"Isn't this what you want to say?"
"Yes, my lord."
"But have you ever thought about what pests are? Or in other words, who are the pests of the empire, and who are the ones we should protect?" The old man spoke again.
"Don't tell me it's those people who are paying." He pointed to the ordinary people in the night whose doors were knocked on and checked by the soldiers.
"Well, isn't it true? These are all citizens of the empire. They have done nothing wrong." The young officer looked at a mother who had just walked out of the courtyard, holding her child in her arms.
"No, no, no." The old man shook his head.
"They are just crops, or the wheat in the field."
"Do you know what wheat is? Yes, it is food, firewood, and an important thing."
"And these guards are the ones who help us harvest the wheat. They are our allies and our own people. You have to understand the difference."
"When the emperor issues an order, who carries it out? When the trumpet of war sounds, who leads the troops? When the dignity of the imperial family is insulted, who wields the sword to punish those who disrespect?"
"It is these nobles who are truly royal, these families who have made oaths and covenants in ancient times. They are the backbone and support of the empire."
"The people are ignorant, greedy, and ruthless. Don't be fooled by their appearance of cooperation now. If you don't have a sword and armor in your hands, they won't give you a penny."
"If there are no guards, they will break into your home and steal your things. If you don't punish them and teach them a lesson, these people will dare to disobey any order."
"You think if you treat them well, they will remember you and thank you? Exactly not. They will complain even more, asking why you didn't give more. Everyone else has given, but why don't you give me anything?"
"They will betray you for a little profit, break their vows and promises, and go into hiding, all because they once borrowed money from you."
"If one day he pays back the money, he will be laughed at by people around him. Wouldn't that make him a fool?"
"So I say, these civilians are like crops in the fields. You have to take good care of them and prune them regularly so that they stay in shape. Otherwise, they will grow in disarray."
"As for those pests, they don't just waste the good crops. Not only do they harbor ulterior motives, they also encourage others to do the same. If you allow these people to expand, they will be like locusts, leaving you with nothing to harvest." The experienced investigator commented on the revolutionaries.
"Although it was Viscount Mo Ruo who lost something important this time, we can also take this opportunity to search every household and eliminate those hidden pests."
"Now, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir, I understand." In response, the confusion in the young officer's eyes disappeared, and turned into determination and indifference.
They are soldiers loyal to the Emperor and will safeguard the unity and greatness of the Empire.
————————
After the initial commotion and surprise of the night search, everything gradually calmed down. Although people murmured and complained about the guards' harshness and extortion, they remained sensible and restrained when faced with the gleaming spears and swords, and did not resist.
"search!"
The door of another small house was pushed open, and several soldiers rushed in.
"You look unfamiliar. Where are you from?" These guards are all locals and are naturally familiar with the local situation.
In the small courtyard, besides the head of the household and his wife, there were two young men. They did not look like farmers working in the fields.
"We are adventurers from Iron Hill City. We recently heard that there are many monsters that need to be dealt with here, so we came here." The two gave a reasonable explanation.
"Is that so?" Several soldiers took a quick look at the two men and asked them to take out their adventurer badges for inspection.
"Here." The two men obediently took out the badge inside their collars and shrugged their shoulders to show that they were somewhat innocent.
Facing the torch, he looked at the two badges in his palm. There were a few stains on the copper metal, reflecting a faint light.
"It's real." The guard checked it for a while and threw the two badges back, which were carefully caught by the two men.
Soon after, several soldiers who were checking in the house came out and reported to the team leader.
"Boss, it's normal inside." As he said this, he held a few sausages in his hand, took a bite of one of them, and there was a little oil on the corner of his mouth.
"It's indeed quite normal." The team leader looked at the sausages, smiled, and nodded slowly.
"Let's go."
After saying that, the soldiers waved their greetings and began to move on to the next house. Behind them, a sergeant in black gave the yard a meaningful look before quickly catching up.
The search continued as the night gradually deepened and it was the most tiring time of the morning.
The two investigators walked down from the town's clock tower, and several black-clad soldiers came forward and began to report the situation one by one.
....
"Among the above, these are the most noteworthy ones." As he spoke, the sergeant pressed a rough, yellowed map against the wall of the clock tower, then raised a torch to illuminate it.
The map roughly depicts the outline of the town and the distribution of streets, among which there are four circles drawn in red pen, which are very eye-catching.
"There's a middle-aged knight at this house on North Street near the city wall. He's said to be a distant relative of this family, and he's here to visit."
"There's a guest from the East at the 'Barrel Bar' in the middle of the city, near the market. He has documents and certificates, but our soldiers don't know how to verify their authenticity."
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