In human history, the political rule of aristocrats is the longest. From the time when humans left the barbaric tribes, aristocrats have accompanied the growth of human society and continued until modern times. Even in the 21st century, people with aristocratic titles are still respected.
When modern people hear the word aristocrat, they may have some negative impressions in their minds. It seems that aristocrats are a group of dudes, a group of villains who do not understand the sufferings of the world and even prey on the common people themselves.
This view is definitely one-sided. In fact, the aristocracy has played a very positive role in human history.
The reason for the formation of the aristocratic class in human history is, on the one hand, the high degree of monopoly of material resources, and on the other hand, the monopoly of knowledge by humans.
Yes, it is precisely because of the dual monopoly of wealth and knowledge that ordinary people cannot enter the elite class at all. In ancient times, the opportunities for untouchables and commoners to receive education were very low, and the ways to change their own class were almost zero. Even if mankind enters the 19th century, even if the first industrial revolution has come to an end, there are still a large number of illiterates in the most developed Europe.
In this social background, despite the attempts by emerging forces such as the French Revolution and the British Glorious Revolution, aristocratic elites still rule the upper classes of various countries, and the awe of the aristocrats among ordinary people is still very strong.
Today, Xiao Letian actually dared to insult the nobility. The viscount recognized by the Habsburg Dynasty was actually stripped naked and hung on a high cross like a white-striped pig. Everyone from top to bottom of the Thorn Gardener was angry.
"Bandits, these are bandits... No, no, no, they are worse than bandits, they are just a group of oriental barbarians! Why don't the damn British and French kill them all!"
"The whole army assaults to rescue the hostages. Austria's dignity cannot be trampled on... Division Commander, please give the order..."
The Thorn Flower Division is a very special force. Among these ten thousand people, all officers who are company commanders or above have noble titles. Among the officers kidnapped by Xiao Letian on the highlands, there were two viscounts and three barons. , and the rest also have the title of palace knight.
As for the officers surrounding the old count, their backgrounds were even more serious. There are counts, viscounts, barons, lords and countless honorary knights here. If you pick anyone out here, the background behind them will be huge.
The teacher rubbed his temples painfully. He looked at the officers in front of him who were putting pressure on him. He knew very well that at least three of them would be able to reach the position of marquis in the future. Even Viscount Alan, who was strutting in his underpants on the highlands, would be in the future. His status will not be lower than that of an earl.
"Enough! Is it time to fight now? If the lives of more than ten colleagues are lost, how will we explain to His Majesty the Emperor, and how will we explain to the Council of Nobles? By then, we will have taken the credit for the ten highlands together. , and cannot escape His Majesty’s wrath..."
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch our colleagues being humiliated?" The people around him were about to lose control. This war was not going well, which severely damaged the old count's prestige.
Brigadier Pengka still thought of the division commander in his heart. At the critical moment, he stood up and supported the teacher: "Shut up! Have you forgotten all the imperial regulations? There is only one commander here, Count Tablis. Do you want to rebel?" "
"You, you, you...I am too lazy to mention your names. Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking about. Viscount Alan will be your strongest competitor in the future. Without him, there will be one more seat in the future... Damn you bastard, how long has it been before you are still thinking of such a dark trick!"
"Pengka! You are such a slanderer... For the sake of God, I will fight you..."
"A duel is a duel! Am I afraid of you? I'll let the three of you go together..." Pengka can become the brigade commander as a baron, which shows that he still has real abilities.
"Enough!" Earl Tablis shouted amidst the commotion, "Do you all think that I am dead? I tell you, as long as I am still breathing, as long as the military does not dismiss me, then I will always be yours. Commander...shut up now!"
The veteran tiger's power was still useful. When everyone saw that the old earl was really angry, they all turned their horses and took half a step back. The old earl straightened his military cap and said coldly, "Let me go up. I'll negotiate with this Xiao Letian. I want to see what kind of Chinese he is..."
"Commander! No way..." The officers rushed forward. "There is a group of bandits on the opposite side. These barbarians are not moral. What if they detain you? You can't put yourself in danger!"
"Go away! Do you think Bismarck is blind? Since he can reach some kind of alliance with the Chinese and is even willing to let the Chinese command the Prussian soldiers, it has been proved that Xiao Letian is a politician and has the endorsement of the Prussians. What am I afraid of..."
Even though Bismarck was the enemy of the Austrians, once the name of the iron-blooded prime minister came out, no one really had any objections and everyone shut up.
Immediately afterwards, Earl Tablis and Penka, with three guards on horseback, rushed towards the trench.
"Don't shoot... We want to see Xiao Letian, and we want to negotiate!" Pengka yelled at his neck a hundred meters away from the trench.
After a while, a tall, thin young man jumped out of the trench, with a dozen soldiers holding guns behind him to protect him.
"I am Xiao Letian, the first prime minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a master of Western learning in the Qing Empire, an honorary citizen of the United States of America, a staunch ally of the Kingdom of Prussia, and a loyal partner of Protestantism in Asia... May I ask what I call the old gentleman opposite?" With a smirk on his face, Jonas, the translator next to him, had a bitter look on his face.
"Ahem..." The old earl had never seen such a person before. He started with a lot of cynical remarks, and the dazzling titles made him dizzy.
"You...are you Xiao Letian, the Prime Minister of the East? Although I have seen your photo in the newspaper, I didn't expect you to be...so young?" The old count and Pengka looked at each other with disbelief on their faces. .
"Tch... put away your vain aristocratic etiquette and say whatever you want! Do you suspect that I am a fake? I can tell you that as long as I give an order, the brothers behind me will Even if they are facing mountains of swords and seas of fire, they dare to jump... Do you want to try?"
The unruly and talkative old count kept rolling his eyes. He had faced countless negotiations and verbal exchanges in his life. But I have never seen such a cynical negotiating opponent. He was smiling playfully one second, but then started to say harsh words the next second, and he turned against him faster than turning the page of a book.
"Don't get me wrong, I just spoke out of my feelings... Well, let me introduce myself formally. I am Count Tabris, the commander of the Thorn Flower Master. I am here to negotiate with you in good faith..."
"Mr. Xiao, you should withdraw your troops. I can promise you that you will not be attacked in any way during your withdrawal. Let us end this meaningless war and don't let more people die in vain..." "
Xiao Letian chuckled, "A truce? Let us give up the high ground? We have sacrificed more than 300 lives, but you want to take it away with just a few words? Are you kidding me?"
The old count shook his head and replied seriously, "Sir, I will not joke with the lives of soldiers. Although you have killed more than 300 people in the battle, we have lost more people, ten times as many as you." ...You have achieved a glorious victory, and it is definitely not an insult to you to retreat now..."
"You should think about the remaining soldiers. Most of them are injured, and all of them are exhausted. Do you really want them all to die here? Also, I am very curious, you Chinese are with us There is no grudge against Austria, so why are you killing so desperately?"
"Let's go! Leave here with your proud record. Instead of being wiped out in vain, why don't you keep the fruits of your victory..."
I have to admit that the old count's eloquence is still very good, and everyone present is moved by his words. If there is a different commander, I am afraid no one will refuse such kindness.
Xiao Letian listened quietly to the old count's reasoning. In the end, he even turned to look at the crosses on the high ground, and looked at Viscount Alan's white underwear fluttering in the wind, with a sneer on his lips.
"If my guess is correct, Viscount Alan must have a very noble status in Vienna, right? Does he have a lot of connections? Or does he have a lot of wealth? Is he so important that he would trade a war?"
The irritated old earl blushed slightly at these words. He didn't say anything, but he didn't deny it either. Although Alan is only a viscount, his family has close ties with the Dutch royal family, and he is one of the few nobles in Austria who can earn benefits from maritime trade.
Moreover, Alan had affairs with many high-ranking ladies in the aristocratic circle. If anything happened to Alan, his family and his mistresses would definitely be angry with him.
The old earl was filled with helplessness. He had just ordered the artillery to carry out bombing regardless of the enemy or ourselves, but he had already lost his military morale. It was foreseeable that when the battle was over, his career would probably come to an end.
But killing some ordinary soldiers and killing a group of nobles are completely unequal things. If you accidentally bomb the soldiers, you will lose your official position at most. If you accidentally bomb the nobles, you will probably lose your noble title and even your life.
"Mr. Xiao, please don't hesitate any longer. The conditions I have offered are very reasonable. If I leave you now, you can still keep the fruits of your victory. If you insist on going your own way and really hurt several Habsburg nobles... "
"Oh, God! I dare not think about such a scene. Even if the kings of Bismarck and Prussia want to reward you, they will not dare to resist the anger of the entire European aristocracy! You will deserve the benefits by then I’m afraid I won’t get a single point away…”
"Hahaha, don't say that you joined this war out of morality. If Prussia didn't give you enough benefits, would you be so desperate?"
There was a cunning light in the old count's eyes. "Let me guess, what do you want? The latest technology or the most advanced factory? Maybe you want more talents or a batch of warships? Hahaha, behind. China needs so many things, and many of them are obvious to us, so it’s not difficult to guess!”
"But, please remember! Don't challenge the aristocratic circle in Europe. Don't let the monarchs of all kingdoms hate you. If you really kill Viscount Alan, then you will be the life-and-death enemy in the eyes of all the nobles in Europe... If If that’s the case, I’m afraid you won’t be able to take away any of the benefits that Prussia promised you!”
With a hiss, Xiao Letian took a breath of air. He looked at the old count coldly and sighed in his heart. He was indeed a cunning man. This knife hit my weak spot.
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