Tails looked up, took a breath, adjusted his breathing, and pulled his heavy thoughts back into class:

"I've seen the relevant historical material in two books, including The Oath of Co-governance and The Scourge of the Black Eyes: Compared to the chaos of Exeter after the death of Nekajou, the warlike and warlike 'Blackeye 'Black-Eye' John Bright Star I successfully inherited the army and territory of the revival king, and won the allegiance of his courtiers. ”

Both Heather and Thelma listened intently to what he was saying, but only Tails knew that even now, he was still preoccupied, just looking at his notes and reading them from the book.

"In less than a year, Kurome has almost unified the South, accomplishing what the Revival King has not done, and he has brought under his command, including the Blade Territory and part of the coastal lands, which is today's South Shore Territory, and the Star Kingdom has become more and more powerful......"

Tails thought about the disdain on Putile's face when he first arrived in Exeter, when Nicollet showed them the Oath of Co-governance, and his explanation.

"At this stage, because the peace treaty between Necaru and Tormund was invalid, and because of the contradictions and infighting among the lords in Exeter, the Kingdom of the Stars began to take the opportunity to expand northward: when the Aaron family of the stars and the Tann family of the Northland had a conflict over the ownership of Overwatch City, Blackeye John gathered an unprecedented army of stars to the north............"

"Just two days after the 'Blackeye' marched into Overwatch City, Nunn Walton, the 'Smiling Man' of Longxiao City, was also the first Nun to issue an initiative, with the help of the Sky Queen, he mediated the conflict between the Weilan Territory and the City of Qiyuan, and the ten lords gathered in front of the tombstone of Nekaru, and the oath of co-governance was signed, Nune I was crowned king, and nine lords ascended to the throne as Grand Duke. ”

Tails let out a breath and flipped through the notes he had made in the library a few days ago: "So, to a certain extent, I think that it is the threat from the newly rising Star Kingdom that has made the ten conflicted lords abandon their past suspicions, compromise with each other, and join forces to fight the enemy, and what happened after that is the evidence." ”

"In response, the Tan family asked Nunn I for help in the name of the "Oath of Co-governance", although the Grand Dukes were still conflicted, but under the effect of the "Oath", Nun the "Smiling One" still recruited the army and vassals he wanted, and around Overwatch City, a major battle broke out with the army of the stars, forcing the originally dominant Blackeye John to give up the idea of going north and turn west to attack the Western Wilderness. ”

"It was the first time that the Oath of Condominance had been in effect, and the first time that Exeter had fought head-on with the stars in the name of the kingdom, and to some extent, the first time that Exeter had intimidated the Western Continent—no one could have imagined that after the end of the war, there would be no other force to mobilize such a large number of troops than in the face of calamity. ”

Heather rolled her eyes, thoughtful.

Tails sighed: "So back to the topic, the strength and rise of the stars also largely contributed to the unification of the Oath of Co-governance and the first power in the Western Continent, allowing the ten grand dukes to temporarily abandon their previous suspicions and create a style that this country will follow in the future." ”

"That is," Thelma asked curiously, "that the stars wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to attack the Northlands, but they contributed to the unification of Exeter?"

"Yes," Tails nodded, "In this regard, Blackeye John's idea of starting a war and wanting to invade Exeter north not only failed to materialize, but also forged the strength of the dragon kingdom. ”

When Tails finished speaking, he found that Selma was already looking at him with starry eyes, and couldn't help but cough.

Summerer laughed.

"From the beginning of the oath of co-governance, we seem to have found a more interesting topic - you want to weaken someone or a country, but you are trying to break the opponent's fist, but you are helping the opponent," the old crow sighed slightly, chewing out another language from his mouth: "There is a word in the Far East, called 'self-defeating', are there more examples?"

Tails narrowed his eyes: "Of course." ”

Unconsciously attracted to attention, he lowered his head and rummaged through his notes: "It's still Xingchen and Exter, but it's the other way around—the change of 'Virtuous Monarch' Mindis III." ”

At that moment, Heather's eyes froze slightly.

"In the Fourth Continental War, Exeter's pressure and destruction of the stars left a void and opportunity while leaving a devastation on the ground: the lords of the stars were weakened and in need of help and recovery, and they rushed to the city of Eternal Star for help, which made the monarch face less obstacles than ever, and Mindeth III was able to promote his officials on a blank sheet of paper, create his system, borrow and collect taxes without scruples, and reconcile the discontent of the nobles at a very small cost: the threat and invasion of the dragon made it easier for him to start his own chess game, and achieved the system of the Kingdom of Stars today。 ”

Tails quickly summed up the familiar example, and looked up, only to find that Heather was looking at him with a strange look.

"My dear, I really didn't expect that you would use 'Xianjun' as an example," the old crow snorted softly: "You must know that even in the Dragon Kiss Academy, the evaluation of 'Xianjun' is mixed, of course, focusing on his imitation and innovation of the long-awaited official evaluation system, as well as his support for the establishment of private academies. ”

Tails scratched his head: "I'm sorry, uh, for various reasons, I'm still familiar with this part of history—so I try to look for historical materials in the library as much as possible." ”

"Then, according to what you just said," Heather coughed lightly, "war, this is a very complicated subject, because the temporary victory or defeat seems to be only a façade, and the positions of the victors and the vanquished will change at any time?"

Tails' eyes had already taken off the notebook.

He suddenly remembered King Nune and Lombard, King Kessel and Aarend.

King Nunn took action against the Black Sand Collar and suppressed the Rumba family for decades, but created a terrible tyrant who would later take his own life.

Aarond plotted to usurp the throne and plunged the Kingdom of the Stars into crisis for a time, but after the defeat, he gave Kessel a reason for the king's power to take full control of the north.

And what about himself?

He seemingly perfectly and skillfully saved the fate of the Walton family, put the Grand Duchess on the throne, and ensured the interests of the stars.

But...... All self-righteous pasts were doubted after Rumba's visit.

Tails sighed slowly.

Suddenly, he had a deeper understanding of Xianjun's words: a momentary victory or defeat, but the waves are fleeting.

Is...... It's interesting.

"In fact, I think it's a bit of a miscalculation to describe the outcome of a war simply as a result of victory or defeat. Tails looked up and spoke silently.

The old crow raised his eyebrows slightly: "Do you mind saying more?"

Tails cleared his throat, as if returning to the past in a dream.

"War is not a woodworking game, and the opponent is not wood - it bulges out here, you give it a hammer and it behaves, no. ”

Tails groaned for a moment.

He continued: "War is a combination of factors, and it is also a combination of two or even more parties, and the wood you hammer may become fragile, or it may become tighter, and it may become more coarse and difficult to touch, but it is not determined by whether you give the hammer or not, but by looking at the conditions and factors of countless wars, and the angle from which we look at them. ”

Heather gave him a look of encouragement to continue.

Tails took a breath: "War, it is both a time to declare the idea of national unity, reconcile contradictions, sharpen the blade, and define oneself in blood and fire......"

But it was also an opportunity for the Warring States to be forced to react spontaneously in the crisis, decisively break the trap, reshape themselves, and close their loose fingers, clench their tight iron fists, and meet the enemy in a new state. ”

"Even after the war ended, the effects continued. ”

He couldn't help but think of Hyun-kun.

"And after the war, neither will be the same anymore - I think the stars and the dragon are the best examples. On a longer historical scale, the two sides of the war will change, and the forces will change and the scales will shift, and the society and situation in which we live will become what they are now, and will profoundly affect our lives until now. ”

"Perhaps, compared to what we can see in a short time, the glory or pleasure of victory, the shame or pain of defeat, is what we have been ignoring in the face of war?"

Tails finished his words and fell into deep thought.

"Very well," Sexer clapped softly, "I have to say, beyond my expectations, little sir." ”

Thelma frowned and pondered, "So, that is to say, when facing a war, we should think more about it, not just at the shallow level of 'can we win' or 'what will happen if we lose'?"

Tails' eyes lit up and he gave her a thumbs up.

Heather smiled slightly: "That's right, dear Selma, I like this conclusion very much. ”

He blinked a little casually, revealing a hint of cunning.

So, I can still summarize. ”

Both students looked interested.

I saw the old crow sigh, and his eyes behind the lenses trembled slightly.

"First of all, the stars and the dragons, you are inextricably linked to each other's destinies—this is not an empty phrase: for centuries past, present, and future, you have been intertwined and inextricably linked: you are so deep, so close, and so closely connected that the change of either will have an effect on the other that is difficult to perceive at once, but cannot be ignored and irreversible in the future. ”

"Right?"

The two students nodded violently.

I saw their teacher sigh and cough in discomfort: "I think we can at least reach a consensus: wars are not so simple, they are not simply destruction and reconstruction, nor are they simple plundering and reconstruction—as for victory or defeat, this is the most superficial thing among them." ”

Heather looked out the window, and there seemed to be emotion in his eyes: "So, both, you are both people who have the conditions and the power to wage war in the future, even to each other—I am not admonishing you to be war-averse, but before you make up your mind to go to war, I think you should think clearly: whether this will really achieve your goals, how many unexpected things will happen from this, what will be the additional consequences, what will it mark in the longer future, and how should the impact on both of you be calculated?"

Tails and Selma fell silent, thinking about something.

"War is not an overly ideal game, it is not a one-way rush of one side against the other, deciding the superiority - I wish it was so simple, so simple that in addition to fighting, we just need to sit in the tent and count the number of chips, listen to the shouts and kills outside the tent, and even if the winner is decided, it will be completely over. ”

Hikser looked out the window in distraction, as if forgetting that he was just summing up, just 'chatting', and said to himself: "But it's not." ”

"It's not. ”

"Death, sacrifice, benefits, costs, victory or defeat are just the most superficial things in the war," the old crow sighed: "More importantly, the fate of thousands of people in the two countries will be determined by this, the trend of thousands of years before and after will be affected by it, and all factors will be tested in this cruel furnace." And you and I, whether we are a high-ranking lord or a Li Min who rises and falls in the wind, are only the weakest pawns among them, because it is not up to us to decide many times, even if you are the initiator or winner of the war. ”

"Remember, two dear gentlemen. ”

"Beyond the hypocritical moral accusations, beyond the simple calculation of interests, beyond the illusory honor of the warrior," Hipser, sighed deeply, as if remembering something from the past: "Don't despise the war itself—it's far from being as simple as you think, it's not a game of winning or losing, profit or cost, survival or death." ”

Tails and Selma looked at the teacher's appearance and seemed to feel the heaviness in it, they looked at each other, and they didn't dare to take a breath.

"Alright, just a little emotion," Sixer came back to his senses and smiled disapprovingly, "So, let's get back to the topic, do you have any more examples like this that can't be judged by a momentary victory or a loss?"

"If not for the time being," the old crow blinked his eyes in the lenses, consciously or unconsciously, without waiting for them to speak, "then I would like you to continue to think about an example." ”

Tails and Selma were slightly stunned.

Until the frail old man spit out a word:

"The Year of Blood. ”

"In addition to victory and defeat, from what angle and to what extent should we evaluate this tragic year full of war?"

Tailston froze in place, staring at the teacher in a daze.

He had the illusion that Heather glanced at him lightly as he finished the word.

It was a scrutinizing glance, a far cry from his usual ease and ease.

"It's your extra homework, but you don't have to leave it to me, because we won't discuss it next time," the old crow struggled to his feet and laughed, "Well, that's the end of the day." ”

Before Tails could think about the significance of the topic, the two students hurriedly and respectfully sent the teacher out of the house.

Groov, goug, goug......

"Thelma," Tails waved away the shadow in his mind and said to Thelma in the most solemn tone, looking at the teacher's distant back. ”

Thelma, who was packing up her notes, was slightly stunned.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing that the prince's face was full of seriousness, he took a deep breath and looked into Thelma's eyes very seriously.

It made the girl's heart tremble.

"Today, after the outdoor lesson, it was about dinner. ”

Tails clenched his fists, remembering what he had seen yesterday, and his heart became more and more nervous.

"I ...... I have very, very, very important things to say to you. ”

The weight of the tone is unprecedented.

Thelma looked at him stunned, as if she was very unaccustomed to His Royal Highness being so serious: "Very important?"

"Yes," Tails seemed to think that the other party was not paying enough attention, so he quickly added: "You must think about it seriously!

"It's something that will affect us for the rest of our lives!"

The Grand Duchess froze.

She blinked behind her pinched glasses and ......

Blushed.

"Okay, well," the girl cleared her throat, a little flustered, but she immediately took out the majesty of the ordinary Grand Duchess, raised her neck proudly, and snorted softly: "I hope you are on time, Your Highness the Prince." ”

Without waiting for Tails to react, in the next second, Selma stepped out of a standard dance progression and swooped out of the study.

Hey?

Why didn't she even finish the books and ran away?

Tails looked at her back suspiciously, at the roots of her red ears.

Also, why did she ......

The next second, Tails suddenly remembered something.

The prince was taken aback, he stood up abruptly, stretched out his right hand, and chased after him with a strange face:

"Hey, are you thinking too much again, little slippery!"

The other end of Valhalla.

Sixer, walking away on crutches, walked out of the hallway.

He exhaled a breath of air from his weak lungs, coughed in pain, and waved his hand, refusing the servants who had come up to support him.

"Thanks, but I'm not that old......"

Groov, goug, goug......

Heather looked out the window at the fading scenery of the Northland, remembered the conversation just now, and his expression swept away with a relaxed and playful smile, and became serious.

Even though he is very smart, although he has those eyes.

But......

No.

"But he is not like his father," the old crow sighed with emotion, muttering in a low voice, "and not like you......"

Hipser cocked the corners of his mouth, looked out the window at the sky, and shook his head a little playfully.

What do you say, Thran?

The old man limped and walked out of the cloister of Valhalla alone.

(End of chapter)