King-Chapter 1075 - 154: Duke of Snow Moon_3

It was clear that the glory and authority he had previously bestowed, while stirring the ambitions of many, failed to make these powerful veterans of two dynasties lose themselves.

With the Chancellor leading the opposition, Hudson naturally wouldn’t get involved. After all, proposals that couldn’t even unite the royal family’s stance had virtually no chance of passing in the Kingdom Council.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, you are aware of our secret treaty with the Frank Kingdom.

According to the previous agreement, when one side stands against the Clergy, the other must fully support unconditionally.

In the past, whenever the Kingdom clashed with the Clergy, we always managed to come out safely, not only because of our strength but also because of the crucial support of our allies."

Archbishop Tyron’s words left Duke Newfoundland at a loss for words. Secret treaties might not be binding by force, but they involved the nation’s credibility.

The Clergy is not to be trifled with, nor is The First Kingdom of the Continent a pushover. From the current trend, it was only a matter of time before the Frank Kingdom’s strength would surpass the Clergy.

"Your Majesty, what exactly does the secret treaty entail? I believe everyone present has the right to know!"

Duke Hiro said irritably.

The continent’s war had just ended, and the smell of gunpowder between the royal family and the five major families in the north grew even more intense.

It started with a dispute over tolls and slowly escalated to a matter of clan prestige, putting them in a difficult position.

Giving face to the royal family was not out of the question, but it had to be done through private communication. Who ever heard of just bringing people over for a direct confrontation?

If this precedent were set, and the Nobles from the Northern Border applied pressure through their connections, would they also have to give in?

If they retreated from this stance, then they might as well forget about collecting tolls in the future. Not only would the Nobles refuse to pay, but even merchants would opt for noble patronage and refuse to pay taxes.

However, as an important part of the territory’s tax revenue, the right to set standards for transit taxes was a general rule on the Continent of Aslante.

The issue was just that they had been a bit greedy before, using their monopoly to set the tax rate slightly too high.

This "high" is relative to the outside, but the five major families in the north didn’t think it was high.

The original tax rate was seventy percent, now they had given face and lowered it to thirty percent, which was already very generous.

Compared with five years ago, the toll revenue of their families had been halved, and then halved again.

Of course, the previous high tolls were mainly because these goods were smuggled into the Orc Empire, which already had a very high profit margin.

The final selling price could double or even increase by more than ten times. Even with high taxes, it was still a highly profitable trade.

Now that the target of their revenues had changed, so had the situation. The cornered five major families in the Northland could only hold firm.

In such a critical moment, the more weakness they showed, the more ground their enemies would take.

Everyone was a shareholder in the Kingdom; if there was going to be a fight, let there be one. As long as they caused trouble within the rules, the Royal Family couldn’t do anything about them.

"Duke, the secret treaty was made under the pressure of the Clergy back then. All the clauses also targeted the Clergy and didn’t affect anyone’s interests.

Guard Commander, immediately retrieve the secret treaty so that the lords can have a look!" freёnovelkiss-com

Caesar IV explained gravely.

In the political game, even kings must follow the rules. The five major families in the north were a thorn in his side, but alas, he could never find an angle to gain leverage.

As Major Nobles of the Kingdom, common charges, even if slapped on their foreheads, wouldn’t touch them.

Unless they committed grave crimes such as regicide or treason, at most, they would just be nauseating, without seriously damaging their vitality.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the content of the secret treaty had been circulated and the controversy was put to rest.

The secret treaty was signed by Caesar III, and indeed, it had never involved the interests of all parties, so not holding a high-level meeting was justifiable.

In fact, during the reign of Caesar III, such tricky situations weren’t rare. But with such high prestige as the Monarch who renewed the Kingdom, people hesitated to delve too deeply.

If it were Caesar IV who privately signed secret treaties with outsiders, this place would likely be in uproar. If some Noble pointed at his nose and cursed him, it wouldn’t be surprising.

A qualified Major Noble, who hasn’t challenged a king before?

If one hasn’t, it only proves one’s incompetence and weakness, lacking a voice in the Kingdom.

As long as there was a handle to grab hold of, it was right to make trouble without worry. It was much like the shareholder disputes at a meeting; as long as one wasn’t calling for the overthrow of humanity or regicide, all opinions expressed in the meeting were exempt from accountability.

Local Lords openly challenging the king to battle and defeating the king’s army were events that had happened in the history of the Continent of Aslante.

Of course, the Nobility of the Alpha Kingdom weren’t that brash. At most, they would spat verbally, actual confrontations were seldom pursued.

"There’s no controversy about the content of the treaty. According to the agreement, if the Frank Kingdom establishes its own Clergy, we indeed should support them, but that doesn’t mean we have to follow suit immediately.

The Frank people say the Pope isn’t legitimate, right? We should echo that sentiment, and by the way, question the legitimacy of the Clergy.

Call on all believers of the Lord of the Dawn to take action and establish a legitimate Clergy, but only verbally.

The matter of establishing a separate Clergy can be postponed for now. Let’s wait and see if the Frank Kingdom takes action and whether the Clergy will adopt strong measures before deciding whether to follow!"

Foreign Minister Earl Francis, with his abundant experience, said.

It is self-evident who would attract more hatred between those who are all talk and those who take action.

Insulting the Clergy isn’t anything new. If they were to wage war over a few insults, it’s likely that within a year, the Clergy would have to deal with all the Human Kingdoms.

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