The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

"Your Highness is right!" The governor was a little distressed, but still smiled.

Actually, due to a decree from the gods, Yunling's coinage rights were completely transferred to the Bank of Lorraine. While some money was generated from the sale of titles, the majority of it was loans from the Bank of Lorraine, representing only paperwork, with no real gold. Therefore, the Governor's Office received nothing but empty promises... Well, it wasn't empty promises at all; once the princess printed the money, it became real currency, enough to double the salaries of civil servants and continue to earn interest in the Bank of Lorraine.

Adrian Hesse was not without concerns about the health of the printing press, but now all the Yunling bureaucrats were very satisfied. After a brief period of famine and hardship, everyone was living a decent life again. Naturally, he shared the joy with the "people" and would not risk the wrath of the world.

Now, everyone knows where their job comes from - from the military to the government, everyone's salary comes from the imperial seal!

Hestia had no worries. As long as the fiefdom could be sold and exchanged for francs, no matter how much she printed, there would be people willing to pay for it.

As for what to do after selling everything, she hadn't thought about it. After all, by then she should have taken the money back to her hometown and become the Grand Duke of Lorraine.

"So," Hestia went back to the drawing board, "I'm not as expert as the general on matters of military strategy, but I grew up in the Lorraine family and have some experience in management. So I believe this: those who till the land always set aside some grain for seed, so they can sow a good harvest next year. The Iron Army is composed of people with family businesses, so they understand this principle." She looked at the mud puddle and continued, "The Empire has opened up the sale of titles, and many of them have land in Fran, so they should support Fran's status even more. The wool comes from the sheep, right?"

"I will have people record your highness's admonitions and distribute them for study." Freeman Ant suddenly realized.

The annual output of his territory might be only three to five thousand gold shields, but with the salary paid to him by the princess's money printing machine, thirty to fifty thousand would be no problem!

Using these francs to purchase land, hire tenants, and buy serfs is simply a profitable business!

But in the end, the wool will still be paid for by the lambs below, right?

The key point is that the Iron Army's suppression can only intensify resistance and kill sheep for meat, but the princess can make the lambs jump into the pot willingly.

Freeman Ant felt that the princess's description was too appropriate, and he suddenly felt that he had lived in a dog's stomach for eighty years, fighting on the battlefield and scheming all his life, but he never realized that fame, wealth and power could come so easily.

Damn it, if the military had supported Hestia I instead of Charles II...

Oh, the princess wasn't born yet.

"There's no need to mobilize a large force, General. I've received an Imperial education and military training since childhood. The Iron Army is half my home, and the officers and soldiers of the Iron Army are half my family. Although I'm from Lorraine and not a member of the Iron Cross, I am a High Knight. This princess naturally has a sense of kinship with the Iron Army, and it's impossible for me to treat my family badly."

Hestia's sincere heart almost moved me.

Freeman Ant nodded. "Your Highness is indeed beginning to show the aura of a holy corpse. I will let the various sergeants and the Iron Cross know of your Highness's intentions."

The young old general looked down at Adrian Hesse who was leading the horse, and suddenly felt the urge to replace him.

If they were so arrogant, even the Japanese princess could pay a sum of 300,000 gold and silver coins, how much profit could the Governor-General's Office, which earned millions from selling land, keep?

Clenching his fists, Freeman Ant sighed silently.

If the princess were fifty years older, no, thirty years older, no, ten years older... even if she were already an adult, he would be able to lower his airs a little and kneel on the ground to pledge his allegiance or something.

But firstly, he was eighty years old, had just completed his initiation, and was a high-ranking figure in the Iron Cross. Kneeling before a fifteen-year-old girl would be detrimental to his reputation. Secondly, being rude at first and then servile later, and being greedy for money was despised by people. If he suddenly knelt and licked her, he would probably be regarded as a mean-spirited person who forgot his principles for the sake of profit.

General Ant thought about it over and over again and felt uneasy. He felt that the complete photo was incomplete and his self was damaged. It seemed that the dream beacon had to return to understanding, otherwise he would be bewitched by the worm in the illusion.

"That's all." The princess nodded casually.

The young old general looked conflicted.

Is this satisfactory or unsatisfactory?

The princess can't just withhold military pay just because he can't reach the level of a governor!

He may agree, but the officers under him do not agree!

But those soft-hearted people who take advantage of others (soft-hearted bastards) will definitely not say that the Queen is not loyal, but will instead point the finger at the General's lack of loyalty in his kneeling posture.

"Your Highness..." the general pondered, "I was born an illegitimate child, but fortunately, I was favored by the late emperor when he was still the crown prince. I was honored to be a non-commissioned officer in the Griffin Legion and later recommended to join the Iron Cross. This is how I achieved what I have today and restored my original surname, Ante."

Hestia was stunned, not understanding what the old general meant by talking about his life with her.

She was still considering how to convince Fran Ant to willingly restrain the slaughter of those arrogant soldiers and give Yunling some room to maneuver so as not to ruin the sincere feelings between the citizens and the princess. However, she never expected that the old man would start to review his life like a revolving lantern.

Fran Ant continued, "On the first day I swore allegiance to the late emperor, I, Fran Ant, vowed to be his royal slave and protect the empire for generations to come. When the late emperor was alive, I, Ant, was his royal slave. After he passed away, I became his majesty's household slave. Now that your majesty is no longer in Yunling, I, Fran Ant, should be your highness's household slave. Therefore, if your highness needs anything, you can directly command anyone in the military. I promise that the Yunling Military Region will do everything it can to meet your highness's needs."

Hestia: “?”

"!" The governor widened his eyes and glared at Fran Ant.

Lucas Stein is fine, but how dare you, an old man with thick eyebrows and big eyes?

Don’t you have any shame!

Are you really not afraid that this will get out and be heard by the emperor? If the princess asks you to rebel, are you going to rebel...

No, there are only three people present, so if anyone is to pass on the message, it should be him and the princess.

But if the old man took advantage of his trick and spread rumors, and really let the emperor know about these words...

The old man could naturally deny it in front of the emperor, but the princess would definitely suspect that this fat dog had betrayed the news!

Damn you!

He had staked his future entirely on the promises made by the princess. Her smooth operations in Yunling relied entirely on the governor's tacit approval and cooperation. This meant he had already lined up in advance, even cutting off one of his own palms to achieve this. He had purged half of the most sinful officials in the governor's office, offending many. If the princess were to kick him out at this point, it would be pure bullying. Only those isolated know the pain of isolation.

"I understand the General's loyalty to the Divine Emperor and the late Emperor..." Hestia was at a loss as to what to do. She wondered if the old fox had said similar things to every celestial dragon. So, maintaining an indifferent expression, she spoke, "But the Empire has strict order and a clear hierarchy. You are a veteran of three dynasties and a viscount of the Empire, while I am only a princess who has not yet received the throne. How dare I use you as a domestic slave?"

If it weren't for Furman Ant helping her eliminate Noel Tinson, Hestia would have suspected that the old man was hiding some secret and suddenly used "loyalty" to numb her.

Whether he is loyal or not, sincere or not, she prays to the statue of the God every day, doesn't she know?

"Your Highness is right. I was abrupt."

Fran Ant looked up at the sky, put up his hands to block the sunlight in front of his eyes, and wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeves inconspicuously.

What exactly does the princess mean by the great unification?

Volume 91: Bird in a Cage: . I am also for the people

Regardless of Fuman Ant's true purpose, Hestia at least understood one thing, that is, at the current stage, this military general was someone who could be cooperated with and utilized.

It's not that the princess doesn't want to cultivate secret cultivators and armies loyal to her, but that would take several years or even decades, so given the current situation, it would be more efficient to use what's already there.

Yunling's first batch of titles sold for more than two million gold shields. Although there were only 300,000 in cash and the rest of the money was paid by the printing press, this was enough for the gods to see Yunling's financial potential.

The emperor, desperate to save the five provinces of Fran, had agreed to the princess's request, precisely because of the devastating situation. However, when faced with such immense wealth, there was no guarantee that the emperor wouldn't have other thoughts. Even if the emperor trusted her, wouldn't the ministers and dignitaries of the Divine Capital, those ruthless individuals who exploited the resources to their advantage, want to take advantage of this opportunity to cash in?

Therefore, the princess must make the military region clear about its long-term interests and tie all the nobles, warlords, and secret cultivators who can be won over in Yunling and even in France to the chariot. In this way, even if the rats in the capital of the gods do not abide by the moral code of war, they will not be able to take any practical measures against France.

Therefore, Hestia respected Fuman Ant more than the Governor, and even if she wanted to "hold him accountable", she tried her best to choose her words carefully and speak sincerely.

The princess added, "But I know the general's loyalty to the empire. Besides the Imperial Army, who else can I trust?"

"Your Highness, please give your orders." Freeman Ant said in a gentle voice.

"Well, I do have something to trouble you with lately," Hestia said. "Have you heard, General, that I've summoned secret cultivators from all corners of the world?"

"I've heard a bit..." Fuman Ant frowned slightly, "Besides that, the military has also heard of some conspiracy to assassinate Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"I know that. There are people who want me dead all the time. Conspiracies or not are irrelevant." Hestia waved her hand and said, "The suppression of the rebellion can be postponed. Killing one group will bring another. It will not be good for the development of Yunling..."

Fuman Ant smiled awkwardly: "Your Highness is absolutely right."

He could tell that the princess was not referring to the suppression of the rebels, but the military district's unscrupulous means of collecting military funds.

Every time the army set out, it would cost a huge amount of money and supplies. Therefore, in addition to land reclamation and smuggling, the Iron Army's biggest source of income was killing and looting.

The passage of chaos was just like this. Even the most civilized imperial warlords only used the method of "borrowing money" from local lords and merchants, and then taking advantage of a rebel uprising to accidentally neglect the defense line and let the rebels slaughter the entire family of the creditor.

But now with Her Royal Highness the Princess as a cash cow, Freeman Ant believed that the military generals would be able to understand.

"I will have the secret cultivators loyal to the Empire monitor and control all regions to curb the expansion of free will. The Iron Army's primary mission is to prevent unrest on the west coast."

"But Your Highness...what if those heretics transform mortals into evil creatures and familiars to expand their legions?"

"Establishing a legion takes time. In the short term, the conflicts among the secret cultivators will be confined to the shadows. If the unrest expands, the refugees will be used to replenish Yunling's industry and commerce. The Yunling Mountains are a piece of rotten meat. Since the empire cannot digest it, let it be used for its remaining heat before it rots."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Also, this princess still relies on the Iron Army for many matters. However, in reality, this princess has violated the Empire's taboo by arbitrarily exercising military power."

"When has Your Highness ever exercised military power? Everything is simply a well-considered military action."

"If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Except for the guards of Yunting Villa, this princess should not be involved in military affairs." Hestia hinted at something.

"Your Highness, please explain clearly."

"Has the General taken control of the military and political power of the military region? Has he never considered developing the military region's industries to improve the lives of the soldiers?"

"Of course the Military Ceremonial District has its own business..." Freeman Ant smiled bitterly. "But the mountains are rugged, and development is difficult except for the west coast. The several large mines and foundries within the military district are all owned by the Imperial Army, so it's difficult for us to touch them."

Hestia smiled indifferently and ignored him.

Hard to move? If Liliana hadn't completely exposed the smuggling chain between the New World, the Kingdom of Tailan, and the Yunling Coast, she really didn't know how much the Iron Army masters had embezzled from the national treasury.

However, the smuggling industry has been hindered recently. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of a cash cow, the Yunling Iron Army would have had a lot of complaints.

The princess said, "I've heard that people are the greatest resource. What do you think, General?"

Even with his eighty years of experience, Freeman Ant was still horrified by the princess' words. "Your Highness's true intention? Could it be that you want to personally forge servants and convert familiars to sell to those lords who block free will?"

Even the imperial generals, known for their countless murders, found the princess's ideology too cruel and radical. Those mortals, transformed into war machines, would experience extreme torture, both in spirit and body. The Iron Army, after all, had a "humane concern." While they might kill, they wouldn't, like the demons of the Censorate, deny them rest.

"General, how could this princess allow those evil creatures without honor and dignity to defile the Iron Army's battlefield?" Hestia waved her hand. "My point is, the Iron Army is idle anyway, so why not establish a security company or mercenary group? This would not only ensure the Iron Army's combat effectiveness, but also increase the military region's financial revenue."

"...Your Highness, you're joking. How could there be so many merchant nobles who could afford to hire an iron army?"

"Lorraine Bank," Hestia said with a smile. "This way, even the gods can't criticize us for our business. They can't withhold military funds while also preventing the legitimate operations of the military district, right?"

For a moment, Freeman Ant was almost moved to tears.

It turns out that His Highness is really planning a way out for the 100,000 soldiers in Yunling!

If the princess really wanted to mobilize the army, as long as it wasn't too excessive, she could just give him a heads-up. Therefore, His Highness's move was just a fancy way of distributing rice to the military district!

It sounds unprecedented that the once-mighty Iron Army was reduced to security guards and mercenaries, but the empire has never actually banned it.

After all, when the financially collapsed empire condones even the killing of innocent people and the seizure of land and property, what's the harm in the Yunling Iron Army making some extra money?

Could there be a bigger problem than smuggling imperial arms?

"It's just that... the Tingsen family has been planning in Yunling for a long time, and they have many supporters in the military," Fuman Ant said hesitantly, "I'm worried that these guys will slander Your Highness's good plan."

"It's a bit troublesome." Hestia nodded.

Fuman Ant is almost like a half-jiedushi, in charge of the military region. He is known as the Little Governor of Yunling, but in fact he still has to rely on the emperor's appointment.

If the emperor feels something is wrong one day, it is possible that Freeman Ant will be transferred away.

The governor was horrified as he listened to this. As a Frenchman, he listened to two imperial men talking about treason and was really afraid that one day these two people would put the blame on him.

What's the difference between this and turning the Iron Army into a private army?