Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 499: Guns and Cannons Diplomacy
The next morning, Reiner found Asdalen and several other powerful officials in Starfire City, and went to Harvey's castle to request an audience.

Harvey, who had originally gotten up early and was preparing to go to the Glacier River to inspect the "Naval Training Base", had to slow down and attend the lengthy government meeting with little interest.

Reiner pulled a letter from a folder bearing the Barclay royal seal and stood up, handing it to Harvey. "This letter is from the Barclay royal family, written by Queen Kofman herself... reprimanding you for disregarding the alliance between nations, rashly invading foreign territory, and abducting a large number of property and slaves from border dukes."

Harvey frowned and asked in confusion, "Kofman... Queen? Is my memory confused? Isn't the current king of the Principality of Barkley Early Kofman?"

Reiner and Asdalen exchanged a glance, then smiled wryly, "This is why I requested your attendance at the government meeting today. This Queen of Kofman... only ascended the throne shortly after we withdrew our troops and returned to Saint Valen."

Spark City's vast and swift intelligence network currently only fully covers the territory of Saint Valen. Although its tentacles extend to neighboring countries, it does not have the strength to infiltrate other countries' high-level officials in a short period of time. Naturally, it cannot detect the power changes of other countries' royal families in a timely manner.

"This letter, filled with diplomatic rhetoric, doesn't fully represent the Barclay royal family's true stance," Asdalen explained quickly. "According to intelligence, Queen Kofman publicly expressed her preference for spellcasters when she was still the crown princess... She even refused baptism by the Holy See until adulthood, and even refused to travel to the Holy City for the Pope's coronation ceremony, keeping it exceptionally low-key."

It must be due to the influence of the "Earth-loving One," a high-level spellcaster with royal blood...

Harvey was quite satisfied with the result and nodded. "In that case, send them a formal diplomatic letter congratulating the Queen on her coronation. However, there's no need to elaborate on the recent conflict between the two countries... They are well aware of the reasons and objectives for our military deployment."

Then he raised his hand and casually pointed at the thick stack of letters that Reiner had taken out one by one and placed on the table, wondering, "Where did these come from? Are they all diplomatic letters from neighboring countries?"

Reiner said sullenly, "No, it's the noble lords who surrendered to the principality..."

He paused, then continued, "Under the threat of the military, most of them are willing to surrender their lands, but the reclaiming of military power and titles is widely opposed. These letters urge you to retain the nobility's fiefdoms and military authority, and not to tarnish this ancient and glorious tradition."

"Defilement?" Asdalen sneered and said calmly, "Could it be that those convicted nobles, shot or hanged along with their titles and subordinates, are the fate they long for?"

Harvey shrugged and said nonchalantly, "After the Harvest Festival, these people who openly submit but secretly resist will naturally know what choices they will face."

Reiner's nerves tensed, and he quickly asked, "Are we going to send troops immediately to these hypocritical nobles?"

Harvey waved his hand and said slowly, "Same here. Write them a reply... Have them come to the North immediately and swear allegiance to me in person."

If they were unwilling, he wouldn't mind sending troops to ask for it himself.

Asdalen pondered for a moment and then softly suggested, "Sir, the noble leading the opposition is Leon Waters, Count of West Wind. Due to the traditional marriage between the royal families of Saint Valen and the Duchy of Aride, he is also the heir to the royal family of Aride."

"Oh?" Harvey asked in surprise. "So he's both a noble lord in our country and the heir to the royal family of a neighboring country?" "Yes, so if we force him to come to the North, they will definitely not accept it. They will even regard this request as a threat from you, leading to hostility between the Principality of Aride and us."

Reiner and Asdalen were obviously considering the upcoming autumn harvest and the large influx of population, and were inclined not to send troops abroad for expedition and to choose to resolve the issue peacefully.

Harvey naturally understood this, but compared to the complicated power struggles between the royal families and nobles of the southern countries, he preferred to get straight to the point and solve the problem directly - when the gap in strength between the two sides was too great, using force was the truly effective diplomatic means.

"I was originally planning to intimidate..." Harvey didn't even bother to pretend. "If Earl Zephyr insists on leading the opposition, the Principality of Yarid will simply have a new heir after the autumn harvest. During this special period, all neighboring countries around Saint Valen must choose to stand on our side. Anyone who dares to dissent will be immediately removed from power."

Spark City's diplomacy is definitely not confined to the tug-of-war at the negotiation table. Under the deterrence of magic-enhanced steel guns and cannons, Harvey is a dictator who absolutely has the ability to overturn the table. As long as it is beneficial to the establishment of a united front in the south... whether it is interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, meddling in the power transition of the other side's royal family, openly supporting the defection and surrender of other countries' nobles, or directly sending troops to invade, bringing their territory and people under the control of their own country are all means that can be used.

"We understand..." Asdalen sighed, "Reiner and I will convey your meaning clearly to Earl Zephyr and those nobles who oppose it."

He paused, his mood instantly turning excited. "Sir... your official coronation as King of Spark City and Saint Valen should be scheduled as soon as possible. The other officials have been eagerly awaiting this day."

……

In fact, Harvey had thought about ascending the throne and officially becoming king many times before, but he had been delaying it until now because there were too many urgent tasks and matters to deal with.

The intelligence gathering about the invasion of the Demon Lizardmen, the subsequent in-depth cooperation with the Federation, the new round of development and construction plans for Spark City... the upcoming harvest season, the massive influx of population, and the "Mongolian Navy" that has been prepared for more than half a year, every matter requires him to personally participate and provide important decisions and suggestions.

In comparison, ascending the throne itself does not have any practical significance. It only serves to unite people and boost the morale of the whole nation.

Of course, Harvey is not completely selfless in this regard - compared to having the title of "Grand Duke" or "King" like other royal monarchs, he actually hopes to go a little further.

For example...the emperor.

There are of course many considerations involved. As the supreme ruler of the North and Saint Valen, Harvey is also the first ruler to openly deprive the nobles of their fiefdoms and military power. Without the constraints of the princes who hold military power, he naturally has absolute autocratic power over the administration, economy and military within the territory. This is a "dictatorship" in the true sense, which is completely different from the situation in other countries.

Thinking of this, Harvey couldn't help but laugh at himself.

What he did could be regarded as "Augustus of another world".

(End of this chapter)