When Kayal arrived at Bradford, covered in dust, it was peaceful and harmonious inside, with no tense atmosphere between conquerors and conquered. No Guards patrolled the streets, no citizens were afraid to leave their homes. The street hawkers called out in an orderly fashion, and vendors even offered free fruit to the patrolling Knights. From this, Kayal understood that his propaganda campaign had achieved its effect.
He smiled with satisfaction.
So-called governance is not about how happy the people are, but about making them *feel* how happy they are. In later generations, after the rise of the Heavenly Dynasty, with the proliferation of the internet and the rise of a great nation, people, influenced by public opinion, compared the welfare of developed countries abroad with the (harmonious) nation's terrible quality control. They felt that even with money, they couldn't find happiness, and even spending money couldn't buy safety. Naturally, they criticized the government, which was a loss of government credibility and a failure of public opinion guidance.
Kayal was much smarter than the Heavenly Dynasty government.
He would secretly manipulate public opinion, even guide it. He didn't directly spread rumors, but carefully guided the big mouths of people who had fled from within Scotland, subtly pushing the narrative of how chaotic and turbulent Scotland was. The appearance of such people immediately cast a psychological shadow over the populace: 'If our own country is so turbulent, even if I side with Scotland and abandon my life here to go to the country, will it be safe there? Will I not be killed?'
Furthermore, Kayal's disciples had done an excellent job with internal affairs. Having absorbed a great deal of internal affairs experience by Kayal's side, just six of them managed to keep all of Bradford in perfect order—many more of his disciples were protected by Knight squads and sent to nearby areas for planning.
Where there were farmlands, where there were orchards, where wheat could be grown, where beans could be planted—all these needed planning.
Cities also needed it. Cities would be divided into sections: where people could live, where commercial districts would be, where entertainment facilities were needed, and where military zones had to be. Having lived in Red Leaf Ridge for over a decade and deeply experiencing the benefits of orderly urban planning, they naturally understood the meaning of Kayal entrusting all authority to them.
They were deeply grateful to Kayal, and deeply proud, honored, and burdened by their responsibility.
This was the interdependence of power and duty that Kayal instilled in them.
Excellent people should be superior, hardworking people should be superior, adventurous people should be superior! The superior possess power, and the superior also have duties towards the lower classes! This was Kayal's philosophy of governance!
So, for this first experiment, this first taste of power, even with Artoria watching over them, Kayal still selected fifteen of his most outstanding disciples to ensure everything was covered. This was a test for them, and also a signal that Kayal was slowly stepping back from internal affairs and agriculture to shift his focus to war.
Kayal brought back all three Claymores he had taken with him, but he did not bring Mordred. The deeper meaning behind this was not to be spoken of.
Holo was also brought along to better survey Scotland's climate and scout for suitable land for growing grain.
Their entry into the city did not cause much commotion. Apart from the Knights, most Scottish people did not know the identity of this young man riding an exotic beast and accompanied by a beautiful woman; they simply assumed he was the son of a high official.
First, they arrived at the Merit Point registration point. The registration points had decreased from over a dozen to only about six, and there were fewer people than before.
Although the beacon fires were everywhere within Scotland, destruction was paradoxically more difficult. The two Royal Armies and the rebel forces, almost completely unified, were largely concentrated on the battlefronts within Scotland. It was ironically laughable that the most formidable enemy, Camelot, was defended by only a few thousand men along its defensive line.
It was truly incredibly ridiculous.
Yet, Kayal had calculated perfectly.
When Kayal arrived, all six locations had people registering.
They didn't have ears, but they could still earn merit as Rangers.
Nor was it about burning granaries. After the destruction caused by the Rangers, grain was very scarce within Scotland. To sustain the lives of the people, the King of Scotland was even willing to exchange pig iron for grain.
However, Kayal, due to future wars, did not promise it to him, which made Artoria envious for a long time.
What these Rangers traded for, what generated contribution points, was intelligence!
The more detailed the intelligence, the greater the contribution points generated! And Kayal would not be naive enough to use intelligence provided by amateur civilians for warfare. However, Rangers are well-informed individuals, and the information they bring after reconnaissance is more valuable for reference. Collecting intelligence at high prices, intelligence warfare is a very normal thing.
Although Camelot itself produced iron, the amount of iron consumed by the Knights was simply too much, too great. Just look at a complete set of Knight armor; it was vastly more elaborate than that of the Scottish Knights, truly a major consumer of iron. Not to mention civilian farm tools and carriages.
It was truly a difficult calculation, but Kayal refused, making Artoria grit her teeth in envy, jealousy, and hatred. Those who haven't managed a household don't know the cost of daily necessities! Only when she controlled all of Camelot would she realize what would happen if Camelot lost the support of Red Leaf Ridge.
Financial collapse is not a joke! The mighty Soviet Union collapsed back then due to financial collapse and internal corruption, literally being brought down. Although Camelot is small, if the economy collapses, the people will not stand for it either.
So-called economic collapse means the entire economic chain breaks. Farmers who planted beans would find their beans rotting in the granary with no one to buy them, and even the wealthiest people, with all their riches, wouldn't be able to buy bread!
Such a thing absolutely cannot happen.
Kayal nodded gently to the students at the registration desk, saying nothing, and began to look through the latest intelligence. For him, it was as simple as buying a newspaper with contribution points.
After gaining a brief understanding of the situation, Kayal let out a slight gasp of surprise.
The revolutionary party within Scotland was led by a young girl named Joan, who, under the banner of liberating all of Scotland and repelling the Camelot invaders, gained widespread support within Scotland. She even possessed excellent combat skills, using a mob of armed commoners to repeatedly defeat the King of Scotland.
If the King of Scotland hadn't possessed the legitimacy and moral authority to control most of Scotland's resources, he probably would have been overthrown long ago, right?
No wonder the King of Scotland withdrew his defensive forces from this great enemy and instead desperately tried to extinguish Joan's revolutionary fire, grasping at a sliver of hope.