Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 478: Overnight Meeting of Special Envoys of the Kingdom

“... how is that possible! How could the Territory still owe nearly four million gold kroner?” Viscount Angelink slapped angrily on the table.

General Skerry looked at him sarcastically: "My Lord Special Envoy, how do you think the 130,000 horses of two regiments under our direct command defeated the more than 700,000 troops sent by the Kingdom of Hicks? You can look at the financial books of our war zone, which clearly show a detailed catalogue of the expenditures.

We have a clear financial record of the day-to-day military expenditures of both regiments, the ammunition consumption of each battle and the wartime subsidies of the soldiers. Even the medical compensation for the war-disabled and the pensions for the martyrs of war, we have a very clear personal record. You can look at every file and even look into it in person to see if we're making a fake... "

“I'm not interested in dead people!” Viscount Angelink immediately interrupted General Skerry's statement, and his eyes became red. I thought taking General Bolognick and General Skerry, taking over the power of the war zone, would make some money for my belt pack.

Unexpected to return to theatre headquarters, the ledger found out that theatre headquarters was an empty shelf. There was no reserve of financial balances in theatre headquarters that managed the eight overseas territories. Seven kingdomenvoys who wanted to fill their bags immediately were greatly disappointed.

(Note: The Kingdom envoys did not regard the newly acquired Rocky Hills Direct Domain in the Direct Domain War Zone as a new Direct Domain of the Kingdom. The reason is that there are no royal immigrants there, all mountainous and barren. And General Skerry deliberately concealed the 17 gold and silver mining bases, and there were no large plains on the new map except mountains and mountains. Mountains like this are not a good colony in the eyes of those of this era.

“Who knows if your books and financial files are true...” Viscountingly slapped the Logistics Department financial books and files neatly piled to a half-person height around Viscount Angelink: “Now that you say the immediate battlefield has won the 700,000 armies of the Kingdom of the Hicks, I wonder, what about the loot and the enemy's military expenditures you captured in your battlefield?

I don't suppose the Kingdom of Hicks can send more than 700,000 hungry men with their bare hands? Although I don't know the military, I don't know much about the war, but I can think of a very basic common sense that more than 700,000 soldiers need to eat, drink and wear, and pay them, which is not a small amount. So you can destroy over 700,000 enemies, and more or less you should always reap the reward? So where are all these possessions and trophies now? ”

“You really don't understand military ignorance of war, my lord envoy.” General Skerry's cynical ridicule: "No country's army would go to war with their wallets full of gold coins, as would the Hicks. Did you see the blue sealed ledger over there? That's what we got after we beat the Hicks.

Dozens of warehouses in the war zone are filled with weapons and ammunition, such as firearms and guns from the Hicks Kingdom, military uniforms, underwear socks, gloves, leather boots and all that mess, as well as dried meat and grass. As for the military expenditures of the Kingdom of Hicks, I can only say that, my lord, you have thought too much, and the Hicks did not bring their gold and silver coins directly to our theatre for military purposes.

We questioned a number of captured Hicks logistics officers to learn that the Kingdom of Hicks had opened an account directly with the United Colonial Bank of the United Kingdom of the Fox Islands, from which all purchases were transferred to complete the transaction. Even if the war zone under our direct administration is short of money, it will not be possible to attack the city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to start a war between the two countries. ”

Baron Fogley walked up to that big pile of blue leather books and took a closer look, and he was the most skilled financial accountant among the seven kingdoms' envoys. After a while he pulled out another one and left the ledger on the table after reading a few pages. He nodded at the four Kingdom envoys in the conference room, indicating that General Scully was telling the truth.

Viscount Gregory, who had been tasting black tea, finally let go of his cup, one of the two envoys of the kingdom belonging to the forces of the old noble family. He raised his head and looked at General Skerry: “I remember that an Ace Field Corps in the kingdom spends around 500,000 gold a year on its daily military expenses, while two regiments in the direct territorial theatre are second-line regiments, belonging to the local armed guards, spending over 300,000 gold a year...

The military expenditures of the two regiments for one year also amounted to KK 600,000, while the taxes to be paid each year before the war in the Overseas Territories amounted to almost KK 400,000. And what we saw along the way was not as depressing as we thought, and it was conceivable that there was plenty of room for taxation. Even if we could collect half a million gold kroner a year, maintaining the two regiments would be 100,000 gold kroner, and I wonder how the huge debt of the more than 380 million gold kroner in the war zone was actually owed. ”

“All of this can be found in the books, my lord.” General Skerry replied callously: "Since His Majesty King Sterling XI, our wise and mighty King, announced his arrival at the throne, the immediate war zone has lost support from the kingdom itself, and we need to deal with this colonial war with the Kingdom of Hicks alone. Later, the rebellion of the White Deer City Storm fleet led to the direct disconnection of our theatre from the kingdom itself.

The Governors and Governors of the three Direct Administrations are ready to surrender to the Grand Prince, and our battlefields need to be mutinied. The Kingdom of the Hicks, in turn, has lent the colony of the Rodex Bay in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to transport more than 700,000 troops from 10 standing regiments to continue this colonial war, and our theatre is under tremendous war pressure and requires all pre-war armaments.

The construction of factories for the production of projectiles, the construction of defensive positions on the front lines, the transport of arms and ammunition, the installation of defensive fronts along the coastal zone against attacks by two Hicks fleets from the sea and the formation of local guard armaments are all costly and expensive. The mobilization of troops in the midst of war and the supply of weapons and ammunition also entail military expenditures.

Even after the war, the casualties of our fighters require treatment and pensions, supplies need to be replenished and prisoners need to be reassured, all of which entail significant military expenses. Even Langhu City, where you are now, was besieged by the Hicks last year, and it was a rubble. Our war zone needs to help the inhabitants of the Kingdom rebuild their homes so that they do not become homeless. This is why our immediate battlefield owes huge debts..... ”

“Oh, you war zones are kind enough to rebuild these sluts for no reason. Who knows if there's anything wrong with it!” Viscount Angelink laughed, "But let me ask you something, why did you build the factory where the bombs were thrown without the king's permission? Do you have His Majesty's orders in mind? I recall His Majesty's unequivocal decree that the dropping of a bomb could only be produced in the kingdom's four major military industries..."

General Skerry looked at Viscount Angelink with shock and complacency, and was preceded by a violent cough from the next Viscount Gregory without answering: “Cough, cough, don't mention this, Viscount Angelink, you have no idea what's going on. This, this projectile was invented in the direct jurisdiction war zone before being transferred to the kingdom's native production...”

Viscount Angelink made a gray face.

Viscount Olivet closed the general ledger of the Territory's finances and asked calmly: "What I would like to know, then, is who owns the huge debt owed by the Territory to the Territory, which will amount to almost four million gold kroner, and how is the day-to-day maintenance cost of the Territory's war zone arranged? ”

General Skerry replied: "The debt of nearly four million gold kroner is not owed to anyone, but is secured by taxes in the war zone over the next decade, pooling the financial resources of the entire territory's civilian population and setting up an overseas civilian livelihood bank. Issuance of banknotes is used to replace gold and silver coins for commercial turnover and to secure banknotes with civilian credibility in the direct jurisdiction war zone. Now that the colonial war is over, the war zones are ready to vigorously develop commerce and production among their respective jurisdictions so that the huge debt owed by the war can be repaid in less than a decade..."

“These are the notes?” Viscount Olivette has placed several notes of varying colour denominations on the table, with a face value of one Finni and five Finni, a face value of one Sooner and five Sooner, a face value of one Riasso and five Riasso, and the lowest face value of five Black pennies.

General Scully nodded.

“You are smart..." Baron Fogley said, picking up the notes on the table and weighing them carefully: "Why not issue banknotes denominated in Silver Tall and Golden Krone? ”

'Cause that's not necessary. ”General Skerry replied:" Anyone whose banknotes are worth a silver taller and a gold and silver coin can go to the Overseas Minsheng Bank in exchange for a silver taller and a gold and silver coin. Only in this way can the credibility of banknotes be truly maintained and circulated in the private sector. ”

Baron Fogley and Viscount Olivet looked at each other and their eyes gleamed. Both of them are emerging business aristocrats who are financially savvy and naturally understand that issuing banknotes to replace those low denominations of copper coins and small silver coins contains great business opportunities. Perhaps this can be manipulated back to the kingdom to make a lot of money for his family, so the two of them ignore the matter.

“Well, here we are today.” Viscount Olivet stood up: "Colonel Scully, while His Majesty has granted you honorary discharge, some things in the war zone are not yet clear to you and you can only stay here for a while. Once we've cleared the battlefield, we'll let you and General Bolognick go.

But His Majesty also has a will that he does not want to see you in the kingdom itself, so you will have to live the rest of your lives under your direct authority. Think about where you're going to live in the future. Think about what you need to report back to us, so we can find you anytime. By the way, if you need anything, you can tell the guards outside the door... "

In the other room of the theatre command, Count Davanel and the envoy of another kingdom broke out.

“Damn it! This old Bolognick is a stubborn old man who refuses to obey the will of His Majesty the King. If he can't move, he will crush us with the will of the First King. What Kings allowed taxes from overseas jurisdictions to be attributed to war zones in preparation for colonial wars, and what Kings exempted overseas jurisdictions from donations, all of which had been announced and announced in overseas jurisdictions, and all the kingdom immigrants in those jurisdictions knew that...

How else can we accomplish the task entrusted to us by His Majesty, who made it clear that all taxes and contributions outstanding in the overseas jurisdictions over the years would be collected and fined ten times. The old man knew that he would suppress us with the will of the first king, and that he would not promise us to make up taxes and donations. And that's where we come all the way, looking wealthy, not as poor as we thought. Without taxes and tributes, how can we make a fortune out of it? ”

For the sake of future and money, the envoys of the seven kingdoms have also done their utmost to accomplish the will proclaimed by Sterling XI. They met overnight to discuss what had been seen after the takeover of authority in the war zones under their direct jurisdiction and the schedule that followed.

“... despite the huge debt owed by the immediate territorial war zone, the financial position is actually very good. We have counted that the Logistics Department's stockpile warehouse is full of food, weapons, equipment and military materiel of all kinds that would have been looted by those three Ace Field Legions had they returned to the kingdom itself. These supplies alone are enough to sustain three Ace Field Legions for two years and wage a confrontational war between three or four Legions. ”

Viscount Olivet has in his possession the folder he has written down, which provides a preliminary financial summary of the six Kingdoms' envoys present here: "Indeed, the arms and ammunition of the Hicks, etc. in the dozens of warehouses seized in the direct territorial war zone, are also worth two or three million gold kroner. And the more than half a million Hicks captives, all of them young labor, we just can't make it happen at the moment.

If it were converted into a gold krone, the war zone debt would be discharged. Unfortunately, however, we cannot find such a large customer in overseas jurisdictions, and we will have to wait until we return these goods and prisoners to the kingdom. Of course, those weapons, ammunition and other armaments in the direct jurisdiction's own stockpiles will have to be shipped back, and then we can discuss whether to trade with the kingdom's three Ace Field Legions or form our own.

These can all be good news, but there's also bad news. I really don't understand what went wrong with the five generals in the direct command war zone. There are only two regular second-line regiments in the kingdom on the bright side, but they have formed 20 additional local guard regiments. Meanwhile, after the capture of the combined fleet of the Kingdom of Hicks, a distant-water cruise fleet was formed in the theatre, which already possesses 256,000 troops in the direct territorial theatre, which makes it very difficult for us to proceed with the reduction of theatre forces... "

Viscount Gregory dropped the cup of black tea in his hand and his tea was addictive and almost untouchable: “The situation in the direct territorial war zone is complicated, although the war zone's finances are in deficit and there are no surplus reserves of funds, but it is possible to borrow large sums of money from civilian banks to sustain these 256,000 person-horse daily military expenditures, thanks to the prestige and credibility of the war zone, as well as tax collateral over the next few years.

While we have now taken over the authority of the zone of direct jurisdiction, no one will in fact be willing to believe us when we first arrive. My last regret is that there is no way to bring a division of troops from the mainland of the Kingdom, so that we can easily use force to suppress all opposition voices in the area of direct jurisdiction. Unfortunately, we brought only one Marine battalion to escort them, and their performance, I will not say that you know it in your heart, will not be of great use.

So what we need most now is time to find a way to take control of the two regiments in the theatre, to order the demotion of senior officers from those regiments by His Majesty's will, and then to select from among the junior officers and the Marine battalion reliable men to take control of the troops. The two regiments were then used to disband 20 local guard corps, which were eventually reduced to local guard armaments. Only then will it take at least six months to complete the task.

In the process, we also have to select those who rely on our trust, form our SS, and with our SS, we can arrange for taxes, fines, liquidation and accountability. Of course, we will also issue an order to seize the guns in the hands of all the inhabitants of the respective jurisdictions in order to prevent these bitches from risking their lives and causing harm to our hands with the guns in their hands... "

Count Davanel shook his head, representing the emerging business aristocracy of which Viscount Gregory was a member. Even though they are the Kingdom's envoys, the two are somewhat apart and look down on each other: “The distinguished Viscount Gregory is right, indeed, in old age, and according to him, we do have complete control over the entire Overseas Territories, but it only takes a little longer, a year or two.

But he should not forget the fact that His Majesty gave us only six months before we left. If we subtract the time spent on the round-trip journey, we will only have a maximum of two months, that is, we will need to scrape a huge sum of more than one million gold kroner for our Majesty within at least two months, and the King will be delivered back to His Majesty to fill his increasingly empty royal vault. And that's the real purpose of the seven of us in overseas jurisdictions.

So we do not have time to slow down, as Viscount Gregory said, and it is imperative that we get the money His Majesty needs first in order to keep our messenger alive. I didn't think there were hundreds of thousands of gold kroner in this war zone, and there should be hundreds of thousands. I didn't think it was an empty shelf and I owed my ass a debt. That adds a great deal of trouble to the fulfilment of His Majesty's orders and requires us to find a way to get millions of gold kroner first.

Of course, not without good news, the Overseas Territories are much richer than we thought, and we have to admit that the five generals in the war zone did a good job of developing the Overseas Territories' economies to the point where they can now collect more than one million gold kroner a year. I remember the taxes and tributes of the overseas jurisdictions that were originally recorded in the Kingdom together amounted to over KK 400,000, which meant that the extra part would be shared by the seven of us...

Viscount Olivet, Baron Fogley, didn't you say that the day-to-day military expenditures in the war zone were taken from the Overseas Minsheng Bank? Tomorrow you go to this bank and see if you can get the money we need from this bank. If it is possible, it will be of great help to us, so we can open them up later and perhaps reach an agreement in their favor... "

“Okay.” replied Viscount Olivet and Baron Fogley.

“I'll check it out too.” Viscount Angelink said beside him.