Blood tax

Chapter 422 The Incident of the Imperial Council on January 1445, 1

"Any news from Griffith?"

Early morning of January 1445, 1 in the Second Age.Before dawn on the first day of the new year, Count William de La Mole asked his sleepy daughter while putting on his coat.

"Huh?" Sonia rubbed her eyes, "The messages during the trial may be detected, so there is no contact."

It was pitch black outside the window, and the north wind slapped the window hard, trying to get in through the gaps in the thick glass.

The Countess opened the door and came in, putting on her husband a breastplate and a cloak.The cold wind swarmed in following her footsteps, making Sonia shiver, and her drowsiness dissipated.

She was woken up by the personal maid when she was sleeping in a daze, and then told that the count and his wife, who were supposed to stay in Bayeran or go to the Verona Legion camp, had come to the town of Bremi, but they didn't know what happened. Let them come overnight.

"Hmph!" the countess said softly, "Look at how smart Xialong's family is, they hide in the barracks and at home, and wait until the winner is decided before coming out. Do you never forget that you were a soldier in your life?"

Sonia noticed that her mother's tone contained some complaints, but she was still gentle, as if she wanted to try her best to keep her and stop something.

The earl was not in a good mood, he said something vaguely, and deliberately avoided his wife's eyes, rather than explaining to her, he was talking to himself.He muttered incoherently, and Sonia could only hear a few words such as "His Majesty's vassal" and "duty".

These two just had a fight!Sonia quickly asked obediently and cutely:

"But but, why did Mom and Dad come here?
"Shouldn't I be in charge of this meeting?"

"Some changes have taken place," the count said softly, stroking his daughter's head, "I will attend today's imperial meeting. Your Majesty may ask about some military affairs, so it is better for me to attend. Go back to Bayeran."

"William~" Countess Elena blocked the door with her arms folded, with an unhappy expression on her face.Sonia saw that the accompanying servants were holding a few booklets in addition to their luggage. The titles read "Financial Report to His Majesty the King" and "Talks on the Virtue of the Bajeland Treasury".

These were written by representatives of the town who were expelled from the meeting the day before yesterday.After they left the venue, they hid in an indoor tennis court to take shelter from the wind, unwilling to go home empty-handed.

These gentlemen came all the way to the meeting, thinking that they would be respected and treated with courtesy, who would have thought that the elders and wizards did not take them seriously at all--the industrial and commercial owners, farmers and mine owners in the capital and other provinces can honestly pay Taxna is naturally the most convenient; if you don't know how to flatter, then let the miracles of the soldiers of Baiyelan and the sacrifice of the chosen one teach them what is the truth.The fat pig who was going to cook at night actually started haggling with the chef!
The civic representatives who realized that they were fat pigs were first half-satiated by the elders and wizards, and then full-satiated by the north wind. Everyone was furious and issued a declaration excitedly.In this Tennis Court Manifesto, the demands of the angry delegates went a step further than the no-representation-no-taxes at the meeting—

"If there is no constitution, we will not play!"

This statement calls for a fundamental reform of Bayeran's parliamentary system. The system that was originally ruled by the king, the Senate, and wizards will give a large part of the decision-making power to business owners and citizens.Pamphlets written and printed overnight by delegates spread like wildfire among the people.The living room of the Larmor house also received a copy.

Representatives of the burghers pointed out the reality that the kingdom's finances were about to go bankrupt, continuous wars, rebellions, and mysterious disasters, and the oversubscription of overissued bonds was extremely bad, and it was virtually impossible to pay the bonds that were about to expire.

The kingdom's financial deficit has reached an astonishing level. The battered army cannot receive timely supplies and manpower. Heretics and rebels are more rampant than ever, and even publicly killed a demigod.

If there is another fiasco like the Teutonic-Rum battle, or another evil god tries to descend, Byelan's rule over the world will collapse.

Sound fiscal health is impossible without a fundamental reform of the tax system, reining in the military and government's unbridled extravagance.

Tax reform, prudent military and government spending are also out of the question without a fundamental reform of the current parliamentary system.

All in all, the representatives of the citizens demanded the establishment of a Grand National Assembly to replace the Senate and the Arcane Parliament. The country's major policies and bills must not only be recognized by nobles, wizards, and Beyonders, but also by businessmen and business owners.

It is said that King Aurelius was going to declare the Grand National Assembly illegal and demanded its dissolution;

"It's illogical," the earl said seriously. "Your Majesty will definitely not mobilize the army to interfere with the parliament. Someone is forging the holy will."

"William!" Countess Elena was about to jump anxiously, grabbing her husband's arm to keep him, "You are the elder now!"

"You leave immediately. I will take Jill to the imperial meeting. I will come back after confirming the situation." The earl walked out with a gloomy face and waved his hand casually.

Sonia only felt a fiery and violent murderous intent sweeping over without a sound, which made one's heart torn apart.It's strange, yet somewhat familiar, inexplicably a bit like Griffith's breath.She retreated subconsciously, and the countess, who was holding her husband's arm, fell down on the soft chair like a flower ravaged by frost.

The Earl made no apology, and disappeared through the door without even looking.The countess bit her bloodless lips and turned her head away.

Did they have a big fight on the way here... Sonia sat beside the countess, thinking of words of comfort.Before she could say it, the countess was already crying:
"Sonia, you can't find a wooden man in the future!"

……

At 6:15, Count Lamor came near the Palace of Sanssouci and took a carriage to the imperial meeting.

Since the town representatives from other provinces insisted on holding a broad national assembly, their supporters came like a tidal wave, and the situation in the towns of Bremi and Bayeran was quite chaotic.

The imperial meeting was also temporarily relocated from the Sanssouci Palace to a dark valley with dense forests more than ten miles away.The Marc Aurelius Antoninus Guard Banner Team has set up three layers of security here, inside and outside. Each layer is densely covered with arrow towers, deer villages, and repelling horses. The soldiers of the Imperial Guard and the Extraordinary squad are patrolling day and night.The king's chambers and council rooms are located in the deepest part, and only those important people with special privileges can enter.

Earl Lamor was summoned, and he brought his only assistant, Gilles de Ace Apprentice Knight, to the waiting room on the second floor without any hindrance.

They stood in the cold hall, and Jill was carrying a bulging briefcase, which contained the documents and materials for today's report.Nobles and officers hurried past, but no one paid any attention to the legion commander and his assistants.

"It's really messy," the earl was full of worries and regretted his attitude towards his wife when he went out, so he said a few words to his assistant, "A lot of things have happened recently, but the sacrifice of the chosen one There will be a miracle of the gods, and everything will be fine."

Gilles de Ace came from a noble family.Unlike Griffith, he is not a Xiutoral, but a young candidate to inherit the title.The Ace family has been loyal vassals of the Lamor family all year round, and they are trustworthy subordinates and partners.

Despite the great age and status gap, Jill still whispered, "It may not be a good time, but I heard something, Lord Earl."

"Oh? What's the matter? Please tell me."

"Captain Griffith... Well, I heard that the knight of Ravenel and the saint of Anjou used to be... used to be..."

"Oh, that... I know." The count nodded, indicating that he knew.

Who hasn't passed yet, hasn't he?Just like myself, before I met Elena, I never thought that I would fall in love with others...

Count William de La Mole thought of many things in an instant, and his mentality almost exploded.He hurriedly calmed down and recalled the details of today's report, so as not to make a fool of himself.

Beside him, Jill's eyes suddenly lit up.He lowered his voice and whispered in a voice that only two people could hear:
"I can resurrect her! My lord, do you think I should tell the knight?"

What? !Count Lamor stared into Jill's eyes in amazement.

"What I said is true, my lord," the second-level squad leader continued, "I heard a distant voice telling me that the sacrifice of the Chosen One will bring about a miracle of life, and that is an eternal miracle!"

"The lofty gods will come, and the door to the new world will open. For a small price, we will receive amazing gifts."

"!!!"

The count raised his hand, patted the second-level squad leader, and almost knocked him down: "Shen Yan, you idiot. Where is the loyalty and faith of the paladin?"

The count realized that he had to give the cranky young man a severe reprimand and ask him to go to the interrogator to explain his beliefs.Just then a general opened the gate and called out to him:
"William, Your Majesty has summoned you!"

"Yes!"

At 6:40, the Earl walked quickly into the meeting room.

The meeting has started.The king checked the documents while listening to the reports of the cabinet members, generals, and nobles.There were about 20 other nobles and officers around the table.When the earl brought Jill in, the king looked up and accepted the greetings of the two.

Seeing such a scene for the first time, Jill, who was traveling with her, seemed very nervous, so she asked for convenience and hurried into the bathroom.

The earl retreated to a corner of the room and began to prepare the report to be reported later. Jill came back soon, prepared materials by his side, and put the briefcase on the corner of the table.

The meeting was discussing the sacrifice of the chosen one. The prince and members of some of the most famous families joined the trial. According to the news sent back last night, another group of chosen ones were eliminated in the confrontation at sea.The Emblem of the Chosen One is concentrating on the most promising candidates.

This is good news, as long as a miracle happens, everything will be fine.

The second topic is the war in Verona.Earl Lamor was very familiar with this. Before autumn, he led the legion to spend a lot of time there. Countless rebels are like weeds in the field. After cutting a batch, new ones will grow.General MacDonald gave a plan for establishing a local security zone and a non-security zone. He was talking about the excitement, pointing to the combat map on the table from time to time.This point of view is very novel, and it may be able to deal with the predicament there. Earl Lamor became interested and leaned over the table, trying to see the marks on the map clearly.

After a while, the general's report was about to end, and the earl hurriedly collected his thoughts and prepared to report.However, Jill, who was carrying the materials, disappeared.

Seeing that there was still time, Earl Lamor hurried out of the room, preparing to bring this careless little assistant back.However, there was no one in the lounge or bathroom outside, only the orderly was there, saying that the second-level team leader had just gone out.

"Useless aristocratic idiot, Griffith would not have made such a mistake!"

The count turned back to the conference room helplessly, preparing to complete the entire report by relying on his memory.

He inexplicably felt that he seemed to have neglected something very important!
The startled count opened the door and saw the king and his courtiers, so he could only bite the bullet and take a step forward.

"boom!"

At the same time as the earl's heels knocked on the floor, a terrifying wave of psionic energy descended.

At that moment, Earl Lamor saw arcs of shields flickering on the big figures in the venue, and the density was as terrifying as a thunderstorm night.

He saw his shield cracking, and the scorching wind swept him and the two officers at the door backward.

The time was 7:13, and a violent explosion occurred at the imperial meeting site.

The meeting room was blown up, the roof flew out, the walls were blown up, and the air waves broke through the window frames, throwing broken limbs and debris into the air.

(End of this chapter)