When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 967: Interest Groups and Political Factions in the Holy Alliance
After nearly an hour of arguing, Horn finally couldn't stand it anymore and forcibly asked someone to stop the chaos.

After all, this kind of central conference was held for the first time, and many representatives were participating in questioning for the first time, so many people didn’t quite understand what to do.

This led to him being led astray by those elders.

After all, the Holy Union is also a new country, and many things have to be learned from scratch.

Looking at the two sides of the split between the supporters and opponents of the Alcohol Prohibition Act, Horn coughed and said, "Each of you should select a few people to speak. Don't be chaotic. Each person should have three minutes."

The representatives whispered with the senior monks for a while, and soon pushed out a few people.

Since each person only had three minutes to speak, opinions from all parties were quickly summarized.

Those opinions that are not practical will be eliminated within the faction.

But it doesn’t matter, they can still write a letter later.

There are special monks who compile and archive the opinions, and no opinion, no matter how small, will be ignored.

There are only a few arguments against the Alcohol Prohibition Act.

First, the owners of breweries and malt mills believe that it was made clear when the "Alcohol Prohibition Order" was implemented that everyone would be wronged because they had to repay the jihad bonds.

Now that all the jihad bonds between 1447 and 1449 have been repaid, is there still a need for the Edict to prohibit alcohol?
Second, some senior monks from the Road and Bridge Bureau believe that the current grain prices in the Laiya market are basically stable, or have rotted away.

There is no room for maneuver, what should we do with the surplus food?
Third, citizen representatives believe that monopoly is too corrupt, as it is practicing monopoly in the name of law.

Those merchants who colluded with the monks to sell illegal liquor made a lot of money, and it would be difficult to get rid of them in the long run.

Fourth, farmers’ representatives believe that food prices are too low and food production is too high. How can farmers’ living standards be improved?
The arguments made by those who support alcohol prohibition are also quite reasonable.

First, representatives of workshop owners other than wine-making workshops raised the question: low grain prices ensure the normal operation of workers' food rations. If grain prices are too high, what should the workers do?
Next, some senior monks from the Holy Hoe Monastery and the staff of the Grace Market spoke.

They think that it is not that they are not allowed to drink, they are just asked to drink less.

The surplus food can be taken to the north to exchange for furs, and can also support the Holy Union's leather industry.

Finally, many Juano monks suggested that alcohol itself was not a good thing, so it would be best to just ban it.

Store the surplus food in granaries and provide support to wherever there is famine. Don't limit it to the Holy Alliance, but export it abroad.

Without looking at the indignation of the crowd outside the venue, just looking at these two groups of people, the questions they raised are indeed very valuable.

Food exports are shrinking and the huge profits they bring are decreasing. The Holy Union cannot rely on food exports forever.

After ensuring one’s own food security, what should one do with the surplus food?

Seeing Horn frowning in thought, the delegates and cardinals held their breath, and even the audience in the meeting hall spoke a little more quietly.

After a while, Horn raised his head and said, “I have heard the opinions of the representatives and the cardinal.

Six years ago, the Alcohol Prohibition Act was still a good law, but as the situation changed, it gradually became outdated..."

The faces of many supporters fell at once. Damn it, that group of drunkards actually convinced His Majesty.

"We will list this in the memorandum and give an answer before the budget meeting." Horn said loudly, then smiled and asked the representatives, "Are you satisfied with my answer?"

"Satisfied, satisfied!" The representatives who opposed the "Alcohol Prohibition" were naturally smiling, especially the brewing and malt workshop owners, who were almost cheering and hugging each other.

But among the representatives of the supporters, those from the Grace Market and the Holy Scythe Monastery were all frustrated, as this meant that their free finances would be greatly reduced.

We have to come up with new ways to increase financial resources.

"Your Majesty, I have an opinion."

Suddenly, a Juano monk from Cassia County stood up, with an expression of a loyal, devout and fearless minister who was speaking out directly.

Horn looked at the monk, and Edwin next to him immediately whispered in his ear: "Abbot Crandolph Claris, from Cassia County..." This Abbot Crandolph was a loyal believer of the Juano sect and had sold his head to support the wars in the past.

There were even cases where he mortgaged his property, bought armor, and personally escorted food and fodder to the front line.

However, although he was a Juanoist, his ideas were different from those of Juano. He advocated the restoration of the Holy Way.

That is, Puritans, ascetics, and quite conservative.

On the one hand, he admired and worshipped Horn's actions in cracking down on gambling dens and gangs.

On the other hand, they resisted the relatively free and open atmosphere, and even refused to allow textbooks other than theology into primary schools, not to mention allowing women to go to school.

To be precise, this is the trend in Kasha County, which is currently the base camp for conservative monks within the Holy Alliance.

This person spoke, and it was naturally the old angel who farted extraordinary: "Your Majesty, the "Temporary Alcohol Law" should be abolished, but the "Prohibition Law" should be established.

People should only drink wine made from the blood of the Lord in church on Sundays.

Drinking outside of Sundays affects the brain, paralyzes the limbs, corrupts morals, and turns men to frying silver and women to selling silver.

Why are people with good morals in ancient times so corrupt now? It is because they drank too much and corrupted their morals. We should purify our morals..."

"Bullshit!" Before Krandorff could finish his sentence, a young priest slammed the table and cursed in a thick French accent.

"People's yearning for a better life is to practice the holy way and save the world. Of course, we should not drink too much alcohol, but we should not prohibit it either.

Drinking or not, drinking more or less is a person's choice. Making this world a better place is the meaning of human existence..."

This time, before Horn could frown, Edwin beside him whispered, "Cheyenne Pease, a Frenchman, a monk of the Holy Way, registered in Longsand County..."

If Kasha County is the base camp of conservative Holy Way monks, then Langsand County, separated by a river, is the base camp of reformist monks.

As the saying goes, there are a thousand different factions within a party, and at the beginning of the Holy League, although they all gathered under the banner of the Holy Fathers Worship, their ideological tendencies were equally chaotic.

It was just that there was a previous feud between the Leia people and the church, which temporarily suppressed the conflict.

Once the foreign enemies left, the monks of the Holy Way sect gradually evolved into conservatives and reformists within four years.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that the reformist monks are on Horn's side, while the conservative monks are on the opposite side of Horn.

But this is not the case. When the prohibition order was first issued, the positions of both parties were reversed with Horn's.

The conservative monks at the time were the ones who cheered for Horn.

It was also with their support that the "Alcohol Prohibition Order" was quickly implemented with Kasha County as a breakthrough point, buying Horn enough strategic time.

But to be honest, there are more interest groups within the Holy Alliance than just these two factions of monks.

Soldiers, gentry, merchants, citizens, factory owners, rural people...

How to grasp the relationship between various interest groups and let them come to power at the right time and do the right things.

This is a huge challenge for the entire Holy Union government.

However, at least so far, under Horn's suppression, the two sides are just engaging in healthy competition.

After all, the cake has not yet grown to its maximum size. It will be hard to say what will happen when the cake grows to its maximum size in the future.

"Could you two stop for a moment and let me say a few words?" Horn's gentle words softened the sharp confrontation between the two like a spring breeze.

They each shut up and turned to Horn: "Your Majesty, please speak."

(End of this chapter)