The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines on the tallest clock tower in Cecil City, coating the city with the first ray of light from the giant sun. With the operation of gears and levers, the mechanical clock driven by the core of magic energy bells rang loudly
Dangdang
With the ringing of the mechanical clock, the city of Cecil faded from the laziness of a peaceful night's sleep, and the whole city began to come alive quickly under the sun.
Workers in overalls came out of the brick and tile houses, past Cogwheel Square and Lever Street in the industrial area, and marched in droves to the rune foundry, machine shop and other factory facilities to replace the late shift workers. Colleagues; merchants opened their shop doors one by one, took down the wooden signs in front of the windows, and knocked on the brass rings hanging under the eaves to announce the opening of the day; newsboys and postmen were sweeping up against the morning mist Weaving through the streets of the city, delivering the latest issue of the newspaper and letters to every home.
And in the streets and alleys that are rapidly becoming lively, you can still see busy early street vendors everywhere. They have already gone out before dawn, and started the most important business of the day at the street corner near their home. The sound of hawking and people saying hello It can be heard everywhere in the blocks, and these sounds are mixed with the chiming of the mechanical clock, echoing throughout Cecil City, like a satisfied and comfortable sigh of this newborn city in the early morning.
In the dining room of the lord's mansion, Gao Wen was sitting on his own seat, and Hetty was sitting on his right. The "Cecil Butler" was cutting the bread in front of him while talking about the recent situation in the territory: " …The news reports about Luan City have been released through Monet Radio and newspapers. According to your instructions, in addition to reporting the cause, process and results of the incident, we have also emphasized that people from all over the world are united regardless of their origins, identities, or regions. So far, it seems to be working well, people are buzzing, and 'we Cecilians' has become a popular saying."
Gawain nodded slightly, feeling very satisfied with Godwin Orlando and Hetty's work.
The liberation of Lu'an City has extraordinary significance. It not only means the complete retreat of the Holy Light Church in the southern border, but also means that the new order he has worked hard to promote for the past two years has truly affected the bottom people for the first time. It means that another plan of his is progressing smoothly:
Lay the foundation for national consciousness, and let the southern border truly transform from an ordinary aristocratic territory into a country.
During the operation in Luan City, thousands of people from all over the southern border stood together because of a common goal. They came from different social classes, and also from different regions and families. The people who come and go never pay attention to each other, and never agree with each other. However, for that common goal, these people gather together as a force. This goal is above their origin, occupation, place of residence and even personal beliefs. , and the emergence of this phenomenon means that these originally scattered people have the basis to become "Cecil citizens".
On this basis, relying on continuous guidance and enlightenment, the Cecilians will sooner or later awaken into a community, they will have similar moral standards, similar living customs, they will use a common text, a similar language, and Celebrating common holidays and honoring common heroes, they will proudly call their people "We Cecilians" and will take every inch of it as rightfully ours.
According to Gao Wen's experience, this sense of identity will lay the people's psychological foundation for "territorial unity", and if it continues to develop along with the trend, coupled with the pioneering ancestors of the Cecil family, it may be possible to embark on the path of "poor and put aside disputes." , up to the road of "since ancient times"...
Well, this may be a bit overthinking.
But even if you don't consider "Da Ze since ancient times", it is not easy to realize the awakening of national and national consciousness. It will take many years, although people in the streets and lanes will say "We Cecilians" with excitement and pride. But this is at best a temporary upsurge due to the current situation. Just two or three years is not enough to establish a solid and lasting national belief, but as long as this upsurge takes the first step, as long as Gao Wen Make no big mistakes in governing the land, as long as the land continues to develop as a whole, it will only be a matter of time before the "Cecilians" become whole.
"In addition, the Northern Rock Fortress sent a message, and the Holy Spirit Plain sent a messenger to deliver a letter from the royal family to the Commander of Waldperic Fortress," Hetty continued, "They seem to have finally freed up to pay attention to the situation in the south. Grand Duke Victoria Wilde of the North wants to visit in person, and this will be a 'private' visit. This letter is still on the way, and the news came directly through the magic network communication."
Gawain's hand holding the spoon paused for a moment, with a strange smile on his face: "A northern duke crossed half of the country to visit another frontier duke in person, and it was at the juncture of the kingdom's civil war... I'm afraid it's only It can be called private."
"Do you want to agree?" Hetty looked into Gawain's eyes, "Rejecting the Duke of the North may irritate the royal family even more and make them more vigilant and resistant to the southern border, but if you agree... the Duke of the North will enter the Rock Fortress. "
"There is nothing to refuse," Gawain replied casually, "We are just using the Rock Fortress to block the troubles in the north, and we don't want to completely seal off the southern border. The girl of the Wilder family has inherited some of the qualities of her ancestors. I am very happy." Would love to talk to her."
Hearing the words "inherited some of the qualities of the ancestors", Hetty couldn't help but look at Rebecca who was sitting on the other side of her. Faced with the murder of his father and enemy, Hetty could only sigh insignificantly when he saw this, and then looked back: "Okay, I will let the commander of Fort Walder reply to the messenger. But there is one more thing... This matter may be more sensitive."
"Um?"
Hetty showed a look of embarrassment: "The living saint of the Church of the Holy Light in the North, Princess Veronica Moen... She also sent a letter, wanting to visit the southern border, and the time is almost the same as that of Duke Victoria Wilde. unanimously…”
Amber, who was sitting across the table studying how to spread the cream evenly, raised her head when she heard this, her face full of surprise: "Come here to smash the scene? Because we smashed their place in Luan City? You came to the door so quickly? "
If it was in the past, Hetty would have been quite dissatisfied with Amber's sudden interruption when she was talking with her ancestors, and she also used rude words. Maybe she would shoot a Frostbolt on the spot and hit the other side behind her. The wall is broken, but since the incident in Luan City ended, Hetty has changed a little bit about this seemingly unreliable half-elf. She realized the ability and role of this half-elf, and began to answer the other party's questions seriously: " It is impossible for the matter of Luan City to be transmitted to Saint-Sunil so quickly, which is beyond the limit distance of general communication spells, and there is no high-level powerhouse in the Luan Church who can send the information back. Veronica Moen said in the letter It was just a normal visit...”
"The detailed information may not be sent back, but the headquarters of the Church of the Holy Light may have some way to find out the general situation of the regional headquarters," Gao Wen said, "We must try our best to make our opponents think smarter and more capable."
Hetty asked Gawain's opinion: "Then... are you going to reject that 'Saint Princess'?"
"You don't need to refuse, if she wants to come to visit, then come," Gao Wen said indifferently, "I still have the courage to do so."
"Aren't you afraid of her coming to mess things up?" Amber blinked her eyes, "We really screwed up their shit..."
"The split between the Protestant Church of the Holy Light and the old sect is already an established fact. What happened in Luan City will eventually reach the headquarters of the church. The entire southern church has disappeared. Is it possible that we can hide this matter? What's more, from the beginning I I didn't want to hide it," Gao Wen said, and tapped the table lightly, "I'm more curious about how the Northern Church will react after knowing this fact... If they really organize a wave of crusaders to attack the Rock The fortress will be fine, we can save a lot of food and grass on the road."
Gao Wen was just joking, but Hetty shook his head seriously: "Then they probably don't have the leeway. According to the news from the north, the Church of the Holy Light has publicly announced that it will join the Kingdom Army camp to participate in this civil war. Now I went to the battlefield in the east of the Holy Spirit Plain with the Kingdom Army, and I am fighting with the eastern rebels in full swing."
Rebecca, who lowered her head and fought wits with the food in front of her for a long time, finally caught a sentence or two of the conversation. The girl raised her head in surprise, her face full of cute circles: "Huh? They haven't finished fighting yet? The Eastern Army and the Is the royal army still fighting?"
As soon as this remark came out, the people at the dining table looked at her in shock. Gawain looked at Rebecca's simple and easy-to-understand expression, and he was stunned for more than ten seconds before asking Heidi next to him: " Is the child awake yet?"
Hetty was in a cold sweat: "...she was busy with the experimental project, so she probably didn't pay much attention to the situation outside..."
At this time, Rebecca realized that she might have made a mistake. She shrank her neck, but she still couldn't help but said, "How long have you been fighting... With this effort, we have already brought down the entire southern border, and how can we still fight?" By the way, drive out the Church of the Holy Light..."
"You can't measure Ansu's civil war with our war form..." Gao Wen looked at Rebecca helplessly, "But there is no way, you are still young, and you have never seen what a traditional noble war is like... "
The civil war in Anzu is still going on, and the rebels and the Royal Army continue to see-saw and stalemate in the east of the Holy Spirit Plain for a long time. Whether it is the chaos created by Prince Edmund's capital nobles or the changes in the situation caused by the entry of the Holy Light Church, nothing can be done. Let this war speed up, and if there are no accidents, it is likely to continue, even after several years, which is unavoidable.
"Normal" wars in this era are like this, cruel and bloody, but slow and long. The low killing efficiency of cold weapons and the slow speed of the army make each battle take a long time, and the gap between battles becomes It's been a long time since the two cold-armed armies with no decisive difference in force are killing each other bit by bit, and a battle can last for as many years as possible.
In particular, this is still an irreconcilable and unstoppable civil war, a civil war against the royal power. It can be said that as long as the food and population can support it, the warring parties will inevitably be dragged into the vortex and fight until this point. Until the strength of the country is exhausted, unless one of the parties in the war is willing to voluntarily relinquish its claim to the throne.
The "quick war" in which the Cecil family directly pulls the magic cannon into the field and destroys all the enemy's main force and fortress with a round of bombing almost does not exist in this era.
"Then this matter is settled," Gao Wen said, "The Duchess of the North and the 'Saint Princess' of the Church of the Holy Light... Now that the frost moon is more than half past, it should be the foggy moon when they come over Cecil The winter in the city will definitely impress them."