Vienna, Abrecci Palace.

"Uncle Carl, I need a troop." Franz got straight to the point, and Archduke Karl didn't talk to his niece and grandson much, but this did not prevent the latter from being one of the few people he recognized.

"Didn't your grandfather leave you a dragoon regiment when he was alive? Isn't 3,000 men enough for you to toss? ”

Franz replied with a shake of his head.

"Uncle and grandfather, after trying for a while, I found that there were really not enough people, and they were not suitable for the task I sent them."

Archduke Karl was immediately interested, and he wanted to hear what whimsy was bursting out of this junior's head.

"What I desperately need is a professional and obedient soldier."

"These dragoons are one in a hundred elites, and if they are not professional enough and follow orders, then who will?" The veteran who came out of the sea of corpses and blood frowned and said thoughtfully.

He didn't think that the troops directly under the royal family could degenerate to such a point, especially the guards prepared for the new monarch would not be a group of wine bags and rice bags.

"No, they're good soldiers, but what I need are mercenaries."

"Do you mean you need a bunch of consumables that you can throw away at any time?" There was a hint of anger in Archduke Karl's tone.

Seeing that the other party didn't seem to want to quibble, he turned to a serious tone.

"Years of wandering on the battlefield of life and death have taught me that soldiers' lives should not be played with so easily."

"There are times when the state cannot officially recognize that they are fighting for the country, but the corresponding can compensate for it with material." Franz replied.

Do you understand what you're talking about? This is a desecration of the honor of the warriors, and no army that has been completely tempted by money has been able to maintain its combat strength for a long time. ”

Archduke Karl was still expounding what he knew, and hoped that the other party would listen to it.

"Uncle and grandfather, I definitely don't want to let mercenaries replace the regular army. It's just that sometimes an army of mercenaries is needed in certain circumstances to complete some tasks that are not obvious and not so glamorous.

Of course, I don't want anyone to lose their lives in vain, so I've come to you to ask for some soldiers and commanders who can carry out special missions. If you don't want to help, then I can leave immediately. ”

Although Franz came to visit on the pretext of increasing the security force of the royal family, in fact, he came for a pair of black gloves to take advantage of.

The problem of the Guards was easy to solve, and it was not a problem to train a few thousand of the families who had been loyal to the Habsburgs for generations. But a group of cheap back-the-pot heroes can't rely on such selection criteria.

The church can take the blame, but it cannot be disgraced on the continent. Fanatical believers tend to go their own way, compared to mercenaries who are efficient and inexpensive, and at the same time more adaptable to different environments and occasions.

As for providing security for the royal family, it's just a gimmick. As long as the financial resources allow, the Royal Guard can be expanded as much as they want, and they are more valued for loyalty than combat effectiveness.

What Franz desperately wanted was a force that could stir up trouble in the world. In fact, it is not that he has not tried other paths, such as the "Knights of the Holy Sword" who conspired with the archbishop.

It may not be weak in terms of combat power alone, but the moral cleanliness of this group of people means that they can't play the role of black gloves at all. For example, the indigenous people who migrated to Central America had to rely on the help of the local landlords and gentry.

In the coming storm year, the more troops he can control, the more sure he will survive, he can put aside Archduke Karl's family and set up a mercenary organization similar to the modern Blackwater Company on his own, and its ability may not be inferior to the latter's help to set up.

But without this bond, Franz always had a sense of unease.

"Then let me ask you, what is the meaning of the existence of soldiers and armies in your eyes?"

"It is the violent apparatus of the state, the instrument of maintaining its rule. No matter what the army does, there is only one ultimate goal, and that is to maintain the rule and keep the country going.

The same goes for soldiers, who are a bunch of flesh and blood, but who have to let go of personal feelings, even expendables of life. ”

Franz knew what the other party was going to do, so he recited the "Manifesto of Knighthood" that he could recite backwards, trying to make him understand that times had changed.

"Swear to heaven to make my will clear;

Do not bully the weak, but spend time modestly;

In the battles experienced, do not fear strong enemies;

Whatever is wrong, I will cut it down.

Women and children are long, and they are done by war;

A woman is delicate, and she will never sin;

Colleagues work together and do their best to work together;

Treat friends with sincerity and think of them as gentlemen;

My dear and faithful. ”

Archduke Karl was a little surprised to hear Franz recite the knightly manifesto, he had always thought that the boy in front of him lacked relevant emotions, was more like a merchant than a nobleman, and understood chivalry.

"Franz, I don't understand, why do you learn to think like a dirty politician when you know the meaning of knighthood and honor?"

"Alas, how many of the bureaucrats and lawyers of the empire are not high-sounding or righteous in front of people, but have another virtue behind them?

They understand, understand, and often apply those laws and morals of the law, but the actual action is probably a different picture.

Karl's grandfather, Cervantes many years ago had already allegorized the end of the future knighthood in his "Don Quixote". And now, the flood of capital is rolling in, and we must either make changes or be drowned by it sooner or later. ”

Archduke Karl knew that Franz was right, that even the crusaders, who claimed to "fight for the faith", could rob the people they wanted to save for their fortune, and the Knights Templar was no less so destroyed.

"But you can't live just for money."

His answer seemed very unsubstantial, because it seemed to make sense to apply this theory of naked money and capital to everything that has happened throughout the ages. But Archduke Karl still believed that talent was the master, not just wealth.

"Of course not. It's just that black and white, light and dark, good and evil, right and wrong are all relative. The solitary yang does not grow, and the solitary yin does not grow.

Any unilateral act is a disruption of balance. When the balance of forces is broken, the state of the object will change, the psychological imbalance of a person will make his personality extreme, and the imbalance of the power of the regime will make the country run wild."

Archduke Karl was shocked when he heard this, after all, the above discussion was too complicated for a pure soldier in this era.

"That's enough, Franz. You're becoming more and more like a philosopher, tell us what you really do. ”

Relieved, Franz hurriedly drank a cup of coffee to suppress the shock, because the taste was too strong, and stuck out his tongue.

"I am determined to build a universal empire that will make the world happy. Let the laborers get their pay, and the nobles bear their responsibilities; The poor have their respect, and the rich make the best use of it; There is glory for the good, and punishment for the bad; The lonely have their own support"

Before he could finish speaking, he was immediately interrupted by Archduke Karl, who obviously did not want to listen to these theories of statecraft, after all, he was only a soldier.

"Well, I'll admit that you're not wrong in your sight. You may become a good emperor in the future, or you may follow in the footsteps of our madman uncle.

Of course, none of this is for me to judge at the moment. From now on, I will do my best to assist you, no matter what you want to do out of the ordinary, or what crazy actions you want to do, I will support you. ”

"You're finally agreeing?"

Archduke Karl nodded, and took out a box along the way.

"This is a dossier of the outstanding veterans and officers of the entire empire from the last decade, and they are all some good guys, and I hope you will be able to make the most of them." He didn't beat around the bush, but went straight to the point to mention his nephew.

"I will, Uncle Carl."

Franz's solemn reply with a solemn face made Archduke Karl feel a little relieved, and the latter then asked immediately.

"Does the security company you mentioned have a name?"

Franz pondered for a moment.

"Not just now, but now there is. Ambrera, Umbrella Inc. ”

(End of chapter)