Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 175



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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 175

31-The Results of the War

“So the facilities should be kept to a minimum.”

“At least?”

“Just enough to make you want to wash up and go home.”

If you provide services where people can go to wash, eat, play, lie down and sleep for hours, it is only natural that the more people come into contact with each other, the higher the chances of something spreading and becoming infected.

However, if public bathhouses had facilities that were only sufficient for showering and minimal hygiene, there would be no reason for them to have any elements that would lower public hygiene. Furthermore, they were public facilities for improving hygiene for the poor who had no money, not leisure facilities for making money.

It is good for the poor because they can take care of hygiene at a low price, and it also reduces the concerns of those who worry about urban sanitation.

Congressman Fried nodded and accepted Arthur’s advice. He didn’t think there could be a better alternative.

“Thank you, Your Majesty the Hurt.”

“What? Anyone can do it, even me, by just talking.”

Arthur shook hands with the departing Senator Fried, who, though he had personally wished to avoid such a greeting, was sincere in his compassion for the poor, and he did not think it was a bad thing to help someone who was doing good deeds.

But the way things were going as I heard through rumors was strange.

Congressman Fried Papakar failed to convince the council and its members, and the bill to clear and redevelop slums was passed, with four districts in the metropolitan area selected as pilot areas.

What on earth was going on? Arthur wondered, but he was able to overhear information from Samuel that allowed him to gauge how things were going.

“I heard there’s a garbage cleanup business?”

“yes?”

“I guess they decided to run a separate cleaning business because the garbage would pile up if they cleaned up that slum.”

Ah, so the logic was that if you clear out the slums, there will be trash, so there will be customers who want to clean up. And in order to create those customers and markets, it was necessary to clean up the slums where trash was recycled for free.

Wow. Arthur couldn’t help but stick out his tongue. Isn’t the human obsession with pursuing profit truly devilish?

He thought back to the story he had told Rep. Fried and considered the pros and cons of slum clearance.

So, from the standpoint of wanting to clear out slums for public health, they can boast that it’s an achievement since the slums are no longer visible and the dirty, messy areas have been eliminated, and from the standpoint of business owners who oppose it because of the manpower, they realize that there is no problem in securing manpower since the slums are neither being driven far away nor killed off anyway? And since there is a ‘demand’ to clear up trash outside of budget, is it possible to create a new business?

So it was not surprising that they came to the conclusion that it would be better to clear out the slums.

Water supply and sewerage were originally national projects that cost a lot of money, and bathhouses without water supply and sewerage cost a lot of money to maintain, and especially during a war, isn’t it strange to spend money on something that has nothing to do with the war?

But if even half of the members of the House of Representatives had as much sympathy for the poor as Rep. Fried, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Perhaps, rather than kicking them out, they would have tried to set up public bathhouses.

Arthur stuck out his tongue as he gauged the level of compassion shown toward the weak in this era. Could it be that they are providing factory dormitories to the poor who were kicked out and exploiting them with monthly rent? Hmm… … Considering the mindset of business owners in this era, it is not strange.

Arthur received a letter from the bishop. The contents of the letter were a request for donations for the relief work of the poor. There was also a lament about the world that was throwing out the poor for profit, but Arthur pretended not to see the contents and willingly used the checkbook for the donation requested by the bishop.

After all, I have read that the slum relief project is merely a means to alleviate the balloon effect that occurs when slum areas are eliminated – problems such as worsening public safety and waste accumulation.

Could it be that the Church, by providing relief to the poor and expanding its religious influence, and the king who permitted and supported this, could show off his benevolence and secure a medal for his soon-to-be absolute monarchy?

If we had won the war, that is.

“Arthur! Arthur!”

Jarani ran out of breath and came to the workshop.

Arthur, who was refining the design of a new piece at the Ridis Salon after a long time, blinked at Zarran’s pale expression.

“What’s going on?”

“I lost!”

“What is it?”

“war!”

“Yes? Why?!”

In response to Arthur’s question, Jaran shared the situation he had learned.

At the beginning of the war, the Skara Kingdom army was on a winning streak and was gaining momentum. However, this was all a pretext for the Kingdom of Jatra. Encouraged by the successive victories in the early stages, the Skara Kingdom army advanced deep into the Trava Basin, and was eventually surrounded and annihilated.

Only one-third of the Skara Kingdom’s army fled, so it was a complete defeat.

“and.”

Arthur seriously considered going abroad. However, he couldn’t guarantee that good things would await him if he went abroad with only his family.

“So what do the higher-ups plan to do?”

“How do you do that? Most of them are just frozen.”

“Haha. I’m screwed.”

Arthur laughed in amazement. The authors, who should be more alert than anyone else, are losing their minds? They held on tight even when the country was in danger.

“Are you laughing now?”

“Those who smile when times are tough are first-class.”

Arthur asked cautiously as Jaran shook his head, unable to speak.

“Hmm… … . I guess I shouldn’t go abroad, right?”

“I’m going to be pointed at for the rest of my life.”

It’s okay to lose a fight. But cowards and traitors who run away without fighting won’t be treated properly in any country they go to. They’ll probably have to do even more crap than they do now to make a living…

And it wasn’t a complete defeat. Somehow, even from now on, the higher-ups would come to their senses… … Well, Arthur thought that it might be presumptuous of him, but he should do something about it.

“I will also try to move for now.”

“What are you going to do?”

“First, we need to gather those who are of sound mind.”

Arthur went straight to see Chairman Ttian. As the king of the northern railway distribution, he would be the first to know the detailed situation.

He greeted Arthur with a worried expression. He guessed why Arthur had come in such a hurry.

“I see you heard that too.”

“Are you talking about news of defeat?”

“okay.”

“Yes, that’s why I came here. Is it true? That the Royal Central Army was annihilated?”

“With only half left, it’s safe to say it’s complete annihilation.”

Arthur thought of Hans, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. No matter how important it was, he couldn’t prioritize something that he couldn’t do anything about right away.

“What are the people above doing?”

“We are busy hastily redeploying, recruiting, and training local troops to the east.”

Yes, it seemed like he knew that he had to secure the lost troops first. But it was fortunate that things went as planned.

“How are things going?”

“well.”

Ttian shook his head. Among the resources of the troops, the highest-ranking ones were physically fit and mentally sound volunteers, while the lowest-ranking ones were physically weak conscripts. A force composed of people who were physically weak and lacked the military spirit was bound to be weak.

It may sound like an old mentality, but in this day and age, when soldiers fight in line infantry formations, it is necessary to have the mental strength to maintain the line even when comrades next to you are shot, fall, or have their backs or heads blown off by cannon fire.

This was because it allowed them to maximize their firepower and eliminate the enemy threat as quickly as possible.

But can a conscript really demonstrate such mental strength? Of course, he could. That is, if the corresponding material price is put on the scale.

The problem was that everyone had different ideas about how much it should be raised.

“It’s not going well.”

“The people’s council said that more compensation should be given, but the nobles and the bourgeoisie said that this would ruin the poor’s habits.”

As expected, the target of the conscription was the poor who were short on money. Would the warm-hearted and rich people send their children to a battlefield where they could die? To cut off the lineage of loyal families that protected the kingdom?

Arthur asked.

“What about conscription?”

“Even the king would be burdened by that.”

“why?”

“Because the bourgeoisie will turn their backs.”

When conscription comes, everyone except the nobility will be conscripted. The bourgeoisie, who are not nobility, will naturally be conscripted.

Arthur came up with a solution.

“Can’t we exchange it for money?”

“It’s like a special exhibition tax. The nobles will hate it.”

If only the bourgeoisie could avoid conscription by paying, the public would react in one of two ways. Either the bourgeoisie would be criticized and eventually conscripted, or the nobles would pay a special wartime tax. But would the nobles really accept the same treatment as the bourgeoisie?

In any case, the conscription order was a burdensome option unless the kingdom was truly in danger. Could it be called a drastic measure with all sorts of side effects?

“So, recruiting is the best option. How do you get the funds? It would be best to get them as soon as possible.”

“So you’re saying you’re going to issue more Scalons?”

“… … .”

Arthur became a dumb person. Why didn’t I know that?

At Arthur’s appearance, Ttian clicked his tongue and said.

“Well, since the king and the nobles are in a relationship, it’s already been decided.”

“Thank you for your words.

Arthur got up quickly. If Ttian’s information was true, there was something he had to tell Zarran in advance.

“My dear sir!”

“Arthur?”

When I arrived at the Mato Trading Company in a hurry and looked for Zarran, there was a passenger there. Judging from his attire, he was a courtier who had just come from the palace.

He glanced at Arthur, then bowed his head slightly to greet him, saying that he was still a nobleman, and then said something to Jaran.

“Then you know it like that.”

When the courtiers returned, Arthur asked Zarran.

“What’s going on?”

“Convening the Scalon Issuance Committee.”

“So you’re saying you’re going to issue more Scalons?”

“How did you know?”

In response to Jaran’s question, Arthur told him the story he had shared with Ttian. Jaran nodded.

“As expected from railroad work. The big shot is quick to get news.”

“First of all, additional issuance of Scalon is inevitable.”

The King would rather mint scalons than draw from the gold in his treasury, and the nobles would not want to pay a special tax during the war. Since everyone’s interests were aligned, it was impossible to prevent additional issuance based on the composition of the committee’s stakes.

But still, there was work to be done.

“You must request collateral for additional issuance.”

“What about the bonds?”

“Bonds are ultimately borrowed money. They have to be repaid, but in a situation like now where there is a huge loss, selling them would require setting a huge interest rate, and even then, it is questionable whether they will sell.”

“Everyone must be in a hurry… … .”

“Because it is urgent, we must invoke principles. If we do not make the minimum effort to maintain the value of Scalon, we must warn the market that Scalon will become a piece of paper.”

Arthur’s words were logical and relatable to Jaran.

But his argument did not go down well with the Scalon issuance committee meeting held the next day.

“Collateral at this critical moment?!”

“How dare you delay the proceedings with such ridiculous talk. Are you perhaps spies of the Kingdom of Jatra?”