A conversation between two old men and a young man lasted for three hours.

To be more precise, most of the time it was Emerson talking to Todd, and Cumberland just coughed to express his displeasure and doubts.

"You are right, the kingdom has been established for a short time, and it does have many shortcomings, and I admit that these are true. Listening to Earl Emerson's analysis of monarchs and power, Todd nodded and said, "To be honest, I have not been exposed to domestic and foreign affairs in the past, and the only knowledge I have come from books. ”

"No, you have misunderstood what I meant, the king should be the one who gives orders, and if he does everything himself, then there is no future for such a kingdom. So, you are not wrong in domestic and diplomatic affairs, at best, you are not using the right person. Emerson glanced at a nervous Cumberland and continued: "However, I think you have some ...... in your grasp of power."

"With regard to the evil of human nature and the centralization of monarchy that you mentioned, I can only say that I partially agree. Todd said after pondering the political and philosophical theories he had heard during his teaching.

Emerson raised an eyebrow: "Please speak." ”

"Let's talk about the human nature you mentioned, generally speaking, there are two views, one is that human nature is inherently good, and the other is that human nature is inherently evil. Personally, I think both of these statements are a bit biased. From the moment people are born, they are almost a blank slate, and there is no absolute classification of good and evil. However, with the encounters in the process of growing up and the pressure of the real environment, they will gradually be biased towards self-interest or altruism in their thinking. ”

Emerson chewed on Todd's speech and asked, "I understand what it means to be under pressure?"

"Most of the 'evil people' who use 'self-interest over altruism' as their strategy of action do not meet their basic needs from the perspective of their living environment. These include the lowest level of physiological needs, such as food and shelter, and the second level of security needs, such as physical and family security. Who would have the consciousness of devotion and kindness when people talk to them about dedication and kindness when they lack food and clothing and their lives are in danger?"

Emerson stroked his beard with his hand, and was speechless.

Todd continued: "If a monarch simply treats his subjects as evildoers, he thinks that the only way to deal with them is violence and deception, and not to improve the basic living conditions. Then the relationship between the king and the people will fall into a vicious circle, until a revolution changes classes and hierarchies. ”

"So, you mean that no one is born evil, and those in power should try to improve the living environment of the people, and only the improvement of the living environment and the satisfaction of basic needs can reduce the self-interested tendency of the people and improve the sense of national identity?"

Todd scratched his itchy right arm and said, "This is the relationship between the monarch and the people, but when it comes to the relationship between countries, the position is completely different. There are many things I don't understand about this myself, so I won't talk about it here. Next, I intend to talk about the centralization of monarchy. Count Emerson, I know you don't agree with my decentralization. ”

Emerson smiled, "Looking at the history of all kingdoms, your actions are indeed mavericks. ”

"Then I have a question first - must the king be right?"

Todd's words stunned both Emerson and Cumberland, who looked at each other, not knowing what the king meant.

Todd did not wait for their answers, but continued his statement: "I personally believe that in myths, legends and dramas, that kind of all-powerful leader simply does not exist. Think about it, there is a person who knows astronomy and geography, who is morally like the Holy Spirit, and who is invulnerable in strategy, and such an existence can no longer be called a human being at all, and this is a completely deified fiction. ”

"Why does this kind of character exist? More because people or authors are more likely to create this kind of character through their own preferences, wishes, and even dreams through rumors, poems, literature, etc., to satisfy their own spiritual satisfaction. But what about the reality? Kings are also human beings, and they also have a history of growth and learning, and their personalities, experiences, knowledge, and preferences will affect their methods and processes of governance. But this kind of domination mixed with personal emotions often leads to irrational deviations. ”

Todd paused for a moment, recalling the historical texts he had read: "For example, rulers from military backgrounds tend to favor their ruling line toward struggle, rulers from literary backgrounds are more inclined toward culture and influence, and rulers with business or production experience are more interested in reorienting the future direction of the country toward the economy." Can we say that the line of any ruler is wrong? No, there is no way to draw conclusions, except that a certain person is more suitable for this kingdom under certain circumstances. ”

Emerson looked at King Twilight and suddenly asked, "So, Your Majesty, what type of consul do you belong to?"

Hearing the other party's question, Todd lost his mind for a moment, thought for a long time, and finally said with a wry smile: "As a king, I may be more inclined to technology and research. ”

Emerson nodded as if he didn't understand: "I see, you studied at the Monastery of San Sidro for a period of time before, and it must have been this experience that influenced you. ”

"Abbey?ah, in fact...... Forget it, none of that matters. Todd waved his hand and pulled the topic back to his train of thought: "I mean, no ruler is perfect, and they will have corresponding preferences, but the governance of the country needs to involve many fields, politics, economy, law, people's livelihood, science and technology, military, culture, etc., which requires the king to have absolutely rational emotions and extremely broad knowledge, but in fact, this is impossible." That's why I said that it was necessary for me to cede some of my power to my subjects and let them help govern the country. ”

Emerson pondered Todd's statement about the separation of powers, and suddenly made a hypothesis: "If the king had been a wise monarch who had been able to listen to his subordinates and revise the policies and lines of the kingdom according to them, would there not be no need for decentralization? ”

Todd nodded, "That's really a way to do it. In history, there will indeed be some wise monarchs, they have a sense of the overall situation, they know the truth that listening is clear, and partiality is dark, and the kingdom is indeed thriving and stronger in their hands...... But have you ever thought about the question: these good kings will die eventually, and their sons will inherit this kingdom, and who can guarantee that this heir will be a maven? Well, assuming that his son is also a good king, what about his grandson?"

Emerson sat back in his chair, completely frozen.

Todd recalled the decline and fall of countless empires, and said in a tone of endless emotion: "It may take dozens of generations to raise a kingdom, but it only takes one faint king to destroy an empire. ”

"It may take dozens of generations to raise a kingdom, but it only takes one faint king to destroy an empire."

Emerson repeated the words of King Twilight, but his mind was full of the ups and downs of the Silverring Kingdom for hundreds of years, the shattered faith, the people to be slaughtered, and the burned city.

Cumberland was a little flustered, he didn't know where his old friend's sudden sadness came from, and persuaded him: "Emerson, there are some things that are too complicated that I don't understand. But the only thing I know is that our king is a wise monarch, there is no doubt about that. ”

Emerson wiped his face with his sleeve, nodded and said, "You are right, Your Majesty may indeed be the first monarch in the history to ask for the restraint of royal power. It's not stupidity, it's actually a kind of wisdom that has never been seen before. ”

At the end of the meeting, Cumberland walked out of the Knights' headquarters with Emerson.

The latter glanced back, the tall building in the sun, took out a wine bottle from his bosom, threw it into the grass with his backhand, and the count said to himself, "Just use my old body to gamble again." Follow him all the way to see if you can really build Twilight into an empire that will not fall!"