Chapter 401 Recruitment
The mobilization that day was quite successful.
The day after the mobilization meeting, while Zeus was still looking at the report, Alexi came to his door. He was in charge of the registration of the Crusaders, and his office was now packed.
As soon as he entered the house, he began to complain to his lord.
"Don't even mention those who want to join the Skitarii. Almost all the workers have submitted their applications. Even the veterans are writing applications in teams, hoping to join the expeditionary force."
Alexei sat opposite Hughes' desk, loosened his collar, and drank tea in big gulps.
"Don't worry, drink some water first and take it easy." Xius turned around and took a piece of paper and handed it over: "I just received news that Zoe and Josh are coming here by boat and will arrive later. They both hope that the expeditionary force will reserve a few more places for the Secret Society."
"The Secret Order? Hmm..." Alexei frowned, hesitated for a moment and whispered: "Lord, I don't quite understand why they are so enthusiastic about joining the army? We haven't set much military reward?"
The empire was at war everywhere, but it still had an endless supply of soldiers. This was because military merit could be directly exchanged for money and power, and there was even the possibility of being granted a title - a title that came with a legitimate fiefdom.
For a young man, if his parents did not leave him a large sum of money, the best way out is to join the army and fight for a living on the battlefield.
The death rate of soldiers was not low, but the queen really gave them money! With this incentive mechanism, a steady stream of soldiers went to the battlefield, bringing prosperity to the empire and paving the way for imperial power with their blood.
But Castel had none of that.
Soldiers can become squad leaders through hard work, and can be promoted to non-commissioned officers if they have military merits. If they pass the examination of the holy scriptures, they can become combat priests of the church, which corresponds to officers of the empire.
If one only studies the scriptures and makes achievements in the factory but has no military merit, then he will take the route of a technical priest, which corresponds to the title of engineer.
Whether it is a technical priest or a combat priest, the monetary rewards are not exaggerated, and the power is not comparable to that of their counterparts in the Empire.
Although the Imperial Truth is nominally a church, it actually does not have a unified belief. The clergy are just figures in name only, and no one cares whether there are gods or not. The holy scriptures only teach you physical beliefs.
So Alexei's doubts are not unreasonable.
He was a graduate of the Imperial Royal Army Academy and thought of being a soldier as a profession, so he didn't understand why his subjects were so fanatical.
Hughes smiled and shook his head.
Countries and nations have not yet truly formed an identity in this world.
For example, if you ask Alexei where he is from, he will most likely answer without hesitation, "Northerners."
This northern border is not the northern border of the empire, but the northern border of the continent, including the four northern territories of the empire, the White Crow Principality, and the ice field and the boundless sea further north.
Of course he knew that he was an imperial, but he would not subconsciously describe himself in this identity.
For example, before coming to Castel, others knew that Hughes' hometown was the "Duke of Cohen". No one would regard the empire as their hometown. The concept of a country is closer to that of a loose alliance.
If it weren't for the Empress, even the name of the Empire would not be mentioned. The royal family would be the royal family, and the vassals would be vassals.
Your loyalty is to your lord, not to any country.
But Castell broke this concept.
At first, Theus' power only included this small island, so naturally he had no vassal states. Alexi was more like his personal butler, and the clerks under him were just bureaucrats.
Later, after he took possession of the entire Martha Islands, he did not divide it up, but instead took power directly into his own hands.
In this era, this is almost unimaginable - simply because the administrative efficiency of this era does not allow such a system.
The empire's civil service system might be able to support it, but the empire had already been divided into fiefdoms. It was easy to delegate power but difficult to take it back.
Those nobles were the executors of the policy. Now we ask them to revolutionize themselves?
This is also why Isabella would rather start over than reform - it is easier to break into the Rhine than to initiate change.
Castel had no such concerns. He directly took back the power. All bureaucrats were only responsible to Hughes. He was also the supreme head of the church, and the army was completely under his control.
Strictly speaking, Castells was a dictatorship.
In addition to leading to the inevitable cult of personality, this also made the subjects feel a sense of belonging to the "country" for the first time.
This may seem like nothing to modern people, but to people of this era, it is something unimaginable - land is a physical entity, while the country is a purely conceptual thing.
"So, you mean that they have a sense of belonging to the country?" Alexei asked, rubbing his eyebrows.
He felt confused and a little bit unbelievable about Zeus' explanation. Could such vague words really make people willing to give their lives for them?
But the enthusiasm of the people could not be faked, and the door of his office was even broken down by the crowd.
“Look at this.”
Hughes picked up a booklet and pushed it across the table.
Alexei looked down and his face darkened.
"They sent you the letter of request for battle?"
"Look who wrote it."
Alexei flipped through the pages and was a little surprised: "Are these... those workers from the Rhine? Did they all apply to join the expeditionary force?"
"Yes, they are Rhine people, and many of them have never set foot in Castel and the North before, but now, they have taken the initiative to apply for revenge for Nora."
Transcending the boundaries of land and race, people united under the name of Castel.
Alexei was stunned.
He scratched his head, his eyes showing some understanding: "Is this the recognition of the country?"
"To be precise, it is the recognition of the concept. They love Castel and will not allow anyone to infringe upon it. Castel was once an island, and now it is a flag. Its name is cohesion, and its existence is organization."
"This is the sense of belonging. Those vague things are useless. As long as people like this place, it is more useful than any mobilization."
Xiu Si stood up and looked out the window. "The people are really simple-minded. If you do them a little good, they will support you with all their might. But those lords are unwilling to give up even a little bit of benefit."
"Now go back to the office to recruit the expeditionary force. Remember to go to the Banshee Duty Room and find a Banshee to follow you. She can pull you out when you are about to be crushed."
(End of this chapter)
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