Chapter 28, Peeping from Another World (Part 2)
The armed force that currently takes over the city of Italica and the entire Earl of Formar territory, Princess Pinna's personal guard "Rose Knights", is not strictly a real army, but its influence at the top of the empire is Quite extensive.
The original birth of this group was the "Knights Game" played by Princess Pinna with the children of nobles when she was twelve years old. At that time, Princess Pinna, who was still a child, occupied an abandoned castle on the outskirts of the imperial capital and happily gathered a large group of noble children to conduct "military exercises." It was just a pure war game at the beginning, but later it was slowly formalized. Instructors were recruited from retired empire veterans to teach swordsmanship, bow and arrow, and horse riding. They also raised funds to purchase ordnance and repair the living facilities of the fortress. He also recruited attendants for the "little knights" - no matter what, Pingna is a princess after all, and the children who play with her are either rich or noble. As long as they act like a spoiled child with their parents a few more times, this thing is still worth it. Got. Next, Princess Pinna and her friends gradually formulated the precepts and rules of the "Game Knights", the oaths of the members, various rituals, and the class system to regulate the daily lives of the members. Although the members They are all little kids, but they are already quite presentable.
Then, as the first group of members gradually grew up, those male members reached the age where they had to serve in the army or become officials, so they had to quit the group one after another. Although some female members left because they had to undergo bridal training, there were still many more who stayed than men. As a result, the entire knights became prosperous, and women accounted for the majority. However, there are also many younger boys who apply to join. Some of the reasons are that they want to cling to the powerful and win friendship with the princess and the female noble heirs, but most of them simply want to "play with the beautiful big sisters." ……
In the end, Princess Pinna's personal guard turned into a wonderful group composed of athletic girls and children, active for two or three months every year, somewhat similar to the Boy Scouts or military summer camps on earth. The emperor and the Senate also thought it would be good to set up such a group - the education system in this world is extremely backward, even magicians have to be taught by masters and apprentices, and there are basically no schools in the true sense. Even for the cultural and military studies of the children of the imperial aristocracy, parents mainly rely on their own money to hire private teachers. However, not everyone has access to good teachers, and teachers with good knowledge may not be good at teaching, and they often mislead people. Parents are always worried when things happen to their children.
Now Princess Pinna has taken the lead in organizing such a group. It can rely on the power of the royal family to recruit experienced retired officers from the army who are good at leading troops to teach military skills and combat experience; it also borrows palace scholars and precious classics from the royal family to teach the royal family The cultural knowledge at the junior level allows the children of the little nobles who participate in it to have access to royal-level teaching resources. Even children who are not bright-minded can take this opportunity to meet the descendants of many wealthy families and expand their network of contacts. It is even possible to find a well-matched person of the opposite sex and form a happy marriage. At the very least, you can control your own naughty children and prevent them from running out and causing trouble. This will save parents a lot of trouble.
For this reason, the Imperial Senate and Emperor Morte II issued the organization and military flag to Princess Pinna's "Game Knights" a few years ago, and officially named it the "Knights of the Rose", with Red Rose and White Rose as its subordinates. The three detachments of Huang Qiangwei and Huang Qiangwei were also equipped with military camps, training grounds and logistics institutions, thus turning it into a semi-formal military education institution equivalent to the short-term military school for the imperial aristocracy and the nature of the upper-class boy scouts. Although the veteran generals of the empire disagreed with this, some aristocratic children and retired officers who were keen to join the camp saw the benefits contained in it, or simply took a fancy to the beauties in the knights, so they crowded into the "Knights of the Rose" to take up positions. instructor. The noble ladies of the empire also felt that this was a social occasion as conducive to finding future sons-in-law as balls and cocktail parties, so they enthusiastically let their daughters or sisters join in.
In this way, Princess Pinna, as the founder and leader of the Knights of the Rose, has become the host of the military salon and the principal of Whampoa Military Academy in another world, and may also be the owner of a marriage agency - although it is only a junior military academy, it is still It’s in the form of a short-term summer camp, and even Princess Pinna herself doesn’t quite know how to use it. This rather subtle political influence has actually shown some effects... For example, when Emperor Morte II left the capital for the last time, the reason why he asked Princess Pinna to serve as regent was because she was there. He was the "King of Children" in the Knights of the Rose, and had some good relationships with the main nobles of the empire. Although those unruly nobles still don't listen to the instructions of this little girl like her, but considering that their children still have to hang out in the Knights of the Rose, they should leave her with some dignity...
Of course, in the final analysis, the Knights of the Rose are still essentially a boy scouts, and they are also a delicate and noble girl scouts. Although it cannot be said that there is no combat capability at all, no one would think of sending this unit to the battlefield unless it was absolutely necessary. Since its establishment, the Knights of the Rose have only served as an honor guard for several celebrations and sacrifices. Even at the current critical moment when the imperial capital has turned into a vast ocean and domestic rebellions are raging, the Senate has only given the Rose Knight a relatively safe task of evacuating refugees, with no intention of letting him participate in actual combat - as long as there are still Who would be willing to let their daughter and children go to the battlefield without any room for maneuver?
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Closer to home, in Senior Ma Tong's estimation, the "Knights of the Rose" should be a gorgeous combination similar to the women's gymnastics team or the AKB women's idol group. But in fact, in the city of Italica, the visitors from other worlds did see many beautiful female knights with graceful figures and beautiful looks. However, in addition, there were many more wearing the flag of the Knights of the Rose. The number of rough men and demihumans was several times that of the female knights.
In this regard, Senior Sister Ma Tong couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Political Commissar Guo thought this was normal and there was nothing unreasonable - "...Isn't this normal! Originally, the knights of medieval Europe on Earth did not only refer to military matters. One person represents the most basic combat unit. A knight usually has several to a dozen attendants on horseback or on foot. Following and serving, being responsible for duties and vigils, and even serving as infantry and archers on the battlefield can allow the knight to maximize his combat effectiveness. Otherwise, if he is alone and does not get any help from his attendants, he may not even be able to wear his iron armor. He can't even put it on! And his horse will soon be crushed by the heavy armor...
Currently, in this city, most of the knights who ride tall horses, look brightly armored and neatly dressed are indeed children and girls. Most of the adult men in the Order of the Rose are shabbily dressed and have low status. They probably serve as attendants, servants and infantrymen - they are not considered members of the Order, but just servants serving the members of the Order. You see, after deducting these men who are not members of the Knights at all, the Knights of the Rose are indeed basically an army of female knights..."
——In short, the Knights of the Rose are such a strange army with women and children as officers and adult men as cannon fodder infantry.
Even so, because the empire at the peak of its expansion period was filled with a very strong martial atmosphere, the overall appearance of the Knights of the Rose did not fall to the level of dandyism that Wang Qiu and the others had seen in the late Ming Dynasty. In addition, since the regular members of the Knights of the Rose are either rich or noble and have sufficient financial resources, the armors, weapons and horses they are equipped with are also of the highest quality. Princess Pinna also hired experienced retired officers as instructors, so in general, this knighthood still has a certain combat effectiveness.
When Wang Qiu and the others were wandering around the city, they saw a small group of female knights who had been ordered to sweep the Appian Avenue and eliminate bandits along the way. They proudly carried many heads and returned in triumph with a group of prisoners - although their troops were very powerful. Although the situation was limited, Princess Pinna continued to send small troops to suppress bandits. On the one hand, she wanted to reopen trade routes and raise food, and on the other hand, she also wanted to accumulate some practical experience for her rookies. At present, it seems that the actual combat performance of these new **** knights is not particularly disappointing.
Of course, even if this knighthood still has some fighting power, it is still vulnerable to visitors from other worlds with rich combat experience.
"...There are about a hundred knights in total, most of whom are young women, and there are less than twenty adult male knights. There are about five hundred attendants and infantry, but no priests or magicians are found with the army. No dragon knights flying on pterosaurs were found either..."
Wang Qiu silently calculated the strength of the garrison in the city, and then smiled, "...Actually, with just a few of us, we can kill the entire knights and take over the city. Of course, with so many charming characters It would be a pity to kill the beautiful knight casually..."
"...Even if we don't use Doraemon's black technology props, the People's Liberation Army's active equipment alone is enough to conquer this continent."
After hearing such vulgar words, Political Commissar Guo rolled his eyes at Wang Qiu angrily, but he didn't accuse him of anything - after having traveled through so many weird plot worlds and experienced so many catastrophic disasters. , if we continue to talk about noble and selfless ideological consciousness in another world, it would seem a bit too hypocritical, "...but don't forget, everything can be done with peace." Your Majesty, we are not here to fight. Even if we need to make some military deterrence gestures, it is just a bargaining chip for negotiating with otherworldly regimes. These powerful children of the Knights of the Rose may become our rulers with the empire. A communication channel between people... So unless it is absolutely necessary, it is better not to kill easily.”
"...Wait! Professor Guo, what do you mean? The country has mobilized so many troops to come to another world, but it doesn't want to fight?"
In response to this, before Wang Qiu had time to respond, Ma Tong frowned and couldn't help but come over to interrupt, "...is this correct?"
"...Of course there is nothing wrong with that. We are not the kind of protagonist Long Aotian who shouts 'my fate is up to me' all day long and only knows how to fight and kill!"
Political Commissar Guo sighed, shook his head and spread his hands, "...Actually, as far as I know, the central government has never had any intention to destroy and conquer this alien empire from beginning to end. Our people's soldiers are not here to conquer this world. Yes, because the 'door' on the Arnus Hill does not exist permanently, but can only be opened for a few years. No matter how much land is laid, the country will not be able to occupy it, and it will not even have time to develop resources on a large scale. Therefore, this world actually only has research value, unless it is like the late Ming Dynasty Similarly, there are hundreds of thousands of Chinese who are willing to immigrate here permanently, and are ready to open up borders and build a country here to achieve hegemony... However, even so, conquering other worlds is only a matter for those immigrants, and the country There is nothing with the government The obligations must be taken care of for them - even in the late Ming Dynasty, we have never taken the initiative to send the People's Liberation Army to attack the Qing army, Ming army and rogue bandits! Those territories were conquered by the time-travelers themselves by recruiting troops and organizing troops... …”
——Okay, I have to admit that from the perspective of a time traveler, Political Commissar Guo’s attitude is obviously a bit coward--he clearly has the military strength to crush the entire continent, but he is so cowardly and values peace... However, considering the actual situation of the Time and Space Gate, from the perspective of a national civil servant, Political Commissar Guo’s views are very reasonable and take into account the interests of the country and the government to the greatest extent...
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In addition to observing the military appearance and composition of the Rose Knights as carefully as possible, Wang Qiu and the others also noticed a subtle sign with some surprise: Those demihumans who have suffered discrimination and abuse naturally have a different view of the empire. . Even the citizens living in the city seriously lacked recognition and respect for the imperial regime in their speeches. When it came to the great flood that destroyed the imperial capital and the imperial civil war that broke out across the Romanian mountains, most citizens seemed to gloat about their misfortune. It feels like being an Indian in the colonial era, talking about the world war that broke out in Europe.
However, this is not an overseas colony far away from the center of the empire, but a transportation hub only more than 200 kilometers away from the imperial capital!
For this reason, Wang Qiu and the others asked the young magician Lelai and the old village chief of Gota Village, and combined with the intelligence they had collected, they came up with a vague guess - although from the perspective of the entire continent, the Imperial Capital The city of Urabianka is located roughly in the south-central part of the Falmat continent, but in fact, the core hinterland where the citizens of the empire live is in the southeast of the continent. For a long time, the location of the imperial capital has been the westernmost border of the empire. Further to the west of the imperial capital, the human country on the other side of the Romanian Mountains, although they are also humans, is already very different culturally from the core ethnic group of the empire, which is roughly equivalent to the difference between the Catholic camp and the Orthodox camp in Europe. Huge
Therefore, the empire's move of the capital to its current location is a bit like "the emperor guarding the country" - of course, it is not a passive attack like the Ming Dynasty's capital Beijing, but a comprehensive move like the move of the capital to St. Petersburg by Peter the Great in Tsarist Russia. The strategic offensive... and after a few centuries, the empire had indeed defeated all its opponents and became the supreme overlord of the entire Falmat continent.
But the problem is that although military conquest is rapid, national and cultural integration is not so fast. Therefore, just like the Tsarist Empire that later established its capital in St. Petersburg, the city of Urabianka, the imperial capital of this alien empire, was surrounded by people who lacked a sense of identity with the empire. Either they are the conquered people of the former defeated countries who lack a sense of identity with the empire, or they are vassal countries that were beaten half to death but are still unconvinced - roughly comparable to the Soviet Union's allies and the Warsaw Pact countries of the red camp in Eastern Europe. Put the imperial capital into a circle surrounded by potentially hostile forces.
Among them, the old village head of Gota Village and most of the people in the entire village were fugitive survivors from a small kingdom that was destroyed by the empire's troops. The blue-haired girl magician Lelei belongs to a special ethnic group called the Lulud people. On the continent of Falmat, the Lulud people have always lived in no fixed abode since ancient times and lived a wandering life. They are equivalent to gypsies from another world and have almost zero sense of identity with any country.
In other words, if the Chinese want to find potential anti-imperial forces to act as allies, or at least to win over neutral forces to act as guide parties and brokers, there are already a large group of them just around the imperial capital and the "gate". This is really A delightful piece of good news.
"... I feel that the situation in the empire is really like Tsarist Russia! The imperial capital Urabianca, located at the eastern foot of the Romanian Mountains and adjacent to the blue sea, is equivalent to St. Petersburg, and the Count of Formar at the western foot of the Romanian Mountains is equivalent to the three Baltic countries. One, and the south is always in contact with the empire. The enemy, the recently defeated Kingdom of Elbe, is Sweden or Poland. As for the territory further west of the empire, it is already equivalent to a huge prison where many ethnic groups are imprisoned? This adjective seems to be used to describe Tsarist Russia. It can be applied to the Empire.”
Wang Qiu took out a simple drawing version of the mainland map provided by Lelai, frowned and muttered, "...the real traditional territory of the empire is actually to the east of the imperial capital, to the south of the Headhunting Rabbit Grassland, which is now occupied by the eldest prince's rebels. ...Could this be...Moscow versus St. Petersburg?"
"...Listening to what you said, it really sounds like this. If the empire is Tsarist Russia, then what are the headhunting rabbits on the grassland?"
Daya, the time traveler headhunting bunny girl, came over with interest and asked, "...are they equivalent to the Mongols in this world?"
"...Come on! With such a pitiful strength of the Headhunting Rabbit Tribe, isn't it far behind the Mongols?"
Wang Qiu glanced at her, "...At best, it is the level of the Siberian indigenous tribes..."
……
In this way, a group of travelers from another world, after carefully disguising themselves, and under the guidance of the guide party in this world, successfully sneaked into an alien city closest to the time and space gate, and collected enough intelligence information. And left safely and unharmed.
No matter from which point of view, the entire reconnaissance operation can be described as extremely successful.
However, when they returned to the place of departure three days after setting off in a relaxed mood and prepared to report to the leaders of the relevant departments above them, they were shocked by the huge changes that appeared in front of them. ,transfixed.
Because, just three days later, an unprecedentedly majestic city appeared in the wilderness located on the Arnus Hill...
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※PS: Latest An archaeological evidence shows that ancient humans first learned to use wild fruit and grass seeds to make wine, and then the earliest agriculture gradually appeared. In other words, there were already alcoholics before the birth of human civilization... How should we evaluate this? Human bad nature?