Nobles were divided into two types: one type had honor, living leisurely in the royal court, doing business, flirting with respectable women, with a servant on one side, a lackey on the other, and perhaps a falcon on their shoulder... The other type had fiefdoms. These nobles were called great nobles; everything they had came from the harvest of their territory. These nobles possessed all legal authority within their territory, including military power, judicial power, taxation rights, and even the right to the first night of virgins.
These nobles would accumulate profound foundations and wealth after just three generations. The four Grand Dukes were not this type of noble—at least their power was greater, and their descendants had not yet passed down a single generation!
Kailar's 'Eighteen Ranks of Merit Law' was powerful because it reduced the foundations of these great nobles and strengthened the interests of the knights. On paper, the people who pledged loyalty were to the King's kingdom. Knights, who could gain benefits for themselves and their descendants from the laws enacted by the kingdom, instantly elevated from being territorial knights fostered by nobles to a noble status equal to the nobles. And that's not all; things like the 'first night,' kneeling, and greetings were no longer required when facing them! If I greet you, it's out of respect for you being my former master. We are both nobles, and as a knight, who's afraid of a fight!
The second benefit of this law was that knights, having received tangible benefits, would actively uphold it. The merit system included in this law would be subtly accepted, and this was the most insidious and fatal point: the calculation of merit contribution values was entirely in Kailar's and Artoria's hands. If the nobles complied with this, they would be firmly controlled, with no room for future resistance. They would even know every tiny detail in their territories. If they didn't report, the people below them would be the first to overthrow them: 'Why did I earn merit, but you didn't apply for my merit? Didn't apply for my benefits?'
Thus, the rift in their hearts would grow wider and wider, and any lord wanting to rebel would find no one to follow!
Tax evasion would be even more impossible. Contribution points were linked to contributions. From how much grain was harvested each year to how many roads were built, and even how many extra horses you raised, everything could be tracked. With this system, if they wanted to investigate, anyone attempting rebellion would be caught red-handed!
Third, it made noble titles more numerous and provided greater motivation for advancement. If war broke out in the future, with merely five ranks of nobility, if a person survived thirteen major battles in a row and achieved first-class merit in each, would you not grant him a Grand Duke title? Where would this fifth Grand Duke be placed?
And now, these nobles were in a bitter predicament because the knights were all cheering and rallying around the new young King and that bastard brat. A marquis had just been directly beheaded, so they dared not step forward. But by not stepping forward, they watched helplessly as their interests were solidified.
The nobles were all furious.
Afterward, Kailar seized this momentum to swiftly introduce several new policies: the farmer's grain contribution system. Farmers would receive contribution points based on how much grain they produced. Although this proportion wouldn't be very large, once a certain level of contribution was reached, the government would be willing to lend them money, similar to credit points, to start businesses or factories. This official loan-like decree undoubtedly gave farmers a way out and an opportunity to climb the social ladder.
As for the other less prominent but equally important policies—like unified timber factories, the establishment of a new gold standard (gold, silver, nickel, and copper coin system), and dividing the populace into six classes—they were instantly ignored by the indifferent nobles.
It must be said that Kailar's beheading of the marquis with a drawn sword and the promulgation of the policies were extremely important. Although some astute knights saw that the King intended to seize control of the knights, they had no objections. They were only concerned about whether the King could support such a large cavalry force.
It should be known that the kingdom was fragmented by various lords, and the knights were more like private soldiers of their lords. Ostensibly, they obeyed the kingdom's command, but in reality, their sustenance came from their lords. Although King Uther's prestige was sufficient to suppress the lords and knights during his lifetime, his successor after his death, this young girl named King Arthur, clearly lacked sufficient prestige. However, the young sage Kailar, with his outstanding wisdom, used policies to integrate most of the knights. But while this put the kingdom's ultimate military power into their hands, it also greatly increased the kingdom's financial pressure.
Where would this money come from?
The astute knights pondered the plan in their minds.
Just then, a burst of hearty laughter echoed from the city gate. The sound was as booming as a great bell, shaking dust from the rooftops. As the voice preceded the person, the knights instinctively moved aside, allowing the newcomer to enter. A golden-haired man, accompanied by sixteen others, wearing Roman-style armor, walked towards the platform, chest puffed out, facing tens of thousands of unfriendly gazes.
"I am Beowulf, Prince of Scandinavia. I have come to see what kind of King the Kingdom of Camelot has, hahahahaha... I didn't expect the King of Camelot to be just a girl! It is said that the sword in the stone chose her automatically. Has Camelot run out of men?!" His loud laughter instantly angered countless people.
"You are courting death!!" countless people roared.
Many more loudly scoffed, "Is there even a Scandinavia anymore?!"
Indeed, after Scandinavia was annexed by Rome, it ceased to even be a country.
"Then how about you take a sword from this 'little girl'?" With a shake of the sword in the stone in her hand, Artoria, more domineering than anyone, confronted this tall and burly golden strongman. With a loud shout, Artoria raised the sword in the stone and brought it down. Her opponent was below the platform, and the advantage of striking from above created an immense sword wind.
Beowulf, greatly surprised, only had time to draw his sword to parry before it was cut. Startled, Beowulf was about to close his eyes and await death when the sword stopped just above his head.
"Do you think you can be so presumptuous in Camelot with just this much skill?!" Maintaining her striking posture, Artoria roared majestically.
"Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar!!" This strike was truly a powerful and majestic one, like pouring a basin of cold water into a boiling oil pot, instantly causing ten thousand knights to erupt in a unified roar.
The unified roar could not hide Beowulf's defiance. Forced into a half-crouch, he loudly shouted, "I'm not convinced! You're just relying on a good weapon! If we swapped weapons and fought again, I wouldn't admit defeat!!"
"Shameless!!" many knights cursed, as there was no such thing as a 'redo' on the battlefield.
"Fine! We'll do it again!" Artoria plunged her sword into the ground and declared.
"Hey... Your Majesty!" A voice suddenly came from the platform, making her turn her head, only to see Kailar drawing his own sword and throwing it down to her.