September, this month has had special significance in human society since ancient times.
Before the rise of the White Church, when the Lamanites still believed in traditional polytheism, they set the festivals of the "God of War" in March and October - the months when the war began and ended respectively.
From the past to the present, war has always been an exclusive summer activity due to the lack of means of preserving food.
In this seasonal span, September plays an important role.
Historically, few commanders were willing to delay a war beyond September, the last time crops were harvested before the onset of winter. If the war drags on for more than this month, the conscripted labor force will not be able to return home, and the grains in the fields will gradually rot in the sun and rain because there is no one to harvest them.
From this point of view, the civil war in Avenella ended just in time.
Even though we are located in a relatively mild temperate zone, it is still important to prepare for winter. The labor force liberated from the war quickly returned to their hometowns under reasonable deployment and control. Edward did not indulge his subordinates in wantonly plundering and executing defeated opponents like other West Coast victors. Unlike the Southern Allied Army, the Northern Army only had a small number of nobles and all of them were die-hard loyalists to His Royal Highness, so when these orders were executed Very efficient.
He was more visionary than other West Coast aristocrats of his generation, and he was able to see the longer term, rather than just the small immediate interests.
Despite this, the problem before Edward was still not easy.
There were many militiamen and surviving mercenaries who escaped and got lost in the Neira Forest during the war. The work of reorganizing, collecting, and repatriating these people to their hometowns lasted for a month and has not yet been completed. And those southern farmers whose homes were burned down by Ashberon II had no place to return to after the war. How many of them would leave silently one morning and become bloodthirsty thieves everywhere? Something no one can explain.
Even if they once stood by Edward during the war and became the most fearless warriors because of their desperate efforts, when all this is over, what should these people do who can no longer recover physically and mentally? A major problem.
Many things, many things, require manpower and brainpower.
In order to preserve the country's strength to deal with the subsequent crisis, Edward showed mercy and pardoned most of the southern nobles. But this kind of behavior was viewed as weak and bullyable by them. In addition, with the arrival of the Luoan royal family, the surviving nobles must have realized the crisis. It was difficult to understand how much they were planning in their hearts. But at the moment, The entire political structure of Avenella is still in a delicate balance.
Can Edward persuade them to realize those more terrible crises and work together for the country's future, and if not, how will he deal with these people.
"Being a good king means you have to do bad things." The wind blew quietly on the Avenue of the Royal Capital of Avenella in September. The off-white linen curtains beside the windows swayed gently, and the sunlight reflected in Otolo The style is decorated with many curved vines on the golden window frames - after Ashberon II identified the Western empire as the suzerainty, he tried his best to imitate their style, but Edward was not interested in this excessively heroic decoration. Don't agree.
He is still the simple and young prince who only wore a set of plain plate armor when Ashenil met Henry, the one who initially made our sage decide to spare no effort to help him from now on.
"Sir, this is the second time I've said this." Edward didn't look back, and his voice was so far away that it sounded a bit ethereal.
Henry was rarely carrying his sword on his back. He was wearing simple clothes, a short-sleeved linen jacket and light trousers, and soft leather short boots on his feet - he shrugged habitually, There was no sound, just standing quietly like this.
Edward was silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
"I suddenly understood what Mr. Sir said in Wawasika." His Royal Highness put his hands behind his back. When he turned around, the guard part of the armed sword worn on his waist collided with the metal protecting the sheath mouth and made a "click" sound. " made a sound, and Edward continued: "The enlightenment of a king is something that a noble must bear. I have also read a lot of history books. I used to always think that if I encountered a similar situation, I could use the experience of previous people to act. If we learn from it, we will make wiser choices.”
"But in the end, it still won't be easy." He said, and there was a sound of footsteps in the corridor behind the two of them. Henry changed his position, turned his back to the wall and faced there, closed one eye and listened. For a moment, he turned around again.
"No option is good for everyone. When you choose one side, it inevitably means that you must betray the other side." The crisp sound of small leather shoes "tacking" sounded, and a maid carried a Tea passed by and went to the other side, and Edward smiled slightly: "Sir, this is the second time I have said this."
"Just treat me as old and have amnesia." Henry shrugged again, and then said before Edward could speak: "His Royal Highness has always been an idealist."
"To put it bluntly, it has been determined from the moment you were born that this life will be extremely rough." The sage said this, but the words were clearly offensive to a man who was about to become a king, but they did not arouse any reaction from Edward. dissatisfied.
Because if there is anyone in this world who is definitely qualified to teach him, then the tall black-haired man in front of him is definitely among them. Edward's word "sir" is a bit like the word "teacher" in Mira's mouth.
"If you are born in a commoner family, or to say more, a lower-class jazz family, then your lofty ideals and ambitions will only bring you ridicule and contempt. Your family will only regard your ideas as 'stupid' In response, they think you should just stick to your duties, do what you should do honestly, and don't worry about such big things." Henry walked to the window and glanced outside, although he looked natural , but Edward could see those gray-blue eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"Even if you go through all kinds of hardships and start your own struggle without support, the difficulties you have to face will still not be reduced by half." The sage continued: "Just like your family, everyone is People in other positions in this country's deep-rooted class system also embrace the same 'keep your duty' way of thinking - farmers should be like farmers, knights should be like knights, don't do unnecessary things Don’t think about things that don’t belong to you.”
"If you are not in your place, you are not seeking your position." Edward summarized it with a Laman proverb.
"Yes, but it's more than that. This matter -" footsteps sounded, and Henry didn't need to turn around to know that it was our white-haired girl - the learning of advanced swordsmanship is not limited to the starting hand and holding method As well as swing training, the supporting footwork in the movement is also extremely important. A trained swordsman will always pay attention to controlling his own rhythm when walking - but this is not the whole reason. The sage turns Afterwards, Mira, who was wearing traditional Luoan clothing, walked over on sandals with thick wooden soles.
Now over 1.7 meters tall, she wears thick-soled shoes that are no better than most male warriors. She has short white hair that reaches her ears and is elegant, paired with a knee-length skirt with brown vertical stripes on a white background, and white short-sleeved shirts. The shirt is wrapped in a small black vest, and the dark blue heavenly butterfly, the symbol of Luo An, is embroidered on the left chest. Her tall and delicate appearance makes her bright eyes even brighter.
Mira noticed that the two were still talking and did not speak. Henry raised his eyebrows. She walked in and stood next to the sage. The latter continued the above words: "This matter has nothing to do with the deep-rooted tradition. Culture cannot be separated from relationships, and those with vested interests do not want any change in the situation before them, either emotionally or rationally. Therefore, if His Highness the Prince is born into a lower-class noble or civilian class, considering that the shackles that need to be broken are so huge, you It is very likely that he will be depressed and unfulfilled for the rest of his life."
Henry said, Edward nodded in agreement, and although Mira next to him did not hear the previous words, he could already make a guess from this connection to a series of recent events - but the sage changed his subject. , then said: "But this is a blessing."
"Like the current prince, who was born into the royal family, or not into a lower-class noble family but into a highly influential high-class noble family at the Grand Duke level. As an idealist, what you need to face is the entire country. dissenters."
"This includes your family, your close friends, and everything that makes up this kingdom. Changing them is not a matter of one or two sentences overnight. It is crawling on the tip of a knife. Any mistake will destroy it. It's the whole country that's gone," Henry said, and Edward mimicked his shrug: "You're putting more pressure on me, sir."
"But I understand what you want to say, sir." The same footsteps came again, and another Luoan girl, who was much smaller in stature, walked in wearing similar but more gorgeous clothes. Mira turned her head and faced Lina smiled slightly, and the last princess of the Luoan people walked to the vicinity of the three of them in small steps.
"I -" Edward paused, glanced at Lina, and corrected: "The choices we have made are difficult, and we will inevitably face more at the front of this road."
"No one can tell what the future will hold, and there is no way of knowing how future generations will judge me."
"But this is a sin we must bear because we are kings."
"Mai-Vata Kalomi" Lina took over his words in a still slightly childish voice:
"You must keep improving yourself."
"If we are retreating here instead of taking on the obligations and responsibilities we must bear, then how can we convince the people of the Kingdom and follow us."
"The king who has lost his people and his country, even if the throne he sits on is studded with gold, silver and precious stones, it is just a meaningless decoration."
"..." Lina nodded silently, while Edward clenched his fists and unclenched them again.
There were far denser footsteps outside than before, and a group of Avenella nobles and some nobles from the old Loan Kingdom appeared in the direction of the door.
Lena and Edward walked towards them, and Mira was also led by the petite Princess Luoan. She stopped and looked back at her teacher, but Henry just shook his head at her.
"..." Mira didn't ask any more questions. The communication between the two of them never required too many words.
One movement and one expression, everything is conveyed clearly.
"Ah, Your Highness - this is" Henry paused, and Edward stopped and turned around to look at him, along with everyone else present.
"This is the last time I call you by this name." The wind suddenly became stronger, the beige linen by the window swayed wildly, and Henry, who could not see his expression clearly with the light behind him, said every word.
"This world is driven forward by idealists who are paranoid, stubborn and stubborn."
“No matter what happens in the future, don’t give in to whatever is in front of you.”
"..."
"I will." Edward answered him in simple words, and then a mighty procession of Avenella's powerful class walked in their costumes and walked towards the square outside the palace.
Henry was left alone, standing in the empty room, looking at everything outside the window.
"Your descendants are also very outstanding, Axibon."
"Staying in your country seems to be the right choice." He looked far away from the window of this sun-facing room. The morning sun hung high in the eastern sky, but the sage's eyes were looking up. It is indeed not the dazzling brilliance, but the familiar yet unfamiliar country below the distant horizon.
It was September 1, 192 in the Avenela calendar.
The United Kingdom of Avenella and Roan declared its establishment and established its capital in the old royal capital south of Avenella, which was renamed "Brofalin".
His kingdom adopted the policy of co-governance by two kings, the first of its kind in the history of the West Coast.
The abolition of slavery and the return of people's freedom and freedom of commerce and trade that he promoted became a feat that many countries would imitate in the future.
This is where it all started.
The two kings who stood at the forefront of the storm will be known in later generations.
Edward I.
With Catherine II.
On the same day of the same year, in a remote town more than 100 kilometers away from the royal capital, the late King Ashbern II fell ill and died silently.
When he died, he was alone.
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Volume 2, end.
