land.
Not only that!
She also directly sent the more than two dozen nobles who led to the defeat to the gallows, hanged them alive in full view of the public, permanently deprived their descendants of their noble status, territory and property, and collectively exiled them abroad.
In addition, a large-scale raid was ordered on the illegal businesses run by "Eight Fingers" in Royal Capital. The number of people arrested and executed alone was as high as two thousand.
Iron Fist's repression was so vigorous and vigorous that even Empire's Bloody Emperor could not match it.
"Six Arms" in "Eight Fingers", who was responsible for eliminating threats by force, smelled the strong smell of death and hid honestly, not daring to show his face at such a time.
Looking out the window at the city that had been in chaos for decades and finally restored order, Princess Lana couldn't help but smile and sighed, "It's true that King Arthur, who was able to defeat the madness on the battlefield and convince more than 100,000 soldiers with his own strength, actually took control of the situation so quickly."
Clem nodded with deep approval. "Yes! His Majesty Arthur is the bravest, decisive, and fair person among all the people I have ever met. If he is King, this country will definitely become better and better."
"Haha, Clem, if you want to govern a country well, these alone are not enough." Lana patted the boy's head lovingly.
"Huh? What else do you need?" Clem asked with wide eyes.
Just when Lana was about to tease this little follower, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.
I saw Artoria, who had changed into a noble dress, walked in from the outside, casually took off the crown on his head and kept it on the table, with a terrifying murderous look in his eyes.
She knew without asking that someone had completely annoyed her in the meeting just now.
"Clem! You go out first, I need to talk to Brother Wang alone." Princess Lana ordered without looking back.
"Yes!"
Clem quickly bowed respectfully to Saber, then quickly exited the room and closed the door.
After there was a bang, Lana revealed her true colors, raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and asked meaningfully, "Tell me, who dares to go against your will this time? It doesn't matter! Tell me, and I can help you deal with him."
"It's Marquis Brumulash! This bastard actually announced his separation from the Kingdom after returning to his territory, and united with the surrounding nobles to establish a new country."
Artoria had no intention of hiding anything and angrily announced this extremely bad news.
Because of the opponent's action, nearly one-sixth of the Kingdom's land was torn apart.
If this is not dealt with quickly, other nobles will follow suit.
"Marquis Broom Rush? Ah! That miser who would not hesitate to betray his allies for a copper coin. Don't worry, although this guy is Kingdom's leading rich man, his military capabilities are actually quite limited. The reason why he did this is probably because he was cornered by the decree you issued, and he jumped over the wall as a last resort."
Lana picked up the cup and took a sip of hot tea calmly, her tone full of contempt for the Kingdom noble with the most financial resources.
"Then what should I do? If I lead the army to conquer now, not only Eight Fingers, who disappeared in Royal Capital, will resurrect, but other nobles may also take the opportunity to start a rebellion." Saber frowned and asked for the opinion of the cheap "sister" in front of him.
Although she had experience as King before, Ancient Britain Kingdom is only that old, and its population is not even 500,000.
But what about the current Kingdom?
The population alone reaches as many as nine million!
Therefore, past experience cannot be copied at all, otherwise it may lead to wars everywhere.
Princess Lana put down the tea cup in his hand and said casually, "There is no need for conquest! I remember Lord Allen once said that the so-called power refers to the ability to force others to make decisions against their own will. This means that although violence is an important part of power, and can even be said to be the most important, it is not the only one."
"You mean... to take political measures?"
Saber is not stupid, he immediately realized the subtext hidden in his words.
Princess Lana smiled and nodded, "That's right!
Do you still remember the agreement signed with the Empire and Theocracy?
You only need to publicly send an envoy to Emperor Empire, asking him to fulfill his obligations under the agreement and send troops to help suppress these rebels.
I believe that with Marquis Broom Rush's level of cowardice, he should have surrendered immediately.
At that time, you can pretend to be magnanimous and allow him to keep part of his property while stripping him of his noble status and confiscating his territory.
In this way, after seeing that you will not kill them all, other nobles will probably give up their original desperate plans.
After all, who would be willing to risk the execution of his whole family to rebel if he could live well?
Even if there are a few idiots who can't figure it out, their relatives and friends will take the initiative to secretly inform us in order not to be implicated.
Sometimes, blind persecution will only make the enemy more united.
But if you take a few steps back, the enemy will start fighting among themselves.
Especially Kingdom these Decay degenerate nobles have long lost the bravery of their ancestors when they founded the country, and are left with only a group of cowardly people. "
"That's it!"
Artoria suddenly showed an expression of realization, and at the same time he was full of fear for the cute and sweet-looking Golden Princess.
This fear does not come from the other party's powerful power, but from that terrifying brain.
The longer the two of them spend time together and the deeper they understand each other, the more she will understand how correct Allen is when he says that the other person is an alien in human skin.
In Lana's eyes, there are no secrets in this world.
Anyone and anything around him can be clearly identified immediately with just one glance, so he gradually developed a mentality of playing with the world.
She has no clear concept of good and evil. Even if she can promote clear benevolent actions such as the abolition of slavery, she can also torture someone who has nothing to do with her life without hesitation.
And all of this is just enjoying the feeling of having everyone at your fingertips.
"Haha, dear brother, please don't be so wary of me. You should know that I am not interested in ruling this country."
Princess Lana undoubtedly noticed the strange look in Saber's eyes, and immediately expressed his position and attitude clearly.
What she wants to do now is to complete the task assigned to her by Allen, and then make her "loyal dog" Clem immortal.
In this way, the skills of the two people are "forever" together.
"Sorry, I'm a little rude. If you don't mind, can I leave this matter to you? I will focus on eradicating Eight Fingers recently. The crimes committed by these scum are too numerous to describe, and I will never allow their senior officials to escape sanctions like this."
After saying that, Artoria suddenly raised his fist and slammed it on the table with a muffled sound.
"No problem! Within half a month at most, I will make Marquis Broom Rush kneel down and cry bitterly and beg for your forgiveness." Princess Lana agreed without hesitation.
At the same time, inside the Hunter Association of Yelan Tyr, Allen was receiving a very special guest, Kingdom's former Warrior Chief Gedō Stronov.
Ever since he witnessed the tragic death of old King, he gave up his original identity and status and went to the depths of the forest alone, hunting dangerous monsters and wild beasts in an almost masochistic way to train himself.
Right now, this strong man with a beard was exuding a strong aura, and his eyes were as sharp as blades.
"You are very courageous!" Allen commented with a smile.
"The killing of His Majesty King and the two Princes was your work, right?" Gedō asked bluntly.
"Yeah! That's right! It's me." Allen nodded without thinking.
"Why do you do this? Put aside the eldest Prince for now, your Majesty and His Highness Prince have not violated the rules set by the Hunter Association, right?"
Gedō's mood suddenly became excited, and his hands clenched tightly into fists.
When Sakura on the side saw this scene, she immediately felt a biting chill.
But Allen raised his hand to stop the girl from taking any further action, and replied solemnly, "Because as the supreme ruler of a country, incompetence is their biggest sin. I don't know if this reason is enough?"
"Incompetent..."
Hearing this extremely insulting word, Gedō's heart twitched violently, and the originally excited and angry emotions seemed to have been poured with cold water and instantly solidified.
Because for this kind of evaluation, he could not find any excuse to defend his loyalty to the monarch.
Especially compared with the Bloody Emperor next door who completed the reform of the entire country at a young age, the old King is indeed far behind, and can even be called mediocre.
Otherwise, criminal organizations like Eight Fingers would not be able to expand rapidly under their rule.
"It seems that you have figured it out. For a country like Kingdom that is hard to recover from, there is no other way to fundamentally get rid of those rotten-smelling moths other than thoroughly cleaning out the upper ruling class. The purpose of the Hunter Association is to defend the interests of mankind. So. When the ruling class of a country begins to harm the interests of the majority of people, it will naturally launch a Great Purge. If you want to avenge the monarch you are loyal to, I will accept your challenge at any time, but one thing is that you'd better be prepared to die, because I will not show mercy."
After saying these words, Allen shut his mouth and waited patiently for the other party to make a choice.
In his understanding, a feudal monarch can be greedy, lustful, and cruel, but he cannot be weak or incompetent.
Otherwise, the entire country will fall into turmoil and competition for rights and interests.
Therefore, Allen will not regret killing the old King and the somewhat clever second Prince.
If he had to do it all over again, he would still kill these wastes without hesitation.
"Can you guarantee that Kingdom will get better under the leadership of King Arthur?" Gedō asked after a long silence.
"Ah! I promise..."
Before Allen could finish what he said, Hunter Association heard a sudden burst of noisy shouting and cheering coming from outside.
Above the city, a huge White Frost Dragon appeared out of thin air, and there were several people sitting on the dragon's back.
About two or three minutes later, more Frost Dragons of different sizes followed and swooped down from the clouds, circling around the headquarters of the Hunter Association, seemingly looking for an open space to land.