Morin replied with a wry smile, "As it turns out, this small number of personnel is far from enough!"
"Take this recent incident as an example!"
"When Count Kai Xuan left the oilfield, he took 100 guards to escort the supply convoy!"
"But they were ambushed by a camp's worth of Zhai Lai's soldiers!"
"Fortunately, Zhai Lai only brought one camp's worth of troops!"
"If he had mobilized his entire brigade, Count Kai Xuan would likely be dead by now!"
"Your Majesty has repeatedly ordered all noble powers to provide assistance to Count Kai Xuan's mines!"
"But those noble powers have been paying lip service, not sincere!"
"They dared to brazenly attack and plunder, knowing full well that His Majesty the King has a share in the oilfield, they deserve death!"
"Hmm..." Kai Ya Dun nodded, finding Morin's words reasonable.
Morin's words were clearly in Liu Kai Xuan's defense.
But undeniably, what he said was the truth.
When Liu Kai Xuan first partnered with Kai Ya Dun, he had voluntarily ceded 10% of the oilfield's shares to the royal family.
By this logic, Liu Kai Xuan's resource losses during transport meant Kai Ya Dun also suffered some loss.
Although the loss wasn't significant, Kai Ya Dun wouldn't be happy if his own assets were damaged, would he?
Kai Ya Dun pondered and replied, "It's necessary to strengthen the protection of Liu Kai Xuan's cargo!"
"But there's no need to expand the personnel quota!"
"Doesn't Liu Kai Xuan's current quota limit stand at 200 people?"
"Let him take all his security personnel to escort supplies; the safety within the oilfield can be maintained by the police and the imperial army!"
Morin explained, "Your Majesty, you may not know!"
"I was entrusted by Your Majesty to assist Count Kai Xuan in managing the security force at the mine!"
"Count Kai Xuan is extremely strict in obeying Your Majesty's orders!"
"All positions related to security are calculated within this quota!"
"Including myself, we are all members of the security team!"
"Furthermore, the security team's peak capacity has never exceeded 197 people, never exceeding the quota by a single person!"
"Moreover, management personnel also occupy a certain number of slots, so the combat personnel have always been maintained at around 150 people!"
"So that's how it is!"
Kai Ya Dun nodded and couldn't help but sigh.
Other noble powers would go to any lengths to develop their private armies.
Often, a brigade's quota would be expanded to field two brigades' worth of troops.
As if that weren't enough, they would form irregular armies in the form of guards and police to enhance their strength as much as possible.
Someone like Liu Kai Xuan, who strictly adhered to the standard requirements, was indeed rare.
Morin continued, "Your Majesty, I believe we should provide Count Kai Xuan with some support to help him overcome this predicament."
Tie Ma Sha vehemently retorted, "Morin, what do you mean?"
"Does His Majesty the King have to listen to your arrangements for everything?"
"What does Liu Kai Xuan's fate have to do with His Majesty the King?"
Morin quickly explained, "Your Royal Highness, please calm your anger!"
"How dare I presume to dictate to His Majesty the King, I am merely presenting the facts!"
"In the past year and more, Count Kai Xuan has paid millions in taxes to the imperial royal family!"
"His total tax contributions have placed him among the top ten in the kingdom, making a significant contribution to the kingdom's development!"
"Now that Count Kai Xuan's convoy has been robbed within the kingdom, it is only right for the kingdom to provide him with some protection!"
"Hmph!" Tie Li Sha snorted angrily and said, "Morin, you are truly becoming more and more arrogant!"
"You even dare to contradict me, clearly showing you have no respect for His Majesty the King!"
"Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for me!"
"Alright, alright!"
Kai Ya Dun waved his hand, "Morin, why are you still standing there? Go and apologize to Her Royal Highness!"
"Please forgive me, Your Royal Highness, I know I was wrong!"
Tie Li Sha pouted and replied, "Your Majesty, Morin dared to speak so presumptuously to me, he certainly cannot be let off the hook!"
"He should be brought to the execution platform and suffer the punishment of the whip!"
"Enough, enough!"
Kai Ya Dun said with a chuckle, "We'll let Morin's offense slide this time. If he dares to repeat it, he will not be spared!"
"Morin, why are you still dawdling? Hurry and express your gratitude and withdraw!"
"This subject thanks His Majesty for his grace, and thanks Your Royal Highness for her grace!"
"Hmph!" Tie Li Sha still looked displeased.
But upon receiving Kai Ya Dun's signal, Morin could finally leave with peace of mind.
Princess Tie Lina, due to her stunning beauty and elegant demeanor, was deeply favored by the King.
It was precisely by relying on the King's favor that Tie Lina became arrogant and overbearing.
However, Kai Ya Dun wasn't entirely foolish.
Power was the most valuable thing in his hands; once that power was lost, everything else would pale and cease to exist.
To maintain his power, he needed to gather a group of loyal individuals.
Furthermore, he needed to find ways to acquire more wealth.
With money, he could purchase modern weaponry to enhance his strength and maintain his rule.
Of course, he also needed to maintain a group of loyal individuals to fight for him.
In this way, with people and firepower, his power would be stable.
Tie Lina's approach was certainly not viable.
To be honest, if you killed off all the capable people, all you'd be left with were sycophants.
If you relied on these people to protect your royal authority, could it be sustained?
Therefore, Kai Ya Dun was merely placating Tie Lina; he would never truly kill Morin.
Morin was his appointed representative at the oilfield. Over the past year,
Morin had collected a large amount of tax revenue for the royal family, which were tangible achievements.
Seeing Kai Ya Dun looking troubled, Tie Lina quickly offered words of comfort.
"Your Majesty, if you are worried about Count Kai Xuan's affairs, you can rest assured!"
"We will simply refuse all his demands!"
"If he dares not pay taxes, we will send troops to seal his oilfield!"
"At that time, we can directly reclaim control of the oil wells and earn even more funds!"
Kai Ya Dun replied with a bitter smile, "It's not as simple as you think!"
"Although the oilfield is now producing oil, we have no way to monetize it!"
"Our country has at most a few hundred cars; there is no consumer market at all!"
"If we want to make money, we must export the oil!"