My British Empire

  Chapter 496 Politics, politics

  ps: Thank you But if you pass a hundred, you will be rewarded, and you will walk silently. It’s been a long time since the two big guys gave a reward, I’m a little excited

  London in summer, due to population growth, presents a feeling of scorching heat. The heat waves are rolling, the traffic is busy, shoulders rubbing elbows, and the heat is extremely high.

  The royal family, nobles, wealthy businessmen, and even rich officials and members of the House of Representatives left London one after another and rushed to the villas around London for vacation.

  The same is true for the royal family. His Majesty Edward moved most of the court to Windsor Castle, leaving only the guards to guard the empty palace.

   Taking advantage of this rare period, the nobles of Scotland and England went to Windsor Castle one after another to meet His Majesty the King and cultivate their feelings.

   Let the king remember himself, which has become the ultimate goal of all nobles.

  Since official positions are no longer monopolized by nobles, civilians have continued to rise, which has caused a sense of worry among nobles passed down from generation to generation. The rights that were originally in their hands have been directly divided in half.

  Of course, His Majesty the King moved out of London, and the entire cabinet also enjoyed benefits. They moved to Windsor Castle, half vacation, half office.

   "Your Majesty! The Normandy region and the Brittany region have appointed governors, and in accordance with the cabinet's established strategy, they have begun to implement land policies in the two places!"

  His Excellency William Selsey, who has been prime minister for almost two terms, is only forty-five years old this year, but his temples have begun to turn gray, and the wrinkles on his forehead have also increased significantly. It can be seen that the position of prime minister is quite difficult.

  Respecting the old and loving the young are the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation. Well, the script was wrong. It should be a must-have virtue for an English gentleman. Moreover, the king specially asked him to sit down and report because of his years of hard work for the kingdom.

  I saw that he was flipping through the copy in his hand, wearing glasses, and said softly.

   "For this reason, the central government specially arranged hundreds of smart and capable young officials to go to the two places! It has aroused great repercussions among the people!"

   "Land policy is the most important thing. It is related to the kingdom's rule over the two places, so don't be careless!"

  His Majesty Edward looked at the map of France on the wall and sighed.

  In order to rule these two places, France lost the Atlantic coast, so that France lost the foundation of a colonial power and became a so-called Mediterranean power.

   "France! A country with a huge population, we can only disintegrate but not annex it. What a pity!"

  Recalling that France has a population of 18 million, which is more than four times that of the United Kingdom, this made Edward salivate: "Population is the prerequisite for the great voyage colonization! What a favorable condition!"

   Regarding His Majesty's fantasy, the Prime Minister pulled his lips and showed a helpless expression. If France is so easy to annex, can there be a Hundred Years' War? The sheer size of the population alone would collapse the United Kingdom.

   "Fortunately, the combined population of Normandy and Brittany this time will add more than one million people to the United Kingdom, directly increasing by a quarter. This is much better than natural growth!" Edward murmured.

   "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, please pay attention to the strict implementation of the land policies of the two places. This is related to the future of the kingdom's future power!" Turning his head, Edward emphasized again.

   "Yes, Your Majesty, I will take a serious look at Normandy and Brittany, please rest assured!" His Majesty the King repeatedly emphasized that Prime Minister William immediately agreed seriously, with a serious and serious look.

  Land policy is related to the foundation of kingdom rule!

  The so-called land policy is to confiscate the land of the Catholic nobles and the church, some of which are shared by the government, the military, and the royal family, and most of them are distributed to landless farmers with compensation.

  Of course, with the implementation of the land policy, there is actually an important policy hidden: the abolition of serfdom.

  England was the first in Europe to abolish serfdom, while Western Europe was very slow. A large number of serfdom remained in the countryside, which was the basis for the huge power of the French aristocracy.

  In order to stabilize the rule, the complete abolition of serfdom must be carried out. This is also the real strategy for the long-term integration of the two places into the United Kingdom.

  Of course, all this is going on quietly, and the abolition of serfdom can only begin after the land policy is strictly implemented.

   Otherwise, the rebound of the French nobles would not be so easy to suppress.

   "It would be great to have a response, let them know that not only the British Isle, Normandy and Brittany are also the territory of the Kingdom!"

As soon as those bureaucrats were mentioned, Edward became a little annoyed. Since the selection of people to go to France, most of the officials shook their heads and refused without even thinking about it. Even the selected people used their connections to go through the back door, just to cross their names from the list. .

  By doing so, the inertia of the bureaucracy was undoubtedly exposed, and it also made Edward realize a truth: the bureaucracy is a donkey, if it doesn’t smoke, it won’t go away!

  For the sake of the future of the kingdom, he dared to be lazy, and the young king was very angry.

  So, the king no longer looked for those old officials, but chose those young and strong young people who still had ambitions to go to France.

   "For those young people, add a big sum to their files, and they will have the priority to be promoted in the future!"

   His Majesty the King said angrily.

   "Yes, Your Majesty, I think they will implement the central government's policies well and add luster to the kingdom!"

   Regarding this, Your Excellency the Prime Minister is noncommittal. For a high-ranking minister like him, he still has a preference for young people, and the most annoying is the smooth old official.

   After chatting about politics for a while, the young king began to care about the future of Prime Minister William.

   "My Prime Minister, your term of office will come at the end of this year. Next, where are you going? Scotland? Wales?"

  His Majesty the King returned to his seat, half lying down and asked, with a relaxed expression.

  In Edward's arrangement, after the prime minister retires, he will usually go to Scotland, Wales, Ireland and other places to re-elect the ruling, so as to continue to exert their residual heat.

  Of course, the more important thing is to bring the authority of the central government to the localities and stabilize the localities.

   "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Scotland!" Your Excellency the Prime Minister said categorically without any hesitation.

   "Scotland? Are you sure?" The king suddenly became interested and puzzled.

  Generally speaking, Wales is the first choice for the prime minister to step down, such as the former prime minister Faris Alexander.

  Wales is not far from London, close to the political center, and stable and peaceful. After taking power, it is very easy.

   "Your Majesty, since Scotland joined the United Kingdom, although Scotland has carried out reforms according to the agreement, it is not enough, and what it has done now is far from enough!"

  In Prime Minister William's eyes, a hint of passion suddenly appeared, and the whole person seemed to be changed.

  If you said you were an old man before, but now you give the impression of a youth.

   "Are you planning to continue the reform in Scotland?" asked the king.

   "Your Majesty is wiser than you!"

   "However, the conservative forces in Scotland are very strong, which may be counterproductive and easily provoke riots!" Edward said uncertainly.

   "Your Majesty, let's talk about the garrison in Edinburgh instead of talking about the results of so many years of reform. Would the Scots dare?" Prime Minister William said easily.

   "Besides, don't you think that the Scottish aristocracy is still too powerful?"

  After thinking for a moment, Edward smiled.

   "Okay, I support your decision!"

  (end of this chapter)