A true confidant looks even more aloof than a liar.

- Horace (founder and founder of Roman classicism)

"That's because my participation was all deliberately arranged by me, and I acquiesced in their participation in such competition! Raqqa, I've already said that factional rivalry is a double-edged sword, there are good sides, and naturally there are bad sides. If there is no sane leader to control the development of factional competition, then factional competition is likely to evolve into a factor that hinders the development of the family.

Not all competition is a good thing, and not all means of competition can be used; Once there is something in the competition between the two factions that leads to real hatred between each other, then all the healthy competition will evolve into vicious competition, and even this kind of competition between factions can turn into a struggle above the interests of the family in the future!

Once such a situation is formed, the harm caused to our entire family of Augustus will be immeasurable; So, there's absolutely no way I'm going to allow that to happen. However, I am the leader of the entire family, and I don't have that much time and energy to spend on carefully guiding factional rivalries; It is even less possible to keep an eye on the internal affairs of these families all the time.

The reason why I have arranged for Luquis and Quintus to be the leaders of the two factions is partly because their respective origins determine that they have unparalleled influence in this faction; On the other hand, their minds are clear enough and the big picture is clear enough. I believe that as long as they have a firm grasp of the method and scale of factional competition; There will be no deviation in factional competition within the family!

Raqqa, a member of our Augustan bloodline, and my own brother to Oscar; In the future, you will also be a high-ranking presence within our House of Augustus. You have to understand more. No matter who your heart is full of. and who do not like; You can't even say it on the surface. They must not do anything that is noticeable. Everything is for Augustus, can you do it? ”

Oscar's tirelessness is also considered to be the extreme, and thankfully, Rakka has finally figured out the ins and outs of the faction's existence; After Raqqa swore that he would never participate in these faction rivalries on impulse from now on, Oscar waved his hand directly for Raqqa to retreat and rest.

Oscar, who had explained what he had said for so long, quickly began to look for something to drink after Laka left; Before Oscar could find the wine from the cupboard, Mary appeared in front of Oscar with a bottle of red wine with a smile. Oscar looked at Mary with a little embarrassment, and then said:

"Mary, when did you come? Didn't you go to her bedroom with Anne to chat? Why did you come back so soon? ”

"Our sisters were going to have a good chat and catch up, who let the two brigades of the Guards Infantry Regiment arrive at this time. Anne had to go and arrange their boarding, and I was bored and walked back again; However, when I came back, I happened to see that your brothers were making friends, so I didn't bother you. ”

"So, did you hear everything we just said?"

"I didn't hear it all, I came just as Raqqa was asking why you had a faction. Oscar, I've found out that you're not very honest; is to avoid the important and trivialize his own brother, and don't tell the truth! Frankly. Are all the things you say to me false? ”

Mary's sudden change of face caught Oscar off guard; Since that night, Oscar's feelings for Mary have not been the same. If it was Oscar who treated Mary as an ambiguous lover before. Then now Mary is a real woman of Oscar; Oscar's affection for her is naturally incomparable.

Seeing the ill-intentioned evil smile on Mary's face, Oscar reacted and snatched the red wine from Mary's hand, then held Mary in his arms, and kissed Mary despite her struggles. This kiss lasted three minutes, plus Oscar's idle hands; Mary soon collapsed into Oscar's arms, no longer struggling.

After kissing until he couldn't breathe, Oscar let go of Mary's lips, but his hands still held Mary tightly in his arms and said, "Where am I dishonest?" I just don't want Raqqa to be exposed to too much of the dark side at a young age; I can't tell him that the reason why I properly support Quintus and the foreign faction is just to suppress the faction led by Luquis, right?! ”

Mary's face was ruddy, her eyes were confused, and she collapsed into Oscar's arms, and she also said softly in agreement: "Oscar, I was just joking, don't mind." Actually, you are right, Luquis's prestige within the Augustan family is too high; If there is no proper suppression, it is very likely that there will be a situation in which the generals only know Lucis and do not recognize the leader.

After all, the hearts of the people are separated from each other, and no one knows whether the originally loyal General Luquis will breed ambition and other undesirable ideas while his power increases; It was necessary to properly maintain the balance within the Augustan family, and to support the corresponding great future to restrain General Luquis.

Moreover, this can be regarded as the protection of General Luquis; Just like I was back then. If Charles VII could support a great future like you, it would not have allowed me to attain a unique prestige in the Kingdom of Spain alone; So much so that something like that happened at the end of the day. Oscar, you're doing the right thing, I'm rooting for you! ”

Oscar was very satisfied with Mary's words, and his hands continued to roam on Mary's body even more dishonestly; Before Oscar could take a step further to do something, he suddenly heard a series of horns. Oscar knew that this was the sound of the horn that the fleet was ready and officially set sail; Mary also came to her senses at the sound of such a horn, and then unexpectedly broke free from Oscar's arms.

Oscar also knew that after the fleet set sail, Anne would soon come to Mary; Therefore, he didn't bother Mary too much, but sat on the chair and poured a glass of red wine for himself and Mary. The red wine that Mary brought had been scalded with hot water, and it was still warm enough, and drinking it on such a cold day made Oscar's heart warm.

After Mary saw that Oscar consciously stopped tossing, she also did it two seats away from Oscar; Then he raised the red wine and began to sip lightly. Looking at Mary, who was behaving elegantly, Oscar suddenly asked, "Mary, what do you think of the general staff organization and staff system that I am planning to establish, will it change the existing state within the family?" ”

Oscar's question was difficult to answer, and Mary shook her glass as she pondered; After thinking about it for a long time, Mary said slowly: "The establishment of the General Staff Organization and the establishment of the Legion Staff Department, from the perspective of pure combat efficiency, will greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the family legion; But this will also lead to the decentralization of military power.

Originally, a complete main battle corps consisted of standard legions and subsidiary legions, with the corps commander in charge of the standard corps, and the corps deputy general also serving as the commander of the subordinate corps; In fact, this has changed the main function of the lieutenant general of the legion into the commander of the subordinate legion. This meant that the powers of each corps commander and lieutenant general were expanded; Because they all have a whole legion under their command.

But with the establishment of the corps staff, each corps had an additional chief of staff of the same rank as the corps' adjutant general but no military authority; Although this so-called chief of staff only has rank and no military power, his presence will still change the original legion structure and reduce the actual control of the legion commander over the legion.

And these staff departments are all subordinate to the General Staff, plus the General Staff has the right to mobilize all the troops within the family; Sooner or later, this General Staff will become a super-military giant that overrides the entire military system. Such an arrangement would certainly have strengthened the efficiency of the family army to a certain extent, but it would also have caused the power of the General Staff to be too large.

If we look at it only now, it is true that the General Staff does not have direct command over the army, but only over the commander of the corps; Moreover, if the orders of the General Staff are contrary to the family, the commanders of the corps will refuse to carry them out. However, over time; Sooner or later, the armies of all families will slowly all become directly subordinate to the command of the General Staff.

If that day comes, the power of the General Staff will be invisibly magnified infinitely; Therefore, it is essential to properly establish a considerable number of deputies within the General Staff to decentralize the powers of the Chief of the General Staff. Outside the General Staff, one or two military departments should also be established with the same status as the General Staff; In this way, the threat to the institutions of the General Staff can be completely eliminated.

Otherwise, the huge Augustan family only needs to be tossed around by one or two frantic chiefs of the general staff, and there will be a phenomenon of the army being lax and the army being discouraged; It's something that can't be avoided. Power can never be centralized, but should be dispersed; The supervision and balance of power can only be carried out from the outside, and cannot be completely relied on from the inside.

If one day in the future, there will be a chief of the General Staff who can take full control of the General Staff and also control the other two military departments; Then he could already take the place of the House of Augustus. In addition to this, there is absolutely no possibility that a single chief of the General Staff has the ability to trespass; Because there are restraining forces inside and outside the General Staff, it is impossible for him to do whatever he wants! ”

Mary's words can be regarded as a wake-up call for Oscar, that is, the General Staff is also a double-edged sword; If you use it well, it will naturally hurt others, and if you use it badly, you will hurt yourself. During World War I, why Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate; Wasn't it because Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who were in control of the German General Staff, decided to surrender? This is a big deal and should not be overlooked!

Ask for tickets and subscriptions, please! (To be continued.) )