Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

at the earl's request

at the earl's request

This brother is really worthless.Haiwen asked: "I went out to talk to the earl, how did you do it?"

"Ha! It's nothing more than doing what he likes and chatting with him."

"What does he like?"

The butler said: "Drinking, fighting. I know wine. When I come back, I can show him the worm wine from the Western Regions. These nobles don't know what wine is good and what wine is bad. They distinguish between good and bad, and they drink it all. , [-] out of [-] heard! I'll blow him up a little bit, local wine is also a good wine."

Haiwen nodded and said, "That's all about the wine, but do you know anything about marching and fighting?"

"Hey! My lord, it's good if you don't understand! If you understand everything, how can the young master brag to you? Right?" The butler raised his brows and smiled, "Oh! He just wants to be on the wine table To save some face, it would be best if he can push his younger brother down again, wouldn’t I give him enough face? This relationship can only be done after a good relationship, right? "

Haven said: "But in this way, you will offend Lavidia."

The housekeeper said: "I didn't intend to please him, my lord! Let me tell you that political struggles are the most taboo to be a wall. Let me tell you about this matter, you listen."

This aspect of being a human being is Haiwen's shortcoming, so he chooses to listen attentively.The butler greeted the people who were still in the castle, saying that he would go out with Haven for a walk; while Haven told Israet about the arrangements for the rest and asked them to go back to the church first.After finishing the work at hand, the butler took Haven out of the castle.

They came to a noisy commercial street outside, and the steward walked on the street and said to Haiwen: "The current situation is that the earl is old, and the two sons are fighting for power. The officials and vassals of the bear collar are all standing in line. Let us The waters are clearly muddy now. My lord, we must stand on one side, but there are risks in either side. The eldest son Wen Kai is the legitimate heir, and he has a standing army of more than 2000 people. He must be a stable side. But the problem is that the second son Lavidia is backed by the Vulcan Cult. I don’t know how much the Vulcan Cult supports him. Let’s investigate first. Oh, I forgot to mention that Baron Mustang is from Wenkai’s side Yes, we have a good relationship with Wen Kai now, and we can kill the Baron Mustang when he takes over; but if Wen Kai loses power, we also have a plan."

"What's the backup plan?"

"Miss Laya will be on the side of Lavidia. In fact, she has already established a relationship with the second ancestor of the magic stick."

Hewen was stunned when he heard this.The peddler was shouting loudly, and the horses and horses passed by him, but he stood still on the street, "What? Laya? Can she do it? She is a good-hearted monk, can she do this?"

The butler pulled his sleeve to let him go on, and said at the same time: "Oh, my lord! Look at Laya as if she is otherworldly, but she is actually a genius! Think about it, she is the chairman of the White Clothes Association, The White Clothes Society is one of the largest religions in the Bay Area, and there are fierce internal strife. If she has no sense, how can she get along there? Besides, if she doesn't understand political struggles and officialdom rules, how can she find nobles everywhere? What about the fundraiser? Pay it back, it’s still the honor of the Marquis! A commoner woman, who doesn’t betray her looks, can become a celebrity in front of the nobles—think about how capable she is? My lord, let me put it bluntly, you You may be able to compete with her in terms of morality, but when it comes to means, comparing yourself with her is like comparing a doll to an adult."

Haven said, "Laya doesn't look like a bad guy."

The butler nodded in agreement, "She's not bad, but she just has the ability."

At this time they came to the front of a tavern, and the boy at the door was selling fresh hot milk.The two drank a lot, so they wanted to drink something light to slow down, and this milk was just right.So they came to the tavern and found a place to sit down, ordered hot milk, and continued to talk about the previous things.

The butler put the hat and cane on the table; he took a sip of milk, wiped his mouth, and said, "The White Clothes Society should have something to do with Vulcanism. Northerners going to the Gulf region will inevitably violate the interests of local religions on the way. There are two major religions in the Gulf, the Sea God Sect and the White Clothes Society. We haven’t seen a religious war now, so I guess the northerners should have reached some secret deal with our native religion. We can ask Laya about this matter when we come back. In the early years, religious believers fought each other, but after the destruction of the evil spirits, these magic sticks gradually began to unite. My lord, this is not good news! The power of religions united is too great, so big that they can control Nobles of the world."

Haiwen felt that the milk was scalding his mouth and he couldn't drink it, so he held the warm wooden cup to warm his hands. "The nobles are changing from old to new, the people are extremely poor, and now the religious forces are uniting again... Butler, do you know what the Earl said to me just now?"

The corner of the butler's mouth twitched, "How do I know? Does he want to recognize you as his son?"

Haiwen said in a deep voice, "The sky is about to change."

These four terrifying words were enough to choke the butler's banter back.

Haven stared at the wood grain on the table, and said in a low voice: "We may be at a critical point in an era, Dreyer, every decision we make next should be cautious; what we do For the relationship between your own life and death, and even the whole world."

Dreyer pondered for a while, and then said in a worried and fearful voice: "What you said is too big and too far away."

"Dreyer, things on my wine table are indeed not as good as yours, but you should also know that I am better than you in some aspects." He pondered for a while, the history of the world in his previous life flashed before his eyes, and he thought of King Qin. Sweeping Liuhe, thinking of the rise and fall of Rome, thinking of Genghis Khan's killing of the Danube, thinking of the French and Germans who fell in Moscow...

"Dreyer, my vision is farther than yours," he said.

Dreyer nodded in acknowledgment, and then asked: "Then what did you see, my lord? What is the future of the Gulf?"

"The general trend of the world, the long-term must be united and the long-term must be divided. The contradictions in the Gulf have reached the brink of collapse. Dreyer, you are a smart person, you must see: farmers and landlords; slaves and slave owners; nobles and religion; young people and The old man..." He tightly grasped the handle of the wooden cup, and he frowned as he spoke, as if he had seen the turmoil and chaos before his eyes.

"Everything is tit for tat. This contradiction is approaching a critical point. As long as there is an outbreak, it will cause a chain reaction. It's like a little spark falling on the dry grassland-the spark will start a prairie fire."

Hearing this, the housekeeper took a few sips of hot milk and said, "You know how to fight, right?"

"Yes, war is inevitable, but I don't know how big it will be. I..."

At this moment, Hai Wen saw someone broke into the tavern, and he saw that it was Little Ramon.Little Ramon called out to him as soon as he entered:

"My lord, the church, the orphanage..." he panted, obviously running all the way.

"What about the orphanage?"

"That fat nun in the orphanage." He swallowed, "burned to death!"

What?Burned?

Author's message:

ps: @{"reader_id":"2337284

Chapter 140: Burning

Chapter 140: Burning

"where?"

Little Ramon pointed to the east: "Over there, the execution square, go straight to the east!"

Haiwen put down a few copper coins, and rushed out of the tavern with the housekeeper.The three ran towards the east.

When they arrived at the scene, the body of the fat nun was still warm.He saw huge stakes planted in the square, with charcoal-black human-like substances tied to them, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt protein meat.Many people gathered around the execution platform to watch the excitement.

Ravidya, the count's second son, stood beside the corpse and gave a loud speech.Wearing a scarlet monastic robe and a four-star golden crown on his head, he spoke harshly, and said loudly: "People of the bear collar! You have seen it, this is the judgment of the holy fire. You have seen it, this is the flame of justice. The Vulcan religion uses real fire to judge sinners and return justice to its original colors. This fat woman pretends to be a nun and embezzles the donations donated by the nobles to orphans. She blasphemes the gods, deceives the nobles, and exploits children! She has committed a heinous crime, so we burned her to death " Lavidia raised his left hand high, and the large sleeves of his toga slid down, revealing his thin arms; he spread his five fingers like chicken feet, "The fire of Vulcan has been passed down from ancient times, and it has never ceased for thousands of years, and it has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Those who belong to the God of Vulcan will have eternal life. You should be as passionate as a fire, as pure as a fire, and if you offer your faith, God will bestow upon you. So after you die, you can go to heaven to enjoy warm sunny days, delicious food and wine!"

Many people below followed suit, but some quickly walked away, seeing Lavidia as a plague god.

"Chairman of the White Council, Miss Laya." Lavidia took three steps back, letting out the nun Laya behind her.

At this time, Haven saw Laya standing behind Lavidia.

Why is she here?

she……

Haven didn't recognize Raya at first because she was also wearing a red monastic robe.Haven thought it was Lavidia's churchmate at first.

Then Laya spoke, and said in her usual gentle voice:

"Thank you Vulcan Cult, thank you Lord Lavidia, and thank them for helping me complete this trial."

Help me through this trial?Haven was dumbfounded.That's when he heard Raya continue:

"The White Clothes Society and the Vulcan Cult—this time we have reached a consensus in the face of justice. I am here, with the noble hand of the Vulcan Cult's eastern priest—" She smiled and raised Lavidia's right hand, the cultist They all shouted excitedly, "—this ceremony has been completed. This is a matter of historical significance for the Vulcan Cult and the White Clothes Society. We have not only purified a sinner, but also completed An unprecedented collaboration. I thank you again for your generosity, Priest Ravidya, and now I wish to celebrate Mass for you."

"Thank you, Sister."

The people below cheered again.Raya took a small twist of white powder from her bosom, held it up high and sprinkled it on Ravidya's head. "Snow symbolizes cleanliness, may you be pure forever," she said.

Then the servant next to him brought a bottle of red wine, poured a glass and put it on a plate.Raya bit her finger and dripped blood into the cup.

"Drink my flesh and blood, and your suffering will be removed." She handed the wine to Ravidya, who drank it down, then kissed Raya on the forehead and said, "Vulcan bless you, great nun." And then People cheered loudly.

The ceremony ended here, and Haven was still in great shock.The steward nudged him, and said in a low voice, "Oh! See, my lord! That's called being able to do things—Miss Laya is better than me!"

Lavidia left the square surrounded by believers, bragging about his "great achievements" while walking; the crowd gradually dispersed.Only Haven, Delaire, Laya in a red robe with bleeding fingers, and the burning smell of dead flesh remained in the square.

Raya took the alcohol out of her body and bandaged the wound on her finger. "The medical alcohol you gave me is very effective. I tested it on the wounded before. It can indeed effectively disinfect and prevent infection." She said while cleaning the wound.

Haven stared at her and said, "If you had burned me at the stake earlier, I might have changed my mind."

"White clothes will execute sinners at the stake, it is written in the doctrine. This is our justice, what's the problem?"

"Raya, I cannot accept this kind of justice."

Laya carefully closed the lid, put away the alcohol, and said, "Then what do you think should be done?"

Hai Wen said: "Pretending to be a nun and embezzling charitable funds is fraud and embezzlement. These are not capital crimes. If I want to sentence her, she will go to prison for ten years and start a new life after she comes out."

Laya said: "After ten years, she will either be abolished and become a beggar, or become an anti-social thug. It would be better to die."

"But everyone should have the opportunity to reinvent themselves, at least once. It is not only their own responsibility to become a villain, but also society, family, and fate... All kinds of reasons are intertwined, and they will commit crimes. Since they They are also victims to a certain extent, so we should give them a chance to reform themselves."

Laya shook her head and said, "I respect you, agree with you, and admire you, but you have always made mistakes, and you have always had them."

"What is wrong?"

"In your justice, there are too many children."

Haiwen didn't understand what she meant, "Are you calling me naive?"

"No, my lord. You have to know that the idea of ​​the White Clothes Society is man-made nature, everything in life, and people make up everything. Anything can be compared with people. There must be elements of men, women, and children in one thing." The elements of the elderly, the elements of the elderly...the same is true for justice. The justice of men is different from that of women, and the justice of children is even more different from the justice of the elderly. We must find a perfect balance here in order to implement justice and let The suffering in the world will be eliminated."

Haven asked her, "Is burning people justified?"

Laya smiled, and said in a soft voice, gently and slowly: "If it is justice to kill the landlord, then it is justice to burn a fake nun to death."

Haiwen was stunned for a moment, then said immediately: "She is not guilty of death—even if it is death, she shouldn't be burned at the stake. Hanging is enough to kill her, and you shouldn't torture people like this."

Laya said: "You take death too seriously, Lord Haven. Some people's sins cannot be washed away by kicking their legs and closing their eyes. Look at the hungry children in the orphanage, and you will know that the death penalty is more than enough. .And the burning is a warning to the world, and to win Lavidia's friendship—kill three birds with one stone, why not do it?"

"Yes, my lord, why not do it?" The butler patted him on the shoulder from behind, and said with a smile, "I think it's good, this meat is very fragrant——Come on, let's not talk about it, one night Now, shall we go home for dinner?"

He was dragged away by the butler.

In fact, even if he didn't leave, he couldn't think of any rebuttal words.

But he vaguely felt that deep in his heart, something began to squirm.

Chapter 140 Two: Two Gangs of Bandits

Chapter 140 Two: Two Gangs of Bandits

After that, no one mentioned the burning at the stake.

The fat nun is gone, and Raya now takes care of the children directly.Laya is very caring and puts smiles on the children's faces.The atmosphere in the orphanage is cheerful, and everyone is busy with their own affairs—for example, Gerrit is training the pigeons, Violet is teaching the children how to read, and Little Hammer is leading the craftsmen to take care of the shop... Occasionally, someone will mention it after dinner. I got up, "Did Laya act too hard?" But immediately someone said: "That woman deserved what she deserved, not to mention it's all over." Then there was laughter again.Even Estelle felt that there was nothing wrong with this.

Is it just me that has a problem?Haiwen thought to himself, could it be that my thoughts are out of touch with this era again?

He doesn't have an answer yet.

In the next three days, he was arranging the accommodation of his friends and helping Little Hammer and the others to manage the shop.Laya accepted Lavidia's sponsorship, took over a hospital in the city, and regularly visited nobles and wealthy businessmen to raise funds.The butler made an agreement with Wen Kai to continue drinking in the castle when he came back.

Haven asked Delaire, when can we start to suppress the bandits?But Dreyer told him unhurriedly: "My lord, it's not the time to talk about things yet. Why do we have to eat three meals before talking about things? Only after the third meal can we start talking about things."

He hated this kind of sophistication at the dinner table the most.

After the third day, they went to the castle and had a meal and wine.This time Dreyer took out the worm medicinal wine that he got from Harry the pipe earlier, and gave it to Wen Kai to drink.Hai Wen thought that the young master of the bear collar didn't like this strange green wine, but the butler had a way to sell the goods.

"This is the strong wine drunk by the warriors of the Western Regions!" Delaire said, holding the wine glass. "It is brewed from seven kinds of poisonous insects and snakes. It is strong and full of flavor, but most people dare not drink it. This wine is nourishing. Warriors in the Western Regions drank it and went to battle to kill the enemy." Then he asked people at the wine table to try it, and many people frowned when they saw the green wine, and refused to drink it.Only Wen Kai brought it over and drank it down, saying: "What kind of liquor is this! It's just sugar water!" The butler quickly complimented: "It's not that the wine is not strong, it's that the young master drinks too much!"

The wine tables were full of cheerful atmosphere, but he was out of tune with it, just like himself in his previous life.When he went back later, the butler said to him: "My lord, you have to get used to this kind of thing. I dare say that nobles all over the world do things like this. On the wine table, they can reap vanity, distribute benefits, and push cups for money." Let's compete with each other in the way of a lamp—the wine table is the battlefield, my lord."

"I hate this kind of battlefield." Haiwen could feel the alcohol smell all over his body as soon as he spoke.

"My lord, you drink quite well, maybe better than me."

Haiwen shook his head and said, "I don't mind having a few drinks with my friends, but for this occasion, forget it." He waved his hand disdainfully.He looked down on these nobles in his bones, just like he looked down on those businessmen who believed in the wine table culture in his previous life.

After spending half a month like this, they finally had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Wen Kai about suppressing the bandits.They didn't drink that day, but were led by the messenger to Wenkai's barracks.

Wen Kai led the bear-led garrison to station on the main road to the west of the city.This leads directly to Lujiao Pass, thirty miles to the west.Antlers Pass is the main throat on the west side of the bay, and there are troops stationed there all year round; when the Antlers Pass encounters an enemy situation, a beacon will be lit, and then troops from all over the surrounding areas will immediately go to reinforce it—the bear collar garrison is the preparation for the Antlers Pass one of the army.Moreover, it is the nearest army. If there is a war at the border, it needs urgent marching support.

Wen Kai's army is about 2000 people, and if the militia is temporarily recruited, it should be able to reach 5000 people.Half of the barracks of the standing army are tents, and the other half are neat wooden houses.The barracks are arranged in a triangle as a whole, with the sharp corners facing the west side; barbs are dug in the southwest and northwest to avoid horses, and there are sentries on the sentry towers holding single-hole binoculars to watch at all times.Haven didn't expect that there was already a telescope in this era, and Dreyer told him that it was a gadget from the Western Regions, and craftsmen in the Bay Area could hardly make it.

Although Wen Kai didn't know how to manage the city, he was strict in running the army.Haiwen saw that the soldiers were all neatly dressed, with solemn expressions; the patrols were in groups of three or five, and the guards stood upright; the ground was clean, and there was no bad smell in the air.The toilet is dug in the northeast corner, and there are special people cleaning it.

Wen Kai was waiting for them in the wooden double building in the middle of the barracks.The outer platforms of the twin towers are about five meters above the ground, and four kinds of torches with different flames are inserted on the four sides. During the war, the general will use drums and torches to convey orders, and this is the command platform.At the same time, this wooden house is also connected to the outer city wall of Bear City. When the situation at the outer station is not good, the general can quickly evacuate to the city and continue to command the battle.

Haven and Delaire entered the wooden tower led by the messenger.I saw Wenkai Chris wearing a battle robe and sitting on the position of the general.In front of him was a military map, on which there were chess pieces of various colors vertically or upside down.There is a soldier sitting on Wenkai's left and right sides.Haiwen had seen them at the wine table before. On the left was a middle-aged man in his 50s and 1.7s. His name was Brian, also called Brian Bear, and he was a veteran who had fought with the Earl of Bear Mountain.Little Xiong has thick hands, strong feet and a thick back, but he is less than [-] meters tall, so he is called "Little Bear".

The person on the right is Frank, nicknamed Frank Longlegs.As the name suggests, he was a tall young man with long legs, but his face was longer than his legs.He has a horse face without a beard, and his eyes are always looking at people crookedly, as if he dislikes everyone very much.This person is Wen Kai's confidant, and in Hai Wen's eyes, he is a thorn in the side, belonging to the little devil in "The king of hell is easy to see, but the little devil is hard to deal with".

"You are here." Wen Kai nodded at them, serious.Hai Wen felt that he was different from usual. When he was in the barracks, Wen Kai lost the banter and debauchery of the past, and became a serious soldier.This must be inseparable from the education of the Earl of Bear Mountain. The Chris family is a military family, and the family's flag is a giant bear biting a saber.

Haven and Dreyer also became serious, "We will arrive as promised." Haven said and saluted.

"Let me re-introduce you first." Wen Kai stood up, pointed to the bear bear Brian on the left and said: "My lieutenant, Brian, part-time cavalry instructor." Then he pointed to the person on the right and said, "My staff officer , Frank, a part-time archer mentor." Then he introduced Haven and Delair to his right and left hands, "Haven? people."

In fact, they have known each other at the wine table, but the identity of the wine table is different from that of the army, and they have to get to know each other again.Then the veteran Brian said: "I don't doubt Sir Alex's vision, but I hope you can prove yourself on the battlefield and prove that you are as capable in fighting as in drinking."

"Yes, sir."

Then long-legged Frank said in a high tone, "Then what else can I say? My lords, I, Frank, will do as I please." He raised his eyebrows as he spoke, "I really want to see how you two suppress the bandits. It just so happens... to learn a bit!" A sly smile appeared on his face.

Haiwen nodded and remained silent.

Then Wen Kai asked them to look at the map, and told Haiwen the information they had now.Long-legged Brian said: "There are two groups of bandits entrenched in Bear Mountain. One group hides in the deep mountains and old forests, and the other group takes over the mountain as king and builds a stronghold that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. My lord, fighting is not just a group of people rushing up and hacking. It's over, fighting depends on the weather, terrain, people's willingness to fight, and how to fight." The young man said in an elder tone.

The right time, the right place, and the right people.Haiwen thought to himself, these six words are known to everyone in our place, but in this world, if he can say these words, this young man may not be as stupid as he seems.