Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Chapter 1122: Chapter 172: Dark, Corrupt Evaluation Standards and the Empire’s True Strategy in the Border Prince’s Territory

Su Li’s fingers tapped the table calmly, just looking at him quietly.

Oliver asked from the side: ”Commissioner, what do you mean by this weight?”

Commissioner Helmut shrugged, picked up the knife and fork again, and said with a smile: ”It’s the weight of your territory! It determines what title I should rate.”

”Oh, by the way. It’s worth mentioning, do you know about the Swamp Territory west of the Dusk Mountain Range? Count Litaner is truly a powerful Knight whose fame resounds throughout the Border Prince’s Territory. His weight was very significant, so he was rated as a Count. The documents have been sent to Marle Castle and the Imperial Elector Council. I believe it will soon convince all Electors to approve his appointment.”

”You really ought to meet him; he’s truly a generous Count.”

Upon hearing this news, Su Li raised his brows, leaned back into his chair, and asked: ”Has the Swamp Territory been rated as a Count?”

This was not good news for him.

If the Night Wanderer Corpse didn’t make any moves, Su Li would have launched an offensive against the Swamp Territory after the warm flowers bloomed.

The Border Prince’s Territory is so ruthless, and politics is so heartless.

Even though the Swamp Territory is completely different from the Blue Mirror Territory, always staying low-key without stirring up any disputes, war is inevitable.

They blocked Su Li’s path to Marle Castle, and Su Li had no choice but to wage war against them.

Unifying the Border Prince’s Territory is Su Li’s established strategy and the will of the entire territory, unaffected by any circumstances.

So no matter whether they initiate war or remain quietly on their own, the sharp edge from Hesse Territory would point towards the west of the Dusk Mountain Range.

But a Count, establishing himself on the land of the Border Prince’s Territory, is truly not insignificant.

The whole Border Prince’s Territory probably doesn’t have 10 Counts.

More critically, this Pioneer Knight was just rated as a Count by the Empire, and a few months later, Su Li annihilated him, which indeed doesn’t sound good.

This is a slap in the face to the high echelons of the Empire.

In this country that values noble heredity, territory annexation and forced unification are inherently acts of violence that diminish virtues.

It could be said that Su Li’s ambition to unify the entire Border Prince’s Territory is an act of defying fate and will encounter resistance from the entire world.

Otherwise, this territory wouldn’t remain fragmented forever. Trying to unify a territory as vast as a Prince’s Territory requires standing firm against global pressure and intervention from countless alliance armies to succeed.

If the Swamp Territory is elevated to a Count’s Territory, it would pose even greater resistance to Su Li.

Fortunately, Su Li quickly adjusted his mindset and replied calmly: ”Oh? This really is news I’m just hearing. So what is their weight? For it to convince all the Electors to acknowledge him becoming a Count!”

Bear in mind that the interests among various Electors are certainly not consistent, and many are even in conflict with each other. To persuade all Electors to unanimously approve, satisfying the interests of everyone... Su Li roughly thought about it and it seems that there’s only one answer, and that’s the Golden Crown!

So Su Li straightforwardly asked: ”Or... how much did he give you?”

Helmut leaned forward again, his voice so low it was almost mere breath, with uncompromising directness: ”This weight, of course, needs measuring. The title of Kingdom Knight is the Empire’s initial recognition of pioneers, representing... loyalty and strength embodied by ten thousand Golden Crowns.” He stared at Su Li, his gaze sharp: ”For a Baron’s Scepter, a more solid foundation is required, demanding the territory to prove it has the weight to guard a region and defend borders... This ’weight’ is usually determined to be... resources and resolve represented by one hundred thousand Golden Crowns.”

”Of course, if Your Excellency’s aspirations reach further, hoping the territory achieves a higher starting point and greater authority and duties... for example, a Count title befitting of current territory, population, and military strength, and ensuring a ’unreserved’ praise in the council report about Hesse Territory’s potential, making it the exemplar of the Border Prince’s Territory... then this ’unreservedness’ requires matching support, ensuring a ’flawless’ report. This support, we believe, fifty hundred thousand Golden Crowns is... a number representing sincerity and foresight.”

Su Li immediately laughed, he gripped his right hand firmly, and the wine glass shattered into countless pieces, the crimson wine pearls scattered everywhere.

No wonder Hesse Territory couldn’t uncover the evaluation criteria of this rating group before. Su Li even suspected at one point if they were clean and incorruptible.”

Looking back now, it’s simply ridiculous! Just with politics in the Empire being so dark and corrupt, how could there possibly be a clean and incorruptible team?

The reason bribery didn’t work was only one: the money to bribe wasn’t enough to reach their corruption threshold, not worth them taking risks to leak secrets!

Su Li gritted his teeth and asked: ”So when you assess the strength of a territory or the grade of a Pioneer Territory, you completely don’t look at the territory’s politics, economy, population! Not even military and finance, only the weight of the territory’s bribery?”

This truly aligns with the Empire’s consistent style of corruption!

Su Li even held some hope towards this rating evaluation team before. Now it seems they are even more brazen and unscrupulous in their darkness and corruption than imagined, essentially having no bottom line.

The firelight from the fireplace danced on Commissioner Helmut von Klaus’s face. The sound of Su Li smashing the wine glass and the splattering wine immediately brought the banquet hall to a dead silence. Those dozens of accompanying officials and soldiers all turned their gaze toward the main seat, and the atmosphere suddenly tightened.