I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 468 Little Charles's Experiences
Diu Ni Rem could hardly believe the contents of the document in his hand. He scratched his head and cheeks, his face full of disbelief.

"This plot is so ridiculous..."

On the fifth day after Diu Ni Rem settled in Treasure Island City, thanks to the digging of story-driven players and the cooperation of the Royal Guard, the events that had happened in Treasure Island were gathered in detail on paper and presented to him.

The development of this series of events left everyone speechless and incredulous.

However, after calming down, Diu Ni Rem had to admit that he was lucky, as Charles was a ruthless and cunning man... in terms of intrigue and scheming.

If Charles hadn't died, and if the Holy Crusade were still entangled with the snake people of the Suvano region, then this crippled Kingdom of Minicia would have become a powerful force capable of rivaling Bagnia and the players.
An obstacle to continuing the fight.

The reason was simple: after Charles killed all the nobles in Taiwan who opposed him, he completed the work of centralizing power.

What does centralized power mean to the Chinese?
This implies efficiency, unity, and a strong mobilization capability, a perception almost ingrained in our cultural DNA.

Throughout history, every truly unified and centralized system of government has been accompanied by an explosive growth in power and a leap in civilization.

Diu Ni Rem put down the file, her thoughts racing.

Charles's methods were extreme, cruel, and inhumane. He used cruelty towards his own son to carry out a bloody massacre and a riot that nearly destroyed his capital, thus eliminating all the entrenched local noble forces.

This process came at a heavy cost, almost destroying the Great Wall itself.

But... what if he succeeds?
What if he hadn't died and had controlled the Janissaries, preventing the suppression from turning into outright looting?
The result will be an island where internal dissent has been physically eliminated, and a Minicia where no traditional aristocratic class can restrain the monarchy.

Charles will become the absolute ruler of this land, able to concentrate all resources, manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and allocate and mobilize them according to his will.

"damn it……"

"Damn it!" Rem muttered under his breath, a chill running down his spine.

Consider this: a kingdom free from internal strife, even one that has just suffered a devastating blow, possesses a terrifying potential for warfare.

Charles can quickly consolidate the remaining forces without having to contend with any domestic powers. Conscription, food requisition, military production... all orders will be executed with the highest efficiency.

If they return after spring, the Holy Army will face a war machine that has undergone a distorted rebirth in blood and fire, a monolithic entity with only one voice from top to bottom, and where the entire population can be mobilized.

Charles will use the wealth confiscated from the nobles to reward the army, arm the soldiers with the concentrated resources, and may even take advantage of the time window when the player is tied up by the snake people to seek external assistance or strengthen the defenses.

At that time, the war will be greatly prolonged, and players on the side of the Kingdom of Bagnia will be able to fight to their hearts' content.

"Lucky...or a pity?"

"Dou Ni Rem" muttered to himself, then let out a long sigh.

However, if he had to choose, from the perspective of the Minister of Transport, he still felt it was best to fight less. If the fighting continued, the players might not be afraid of dying, but how long could the limited manpower of the Kingdom of Bagnia last?

We can't do what the Soviet Union did, wiping out an entire generation of young adults for the sake of war.

……

Unlike the quiet reorganization still underway inside the city, the atmosphere near Bagnia's central military tent, located in the core area of ​​the temporary camp outside the city, was slightly different.

Charles was not imprisoned in a dark cell, nor was he deliberately humiliated by the victors. Instead, he was placed in a spacious and clean tent, equipped with simple furniture, plenty of lamp oil and a charcoal brazier for heating, and even had two taciturn but quick-handed orderly in charge of his daily life.

He was treated more like a special guest than a prisoner.

Diu Ni Rem seems to be well-versed in the art of appeasement, showing unexpected tolerance and almost procedurally proper handling towards this young surrenderer.

Every morning, an officer from the Minisian Guard would arrive on time to briefly inform him of the latest progress in the recovery of the island city, and also to visit him so that the guards on the other side of the camp could know the situation of their master.

This meeting brought Charles a sense of relief; at least his former subjects were being cared for in an orderly manner, rather than being forgotten in the ruins.

His diet was on par with that of senior military officers, and even, taking into account his age, he would occasionally have an extra sweet honey dessert.

Players are very interested in this little prince, and often they "accidentally" pass by his tent and chat with him or even play with him.

There are always people who retain a childlike heart, just like big kids.

What surprised little Charles the most was the educational arrangement.

Three days after his surrender, a middle-aged civil official with glasses and a somewhat scholarly appearance was sent to his tent.

This gentleman was one of the scribes accompanying Bagnia's army. He was well-versed in history and law. His purpose in coming was not to preach, but to tutor young Charles according to Dionysm's instructions.

What kind of tutoring should I take?

Learn Chinese language and characters.

Chris's arrangements for little Charles hadn't materialized, but Diu Ni Rem was certain the latter would become a part of the Kingdom of Bagnia and live a life of plenty. Therefore, arranging Chinese lessons was a good thing for little Charles.

At first, this made Charles feel stressed and uncomfortable, but gradually he found that he adapted to this kind of life quite well.

There was no warm greetings, no emotional exchange; all that existed was a clear, cold, yet remarkably stable schedule and resource allocation.

The Bagnians' intentions were very clear, which meant that little Charles no longer had to go to sleep in fear every night... Although he was young, his recent experiences had forced him to mature and learn to think.

Feeling safe and secure, he would wander around the military camp when he was bored, curiously observing the army that had conquered his kingdom.

Bagnia's military camp was quite different from the Miniese style he was familiar with.

There were no noisy gambling matches, no drunken soldiers, and you could hardly hear any rude shouts. Everything seemed orderly yet very lively... a strange liveliness that little Charles couldn't understand.

While wandering around the military camp, he often saw dozens of players gathered in a large circle in an open space, shouting and cheering at the top of their lungs.

Inside the circle, two players fully armored were wrestling in a near-frenzied manner.

They didn't use weapons, but instead swung their fists at each other like street kids, their heavy plate armor banging loudly as they were smashed. Occasionally, they would tumble to the ground together due to excessive force, kicking up a cloud of dust and even louder laughter.

"Press down his left hand, yes...lock his throat!"

"Idiot, trip over it with your foot! You're such a waste of your size..."

"I bet five silver dollars, buddy, you win!"

"I bet on that hothead; he's more agile!"

Charles was dumbfounded. This was hardly the imposing royal guard.

They were clearly a group of street urchins watching a gladiatorial contest.

But strangely, these street thugs were often equipped with frighteningly sophisticated gear. Any piece of their armor, which was being beaten so hard it was banging, would be enough to make the knights of Miniscia envious. They seemed to treat this terrifying brawl as a kind of... game?
Before he could even process what was happening, a scene from another direction caught his eye.

Several players were pointing and commenting on a newly arrived heavy artillery piece. One of them pulled out a bunch of brightly colored paints and brushes and started graffitiing on the dark metal parts of the artillery!
He drew a ferocious shark head and wrote a long string of crooked Chinese characters next to it. His companions not only did not stop him, but also clapped and cheered. Some even suggested drawing cute cat ears.

"Done, this will increase attack power by at least 10%!"

The graffiti artist clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Then you should wear red, because of the red speed-up rule..."

Charles felt his perception was being challenged; these precious war machines seemed to be mere toys waiting to be decorated in their hands.

What surprised him even more was yet to come.

During his walk, little Charles saw a player leading a... donkey?

The donkey was draped in a gaudy cloak made of some unknown shimmering fabric, and its head was topped with an exaggerated headdress adorned with enormous feathers.

The man spoke to the donkey with a serious expression, as if assigning an important task. Then he patted the donkey's rump, and the donkey trotted away. The surrounding soldiers, whether players or native Bagnian soldiers, seemed to take this for granted. No one laughed or found it strange.

He continued walking and saw players using their swords and shields as cutting boards and small pots to fry meat patties they had somehow acquired, the aroma filling the air.

I saw a player using his superb archery skills to shoot a small copper coin hanging hundreds of meters away, with the bet being to help the other player clean their underwear for a week.

I also saw a player sitting on an ammo box, holding a lute, playing a strangely melodious but inexplicably catchy tune, while several other players were shouting along in their awkward voices.

Chaotic, chaotic, undisciplined, and even absurd.

This was Charles's first impression.

However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that this kind of nonsense was strictly limited to specific areas and times.

Once a messenger runs by, or one of them who appears to be an officer issues an order, the royal guards who were just arm wrestling or braiding their mounts will instantly stop laughing and joking, assemble with astonishing speed and efficiency, receive their mission, and then head to their designated locations like cold war machines.

Their playfulness and their fighting seemed to be two completely separate states. On one side was extreme absurdity, and on the other side was extreme professionalism and ruthlessness.

Little Charles stood at the boundary between liveliness and solemnity, watching the donkey in its magnificent cloak calmly walk past a group of serious-looking clergy.

His little head was filled with great confusion.

What exactly are these royal guards?
They seem to possess simultaneously the playfulness of a child, the madness of an artist, the shrewdness of a businessman, and the ruthless efficiency of a top warrior.

This extreme contradiction aroused in him an increasingly strong curiosity about the army and the kingdom behind it, as well as a subtle, almost imperceptible, attraction mixed with fear.

(End of this chapter)