What is the basis of domination?

Freedom, democracy, or prosperity, well-being?

No, it's neither. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The foundation of rule is stability.

Stable upper and lower classes, stable interest relations, stable institutions of violence...... Of course, it would be best if there was also a stable upward channel for civilians; Even if there is none, the word stability alone is enough to ensure the peace of three generations of a dynasty.

-- The reason why it is three generations is because after three generations, all kinds of power and money relations within the dynasty will become complicated, whether the people in power want to maintain the status quo or make drastic reforms, they will inevitably violate the interests of some people, followed by a burst of ****, which can not be called stability.

So, how do you keep it stable?

The answer is to sacrifice the interests of a few.

Please note that this small number of people is not the same as some of the people above.

The 'some' are vested interests at the top, and with the vast resources at their disposal, they can easily incite the majority of the people who have the same interests as them, but the 'minority', as the word suggests, is the minority who are excluded from the masses.

Giving 10 percent of the pain of a small number of people to the joy of 90 percent of the majority of the population is stability.

However, there is a problem with this theory, and that is that it must be admitted that the majority of people, who make up 90 percent, are human beings, and not just animals that resemble human form.

In the Middle Ages, it was a pity that only a small percentage of people could be called human.

"So, if we want to establish ourselves in Brittany, the first thing we have to do is to ensure that the local nobility - or the so-called village chiefs - protect the interests of these 'masters.'"

The war is over.

The flames easily swept through the greased tower, and the flames were so bright that half of the night was dyed red; It's a sight the locals have never seen before, more dazzling than the daytime sun, and the entire tower is like a giant torch, emitting endless light and heat.

Then, with a bang, it collapsed.

The Duke of Brittany died unjustly, and at least 2,000 people watched his funeral at the same time, and were shocked by it, which became a lifelong talk to brag about in the rest of his life.

It's just that this so-called end of the war is only on the surface, and in the dark, a new war has begun, and it may be more deadly than the real sword and gun fight.

This secret war is a struggle for domination, and to put it more clearly, it is who the rulers rely on to maintain their rule.

Do you rely on commoners, or are you nobles?

The next morning, while the soldiers were still clearing the ruins of the tower, Magnus had already held a secret meeting with Odega, Lefèvre, and Grand Master Chauncey.

The tone of the meeting was set from the very beginning.

"But...... Your Royal Highness, we are outsiders and want to gain the support of the local nobles......"

Although it was surprising that a mercenary like Chauncey appeared in a secret meeting—it was not an incredible thing at all—Odegar forced his attention to what His Royal Highness had said.

Because he believed that what His Royal Highness did must have a reason for him.

"Yes, Odega, you're right, that's why I said it's the first thing."

Magnus nodded, acknowledging Odegar's claim.

"The local aristocracy cannot be relied upon - they are naturally psychologically biased towards people of similar culture, and we have to pay a higher price to woo them - and even this does not guarantee their loyalty."

"Exactly."

Odegar nodded.

"On this subject, I have already thought that the nobles we want to win over cannot be great nobles, such as barons; In fact, in order to ensure effective rule, I intend to expel all the barons of this land. ”

！！！

Magnus's words suddenly stirred up a triple wave.

Although the barons were only at the end of the European feudal system, they were after all a member of the feudal system, and they were recognized by the public as a true nobleman, and Magnus suddenly expelled all the barons, leaving aside the opinions of the outsiders, but in Brittany, it was impossible for any nobles to come to him.

It can be described as digging a self-digging grave.

But Magnus didn't see the surprised gazes of the three people in front of him, and continued.

"Although the baron has been expelled, it is impossible for this land to be without a manager, and I intend to replace this manager with a knight."

"Lefèvre, I remember those cavalry captives you captured, most of them seem to have no fiefdoms, right?"

Lefèvre, who was named, was stunned for a moment and nodded hurriedly.

In fact, Lefèvre didn't know why Magnus had asked him to come over. In terms of identity, he is just a borrowed rescuer, and there is really no intimate relationship.

But Magnus asked him to come over, not only to tell him about the plan, but above all to Louis VII behind him.

To get back to the point, most of the captured cavalry did not have fiefdoms.

This was quite normal, because these cavalrymen did not come from outside, but had gone through a formal ceremony of fiefdom before they were loyal to the Duke of Brittany; They were raised by the duke, and even their lives were given by the duke, so naturally there was no need for any fiefdoms.

Moreover, a knight's fiefdom is at least three villages, even if the duke raises two hundred and fifty cavalry, there are not so many villages under his hands to share.

But now Magnus was going to decide to give them a fiefdom.

"I have calculated, after expelling all the barons, confiscating their fiefs, we have enough land for me to feed the knights; And, in fact, I only intend to give each knight a village fiefdom. ”

With a fiefdom, this is a bond and kindness, loyalty linked by interests, although it will never be as reliable as the Duke of Brittany's nurturing grace, but considering that Magnus is a conqueror, it is almost enough.

Moreover, a fiefdom with only one village would not provide much power for the knights, at most it would only be enough to support them for their daily use, and it would also be convenient for Magnus to control.

However, there are still problems.

That is, whether the cavalry can accept the shrinkage of the fiefdom.

After Odegar asked this question, it was immediately answered.

"I use a hybrid model of salary + fiefdom."

"Every knight who has a fief, in addition to the income of the fief, they can also get a fixed income of gold coins from me every month; They don't need to worry about working at all about this income, they can get it as long as they sit at home, so what can they be dissatisfied with? Besides, where else can they get such generous conditions other than me? ”

That's right......

After all, these cavalrymen, they say knights and not knights; Now it is no longer like the ancient times, only asking about ability and not about background, as long as you have the ability, you are not afraid of no buyers; There are vagabonds who are all martial arts but are destitute, and with the arrogance of these cavalrymen, how can they tolerate themselves to live under others.

Odegar and Lefèvre were shy, and had to admit that Magnus had a point, and as for Chauncey, he had been looking at the mouth and mouth from the beginning, a clay figurine.