Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

Chapter 62: The King’s Worries

King Rodney XVI of the Kingdom of Ordo was recently beset with numerous worries.

His first concern was the burning of the royal granaries in the capital by spies of the rebel army. The remaining scant supply of grain was not only insufficient for a southern military campaign to quell the rebellion but also inadequate for the daily needs of the 100,000 inhabitants of the capital.

The government immediately dispatched officials to the kings direct territories to gather grain, but the findings nearly caused His Majesty to faint againthe actual grain in most local warehouses did not match the reported amounts. King Rodney XVI, furious, discovered after a thorough investigation that some officials had been selling grain illicitly, while others inflated numbers for personal gain.

Enraged, the king sent enforcement officers to bring the culprits to the capital for a public trial. After the judge announced their crimes, the executioner pushed the criminals into an angry mob, proclaiming, These parasites are why youre starving!

The fate of these officials was predictable. The trial, starting at 8 A.M., took less than an hour to declare their crimes, followed by three hours of execution by the people. By noon, the exhausted crowd dispersed, and the executioner collected the unrecognizable bodies, hanging their heads on the city gates. Whether any were scapegoats, who could tell?

Many military leaders advised the government to immediately implement a food rationing system, confiscating all the grain from civilian homes and distributing it based on family size, with the rest going to the army. However, this suggestion faced strong opposition from administrative ministers, who argued that given the integrity of local officials, more people would starve before the grain was collected. Furthermore, the commoners, unconcerned with loyalty or honor and focused on their next meal, would likely revolt under such conditions.

After weighing the pros and cons, the king decided not to adopt the militarys suggestion.

To conserve food, a strict prohibition on alcohol was issued across the royal territories: apart from a few licensed breweries, all others were to cease production; nobles were limited to half a liter of alcohol per day, while commoners were limited to one liter per week, purchasable only from designated locations; public drinking and alcohol at banquets were banned, restricted to private consumption at home. Violators faced severe penalties: nobles would be stripped of their titles, while commoners faced the death penalty.

To prevent merchants from inflating food and drink prices, the government set price ceilings, with soldiers stationed at every food-related shop in the capital to monitor sales. Still, residents had to pay many times the usual price for food.

As grain from the localities gradually arrived in the capital, the high officials breathed a sigh of relief. However, immediate deployment of troops southward was impossible. The royal army was temporarily disbanded, and the lords returned to their territories, with plans to reconvene the following year depending on the harvest.

The kings second worry was his younger daughters elopement. Unable to crush Jars rebellion, he had to carefully consider the factions sitting on the fence.

The strongest among these, Duke Viburen, had not yet declared his stance on Jars rebellion. Instead, he sent emissaries requesting a royal marriage, clearly indicating his intentions. After much consideration, King Rodney XVI decided to marry his younger daughter, Eileen Rodney, to him. The Viburen family had many vassals and strategically important territories, and they couldnt be allowed to side with Jars.

His older daughter, Catherine, was too exceptional, and the king was reluctant to give such a jewel to someone else. The king had no sons, and according to tradition, the throne would pass to his brother, Prince Okasi. However, Okasi was widely known as a profligate, indulging in constant revelry with minstrels and actors, and no one saw him as a fit ruler.

King Rodney XVI had decided that after his death, rather than passing the throne to his unworthy brother, it would be better to leave it to his capable older daughter, Catherine, whom he had been grooming as a future monarch.

So, King Rodney XVI had no choice but to sacrifice his younger daughter, Eileen. She showed no interest in politics and, while she learned everything a royal princess should, including poetry, literature, and dance, Eileen also had other wide-ranging interests. She studied ancient texts and scrolls, learned alchemy from alchemists and wizards, collected various plant specimens, and kept peculiar animals. These hobbies made her more like a scholar than a princess. Yet, her broad range of interests had not led to any significant achievements, except naming a few rare plants.

Viewed purely from a monarchs perspective, Princess Eileen indeed seemed an ideal candidate for a political marriage, but she had run away from home.

After King Rodney XVI explained his decision to her, the princess maintained her composure. After calmly asking her father the reasons behind his decision, she quietly retreated to her room.

The king was initially impressed by his younger daughters sense of royal duty and felt a deep sense of guilt. The next day, however, he was shocked to learn of her disappearance. He immediately sent people to search for her, driven not only by anxiety over delaying the marriage alliance with the Viburen family but more so by a fathers concern for his daughters safety.

The third worry was his elder daughter, Catherine, who was very close to her younger sister. Learning of her sisters fate as a political pawn, Catherine became cold towards her father, addressing him formally as Your Majesty instead of the usual Father.

Troublesome times indeed! The king felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

At the military council, it was announced that the army heading to Thorn Valley had been selected, with Viscount Klein appointed to command the reinforcements.

Catherine declared this at the military meeting, and the generals present raised no objections. Viscount Klein stood to accept the command, and then the discussion turned to the vexing issue of military provisions.

Though a large-scale campaign to suppress the rebellion was not feasible, it was still necessary to send reinforcements to support Duke Dodge and secure Thorn Pass. If Thorn Pass fell, the kingdoms northern heartland would be open to Jars rebels.

After discussing provisions and other details, the meeting concluded, and the generals left to attend to their duties.

Only Ofina stayed behind. After everyone had left, she approached the princess and whispered, Princess Eileen has settled in a place called Lakeheart Town in the Northwestern Alda territory.

Catherine nodded. Knowing her sister well, she had found Eileens whereabouts before her fathers men did. However, instead of forcibly bringing her sister back, she secretly increased her protection and obstructed the kings searchers.

Catherine was furious at her fathers decision to use her sister as a marriage pawn but was unable to change the kings mind despite several attempts. She could only resist in this manner.

She asked Ofina, Who is the lord of that place?

The lord is Count Paul Grayman of the Grayman family, replied Ofina.

Alda? Grayman? Catherine seemed to recall something but couldnt quite place it.

Ofina continued, According to the reports, Count Grayman recently eradicated pirates invading his territory and launched a crackdown operation to clean up thugs and riffraff. The public order there is quite good now, so Princess Eileen should be safe for the time being.

Catherines worries eased slightly. She remembered that the Grayman family had sent an envoy to her camp a few months ago in the highlands, requesting exemption from military service due to difficulties in their territory. She had heard of the pirate problem in the Northwestern Bay and concluded that this rural lord had some competence.

Still, Catherine remained cautious: We cant be complacent. Keep a close eye and use carrier pigeons to send updates immediately if anything happens. And keep this matter confidential.

Yes, Your Highness! Ofina replied.

Thank you, Ofina. Your efforts are appreciated.