in the name of the queen.

Chapter 314 Blank Check
This civil code is a patchwork created by Roland based on the Napoleon Civil Code and the addition of the rule of law ideas of Carlo, Desanders and others.

It has some positive and progressive aspects, but is not too radical to be implemented. Overall, it is a comprehensive law.

Alina was knowledgeable. She just flipped through a few pages and her eyes lit up.

She found in this civil code the shadow of her father's compilation of the code, as well as the ideas that De Sanders had often mentioned recently, and some of the contents she had discussed with Roland.

even
There are also some legal provisions issued during Marco's reign.

Alina couldn't stand this. She bit her lip and asked with a trembling voice, "You even accepted the laws made by the traitor Marco?"

"Even if they are enemies, as long as they have good points, I am willing to learn from them." Roland said calmly.

Alina was silent for a moment, took a long breath, and said slowly: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

She was the one who invited the person, so naturally she had to trust him to the end.

Although she felt somewhat uncomfortable, she still decisively agreed with Roland's idea.

A sentence her father once said flashed through her mind: Don't deny the advantages of your enemy just because of your different positions, otherwise hatred will blind your eyes.

If Marco was really useless, how could he let his father lose everything, and how could he monopolize power and establish a dictatorship in the Golden Kite Kingdom with so many talented people.

To deny Marco is to deny all efforts to defeat him.

Her nails dug deeply into her palms, blood oozed out from between Alina's fingers, and her breathing became a little disordered.

Although I kept telling myself to accept it, I still felt extremely sad whenever I thought of my father's tragic death.

She thought quietly, how nice it would have been if the assistant her father had met back then was Roland.

This code is very detailed, covering everything from how to define "Golden Kite People" to the legal interpretations and related provisions of various civil and property rights.

Of course, Alina couldn't finish reading it all. She just glanced through it briefly before dawn.

After closing the book and putting away the code, Alina hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest with Roland.

"Roland, I admit that this law is meaningful, but this should be considered after the war. Our top priority now is to build a strong army."

"It's not that I don't trust Saint Christine, but there are some things you have to take responsibility for."

Roland smiled and nodded, "I'm not idle."

He raised the heavy code and said softly, "Do you think I made this law because I was bored or because I wanted to have a say?"

Alina was speechless for a moment.

Of course, she didn't think so, but she always felt that Roland was not doing his job properly.

In short, while making laws is important, it is not a high priority compared to raising an army to fight the Ruriks.

She did not object directly, but the doubt in her eyes did not disappear.

"This is the extra cost of conscription when the nation is tired of war, and it is also a promise to those who are about to die in battle."

Roland put down the code and said in a deep voice: "In the past ten years, the Golden Kite people have shed too much blood. Hundreds of thousands of people died in overthrowing the old royal family, hundreds of thousands of people died in establishing the new order, and nearly a million people died in the turmoil caused by Marco and the civil war when we overthrew him."

"These are not cold numbers, but real people. They died, leaving behind grieving families and war-weary relatives and friends."

"Have you ever thought about why we recruit soldiers?"

Alina answered without hesitation, "To defend our motherland."

Roland shook his head slowly. "Ordinary people don't think that way. They just think that the Golden Kite Kingdom belongs to the nobles and officials and has nothing to do with them."

"Especially after Marco's destruction, the people's trust in the government has almost disappeared. Although your father overthrew the old empire, he also brought about Marco's chaos and civil war. Don't think of using this little favor to hold them hostage for life."

"If the emperor is gone and life becomes worse than before, what is the point of overthrowing the emperor?"

Alina was choked and speechless.

She had a headache.

She knew that what Roland said was right. Overthrowing the empire and liberating the country from shackles was certainly a great contribution to the country, but it did not mean that she could rest on her laurels for the rest of her life.

If you want people to join the army and support it, you can't just rely on dry slogans; you must have actual benefits.

This code of laws which defines the rights of the people is the interest of all.

If you feel this code is in your interest, then stand up and defend it.

A very simple truth.

This is also the reason why Roland made more concessions in the code.

Seeing that Alina was still silent, Roland said calmly, "Alina, have you ever thought about your future retreat and the continuation of your family?"

"Ah?" Alina didn't expect Roland's thoughts to be so wild and was stunned for a moment.

Her mind raced as she began to ponder the deeper meaning of Roland's words.

She didn't think that Roland was preparing for the family's abdication. After all, few people would retreat at the height of their career.

A way out for the future? Family continuation?

Could it be that.
A bold idea flashed through her mind, turning her already healthy face into a crimson cloud.

Wait, but he already has Queen Sylph, what on earth is he thinking?
Alina was very confident in her femininity until she met Sylph.

Incomparable, absolutely incomparable.

No matter how you think about it, Roland would not choose her unless there was a crisis in his relationship with Sylph.

Her heart began to beat wildly when she thought of Roland suddenly parachuting into Mont Blanc, racing with her against the avalanche, and readily agreeing to help her govern the country.

Could it be that.
Looking at Alina's rapidly changing eyes, Roland was a little confused.

How could this guy be distracted at this time? I'm talking to you about serious matters!
He coughed angrily and reminded loudly:
"Alina, the monarch's rule will eventually come to an end. Either you voluntarily and gracefully give up power, or you will be driven out. We must be prepared."

"Then, what should we do? Suppress it as soon as we find any signs?" Alina didn't expect Roland to actually think of retreating, so she answered in a daze.

Roland: "."

He didn't quite understand how such words without any political logic could come out of Alina's mouth.

Just as he was about to put on a stern face and give her a severe lecture, he noticed that her eyes were confused and flustered.

Roland sighed in his heart and gave up the idea of ​​torturing Alina severely.

Forget it, that's what women are like.

Their thoughts change faster than turning the pages of a book.

Roland had to patiently explain to Alina the historical significance of the introduction of this law.

If you want a war-weary people to support a war outside their own country, you have to let them see the benefits.

A Sussex-style military merit system certainly won’t do.

Most of the martial-minded Golden Kite people have died. Those who were able to escape Marco's destruction were mostly smooth-talking people who sought benefits and avoided harm.

Getting them to join the army is as difficult as mobilizing citizens to defend Paris with arms during World War II.

This code is the aphrodisiac that awakens their martial spirit.

No one can resist the temptation of benefits, unless it is not enough.

This code provides a visible path to upward mobility for everyone, especially those at the bottom of society.

No one wants to rot in the mud forever, living in a daze and dying without knowing why.

In this terrible era, even if you stay in the rear, most people's life expectancy is only forty or fifty years old.

Sufficient benefits, coupled with appropriate publicity, can at least incite some people to get excited.

Roland did not want to form a large army. In this era when railways had not yet appeared, the first thing a large army would defeat was not the enemy, but its own logistics support system.

According to his estimation, even if fighting at home, the maximum number of combat troops that the Free Alliance could support would not exceed one million.

This is also the limit of Christine's command ability.

When the number of troops approaches one million, the command system becomes bloated, military orders cannot be communicated smoothly, and the army's combat effectiveness will drop significantly.

In order to support the combat of a million-strong army, the number of supporting logistics personnel is as high as several million. The entire state machinery must be switched to a wartime state, and the entire society must serve the war.

This kind of extreme mobilization that squeezes everything out cannot last long.

Roland and Alina both knew that 1795 was the beginning of the war, or it could be the end.

After Roland's explanation, the gossipy thoughts running through Alina's mind finally calmed down, and she began to seriously think about the future of the country.

After understanding the importance of the code, Alina quickly thought of another thing. "Roland, have you ever thought that when the state machinery is running at full speed, the lives of the lower classes will become more difficult, and it is very likely that some people will be forced to the point of desperation, and they..."

Roland responded calmly, "Of course I have thought about it. The ordinary people living in the city are fine. Their savings are enough to support them for a while, so they will not easily cause unrest. The real hidden dangers are the industrial workers and self-employed farmers from the countryside."

"Self-cultivating farmers need to bear more taxes during wartime, and greedy tax officials will also increase their exploitation. If you collect one more pound of grain, they will dare to collect three more pounds from the farmers."

Alina nodded and sighed helplessly: "It can't be helped. Fortunately, our Golden Kite has a vast territory and fertile land. Even if the harvest increases three times, the farmers will not die."

"I will compensate them after the war. Now I can only let them suffer for a while longer."

Roland asked curiously, "How do you plan to compensate them in the future?"

"Tax exemption for one year, and food subsidies according to the number of people. If we win, there will be plenty of food for them, if we lose."

She didn't talk about the consequences of losing. Losing means death, and she was too lazy to think about it.

It makes sense that I don’t care about the flood after I die.

Perhaps to strengthen her argument, Alina calmly said, "You've done this before, and it worked very well."

The effect is indeed very good, but I am actively seeking tax exemption rather than just making empty promises.

Roland felt too exhausted to complain, and finally couldn't help but ask back: "Alina, after the war, we will send food tax-free. Will those who starved to death during the war be able to crawl out of the ground and eat this meal?"

Alina was choked and speechless. Her chest rose and fell, and she was obviously a little annoyed, but she didn't dare to talk back to Roland. She could only bite the bullet and explain:
"The grain stored in the national treasury is barely enough to sustain the war for half a year. Even if we want to tax it, we can't do it. The farmers have grain, so they have to do it."

“Tax-free, and we will requisition grain from them in the form of cash + bonds, but it must be voluntary.”

Roland offers a solution.

He introduced the operational procedures of this acquisition method to Alina in detail.

Tax exemption not only increases farmers' favorability, but also prevents greedy tax officials from profiting from it, and by the way, it can also purify the tax officials and civil service.

As Roland's former intelligence chief, Alina knew Roland's approach very well.

The template already exists, and now it is just a simple copy, so of course she is familiar with it.

After it was confirmed that agricultural taxes would be exempted during the war, Alina's nerves, which had just relaxed, became tense again.

"What do you mean by cash + bonds acquisition method?"

"It's very simple. After the agricultural tax is waived, we still need a lot of food, but our funds have more uses, so we have to purchase a large amount of food, but at a cost-effective price."

Roland took out a pen and paper and began to calculate.

"If we buy the grain at the market price with cash, we will go bankrupt before Sofia calls us. Writing blank checks won't work either, because that's like exchanging IOUs for the farmers' grain."

"If we really do this, the farmers won't hate the tax officials, they will hate us."

Although she was worried, Roland's humorous words still made Alina burst out laughing.

It had been a long time since she had laughed so heartily since her father passed away. She didn't laugh even when she killed the traitor Marco and took back power.

Perhaps it was because Roland's presence made her feel at ease, or perhaps it was because she needed to release the emotions that had been suppressed for a long time, but she couldn't stop smiling.

Laughter is contagious. Although he didn't understand why Alina suddenly laughed, she looked so beautiful when she laughed that Roland couldn't help but laugh too.

He thought of the heroic Captain Alina when they first met her, and everything seemed to have returned to the way it was before, except that people can never go back, and even the three years can never go back.

Before they know it, they have already crossed the threshold of 20 and are about to turn 30. If their parents are still alive, they would probably urge them to get married and have children.

Fortunately, they are all orphans.

Thinking of this, Roland's smile gradually froze and his expression became a little unnatural.

After a moment's silence, Roland coughed lightly and continued to introduce the mixed acquisition plan.

His plan was very simple: grain procurement was divided into three plans.

The first is an all-cash payment, with the price being below market value but not too much lower.

The farmers may be somewhat reluctant, but as long as they think of Alina's favor of exempting agricultural taxes, this small loss is naturally nothing.

The second is to pay part of the bonds with cash, purchase at market price, and have a lower bond interest rate.

The third option is to purchase all bonds at a price slightly higher than the market price, and the bond interest rate is also higher than the second option.

From the farmers' perspective, the first option will inevitably result in a loss, but the loss will not be much. Those who seek safety will choose this option.

The second option could make a small profit, but the prerequisite is that the Jinyuan Kingdom can win future wars.

The third option would earn the most money, but if the Jinyuan Kingdom loses, it will lose everything, and there will be no new government to pay the bonds of the destroyed old government.

After listening to Roland's introduction, Alina thought for a long time and sighed softly, "I guess most people will choose the first option. It seems that we still have to prepare a lot of funds. I hope that the already stretched treasury can support our extravagance."

“There will be many people who choose the third option.”

Roland smiled and said, "Even if we put aside the benefit of agricultural tax exemption, the third option is the best choice."

"The first option is a pure loss, and it is an immediate loss. The second option seems safe, but in fact the risk is the same as the third option but the return is much less. The third option has the highest risk but the highest return."

Alina was slightly startled, but soon understood what Roland meant.

Although she understood, she couldn't help but shook her head, "Roland, I understand what you said, but can those farmers understand it?"

“That’s where we need to do the work.”

Roland took out a few pages of paper and placed them on the table.

"Sketch, crosstalk, and clapper talk, what are these?" Alina looked a little confused.

“You could think of it as a country version of the minstrel show.”

Roland pointed to the various theatrical performance scripts he had compiled and said with a smile, "As long as the performances are promoted in rural areas across the country, I think the farmers will make the right choice."

Alina stared at the scripts blankly, frowning and shaking her head, "The language of these scripts is too vulgar. I cannot acknowledge that they are part of literature and art."

This is the standard aristocratic arrogance of Old Jin Yuan.

According to the rules of her hometown, a stubborn old noble like Alina would be paraded through the streets with a sign hanging on her head.

Fortunately, the times here are not progressing so fast, so it is not so exaggerated.

According to Alina's growth trajectory, it is reasonable that she cannot understand these things.

Roland naturally would not argue with her about the difference between Cite des Snows and the country folk.

He didn't explain, but just refused to give in.

"Please trust me."

This sentence ended the dispute.

During the discussion phase, Alina can speak freely, but when it comes to the decision phase, she will unconditionally support Roland's decision, even if it seems outrageous.

This is Roland's insistence and also the premise for helping her.

After the discussion, Alina, who had not slept all night, felt a little tired. She stood up and said goodbye to Roland.

Accompanying Roland to the door of the palace, after exchanging a few polite words, Alina suddenly stopped and asked casually, "Roland, have you missed home these days?"

Roland's footsteps were nailed to the ground.

Of course it would be a lie to say that she didn't miss home, but saying that she missed home directly seemed like she was accusing Alina of not playing the role of a good host.

Roland shrugged and gave a high emotional intelligence answer.

"I'm too busy at work. I have a lot of things to do. I'll think about it when I have some free time."

After saying this, Roland left without looking back. He didn't want to continue this topic as he always felt a chill on his back.

Looking at his hurriedly leaving back, Alina's lips curled up slightly.

Maybe she was not guessing blindly, there were indeed some problems in Roland's family.

She disdains to break up other people's families, but if the other party's family falls apart on its own, you can't blame her for taking advantage.

The nightly massage and lap pillow service must be arranged.

I didn't mean anything else, I just couldn't bear to see Roland too tired.

Alina hurried to the office and saw Mrs. Elaine who was waiting to present her with the organized intelligence.

After quickly reading through the recent intelligence that was not important, Alina burned the document and stopped the intelligence minister who was about to leave.

"Madam Elaine, help me keep an eye on the frequency of correspondence between Roland and Queen Sylph. Remember, this is not surveillance, it's just concern."

(End of this chapter)