industrial lord

Chapter 567: Going to Expose the Past
There are four main ways to select officials these days:

The most common situation is that the feudal lord directly appoints a vassal to a certain official position, which is the case in many countries.

The situation was different in the Kingdom of Gaul. Becoming a noble was only an entry ticket into officialdom. If you wanted to hold a specific position, you had to pay for it. All official positions had a minimum price, and those who were interested could bid.

In the eyes of many people, it is strange that someone could pass the civil service examination of the Duchy of Wessen and be promoted to an official within the system. However, considering that the Grand Duke of Wessen has a very weak foundation and few vassals, it is understandable.

Frederick had always wanted to study the official selection system of the Kingdom of Sardinia. For example, in Milan, nearly 70% of the adult males in the city participated in forming a parliament, with Grand Duke Edwards of Milan as the speaker. All officials in the city, from the highest judge to the neighborhood leader, were elected by the parliament. Gunnar, the great-grandson of Grand Duke Edwards, could not even be the director of a public toilet without the parliament.

The official selection systems of different countries are not one-size-fits-all. For example, the Confederation of the Rhine and the Osmaga Empire would sell some unimportant official positions to make money. Many places considered adopting the method of the Duchy of Wessen to select employees to do specific work. Some free cities that bought feudal obligations from the monarch are learning the parliamentary system of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The parliament in the cities of the Kingdom of Sardinia had great power and mixed forces, so when Gunnar said "we", Frederick had to ask clearly whether he was talking about their family or the city.

"That's what the parliament wants," Gunnar said.

"Many parliamentarians went to the Duchy of Wessen to investigate. They thought that the Venetian way of making money by moving eggs to the kitchen was not feasible. The most profitable way was to sell the hens that lay eggs, but you definitely wouldn't do that. You could only take a step back and raise chickens to lay eggs."

"The parliament has set up an investment attraction committee. I am the chairman. We have only one purpose: to get you to build a factory in Milan."

Frederick believed that they had really visited the Duchy of Wessen carefully and even learned how to "attract investment".

He supported this kind of thing in his heart. The competitiveness of some low value-added commodities decreased due to the high transportation costs. At the same time, the Principality of Wessen was short of labor. In recent years, it had been relying on railways to disperse some labor-intensive industries to its allies.

The problem is that the Kingdom of Sardinia is outside the strategic force deployment area of ​​the Duchy of Wessen, and the two sides do not have a reliable alliance. If you invest here, it will be difficult to deal with if something goes wrong.

Frederick said, "Let me learn about the situation here first. If there is a suitable investment direction, I will consider it. You can't let me build a shipyard here."

Gunnar was satisfied with his answer and could go back to report.

Frederick soon arrived in Milan. The streets here were very prosperous. Many people wore clothes and hats made of colorful cloth, which was the most popular style at the time. Walking in the city was like walking in a garden.

The convoy arrived at a three-story house in the city. Gunnar said that this was the home of a wealthy businessman who had made a lot of money in the Duchy of Wessen in recent years. When he heard that Frederick was coming, he gave the money to him for use, and the whole family moved out of the city to live in the manor.

The house is exquisitely decorated, with air conditioning in every room, running water, and a small garden at the back.

Aleppo took over the house with his men and the remaining butler, and Frederick came to the study on the top floor.

There was nothing interesting about the street in front, but the back of the house interested Frederick a little.

In the distance over there is an amphitheater, and between it and the street behind the house is an open-air training ground where many people are training.

Gunnar said to Frederick, "Those are the ones who came to the Real Sword Tournament to find their future. Registration starts the day after tomorrow. They are all keeping in shape."

He learned literary and martial arts and served the emperor.

For these warriors from the lower classes, standing out in various competitions is the best stage to enter the eyes of the upper class.

People with ability hope to be appreciated by the Grand Duke of Milan, and they can join the army. Some people who know their own strengths and weaknesses would be satisfied to work in the Chamber of Commerce as a team leader or guard the homes of dignitaries.

Frederick was in a good mood and said to Gunnar, "Let's go and take a look."

The Grand Duke of Milan had complete control over the military power, and the arena and training ground were all under the management of the military. Gunnar took Frederick and their entourage in, and the head coach of the training ground immediately came to greet them.

The competition will start the day after tomorrow. The players who are interested in participating in the competition did not do any strenuous exercise today. They just practiced with the sparring partners in the training ground to maintain their form.

Some of the sparring partners at the training ground are soldiers in the army, and some are professional martial artists. Their level is not as good as others, but better than others, and they earn their money through hard work.

Frederick has been taught by famous teachers since he was a child, and the ones who taught him moves were beyond the world and had extremely accurate vision.

Seeing him nodding from time to time as he walked by the players, Gunnar said, "If you have a favorite player, you can place a bet and have a go."

Frederick shook his head slightly and said, "I don't gamble."

Then he asked: "What are the requirements for registration?"

Gunnar smiled and said, "You are not trying to bully me, are you? A sword master will not participate in such a competition."

"The registration conditions are very simple. There is a 5 orei registration fee. You must bring your own weapons and armor. You are prohibited from using magic items. You are prohibited from using magic during the competition."

Frederick nodded.

Practicing martial arts requires a lot of money. A day's diet is at least enough for an average person for a few days, not to mention the medicine after being injured. If you don't have money to sign up, most of the unqualified people will be screened out. Magic is prohibited in the competition based on the needs of the Duchy of Milan. Basic swordsmanship determines the lower limit of the level of the warrior. The Duchy has a lot of money and can use equipment to stack magic bonuses. If you want to compete in magic, you can participate in the magic competition.

Frederick paused for a long time beside the two men practicing.

The contestant was physically strong and his skin color suggested he was from the southern continent. He wielded two sabers in his hands with great vigor.

The sparring partner looked to be about thirty years old, with curly brown-black hair and a two-handed sword that blocked all of the opponent's attacks.

The attacking speed and force of the contestants were not small, but the sparring partners were able to block them all, and their postures were rigorous and their movements were highly completed. Unlike other people nearby, the contestants had to stop several times to avoid accidental injuries.

Frederick looked at it for a while, nodded and left.

He said to Gunnar: "The Duchy of Milan has a profound heritage, which our Duchy of Wessen cannot compare with."

Gunnar asked, "Are you interested in that sparring partner?"

The head coach behind him immediately said, "That man is called 'Shitou', he is 30 years old this year, he started working as a maintenance worker at the training ground at the age of 12, and he has been a sparring partner since he was 14."

"We have many sparring partners like him here. They can either serve as sparring partners here until they are old, or find a position in another small family in a few years."

Frederick heard contempt from the head coach and stopped talking about what he wanted to say.

Gunnar thought that this person was just ordinary, and if he really had talent, he would have been discovered long ago, so he didn't pay any attention to him.

He thought about it and thought he had figured out what Frederick was interested in that person, so he asked, "Do you think our swordplay style is different from that of Lord Richardnar?"

Frederick nodded and said, "Ah, yes, yes, you are right."

Gunnar immediately said, "If you are interested, I can ask my uncle Franco to play a few hands with you."

Frederick declined, not wanting to compete with someone with a "turtle shell" style, especially since the opponent was still one step away from being a sword master.

He then asked: "Are you familiar with Mr. Riva? I would like to visit him."

Seeing that he was asking about one of the most famous sword masters in the Kingdom of Sardinia, Gunnar said excitedly, "Do you want to compete with him? It's just that he has been traveling around for the past ten years, so it's hard to find him."

Many people want to know how strong Frederick really is. If he fights with the Sword Master, it will be a good criterion for judgment.

Frederick smiled and said, "How can I dare to compete with Lord Riva? My master gave me the opportunity to ask him for advice."

Gunnar said: "Lord Riva's sword skills are as unstoppable as thunder. Many people are learning from him."

"I can help you find out his whereabouts and let you know as soon as I have any news."

Frederick thanked him immediately, without saying that he was actually very familiar with Riva's moves.

Richardnal had sparred with Riva before, and at their level, the clash of martial arts was no longer about techniques, but about their own martial arts concepts.

As long as you understand the other party's philosophy and combine it with the publicly taught moves, it is not difficult to roughly imitate the martial arts.

When educating Frederick, Richardnal could imitate about 80% of Riva's style to feed Frederick his moves, and with the help of Psyche he could imitate 90% of it.

But both of them felt a little awkward, and finally concluded that Riva had hidden a trump card, and as they continued to deduce, the sense of incongruity suddenly disappeared.

So this time when Frederick came to the Kingdom of Sardinia, Richardinal asked him to expose Riva's secrets, and it seemed that the two of them had some conflicts.

Frederick originally wanted to ask the king for help, but since Gunnar volunteered, he let him do it.

When the group was returning, the tailor hired by Gunnar came. He felt that Frederick brought too few clothes, so he helped him tailor a few sets of clothes.

Frederick accepted it with a smile, and his only request was to make a suit, as he didn't want to dress like a flower.

Gunnar left shortly after the tailor left, and told Frederick to have a good rest as the welcoming banquet would be held tomorrow.

Frederick did not stay in the house either. He changed into businessman's clothes and went out to play.

(End of this chapter)