Where Did the War Merit Come From?
In early May, governors from all over gathered in the Royal Capital, Royal Capital Goldflower Kingdom. Inside the magnificent palace, a Imperial Council began that would determine the post-war landscape and power distribution in the Northern Territory.
The first item on the agenda was to assess and reward the merits and demerits of several key border Lord and generals in the previous Sauron invasion.
This is not merely about rewarding merit, but also a power rebalancing that affects all parties involved.
Earl Rochefort was undoubtedly the brightest star of the meeting.
The evidence of his war achievements he presented was simple, brutal, yet irrefutable: two thousand heads of Sauron soldier that had undergone preliminary treatment and were preserved with lime!
When the number was announced, a collective gasp filled the hall.
No one doubted the authenticity of this battle achievement, after all, Earl Rochefort's brilliant record in this counterattack was undeniable.
More importantly, it was with his full support and tacit approval that the originally insignificant border territory of Carnford miraculously withstood the fierce attack of the main force of the Sauron and eventually became a stubborn thorn in the side of the Sauron, whose strategic significance far exceeded the loss of two thousand heads.
Rochfort's achievements are well-deserved and no one dares to question them.
However, the subsequent discussion of credits became somewhat bizarre and outlandish.
The Earl Fissella of Westwind City and the Marquis York of Worton Fort, whose territories did not suffer major attacks during the war, also presented their achievements of five hundred Sauron heads.
Although the number was far less than that of Rochfort, it was still considered "acceptable" in the tacit silence of the court officials, since they had indeed sent reinforcements and may have had encounters with small groups of Sauron troops.
What was most astonishing was Earl Eisenberg's performance.
This general, who decisively abandoned the strategic Blackstone Pass at the beginning of the war and retreated the entire army into the easily defensible Eagle's Eagle's Nest Fortress, could almost be regarded as "fearing war and avoiding battle," yet he brazenly produced the astonishing achievement of taking a thousand Sauron heads!
When the number was announced, an eerie silence instantly fell over the hall.
Countless gazes were focused on Count Earl Eisenberg's seemingly calm and even somewhat aggrieved face.
Suspicion, disdain, mockery, and even anger flickered in the eyes of many ministers. Who didn't know that Eagle's Nest Fortress had primarily adopted a defensive posture throughout the war and had never reported any large-scale annihilation of the enemy? Where did these thousand heads come from?
But Earl Eisenberg was clearly prepared. He calmly stepped forward, holding a meticulously worded and detailed battle report, claiming that the thousand heads had been captured during the Sauron siege of Eagle's Nest Fortress through numerous "heroic" and "tactical" night raids, ambushes on supply lines, and a final "strategic pursuit."
He even brought along several junior officers who had "personally participated" in the battle as witnesses.
Although his claims were full of holes and logically untenable, the head he presented was real. Most importantly, the one currently ruling from behind the curtain and controlling the government was none other than his own daughter, Empress Dowager Katerina, while the young King Sigmund sitting on the throne was his grandson.
In this context of absolute power, all questioning seems futile.
Several upright senior officials who had initially intended to refute the Empress Dowager Katerina wisely chose to remain silent after seeing her seemingly calm yet subtly sharp gaze sweep across the room.
The entire court fell into a tacit silence and compromise.
The truth is no longer important; what matters is how to maintain the "stability" and "decency" of the current power structure.
The Imperial Council entered its most substantive phase in an atmosphere that seemed harmonious but was actually rife with hidden agendas: the allocation of resources after the rewards and recognition of merits. This was precisely the most troublesome problem.
Empress Dowager Katerina, seated behind the beaded curtain beside the throne, and her high-ranking officials lined up on either side, knew full well that the real test was only just beginning.
Earl Rochefort remained outwardly calm, but his mind was perfectly clear.
He knew all too well the details of Eisenberg, Firth, and the Marquis York's "glorious military exploits."
The extra 1,500 Sauron heads were nothing more than "spoils of war" that Karl had sold through secret channels.
Karl had already sent his trusted envoy to inform him of this matter, which greatly weakened Eisenberg and others' financial resources. Twenty thousand gold coins was no small sum, but it did help them fool the court.
However, while this "deal" temporarily quelled the controversy over merits and demerits, it sowed the seeds of greater hidden dangers for subsequent fiscal allocation.
The Kingdom of the Goldflower Kingdom is still empty, even more so than before the war.
Years of war had drained the kingdom, poor harvests in several southern provinces and the extravagance of its vast bureaucracy had long since emptied it out.
However, the importance of the Northern Territory defense line has become undeniable after this battle, and the required supplies of food, weapons, and compensation are huge. Not only can they not be reduced, but they must be significantly increased, especially in support of the Earl Rochefort, who has made outstanding contributions in the war.
His Fran City and Carnford played a crucial role in this counterattack, and not increasing investment in them would likely discourage the Northern Territory Border Army.
The problem is that, although Earl Eisenberg is cowardly and greedy for glory, he commands the kingdom's most elite cavalry legion, numbering in the tens of thousands, which is stationed at Eagle's Nest Fortress, not far from the Royal Capital.
This force may be hesitant to resist foreign enemies, but if the court treats them too unfairly in terms of rewards and provisions, it may drive them to desperate measures, such as using them to intimidate the Royal Capital or even to betray the country. This would be a disaster that could overturn the political situation.
This is a vicious cycle: knowing that Eisenberg is a parasite on the state, sucking its already meager resources, the state has no choice but to continue supporting him, lest this domesticated vicious dog turn on its master.
The Imperial Council fell into a long, oppressive silence and hushed debate.
Issuing more bonds? The kingdom's credit has already gone bankrupt.
Cutting palace spending? That would infringe on the interests of too many powerful figures; the Empress Dowager would be the first to object.
Borrowing from big businessmen? The interest rates are outrageously high, and it's a distant solution that won't solve your immediate problem.
After much debate, under the weary but acquiescing gaze of Empress Dowager Katerina, an elderly minister in charge of finances, in a hoarse voice, proposed the most common and cruel solution used by dynasties throughout history when they were at their wits' end:
"The only way to maintain the defense of the Northern Territory and appease all sides is... to increase the Northern Territory defense tax," the old minister's voice was low, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. "The Cabinet proposes to increase the farmland tax in the Royal Capital and the southern and northwestern provinces by two copper coins per acre, on top of the existing tax."