Chapter 134: The Troubles of the Empire (Part II)
Chapter 134: The Troubles of the Empire (Part II)
When the father of the current emperor, His Majesty Augustine VI, reigned, it was a broad-minded monarch who carried out a policy of appeasement towards this people who repeatedly harassed the empire, abandoning the policy of stationing troops on the steppe, but replacing blind high pressure with appeasement, while trying to weaken the steppe wolves with internal division.
Thirty years of hard work, the results are very good. For thirty years, there was no rebellion among those alien races.
However, after Augustine VI succeeded to the throne, he changed his policy and used a high-pressure policy against the aliens, and finally reunited the alien races that had been torn apart, and launched a rebellion twenty years ago, and the empire organized an army of 100,000 people to cross the desert to requisition, spending nearly 10 million gold coins, killing and wounding almost half of the army, washing the steppe in blood, finally quelling the rebellion, and in order to demonstrate, slaughtered the other side of 100,000 people, including prisoners of war , there are also civilians!
"In that war, the empire spent nearly ten million gold coins and lost tens of thousands of elite troops, a large number of which were non-combat losses in the desert! As a result, what did the Empire get? What he got was to satisfy his father's desire for conquest, but he couldn't get even a single gold coin from the hands of those aliens, and he also formed a blood feud with the other party! Now there are still 20,000 troops stationed on the grassland, and the army of 20,000 people is in the interior of the empire, and it is difficult to supply, to cross a desert to supply an army of 20,000 people, and to suppress those foreign races, it must also be an expensive cavalry! The consumption is almost ten times that of an army of the same size! It is equivalent to a local garrison army of 20,000 people, but it costs the military expenses of consuming a legion every year! The empire spends an extra legion every year to raise an army budget, but only to maintain such an army of 20,000! Maintained for so many years... The military expenditure consumed is a terrifying figure!
Hearing this, Du Wei suddenly couldn't help but say: "It's a pity." If it had been done once and for all..."
A trace of color suddenly flashed in Prince Chen's eyes, and he took a deep look at Du Wei: "What do you say?"
Du Wei had a cold look on his face and said coldly: "The war twenty years ago slaughtered 100,000 people on the other side, and the deep hatred has been forged!" In that case, why not, one does not do it, the other does not stop..." He raised his hand. He made a gesture of cutting down with a single palm, and said lightly: "That narrow grassland, the area is only the area of a province of the empire!" How many alien races can there be in the steppe? If you count a million, there can be a million people, and among a million people, excluding old and weak women and children, there can be 300,000 strong men. Already the limit! With such a force, why not simply cut the grass and remove the roots? Hum... Since they have all killed 100,000, then killing another 900,000 is not something that cannot be done! With the national strength of the empire, another legion will be requisitioned. Completely exterminate those alien races, once and for all! Although the short-term consumption is large, but in the future, to avoid frequent small rebellions, it can be regarded as a cancer on the empire! Prince
Chen was surprised in his heart... This little boy in front of him. Where did such ruthless means come from?!
"You're right." Prince Chen smiled bitterly: "Back then, my father also had this meaning... Hmph, after all, my father is not confused, and he also knows that long pain is not as good as short pain, although his means and ideas are violent, but if he really does this, even if he bears the scolding of a butcher, he can at least bring a permanent peaceful northwest to the empire! Merely. It was the temple that came out to obstruct him! Those divine sticks, with ill intentions, naturally do not want to see our royal family sitting safely! Hmph, at that time, suddenly the Pope entered the palace, talked with his father for a night, and forced his father to submit with teachings... Hum! When he had already killed 100,000 people, he didn't see that pope appear! A great feud was formed, but he came to prevent his father from continuing! So do. The intention is extremely insidious!
Du Wei nodded. Thought to himself: The temple naturally will not see the royal tranquility of the empire... Leave a northwest internal trouble, a place for the royal family to be distracted. It is naturally good for the temple. The contradiction between the temple and the empire, from the perspective of Du Weidi's previous life, is absolutely irreparable! How can the opposition between theocracy and imperial power be integrated?
"The plague of the northwest is here! Twenty years have passed, spending the military expenses of one legion every year, raising those 20,000 people, spending countless military expenses ... Hmph, but if the other party really wants to rebel, across a desert, the empire's army cannot be rescued, and the mere 20,000 garrisons, I am afraid that in less than ten days, they will be eaten by the other party! Twenty years have passed, those alien vitality has been restored, and the outbreak of this turmoil is probably a matter of time! Prince Chen sneered: "But what now? With the strength of the empire, go on an expedition to the desert again and fight a war without gain, how long can the empire hold out? And the plague in the northwest, at least it has not broken out ... But now the biggest problem is in Nanyang!
At the mention of Nanyang, Du Wei's spirit was lifted. Because his father, Count Raymond, rose to the current position of military leader by virtue of his military merits in leading the fleet on three expeditions to the South Seas.
"The opening of the Nanyang route and the frequent expeditions of the empire were originally a big mistake! Hmph, the sea route is difficult and dangerous, although the South Sea is rich, but even the most fertile land cannot withstand such frequent harvests! According to my calculations, it is not impossible to carry out the expedition to the South Seas, but it is better to carry out it at least once every seven or eight years! But now, fleeting expeditions almost once every two or three years ... As a result, a show of force was shown, and the Empire built a navy of such a huge size as almost waste! Hum... But just to deal with those natives in the South Seas?! I have calculated that twenty years ago, the three expeditions led by Your Excellency's father, Lord Count Raymond, were at least able to maintain a balance between military expenses and gains. But in the last fifteen years, four more expeditions to the South Seas have been carried out ... Especially recently, the imperial navy spent sixteen million gold coins, and the final harvest of the expedition was only such a small amount of less than one million gold coins... The rich waters of the South Sea have become barren! Those natives have gone far south, in the far southern seas, a place that is difficult for our Imperial Navy to reach... Alas, this is also a worry! It's a pity that my father didn't listen to my advice, and in order to satisfy his good achievements, he recently went on another expedition with his mind... Recently, the treasury was forced to approve three million gold coins for the construction of giant ships.
Prince
Chen's brows furrowed: "On such fruitless expeditions one after another, such an act of showing off force again and again at the expense of wasting the national strength of the empire... The current finances of the empire have reached an extremely dangerous point! The empire has to maintain nearly half a million local garrisons, several main battle legions headed by the Storm Legion, as well as the Imperial Capital's Guards Legion, as well as the 20,000 sky-high garrisons in the northwest, and the military expenses of naval expeditions... These all add up, plus the father's good feats, the grand triumphal ceremony, celebration every two or three years... You may not know that for the sake of military spending, several bigwigs in the high command are about to turn gray.
Du Wei was silent, remembering that when he went home this time and saw his father's appearance, he was indeed much older.
"Now the local garrison has begun to be partially self-sufficient, and I know that several local garrisons in the south have not changed their weapons and equipment for three years! Even the elite Storm Legion can only get sixty percent of the military budget every year! The only one who can still approve the full military budget is the Imperial Capital's Guards Legion. The other main battle legions can only get five or six percent of the military expenses, and the rest can only find their own way. Prince Chen smiled bitterly, pointed to the banquet hall behind him, and then pointed around: "Here, this place!" Its backstage is the generals and commanders of some military led by the Storm Legion in the north! They are also forced to use this method to make money, otherwise, they will not be able to make up enough military expenses!
Du Wei was sighing, he had long felt that there were many hidden dangers in the empire, but he did not expect that the situation had eroded to such a point!
Looking at the banquet hall behind him, the streets of the imperial capital are still prosperous every day, but the foundation of this huge empire has been quietly and slowly corroded by no one knows!
"So, I advise you not to make anything wrong here." Prince Chen smiled bitterly: "This place is to raise military expenses, if there is a problem in this place, then it is to offend those military generals with real power, offend the Storm Legion, and offend several main battle legions!" Now, money is their lifeblood, you move people's life, how can the other party stop with you?! So, even I wouldn't easily cause anything here.
Du Wei bowed shallowly: "Your Highness, thank you for your reminder, I will remember your words... I have some doubts though. He raised his head and looked directly at the prince: "There are many things you said to me just now, I am afraid that secrets have already been involved, right?" Your Highness, you are so pushy to me, I really don't understand, where can I get His Highness's favor?
"Du Wei." Prince Chen met Du Wei's gaze, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Are you willing to be loyal to me?" "
Du Wei was stunned.