Herald of Steel

The nobles’ economic consideration first and foremost was that Alexander might be lying to them.

They feared that Alexander would simply give them peanuts in return for their contribution, only a small, token amount simply as a front to justify this extortion.

Hence, there were people who felt that whatever the money they saved would be better.

Secondly, some considered that even if Alexander had the best of intentions, he might simply not be able to provide the economic benefits he was claiming to give, i.e.- he was overestimating his abilities.

Then came the political considerations.

The risk of switching allegiance need not be said.

Even if Alexander could give them everything he promised, it would do them no good if Ptolomy and his faction were defeated, and the turncoats were charged with treason by Amenheraft.

Then they would lose both the gold and the goods. .

Following this came the personal considerations, which were also the most numerous ones, and they ranged from a variety of reasons.

Firstly, there were some die-hards who would choose to side with Ameneheraft regardless, whether out of loyalty to his master, devotion to his cause, belief in his divinity, or simply out of a personal relationship.

And this mainly applied to many smaller nobles, who had built up quite a strong alliance with the noble family, and as the former crown prince, Amenheraft in general.

This was because these people relied on a strong royal family to stave off the influence of their much bigger and stronger superiors, who were all tacitly trying to annex or vassalize their retainer so that these lesser nobles would follow their rules instead of having any autonomy of their own.

Thus, if the lower peerage nobles such as the shordars (barons), and talukders (viscounts) wanted to retain independence and free reign over their lands, then supporting a strong royal family was a must for them.

Hence, their hesitation to switch sides.

For even if they were protected by the treaty for the next six years, what happens after it expires?

What if Amenheraft come knocking at their doors looking for blood?

What then?

Who would protect them from the much stronger Amenheraft?

This question was asked by all the ruminating nobles, and they could find no good answer.

There were also some who simply disliked Alexander inherently, be it his Thesian background, his low birth status, for being beaten in multiple battles by him, or simply his face.

These particular people did not give the offer a second thought.

And lastly, some simply did care for the benefits Alexander promised them.

They were perfectly happy with their current status and saw no reason to risk all of that for a very risky potential gain.

The last category of people would be a rare breed in the modern world, as people who did not want to acquire more wealth in the present day and age were as rare as golden deer.

But in Alexander’s current timeline, such a mindset remains embedded in many, mostly high-level noble’s minds.

For they already had more money than they or their three next generations knew what to do with.

These people already lived in a kind of post-scarcity world of their own, eating the best food available, living in the grandest house possible, wearing the finest clothes money could buy, and having access to cutting-edge medical procedures.

And to protect these things they also had enough muscles to ward off any ordinary threats, such as thieves and bandits, and so their only real threat were others like them.

Hence, since they already had everything life had to give, they felt no reason to acquire gold, as even the gold they normally collected would end up piled in their treasury, wasting away for years until an emergency arose.

And since Adhania was a relatively stable country with a strong military to ward off most foreign threats, and strong cultural norms among nobles which discouraged infighting, the nobles would rarely need to use these funds.

Perhaps they would need it once in a lifetime during things like droughts and famines.

And even then, they would skimp out on helping the poor folks, much preferring to use their money for merriments.

And yes, a lot of the people very much liked spending their money on lavish gifts, expensive parties, dances, feasts, and hunting trips, as the tasty foods, the dancing experiences, and the time spent with everyone filled them with joy.

So these people did not see the money being wasted to entertain their superiors, but as a way to enjoy life with others.

And knowing this, the phenomenon of even some very rich noble territories having very poor infrastructures could be explained, the prime example being Zanzan province itself.

Thus, when Alexander proposed that they use this money to do something else, hence hampering their way of life, they shunned it.

Now, as a side note, such behavior was not limited to Adhania or even this world.

Such examples would even be found in Alexander’s previous world’s history.

For example one of the reasons Egyptians built the pyramids or could even afford to build the pyramids was because of how rich they were.

The Nile Delta produced so much food that the kings were able to mostly satisfy the needs of their populace, expand their territories to their desired size, finance an army strong enough to protect their borders, and still have enormous wealth left over.

So, with nothing to use the wealth on, they built huge mausoleums for themselves, glorifying themselves.

Now, of course, they might have used the funds on more productive endeavors like free education and healthcare, but then angina, kings, dictators, and autocrats have and always had an obsession with flattering their image.

After all, if the pharaohs had given the money away, they would not be seen as gods, would they?

So, spending money for oneself as opposed to investing it did have its reasons, if not personal or economical, then political.

And lastly, the nobles thought about the strategic considerations.

Mainly, it was the ban on owing an army, which was a non-starter for some.

They simply refused to hand the keys to their security to someone else, never mention to an outsider like Alexander.

They were of the thought that they would rather depend on a small army that they can trust to protect them, as opposed to a large, but dubious force whose true allegiance lay with another master, and it would be his mood that would determine their safety.

That thought was simply not palatable to some, mostly militaristic noble families.

And lastly there were also some who viewed Alexander’s development plans as an encroachment upon their territory,

The roads particularly stuck like a fish bone with a few, as they feared it would be used by their enemies, aka-Alexander, to easily attack them, completely missing the point of how a good set of roads would help them to become richer and employ more soldiers to protect them.

After all, the nobles of this time rarely had a good business mind, viewing the profession as base and low.

‘The merchants peddled their ware like how prostitutes flashed their bodies,’ An Azhak saying went.

So, combined with the four factors, a vast majority of the nobles refused to accept Alexander’s demands, and they only stood silently in front of the man, mute and dumb.

‘Looks like beating them once was not enough,” Alexander determined seeing the wooden faces, and seeing no point in talking, decided to finish the talks there.

“Accepting my terms is only one way I will give you the men. Think about it for a week.” Alexander declared and turned his horse before shooting, “And also think about how you are going to compensate me and His Majesty for breaking the treaty.”

“….Hmmp! Alexander, no matter how eloquently you put it, at the end of the day, you dare to tax the nobles? Heh, you are just asking us to rebel. Just wait for our next attack!” With the end of the negotiations, Lord Bahram, finished his piece with this threat, before turning his steed around and galloping out.

*Thud*, *Thud*, *Thud*,

And the group of nobles silently followed, leaving none behind.

Even Lord Prantik had returned to the camp, as he still had all his stuff there.

And Alexander let them, for killing them in broad daylight here would bring him even more retaliation from the other more neutral parties.

Solving everything by the sword was not a solution.

On the other hand, Alexander focused on what Lord Banram had said, pondering on it.

Of course, he knew that imposing a tax on the nobles was just sowing the seeds of rebellion for him.

But he still chose to do it.

Because he needed the funds.

And because he believed everyone should contribute fairly to society.

And if it led to rebellion so be it.

He would just have to crush it.

After all, rebellions over taxes were nothing new after all.

In fact, it was possibly the most common cause of rebellions, as exampled by the Manga Carta, the Boston tea party, and the french revolution, to name a few.

And so, as Alexander made up his mind, the rest of the day went without an incident, Faruq’s camp refusing to give a fight.

And as Alexander returned to camp at dusk, under the cover of nightfall, Faruq recalled all the ships from blockading the harbor, boarded them as soon and as silently as possible, and were gone before sunrise- leaving only a group led by a handful of nobles who had chosen to side with Alexander.