Standing in front of the window of the chief's office, Todd looked at the sixteen bodies that had been hung up from the snow-covered hills and trees, and was speechless for a long time.

A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought.

After obtaining permission, Huggins walked into the room, looked at the back in front of the window, and whispered, "Your Majesty, the list you want me to investigate is already eyebrow-raising. ”

Todd turned around, sat down in the armchair, and closed his eyes: "Read it." ”

Huggins took out the paper in his arms and read out the names: Master Terrence, Ulysses, Dion, Elijah...... Some Todd has heard of it, and some have never heard of it.

It took five minutes for Huggins to finish the long list, drop his hand, and fall silent.

Todd opened his eyes and asked, "What have these people been doing lately?"

Huggins thought for a moment and said, "Most of these students or scholars are from Taylor College, and they have recently formed a 'Jade Society' on their own, and they often gather together to discuss scholarship and discuss current affairs......

Seeing that the head of the Kingdom's Security Bureau wanted to stop talking, Todd said again: "If you have anything to say, you don't need to say it without saying anything." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty! What these people are talking about seems to me to be contrary to doctrine, even to the gods! They question the Bible, and some even suggest that the kingdom of the Twilight should abandon the Father and worship the truth. Huggins said while finding that Todd was still indifferent, and said a little anxiously: "Your Majesty, I know that you have prejudices about the Church and have a permissive and even conniving attitude towards the truth, but it is not wise for the Kingdom of Twilight and the Knights to rely on the 'protection' of the Heavenly Father, and let the blasphemers under the banner of 'truth' come to you. ”

Todd stretched out his hand to stop Huggins' admonition, and said slowly: "I can understand the psychology of scholars, who have experienced the 'disaster of truth', no longer believe in kingship and religion, and hope to be able to control their own destiny. This request to participate in the legislature and the judiciary is a temptation to yearn for power. Although I don't intend to give in, the development of the Twilight Kingdom really can't be without them. If you don't believe me, think about it, what have these people done lately?"

"Grades?" Huggins was stunned for a moment, and then said, "Many of them have the dual status of teachers and researchers at the Twilight Academy, and last month they proposed a fixed-ratio quantitative and conversion formula for 'xenomorphic microorganisms', thus updating the ability evaluation criteria of xenomorph warriors in the army, and greatly simplifying the manufacturing process of 'Successor', and they have improved the launch slot and crossbow arrow hole of the crossbow machine, so that the accuracy and loading of sniper crossbows are more ......."

Todd sighed as Huggins went through the scholars' accomplishments.

No matter which dynasty, no matter what kind of kingdom, for the monarch of a feudal country, the most troublesome thing is not only those usurpers, but also these intellectuals.

In the era of "divine authority of kings", knowledge has always been a double-edged sword for royal power. If it is used well, it can improve the people's livelihood and strengthen the military, but if it is not used well, it can hinder the rule and even trigger revolution.

In the long history of previous lives, whether in Europe or Asia, the struggle between Scientology and Metaphysics has never stopped. "Emphasizing democratic consciousness or emphasizing national capacity" has always been at the heart of political disputes.

In today's Twilight Kingdom, for example, the constitutionalists with scholars as the backbone demand for laws and status to ensure their own security, which is not wrong, but the behavior does not meet the requirements of the times and circumstances, and Todd uses the prestige of the Holy Son and the power of the Knights to impose a military dictatorship, which seems problematic but is the only option in the current environment.

From Todd's standpoint, he could not allow scholars to take power, nor would he cede some of his power, and the brutal struggles and conflicts in the other world forced him to be a dictator, but he had to rely on the power of scholars to develop the technology and culture of the Twilight Kingdom.

This leads to a rather paradoxical situation, in which Todd must draw on the power of knowledge and at the same time must assert the authority of religion. How to shift the focus of scholars' attention from the struggle for power to the research and development of science and technology is a question that he, the king, must ponder carefully.

Todd, who had no clue for the time being, could only signal Huggins to pay close attention to the movements of the scholars and limit their inappropriate words and actions, especially those who deny the doctrine and call for democracy.

Watching Huggins close the door and leave, Todd was just about to sit down, when another guard knocked on the door and reported, "Your Majesty, Lord Joe, I ask to see you." ”

Todd agreed, and the old friar, with a Mediterranean haircut, walked in with a stack of papers.

Seeing the surprise on the king's face, Monk Qiao didn't give the other party a chance to speak, and said directly to the point: "Your Majesty, we must talk about the financial problems of the kingdom. ”

"Financial problems?" Todd said with a puzzled expression, "I read the financial report you submitted, and the financial revenue of the Dusk Kingdom this year is much higher than the expenditure, what will be the problem?"

Monk Joe flipped out a piece of paper, pointed to the data on it and said, "Your Majesty, the vast majority of the kingdom's income this year comes from plundering and occupation. The real revenues generated by taxes and minerals are very small, while expenditures on experimental equipment, construction works, army expansion, grain imports, etc., are increasing day by day. If this continues, if there is no new source of income, by this time next year, the treasury will be out of money again. ”

Todd's eyes widened, he grabbed the paper and looked at it again, and hurriedly asked, "Didn't we lay down the North Stone Mine, and the income from silver ore should be enough to support the development of the kingdom!"

The monk shook his head: "The reopening of the mine requires the recruitment of manpower, the opening of the shaft, and the repair of equipment, and the official start of construction will not be until April next year." After the beginning of spring, the combined forces of Yinhuan and the barbarians will re-attack the mines, and it is a question of whether the silver ore can be transported smoothly, let alone traded. ”

Todd pressed his back to the back of the armchair and pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand, his head full of frustration.

Why do those traversers in the movie become kings or leaders, as long as they wave their big hands and shake their tiger bodies, the spirit of the king and the overlord permeates the four fields, and the heroes bow their heads to vote. After opening a few grains and going down to the grassroots level to give a few speeches, the people always burst into tears, shouting long live the protagonist with gratitude, and their loyalty soared to 100 in an instant, never declining. As for money, there is no need to worry about it, and there is never a need to consider fiscal balance and expenditure control. When it was his turn, he had to spend a lot of energy to reconcile the factional relationship and the contradictions among the people, and he had to find ways to raise funds. Could it be that the difficulty chosen by others when crossing is "easy", and the difficulty chosen when crossing by yourself is "hell"?

Asking Monk Joe to go back and think about what to do, Todd sat in the empty room, looked up to the sky and sighed, just about to call for some tea to be prepared, when the knock on the door sounded again.

What's going on today?

In just two hours, three groups of people came?

After obtaining permission, the guard opened the door and reported: "Aiden Kom, the president of the Artisans' Guild, has brought several people and asked to see you. ”

Old Aiden, the honest old craftsman?

With a lot of doubts, Todd agreed to the request.

A few minutes later, old Aiden walked in with two young men, one a monk and the other who appeared to be students.

When the old craftsman entered the room, the first thing he did was to stretch out his two hands and hold down the heads of the two young men, and the three of them knelt directly on the ground, their foreheads slamming on the carpet in unison.

Todd was puzzled and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Aiden raised his head and muttered, "Your Majesty, you trust me and let me manage the work of saltpeter. However, due to lax discipline, my subordinates secretly took the raw materials and diverted them for personal use!"

Todd took the hot tea handed over by the attendants, and when he heard the old craftsman's words, he felt a little incredulous: "Stealing raw materials? You mean, these two young men stole the dung used to make nitrate?"

Old Aiden nodded desperately, then nervously rubbed the corners of his clothes, and motioned for the young people to speak quickly.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us for our mistakes!" The young man, dressed as another student, looked more relaxed than the quail-like monk who only knew how to tremble.

Todd blew the heat on the tea, looked at the three kneeling on the carpet, and asked curiously, "You have nothing to do, what are you doing stealing feces?"

The young man's next words made the tea in Todd's mouth turn into a rain mist and spray out.

"Make perfumes. 』