Watching the sudden surge of competitive spirit among the stewards, Arthur was very pleased, even though it would bring hardship to the common people.
Arthur's tone shifted, his voice betraying no ripple, yet he cast down an edict that would fundamentally alter family structures within the territory: "The second edict!"
"From today onwards, in my territory, Arthur, all families are to undergo mandatory division."
These words plunged the entire Lord's Hall into dead silence; even the flames in the fireplace seemed to pause for a moment, as everyone swallowed hard.
What did he mean? Why should families divide?
Even Evelyn stared at Arthur, wide-eyed and shocked, her gaze seeming to ask, 'What are you doing? Don't issue reckless edicts!'
Arthur also felt that his words might be ambiguous, so he quickly cleared his throat a few times and hastily spoke the rest of his statement.
"Aside from the eldest son who inherits the family business, all other males in the household who have reached eighteen years of age must leave their original family and establish their own household."
Everyone's eyes were filled with disbelief, their Adam's apples bobbing as they continuously swallowed, wanting to speak but unable to utter a sound.
Observing their reactions, Arthur realized there still seemed to be ambiguity. He shook his head, indicating that it wasn't what they were thinking, and continued.
"Every second son, third son, and even younger son who separates from the family, as long as he is an adult, I, Arthur, will grant him a piece of public land belonging to him."
"This land is on the outskirts of the Brightmoon Mountains, and they will need to cultivate it with their own hands. At the same time, I will provide them with the most basic farming tools and seeds for the first year."
"For commoner families, as long as three conditions are met, the second son must separate and go to the mountains to reclaim land."
"First, the eldest son has come of age and can inherit the family business."
"Second, the second son who is separating is eighteen or even sixteen years old."
"Third, the original family's population exceeds six people."
In Arthur's view, this was actually good governance. If families did not divide, the existing public land would simply not be able to support so many people, leading either to starvation or reduced fertility. In a medieval civilization without contraception, the fate of newborn children could be easily imagined.
However, if forced to divide, they could not only reclaim land for themselves, but each small family could also ensure a stable standard of living and continuously expand their population, as the Lord would provide land for cultivation once they turned eighteen.
Arthur paused, then threw out the real bait:
"All adult males who separate and go to the Brightmoon Mountains to open up new land! From the day they acquire the land! Within five years! They only need to fulfill their obligations! They do not need to pay me any form of tax!"
"Oh!" The crowd finally burst into uncontrollable gasps.
Five years of tax exemption! This was simply unheard of in Westeros! Lords would rather squeeze oil from newborn babies! Where had such a good thing ever existed?
Arthur raised a hand, quelling the commotion, his gaze still calm:
"I want to tell you why."
"I do not want a group of people, for a few acres of barren public land, to crowd into a thatched hut and endlessly quarrel and consume each other with their own relatives."
"What I want are thousands of vibrant, independent new families!"
"I want them to be like ants, to gnaw at the Brightmoon Mountains, to cultivate every inch of land that can grow food, to root themselves within the Brightmoon Mountains for me."
"I want my soldiers, when they bleed on the battlefield, to clearly understand in their hearts that what they are defending is not just my honor, Arthur, but also the tangible houses and public land in the hands of each of their own small families!"
In Arthur's view, the system of equal distribution of public land for cultivation and incentives for private land, although public land still belonged to the Lord, once the system of equally distributing land to every adult male was established, it would actually form a stable class of self-cultivating farmers who could no longer be called serfs, and a class of military private landowners.
There was no more stable basic structure than that of land-owning farmers. Westeros was vast and sparsely populated, allowing for the issuance of blank checks for hundreds of years.
What did it matter to him if there were too many people and not enough land in the future?
Was he going to worry about the deluge that came after him?
Arthur's voice softened somewhat, but the content was equally shocking to everyone: "The third edict!"
"All who die in battle for my family shall be compensated!"
Although Arthur had given the families of those who died fighting alongside him their share of the spoils, he had not actually provided pensions. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to pay before, but rather that he simply had no money.
Arthur looked at the military officials with reddened eyes—they were all veterans—and then at the others, speaking each word clearly.
"For every soldier who dies fighting for me, his widow, if she wishes to remarry, may do so."
"But anyone who wishes to marry her must, before the steward I send, draw up a contract, swearing in the name of the gods to treat her children with her former husband as their own and raise them to adulthood."
"If he violates his oath and mistreats the children of the deceased, his property will be confiscated, and he himself will be exiled."
"If they do not wish to remarry, they will not be abandoned or reduced to begging."
"They can work in my military fortress, doing mending, laundry, cleaning public areas, and other simple jobs, receiving a salary sufficient to support themselves and their children."
"Furthermore, their children will receive priority in opportunities to learn literacy and arithmetic, and in the future, serve as my stewards."
Arthur looked at the shocked crowd, who seemed oblivious to their surroundings. He wasn't finished speaking.
"At the same time, every soldier who dies in battle or is severely wounded and disabled, his family will immediately receive a pension of ten silver stags from my treasury."
"From now on, every month, his widow and children will also receive a basic living allowance until his youngest child reaches sixteen years of age."
In the Lord's Hall, the entire assembly was solemn, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The military officials wiped away tears, Hakon and Lucien also had reddened eyes, while the tax collectors and stewards stared wide-eyed, mouths agape.
Brin and Hake were completely frozen, their mouths open, staring at Arthur in shock, as if he were a monster.
They had never heard, nor ever imagined, that a noble Lord in Westeros would go to such lengths for fallen soldiers and their families.
In their previous understanding, if a soldier died, it was considered merciful if the Lord didn't drive his family out of the territory.
Only Evelyn, of noble birth, stood rigid. But she was a sensible person and would not interrupt Arthur at this time. She would speak with Arthur afterwards if there was an issue, though Arthur never listened to her, and instead, she was always refuted.
She understood the immense boost this edict would give to morale and the benevolence it would spread among the common people, but she also calculated the terrifying cost behind it. If several consecutive wars resulted in defeat and heavy casualties, it was very likely to cripple the territory's economy. No one could always win.
Her expression grew stiffer the more she thought about it. In her opinion, this money, this benevolence, was somewhat... completely unnecessary.
After a long silence in the council hall.
Brin, the blacksmith whose family had been ruined by noble persecution, suddenly stepped forward and knelt heavily on one knee.
His head was bowed deeply, his voice loud and choked, with an uncontrollable tremor. He wondered if everything would have been different if the Lord of the land where he once lived had been like this Lord:
"Arthur, my Lord... you... are... the... true... 'Noble'!"
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