ps: At the end of the month, ask for tickets, ask for subscriptions

While people from all over England gathered to celebrate Christmas, Edward was not idle.

After accompanying Elizabeth and the others to Westminster Abbey for prayer, after lunch, Edward urgently instructed Luna to carry all the food and drinks that had been prepared into the carriage.

In fact, after becoming king, Edward understood that the army was always the most important pillar of rule.

There is a saying that the barrel of a gun comes out of power.

A king without an army is not a true king.

After 1688, the reason why the power of the king of England deteriorated day by day was because Parliament deprived the royal family of the right to rule the army.

As a result, the parliament had complete control over the army, and even the navy, which had been under the control of the royal family, was not spared.

With an army, then it is possible to control the parliament and thus have the power to collect taxes, not just rely on the prestige of the king himself.

For example, the later Lord Protector Cromwell, when he ruled England, Parliament was completely reduced to a puppet, kneading with him.

This was the reason why Parliament later supported the restoration of the Stuart dynasty, and it was only after Cromwell's death that he dared to support the restoration of the king.

Therefore, the parliament has always forbidden the king to have a standing army, just to prevent the king from exercising absolute power.

However, Edward used the expansion of the Guards to circumvent this prohibition and thus achieve the same goal.

The reason why the parliament agreed to the king's expansion of the guard was that the power of the Tudor kings became stronger and stronger, and it was difficult for the councillors to resist this right.

The second is because they thought that the royal family did not have enough money to support the guard.

If it is true according to the time of Henry VIII, it is true, 10,000 pounds a month, 120,000 pounds a year, which is half of the annual income of the royal family, and it cannot be raised.

However, when they made a joke, they were surprised by Edward's handwriting.

This is why the parliament agreed to Edward's political exchange, giving the subsidy to the central government forever, with an army of 5,000 people on his side, who were not so bold.

This is also due to the fact that the local militia is not completely controlled by the local gentry.

As a sign of His Majesty's concern for the Guard, Edward asked Luna to prepare 100 pigs, 500 sheep, and 1,000 chickens to reward the loyal troops.

Of course, these sumptuous treats were only part of the equation, and in order to create an image of the king's generosity, Edward gave the soldiers one pound per soldier and five pounds to the officers as a reward.

In this way, Edward directly scattered about 10,000 pounds, which was almost the cost of the Guards in a month.

Knowing that His Majesty the King was coming, the whole army was lively and chaotic, which directly annoyed the Alexander knight, and reprimanded him sharply, and then quieted down.

Everyone stood on the playground, holding their heads as high as they could, and was inspected by His Majesty.

Edward rode on top of Arthur the White Horse, smiling as he walked past the Guards lined up, nodding from time to time, in the eyes of the soldiers, this was the best compliment to them.

At the end of the parade, Edward took the stage and said with a full heart: "My soldiers, as your king, I am very satisfied with your performance! ”

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your Majesty......" The soldiers below were suddenly led by the officers and cheered enthusiastically, and the scene was lively for a while.

"As a reward for your valiant soldiers, I have brought some food and liquor to comfort your stomachs!" Seeing that the atmosphere was almost over, Edward pressed his hand, and the soldiers suddenly fell silent before he continued.

"Of course, these are just appetizers."

Edward stopped the cheers and smiled.

"Brave Guards soldiers, as a thank you for your loyalty to the royal family over the past year, today you will receive one pound sterling for each of you as an end-of-year bonus, and five pounds for the officers, which you deserve!"

Next, there was no need for the officers to lead them, and all the soldiers shouted excitedly: "Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty ...... King"

In this way, it lasted for a minute before the scene calmed down, but Edward enjoyed the cheering and surrounding sound.

"Alright, my soldiers, go, go to the quartermaster, the glittering gold coins are waiting for you!"

Tempted by Edward, the soldiers left the playground one after another and walked briskly to the quartermaster position.

Seeing this, Edward shook his head with a wry smile, sure enough, the Guards were still an army in the feudal era, and they only had money in their eyes.

He simply wanted to test the discipline of the Guards, whether they acted autonomously without the consent of the officers.

Sure enough, as he expected.

The so-called feudal army is not strict in military discipline, advocating personal force, that is, if there is milk, it is a mother, they are loyal to money, when you have no money, it will leave you and throw into the arms of the enemy.

Moreover, the proportion of losses it bears is only two or three layers, and at this point, it has to collapse.

The modern military is characterized by team spirit. Replacing the individual with the whole, the soldiers are honed into machines that carry out orders one by one, and there is only one mind and one command in an army.

Moreover, due to the rise of modern nationalism, the military has also developed some national thinking. For example, the King of France could not be recognized by English soldiers, and he would not accept employment from enemy countries.

Compared with the feudal army, the proportion of casualties in the modern army is as high as seven or eight layers.

At the time of the American Civil War, the British soldiers marched forward with the beat of the drums and the artillery, and when they reached the effective range, almost half of them died, while the British still shot in an orderly manner, which was terrifying to watch.

Of course, all armies in Europe are feudal at the moment, and there is nothing to be disappointed about Edward's failure in the test.

In this way, Edward's idea of reforming the military system was further promoted.

As he walked along the road, Edward's mind continued to think about various reforms, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he could almost imagine himself defeating Spain and France.

Thinking of doing it, Edward stopped thinking and said with a serious face to the Alexander knight who accompanied him behind him: "Mr. Knight, call all the high-ranking officers, I have something important to announce!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Alexander made a knightly salute, and with a mind full of doubts, he went to prepare, and he didn't care what the king wanted to do, just do as he was told.