Chapter 98 Recruitment
At the same time, in Windsor Manor, the current chief instructor, Knight Alexander, gathered more than 200 orphans over the age of ten, and started a lecture mode on the grass.
The usually gentle and handsome Alexander Knight is the favorite instructor of these children.
In his class, not only is the task very light, but Mr. Knight sometimes finds time to teach them some riding and sword skills, which is deeply loved by children.
In fact, Knight Alexander, who has always been single, likes children very much. Perhaps it is because he has no heirs. Mr. Knight regards these children as his own children and cares about them very much.
These children not only satisfied his deepest desire, but also entrusted his inheritance of his own swordsmanship.
To tell the truth, if the royal family did not allow the title to be passed on to people who are not related by blood, he would have adopted many adopted sons long ago.
Looking at the group of children in front of him, Mr. Knight couldn't help being touched deep in his heart. He thought of Henry VIII.
At the beginning, he was as old as these children. Once he saw Henry VIII hunting, he was completely fascinated by this strong and mighty king.
So, in order to be able to become a member of the royal family's knights, he joined the expeditionary force in 1522 at the age of fifteen, and followed Henry VIII to Calais, the only territory of England in France.
The subsequent plot is the same as in the novel. He saved Henry VIII's life and immediately became his bodyguard. After the defeat in the attack on France, he accompanied Henry VIII back to London.
After some indescribable scenes, his relationship with Henry VIII has further sublimated.
Came back to his senses, looked at the noisy children in front of him, and swept away his depressed mood. Knight Alexander moistened his throat and said loudly:
"You bastards, what are you arguing about? Is the queue ready?"
Seeing that Mr. Knight, who is usually gentle, lost his temper, the children all looked a little scared. After about a minute of panic, they finally lined up.
The Alexander knight in white clothes nodded in satisfaction, and brushed back the wavy golden hair on his forehead. Mr. Knight raised his face rarely, showing a serious look.
Looking at the serious Alexander knight, even though Jack likes girls, he still can't help but want to praise: she is so beautiful
Long golden wavy hair, smooth long neck, exquisite facial features, slender figure, plus a white cape, black leather boots, and a slender sword in his right hand.
If you ignore her protruding Adam's apple, she is definitely a heroic and charming female knight.
"Ahem! It's been two years since you've been here, and two years isn't too long, and it's not too short!"
Hearing the ethereal voice of Knight Alexander, more than two hundred boys and girls quieted down consciously, and listened carefully to what the instructor who had been with them for almost two years was about to say.
"The youngest of you is twelve years old now, and the oldest is sixteen years old!"
"Every day you have to train during the day, and you have to learn English writing with the teacher at night!"
"In this way, you came to this well-fed Windsor Castle from the original poverty, hungry and full, and naked life!"
Looking at some teenagers and girls who were brought into tears by what he said, Knight Alexander could not help but stop for a while to give them some buffer time.
"Here, you don't have to worry about how to find food tomorrow, and you don't have to worry about being a corpse in the hands of the corpse collector the next day!"
"And at the cost of five hundred pounds of rye a day, and as much as two hundred pounds in gold a month!"
"And these are all paid by our King Edward, and what do we need to pay?"
Looking at the immature faces in front of him, Mr. Knight asked loudly.
"loyalty—loyalty—"
"What else to pay?"
"Only loyalty and life can repay the kindness of His Majesty the King!"
Standing in the first row, Jack answered hoarsely. Like the other companions, he only remembered what the instructors had been talking about.
He didn't think much, he just wanted to let the excitement in his heart come out, so he shouted with all his strength.
There were a lot of people like Jack. These two hundred people blushed, their eyes widened, and they exuded a fanatical aura.
"Very good! Glad you guys remember who brought you these happy days!"
"So, now is the time to repay His Majesty the King."
Hearing these words from the children who had trained so hard, Alexander Knight couldn't help but smile on his handsome face.
"Because there is some unrest in the area recently, His Majesty the King is planning to expand the guards. This is not only an opportunity for you to repay Your Majesty!"
Glancing at Jack in the front row who was listening to him carefully, Knight Alexander couldn't help but increase his volume.
"And from now on, you are no longer the humble common people, you have a decent identity!"
"So you must try to pass all the tests, this is your best chance!"
After saying this, the faces of everyone in the audience flushed even redder, and everyone stopped worrying about discipline, and started chirping.
Some people are even beaming when they think of their future life, and they just smile silly.
However, these are just the joyful expressions of the boys, while dozens of girls have serious expressions on their faces, and their eyes are full of worry.
"My lord! Excuse me, do we girls have a chance to become bodyguards?"
"My lord, we have never missed a single thing in our usual training, and we even do better than those boys in some areas!"
Looking at the beautiful girl in front of him asking himself in a timid voice, Knight Alexander admired her courage very much.
He knew this little girl, the most prestigious one among dozens of girls, her name seemed to be Emma.
As the eldest sister, she is not only outstanding in appearance, but also ranks among the best in various trainings. What is even more powerful is her fighting skills.
This girl lived up to her five-foot height and became famous by beating the boys who bullied the girl until their noses and faces were bruised.
"Emma! Yes, His Majesty the King specifically explained that as long as you pass the assessment, you can become a member of the guards!"
He likes this heroic girl very much, so his words are full of pampering.
"This is really great!" The girls hugged each other happily when they heard the news.
. "Okay! Let's start now!" Knight Alexander yelled, reminding the girls who were huddled together.
"First, let's compare stamina..."
……The evil dividing line……
The Duchy of Lancaster, Anson Parish, Anson Cathedral, more than 500 people came to the church with their families to worship.
Here we need to clarify the difference between a parish, a manor and a village.
Diocese refers to the grassroots organization of the church managed by priests, spreading faith and charity; village is a geographical concept, and is the basic settlement where farmers live; manor is the territorial management center with nobles or squires as the core.
A diocese can include several villages, and sometimes a village does not belong to a diocese.
Similarly, a village may belong to two or more manors, and a lord's manor may be scattered over several villages.
So, in the whole place, the villagers are firmly controlled by the church and the manor. The church controls the mind, and the manor controls the person. This is the main reason why there were no large-scale influential peasant uprisings in the Middle Ages.
However, the religious reform carried out in England made churches everywhere unable to collect various miscellaneous taxes such as tithes, and could only rely on the barren land left after being seized by nobles and gentlemen, as well as donations from believers.
Moreover, the power to appoint and remove local bishops is completely in the hands of the king, the sheriff and the magistrate.
That's why Bishop Anson was so flattered when he saw Sir John. After all, Sir John has a lot of power to make suggestions on the appointment and removal of bishops in Lancaster, and he cannot be tolerated.
Watching the villagers who had been working all morning preparing to go back, Baron Smith on the side quickly blocked the way, gesturing to Bishop Anson with his eyes.
"Everyone, please wait for a while today. His Majesty the King has sent Sir John, the Minister of Royal Affairs. He is about to announce something. Please listen carefully!"
After presiding over the service, Bishop Anson comforted the restless villagers, and then explained the reason.
After hearing the explanation from the presiding bishop, the flustered villagers immediately felt relieved, but their voices became louder, and everyone was very curious.
"So! Your Excellency, what does His Majesty the King who is far away in London want us to do?"
Looking at the well-dressed middle-aged man in front of him, Sir John knew that he was a local gentleman who managed the main personnel.
"The main reason is that His Majesty the King is merciful and will select royal guards in the territory. This time, free people, gentlemen, and knights and nobles can all be selected!"
"So between the ages of sixteen and twenty, after seven days, you can send your nephews and brothers here for screening!"
"The time is not waiting! Everyone can go back!" After saying this, Sir John stepped off the stage, and Baron Smith also took away a group of knights who blocked the way.
The bustling crowd also left the church amid a burst of surprise and laughter.
"My lord, don't you need to go to another parish?" Baron Smith glanced at Sir John and asked in a puzzled tone.
"Don't worry, my lord baron, this is the largest church and parish in the duchy. In a few days, the news of our recruitment will reach all parts of the duchy!"
"Let's think about where to arrange the selection, it's hard to arrange with so many people!"
Sir John smiled, shook his head, and explained, leaving Baron Smith with a serious face.
(end of this chapter)