Alien Knights

On the training ground, veterans who had just returned from the battlefield were teaching the new recruits how to line up and obey orders with sticks in their hands.

Cumberland stood at the entrance to the playground, arms folded, looking sad.

"Even the little girls in our village who have just learned to walk can beat these men down." Brunhilde said while chewing some black biscuits, shaking his head.

Cumberland glanced sideways at the snack bag in her hand, frowned and said, "Still eating old Camp's handmade cookies? Has it been half a month?"

Brunhilde stuck out his tongue, licked the biscuit crumbs off his fingers, and tied the seal of the snack bag: "Muxi City is so big, but I can't find such delicious sweets anymore."

Cumberland remembered the disappearing figure in the fire, sighed imperceptibly, and changed the subject: "What do you think about the training of these recruits?"

"Opinion?" Brunhilde heard the cries and begging for mercy of the recruits, and she spat: "These recruits recruited from the refugee pile are thin and weak. They can't even hold their weapons steadily, so how can they go to the battlefield? According to the practice of the North Islanders, I will throw them all into the battlefield. The survivors will be incorporated into the army, and the dead will contribute to the land."

Cumberland turned back, looked at the training ground and said in a deep voice, "Weakness of body is not terrible, barrenness of faith is the root of uselessness. The Muxi Knights fight for the kingdom and freedom, and this group of people in front of them joined the army just to make a living."

Cumberland turned and walked out of the training ground.

"Have you stopped watching it?"

"There is no need to read any more. The most urgent thing is that I need to find someone to discuss."

Walking through the bustling crowd, Cumberland looked at the bustling street while walking, and secretly sighed in his heart, the war had only ended half a month ago, and the city had returned to its former prosperity, as if nothing had happened.

The patrolling soldiers recognized the commander of the Muxi Knights, and they all bowed to salute. Cumberland nodded and quickened his pace.

Walking to the door of a small building, just as Cumberland was about to open the door, a middle-aged woman with a bag on her back rushed out and bumped into the old knight.

Seeing clearly who was outside the door, the woman immediately complained loudly: "My lord! I can't do this job anymore. Even if you give me a higher salary, I won't do it anymore!"

Cumberland endured the other party's loud voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Go in and have a look for yourself!" The middle-aged woman tightened the straps of her bag, and left the door without looking back.

Cumberland watched the other party leave, turned and pushed the door open.

The strong stench of alcohol, mold, and vomit hit his face, Cumberland subconsciously took a step back, collected himself, and then walked in again.

In broad daylight, all the windows in the room were tightly closed, and the thick curtains were deliberately fixed with wooden clips. While groping in the dark, Cumberland kicked down countless empty wine bottles on the ground, and stumbled to the innermost bedroom.

"Old tortoise, what have you done? This is already the fifth servant who has been pissed off by you!"

Hearing Cumberland's reprimand, Earl Emerson, who was sitting on the floor in a corner, holding a half-full bottle of red wine in his arms, with a haggard face and dark circles around his eyes, waved his hand to signal the other party to leave him alone.

Seeing the filth all over his old friend's body, Cumberland became furious. He grabbed the hem of the curtain with both hands and pulled it hard, dragging the entire curtain to the ground.

The glare of the sun shone into the room, Emerson threw away the wine bottle, covered his eyes with his arms, and roared in dissatisfaction.

Cumberland squatted down, grabbed the other party's collar, and said fiercely: "I rescued you because I hope you cheer up, not because you want to be with alcohol all day long and commit suicide slowly!"

The unshaven Emerson looked into the eyes of the old knight and said coldly: "At the beginning, no one came to ask you to save me. Everything was done by you, you bastard..."

Cumberland stared wide-eyed, grabbed Emerson by the collar, ignored the opponent's protests and struggles, dragged him along the ground, and walked into the storage room in the back.

Lifting the lid of the water storage bucket, Cumberland scooped up clean water with a wooden basin, and poured it all over Emerson's head.

The water temperature was cold, and the clothes were thin. Emerson, who was nearly fifty years old, started to chatter before he could swear.

Cumberland smashed the wooden basin into pieces with one punch, squatted down again, and yelled at Emerson: "I saved you because you are valuable! If you really plan to give up on yourself, why don't you ride your horse and head towards the southern forest, where the wild wolves can help you escape faster!"

Emerson looked at the furious old knight and laughed: "I know what you want me to do. But have you ever thought that the so-called kingdoms are all the same, rise today and perish tomorrow, and in the end, in the long river of history, not even a single wave can be seen."

Cumberland found a clean sackcloth in the storage room and threw it to Emerson: "I told you a long time ago that Muxi Kingdom is different. There are no hypocritical nobles or racial discrimination here. Everything here is well-organized and full of vitality."

"No, you're just wrong. The Muxi Kingdom is not much better than the Silver Ring Kingdom." Emerson took a sackcloth and wiped his hair carelessly: "Tell me, what is the most important thing for a kingdom?"

Cumberland glanced at Emerson: "Army?"

"Fart! From the time we met, you know how to fight every day! If the kingdom survives by war, it will be destroyed sooner or later! Economy, religion, people's livelihood, diplomacy, military, these are the most important elements for the development of a kingdom..."

Cumberland shook his head and whispered, "According to you, everything is important, so it's over?"

Emerson threw the sackcloth on Cumberland's face and exclaimed, "I'm not done yet!"

"Why do I say that the current situation of the Muxi Kingdom is very bad? Let's take a look at it separately, let's talk about the economy first. I have calculated the product production capacity of Muxi City, plus the refugees outside the city, and the population has exceeded 50,000, but the consumption level within the kingdom has not been raised. Most of the products produced must be digested by trade. But have you ever thought about it? If the main trading partner of the Muxi Kingdom, the Southern Empire, restricts or even prohibits imports in order to protect its own industries, what should you do? Pour the excess red wine into the sea?"

"Looking at religion again, the Muxi Kingdom obviously takes the Heavenly Father's religion as the foundation of its life, but it accepts a large number of heretics in a mess. Let me count for you, the North Islanders who believe in the gods of Asgard, the barbarians who believe in the ancient gods, the heterogeneous people who believe in the Unified God of Tyro, and those scholars who shout atheism every day. Religious conflicts and factional conflicts are intertwined. It doesn't seem like a big deal now, but this is completely relying on the king's personal charm to suppress it. If this continues, sooner or later Religious conflicts will explode.

"Then there is people's livelihood. Cumberland, stand on the hills of Muxi City and take a look at the city, and you will understand where the problem lies. There are workshops and shops everywhere, do you feel that something is missing?! Damn it! What about the farmland?! Most of Muxi City's food supply depends on imports! Have you ever thought that this kind of low-priced imported food will completely suppress the enthusiasm of farmers and force them to give up farming and turn to production or business! Do you know what this means? If I were the enemy of the kingdom, I would only need one Disguising as a pirate fleet, blocking sea trade routes, or sweeping up goods in the grain market, within a month, without a single soldier, the Muxi Kingdom with soaring grain prices will collapse by itself!"

"Next is diplomacy. Oh, diplomacy, is there any diplomacy in Muxi City?! Since the establishment of the kingdom, how many diplomatic envoys have you sent, and how many countries have you established diplomatic offices? Zero egg! You are complacent about defeating the barbarian and Yinhuan coalition forces, but you don't know that this victory has pushed the Muxi Kingdom into the abyss! The Yinhuan Kingdom perished, the barbarian army retreated, and the Church of the Heavenly Father was finally free to clean up the Muxi Knights. The Knights are ineffective, if you initiate a crusade document, or even send troops directly, the church can do anything!"

"And military! Cumberland, I don't know what you taught King Muxi? The supremacy of military power?! The theory of plundering national power?! Remember, your theory, no matter how good it is, can at most produce a general, but it is definitely not suitable for a monarch! War is the continuation of politics, and it is also the bargaining chip of diplomacy! It is a foolish act to ruin the kingdom for a small profit without paying attention to the overall situation!"

With a deep sigh, Cumberland covered his forehead with his hands: "Old Turtle, come with me to meet His Majesty. As I said before, he needs you, and Muxi Kingdom needs you."