Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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Lucien thought he had done a very good job.

Logistics were maintained well, and he also kept the army of the Kingdom of Fas in check, as well as those who followed the false king, claiming to uphold orthodoxy but in reality just a bunch of thugs and robbers. He forbade robbery and humiliation of the people, and required people to pay for what they bought.

The local people's daily lives have not been significantly affected, and some have even profited from it. While they are not exactly welcomed, at least there has been no violent resistance.

The only thing that gave him a headache was a bunch of scoundrels who instigated troublemakers. These troublemakers held demonstrations not to oppose foreigners and puppet soldiers, but to demand that they be given land like the people in the Rhine region. If they weren't given land, they would cause trouble.

This forced him to resort to underhanded tactics, subtly instructing the puppet king he was supporting to deal with these people. Of course, the puppet king had to deal with them; if he became king in the future, he would have to reward his meritorious officials. Now that the spoils were distributed, what would he use to reward them? With the puppet king playing the villain, Lucien then stepped in as a peacemaker, leniently handling these protests.

I'm not saying I'll get 90, but I'll at least get 80, right?

“Oh, son, it seems you think you’re doing quite well?” Ronan’s voice suddenly appeared.

Xiao Lü looked around but didn't see anyone.

"Idiot, it's on your head." Ronan's voice came again.

Little Lucien looked up and saw his father, Ronan, sitting on a floating shield, hovering in the air above his head.

Ronan landed. "This time, you can only get 60 points, which is considered a passing grade."

"Huh?" Xiao Lü Xi'an was surprised, and a little unconvinced.

Ronan ignored his son's reaction. "You have been formally educated since you were five years old, and it has continued until now. In the last two years, you have started to get involved in politics, although it has remained on paper. This is your first time to put it into practice. Judging from your performance, your ability to handle specific problems has surpassed that of many kings in the Western Continent, including your mother. You are a person who is very good at calculating input and output, not only in economics, but more importantly in politics."

"However, you can only see what's on the page right now, not what's outside of it. Let me ask you a question: what is the purpose of our operation this time?"

Lucien did not think for long before replying, "Supporting this person to the throne is to pave the way for future control, and even bringing his entire western region under our rule."

Western Belgium is essentially the French-speaking region of Belgium in another time and space. Although the history of this world is different, it has been ruled many times, so there are still many French speakers in this area.

"So, in order to gain control, which social class should we win over?" Ronan asked again.

This made Xiao Lüxian ponder for a long time, unable to answer.

Ronan bluntly told him the answer: "This place has natural resources, but they are very limited. However, it is by the sea, so it is not bad for trade. We should support capitalists to act as compradors. In order to support capitalists, we must first make the ordinary people of this place hate the nobles who rule them. You have made that guy act as a bad guy a few times, so he understands what to do, but he has not yet made the people hate him enough. What is the point of restraining him? Let him kill. Moreover, you also need to make the people hate the current ruler."

Lucien hesitated for a moment, but still raised an objection, "But the current King of Belgium is quite good. He doesn't live a luxurious life and isn't too harsh on the lower classes. In comparison, the guy we're supporting is much more tyrannical."

“You don’t need to worry about that. After another two months of fighting, he will soon become tyrannical because he will soon run out of money. When he runs out of money, he will have to squeeze money out of the poor,” Ronan said. “At the same time, you need to find a way to issue guns to the local capitalists. After all, capitalists without guns are not capitalists. By the way, it will also help us clear out our inventory and make it easier for them to resist the tyrant in the future.”

"Oh." Little Lü Xi'an felt he understood.

Ronan patted his son on the shoulder, his serious expression replaced by a smile. "Son, did you manage to take down those three?"

"Uh." Xiao Lüxian paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."

"Did you use that?" Ronan asked, referring to the condom. Ronan had already figured out rubber, so of course he had condoms. His son sleeping with three girls was part of the plan, but if he got them pregnant, that would be unplanned.

"I used it," Xiao Lüxian replied again.

"Have you decided who to choose?" Ronan asked casually.

Little Lucien looked at his father. Although his father seemed to be asking casually, he felt that it was a more serious question than the one he had just asked about important matters.

After a long silence, Xiao Lü Xi'an sighed helplessly and asked, "Do I really have a choice?"

Ronan smiled knowingly. "You've grown up. It's true, you don't have a choice. You can't choose Charlotte or Erica. But you don't necessarily have to choose Velma."

“Actually, she’s not bad either,” Little Lucien said, with a hint of self-consolation. He thought that other commoners were not as good as Verma.

Then Ronan added, "By the way, whoever you choose in the future, do not grant titles to her family members, nor allow them to enter politics or the military. Other forms of care are fine. It would be best to legislate, but you should let your queen push for this bill herself and sever ties with her own family."

"Understood," Lucien replied.

“You’ll get married next year. You still have some time to choose.” Ronan followed up with another heavy blow.

“Okay,” Lucien agreed, but his tone carried a strange sense of resolve.

Ultimately, he had no say in matters of marriage.

However, whether he was in control or not seemed meaningless; the girl he liked didn't like him back, and he had lost his chance forever.

"I'm leaving now. See you at the end of the year." Ronan said goodbye. He had said everything he needed to say, so there was no need to linger or meet with anyone else to explain anything, lest people think that he and Ambrina were dissatisfied with their son.

"Oh, I almost forgot, there's this too." Ronan suddenly picked up a paper package and handed it to his son. "Your mother asked me to bring you your favorite braised pork knuckle. I made it myself."

Ronan prefers light flavors, while Ambrina likes fried, grilled, and roasted dishes that are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and juicy. Lucien, on the other hand, is a bit like a primal creature, liking pork and especially loving the braised pork knuckle that Ronan makes for him, which is delicious both hot and cold.

Lucien smiled. His family was ruthless, yet also compassionate.

I had originally wanted my father to pass on a message to my mother, but in the blink of an eye, he turned into a tiny black dot on the horizon.

Chapter 607 The War Resumes: Poverty and Wealth – How Did We Get onto the Future?

In December 1604, the civil war in the Kingdom of Belgium ended.

The army of the Kingdom of Fass withdrew from the Kingdom of Belgium and temporarily assumed military and logistical duties, while Prince Lucien also served as a commissioner. He then returned to the capital.

In March 1605, the Crown Prince Lucien and Wilma Allor, who came from the Netherlands but had been adopted by Baron Allor of the Kingdom of Fass, held an engagement ceremony and were to be formally married in May.

That same month, ten-year-old Prince Louis became engaged to Princess Mary, daughter of King Wieland. As for the wedding, that would likely be many years later.

In May, Lucien and Verma were married.

At the same time, Wieland declared war on Villa, citing Villa's murder of its officials and persecution of its Christians. To everyone's surprise, the Kingdom of Fas declared war on Villa at the very moment the prince was getting married, citing Villa's persecution of Protestants and its fight for the freedom that the people of Catalonia deserved.

The following month, June, having barely subdued the Protestant princes of the north, the emperor, after a year's delay, once again declared war on the Kingdom of Fass. The reason for the war was simple: to reclaim the territory. The emperor had never recognized the Duchy of the Rhine.

Also in June, the Netherlands marched south and attacked Belgium, using the pretext that the Kingdom of Fass had used for thousands of years and that had been worn out in the western continent: supporting the legitimate heir to the throne.

But even a fool knows that the Netherlands doesn't want Belgium; it wants to contain the Kingdom of Fass.

As it turns out, whether or not to be Protestant was just a slogan; whether or not to fight was solely based on self-interest.

The Kingdom of Phos was forced to send troops north to rescue its underperforming ally, while simultaneously calling on Wieland to contain the Dutch navy.

Now, the situation has shifted to the Kingdom of Phos fighting three on land: Villa to the south, the Netherlands to the north, and the Empire to the east. Meanwhile, Weyland is fighting two at sea, simultaneously battling Villa and the Netherlands.

For centuries, these sworn enemies have been locked in a love-hate relationship, but now they've become comrades-in-arms, entrusting each other with their backs.

But the chaos didn't end there. At the beginning of the year, Suleiman was left with only one prince after a bloody infighting, while the others went to heaven to enjoy the company of seventy-two virgins. With the support of the Pasha and the royal guard, the prince became the new Sultan.

Now that the new Sultan has come to power, the old tradition continues: war. Moreover, the Kingdom of Faz has provided the Sultan with a large sum of military funds, and Suleiman has once again launched an offensive against the southern coast of the Mediterranean. Villarreal has no choice but to deploy his Mediterranean navy to engage in battle with him.

Having enjoyed peace for many years and regained some of its strength, Venaya decided to take revenge on the heretics who had once brutally beaten her and joined the fight against the Suleimans.

In the northern part of the continent, the Rus Empire also made its move. From the day they became known as an empire, they never stopped thinking about advancing westward.

This time, the Rus' encountered the Sweden, the northern overlords.

By August, there were few places on the entire western continent that had escaped the ravages of war.

But for the people of the Western Continent, this kind of thing was as commonplace as black bread in the morning.

After all, this is how we've fought for the past few hundred years. The only difference is that people are dying much faster now.

Before the advent of muskets and cannons, the conscripted peasant soldiers in the front ranks would be hit by a few charges, some would die, and the army would almost collapse.

Now, with the upgrading of weaponry and tactical thinking, you don't even have time to break down before you're dead.

After all, following the war between the Kingdom of Phos and the Empire, the armies of all first-rate and even second-rate nations changed their tactics.

The main force consisted of line musketeers made up of ordinary people, with mid-level mages overseeing the battle from behind and using magic to create defensive fortifications as needed, working in conjunction with artillery fire from the rear to steadily advance.

The tactical vanguard is a skirmisher assault team composed of low-ranking mages and musketeers, who are highly mobile, have high tactical execution capabilities, and possess high resistance and high morale.

Finally, a two-person operated aircraft was used as a means of reconnaissance and deployment.

Of course, the same tactics will yield different results depending on the generals, soldiers, and weapons used.

Not to mention, this kind of play is not only expensive, but also labor-intensive.

Wars were more expensive than any previous war, and people died faster than ever before.

Whoever has more people and more money is the most powerful.

“Without a doubt, we have more people and more money,” Ronan casually remarked at the dinner table.

This is a family gathering, with Ronan, Ambrina, Inès, Louis, and Lucien and his new wife, Verma.

This situation is actually quite rare, because kings, and even some nobles of high status, do not usually dine with their adult, married children.

Because they are family, but they aren't.

However, things were different for Ronan and Ambrina. Ambrina really enjoyed the relaxed family atmosphere, while Ronan was completely indifferent.

"Of course, apart from Willand, they're all a bunch of poor bastards."

"Ambriina said."

Having ruled for so many years, she knows what true wealth is. Villa has a lot of silver, but he is not actually rich.

In its heyday, Villa relied on the silver mined from its colonies to trade along new sea routes, then sold Eastern goods to various countries in the Western Continent, and used the money earned from selling those goods to buy goods from those countries in the Western Continent, forming a closed loop. In addition, the plantations in the colonies satisfied the domestic demand for manufactured goods and agricultural products, while simultaneously leeching off the entire economic system of the Western Continent.

But Villarreal is ultimately a country with only average domestic manufacturing and agriculture.

After the Kingdom of Fas, which was originally the biggest cash cow in the western continent, stopped buying its secondhand goods and even started dumping its manufactured goods and agricultural products on the other side, its domestic economy immediately plummeted.

As for the empire, it was still playing the feudal game, internally divided, and lacked maritime trade, so it simply couldn't become rich.

After Venaya gained momentum on the new sea route, it began to enter a "lost era." Although its "citizens" were still the most civilized and wealthy group in the Western Continent, the country was poor.

On the contrary, the island nation of Wieland, which may seem weak, is actually quite strong. Its agriculture is not bad, it has coal and iron, and it has many competitive commodities in trade. It is ruthless in exploiting the lower classes and is truly "rich".

Therefore, although he may not have as much money as Villa and his manpower is far less than that of the Empire, his endurance surpasses that of Villa and his mobilization capacity is stronger than that of the current Empire.

“Lucien, this is your number one enemy in the future,” Ronan said to his son.

The empire will collapse sooner or later, and Villa is also going downhill with the accelerator pressed. The Netherlands itself is no good, it just won't work. Venaya is hopeless. As for the opponent, it has to be me leading England, or no, it's the combined three islands of Weyland.

"I know," Lucien replied.

Velma was slightly surprised. Ronan was not yet fifty years old, and Her Majesty Ambrina was only forty. Although the Freigo family was known for its short lifespans, even seventh-tier mages like Orans and Lawrence had short lifespans, she was in good condition. Even if she didn't live a long life, she wouldn't die young. Ronan was still so young. In this condition, he might even be able to give her husband a few more younger brothers and sisters when he was eighty.

How did we get onto the topic of the future?

Chapter 608: Teaching Children Badly, Next Steps, Public and Private Matters

Ambrina caught the fleeting look of surprise on her daughter-in-law's face and said, "There's nothing to be surprised about, Velma. In a few years, I will abdicate and pass the throne to Lucien. I will then leave the kingdom with Ronan and travel eastward around the world."

Upon hearing this, Velma couldn't help but make an extremely rude expression. Her hand holding the knife and fork froze in mid-air, and her lips parted slightly, unable to close for a long time.

She simply couldn't believe it. The Kingdom of Fas was on the rise, and Ambrina was not some puppet king. On the contrary, she was extremely powerful. What was even more incredible was that such a powerful king didn't seem to have any hardship at all.

How could she possibly resign as queen?

Xiao Lüxian remained silent; he already knew this.

Ina chuckled to herself; clearly, her sister-in-law had no idea what kind of person her mother was.

Louis, however, kept his head down and ate his food. He knew very well that this was not a topic he should be involved in.

Ambrina rested her chin on her hand, idly stabbing her steak with a fork in the other, joking like a child throwing a tantrum, "Being the King is really tiring. I have to work ten hours a day, and the workers in the capital's factories only work ten hours a day. These damned nobles, priests, and unscrupulous merchants exploit me like a worker. Is there any justice or law? I should be the one exploiting them."

Of course, Ambrina knew that her working environment and intensity were different from those of the workers; she was no longer the little princess who thought a cake was worth a silver coin.

She knew very well that the workers were currently working ten hours a day because of the machine load and nighttime safety measures; they could only work ten hours. If the machines were a few levels better, and nighttime lighting and safety measures became cheap enough, factory owners could definitely allow workers to work twelve hours a day, with day and night shifts, ensuring that there were always workers in the factory.

Ambrina took a big bite of steak and continued, "Actually, the real exhaustion comes from living with a mask on. Some people have a talent for wearing masks, but I certainly don't."

"You've consumed the blood and flesh of millions of people, and yet you stand on a high platform encouraging them to love their country, to feel proud and honored by its prosperity, and to accept their blessings, support, and even gratitude. It's truly laughable."

"What's even more ridiculous is that you have to praise and reward those who are more vicious and have a worse appetite than you, praising them as good people and pillars of the country."

"Anri," Ronan called out to Ambrina, lest she corrupt the children.

“I’m going to say it,” Ambrina said, her temper rising. “So, Lucien, don’t treat people like they’re nothing, thinking you’re so supreme and great. But don’t take people too seriously either, thinking you have some sacred mission to accomplish something. Being a king is just a job. Just think of yourself as a civil servant, clocking in and out.”

Ronan covered his face.

Ambrina truly treated Lucien as her son, not just the crown prince, and she didn't treat Verma as an outsider either; she spoke from the heart.

“Alright, that’s enough chit-chat,” Ambrina said, looking at Ronan.

“Let me explain the upcoming arrangements.” Ronan looked at Lucien and began to get down to business. “Your mother will once again go to the front lines to fight against the Empire, essentially to oversee the battle. As for me, I’ll go to the southern front to see some old friends. You two will go to Belgium.”

The fighting has already begun, but no major battles have broken out yet.

They were all returning to familiar territory and already had a good understanding of the area. When it comes to fighting, it's all about fighting on a familiar battlefield.

“This time, you should all learn military matters properly. Observe more, listen more, and speak less. You can ask questions, but do not express your opinions. It’s not that I’m afraid your immature opinions will have a negative impact on military operations, but that if you express your opinion, people will take sides, and some people will take the opportunity to form cliques and suppress dissent. This is not something you can handle right now.”

"Don't think that all the staff officers and generals are just good at fighting. There are plenty of old foxes and young foxes among them. You are still far from being a good fit."

Lucien is still too young and inexperienced; this time, bringing his eyes and ears will suffice.

Verma was equally naive; however, in Ronan's eyes, this girl from a merchant family was more talented in political maneuvering than her son, Lucien the Younger.