Chapter 1036: Regime of the New Kingdom
On the second day after his coronation, Roland convened the third plenary session in the castle’s reception hall.
The subject was power — its distribution, its terms, its cost. Nothing in the new government structure concerned the assembled officers more.
They had chosen correctly. Now they expected to be rewarded for it.
Serving a local lord and serving the king were, as every man in this room understood, entirely different propositions. Most of them had worked long enough in the City Hall to have grasped Roland’s guiding principle: weaken the local, strengthen the center. What it meant for them was this: they were no longer the managers of a small piece of the Western Region. They were the top officers of the Kingdom of Graycastle. Their reach would extend far beyond anything the old great nobles had commanded.
Roland read all of this in their faces and did not let it fester.
“First,” he said, “let me congratulate each one of you. Everyone in this room is entering Graycastle’s governing elite. In the coming decades, you will be joining me in the task of running this kingdom.”
Barov rose immediately. “Your Majesty flatters us beyond measure.” His bow was deep, his expression delighted. “We are at your disposal. Whatever you require, simply name it.”
The flattery was smooth. The ambition behind it was visible. Roland gestured for everyone to sit.
“There is one principle I need to establish from the start,” he said. “The reason I removed the feudal nobles’ power was to replace it with capable personnel. A kingdom’s strength depends on the quality of the people working inside it. I do not intend to watch you become another version of the nobility.”
“Of course,” Barov said quickly. “No one can guarantee his descendants will be equally capable. All positions should go to the most qualified.”
Murmurs of agreement ran around the hall.
Roland nodded, but said nothing. He had noticed — over the past two years, the City Hall officers had changed. Their flattery had grown more polished. The expressions in their eyes held something new: an awareness that this man before them was no longer merely a lord, but a king. It produced a sensation he recognized as satisfaction, and immediately distrusted.
This is probably what the ceremony does. No wonder Timothy and Garcia were willing to drag half the kingdom through war just to sit on that throne.
He did not linger in the sensation. Even as supreme king, what he governed was still one corner of a vast continent. Contentment at this scale was the same disease that reduced petty chieftains to petty thinking. The world was too large.
“What you’ve said is only the most basic point,” he continued, letting his gaze move across the room. “Even the most capable person cannot be trusted to remain qualified indefinitely. There are many routes to ruin: external temptation, the calcification of thinking, the desire to expand personal influence. None of you are immune.”
The officers lowered their heads. The room held its breath.
“Appointment to this group is the beginning of your career, not the reward for it. Your performance will be assessed annually. Promotion or stagnation will follow accordingly.” He paused. “And there are worse outcomes. Anyone who knowingly damages the kingdom will be removed and sent to trial.”
Barov cleared his throat. “May I ask — who writes the assessment reports, Your Majesty?”
“I do,” Roland said. “Any further questions?”
The silence that followed answered him.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “You’ve worked toward this for years, and if what you’ve earned is not rest but continued vigilance — continued risk — then what was the point? But I want you to understand: your reward and your obligation are not in opposition. They are complementary. Think of it as a loaf of bread. When the loaf is large enough, every man can eat well even with a small portion. When the loaf is too small, eating all of it still leaves you hungry. Those who stand closer to the front will get their portion sooner. That is the nature of the arrangement — and I believe you understand it.”
The resources available to a senior officer — the connections, the access, the latitude — went far beyond any listed salary. Any man too dim to see that was too dim to have a voice in the City Hall.
The stick-and-carrot principle had been tested across centuries of history. Roland had found, applying it, that the rough edges came off quickly.
“Before I announce the appointments: anyone who wishes to leave may do so now. Those who leave will receive a substantial payment in gold royals — enough to live on comfortably for the rest of your lives. But those who remain take on the obligations of their office. Make your choice.”
Nobody moved.
Not even the minister of Chemical Industry, who had complained about his position constantly in the early days and had spoken openly of retirement. He had, over two years of actual governing, acquired a precise understanding of what the title of minister was worth when it came time to negotiate appropriations with Barov.
“Good,” Roland said, and almost smiled. “Here are your appointments.”
The largest structural change from the old City Hall was the integration of the surrounding regions.
Roland had adapted a system he recognized from another world: major cities designated as provinces, their prefectures encompassing the surrounding towns and villages. The administrator of each province carried the title of governor — the same rank as a minister. Each province would establish its own city hall, subordinate to the central City Hall in Neverwinter.
The foundation for this already existed in the secondary City Halls Roland had set up during the expansion of the Western Region. The transformation required no new machinery, only new mandates. The ministers’ workloads would increase considerably. So would their reach.
Barov, as he had always hoped, was named Hand of the King: responsible for coordinating all departments and concurrently managing the Treasury. He was among the first batch of Border Town’s managers, had trained more administrative talent than anyone else in the City Hall, and had never once been given a reason to question whether choosing Roland had been correct. The appointment was, by any measure, fitting. He had not expected Roland to remember the joke made four years ago. He had not expected it to become real.
Among the new structures, one had no precedent at all: the Headquarters of the General Staff.
This was not a battlefield staff organization. It was a strategic body — responsible for foreign policy and long-range planning, for managing Graycastle’s relationships with the three other kingdoms and with the Fjords as those relationships grew more complex. With the threat of the Battle of Divine Will compressing the horizons of every nation, Roland needed a body capable of seeing past the immediate. Of controlling the overall situation before the situation controlled him.
Its minister was Edith Kant.
The Pearl of the Northern Region.
Chapter 1036: Regime of the New Kingdom
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
On the second day after Roland’s inauguration, he called for the third plenary session in the castle’s reception hall.
The main content of the session was the distribution of power, which concerned the officers the most.
As the advocators of choosing the right side, this session was undoubtedly the moment that these officers had long hoped for. To serve the local lords and to serve the king were two totally different concepts. Especially since most of them had worked in the City Hall, so they had a rough mastery of the new king’s idea of “weakening the local, strengthening the center” to concentrate power. They understood their promotion had special significance, which meant they had gone from being nobodies to the top officers of the Kingdom of Graycastle. What they would govern was no longer be a small piece of land in Western Region, and their influence would be stronger than the former great nobles.
Roland would not allow his officers’ ambitions of ascending to the skies with a single leap to keep on growing, so he laid down the general principle right at the beginning of the session. “First of all, I’d like to congratulate each of and every one of you. Anyone who is invited to this session will join the elite class of Graycastle. In the next few decades, you will be joining me in the endeavor of governing this kingdom.”
“That’s flattery, Your Majesty.” Barov took the lead to stand up and bow. “It’s our honor to serve you! Just tell me whatever you want me to do. I’m at your disposal!”
Although what he said meant to be humble, Barov’s face wrinkled with the smile he put on. Obviously, he had many expectations for his path ahead.
Roland nodded smilingly. He gestured for the rest to sit down, then said slowly, “I have to mention one thing first. The reason I took back the nobles’ feudal power is to replace them with capable personnel. A kingdom’s prosperity depends on the number of talents who are working for it. I don’t hope to see you turning into another kind of noble.”
“Of course…” Barov said hurriedly. “Nobody can be sure that his descendants will be as equally capable, so all the positions should be dispatched to the most capable.”
The others instantly agreed with Barov.
Roland wasn’t so sure. He felt these City Hall officers had changed a lot and their flattery sounded a lot more smooth, and the expressions in their eyes were filled with an unexplainable awe. The changes brought him a vague sense of satisfaction.
This was probably also the effect of the ceremony.
No wonder Timothy and Garcia did not hesitate to drag more than half of the kingdom into the fires of war.
Yet Roland did not indulge himself in this kind of satisfaction for long. Even as a supreme king, what he governed was no more than a corner of the extensive continent. “If I’m content with what I’ve accomplished, what difference would I have with a sheik from an isolated island?”
The world is so big. I want to see it.
“What you said is only the most basic point.” Roland looked around the hall. “As a matter of fact, even the most capable could not be guaranteed to always be qualified for their positions! There are many ways to ruin one’s prospect, such as external temptation, the solidification of ideas, and the desire to expand one’s influence. You are not exceptions.”
With the rising of Roland’s voice, the officers lowered their heads, not even daring to breathe heavily.
“Therefore, entering them as the starting officers is only the start for your career. Your abilities and performances will be assessed annually. Whether you’re to be promoted or stay where you are will be decided by the assessment.” Roland paused. “Of course, there could be a worse consequence. For example, those who insist to knowingly causing damage to the kingdom will be removed from their positions and sent to trial!”
“Your Majesty…” Barov asked carefully, “May I know who will write this assessment report?”
“Myself.” Roland looked at him. “Are there any more questions?”
Although it was Nightingale from the Security Bureau who would do the investigation, Roland felt it was more fitting to tell people that he would be the one executing the assessment.
“No, I… have none.”
“I know what’s on your mind,” Roland proceeded.”You must be thinking that you’ve gone such a long way to achieving this, it’s supposed to a time for your reward, and if you have to keep on giving great effort, but behave like you are walking on thin ice, what’s the point of becoming the starting officers. Yet what I’m about to say is your reward doesn’t contradict with what I’ve said just now. Instead, they’re supplements to each other. As long as you finish the tasks I give you, I don’t mind that you seek profit for yourselves. It’s like dividing a piece of bread. When the bread gets big enough, everyone can eat well even with a very small portion of it; on the contrary, if the bread is too small, one can’t eat enough even if he eats it all by himself. As for the fact that those who stand in the front of others will get his slice of bread sooner, I think all of you can understand that.”
The resources an officer of upper rank got was far greater than his listed salary, and the connections and power he had access to were far more effective capital than money. If one even failed to see that, Roland would not want him to continue to have a say in the City Hall.
The driving effect of the combination of stick and carrot had been repeatedly tested in the rivers of history. Although it was still a little rough, Roland had begun to master the use of it.
“Before I announce the new appointments, you can still choose to give up your career in the government. Those who choose to give up will get a large number of gold royals as compensation, which is enough for you to squander for the rest of your life, but if you decide to stay, you’ll have to take on the responsibilities and obligations of an officer. Now, make your decisions!”
Nobody dared to leave. Even the minister of Chemical Industry who had complained constantly in the beginning and wished to retire as soon as possible remained silent at this moment. Obviously, through the two years’ of experience of holding a political position, he understood the significance of the post of a minister in requesting for appropriation from Barov.
“Alright,” Roland smiled and said, “here are your appointments.”
Compared with the old City Hall, the biggest change in the new power system was that the towns in all the regions were also put under the management framework.
Roland adapted a modern method and set the big cities as provinces whose prefecture included their surrounding residential areas such as towns and villages. The manager of a province was called a governor, the same rank as a minister. Every province needed to set its own city hall, which was under the control of the City Hall in Neverwinter.
As this was building on the foundations on the previously established secondary City Halls, such a transformation was not difficult. Although the workload of the ministers would greatly increase, their power would correspondingly rise up to a new level.
Barov, as he had always wished, was promoted to the Hand of the King. He was responsible for coordinating all the departments, and concurrently in charge of the Treasury. As an old chief who was among the first batch of Border Town’s managers and who cultivated numerous talents for the City
Hall, his appointment could not be any more suitable. He didn’t expect that a joking promise Roland made four years ago could be realized today.
Apart from some similar institutions like the king’s city City Hall, the army, Security Bureau, Witch Union, etc, Roland also established a whole new department: Headquarters of the General Staff.
This was different from the staff organization that served in a combat capacity. The Headquarter of the General Staff took charge in making foreign policies, and any specific schemes about strategic plans. With the expansion of the strength of Graycastle and the increasing threat of the Battle of Divine Will, the future connections among the other three kingdoms and the Fjords were bound to grow tighter. That was why Roland needed a visionary department to assist him in controlling the overall situation.
As for its minister, it was none other than Edith Kant, the Pearl of the Northern Region.