Thales.

The prince frowned again.

So, this means that the so-called multinational intervention is actually quite weak and not worth mentioning to Exeter?

Is there another reason why Exeter gave up the war gains and even the peace talks between the two countries?

"Ah, I thought about it again. One of my students told me," the old man laughed: "King Nun once generously gave the eight counties in the northern border of the stars he occupied to six earls as a reward for them.

Reward. Similarly, the Grand Duke of Guard City, the Grand Duke of Wellandland and the Grand Duke of Black Sand also tried to take the land they conquered as their own."

Xickser rolled his eyes slightly: "Exter even succeeded in getting many families from the original land of stars to switch their allegiance to the new lord of the Northlanders."

Thales and Thelma, who were becoming more and more confused, looked at each other and both looked at the old man with puzzled expressions.

"But in the end, the Exeters withdrew and gave up?" Thales asked doubtfully.

"It seems so," the old crow nodded lightly: "First it was Earl Mende of the Black Sand Territory, then the Gray family under the guard city, and finally the earls of Longxiao City. When their troops withdrew,

, the stars and lands that still belonged to them in name all removed their flags, refused to pay taxes and go to war, drove away the remaining Exeter nobles, and returned to the rule of their old masters. Even many families who were originally forced to surrender to the Northlanders

Switch sides again and return to the territory of the stars."

Thales's mind sank.

"Why?"

Thelma asked kindly: "Is it because the rule of King Changzhi has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people for a long time, so that the loyalty of the people and nobles is unshakable?"

Xixer rubbed his wrists and tutted: "In that case, why did the loyal nobles surrender to Exeter in the first place? Strictly speaking, the people in the North are also Northlanders, and they have no shortage of people who fought hard to

The courage to die.”

Thelma was immediately speechless.

But Thales on the side was lost in thought.

etc……

Refusing to pay taxes and serve in the military...

Drive away the noble officials of Exeter who stayed behind...

The prince's heart moved.

He suddenly remembered the tense and thrilling negotiation in the Hall of Heroes six years ago, the expression on Charmaine Lombard's face, and... what he really feared.

"I see."

The Star Prince suddenly raised his head and looked at Xixer who was still smiling.

He solemnly said: "Exeter at that time did not have the ability to rule the northern border."

Thelma looked at him kindly.

Xixer's eyes changed.

The next second, the old man raised his right hand with a smile and made a "please" gesture to him.

Under the gazes of the other two people, Thales, who was encouraged, took a deep breath and recalled what he had thought about six years ago.

"Whether it is tax payment, refereeing, military service, or daily life affairs, Star people from high to low, from noble to low, have gradually become accustomed to the way of ruling their country: starting from the virtuous king, the system and rules gradually mature."

"As for Exeter, they cannot follow the system of the stars, nor can they rule this land in the way of the stars. Not only are the nobles of the Northlanders not used to it, but the qualified bureaucrats that the dragon kingdom can send to rule the north are also far away.

If it’s not enough, they can only use Exeter’s old method to rule the stars.”

The prince frowned, remembering what little Joseph's father, the chef, had told him not long ago about things in their village:

The cronies of the Northern Lords come to collect taxes from farmers. This month's tax may be a chicken or a bag of wheat, but in a few months, if your land is harvested or a new tax collector is changed, it may be

To collect one cow and two bags of wheat depends on the mood and greed of the tax collector, and it depends on whether the lord is kind or harsh.

If you are a craftsman and use a good idea to start a small business in the market and make money. When you want to expand your business, you may have to face the covetousness of the lords or nobles because even if you can trade in the market, it belongs to them.

grace.

As Thales continued the conjecture in his mind, he said to Xixer, who was smiling even more, and Selma, who was stunned: "So, if King Nunn arbitrarily entrusts the land in the North of the Stars to his subjects like he did in the past,

Nobles, if you let them manage their new territories according to the old traditions in the oath of co-governance, various problems will arise..."

Xixer coughed and chuckled.

The old crow said calmly: "As far as I know, during the period when Exeter occupied the northern territory, the Grand Duke of Lombard, who was responsible for managing the rear area and is also the current King of Chaman, once tried to fulfill the responsibilities and rights of a lord as he did in his own country.

On the condition of ensuring a safe life, taxes should be collected from residents in the north to subsidize consumption."

"But it's obviously very inefficient and people don't want to deal with his tax collectors."

Thales's eyes lit up when his guess was confirmed:

"Of course, because the land of stars is different."

"The people in the north have gradually become accustomed to another way of life and rule. They are not blindly and obediently loyal to a lord from the north who has the rough style of a dragon. This is only the north. The central territory and even the south may

What's more, because the cities there are larger and the villages are more complex, I heard that craftsmen and merchants even formed guilds, which have the right to negotiate with the lords."

Thales recalled the look in Lombard's eyes back then, with emotion and understanding in his heart: "To put it simply, after winning the victory, the Kingdom of Exeter at that time did not have the ability to rule the northern territory stably."

"Correspondingly, once the invaders do not have this ability, the people in the North of the Stars will certainly not obey Exeter's rule," the prince thought of the little tax collector who defected from the Kingdom of Stars to the Black Sand Territory and worked under Lumba.

: "Because the latter not only cannot give them the life they want, but also brutally harms their interests."

Thales sighed: "So, even if King Nunn's army actually occupied the northern border, he was unable to effectively govern it and could only use violence to subdue it."

Thelma blinked and looked at Thales with an amazed look as usual.

Old Crow Xixer shrugged, and the groove on his face seemed to be deeper.

"Judging from our discussion just now: Exeter did not turn the land and people affected by the invasion into beneficiaries," the skinny old man said quietly, "but turned into enemies?"

Thales nodded with a solemn expression: "So, if Exeter wants to continue to occupy the northern territory, it means that the army must be stationed for a long time, and the violence of the archdukes should be used to suppress the continuous rebellion and dissatisfaction, and to quell the problems caused by life.

The public’s anger has become more and more boiling due to changes.”

Or maybe Thales remembered the promise Rumba made to the archdukes in "Dragon's Blood" six years ago.

Or the Grand Duke or even the King himself could personally station in the Northern Territory to eliminate all possible sources of trouble, and then gradually... synchronize and move closer to the existing system of the Star Kingdom.

Make it truly... your own land.

The prince clenched his fists unconsciously.

So, is this what you learned during the bloody years eighteen years ago?

Charmaine Lombard?
Chapter completed!