Chapter 2109 - 13. Icewind Forest (2)

Objectively speaking, the Tsar's intent for reform was well-meaning. Its core objective was an attempt to strike a compromise that would satisfy all sides and thus maintain domestic stability when the tidal wave of change inevitably struck. Judging from his initiation of local self-governance and the establishment of the "Gentry Assemblies," this young Tsar leaned toward enlightenment. However, the will of a monarch cannot stand against an entire nation and its entrenched elite interests. Moreover, his decree's total preservation of royal privileges failed to convince the deeply disappointed lower classes of the sincerity and resolve behind his reforms. Forcing landlords to yield benefits, while masses of laborers flocked from rural areas to cities, caused a labor shortage in the countryside, further fueling the landlords' complaints.