Section 158 Determination

It's midnight.

Essien looked at the flames burning in the distant city, which had formed a pillar of fire that could be seen clearly even from a long distance. They all knew why there was such a flame in the city, and they knew what the consequences of this flame would lead to.

"The burn effect is better than expected. Essien said. Several people around him, including Clio, all agreed. Even they really didn't expect such an effect. From this point of view, the important material warehouse in the city of Fornoros is probably burned to the point that nothing will be left.

But that's exactly what they want. Seeing such a scene, even the little queen will be satisfied no matter how picky she is. Nor will anyone question the failure of their plans.

After completing his first steps, Esin returned to the walls to meet his accomplices. When the fire in the city began, all the participants in the conspiracy, including Esin himself, left the city walls and arrived at the king's camp. The whole process is quiet and smooth, so they can enjoy their results here.

Now, in a makeshift gang of four, everyone gets what they want. The prison warden, in particular, was even more in one step. He had been promised the title of knight and a bounty on a residence in the noble district of Eagle Falcon. This was exactly what he wanted - now he could retire immediately, and with the bounty and knightly money, he and his family could live a peaceful and peaceful second half of his life.

The pillar of fire began to slowly wane. But this is not because the fire has been extinguished, but because the fuel that supports it has to be burned out. The military supply warehouse was some distance from the other buildings, so the fire was not destined to spread.

"The tide has set. "Let's go and rest, and we'll see the Queen tomorrow morning." ”

......

"Essien, I didn't expect you to make such a request!" Cleo angrily followed Essien into the tent. "Are you crazy?"

"Dear Cleo, do you really think so?" asked Essian not at all angry, but rhetorically. "I always thought you knew me well. There are two kinds of gamblers in the world, one is when he puts all his money on the game, he entrusts his fortune to fate, gods, or something unreliable. On the other hand, when he puts all his money down on the game, he is sure that he is sure that he is sure he will win. Which one do you think I am?"

"What do you mean...... Do you think it's a safe bet? It's not dangerous at all?"

"Hell, of course it's dangerous!" replied Esin. "If it's not dangerous, then where is my turn...... I'll do it with you?"

"Thanks, don't get involved with me for such a dangerous thing!"

"I didn't mean to get involved with you, Cleo, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help. Essien said.

"I don't know how to be a soldier!" Clio replied. "And even if I knew, I wouldn't think it would be possible to take five hundred soldiers to attack the territory of those great nobles. Essien, you have to make it clear that this time you are not going to catch the fugitives, but to ...... Fight a war!"

"Creo, let me ask you a question, what is your current title?"

"The viscount, of course, is no longer there. What's wrong?"

"Within the confines of the Seven Nations...... There are three types of nobles according to their income. Essien looked at Clio and said word for word. "One is the hereditary nobility, with hereditary fiefs and titles...... The second is non-hereditary, but they also have their own territory, even if it is only a nominal territory, and they can also receive corresponding income. There is a third type, and that is those who only have a noble name. They can also get a fortune, but very few of them, and they don't match the title at all. Without a stake in the chamber of commerce, no land, no minerals, they would not have the income to match their titles...... In fact, the biggest advantage of their titles is that they still sound relatively pleasant, so they are also known as 'empty nobles'...... Clio, sue me, even if you work slowly in the civil service all your life, how many chances do you have of getting a real knighthood, even if it's not hereditary?"

Clio's expression became difficult to look at. Essien is right that the third type of nobility, the so-called "empty nobility", is mostly the descendants of the first two types of nobility, or, like Cleo: the eldest son of a non-coupon, who is born into a real aristocratic family. According to the principle of primogeniture, they were born unable to inherit the right to rule the fiefs. But out of respect for their parents and elders, these people were given a title once they reached adulthood. But on the one hand, this title cannot be left to children and grandchildren, and on the other hand, the income is limited or not at all (so the royal family is not stingy with an empty title). Originally, there was a fourth, the type of knighthood bought by money, but the countries have agreed to exclude this type of noblemanship.

Clio is a typical example of this kind of person. The future of this honorary aristocracy is to take advantage of their education, either to enter the civil service or the army, or to become a retainer of a high lord (or simply his own family) in order to earn an income from a position so that he can live a decent life. If they are able to make a meritorious contribution one day, or if they are appreciated by the monarch, they have the opportunity to enter the first or second type of nobility.

The second one is actually not that difficult. Because if you can faithfully serve a monarch for decades and gain enough trust, it is not surprising that you will be given a "real" title when you are old, and you will have the corresponding money. This is also a disguised pension, a gift from a monarch to his elderly subordinates.

But if a person can do this at a young age, rather than when he retires in old age, he will generally be considered to have made a big difference.

And, of course, the first ...... Hereditary fiefs, titles and titles are passed on forever to future generations.

Even for someone like Clio who was born into an aristocratic family, this is an unattainable dream. To get this status, you need not only to fight for your father, but also to fight for character. Some people are born with these things, while others can only watch from afar with envy.

This is also quite normal, the third type of noble king can be canonized at any time, because it does not require him to pay much. The second type of nobility means a financial burden. As for the first, it means giving a piece of land to another person forever and not being able to take it back without a valid reason. From then on, the king's ruling power was segregated in this land - according to tradition, the lord had the right to rule over his own land, and he had the final say in his domain. The king's laws can only be superficially respected, and only superficially respected. In fact, with the exception of a few taxes and military service obligations, a lord was an earth emperor on his own territory.

In the event of a failure such as Gruny's, the lord could even choose to support himself - as in Byron's case.

In ancient times, when magical communication was not so developed, this kind of canonization was much more common. Because of the distance, it was difficult for the king to directly control the distant border lands, and he could not get the specific situation at the first time, let alone react. So in those days, it became a common choice to canonize a distant territory to a nobleman. But in modern times, magical communication has become so common that the king has always been able to grasp the specifics of distant realms. Therefore, this kind of canonization, this kind of separating the earth, becomes a kind of thing that weakens the king's own dominance. In this day and age, such cases are rare and extremely cautious.

"Listen, Cleo, think about what we've been waiting for! What we've been looking for, this is the opportunity we've been pursuing!" said Essin. "And we...... There is no other possibility!"

He looked at Cleo and said firmly. "The little queen can forgive us, or she can not hold us accountable for our past crimes! But remember, she will never forget that night, when the two of us were trying to arrest her with a team!

Cleo let out a long exhale.

"Or, just eat and wait for death. I'll be a middle-level officer, and you'll be a middle-level civil officer, and we'll live like this for the rest of our lives! Until one day a battle or an illness sends us to the kingdom of the gods. Even if this kind of thing does not happen, we will bury all our past ideals and ambitions, and all the expectations and dreams we once had! Or, we will risk our lives to gamble on this! If we win, we will have everything, and our children and grandchildren will enjoy wealth forever, and our name will become a legend from now on! Lose ...... Eighteen years later, he is a good man again!"

His words were vulgar, but they had a noticeable effect on Cleo.

"And this time, my gamble isn't about entrusting my future to those illusory luck, you know we have a chance! We're only five hundred...... But with your help, it's more than five hundred!"

Cleo suddenly realizes what Essien meant.

"You want ......," he asked softly. "Other armies?"

"That's right, you were a treasurer before. Essien replied. "I remember that one of the things you did was ...... Pay the army, right?"

Clio walked over to a chair and sat down. "Essien, you're really crazy. He said. "It was just a job exchange, and my personal contacts weren't that extensive. ”

"But you have a way, don't you?"

"All I can say is go and try it. "Clio looked distraught. "Essien, you know there are a lot of people in the world...... There are actually too many types of people. For example, our Count Ashrufat, he is like that...... Strong-willed, unshakable type. This type of person, as long as he makes up his mind, no persuasion is in vain. ”

"But luckily there aren't many of them, right? I only know him of this type in reality, except in books. ”

"A lot of people are also hard to convince. In addition to skill, it takes time. Essien, you know what we're doing this time...... The warden, the captain, was just an accident. Most people are not so easily convinced. Time, time, we don't have much time!"

"But you have to think the other way around, the big picture is good for us right now. ”

"I really don't know...... How could I do such a dangerous thing. Cleo sighed.

"At least it's no more dangerous than when you took part in the coup. Essien said. "Remember that spell from Ashrufat? If that time, the two of us were a little bit ahead...... It may be cooked directly. Just like that poor Phalysis. ”

"I knew that Ashruphat knew magic, and I wouldn't have gone. Clio replied. "By the way, you also have to think about one more problem, a very important one. Those big nobles...... They may not be able to do anything to the Queen, but they may be able to ...... What a stumbling block on you in the back. ”