As the morning sun shone across the land, the war on the outskirts of Soba came to an end. Under Henry's strong oppression, Sarah Brightman shot several "Death Cloud Techniques" in a row, poisoning all the soldiers near the Central Horde. Although Delt fought hard, he was only a mortal in the flesh after all, and was directly sent to see the Grim Reaper by the seventh-level magic "Death Finger".

Looking at the human soldiers and orc warriors who were cleaning up the corpses, a faint smile appeared on Henry's face. He knew that from this moment on, there was no force in West Hartland that could oppose him. Now, as long as the legitimate rulership of the northern regions is obtained, then the duchy can be promoted to a kingdom, and when it comes to conquering the Supreme Wasteland, its own country will be a vast empire.

In the case of the continent of Faerun, a kingdom is a single political entity, usually a collection of many cities and villages, and with a land area of at least several thousand square kilometers or more. When a kingdom annexes smaller vassal states and puts them under the control of the central power, the kingdom ceases to be a kingdom and begins to evolve into an empire.

With Henry's current rule, the area has long exceeded the standard of the kingdom, but because the population is a little too small, it has been improvised. After all, counting the losses in the war, it is only about 1.23 million, which is not even comparable to England after the Black Death in the Middle Ages.

It can be said that the main problem that plagued him was neither the land contradiction (there was a surplus of land, and a large farm for everyone would have a surplus), nor the problem of food (with the help of the druids). This year's grain harvest is bumper again). Not even more of an alien enemy (except for those monsters. There is not a single hostile force around), but the number of the population.

Thinking about the number of people he planned to need, Henry suddenly felt a headache. He turned to Corey who was following behind, "Have all those orphans been gathered?" How many people are there and what is their health? ”

"Yes, Duke, it's all closed, probably more than seven hundred. Since it's autumn, most people don't have any major problems. Just add a little salt and you'll be fine. But placement is a big problem, and many of these children are too young to be taken care of. Corey replied scrupulously. As a man of order, he was positive about this act of kindness by his monarch.

Henry glanced at the orphan being treated by the druid, smiled wryly and nodded. "It's okay, I'm going to take a sum of money privately and send them to study at the academy in Bluvent City. As you can see, officials and population will be the main problems plaguing the country in the next few years, and for this reason I intend to abolish the poll tax altogether and enact some policies to encourage childbearing. ”

"There is no doubt about it. It's good governance, but I think it's best not to let Sir Hawke know too soon. Otherwise he's going to go crazy. A rare smile appeared on Cory's face. He could already think of someone furious.

It is important to know that the poll tax has been one of the main sources of economy for all countries on the continent, and it has also continued on the planet until the twentieth century, when it was gradually abolished. If Henry did abolish the tax, it was foreseeable that many civilians would flood the country from all directions, bringing unprecedented population and economic prosperity.

Of course, the opposite is that the government's fiscal position will become very bad, so bad that it will remain in deficit all the time. According to preliminary estimates, if this state of affairs is to continue, he will have to make up for it with nearly half of the profits from the spice and salt trade.

However, in order for the future plan to be carried out smoothly, this hemorrhage is necessary. After all, both intensive production and recreating the glory of the Magic Empire require a sufficient population. One of the main reasons why the red-robed mages were able to maintain a large group of spellcasters was that they were supported by Serre, who had a population of five million, otherwise they wouldn't have lasted long with their fierce internal friction.

Every child of Ser is tested for magic from an early age, and those who possess magical talents are forced to leave their parents, undergo rigorous training in the use of arcane arts, and become apprentices to red-robed mages. Mages can squeeze their apprentices to their heart's content, even using them as their own experiments.

As for those who possess the talent of a warlock, they must also be forced to undergo mage training and try to suppress their original talent, or they will have to leave their own country, and the red-robed mage hates the way of the warlock, because this power is not within their strict magical training system.

Anyone who succeeds in surviving their apprenticeship can become a red-robed mage, but the organization itself is very authoritarian and draconian - a young red-robed mage must master all kinds of arcane powers to the best of his ability, and must not hesitate to use them against his peers.

These are the elitist education that the red-robed mages admire, and it can be said that it completely stimulates the dark side of human nature, and only the most cruel and cunning fraction can survive. Such a huge loss of apprentices is a disaster for most countries, and only Serre, a powerful country with a population of five million, is the basis for this qiē.

However, Henry apparently did not care about this method of education. He felt that this was a typical brain caught in the door, and the red-robed people could have used a slightly more normal method to cultivate a group of loyal civilian mages, which could not only stabilize the ruling power, but also greatly reduce internal friction.

But look at what they've done to raise ordinary kids who are simple to be selfish bastards. It is precisely because of this model of education that it directly leads to sharp opposition. Mentors see their apprentices as tools and potential threats to exploit, while apprentices see mentors as enemies and targets to get rid of.

After all, the reason why elite education is called elite is that it is prepared for the upper class, and it does not need to be popularized to civilians, and Silvermoon City and Neverwinter City have done a very good job in this regard. They gave the wealthy common people a place where they could receive professional training, but at the same time they didn't teach too much at once. Most of the time, as long as you have one or two career levels, the college will approve your graduation. This approach not only produces a large number of capable civilians, but also makes them quite fond of the current government.

Of course, Henry's insight is not exactly what it is. He has a unique grading system in the college district of his territory, and all those who do not have a professional grade are classified as first-year, and when he becomes a third-level professional, he is in the second year, and sixth-level professional is in the third year. Due to the limited number of teachers, there are currently only three grades.

The adoption of the method of tutors teaching the seniors and then letting the seniors teach the juniors quickly developed rapidly. However, until now, it is still a bottomless pit in terms of education, and it is necessary to allocate 100,000 to 200,000 gold coins from the lord's palace every year, otherwise it will not be able to maintain it at all.

It can't be helped, because one-third of the people who study are free students. They signed a series of terms with the government that after graduation they would work in the army, the thieves' union, the mage's tower, and the administration for five to ten years, until the loan was repaid. Even so, many people still flock to it. For most ordinary people, this is the only way to progress.

Just when Henry was having a headache with the chaotic internal affairs, Corey suddenly reminded: "Your Excellency, the Duke is the gate of Soba ahead. ”

"Oh?" Henry came to his senses violently, glanced at the bloodstained city walls, and then turned his head and asked the two Iron Throne high-ranking people who had just surrendered behind him, "Do you know the situation in the city?" ”

Dick hurriedly bowed and replied first, "Of course." To be honest, the situation inside is not very good, not only is there a lack of food, but there are not many soldiers left, and most importantly, Anta. Silver Shield hasn't been seen since escaping into the city. Personally, I speculate that he is very likely dead, otherwise it would not have been possible to not even show his face for such a long time. ”

"What do you think?" Henry stared at Sarah Brightman.

This is a typical red-robed mage who has lifted her hair and tattooed a special pattern on the back of her head in order to get more magical tattoos. This woman's appearance is okay, but a terrifying scar extends from the side of her face to her neck, which looks extremely terrifying. There is no doubt that it was the result of an assassination, and the situation must have been so dangerous that it was a miracle that he survived.

"It's hard to say, I've used prophecy spells for divination, but I've been blocked back. There is no doubt that there is a rather good caster protecting Anta . Silver Shield, his current condition must not be very good, even if he is not dead, he must be seriously injured. Sarah Brightman said in a flat tone. She looked so calm, not at all like someone who had just surrendered.

"Duke, do you want me to go and inquire first?" The fat cat leaned in and asked in a low voice. For him, a mere city wall is not a problem at all, and it only takes about half an hour to find out the situation in the city.

Henry smiled and shook his head. "No, I pretty much already know the answer. Let's go in and find out now, or some people will be impatient. ”

"Please wait a moment, we and the Silver Shield Principality are still two countries, according to etiquette, it is better to send an envoy to inform us first." Cory seemed to suddenly remember something, and hurriedly stood up and raised it. He didn't want his monarch to make unnecessary mistakes at such a time.

"That makes sense, then please send an envoy first."

Henry thought about it for a moment and understood what it meant. Just like the so-called Zen ceremonies of the change of dynasty in ancient China, the same steps are needed in the Feilun Continent.

Although the annexation is imminent, it must put on a noble posture. It is better to ask for it on the initiative of the local ruler, and then excuse yourself once or twice, and finally eat the fat in your mouth. The only advantage of this act of taking off one's pants and farting is that it does not cause social unrest or an exodus of residents.

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