Chapter 394 Umbrella

Vienna, Albrecht Palace.

"Uncle Karl, I need a troop." Franz said straight to the point. Archduke Karl didn't talk to his nephew very often, but this didn't prevent the latter from being one of the few people he recognized.

"Didn't your grandfather leave you a dragoon regiment before he died? Aren't three thousand troops enough for you?"

Franz shook his head and replied.

"Uncle, after trying for a while, I found that the number was indeed not enough, and they were not suitable for the tasks I assigned them."

Archduke Karl suddenly became interested. He wanted to hear what strange ideas this young man had in his head.

"What I urgently need are professional and obedient soldiers."

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

He didn't think that the royal troops could degenerate to such a level, especially the guards prepared for the new monarch would not be a group of drunkards.

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

"You mean you need a group of consumables that can be discarded at any time?" Archduke Karl's tone was a little angry.

Seeing that the other party did not seem to be trying to quibble, he turned to speak earnestly.

"Years of experience 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 fight for the country, but correspondingly, it can make up for it with material." Franz replied.

"Do you understand what you are saying? This is a blasphemy to 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 is still expounding on his own cognition and hopes that the other party can listen to it.

"Uncle, I have absolutely no intention of replacing the regular army with mercenaries. It's just that sometimes a mercenary army is needed under certain circumstances to complete some tasks that are not so glorious and can't be put on the surface.

I certainly 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, I can leave immediately."

Although Franz came to visit on the pretext of increasing the security force for the royal family, in fact, he came for a pair of handy black gloves.

The problem of the guards is easy to solve. It is not a problem to select a few thousand strong 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 criteria.

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

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

Franz is eager to have a force that can stir up the world. In fact, he has tried other paths, such as the "Knights of the Holy Sword" who conspired with the Archbishop.

Their combat power alone may not be weak, but the moral cleanliness of this group of people means that they cannot play the role of black gloves at all. For example, the indigenous people who migrated to the two Central American countries had to rely on the help of local landlords and gentry in the end.

In the future stormy years, one more unit that can be controlled will give him more chances of survival. He can set up a mercenary organization similar to the modern Blackwater Company by himself without Archduke Karl's family, and its ability may not be inferior to that of the latter.

But without this bond, Franz always feels 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 the country's violent machine and a tool to maintain the rule. No matter what the army does, the ultimate goal is only one, that is to maintain the 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 personal feelings, and even their lives are consumables."

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 the times have changed.

"Swear to the sky to make my will clear;

Do not bully the weak, and spend the days humbly;

In the battles you have experienced, do not fear the strong enemy;

I will cut down their flags wherever they are evil.

Women are weak and children are old, and they are the ones who fight;

Women are delicate, and they should not be offended;

Colleagues are of the same mind, and they try their best to help each other;

Treat friends sincerely and be gentlemen;

My beloved ones are loyal and unswerving."

Archduke Karl was a little surprised to hear Franz reciting the Knight's Declaration. He always thought that the boy in front of him lacked relevant emotions, and was more like a businessman than an aristocrat, and did not understand the spirit of chivalry.

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

"Alas, how many of the bureaucrats and lawyers in the empire are not high-sounding or righteous in front of others, but are another person behind others?

They understand, know, and often use those laws and regulations and moral ideas, but when they really do things, I'm afraid it's another picture.

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

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 it seems to make sense if this theory of naked money and capital is applied to everything that has happened throughout the ages. But Archduke Karl still believed that talent was the master, not just wealth.

"Of course not. It's just that black and white, light and darkness, good and evil, right and wrong all exist relative to each other. The sun cannot grow alone, and 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. The imbalance of power in the regime will make the country go berserk."

Archduke Karl felt dizzy after hearing this. 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 poor people in the world will be happy. Let the laborers be paid, the nobles should bear their responsibilities, the poor should have their respect, and the rich should be put to their best use. The good will be honored, the bad will be punished, and the lonely 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's solemn reply 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 it is now. Umbrella, Umbrella Company."