Chapter 695: Policies Set in Stone

Later, Arius finds time to share a meal with Henwell's family.

He thanks Melissa in front of everyone. "You will be a heroine of the kingdom from now on. You saved both Henwell and me!"

Then he notices Pabos and cannot help laughing. "And you too, little one!"

"Grow up quickly. We will all need you to protect us one day."

"After everything settles down, come to Silver Peak City for next year's Midsummer Festival."

"I will introduce you to Nelson. He is two years older than you, and he can show you around."

Henwell says, "You should send Karitan and the others to Peace Haven for a while."

"Wait until you have put the royal court's affairs in order. Otherwise, your enemies may use your family as leverage to tie your hands."

Arius considers the suggestion and nods. "That may be best. It is easier for me to act alone."

"By the way, don't you still have one of the kingdom's guardians in your custody?"

"Yes. The royal Iron Knight named Pullman tried to assassinate me. I captured him and have kept him imprisoned ever since."

Arius says, "Give him to me. I need him to win over Lady Tess."

"Fine. I will arrange for his return."

Henwell then asks, "How do you plan to handle the situation from here?"

Arius replies, "What else can I do? I originally wanted to move swiftly and decisively."

"But the Northern Mountain Raiders prevent me from making any major moves."

"For now, I can only win some factions over, suppress the rest, and stabilize the kingdom as much as possible."

"Who will you win over, and who will you suppress?"

"Duke Quinns of the South Regions is dead, but the fact remains that he was the first to intervene."

"I plan to strip his family of its grand ducal title and reduce the family to the rank of count."

"His son Raziel will inherit the title, but their fief will also be reduced to the size appropriate for a count."

Henwell warns him, "Now that Quinns is dead, does Raziel resent us?"

"Tyran City sits on the border. If Raziel turns against us, he could cause serious trouble."

Arius sighs. "I know, but I have to transfer the southern armies north."

"The Quinns family is deeply rooted in Tyran City. Removing them recklessly would cause unrest."

"Neither of us has time to deal with that now, so we can only frighten him into obedience."

"Keep an eye on him. If necessary, find a suitable excuse to eliminate him later."

Henwell thinks for a moment. "Raziel has a good relationship with my brother Orak."

"After the new year, the Western Federation will probably try to repair its relationship with me."

"During the negotiations, I will find a way to bring Orak back and have him reassure Raziel."

Arius nods. "That could work. I also intend to warn Marquess Descartes."

"He was far too active this time. The two factions may have launched their entire scheme against us through him."

"Do you have proof?"

Arius shakes his head. "I do not. That is why I am only warning him. Otherwise, I would remove him outright."

"I plan to have the Phoenix family take half of Descartes's territory. That will allow my uncle to contain him more effectively."

Henwell frowns. "Isn't that too much? He is different from the others. He thinks like a gambler."

"He also holds grudges. I am afraid he may lash out when cornered. If he joins forces with Ika, the pressure on us will grow even worse."

Arius says, "Do not worry. Fabio and my uncle will attack him from both sides. If he moves, he dies!"

"My real problem is how to handle Duke Marcus and Duke Obiken."

Melissa starts to rise when she hears this, intending to leave and avoid the sensitive discussion.

Henwell catches her hand. "It is fine. We do not need to hide this from you."

After thinking for a moment, Henwell says, "We cannot move against either faction, but we can demand that they support your unified tax reform."

"Once you return to Silver Peak City, order Duke Lowel of the Northern Regions to surrender half his territory, or at least one-third of it."

"Gather more than half of the kingdom's standing legions and have the two grand dukes take their armies to pressure Lowel."

"I doubt Duke Lowel will drag everyone into mutual ruin. During the Marriage Alliance War, he seized a great deal of land from Billie."

"Even if we take half his current territory, he will only possess slightly less than he did before. It will not cripple his power base."

"We must force him to take a clear stance and show that he will obey your orders!"

"Once he sets the example, you can settle accounts with some of the other nobles."

"There must be consequences for siding with a usurper."

"We cannot pretend none of this happened. We must not establish that precedent."

"Their titles can remain untouched, but we must reduce their territories."

"To establish centralized rule, you need enough land and population under your direct control."

"Of the twenty-five standing legions, you must control at least fifteen, and preferably twenty."

"Leave one standing legion with each duke and marquess. Any more would be wasteful and difficult to justify even for appearances."

"Besides the standing legions, you have four legions in Yosui City, and I have another garrison legion stationed there."

"Then there are the two Guard Legions loyal to the royal family, the Steel Lion Legion, the Fearless Sword Legion, and the newly established Lion King's Pride. That gives us another five legions."

"Those ten legions are enough to defend Silver Peak City. You can transfer the remaining standing legions to the Northern Mountain Front."

"First, see how bad the situation is. If necessary, I will send another two legions north."

Arius says, "That will be enough. However, I need to reequip the army on a large scale and restructure its training. I will need your support."

Henwell replies, "I will do what I can, but as I said, I do not have enough people."

"Industrial workers cannot be trained overnight, and expanding production takes time."

"Besides, Ogiro will certainly be on edge after this. The pressure on my defenses will be substantial."

"I will have to adjust my deployments again when I return, in case Ogiro takes a desperate gamble."

Henwell sighs. "These are troubled times. If we had another five years, none of this would be a problem."

Arius gives a bitter smile. "This is a struggle for supremacy in an age of upheaval. No one can ever be fully prepared."

"All we can do is choose the least terrible path among many bad ones."

Henwell suddenly remembers something. "What do you plan to do about Duke Reyes, the leader of the neutral nobles?"

Arius replies, "If he meant what he said and truly wants a powerful monarch capable of imposing centralized rule on the kingdom, then he will support my policies."

"But if it was all talk and he balks when the time comes to give up his own interests, then I have no reason to show restraint."

"We will work together to impose a total blockade on his lands and the territories of his followers!"

"They need to wake up and understand who rules this country. Their so-called neutrality will never be allowed again."

The two men continue talking deep into the night, repeatedly discussing the kingdom's coming reforms.

Only Melissa and Pabos bear witness as one major decision after another is settled over the course of an ordinary family evening.