For the nobles of Quel'Thalas, the happiest time was undoubtedly the period when Dath'Remar was in power after the founding of the country.
Not to mention the short-lived second generation, starting from King Homs, passing through Anasteria to Kael'thas, each generation of Sun Kings is trying to weaken the power of the nobles.
Honorable nobles are also nobles.
As the saying goes, if the cunning rabbit dies, the lackey will be cooked.
After the suppression of Anastria, the power of the old aristocracy has declined, and the four major nobles have almost completely surrendered to the royal family.
The nobles were once raised as opponents of the old aristocratic forces. Now that the enemies are about to disappear, will the lackeys used to bite the enemies still have value? Will the royal family worry that they will be as big as the old aristocrats?
Including the Sangunar family, most nobles have been worried about this issue in recent years.
With the gradual decline of the old nobles, many of the powerful nobles in the northern part of Yongge Forest who were unable to survive sold their fiefdoms back to the country, leaving only a nominal noble title and living in extremely tight circumstances.
This will inevitably make the rising nobles feel sad and worried that their families will fall into this situation one day.
What makes them even more uneasy is that Kael'thas is vigorously developing the nationalized territories and does not seem to intend to grant these original noble territories again.
"I know what you are worried about."
Looking at the uncertain expressions of the powerful nobles present, Sarlayan maintained a formal indifferent smile and said: "Here, I would like to make a guarantee to you on behalf of His Majesty Kael'thas."
"As long as they do not evade taxes or collaborate with the enemy and the country, the nobles who operate their territories in accordance with the laws of Quel'Thalas will never receive any unwarranted punishment."
There is another meaning behind this guarantee. If someone breaks the law in order to make money and gain power...then don't blame me for not warning you beforehand.
Compared to the old nobles who were accustomed to lording it over their ancestors' achievements, the rise of the nobles was not too long. For the high elves, 3000 years was only 2-3 generations at most.
There is a folk saying in another world that you can only be rich for three generations.
At least at this time, most nobles have not been completely corrupted, and are still willing to stand and earn money.
The royal assurance conveyed by Sarlayan made many people present feel relieved, but some also showed anxiety.
Sarlayan ignored the changes in the expressions of everyone present.
"Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't like meaningless pleasantries, nor do I like to beat around the bush. Let's get straight to the point."
"If you want to make money, that's no problem. A gentleman loves money in a wise way. Even if it doesn't break the law, there are plenty of ways to make money in Quel'Thalas."
Facing the two dozen powerful nobles present, Sarlayan spoke without any stage fright.
"I think you all have heard about the shameful incident that happened not long ago. His Majesty Kael'thas was very angry about it. He has clearly ordered to rectify the navy and shouted the slogan of the first five-year plan."
Viscount Sangunar, who was sitting next to Sarlayan, took over the topic and asked: "Of course we will hear about such a big thing, but what is the relationship between developing the navy and making money?"
"Of course it does."
Sarlayan smiled at Viscount Sangunar, who was consciously choking, and said, "Vigorous development of the navy means that Quel'Thalas will fully open up the sea."
"Do you think Yangfan Port alone can support the upcoming large number of ship building orders and trade volume?"
Sarlayan's reminder made many people present brighten their eyes, especially those nobles whose territories were close to the sea, with excitement on their faces.
The nobles of Quel'Thalas have a very obvious trend: the north is rich and the south is poor, and the west is rich and the east is poor.
The north is rich and the south is poor, because the capital of Quel'Thalas, Silvermoon City, is located in the north of Yongsong Forest. The closer the territory is to the capital, the richer it is.
The broad west and poor east are due to geographical reasons.
The terrain in the western part of Yonge Forest is relatively flat, and most of the land connected to the sea is flat beach, which can be easily developed.
This has been proven through the tourism development of the Windrunner family.
In addition to the Windrunner family, there are several noble realms in the western coastal area of the southern forest.
Being close to the sea, the nobles with ports in these territories were obviously wealthier than those in the east.
The terrain in the eastern part of Yonge Forest is more complicated, and it is separated from the east coast by rolling mountains, making it difficult to enjoy the benefits of sea trade.
The only territory in the southeastern part of the forest that can directly build a port is located within the ruins of the former Zul'Aman city.
The Red Dragon Knights have been hiding in the ruins of Zul'Aman for several years. After the battle at Yangfan Port, they may no longer be able to hide.
Since it was difficult to replenish the mounts of the Red Dragon Knights, Kael'thas was unwilling to let them waste themselves in meaningless disputes.
The Sun King and the Silver Moon Council intentionally moved the Red Dragon Knights' headquarters outside Silver Moon City and would only put them on the battlefield in certain special battles.
With the in-depth exchanges with the tauren of Highmountain, the Eagle Knights, which were only formed a few years ago, gradually formed a combat capability and became one of the regular air forces of Quel'Thalas, competing with the traditional Dragon Eagle Knights of Quel'Thalas. Each has its own characteristics.
Once the Red Dragon Knights are moved to Silvermoon City, Zul'Aman's old land will be free again.
Sarlayan had previously proposed to develop this old forest troll capital into an important town on the eastern coast, as the first barrier against the "pirates" from the East China Sea heading north.
In addition, Sarlayan also proposed to build military ports in the Viscounty of Sangunar and the Earldom of Darthweiser on the same coast, forming three front, middle and rear lines of defense in the eastern coastal area.
This proposal has been voted on by the Silver Moon Council and should have a high probability of being approved.
The ruins of Zul'Aman have not yet been awarded to any nobles, and are under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family.
The development of the Viscounty of Sangunar and the County of Darthwisser requires the consent of the local lords.
Viscount Sangunar is a die-hard royalist and will not have any objection to the royal family's decision.
Before, Kael'thas asked them to give up growing grapes and instead raise horses. Viscount Sangunar carried out the plan without any complaints, and this time was no exception.
Judging from the results, Viscount Sangunar, who was advised to eat well, not only did not lose money, but made a huge profit from the unicorns bred in the territory.
Having had a good cooperation experience, Viscount Sangunar decided without hesitation to continue to follow Saryan's footsteps. He believed that Saryan would not let his family suffer.
This is indeed the case.
Due to the harsh geographical environment on the east coast of Quel'Thalas, there is very little land eligible for the construction of ports, and there are only three of them.
Considering the cost of transportation, nobles whose territories are located in the east prefer to transport their own goods to nearby ports instead of traveling across the forest to the west.
The three ports of Zul'Aman, Viscounty of Sangunar and Earl of Darthweiser can just meet the shipping needs of most eastern nobles, speed up logistics and transportation, and increase the income of the lords in disguise.
Sarlayan's in-depth introduction made the lords present more and more excited, but this was just an appetizer.
Now that we have decided to vigorously and comprehensively open up the sea, the corresponding supporting facilities and tools must naturally keep up.
In addition to escorting naval ships, civilian merchant ships also need to be vigorously built to allow bulk cargo to travel quickly between the north and the south through short-sea transportation.
The requirements for the wood needed to build naval ships are relatively demanding. It is best to harvest old trees that are more than a hundred years old from the cold zone, and then they need to be dried in the shade for a period of time before they can be put into use.
Although the geographical location of Quel'Thalas belongs to the subarctic zone, due to the existence of the sunwell, Eversong Forest feels like spring all year round. The trees here do not meet the construction needs of naval ships.
So where do the materials for building large naval ships come from?
The answer is Crystal Song Forest.
Of course, the rich timber resources in Yonge Forest do not mean they are useless.
Although it cannot be used to build naval warships due to hardness issues, it is completely sufficient for civilian merchant ships.
Shipbuilding is a complete industrial chain, from the harvesting and drying of wood to ship polishing, sailors, dock cargo loading and unloading, shop operations, etc., people are needed everywhere.
Once this industrial chain is formed, it will provide a large number of jobs in Quel'Thalas.
Building ships and selling goods are positions that arcane puppets cannot do for them, which is just what makes the high elves who are accustomed to laziness get active.
When they taste the sweetness of getting paid, except for those hopeless lazy people, most hard-working civilians will habitually put into work, exchange labor for money, and get rid of the previous lazy style of having nothing to do.
[This is called an arrow... how long does it take? 】
