nashuaworldcup Chapter 147 The progress bar for the Gold Cloth is advancing
Chapter 147 The progress bar for the Gold Cloth is advancing
Chapter 148: The progress bar for the Gold Cloth is advancing (Please subscribe!)
"Just how powerful is this Duke of Savalu?"
On the "Raven Express," Moen asked Judd.
"It's very large. Basically, half of the south is the fiefdom of the Julenoru family. Several major noble families combined basically control most of the south. That's why everyone is dependent on them. They are an old noble family with a long history."
Jiude spoke with a serious expression. If it weren't for such a terrifying force, he wouldn't have had to offer so much in exchange for Fairy Tail's support; he couldn't possibly afford it himself.
"Hiss~"
Moen grinned, finding it outrageous.
Having previously lived in a country with a long-standing ideology of unified rule, Moen was not well-suited to the medieval system of feudal lords and vassals.
The most classic line, "My vassal's vassal is not my vassal," is simply unthinkable in a unified country.
Even in the pre-Qin period, this was quite astounding, since the feudal lords and high officials were nominally subjects of the Zhou emperor, who legally possessed all the land and the loyalty of all the people in the country.
Under the vast heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the land, all people are subjects of the king. This is different from the system of the Kingdom of Fiore.
In the Kingdom of Fiore, the subjects of the great nobles have no subordinate relationship with the king at all. They do not need to heed the king's orders and only need to be loyal to their own lord. This is hardly the appearance of a country in a time of peace.
The fiefdoms of nobles were in fact private property that could be inherited, transferred, and bought and sold, and the king could only reclaim the land by force.
It's a pipe dream to think you can take back land with a single order; nobody pays any attention. Unless the lineage has died out and no one can be found to have any connection with the land, the king can forget about getting his hands on it.
This is not much different from being a tributary state; the leader pledges allegiance to the king, sends troops to help when there is war, and is basically autonomous at other times.
Moen found it hard to imagine that a country was simply a large-scale tributary state; it was truly an abstract concept.
The concept of an electorate, like that of the Holy Roman Empire, or the French king who lost half his country due to a divorce, is even more abstract and incomprehensible to the idea of a unified and centralized government.
But that's just their system. The situation in the Kingdom of Fiore is slightly better, at least many of its major cities are directly under the kingdom's jurisdiction.
In places like Magnolia, the mayor reports directly to the king, but the mayor is not appointed by the king; rather, he is elected locally.
This king is truly the leader of an alliance.
This explains why, even though the king had issued the order, it had been difficult to implement it in the south.
Deeply entrenched local forces can rival the king. They may not openly oppose you, but they simply won't do anything about it, and the king can't do anything about it unless he really breaks off relations and goes to war.
"Actually, once the railway network is built, we can definitely centralize things more."
Moen spoke up, and his words were perfectly natural.
After all, with the advent of railways, the distance between the local areas and the central government was shortened considerably, which greatly facilitated the central government's rule, allowing any information to be transmitted quickly.
If the king had the ability, he could have abolished all the local nobles and established a more modern country, or at least something more like a country than it is now.
"You can't just say that carelessly."
Beside Moen, Jiude was already sweating profusely. How could such a thing possibly be possible?
What's the difference between this and letting the Kingdom of Fiore overthrow itself?
This is going against all the nobles in the entire kingdom. If that happens, the whole country will truly rebel. The army of the Kingdom of Fiore has absolutely no chance of defeating the combined strength of all the nobles. They might even overthrow the royal family.
"Yes, the king is indeed a difficult person to deal with."
Moen thought about it and realized that this was not as difficult as the emperor reducing the power of the vassal states. After all, the emperor's reduction of the power of the vassal states was supported by law, and the central government usually had a stronger, even overwhelming, military force. However, none of these conditions could be met in the Kingdom of Fiore.
First of all, if King Fiore wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords, he would only be seen as a tyrant. None of the nobles would support him; they would all stand up and resist the tyrant who wanted to seize their land.
Secondly, King Fiore's territory was the largest and his military strength was the strongest, but it was still inferior to that of the other nobles combined.
Building a railway alone is certainly not enough to change the current state of this country.
"Young man Moen, it's best not to get involved in this kind of thing."
Seeing Moen's thoughtful expression, Jiude reminded him that this kind of thing could easily backfire.
"Don't worry, I was just saying it offhand."
Moen replied with a smile that such matters were indeed not something mages should worry about.
Manipulating "secular" wars will affect the interests of all parties and can easily escalate into wars between mage guilds, because mage guilds are also a kind of "local tyrants" with complex relationships with local forces.
Wars between mage guilds are strictly prohibited by the Magic Council; this is an absolute ban.
Unless one possesses the power to subdue everything.
Moen thought to himself, "Ultimately, it's because I'm not strong enough. If I were strong enough, there wouldn't be so many problems."
Soon, the "Raven Express" landed, and Moen and his companion arrived in Balrenya. After holding this meeting, Jude decided to first repair the railway from Magnolia to Balrenya. This route would run from the southeast across the Kingdom of Fiore and reach the southwest.
At the same time, a coastal railway will be built from the coastal city of Harujion, mainly connecting coastal cities near the coastline.
Although the southern heartland under the control of Duke Savalu has not yet surrendered, these areas near Fairy Tail have already decisively slid down and surrendered to them.
"Let's get started right away. Go ahead and do it boldly. Don't be afraid of that Savalu guy. I'll handle him."
Moen encouraged Jiude, telling him to work hard, because every bit of effort Jiude put in would bring him one step closer to the Gold Cloth!
"Don't worry, I definitely won't back down!"
Jude was very determined; he had long been prepared to face all of this.
In fact, this start has exceeded Jiude's expectations. He initially thought that the wrangling would take a long time, but now, construction can begin immediately, and the local bigwigs are being exceptionally cooperative.
"Don't worry about your safety. I'll leave Crow by your side to protect you. If those guys dare to send people to commit violence, that would be perfect. I've been looking for a way to deal with them."
Moen continued speaking, reassuring Jiude.
Of course, Jude was also worried about his personal safety. After all, given the arrogant attitude of Duke Savalu and his ilk, it seemed that taking action against him was nothing. If they didn't dare to take action against Moen, why wouldn't they dare to take action against a merchant like him?
"I will also send crows to protect your home."
Moen then spoke, making arrangements that were crystal clear.
His earnest attitude moved Jiude a little. Jiude never expected that Moen would support him so much!
"Thank you so much! Young man Moen, I certainly won't let you down!"
With a serious expression, Jiude made his assurance. Moen had relieved him of any worries, so he would naturally devote himself to his work and strive to complete the construction of the southern railway network as soon as possible!
'Poor Lucy, this is really my fault'
Seeing that Jiude was already engulfed in flames, Moen apologized to Jiude's daughter in his heart. Jiude, who was so focused on his work, probably had even less time to spend with his daughter.
But there's no other way; it's all for the Gold Cloth!
In the days that followed, just as Moen had predicted, Jude worked tirelessly and hardly ever went home.
Jude has been traveling between the cities of Magnolia, Balenja, and Harugion, closely monitoring the construction progress.
Meanwhile, he was also preparing for the construction of the next section of the railway, which they planned to extend all the way to the doorstep of the Duke of Savalou.
Moen was naturally very satisfied with Jiude's hard work and attitude.
The railway extends little by little, and it feels like watching the progress bar of the Gold Cloth move forward bit by bit.
However, even in this seemingly positive situation, some people are trying to cause trouble.
"That guy, Jude, really doesn't take us seriously! He didn't even bring a single mage guard. Is he really not afraid of death?!"
After sending people to follow and observe Jude for a period of time, the Duke of Savalou felt very puzzled. It seemed that Jude had a great misunderstanding of their methods and moral standards.
Who gave this guy the confidence to frequently show his face in public and not protect himself properly?
Anyone with eyes can see that the real work in the Moen and Jiude duo is done by Jiude and his Heartfilia Foundation, while Moen and Fairy Tail are just there to support him.
This means that if Jude dies, or if the Heartfilia Foundation falls into chaos, the construction of the railway will certainly be put on hold.
Logically speaking, Jiude's security should be very tight, since no one would think they would dare to plot against Moen, right?
Even if they dared, very few dark mages would dare take this job. Do they really not take the "Rose Star Goddess" seriously?!
"Get someone to do it, and make it quick."
Regardless of what Jude was thinking, the Duke of Savalou had already reached his limit.
The railway from Magnolia to Balenia has been successfully completed. If we allow them to continue building it without hindrance, the other nobles who have not surrendered will also waver.
To put it bluntly, the Duke of Savalou was also caught in a bind; everyone else was waiting for him to make his move and deliver a crushing blow to Jude.
If he doesn't take any countermeasures, it's normal for others to defect to Fairy Tail. They can't just follow the Julenor family down the same path, can they? Therefore, Duke Savalu has to show some swift and decisive action.
(End of this chapter)