Unrestricted Expansion Decree
"The Unrestricted Expansion Decree, Victor, this is my wedding gift for you!"
Alex said smugly to Victor.
The decree then circulated among the guests, and whether it was Viscount Benjamin, Viscount Markut, or Baron Brown, they all cherished it.
Victor was pleased, but also somewhat apprehensive, as the contents of this decree were certainly unusual.
This document was issued in the name of the Northern Nobles Joint Council and was specifically given to Victor.
This decree contains a lot of information, but in essence, it means that during Victor's reign, the Golden Sunflower Family can expand their territory northward on their own without reporting or restrictions, as long as they do not maliciously interfere with other nobles.
This decree is so valuable that it can be said that with it, the territorial restriction problem that has plagued Victor for so long will be solved.
Victor could expand his territory northwards, reaching the former homeland of the Blazing Fire Tribe. Leveraging the terrain there, he could establish a northern defense line with the lake as the boundary, eliminating any concerns about other Barbarian Tribes from the south.
From the Great Fish River to the former territory of the Blazing Fire Tribe, roughly several square kilometers of land could be taken over by Victor.
Even if there are large areas of barren land lacking water, the good land along the banks of rivers or around lakes with water sources alone is enough to cover 50,000 to 60,000 square kilometers. If all of it were used to grow wheat, it could feed millions of people. It can be said to be a foundation comparable to a duchy.
Although this is just a concept and would require a great deal of time and wealth to realize, it is extremely valuable to Victor and Two Rivers Territory, as it represents a possibility.
The Barbarian Tribes on this land had basically been wiped out, but Victor had no right to expand it, and in a few years it might be occupied by new Barbarian Tribes.
Now that this law is in place, nothing is an obstacle anymore.
Although Victor knew that Count Colt would not treat him badly after this operation, he did not expect the Count to be so helpful. It was so precious that he felt a little hot to handle.
"Alex, Count Excellency's gift is far too precious for me to accept! I feel truly unworthy of it!"
After some thought, Victor still decided to refuse and wanted Alex to rescind the decree. The most important reason was that he still needed to make a living in the Northlands, and now that he had received such a reward, what would the other Northern Frontier nobles think?
Alex laughed heartily, "Victor, you really are going to refuse. I even made a bet with my father. Looks like I lost this time!"
Alex's words attracted the attention of several other nobles, including the Old Baron Wembley and the former Viscount Perez, who gathered around.
Alex noticed the group approaching, but he didn't care. Instead, he reassured Victor, "This decree is for you. It's a reward for your interception and eastern operations. It has been approved by several high-ranking nobles in the Northern Alliance Army, including your uncle!"
After Alex finished speaking, he nodded toward Viscount Benjamin.
Viscount Benjamin kicked his nephew, but nodded to his good son-in-law Victor, "Indeed, Count Colt has already spoken with us, and this decree was unanimously passed."
"Victor, and the guests who have come to the wedding today, since we are all here, I would like to have a good talk with you about the Iron Birch Family's future governing philosophy. I also hope that you can participate in our plans with more enthusiasm, as they are indeed closely related to the future of your families and titles."
Alex paused for a moment, cleared his throat, and continued, "My father carefully analyzed the problems and causes of the Grand Duchy of Vera. He found that the biggest problem was that the Silver Maple Family, due to their past experiences, had very strict management of the nobles within the duchy and imposed many restrictions on the right to expand."
Within a duchy, nobles who wish to expand their territory face a tremendous cost; the most obvious example is the extreme difficulty for a baronial family to ascend to the viscountial level.
The duchy has more than 200 independent nobles, the vast majority of whom are barons. There are only about 30 viscounts and Count combined, less than one-fifth of the barons. Most of the viscounts were appointed when the duchy was founded, and only a handful of them were actually promoted from baron.
It's easy to imagine how difficult it is to advance like this.
I think you all know Baron Wembley, Victor, and your uncle.
Hearing this, all three nodded. After all, both the Golden Sunflower Family and the Golden Pear Family were promoted from baron to viscount. The Golden Sunflower Family relied on three generations of accumulation and Victor's good fortune, while the Golden Pear Family rode the wave of the Iron Birch Family.
"The difficulty in getting promoted is only one aspect; another aspect is that the duchy has not expanded its territory for a long time."
Originally, when the country was founded, there were many vacant wastelands within the duchy, but in recent years they have been transformed into newly established noble family territories and territories directly under the Grand Duke.
It will become increasingly difficult to divide up new noble territories in the future, since there is no other way but to transfer existing noble territories to other noble territories and divide up the Duchy's direct territory.
Therefore, conflicts arose among the independent nobles within the duchy, and the conflict between the Silver Maple Ducal House and the local nobles intensified. As a result, there wasn't enough land to go around!
Everyone nodded in agreement; that was indeed the case.
"In order to change this situation and overthrow the rule of the Silver Maple Ducal House, my father will lift the restrictions on territorial expansion, which is also a promise to everyone."
Victor, the decree you have is only the first one. In the future, as everyone contributes to the war to overthrow the Silver Maple Ducal House, every Northern Frontier nobles will have the opportunity to obtain this decree, in addition to the territories of the loyal nobles, and gain the right to expand without limit.
This is the Iron Birch Family's guarantee to everyone: at that time, all families that unite with us will have the opportunity to be promoted in rank and to expand their family's influence.
The Iron Birch Family will never ignore everyone's efforts. Our goal is to use this Civil War to break free from the shackles that bind us and achieve common prosperity.
After hearing his words, all the nobles present applauded. Although it was just empty talk, the promise was incredibly tempting. For independent nobles, nothing was more appealing than expanding their family and raising their rank.
At this moment, Victor had some thoughts on his mind. Although he felt that it was somewhat inappropriate to say these things at this time, he still said it, "Alex, if our Northern Alliance Army nobles can get this opportunity, then other inland nobles may not necessarily like to expand northward."
Alex nodded. "Yes, my father's original idea was to organize everyone to expand northward after seizing power, but in fact, many nobles in the interior do not like this kind of territory in the north. I guess we will have to find a way to force everyone to participate through administrative orders."
However, after communicating with the Raine Kingdom, he had a new idea: that after we Raine Kingdom, we can use the Raine Kingdom's power to expand southward.
In fact, the Raine Kingdom thought the same way. In addition to wanting to annex the Grand Duchy of Vera, they also wanted to advance south to find a new direction for the Raine Kingdom's development.
With the Grand Duchy of Vera in their possession, they gained a secure Forward Base, and they also possessed a significant advantage.
After a moment's thought, Victor replied, "The navy of the Tears of God Inland Sea?"
"That's right. After all, the main partners we're cooperating with this time are the new regulations within the Raine Kingdom. The majority of the power of these noble families is in the Raine Kingdom's navy."
The East Sea Alliance doesn't have a fully-fledged navy in the Tears of God. When the time comes, we'll advance south along land and sea routes with the navy of the Raine Kingdom. They'll definitely have a hard time resisting us."