Can Arknights dream about the Knights of the Round Table?

"Hey, what's wrong with young people today?"

"Whether it's in this life or in the previous life, bro, I was much more well-behaved than you when I was this age..."

And looking at the girl with rosy cheeks who was expecting him to say something about Victoria's current situation, Ozwald thought about it for a long time with a complicated look on his face, and finally could only spit out one sentence.

"Back then, Letania paid the sacrifice of 200 million people to eliminate the evil of the Witch King. Now we should also have the corresponding awareness!"

This was originally just a slightly self-destructive statement, but unexpectedly it attracted Charlotte's interest and made her eyes light up.

"Oh? That's an interesting statement, Mr. Ozwald--in that case, why don't I take you to the salon of the college later? It just so happens that Cromwell is going to have his wedding ceremony there before leaving school. Your last academic debate should be regarded as compensation for my previous rudeness to you. What do you think?"

ah? ....I, can I not go?

Ozwald really wanted to say this, but depending on the other party's situation, he probably couldn't do it; so in the end, he could only pretend to be very interested and readily agreed.

As for Charlotte in front of me, Cromwell arguing duels with others... these seem to be the epitome of the whole Cambridge University, which exudes a strong "hmm" atmosphere.

It can only be said that as Victoria has the strongest academic atmosphere and the forefront of ideological atmosphere; Cambridge University, and even Cambridge as a whole, is indeed teaching these young people to do business.

Victoria seeks a voice for change: 4 Victoria's young people [-]

The start time of the salon was around 07:30 after ensuring that most of the students had finished their dinner, and Ozwald was guided by Charlotte to be an invited outsider to observe this internal meeting in the school. discussion--or to be more precise, the salon organizers don't mind having a few more guests like Red Dragon as witnesses of the winner.

In other words, on the surface, this salon may just be to say goodbye to Oliver Cromwell, an alumnus who is about to leave school, and to end his farce this morning; but in fact, the underlying reason is that two factions with conflicting ideals ended up with Cromwell. Will started another debate.

Of course, salons like this where several parties argue and argue are actually quite common in Victoria, especially in Cambridge and the Royal Guards, where descendants of aristocrats and civilian talents from all over the country gather. There are a large number of young elites. A gathering place.

As the protagonist of this salon, Cromwell officially started this performance after a few polite opening remarks...perhaps it may be the last time he can stand on this stage in the next few years.

Cromwell seriously and rigorously put forward the point of view that he has been quarreling with: the hereditary bureaucrats composed of so-called nobles are increasingly unsuitable for today's society, and it is difficult to reappear as one like hundreds or thousands of years ago. A situation where a person who has read a book among a group of illiterate people and stands out from the crowd wears many hats.

After all, thousands of years ago were limited by low productivity, and the social situation at that time was far less complex than it is now. Therefore, there was barely a talented leader who could shoulder most of the work from the monarch to local officials. He single-handedly led the country to develop in all aspects; but now it is absolutely impossible for the encyclopedia-like philosopher king to appear again.

Politics, reputation, astronomy, geography, engineering, biology...More and more disciplines are established, more and more knowledge theories are discovered, and these major disciplines are divided according to their uses. There are hundreds or even thousands of types; this makes it impossible for anyone to understand all aspects of the extremely sophisticated knowledge that has been expanded by the continuous development of the entire society - even if it is only limited to a rough understanding, not to say that it is It is impossible for an outsider to guide an expert to this extent. .

[Gentlemen and ladies; I think that in this modern society, which is developing rapidly and all walks of life are becoming more and more complex and sophisticated, what is needed is talents who are specialized in cultivating and managing this field.It is up to them to abolish the traditional ancient aristocracy and govern our country. ]

[I do not draw this conclusion based on hostility to the nobility. In fact, I believe that in this land that was full of crises in the past, it was the ancestors of my colleagues with a long family history who worked hard to protect our people. Victoria today Glory is also inseparable from the sacrifices and efforts of those forefathers; this is history that no one can refute.

However, even a traditional and ancient family like our king's Drak or Aslan, relying on hundreds of thousands of years of accumulation, is nothing more than giving the children born in their families a higher starting point and the ability to learn. Making things a little more refined makes them better at aspects such as political management; otherwise, they are still the same as ordinary people, and it is difficult to correctly handle matters that require professional knowledge other than family inheritance.

For this reason, the need for a new generation of officials who can deal with such problems and possess specialized knowledge is one of the most urgent issues in Victoria today. ]

But when the power to govern counties and cities is in the hands of these hereditary noble families, it is impossible for these new generations of officials to be born.

Therefore, Victoria's future bureaucracy needs to move from hereditary inheritance to professionalization - this is the view that Oliver Cromwell has always insisted on, and he still uses this as his argument this time.

Of course, after he made this argument, he immediately aroused overwhelming opposition from the conservatives.

After all, if according to what Cromwell said, professional officials would need to deprive the traditional aristocrats of many political positions monopolized by the hereditary system, and this would also damage the interests of the ancient aristocrats to a great extent.Therefore, conservative vested interests naturally cannot accept such a future.

However, just like the existence of this group of stubborn conservatives who are purely greedy and selfish, even among the aristocrats whose positions are hostile to Cromwell who rejected this kind of reform, there are some people who do not care about the impact of power brought by history. At the expense of this...a large number of aristocratic children of the same age as Cromwell uphold the pride of being aristocrats;

They competed to enter Cambridge University through normal channels without relying on family connections and connections and established a foothold here. They were fully confident and proud of their abilities, and firmly believed that even in such an environment, they would not fall into the situation of the people at the bottom. filthy swamp;

In a sense, they even approved of Cromwell's views and felt that such a [professionalized] governing environment was the stage where they could better demonstrate their strengths.They will also use their strength and achievements to prove that they are nobles just because they are really better than civilians. Even if you compete on the same stage with the same resources, you will only lose; this objective fact .

Therefore, the only reason why these capable elites failed to become Cromwell's supporters in the end and why they are still among the conservatives is because of certain problems hidden in Cromwell's ideas, and they are now He also pointed this out rationally and objectively.

[You have to know, classmate Cromwell; perhaps professional skills and knowledge comparable to ours can be acquired through cultivation, but in this matter, there are some intangible things that civilians cannot achieve with their temporary efforts. It will be poured out, but it will take hundreds of years longer to ensure that it is as deep-rooted and solid...for example——]

A young man named Felin, dressed elegantly and appropriately, said two words in extremely standard and charming Victorian dialect after a pause.

【glory】

【responsibility】

[I do not deny that there are some scoundrels who have tarnished the nobility once, but even these scoundrels, as long as their family emblems and surnames are not taken away by His Majesty the King, then they must be responsible for their hereditary territories, positions, and Even if he is only responsible for family honor; even if he is just forced to make false sacrifices in public for pleasure and indulgence, but as long as he is still greedy for the things brought by territory and power... then he must Wear this mask to maintain a calm day on the water. ]

[That’s it, classmate Cromwell; if it were the administrative officials you mentioned who were specifically required for the refined division of labor and took up their posts after only a few years or ten years, their interest network would not be the same. Special boundaries; these administrative bureaucrats do not have any administrative power that can restrict them, so who can force them to perform their responsibilities well and be responsible for it?]

Another second son of a marquis from Normandy took up the words of the Philin nobleman and followed up with a refutational question to Cromwell.

Victoria seeks a voice for change: 5 young people in Victoria [-]

Let’s not talk about the Fela people who rely on their connections and backgrounds and are worried that their cakes and even their jobs will be taken away, so they want to fight Cromwell.

Just like the rebuttal of these two young nobles who are proud of their family's history and glory.

The reason why they and other conservatives like them do not recognize Cromwell is that their arguments often start from the long historical tradition represented by themselves, and then develop to attack Cromwell’s advocacy of outlawing The situation in which the aristocracy is dominated by the people calls the unlimited power exercised in the name of the majority the "tyranny of the majority."

They believe that the people should not be able to get involved in administrative power, because most of the time, even if the quality of the people is improved through universal education, the people can naturally get family influence, power cultivation and territorial awareness (after all, the power of the aristocracy comes from to the territory, so he needs to be responsible for the territory) are far inferior to the ancient nobles.

As for those political officers who were born from the people, on the one hand, they do not have the sense of responsibility conferred by these blood ties and the land. On the other hand, they will not have any changes in power due to the rise and fall of the land and long-term interests-anyway, they will not have any power changes. For these "barefoot" people, if they can't work on one piece of land, they can just move to another place, but that's not the case for the nobles.The nobles did not have such flexible mobility and could not move to another territory if they could not work in one territory.

Even a more realistic question of the worst-case scenario is the same.

A floating official who rises to the position based solely on his ability assessment, no matter how serious his corruption and bribery, is in most cases dismissed and rarely directly sentenced to death. On the other hand, if the nobles as lords cannot handle their subordinates well, they will be dismissed. Due to the conflict between the people, there is a high probability that they will be rebelled in the end!It’s all a luxury to hope that I’ll be able to die a good death by then.

And when the risks and penalties are not commensurate with your mistakes...well~~~~

So this is also the reason that conservative aristocrats often use to refute Cromwell's reform royalists: It is very irresponsible to let technocrats who are not responsible for the entire region and territory take charge of management on behalf of the aristocrats, because they lack the Direct binding relationship.

To be honest, when the two sides were arguing about this debate, Ozwald, who was sitting in the auditorium, actually had a sense of deja vu; he couldn't help but think of the chain of funds last week that had to create a lot even if it suffered serious losses. The face-saving project is regarded as a meritorious service, and once you are promoted, you will leave the mess of capital losses to those who come after you to deal with it (Okay! That’s it for the time being, no further extensions are allowed).

[Maybe the lords who are involved in the rise and fall of land that will bring about changes in power will indeed need to work hard to manage the territories that their families have held for thousands of years or even later for this purpose. There is a general lack of professional bureaucrats who do not hold the inheritance of territories. Such long-term and professional vision and sense of responsibility.... But! ]

As another reforming royalist colleague who holds the same views as Cromwell, he stood up here and raised his voice to emphasize: "The biggest problem now is that in this society where the division of labor continues to develop at a rapid pace, how can we still How many nobles have such a 'long-term vision' to manage their own families?

You know, with the increasingly refined division of labor in society, nobles no longer have enough energy and wisdom to handle the administrative work at hand.Therefore, many nobles now do not play the role of independent capable people as you say, but only rely on the assistance of a large number of technical personnel they have trained themselves, a stamp machine-like role that also has the power to issue orders and make final decisions. ]

[More importantly, it is true that this classmate you said that the nobles can manage the territory they are entrusted with and must protect and manage with such a "long-term" vision, but when you raise your sights to the level of the entire country In terms of power, he obviously lacked a "long-term" vision; because the direct power granted by the blood of the nobles was limited to their territories, this resulted in them not being responsible for the interests of the country.In this way, at the national level, these so-called "long-sighted" aristocrats are no different from ordinary professional bureaucrats.

In this case, wouldn't it be more efficient when there are bureaucrats appointed by the highest-level consul like a monarch than when there are intermediate nodes? ]

For such a theory, the conservative nobles made corresponding refutations.

[Then, in order to cultivate a large number of professional officials that you say can adapt to the times, we must improve the people's intelligence to a greater extent on a large scale, even nationwide. ]

A grey-bearded Luper took an elegant sip of the red wine in his glass and spoke slowly at this moment.

He is a professor in charge of one of the 31 colleges of Cambridge University and a well-known baron in Cambridge. He has a long experience in politics.

It is precisely because of this that his words are more realistic than the glory or pride that young nobles care more about.

[But it is difficult to lead if you know too much. ]

The world has always been led by ignorant people.

And this kind of view is not only unique to old professors, but is also commonly adopted by the older generation, in a wider scope, with higher status, and even by the rulers of other countries - for example, the most stereotyped perception of Terra today One is the phenomenon of discrimination against infected people.It's a similar principle.

Therefore, if you choose to open up people's wisdom, it means letting these unscrupulous people know too much, which will make them less easy to lead; because they will care more about their own interests and reduce the execution efficiency at the grassroots level of the country.

[But the same thing--doesn't this give them the ability to refute "certain" "stupid" nobles who can gain power "as long as they are bloodline"? ]

When he said this, Cromwell did not conceal his mockery as he looked at the old aristocratic professor who believed in the most correct way of blocking the people's wisdom and ignorant management. Other people with whom you are incompatible

Afterwards, looking at the conservative nobles who mostly frowned and looked a little annoyed, Cromwell continued his words leisurely.

[Although there will inevitably be delays in the process, at least the final result can be regarded as correct if everyone knows who is right and who is wrong, and knows how to distinguish lies from truth; only in this way will Zalac be avoided. The ridiculous and blinding fallacy of identifying the head as a Tripolitan neck.

After all, how many of your noble colleagues who know how to "lead" the people know the corresponding technical work... For example, you usually play music while sipping wine, and such a machine relies on the Origin Stone for power. How was the powered Leitania gramophone made?Right, professor.Last week, you passed on the bad mood caused by it to the students in class that day because you would not repair it after it broke down, and assigned homework to make things difficult for everyone]

As soon as these words came out, there was thunderous applause in the salon, and the old professor looked like he was eating dung.

Even the many aristocratic children who were in the old school but were doing their homework...for example, the original film was sending boos to Cromwell for his fight.

There is nothing official about it, it's all about personal grudges.

"Wow, what a cruel mouth, I'm starting to like this Cromwell."

Ozward, who also heard those who saw this situation, couldn't bear to whistle in a low voice with joy; while applauding, he turned his head with a smile, and said to Charlotte who was also chuckling next to him: "In addition, about Lei Tania: As for the gramophone, I happen to know how to make it. If you are interested, Miss Charlotte, I will find some materials to make a small gramophone and send it to your residence in a while. Just treat it as if you let me watch it. How about a thank you for such a wonderful debate?”

"Then I will humbly accept your gift of thanks, Mr. Ozwald."

But at the same time, this also aroused Charlotte's curiosity: "Have you ever had any experience of living in Letania? Mr. Knight."

After exchanging names, Charlotte actually recognized that the Waifan (?) man next to her who came to Cambridge for the first time was Ozward; after all, she liked knights very much and even received many related honors in Victoria. The eldest brother had watched the live broadcast of the Major Championship at home, and he had told her enthusiastically about Casimir’s latest and possibly the strongest champion knight in history.

It's just that she never thought that Casimir, the famous leader and champion of the Grand Knights, also had the experience of Letania.

"I have to say that I had an experience there...well, it can be regarded as an early experience of studying abroad."

After casually narrating a few poems in Laitani that were as fluent as those of a native, Oswald said with an unnatural expression on his face: "The teacher who taught me is quite famous, and he can be regarded as a former Laitani." You are a very famous person, because it involves sensitive political issues, so it is inconvenient to tell you, Miss Charlotte."

He originally thought that such words might not be able to fool the knowledgeable Miss Charlotte, but the other party's reaction made the red dragon happy.

"It's okay, Mr. Ozwald. Needless to say, I can understand the situation-"

The blond Tripoli raised his palm, his gorgeous cornflower-colored eyes full of admiration.

After all, it is too familiar and understanding for her and her family situation to deal with political issues and sensitive identities that cannot be discussed in detail.

ps: Severely, ah, Jianzheng.Cambridge is a place for discussing these and cultivating such talents (I’m sure)!

ps2: By the way, if you are interested, you can guess the identity of the guide lady. After all, she is a very important plot character in this volume.Her nickname Charlotte, which has a pre-Gaul style, and her eldest brother who is very interested in knights are hints, and there were several hints given in the previous volume to pave the way for a certain character in this volume.

Victoria seeks a voice for change: 6 young people in Victoria [-]

While Oswald was chatting with Charlotte about some anecdotes about what he saw and heard in Leitania after hiding the remnants of the Witch King, but which may be outdated now, Cromwell and those The debate among the conservative aristocrats did not end.

In order to support his own point of view and answer the question raised by those conservative aristocrats: about the fact that mobile political officers are not as restrictive as traditional aristocrats because of their long family history and the concept of responsibility and honor, Cromwell raised the opposite question. processing method.

He said that following the idea of ​​one party restricting the other, we can refer to the past that restricted the nobles not to completely ignore the people and damage the interests of the country. It was the monarch who wore the crown. In the future, the monarch can continue to restrict these guys. ; Or it could be some kind of publicly elected agency that represents the will of the people to restrict the existence of these guys. This is also an option. Of these two options, Cromwell prefers the former.Therefore, it can be said that he is a royalist with reform tendencies based on practical considerations.

Since the rights of the hereditary nobles come from their right to manage society, many of them are no longer suitable for this era; so Cromwell supports the abolition of the administrative power of the nobles through the hereditary inheritance system. .

Anyway, it can be summed up in one sentence: [In modern society, you bunch of traditional aristocratic conservatives who are still clinging to the past should all give me gold coins! 】

Of course, the nobles who followed the old system would be so angry that they would blow their beards and glare at such words that were barely pointed at them, but they could not get angry and summon their loyal subordinates to say such treasonous words as they did in the past. Go to Cromwell and drag him out; because the main purpose of an academic salon like this is that participants can speak freely, and everyone can say what they want to say, as long as it is based on logical and reasonable opinions. Discussion, no matter how harsh it sounds, can only be refuted in the same way...that's what debating is all about.Relying on power will only further prove that you are a complete loser.

Therefore, in response to Cromwell's views, the nobles had to pinch their noses and suppress the anger in their hearts to find out some irrelevant issues in his thoughts and words and amplify them, just like now. ——

[Classmate Cromwell, according to your proposal, it is necessary to abolish the hereditary administrative power of all nobles. Then, as the top and unique "biggest noble (KING)" in a country, can it be followed by analogy? Has it been abolished? ]

Someone said tit for tat full of hostility.

But this is not without basis.

Because you must know that the kings of most countries are fundamentally derived from the blood descendants of the gods or ancestors who overthrew the Sakaz Empire in the ancient past. The gods and ancestors were inherited by the blood of these heroic resisters. Followed by the people, thus forming the prototype of the original [country].

Although bloodline can bring strength, it cannot bring the wisdom to govern the country...

At the same time, the most important point is that even if we only talk about the power given by blood, the races of gods are often one or two more than other people. For most people, one hundred points is the norm, and you can reach three hundred points. That’s all.

Even if a person with extraordinary talent can reach the level of destroying an army group by himself like the King of the Royal Court, he still may not be able to defeat an entire country with a complete system, or even more often the size of the country. There will still be people born who are of ordinary race but can still compete with you.

To put it further, there is the Witch King whose race is Caprini but is dubbed the strongest Origin Stone skill and is said to be unparalleled in magical attainments. To put it more closely, there are the Duke of Wellington and Sasha Katz's demonic and snake-god kings serve as current templates... These are all very good, proving that the bloodline that gives power cannot bring about an absolute monopoly of power.

So here comes the question; if your power alone, which you boast about your personal force, is not enough to overthrow this country, nor is it enough to force a social system to change, then you who only have power still need to exist. ?

This is the contradiction between those who support the monarchy and those who support the new bureaucracy. Opponents often use this as an excuse to attack Cromwell, leaving him unable to refute.

Fortunately, just like the conservative aristocracy is a collective, Cromwell is only a representative of their reforming royalists. There are still more experienced seniors in his camp who have the same ideas as him but are more experienced.

[In response to this, although the boundaries between the king and the nobles, who both belong to the privileged class position in the collective, are very blurred and theoretically can be abolished, in fact, our king is not simply a superlative. Just a political officer;

More often than not, nobles who do not need to appear in public, and kings who often need to appear in the public eye and let the people hear their names can also be regarded as representatives of a country and have the possibility of becoming the spiritual symbol of a country. ——This is particularly important for us in Victoria]

Because just like Dayan, Victoria, which is located in the central circle of Terra, is actually quite ethnically diverse due to its hegemonic status and background; and such a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural government will definitely bring about the difference between the minority and the majority. .

As an ethnic minority (such as the Tala people) who sometimes need to be excluded, it is better to be loyal to a state agency elected by the mainstream ethnic group that makes them feel less comfortable. He provides support to individuals from his own group, and this is the important meaning of the king's existence.

In addition, if the ability and situation permit, you can actually use a religion that is not only applicable to specific and minority groups like Lateran, but a truly [universal] religion to escape from simple nationalism. We must deal with it within a framework, following an idea, a slogan, a concept, etc. After all, universal religion is the cornerstone of all ideologies... Ah, anyway, that’s all, I understand everything.

In short, for a diverse nation like Victoria, where there were still many conflicts, Cromwell believed that there must be a king with a more cohesive and substantial presence to become the source of the people's hope.

After all, this is true in many cases. The common people are loyal to a country that is more grand and illusory and cannot be touched. A king who always appears in the news makes them feel closer... In this way, witnessing the end Ozwald was deeply touched by the crazy posture of the steam knight.Didn’t that person lose his emotional and loyal sustenance in the illusory and invisible vision, and finally lost himself in the “darkness” without seeing the light of day, and became an existence with only obsession driving his body?

It is worth mentioning that although the current debate is between the conservative aristocrats and the radical and conservative royalists like Cromwell, not everyone in this salon holds these two views and is either black or white. Naturally, there are also extreme radicals who are even more radical and want to completely abolish the king and emphasize the selection of managers of democratically elected institutions.

There are only a very small number of such people, and once they appear, they will be beaten by conservatives and reformers together - because Victoria's biggest crisis now comes from this, as a management that eliminated the role of the king and was completely elected by the people of Victoria at that time. The Supreme Council of the Institution, and its current Council President Tracy has officially plunged the entire Victoria into war and chaos, trying to revive their Kazdaele bastards with the destruction of Victoria.... So you fucking dare to play Is this the 50 that was paid by Tracys to say good things to him?You bitch, Bangbang gave you two punches, and you were so beaten that even your eighteenth generation ancestors wouldn’t recognize you. Do you believe it or not? !

Of course, if a country is completely handed over to the king to manage, it will lead to new problems. Just like everyone thinks that the nobility that can no longer keep up with the development of the times will be abolished because of their active or passive chaos. In theory, the king There is also a similar possibility; and after the abolition of the mutual checks and balances of the nobility, as the only and absolute power holder that still exists, the harm caused by him will only increase if he plays around.

Even if the possibility of the faint king is eliminated, and every king who takes office in that family is a master who devotes himself to the country, as a human being, he still has limits in his abilities, and many things still cannot be done by him alone. treatment and countermeasures.

After all, it is still the same sentence. No politician in this world can be meticulous enough to provide solutions to all problems caused by every political order, changes in social, people's livelihood, international situation and other aspects. As the instructions are accurate and processed at every place - he is not a transport captain who also serves as the chairman of the committee. Before the war, he gave the air command to the troops who had closed the communication network due to the disturbance and directed the front line artillery muzzles to the left. Move five centimeters, your troops move in the direction of

Therefore, if it is necessary to allow the monarch as a symbol of the country to exist while ensuring that he does not make avoidable mistakes, it is necessary to limit his power to a certain extent.

For example: Although laws can be promulgated in the name of the king, the king himself cannot amend and issue new laws at will.