Green Empire, the mountain behind the Burris family home.
The ground in the mountains is covered with withered yellow and green leaves. The black soil is very soft. You can hear the sound of dead leaves breaking when you step on it. Occasionally, you can see a few ants crawling under the fallen leaves and on tree trunks. They are moving small particles of food, some of which are the corpses of other insects, and some are some pine nut fragments, crawling in various crevices.
The fence made of dead branches was leaning against the wall. Part of it had fallen off, revealing rusty nails. It swayed slightly in the wind. The woods were very quiet, with only the occasional long bird calls.
A young man with golden brown hair walked over. He was about sixteen years old. He was wearing a white shirt that was easy to move in and durable leather pants. He carried a broadsword on his shoulder. Judging from the old scabbard and the shiny counterweight ball, it must be quite old.
He casually stepped over the crude fence, and some dead bark scraps stained his leather pants. He patted them to shake off some dust, then turned around a few big trees, and a simple wooden frame appeared in front of him.
The wooden rack is just a thick piece of wood inserted into the ground, with a piece of wooden branch nailed horizontally on the upper part. The overall height is about the same as an adult. Judging from the marks on the edges and corners of the wood, it should have been made recently.
He drew out his broadsword, placed the scabbard under a tree, and began to get used to swinging it. The broadsword seemed a bit big when he held it tightly in both hands. It would probably take a few more years for him to use the sword properly.
Although the sword was not swung very fast, it made gusts of sound in the air. It looked quite skillful, and he must have received professional guidance.
He first practiced swordsmanship several times until his body felt a little hot. Then he put down the sword, stretched his legs, and stretched his ligaments. Then he jogged around the woods a few times before returning to where he had put down the sword.
It was around three or four in the afternoon. He went to a nearby spring to drink some water, then leaned against a tree to rest for a while.
At this time, a short figure slowly walked towards them from the woods behind them. His pace was not fast, but his footsteps were so light that no sound could even be heard.
The figure slowly approached the tree the boy leaned against, gripping the dagger in his right hand while his left stretched out in the air. He saw the figure approaching closer and closer, but the boy seemed unaware, still leaning against the tree trunk, eyes closed.
The figure approaching from behind saw that he was defenseless and was secretly delighted, and was about to attack him.
"drink!"
In the silent woods, the young man opened his eyes and suddenly shouted, so suddenly that the figure behind him trembled and his feet stepped on the dead leaves, making a noise. Before he could react, the young man in front of him picked up the sword at hand, stood up and slashed back. He could only respond hastily and block with the dagger in his hand.
But how could a thin dagger compare to a heavy broadsword? After two simple blows, the dagger was knocked away and landed on the gravel nearby. The hilt bounced slightly, then fell back, motionless. The young man also aimed his broadsword at the figure who was the same height as himself.
"Haha, I win this time, Rock." The boy announced his victory excitedly.
"cut."
Looking at the broadsword pointed at him, Rock turned his head away in dissatisfaction.
"It's just this once, what's there to be happy about?"
"No, no, you haven't forgotten, Rock." The young man waved his sword proudly and continued.
"We agreed that if I won, you would be my follower."
"You still remember this? You lost to me so many times before, why don't I see you being my follower?" Rock said dissatisfiedly.
"Well..." The boy was stunned for a moment before speaking.
"Because Uncle Wade is my father's chief guard, you shouldn't say..."
"What should I do? Why? I won't be like my dad, a fool. I don't want to be a crappy follower." Rock got a little excited when he said this.
"Isn't the captain of the guards doing well? He's not usually too tired, and he can even go to banquets with me to eat and drink for free." The young man put down his sword, a little puzzled.
"So what if I go? Those noble ladies won't be attracted to me. They only want to marry the heirs of noble families with fiefs."
"Besides, Isaiah, you're only the third oldest, and it's not your turn to inherit the title. There's no future in following you."
It hurts. Hearing this, the boy felt a little depressed.
The Green Empire was a strictly hierarchical society, with a significant disparity in power between nobles and commoners. For example, many schools only accepted children of nobles. If commoners were also admitted, noble families would not allow their children to attend the school or study under the name of the teacher.
Because the tribes don't like to see their children sitting in the same classroom with those wild kids of unknown origin, thinking that this will lead them astray. The same is true for some high-end restaurants, libraries, and even shops.
If you are an ordinary person in the countryside, many parts of this country are inaccessible to you, as are many of its benefits.
When walking on the street, nobles have special passages, and when carriages meet at intersections, nobles are given priority. This inequality is evident in every aspect of society. Even the laws of the empire explicitly state that human lives are not equal, and some people are simply more noble.
Logically, such a system would have led to a lot of conflicts and resentment between different classes, but the builders of the empire cleverly designed many channels for advancement. For example, there was a very comprehensive military merit system. Fighting in battles not only earned one wealth and respect from others, but accumulated military merit could also lead to promotion to the ranks of the nobility.
The benefits of aristocratic status inspired countless men to take to the battlefield, fighting bravely to gain military merit and change their fate. This also helped the Green Empire suppress anti-war sentiment in its early days and improved the army's combat effectiveness.
At the same time, in addition to military merit, outstanding craftsmen, priests, scholars, and high-sequence extraordinary people can also be granted noble status, separating them from the civilian class.
In this way, the nobles used various channels to recruit the most elite and outstanding people in the country. There were no extraordinary people or masters among the common people, so naturally they could not make any waves.
Most commoners also agree with this view. The aristocrats are aristocrats because they are powerful, hardworking, and daring to fight. Many commoners also teach their children to strive to become aristocrats in the future.
The privileges of the nobility were tiered. At the top, of course, were the royal family and the four ducal families. Then, down the hierarchy, came earls, viscounts, barons, and a host of non-hereditary lordships. Nobles also paid taxes based on their rank and the number of registered family members to cover the cost of their benefits. In a sense, the privileges of nobility were purchased.
If insufficient taxes were paid, the title would be downgraded until the noble became a commoner, which became a means of recovering the title.
Relying on this unequal treatment, while giving a certain hope, it constantly motivated the common people and even the small nobles to climb up. The Green Empire maintained extremely high vitality, constantly iterated and advanced in internal and external competition, and finally defeated the Kingdom of Oz, becoming the strongest country on the continent.
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