Standing in front of the window of the regimental commander's office, Todd looked far away at the sixteen corpses hung up on the big trees on the snow-covered hills, and was speechless for a long time.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
After getting permission, Huggins walked into the room, looked at the figure in front of the window, and whispered: "Your Majesty, the list you want me to investigate has already been identified."
Todd turned around, sat on the armchair, closed his eyes: "Read it."
Huggins took out the paper in his arms and read out the names one by one: Master Terrence, Ulysses, Dion, Elijah... Some people Todd had heard of, while others had never heard of them.
It took a full five minutes for Huggins to finish reading the long list, lowered his hands, and fell into silence.
Todd opened his eyes and asked, "What are these people doing recently?"
Huggins thought for a while and then said: "Most of these students or scholars are from Taylor College. They have recently formed a Jade Society spontaneously and often gather together to discuss academics and current affairs..."
Seeing that the head of the Kingdom Security Bureau was hesitant to speak, Todd added: "If you have anything to say, just say it. No need to hesitate."
"Yes! Your Majesty! What these people are talking about, in my opinion, is against the doctrine and even against the gods! They question the words in the Bible, and some even suggest that Muxi Kingdom should abandon the Heavenly Father and uphold the truth." Huggins.
While talking, he found that Todd was still indifferent, and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, I know that you have prejudices against the church and a permissive or even conniving attitude towards the truth, but the Kingdom of Muxi and the Knights both rely on the protection of Heavenly Father.
, it is not a wise approach to allow blasphemers under the banner of truth to do whatever they want."
Todd stretched out his hand to stop Huggins' admonishment and said slowly: "I can understand the psychology of scholars. After experiencing the disaster of truth, they no longer believe in royal power and religion, and hope to control their own destiny. This
This first request to participate in legislation and judiciary is a temptation to thirst for power. Although I do not intend to give in, the development of the Muxi Kingdom is really impossible without them. If you don't believe it, think about what achievements these people have made recently?
"
"Achievements?" Huggins was stunned, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Many of them have the dual identity of teachers and researchers at Muxi College. Last month they proposed the fixed ratio quantification and conversion formula of xenogeneic microorganisms, thereby updating
They have improved the ability evaluation standards of alien warriors in the army, and also greatly simplified the manufacturing process of successors; they have improved the launch slot and crossbow hole of the crossbow, making the sniper crossbow more accurate and loading faster..."
Listening to Huggins recounting the achievements of these scholars one by one, Todd sighed.
No matter which dynasty, no matter what kind of kingdom, for the monarchs of feudal countries, the most troublesome people besides those who usurp power are these intellectuals.
In the era of divine right of kings, knowledge has always been a double-edged sword for royal power. If used well, it can improve people's livelihood and enhance military strength; if used poorly, it can hinder rule and even trigger revolution.
In the long history of previous generations, whether in Europe or Asia, the struggle between the scientific school and the metaphysical school has never stopped. Emphasizing democratic consciousness or emphasizing national capabilities has always been the core of political disputes.
Take the current Muxi Kingdom as an example. The constitutionalists, with scholars as the backbone, demand to formulate laws and obtain status to ensure their own security. This demand is not wrong, but their behavior does not meet the requirements of the times and environment;
Todd uses the reputation of the Son and the power of the Knights to implement military dictatorship. This behavior seems problematic, but it is the only choice in the current environment.
From Todd's standpoint, he could not allow scholars to take power, nor would he transfer part of his power. The cruel struggles and conflicts in other worlds forced him to be a dictator; but he had to rely on the power of scholars,
To develop the technology and culture of Muxi Kingdom.
This creates a quite contradictory situation. Todd must rely on the power of knowledge and maintain the authority of religion. How can the focus of scholars be shifted from the struggle for power to the research and development of science and technology? That is, he, the king, must
Questions to consider carefully.
Todd, who had no idea at the moment, could only tell Huggins to pay close attention to the movements of scholars and limit their inappropriate words and deeds, especially those who denied the doctrine and called for democracy.
Watching Huggins close the door and leave, Todd was about to sit down when another guard knocked on the door and reported: "Your Majesty, Mr. Qiao, please see you."
After Todd agreed, an old monk with a Mediterranean hairstyle walked in holding a stack of paper.
Seeing the surprised look on the king's face, Friar Joe didn't give the other party a chance to speak, and said straight to the point: "Your Majesty, we must talk about the kingdom's financial issues."
"Financial problem?" Todd said with a puzzled look: "I read the financial report you submitted. The fiscal revenue of the Muxi Kingdom this year is much higher than the expenditure. What problems will this cause?"
Friar Joe pulled out a piece of paper, pointed to the data on it and said: "Your Majesty, most of the kingdom's income this year comes from plunder and occupation. The actual income from taxes and minerals is very small, while experimental equipment, buildings
Expenditures on projects, military expansion, and food imports are increasing day by day. If this continues, if there are no new sources of revenue, by this time next year, the national treasury will be out of money again."
Todd's eyes widened, he grabbed the paper and read it again, and quickly asked: "Didn't we capture the North Stone Mine? The income from the silver ore should be enough to support the development of the kingdom!"
The monk shook his head: "To restart the mine, we need to recruit manpower, open the shaft, and repair the equipment. The official start of the mine will not start until April next year. After the spring, the coalition forces of Yinhuan and the barbarians will attack the mine again.
Whether the ore can be shipped out smoothly is a question, let alone trading."
Todd pressed his back against the backrest of the armchair and pinched the bridge of his nose with his hands, his head filled with frustration.
Why do those time-travelers in novels and movies become kings or leaders, and with a wave of their hands and a shake of their tiger body, the aura of domination permeates the countryside, and heroes bow their heads to surrender. They open a warehouse to put food in a few times, and then go down to the grassroots level to publish.
After several speeches, the people always burst into tears and shouted with gratitude, "Long live the protagonist." Their loyalty instantly soared to 100 and never dropped. As for money, there was no need to worry about it, and there was no need to consider fiscal balance and expenditure control.
When it's my turn, I have to spend a lot of energy to coordinate the relationship between factions and the contradictions among the people, and I have to find ways to raise funds. Is it possible that when others travel through time, they choose easy difficulty, but when I travel through time, I choose difficulty
hell?
Let Friar Joe go back and think about countermeasures first. Todd sat in the empty room, looked up to the sky and sighed. Just when he was about to ask someone to prepare some tea, the knock on the door rang again.
What's going on today?
In just two hours, three groups of people came?
After obtaining permission, the guard opened the door and reported: "The president of the craftsmen's guild, Aiden Colm, has brought a few people and asks to see you."
Old Aiden, that honest and honest old craftsman?
Full of questions, Todd agreed to the request.
A few minutes later, old Aiden came in with two young men, one was a monk and the other looked like a student.
When the old craftsman entered the room, the first thing he did was to stretch out his two hands and hold down the heads of the two young men. The three of them knelt down on the ground and knocked their foreheads together on the carpet.
Todd was confused when he saw this and asked, "What are you doing?"
Aiden raised his head and muttered: "Your Majesty, you trust me and let me manage the work of saltpeter production. But due to lax discipline, my men secretly took the raw materials and used them for personal use!"
Todd took the hot tea handed by the attendants and felt a little weird when he heard the old craftsman's words: "Stealing raw materials? You mean, these two young men stole the excrement used to make saltpeter?"
Old Aiden nodded desperately, then rubbed his clothes nervously and winked to signal the young people to speak quickly.
"Your Majesty! Please forgive our mistakes!" Compared to the monk who only trembled like a quail, another young man dressed as a student looked more calm.
Todd blew on the hot air from the tea water, looked at the three people kneeling on the carpet, and asked curiously: "You have nothing to do, so why are you stealing feces?"
The young man's next words caused the tea in Todd's mouth to turn into rain and mist and spray out.