CHAPTER 575: CHAPTER 539 CENTRAL AND LOCAL · PART 1

Perfikot’s attitude is quite strange, even to the point of being incomprehensible to people.

For the Empire, it’s no secret that Perfikot holds powerful military force, and it’s not considered an unforgivable rebellion.

She is the Lord of the North, the legitimate Northern Guardian and Count of Exploration appointed by the Empress herself. In theory, as long as she can afford it, whether it’s sixty Knights or even if Perfikot recruits sixty more Knight Orders, it’s entirely her prerogative.

From both a legal and other perspectives, the Imperial Center has no grounds to intervene.

This isn’t a centrally unified dynasty; it’s common for local Lords to have strong armies, and if the center can’t suppress the regions, then they must anticipate being replaced.

Of course, with the advent of the industrial age, the power of local Lords is gradually being absorbed by the central authority, transitioning from feudalism to centralization in a way.

Perhaps contrary to some people’s perception, feudalism has never meant unity.

The term "feudalism" should be broken down; "feudal" means partition, and "ism" refers to construction. It’s the basis of the partition system where the monarch allocates land and the vassals develop it, forming feudalism.

The existence of a unified dynasty precisely overturns the fundamental concept of feudalism.

The Victor Empire was initially moving from feudalism toward unification, but Perfikot’s sudden emergence not only brought back the age of Knights but also reversed the historical trajectory, making her a noble vassal in the industrial era.

This has led to an inherent, irreconcilable conflict between Perfikot and the Imperial Center.

This has nothing to do with her relationship and friendship with Eldest Princess Annie, nor with her decision to become the North Territory’s Lord to save the Empire; it’s merely a natural conflict between a centralized Empire and a powerful, independent regional Lord.

Perfikot may personally not care, nor has the intention of ruling independently, but the Northern forces have formed, and she unintentionally propels the entire Northern Territory in that direction due to her position and interests.

This doesn’t concern their loyalty to the Empire or any intention to undermine Perfikot; it’s simply the direction that best suits the Northern Territory’s interests.

The North Territory is such, and naturally, so is the Empire.

No matter the thoughts of the Imperial Center, even if Perfikot herself is part of the Imperial Center, the inherent conflict between the Imperial Center and the North Territory cannot be reconciled.

Previously, there weren’t any issues because neither side considered it, and with the impending apocalypse, neither the Imperial Center nor the North Territory had the time or energy to think about these matters.

Additionally, the distance between the Northern Territory and the Empire’s homeland kept any potential conflicts from arising across the great ocean.

However, with the Imperial Center’s relocation to the Northern Territory, the Empire has shifted from dealing with the looming doomsday to clarifying the priority of relationships between the Imperial Center and the Northern Territory.

Don’t think this is a power struggle; it’s simply the inevitable leadership issue faced by the Imperial Center upon its move to the Northern Territory.

Also, don’t assume the Northern Territory should just listen to the Imperial Center. As Perfikot’s fiefdom, the North Territory should abide by Perfikot, and Perfikot should adhere to the Empress. This is the standard relationship between vassal and monarch under the feudal system.

As for the Imperial Center? Sorry, they have no jurisdiction nor supervisory rights over the Northern Territory.

Despite the reforms on the traditional feudal noble system undertaken by the Empire in its industrial age, fundamentally, the noble fiefdom remains sacred and inviolable, a principle enshrined in the Empire’s constitution.

After all this, the key reason the Imperial Center cannot interfere with the Northern Territory lies in Perfikot’s two fully equipped Steam Knight Orders and the over two hundred Autonomous Steam Knights providing absolute military security.

Just as noblemen in the feudal era ensured their interests with Knights, the more Knights under Perfikot’s command, the less the Imperial Center can interfere with the Northern Territory.

In fact, the Imperial Center genuinely does not want to interfere in this matter.

On the one hand, the relationship between the Northern Territory and the Imperial Center remains amicable, with no need for conflict.

Moreover, as the Imperial Center resettled into the Northern Territory, under the host’s domain, they must respect the host’s wishes. The Imperial Center’s arrogance does not extend to ignorance of such matters.

On the other hand, given today’s Northern military capability, even if the Imperial Center wanted to intervene, they would need to consider whether they truly possess the necessary strength.

Though Perfikot holds only two Knight Orders and a Guard Division, the two Steam Knight Orders suffice to annihilate a nation of the old world.

This is no exaggeration; ample cases illustrate the Steam Knight’s power, and the Empire is truly unprepared for the ruin brought by a full-scale engagement involving at least five Knight Orders of Steam Knights.

The reason for mentioning five Knight Orders is because Perfikot’s White Bear and Iron Fire Knight Orders are fully staffed, alongside Perfikot, the creator of the Steam Knight, providing them with weaponry, their fighting capabilities are evident.

For the Empire to entirely subdue Perfikot’s forces, achieving a combat advantage, committing only two Knight Orders clearly falls short.

At least three fully armored Steam Knight Orders are required to possibly defeat Perfikot’s two Knight Orders, and that calculation doesn’t yet include the two hundred plus Autonomous Knights.

Counting those Autonomous Knights, the Empire would need to deploy at least three additional Knight Orders.

Engaging in a battle with six fully armored Steam Knight Orders against the collective strength equivalent to four and a half Knight Orders of the Northern Steam Knights...

The mere thought of the expenses involved in mobilizing such military power is enough to dissuade the nobles and officials of the Imperial Center from entertaining such unrealistic aspirations.

Even though a Steam Knight Order consists of only a hundred Knights, the logistic maintenance of their Steam Knight armor demands resources comparable to an infantry regiment.

While the logistical supply pressure from six infantry regiment-level military operations poses a minor issue for the Empire, it represents considerable expense.

Three years ago, when the Empire was strong enough, dealing not only with six infantry regiments but also six Guard Divisions or even six Army Groups simultaneously wasn’t an impossible undertaking for them.

The widespread use of steam engines enabling industrial production significantly boosted the Empire’s confidence; symbolically speaking, they could crush anyone with money.

However, for the Empire struggling with gargantuan fiscal expenditure incurred to develop the Northern Territory over the past three years, its treasury has been utterly drained.