Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 234

“Realistically, Your Majesty, we can’t increase the number of troops any further in the Esperanza territory,” someone said.

“The same goes for the McLaine territory, Logan,” another added.

The Sword Master frowned a little at Patrick’s tone, but he didn’t say anything more.

The most important problem was the troop limit they had just talked about.

McLaine territory has 25,000 soldiers, not counting local fighters. Esperanza has 15,000 soldiers. Both areas already have just enough people to work and fight. They can’t easily give up more people, which means their productivity will decrease if they increase troops.

Dwaine, who had been listening to the Sword Master and Patrick, shared his thoughts.

“If we add more troops in both areas, it will cost a lot more money. If we go over a certain limit, the territories will eventually…”

“Go bankrupt?” Logan asked.

“Yes,” Dwaine replied.

“Even with ‘that’ in our territory?” Logan asked, referring to a special resource or advantage.

Dwaine glanced at the Sword Master when Logan mentioned ‘that,’ but seeing that he didn’t react, he nodded.

“…Still, it’s clearly a waste. Even that has its limits,” Dwaine admitted.

“So, we need to increase the troops in other territories?” Logan inquired.

“…That could give the nobles too much power,” someone cautioned.

“Yes, that’s why it’s difficult,” Logan acknowledged.

Logan sighed at Knight Commander Digrom’s words.

“Then, should we start a war and take over nearby territories? Sorry,” Henderson suggested, then quickly apologized, feeling the disapproval from others.

Aileen’s voice broke the heavy silence.

“What about the royal lands?” she asked. The royal lands were areas owned directly by the king.

“Hmm?” Logan responded, considering the idea.

“When the previous king died, the troops in the royal lands were split between the first and second princes. Now, all that’s left in the palace are some Royal Guards captured in the last battle. There should be room to raise troops there,” Aileen explained.

Logan’s eyes lit up at her words.

“Certainly… but if McLaine and Esperanza have 30% of the kingdom’s military power, we need to raise an army equal to at least 20% in the royal lands for my plan to work. Is that even possible? And so quickly?” he wondered.

His aides were surprised by this.

“That much?” one of them exclaimed.

“We already have a lot of power…!” another added.

“Having a lot of power isn’t enough. I need an army so big that the other nobles won’t even think about rebelling. An army that can crush them into silence,” Logan declared.

A cold feeling spread through the room at Logan’s statement. Nobles shifted uncomfortably, avoiding each other’s eyes.

“If our military strength is more than half of the kingdom’s total, then everything in the kingdom will follow my orders,” Logan added, despite his aides’ worried looks.

‘Since I’ve decided to be king, I need to be as efficient as possible,’ Logan thought.

Logan knew he wasn’t good at coming up with new ways to make the kingdom richer, but luckily, he already had a plan.

He looked to the Empire as an example. He admired the Empire’s power and order.

‘If I can get just 20% more military power, it will definitely be possible,’ he thought.

So, he wasn’t going to back down.

“I want this done within a year, if possible,” Logan stated firmly.

“Hmm….” The aides groaned.

Logan knew it was an unreasonable request.

But he had to make it happen.

‘If the war starts when I think it will, I only have about three years left. There’s no time to waste,’ he thought.

As Logan looked around with a determined face, Heinckel cautiously spoke up.

“Then, the main problem is money. We need enough money for salaries, equipment, training areas, and places to live. If 20% of the kingdom’s military strength means about 40,000 to 50,000 good soldiers, and we only have a year, we have to recruit and train them all at once. Can the royal treasury afford that?”

Dwaine nodded seriously, agreeing with Heinckel.

However, someone else supported Logan’s idea.

“What if McLaine and Esperanza help with the money?” It was the Sword Master.

But even with his suggestion, Dwaine didn’t look happy.

“That would really hurt McLaine and Esperanza. We can’t weaken our current forces to create new ones,” Dwaine explained.

“Hmm….” The Sword Master pondered.

“What about selling the royal treasures…?” Henderson suggested.

“There aren’t many treasures that are easy to sell. And even if we sold some, it wouldn’t be enough,” Dwaine replied.

When his second idea was rejected, Henderson shrank back.

As everyone looked worried, Logan reluctantly suggested the simplest solution.

“In the end, we’ll have to get the money from the nobles.”

“Pardon?” someone asked, surprised.

“I will double the taxes they pay to the royal family. It’s almost harvest season, after all,” Logan announced.

Everyone in the room froze.

And then…

“That will cause a lot of anger, Your Majesty!” one of the aides exclaimed.

“Even the nobles who support us will turn against us….” another worried.

“It’s not reasonable!” a third declared.

“Even though we have 30% of the kingdom’s military power, the other 70% will oppose us,” someone pointed out.

“There could be a rebellion!” another warned.

Everyone spoke at once, loudly protesting.

It was a normal reaction, so Logan smiled instead of getting angry and continued.

“We can add conditions. We need to see results quickly anyway,” Logan explained.

The confused aides nodded after hearing Logan’s explanation, but they still looked worried.

The Grand Hall in the royal palace before the harvest season.

The Grand Hall was packed. More nobles were here than ever before, filling the room after the new kingdom was declared and Logan became king. The air buzzed with whispers and the rustle of fine clothes.

Usually, small nobles from far away didn’t even send representatives because they weren’t important, but this time, the king had asked them to come, so almost all the nobles attended.

Of course, they also hoped that something good might happen with the new kingdom.

“Will it be like before?” one noble whispered.

“I don’t think so,” another replied.

“There must be a reason why they called us here,” a third added.

As the nobles whispered and shared their thoughts…

– “His Majesty the King enters!” a herald announced loudly.

The doors of the Grand Hall opened, and Logan appeared.

The nobles’ eyes widened as they saw him. Instead of wearing silk robes and fancy cloaks, Logan was dressed as a young knight in shiny silver armor, with a sword at his side.

The only royal things he wore were a luxurious red cloak and a crown.

To the nobles, this showed that the new king was a fighter who had won the throne through war, making them feel uneasy.

Amidst their nervous looks, Logan walked forward and, fitting with his outfit, got straight to the point without any fancy greetings.

“Thank you all for coming. I won’t take too long, so I will announce the first policy of the new kingdom, which is the most important thing,” Logan declared.

The nobles were even more surprised by this unusual way of starting the meeting.

“To make the kingdom stable after the civil wars, the royal family will increase the taxes collected from the nobles from 30% to 60%!” Logan announced.

All eyes turned to the head table.

At the first Grand Conference of the McLaine Kingdom, Logan made a shocking announcement that would be remembered forever.

The Grand Hall was silent for a moment, but only for a moment.

“That’s crazy!” someone shouted.

“Doubling it all at once!” another exclaimed.

“No noble can accept that,” a third declared.

The reaction to the new king’s extreme policy was immediate.

The nobles lost their fear of the king who had risen to power through war and spoke out together.

The nobles, realizing they were all in the same situation, raised their voices even louder.

“All the nobles of the kingdom will rebel. Please reconsider!” one of them pleaded.

“Please reconsider, Your Majesty!” others echoed.

The nobles, who had seemed ready to follow any order, suddenly changed their attitude.

Each of them was weak and couldn’t resist on their own. Also, many of them were part of the ‘McLaine faction’ that supported McLaine.

But when they united as ‘all nobles,’ they suddenly changed their stance.

“How dare they….” The Sword Master muttered quietly, his eyebrows twitching.

Logan frowned slightly as he watched.

‘I need to take control of the kingdom so completely that people like that can’t even be seen,’ he thought.

Only then could he start his plan properly.

Logan gritted his teeth and marked those who were speaking the loudest.

Among them, one stood out.

“If you, as the king, ignore the old customs and laws and double the taxes, the kingdom won’t become stable but chaotic,” a middle-aged man with a stern face and brown hair declared.

“Earl Hwan is right,” others agreed.

“The kingdom will fall into chaos!” someone warned.

“Please reconsider!” they pleaded.

It was clear that many nobles were supporting him.

‘Hwan… Ah, that’s Earl Zac Hwan,’ Logan realized.

He had offered his support late in the civil war, but he had been helpful by providing troops and resources.

He had even sent flattering letters.

But now, he was firm, unlike the letters that made him seem like he would do anything.

‘He’s an opportunist who cares about his own interests….’ Logan thought.

Even so, seeing the nobles gathering around him, he seemed to have some skill.

Logan watched him carefully and spoke in a low voice to calm the Grand Hall.

“This is only for one year. Next year, I will make the taxes normal again, and for the three years after that, I will lower them to 20%. How about that? It doesn’t seem like a big loss for you in the long run,” Logan proposed.

The loud voices began to quiet down.

“One year? If it’s just one year….” one noble murmured.

“20% from two years later?” another wondered.

“Isn’t that good?” a third asked.

It wasn’t that the nobles were stupid and thought that a tax cut in a few years was the same as doubling taxes right now.

However, the king, who had started a new kingdom through war, had made a compromise, and it was too difficult to openly oppose him again.

As the nobles looked at each other…

Zac Hwan stepped forward and bowed.

“I strongly agree with Your Majesty’s desire to stabilize the kingdom and will support that ‘proposal,’” Zac Hwan announced.

Proposal?

“The king’s words are like gold, so I believe that promise will be kept,” Zac Hwan added.

Ha….

Logan’s lips twitched slightly.

But since he had gotten what he wanted, he couldn’t cause trouble here.

“Good. But does only Earl Zac Hwan agree?” Logan asked.

As Logan nodded, accepting the earl’s words, he asked…

“I will follow your orders!” one noble shouted.

“I will follow Your Majesty’s will!” another added.

“Your grace is endless,” a third declared.

Loud answers came from everywhere, and the tax change was accepted. The first Grand Conference of the new kingdom ended successfully.

And on the way back…

“I will meet with that Zac Hwan separately. He’s already thinking of creating a faction….” the Sword Master grumbled.

“No, Master. Leave him alone,” Logan replied.

“Pardon?” the Sword Master asked, confused.

“Sometimes, it’s easier to deal with them if they’re all in one place,” Logan explained.

Logan remembered Zac Hwan’s stern face and smiled coldly.