Volume 7 Mortals and Gods Chapter 758: The Heart of the People (…
The entire castle instantly entered a wartime state, and all the troops were urgently assembled. Soldiers, knights, and many guards were gathered together. Even the veterans who had served were all temporarily summoned by Baldwin.
The entire earldom spent a whole day gathering most of the standing army and all the knights and knights' retinues that could come.
In this way, on the second day after Fiona and her party entered the Earl of Clement, in the warm autumn sun and a golden wheat field, Fiona and Ilos held hands, just like a couple.
Field trip.
Behind them were a group of guards, then a large group of free folk troops, as well as Baron Otero and his personal guards. Compared with Fiona's leisurely stroll in Ilos, these people were obviously very nervous.
It's too quiet.
"This is a bit unlike that count's style."
Iros took Fiona's little hand and said with a smile: "I thought they would come out in a big way to intercept me."
"Yes, I understand them." Fiona looked at the scenery in the distance, with some caution on the face of the Grand Duchess: "They will never sit idly by."
Sure enough, as soon as Fiona finished speaking, large groups of troops appeared on the hillside in the distance.
Groups of sword and shield soldiers, spearmen, and archers lined up under the shouts and curses of the knights.
Freedmen sergeants, wearing breastplates, leather armor, and helmets, lined up in several rows, and then several groups of knight lords held high the Clement family's heraldic flags, fluttering slowly in the autumn wind, and more
The knight's retinue opened the way and entered the wilderness.
It is currently impossible to determine how many people there are on the other side, but judging from the number alone, there are at least two to three thousand people.
It was the army of the Earl of Clement family, and Fiona had already recognized the other party's identity from the family's heraldic banner.
"Get ready to fight, get ready to fight!"
Raymond was the first to rush forward. The officer of the Guards stopped in front of Fiona and Iros. He first loaded his crossbow with crossbows, and then loudly ordered the Guardsmen to form an array.
These elite warriors lined up in two rows with artistic and smooth movements. The battalion commander shouted to Fiona: "Please, Your Excellency the Grand Duke, and Lord Iros, please wait here, let me
Have a good talk with these guys!"
"How to talk? Raymond, you just use weapons to talk?"
Fiona glanced at Raymond, raised the corners of her mouth, and shook her head: "
Soldiers, put away your weapons!"
The loyal Guards immediately obeyed the order. They put away their weapons and lined up in two rows without saying a word. Even when facing an army of two to three thousand people, these veterans did not change their expressions.
Even if they face at least three thousand enemy troops, even if they face an army of knights that is far more numerous than themselves, even if they know that they will not receive backup, as Fiona's most loyal soldiers, every member of the Guards was born into a humble family.
After hundreds of battles.
"Your Majesty the Grand Duke, I promise you that you will never see the back of our defeat."
-Sergeant Major of the Guards, senior veteran, Rohirrim, the strong man of the Sanctuary who has served the charr for the 23rd year
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"Damn, what a bunch of traitors!"
Raymond was very aggrieved. The battalion commander had already loaded his crossbow with arrows, but now he couldn't pick it up or put it down.
Moreover, Fiona ordered her to put away her weapons. Raymond stood there for a long time, and in the end he could only lower his head and curse secretly.
"What are you talking about?" Fiona said with a smile.
"No, it's nothing." Raymond suddenly realized that Iros and others were looking at him, and he quickly shook his head in embarrassment.
Fiona still maintained her graceful and elegant demeanor, but she didn't seem to understand what Raymond was saying at all.
"I recognize their flag, with a white cross on a yellow background and a blue sea monster spouting family crest. They are the army of the Earl of Clement family. The commander is Sir Baldwin and the lieutenant is Sir Leonard."
Fiona took Ryan's hand and the Grand Duchess said very carefully:
It seems that the old Count Clement is very wary of us, and he even dispatched his entire army for this reason."
"Angoulême and Connet have always been strongholds of the conservative faction."
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Iros remained calm, but he knew that the scene in front of him had exceeded his expectations. He originally expected to encounter resistance of this scale only when he was close to the fiefdom of the Marquis of Angoulan.
But when he thought of the words "My vassal's vassal is not my vassal", Iros was relieved.
Yes, old Count Clement is not subordinate to Fiona, so why should he obey his orders and let the road to Angoulan pass?
The advantages of the enfeoffment system have been mentioned many times before, but what about the disadvantages?
It's very simple. There are three main reasons. The first is the appallingly low administrative efficiency (one layer manages one layer, and there is no way to directly manage another layer).
The second is that his financial and mobilization capabilities are as rubbish as Xiang's.
The third is that independence and separatism have become more serious over time.
Therefore, Fiona must wrest a lot of power from the hands of these feudal nobles. No matter how annoying and full of drawbacks the bureaucracy is, it is undoubtedly much more advanced than the feudal system.ωωw..net
However, there must be a prerequisite for the implementation of the bureaucracy, that is, there is a complete set of well-trained bureaucratic teams to cooperate.
These bureaucrats need to be able to read and write and be well-trained in administration, which is very difficult.
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As we all know, people who can read and write and are well-trained in administration only come from three factions - nobility, church, and wizards.
Cultivating a group of people like this cannot be accomplished in a day or two.
So to put it simply, as productivity increases and education becomes more popular, it will be easier to completely replace the nobility with bureaucracy.
But this painful step cannot be taken at all - the external military pressure is too great, and sufficient military power and sufficient resource allocation must always be maintained, so the military aristocratic group is always the protagonist.
This is the case with the Principality of Shire, and this is the case with the Albrex Empire. The transformation of aristocrats into bureaucrats is the best choice at the moment.
Fiona narrowed her eyes and looked at Count Clement's army that was surrounding them from both sides. The Grand Duchess stretched out her hand and motioned for the Guards to wait where they were, signaling everyone to stop.
She will test whether everything she has done for the Ciel, for humanity, and for order over the past twenty years is worth it.
She will test her prestige. If this is a test, then it is time for Fiona or the Gross family to give results.
Under everyone's gaze, Fiona and Iros walked toward dozens of rows of infantry, two teams of knights, five teams of knights' retinues, and three mobile trebuchets.
Under the spotlight, Ryan Fiona looked serious and walked firmly.
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Wearing a red and blue golden lion dress, without a laurel wreath, and with a white gold cup cloak behind her, Fiona and Iros, who was wearing heavy armor, walked step by step towards the army of more than 3,000 people.
Go without any hesitation.
Not far away, Sir Baldwin, holding a knight's sword in his hand, noticed that the soldiers were wavering.
Their formation became a little scattered, and many soldiers couldn't help but want to retreat, while more soldiers and knights lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into Fiona's eyes.
Those eyes radiated lightning and fire of judgment and torture.
Before Baldwin could give the order, the knights under his command had already begun to roar loudly. After all, they were all the backbone of the knights under the old Count Clement, and Baldwin was just the appointed commander. They drew their swords and raised their lances:
"Soldiers! Heed the order! Move forward, raise your weapons, and drive these people from our land! If there is any resistance, shoot to death!"
"go ahead!"
The voices of the knights echoed far, far across the wilderness.
However, the entire army seemed to be under a spell. All the soldiers looked at Archduke Fiona and Ilos who were walking slowly step by step. No one moved. Everyone, look at me. Look at me.
Looking at you, your face is full of doubts.
Some veterans had even put down their weapons and showed angry expressions towards the knights who gave orders.
"Those who disobey orders will face the most severe trial, and they will be hanged immediately in the name of treason!"
The knights under the old Count Clement then shouted: "You despicable dogs! You will pay the price for your cowardice!"
The army remained motionless. The serf infantry, free civilian sergeants, and mercenaries imported from the empire with heavy sums of money all refused to carry out the orders of the knights. Even the knights' retinues turned a blind eye to the orders of the knights.
Likewise, just across the field, the Guards and the free folk troops, including Baron Otero's bodyguard, remained motionless.
Between the sky and the earth, only Fiona and Iros were left behind him, and the sound of the waterwheel not far away.
Everything was stagnant like mud that couldn't be dissolved, and people's hearts were tightly grasped. Ekaterina couldn't help but pursed her lips and stared at Fiona.
Behind the two people.
Iros, who was half a step behind Fiona, couldn't help but show a stern expression.
You can do it, Fiona, my love, you can do it.
No matter where it is, I, Ilos, will face it with you, because we are lovers!