prynovel Chapter 7: Sealing Up Money and Grain
Chapter 7: Sealing Up Money and Grain
"【Disciplinary Judge】? It seems Andrew, who has been in charge of punishments, fits the bill perfectly!"
Li Ang thought to himself.
However, Andrew's current loyalty is only 70 points, which is neither high nor low, far from being a die-hard loyalist. His willingness to come and deliver the message is more out of his respect for etiquette and law.
Furthermore, Andrew is over forty years old and his battle qi cultivation is still at the intermediate level. Now that he is changing his class, Li Ang is worried about whether his body can withstand the unknown transformation. If he dies as a result, it will be troublesome.
"Currently, only the most basic requirements have been met! We still need to wait a bit longer! At the very least, we need a cultivation level of at least Advanced Fighter and a loyalty level of over 80 points!"
After thinking it over, Li Ang decided to postpone the "job change ceremony" for Andrew!
Seeing that Leon remained silent, Andrew grew increasingly anxious: "Your Majesty, please give the order! If we delay any longer, the Griffin and Flame Legions will have to leave!"
Li Ang's ability to rise to the throne through hard work was not merely a matter of appearance; he possessed an intimate knowledge of the troop deployments of the Griffin Cavalry and the Flame Infantry.
"The Griffin Cavalry Regiment has more than 17,000 cavalrymen. All officers of the rank of centurion and above are equipped with magical griffon mounts, while the remaining ordinary cavalrymen or lower-ranking officers also have fine steeds like the Wind Chaser."
"As for the Flame Infantry Regiment, it has over 50,000 infantrymen, more than 30% of whom are heavily armored infantrymen fully armed!"
"Therefore, Andrew, it would be very unwise for me to force Edmund to lead the garrison to intercept the Griffin and Flame Legions."
Li Ang said wisely.
Minister of Etiquette and Law, Andrew, clenched his fists and continued nervously, "But Your Majesty, are you really going to let the Griffin and Flame Legions leave the capital like this?"
Li Ang smiled confidently: "Of course not! I already have a brilliant plan in mind, so you can rest assured!"
Andrew was skeptical, but seeing how confident His Majesty the King was, he didn't say anything more and could only suppress his anxiety and bow as he withdrew.
.................
Near the Royal Treasury, the residence of the Minister of Finance in the capital, Sancher was directing his officials to hurriedly move gold coins.
Finance Minister Sancher was directing his officials to hurriedly move heavy boxes of gold coins out of the treasury.
Just then, a series of neat and heavy footsteps sounded.
Edmund led the newly formed Ash Knights, blocking all paths of attack like an iron torrent.
"Lord Sancher, what are you doing?" Edmund asked, gripping his knight's longsword, his voice as cold as the winter wind.
"I am acting on the Prime Minister's orders to procure gold coins and transport them to the western border in order to suppress the rebels!"
When Sancher saw the burly and imposing Edmund, the scene of Edmund beating the green-skinned warrior Daniel a few days ago vaguely flashed through his mind, and he was still somewhat afraid.
However, Prime Minister Tobias's order gave Sancher unparalleled confidence.
Upon hearing this, Edmund simply waved his hand and gave a decisive order: "Immediately seal up all gold, silver, and copper coins in the treasury! Await His Majesty the King's decision!"
The newly formed Ash Knights, upon receiving their orders, immediately drew their swords and charged forward.
These knights were the elite of the elite; they quickly subdued and pinned all the guards of the treasury to the ground.
Sanchelton was furious: "Edmund, you've gone too far! By rank, I'm the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and you're just the commander of the Royal Guard! I'm on the same level as your superior, the Secretary of State for War, Douglas!"
Edmund scoffed, "I am loyal only to His Majesty the King! Moreover, this operation is not in the name of the garrison, but of the Ash Knights!"
Sancher was taken aback, clearly feeling quite unfamiliar with this brand-new military force, the "Knights of Ash".
"Edmund, even His Majesty the King gives the Prime Minister some face; you, a mere legion commander, shouldn't be so arrogant!"
Sancher cursed angrily.
Edmund's eyes flashed, and he darted forward, slapping Sancher twice across the face, swelling his mouth.
"If you dare to obstruct His Majesty's orders again, I will kill you right now!"
When Sancher saw Edmund's fierce eyes, all his confidence vanished instantly. He covered his swollen face and scrambled away.
Edmund didn't stop either, dispatching a hundred knights to continue straight to the granary: "Head to the granary immediately! By His Majesty's order, seal it all up! No one in the finance department is to be allowed to move a single grain of food to be transported to the West!"
Under the cabinet's power structure, the Treasury, under the Finance Minister's control, held large amounts of gold, silver, and copper coins; while the Grain and Provisions Office was the kingdom's granary, stockpiling rice and other grains collected from various regions.
Li Ang immediately ordered the sealing off of these two important locations, which naturally alarmed the Minister of War, Douglas.
At the gates of the capital city, tens of thousands of griffin cavalry and flame infantry stood ready for battle.
Upon hearing Sancher's report, Douglas flew into a rage: "Your Majesty Leon, what are you doing now? The Prime Minister has been utterly loyal, mobilizing troops, transporting supplies, and raising funds, tirelessly going to the western border to quell the rebels for Your Majesty! Your Majesty's actions are utterly disheartening!"
Soon, under Edmund's protection, Li Ang also arrived at the city gate.
For security reasons, Edmund not only deployed the Ash Knights this time, but also had more than 30,000 soldiers from the garrison support him from all sides.
The atmosphere in the capital suddenly became tense, as if swords were about to be drawn.
"Douglas, upon seeing His Majesty's arrival, why don't you bow?"
Manager Mike gave a reprimand.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Minister of War Douglas reluctantly knelt and bowed, saying, "Minister of War Douglas greets His Majesty the King!"
Li Ang's eyes were deep and his powerful aura was palpable as he stared directly at Douglas: "Douglas, I am aware of the Prime Minister's order! I will not interfere with your deployment of troops to the Western Frontier to quell the rebellion. However, the Royal Treasury and the Grain Depot in the capital, which concern all the kingdom's expenditures, have been sealed by Edmund!"
Douglas immediately retorted, "Your Majesty, the rebels in the West are rampant. How can the army sustain itself without gold and provisions when it goes to war?"
Li Ang had already devised a plan. He pointed to the Finance Minister Sancher beside him and said, "I have decided that Finance Minister Sancher will accompany you to the Western Territory. The Royal Treasury and the Grain Bureau in the capital are not the entirety of the kingdom's financial departments. There are also branch treasuries and grain bureaus in important towns in the provinces."
"Finance Secretary Sancher, along with his finance officials, will assist the Prime Minister in allocating funds and supplies from the provinces!"
Douglas frowned. "Your Majesty, it takes time to gather and allocate resources from the local branches. What if this affects the army's operations? Wouldn't that lead to disaster?"
Li Ang gave a cold laugh: "The Prime Minister has been stationed in the western border for many years. I don't think there's any rush for war!"
Douglas was speechless for a moment, unable to think of a way to refuse.
Edmund strode forward, shouting, "You must immediately obey the King's command!"
Secretary of State for War Douglas glanced at Edmund, even though he knew that Edmund had defeated the green-skinned warrior Daniel by sheer physical strength.
However, Douglas had his own pride. As Minister of War, he was, in terms of official rank, the superior of legion commanders like Edmund.
Enraged by Edmund's dismissive rebuke, Douglas drew his sword and swung it at Edmund, shouting, "I'm discussing matters with His Majesty; it's none of your business to interrupt!"
The dazzling aura of battle energy instantly illuminated the entire arena!
Someone exclaimed in disbelief, "Battle Qi transforms into light, condensing and not dissipating... This, this is the Battle Venerable Realm! Lord Douglas has actually broken through! Our Kingdom of Grant has gained another pillar of the nation!"
Sancher smugly thought, "A Dou Zun has made a move! Although you, Edmund, possess formidable physical strength, you're merely a peak-level Great Dou Shi! This time, I'll definitely leave you humiliated and severely injured!"