Chapter 1,056 Conversation Between Father and Son

Father and son traveling in the same car are not as different as outsiders imagine. There are so many things to say, but they are worth a thousand words. At least Marquis Farshid confirmed a few things.

First of all, his father's love for cars is indeed from the heart. When driving the car, the expression of joy and excitement is like that of a lost little boy picking up the first sword in his life. No matter how worn or old the sword was, or even just a wooden sword, its meaning to the boy was completely different.

Another thing is that from very few conversations, Marquis Farshid knew that the car he was riding in could only be regarded as a special case, rather than a type of vehicle routinely manufactured by the automobile center. Even the value of this custom-made car is equivalent to all the territories and industries under the Grand Duke's name, and more than a year's income...

Hearing this, all sons want to strangle me to death with their own hands...

In the palace, I had to deal with a bunch of ruthless people, doing all kinds of things to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and I almost turned myself into a beggar! It's so embarrassing to be a son when more than a year's taxes have been paid out like this.

What's even more fatal is that the old Duke bought two such cars. One is the old man's own, and the other is given to his niece, the Marquis of Balan.

Suddenly, the son didn't want to talk nonsense to me anymore. Perhaps this was the main reason why the father and son were speechless in the car.

However, after returning to the mansion, Marquis Farshid calmed down and still had to speak. At least he needs to understand whether it is possible to replicate his father's rapid advance this time, what conditions are required, and whether it can become a normal method. All of this may bring about huge changes in military operations in Midi.

However, he got an answer beyond his imagination from the old Duke's answer.

The most intuitive thing is the change in the configuration of the Duke's Guard. In the past, the guards of Grand Duke Kawei were quite luxurious in the eyes of other nobles. Although the weapons and equipment are still the same as before, the standard configuration of one person and three horses has been abolished. Today, there are only 150 war horses left to march with the army, and these horses do not walk on their own, but are carried by specially designed trucks.

The purpose of this batch of horses is to allow heavily armored knights to rush into battle. Just like in the past, as a sharp knife on the battlefield, it tears apart the enemy's formation. But in the past, the entire Duke's Guard could do this, but now only the most elite one hundred and fifty are retained. The remaining guard members were of course used as infantry.

Don't look at this as a downgrade, from cavalry to infantry. In fact, as a rule of war in the Lost World, apart from charging into battle, cavalry is inferior to infantry in terms of fighting.

Once entering close combat, those who can still ride on horses are usually captain-level figures with command responsibilities, while everyone else dismounts to fight. Even the Duke's Guard will dismount as much as possible to engage the enemy before entering a fight. The saying "To shoot a man first, shoot a horse; to capture a thief first, capture the king" may not be the same in Midi, but it also has similar thinking.

This is because there are many inconveniences in fighting on horses. And no matter how much they are trained, the upper limit of the strength of knights on horseback and warriors on foot is very high, but this is not the case for horses. As long as they don't have the bloodline of Warcraft, the advantages of this group of grass-eating four-hoofed creatures are just their height and weight. And such an advantage is nothing compared to Mi Di's personal power.

The Grand Duke's drastic reforms, which transferred all the sources of mobility of the Duke's Guard to cars, were beyond the imagination of Marquis Farshed.

However, all the horses that did not accompany the army were not eliminated because of this. This is because the terrain that cars can now use is limited. Compared with four-legged horses, cars pay more attention to the smoothness and spaciousness of the road. And the car also needs to be replenished with gasoline, which is the fuel that keeps the engine running.

But these inconveniences are not without the horses, it's just that the direction is different. List the advantages and disadvantages of the two in various aspects and compare them one by one. Marquis Farshid also had to admit that cars had greater advantages. Not to mention anything else, the speed and carrying capacity alone are beyond the reach of horses.

How many horses are needed to achieve the same benefits as a truck? Just thinking about it this way, the son also feels that his beloved horse is not very attractive.

Among the many figures raised by the old Duke, perhaps the most gratifying thing is that the cost of trucks and cars is far less outrageous than customized cars. Compared with the value of war horses, it is still within an acceptable range. It can even be said that it is cheaper than raising a war horse.

It was this assessment result that made the Grand Duke decide to reform. Even as a son, I can't find anything wrong with him.

Of course, after understanding the inside story of the car, the next thing the father and son have to discuss is how to speak to the outside world.

Nowadays, in the imperial capital, there is a lot of action regarding cars. As long as one is not careful, it is very likely to turn into a huge political incident. The grand duke, who had been silent before, suddenly made a drama of coming to Beijing in three days, which frightened many people. Therefore, the father and son must come up with a consistent charter for their external statements and attitudes towards cars.

But just as they were preparing to discuss it, a messenger was sent from the inner court to summon the grand duke to meet with the emperor.

The father and son would never have any doubts about the emperor's ability to control him. It's just that the old emperor couldn't wait to summon the grand duke alone for the New Year's audience a few days later. Instead, he ordered to summon the grand duke on the first day he arrived in the capital. Such an attitude was not common in the past.

In the past, except for certain close people, the emperor was not available to everyone who wanted to see him. Although there are security issues, it is more about maintaining the authority and mystery of the 'Emperor'.

Generally, when nobles come to the imperial capital, as long as it is not an urgent military situation, the first thing they do is to find a place to live and settle down first; then they submit an application for an audience. With luck, it will be passed by the ruling council in three to five days and placed on the emperor's agenda. As for when the old man wants to meet, it depends on his mood. It’s also possible that you won’t see it even if you wait for a year.

Even if the emperor took the initiative to summon him, he would do so according to his own schedule, not to mention that he would meet on the spot. The emperor's daily schedule may have been arranged a month ago. This is not to say that there is no such thing as temporarily cutting in line, but it is rare.

So like this time, when he was summoned as soon as he entered the city, Marquis Farshed was not only surprised, but also a little worried. After all, during this period, the emperor's attitude towards cars was not clear. No one can guess what the supreme emperor of the empire is thinking.

Of course a father is aware of his son's worries. But compared to his son's worries, Duke Kawei was more confident and said: "Don't worry, it's just one time to enter the palace, just like countless times in the past. That old guy wanted to know something, so he just called me over. What’s the big deal? Or do you think the palace today is different from the past?”

"That's not true. But please father, please be careful with your words and deeds. Your Majesty's authority is getting stronger and stronger, and it is no longer comparable to what it was when you left. Although it is not a crime because of your words, it is caused by being alienated and coldly treated by your Majesty. The series of reactions was unbearable even for our family."

The old Duke nodded. Although he didn't seem to care much on the surface, in fact, he chose to leave in the first place. It was probably because of this factor.

He can see things more clearly than his own son.

The difference is that he has the ability to act wildly, but his son does not.