Chapter 1212: Chapter 1140: The Holy Alliance’s Romantic Values
This is quite a headache.
Horn put down the newspaper, his face showing an indescribably odd expression, like a mix of helplessness and amusement.
"This Harbin, really, he managed to capture that lofty flower with his little mushroom."
"Is that the main point?" Catherine held her coffee, "Isn’t the main point the canned factory of Crab Yellow Castle Monarch and Hot Spring Castle?"
Although Palak and the other three proposed it, the real orchestrator of this project is Catherine.
Crab Roe Castle is actually a crucial part of the Holy Alliance’s layout in Norn, and the Crab Yellow Castle Monarch Sibangqi is one of the rare Great Monarchs in Norn who is friendly to the Holy Alliance.
His friendliness to the Holy Alliance is not only because he wasn’t pillaged by Moliat back then but also because of his youngest daughter, Theodora.
Theodora is the youngest daughter of Sibangqi’s first wife, considered the apple of the monarch’s eye.
Later, due to an accident while hunting where the monarch accidentally shot Theodora, she was left with an illness and a spinal condition.
This made the monarch feel even more guilty and indulgent towards his youngest daughter.
Later, the Holy Alliance cured Theodora’s illness, giving the monarch natural goodwill towards the Holy Alliance.
He often stood on the side of the Holy Alliance, despite opposition from allies, giving them many orders.
The agricultural revolution in his territory was actually not initiated proactively but started passively.
"Where is the monarch now?"
"He’s near Vincent’s mountain pass, saying he won’t step into the Holy Alliance unless they give him an explanation."
The four at the dining hall table were worried as well, understanding the monarch’s anger.
Aside from the grievances and wars between Dwarfs and Norn people, the union between Dwarfs and noble women is already quite rare.
To be precise, excluding those fallen noble women, cases of unions between flourishing noble women and Dwarfs are zero.
Not a single one.
The monarch’s anger wasn’t just because his beloved daughter was taken but because her husband might be a Dwarf.
Even if it’s a commoner, any similarly short commoner would suffice.
For the Crab Roe Clan, this would be a great blow to their prestige.
From the perspective of the Holy Alliance, this monarch’s friendship is indeed quite important.
Because he is the window to the Norn Kingdom for the Holy Alliance.
In the empire’s geographical books, Norn Kingdom is often recorded as constantly war-torn, vast but sparsely populated.
However, with Busak’s travels and investigations in Norn, Horn discovered that this perception holds considerable error.
Indeed, Norn Kingdom fits the stereotype of constant war.
But their constant war isn’t on the same scale as Leia’s constant war.
In Leia, a major war involves tens of thousands of soldiers and auxiliary workers, lasting five to six years, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced.
While Norn Kingdom is too decentralized, a major war seems to involve many people but is often just a few thousand, small-scale, and short-term confrontation.
A war involves a dozen Great Monarchs, and you ask about casualties, and the answer is hundreds.
And when you ask why, it could be just for a small village on the border, a small pond, or even a large beehive.
As for the vast but sparsely populated notion, it bears the appeal of statistical and news-driven beauty.
The three major kingdoms are juxtaposed, with Leia and Falan’s land areas seemingly similar, making it seem like Norn is of similar size.
But the truth is, the northern and southern territories of Norn Kingdom are larger than Leia and Falan combined.
The so-called sparsely populated is calculated by dividing the population by land area.
But there are problems, firstly, whether in southern or northern Norn, they have vast nominally claimed lands.
Southern Norn has the South Sea mountains, northern Norn has vast grasslands; there are Norn castles and settlements only on key roads.
They have extended their territory on maps.
Areas with densely populated Norn people are actually much smaller than on maps.
Moreover, the sparsely populated notion is filled with statistical charm as it only counts the taxable population on the lord’s land.
But the truth is, Norn is a semi-tribal, semi-feudal nation, covering vast Norn tribe lands.
The wild people groups Alexey mentioned referred to those unfeudalized Norn communal tribes.
Of course, as civilization developed, these Norn tribes formed land communes and local clans.
Currently, there are also many Great Monarchs in Norn constantly annexing these tribes’ lands.
Wrong direction, the more progress, the more erroneous.
The three kingdoms are dominated by nobility, so the more centralized, the less favorable public life.
Falan introduced new nobility, merchants, and emerging industrial forces, increasing productivity, expanding the pie, increasing the denominator, making high taxes seem negligible.
Norn is the opposite, lack of a denominator leads to lower numerators, so Norn people’s living standards aren’t bad.
Why is Leia’s living standard the worst?
Because it just barely misses, not introducing industrial nobility on top nor decentralizing like Norn below.
Takes both major drawbacks, otherwise, why would Horn say Leia is the weakest link?
Horn has opened a portion of Falan’s market, while Norn’s market is still being expanded by Busak.
Actually, Norn people’s purchasing power isn’t bad, they just don’t have a unified market.
Moreover, many of the raw materials needed by the Holy Alliance, including iron ore and lacquer, as well as craftsmanship, must be obtained from the Norn.
Falan and Leia cannot produce everything either; sometimes they need to import from Norn.
Petier put down his fork, took a sip of water to clear his mouth and avoid spraying food residue on Horn’s face and body, then spoke, "Your Highness, you can order Harbin and Theodora to break up."
"Why?" Catherine immediately raised her head in opposition while drinking coffee, "Is it possible that the Holy Alliance can’t even protect the freedom of its own believers? Isn’t this a violation of the Holy Alliance’s principles?"
"Your Highness, is it worth affecting the livelihood of tens of thousands because of these two people’s affairs?" Petier showed no fear.
Catherine squinted at Petier for a moment, then suddenly turned to Qianqian, "Qianqian, what do you think?"
Qianqian, calm and composed, slowly took a sip of coffee, smiling at the two of them.
A minute later.
"Are you smiling because you have no solution, and that’s all you can do?"
"...Your Highness, you understand me too well."
Horn chuckled, "What do you think of Harbin?"
"He’s a smart and reliable Dwarf, both the Commercial Department and the Industrial Department are doing well under him." Qianqian hesitated for half a second, but still said what she initially intended, "I was originally planning to promote him to be an Executive Vice-Minister..."
The Executive Vice-Ministers of the various courts of the Holy Alliance can essentially be seen as successors to the Cardinal, with the nomination rights solely in the hands of the Cardinals.
Qianqian meant to give Harbin a preparatory Cardinal status.
This is also reasonable; although Harbin joined during the Joan of Arc Castle period, he also fought in the Bridge Battle.
He reluctantly belongs to the ranks of the second-generation veteran players.
From both the political standpoint of the Holy Alliance and Horn’s genuine intentions, it would be best not to break up this marriage.
But if the grudges between Dwarves and Humans, as well as racial discrimination and religious conflicts, get involved, it would be estimated as difficult to handle.
Many people will hold Catherine’s views, while others will align with Petier’s perspectives.
Yet the problem is, this could likely trigger discrimination against different species, especially the discrimination issues among the pre-Extraordinary, post-Extraordinary, and Beastman.
Regarding the issue of discrimination against different species and the Extraordinary, Horn has shouted slogans loudly, but the latent discrimination is omnipresent.
This indeed is a problem that requires several generations to resolve, and he temporarily doesn’t want to ignite this mine.
Therefore, it’s necessary to shift this issue from discrimination against different species to other matters.
"My idea is to approach it from two directions." Horn wiped his mouth with a napkin, "First, have Jia Li prominently receive him.
Jia Li holds the bloodline of the previous Norn King; Grand Duke Antoine has a good relationship with the former Crab Yellow Castle Monarch; otherwise, Jia Li’s plundering ride wouldn’t have bypassed Crab Yellow Castle alone.
Jia Li is a cardinal-level Cardinal of the Holy Alliance, but more notably the Saintess and the Purification Leader, such a level is sufficient to show our Holy Alliance’s sincerity.
If he sincerely wants to cooperate, he will accept this sincerity."
"What if he’s not sincere about cooperation?" Qianqian frowned and asked.
Horn shrugged, "The Crab Yellow Castle Monarch is a kind-hearted person, spends lavishly, has a wide network, but is incompetent.
Crab Yellow Castle’s current prosperity is being managed by Theodora’s brother, Sibangqi’s eldest son, Bobo.
Based on Cheka’s investigation, he is the actual manager of Crab Yellow Castle; he won’t allow his father to interfere with this cooperation.
Sibangqi also fears losing his son’s allowance; this is just a tantrum; as long as we give them face, he won’t truly refuse."
"What’s the second method then?"
"Then the Truth Court needs to guide public opinion, turning discrimination against different species into romanticism." Horn snapped his fingers, "Simply put, Holy Alliance people hate nobles more than they hate different species.
If we guide the press to lead public opinion, turning the issue of different species into ’a noble girl falling in love with a poor young man who becomes a high-ranking monk, only to be oppressed by her noble father, forcing them to break up.’
Then create some drama and novels to grab attention; such romantic and dramatic events can captivate the audience.
We need to change it from a social issue into the Crab Yellow Castle Monarch’s family matter, and not involve the current projects.
The equality of the Holy Alliance is a major topic; the love between a poor Dwarf and a noble Human with wealth and beauty has a strong contrast.
Or Holy Alliance believers, they can easily identify with Harbin.
I couldn’t cross the class barrier before, and you wouldn’t allow me to marry your daughter.
Now I’ve crossed the barrier, and you still won’t allow it; so what’s the point of crossing it?
Being also of poor background, they’ll certainly support Harbin.
Such a love that transcends all together and a father’s interference is so melodramatic.
It also has the effect of exporting the Holy Alliance’s values externally; why not do it?
"As this is a family matter, naturally it should be left for them to handle themselves; it’s none of our business, right?"
All three of them were stunned, but then understood immediately.
The meaning of the Saint’s Grandson is clear—cutting ties and shirking responsibility.
The Holy Alliance provides you protection, Harbin, if you have the guts, then go and keep Theodora within the Holy Alliance.
Anyway, the Holy Alliance itself will not interfere.
Originally, a clean official finds it hard to decide on family matters; as long as this is separated from the Holy Alliance’s economic development, nobody will want to meddle.
As the sound of chairs moving was heard, Horn stood up, "Alright, let’s settle this matter like this for now.
I’ll go inspect the expo grounds first, later have Madlan come to my office."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
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