Author: Seven Years Period

Vienna, Abrecht Palace.

"Uncle Karl, I need an army." Franz said straight to the point. Archduke Karl did not talk to his grandnephew many times, but this did not prevent the latter from being one of the few people he recognized.

"Didn't your grandfather leave you a regiment of dragoons during his lifetime? Isn't three thousand men and horses enough for you?"

Franz shook his head and replied.

"Uncle, after trying for a while, I found that the number of people is indeed insufficient, and they are not suitable for the tasks I assigned them."

Archduke Karl suddenly became interested. He wanted to hear what wonderful ideas were coming from this junior's head.

"What I desperately need are soldiers who are professional and follow orders."

"These dragoons are elites selected from a hundred. If they are not professional enough and obey orders, then who else will?" The veteran who walked out of the sea of ​​blood from the corpses raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

He didn't think that the royal troops could degenerate to such an extent, especially the personal guards prepared for the new king, let alone a bunch of losers.

"No, they are all excellent soldiers, but what I need are mercenaries."

"Do you mean you need a group of consumables that can be discarded at any time?" Archduke Karl said with a hint of sullenness in his tone.

Seeing that the other party didn't seem to be trying to quibble, he turned to speak more seriously.

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

"Sometimes the country cannot officially recognize that they are fighting for the country, but they can use material to make up for it," Franz replied.

"Do you understand what you are saying? This is a blasphemy against the honor of the soldiers, and from ancient times to the present, no army that is completely tempted by money can maintain its combat effectiveness for a long time."

Archduke Karl was still explaining what he knew and hoped that the other party would listen.

"Uncle, I have absolutely no idea of ​​letting mercenaries replace the regular army. It's just that sometimes under certain circumstances an army of mercenaries is needed to complete some tasks that are not obvious and not so glorious.

Of course I don’t want anyone to sacrifice their lives in vain, so I came here to ask you for some soldiers and commanders who can perform special missions. If you are not willing to help, then I can leave immediately."

Although Franz came here on the pretext of increasing security for the royal family, in the final analysis he came for a pair of black gloves that he could get his hands on.

The problem of the Guards is easy to solve. It is not a problem to select a few thousand young men from the families who have been loyal to the Habsburgs for generations and train them. But a group of cheap scapegoats cannot rely on such selection standards.

The church can take the blame, but it cannot embarrass itself on the European continent. Fanatic believers tend to go their own way. In comparison, mercenaries are efficient, cheap, and adaptable to different environments and situations.

As for providing security for the royal family, it is just a gimmick. As long as financial resources allow, the Royal Guards can expand as much as they want, and they are valued more for their loyalty than their combat effectiveness.

What Franz is eager for is a force that can stir up troubles in the world. In fact, it is not that he has never tried other paths, such as the "Knights of the Holy Sword" who conspired with the Archbishop.

They may not be weak in terms of combat prowess alone, but the moral obsessiveness of this group of people means that they are unable to play the role of black gloves at all. For example, the aborigines who migrated to two countries in Central America ultimately had to rely on the help of local landowners and gentry.

In the stormy years to come, having more troops under his control would give him more confidence in survival. He could leave Archduke Carl and his family alone and set up a mercenary organization similar to the modern Blackwater Company, even with its capabilities.

Perhaps it is not inferior to what the latter helped to establish.

But without this bond, Franz would always feel a little uneasy.

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

"It is a violent machine of the country and a tool to maintain rule. No matter what the military does, it has only one ultimate goal, which is to maintain rule and allow the country to continue.

The same is true for soldiers, they are a group of flesh and blood people, but they must put aside their personal feelings and even the consumables of life."

Franz knew the other party's next reply, so he recited the "Knight's Declaration" that he could recite by heart, trying to make him understand that times had changed.

“I swear to heaven to make my will clear;

Don’t bully the weak, spend your time humbly;

In the battles you go through, don’t be afraid of powerful enemies;

I will attack all those who are evil and fallacious.

When women are weak and children grow up, war will do them;

Women are delicate and should never offend;

Colleagues share the same goals and work hard to help each other;

Treat friends sincerely and consider yourself a gentleman;

My true love is unswervingly loyal.”

Archduke Karl was a little surprised when he heard Franz reciting the Knight's Proclamation. He always thought that the boy in front of him lacked relevant emotions and was more like a businessman than a nobleman, and he didn't understand the spirit of chivalry.

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

"Well, how many of the empire's bureaucrats and lawyers are not high-sounding or righteous in front of others, but have another kind of virtue behind them?

They understand, understand, and often apply laws, regulations, and moral viewpoints, but when it comes to actually doing things, it may be a different story.

Uncle Carl, many years ago Cervantes had already allegorized the end of the future age of chivalry in his "Don Quixote". But now, the torrent of capital is rolling in. We must either make changes, or sooner or later we will be

It drowns."

Archduke Karl understood that what Franz said was true. Even the Crusaders who claimed to "fight for the faith" could rob the people they were obsessed with saving for the sake of wealth. The destruction of the Knights Templar was no better than this.

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

His answer seemed very unconfident, because if this theory of naked money and capital is applied to everything that has happened in the past and present, it seems to make sense. But Archduke Karl still believes that talent is the master, and it should not be simply

of wealth.

"Of course not. It's just that black and white, light and darkness, righteousness and evil, right and wrong all exist relative to each other. If the yang alone does not arise, the yin alone cannot grow.

Any unilateral behavior is a violation of balance. If the balance of force is broken, the state of objects will change, a person's psychological imbalance will make his character become extreme, and the power imbalance of the regime will make the country go berserk."

After hearing this, Archduke Karl felt as if his head was spinning. After all, the above discussion was too complicated for a pure soldier in this era.

"That's enough, Franz. You are becoming more and more like a philosopher. Tell me your true plans."

The relieved Franz quickly drank a cup of coffee to calm down his shock, but because the taste was too strong, he stuck out his tongue.

"I am determined to build a universal empire, so that all the poor people in the world will be happy. The laborers will be paid, the nobles will bear their responsibilities, the poor will have their respect, and the rich will make the best use of them. The good will be honored, the bad will be punished, and the poor will be punished.

Everyone has their own nourishment.”

Before he could finish speaking, he was immediately interrupted by Archduke Karl. Obviously, the latter did not want to hear these theories on governing the country. After all, he was just a soldier.

"Okay, I admit that your vision is not wrong. You may become a good emperor in the future, or you may follow in the footsteps of our crazy uncle.

Of course, these are not things I can judge at the moment. From now on, I will try my best to assist you. No matter what extraordinary things you want to do or what crazy actions you want to do, I will support you."

"You finally agreed?"

Archduke Karl nodded and took out a box.

"This is a file of outstanding veterans and officers from the entire empire in the past ten years. They are all good guys. I hope you can make the best use of them." He did not beat around the bush, but went straight to the point.

"I will, Uncle Carl."

Franz, who looked solemn, replied solemnly, which made Archduke Karl feel a little relieved, and the latter asked immediately.

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

Franz thought for a while.

"It wasn't there just now, but now it is. Umbrella, the Umbrella Company."
Chapter completed!