After awkward small talk all the way to the royal palace, the middle- and lower-ranking officers who had traveled with them went off to attend the victory banquet, while the senior commanders entered the council hall.
Caesar IV had no choice but to convene the meeting in such haste. If they did not resolve the matter while everyone was still here, it would become much harder to deal with the Near East once they returned to their territories.
He had long since sent people to communicate privately with all sides. Unfortunately, every major noble, including Hudson, had no interest in the Near East Region.
Nobles had no right to choose their fiefs, but they did have the right to refuse them.
By convention, any fief that no one was willing to accept would come under the Kingdom's direct rule.
The moment this terrifying idea was raised, it met with collective opposition from the entire court, especially the Treasury Department officials, whose reaction was particularly fierce.
The Kingdom's directly governed territories were either major cities or strategic strongholds.
They either generated revenue for the Kingdom or strengthened control over local areas, ensuring that government authority could be carried out.
The Near East Region met neither condition. Taking it on would be nothing but a burden.
The cost of rule under noble lords and the cost of direct royal administration were worlds apart.
Immigration, building cities, reclaiming wasteland, and constructing defensive lines all cost money. Letting bureaucrats lead such work would turn it into a bottomless pit.
Even if they gritted their teeth and endured the initial investment phase, they would still have to pour money into it every year to defend against Beastfolk invasions.
The nobles did not want it, the government did not want it, and the royal family did