Chapter 57: Stockpile food or stockpile guns?

Morgan and My King decide to have a duel in the simulation. In Lin Ye's view, this is like a sand table deduction in later generations, but the difference is that this battle is more comprehensive and real.

Morgan and Artoria separate; Morgan returns to Orkney, while Artoria remains in Camelot.

To be fair, the time agreed upon is three years. The two develop for three years each, and then compare their economy, construction, human hearts, and military, finally deciding the winner.

Facing two different paths, you choose:

Option 1: Choose Royal Sister Morgan, Royal Sister is the best in the world!

Option 2: Choose My King, My King is the heavens!

"No need to ask, I definitely choose My King." Lin Ye chooses two directly.

Morgan invites you before leaving, and you refuse directly. At the same time, in the end, Morgan only drags a somewhat reluctant little Mo back to Orkney.

Little Mo...

No way, little Mo, who is still a little loli, looks helplessly at her mother beside her; she is just a child!

And Morgan confidently strokes little Mo's little head and says:

"Don't worry, when Mother becomes the King of Great Britain, you will be the Crown Prince!"

Little Mo...

I am a Crown Prince even if I go to Great Britain!

Following this, Morgan began the simulation with full confidence.

January, 1st Year of the War: Morgan distributed wealth lavishly to the nobles of every territory in Onik, gaining the support of the entire noble class and quickly assembling a powerful army.

Same month: In Camelot, Artoria announced a decree to reduce harsh taxes and levies. Meanwhile, Lin Ye dispatched Tristan and Peredur with an army to set sail.

March, 1st Year of the War: Morgan led the Knights of the Round Table on various campaigns, pacifying all rebellions within Onik.

Same month: Camelot carried out institutional reforms, separating military and political power, designing a prefecture-county system, and implementing centralized authority.

August, 1st Year of the War: Morgan held the first Knight Selection Tournament in Onik. The scene was unprecedented in scale, with countless knights arriving. Morgan formed a powerful order of knights and named it the Battle-Axe Knights.

"The Battle-Axe Knights? Is this meant to chop down the Round Table? My royal sister is unexpectedly childish." Lin Ye smiled helplessly. He basically understood Morgan's strategy; she was essentially following the path King Arthur had taken back in the day.

Historically, King Arthur did exactly this: first win over the nobles, then the knights, and finally conquer the entire realm. However, King Arthur was ultimately a wise ruler; later, she began to focus on the people's livelihood, elevating the commoners while suppressing the nobles, which is why Mordred's rebellion was so easy later on.

Mordred didn't do much at the time; she simply found those nobles and gave them sufficient benefits, and those nobles defected to Mordred one after another.

September, 1st Year of the War: Artoria ordered the establishment of an Academy of Sciences, with Lin Ye serving as its first Dean.

October, 1st Year of the War: Mordred was appointed commander of the Battle-Axe Knights. That same month, a deafening roar echoed through Camelot.

December, 1st Year of the War: Mordred drilled the troops while Morgan handled state affairs; the territory of Onik was orderly and flourishing.

January, 2nd Year of the War: Tristan and Peredur returned, bringing back various crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes from South America. (Don't ask how they returned so quickly; the answer is that they flew back riding the Little White Dragon.)

March, 2nd Year of the War: Morgan issued a "Military Recruitment Decree," ordering at least one male from every household to enlist.

Same month: Artoria promulgated the "Grass-Plowing Decree," strengthening agricultural production, planting crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes nationwide; she raised the status of farmers, weakened the privileges of nobles, ordered the domestic nobles to participate in agriculture, and implemented a unified tax and rent system for landless farmers.

April, 2nd Year of the War: Onik’s troops were strong and its horses sturdy, with combat power at an unprecedented level.

Same month: Camelot's nobles launched a rebellion, with wars of varying sizes breaking out across the land. Artoria sent the various Knights of the Round Table to suppress the uprisings.

"Haha! Do you see that, my little sister? I told you that my method of handling things is the correct one. How about that? A rebellion has broken out, hasn't it?"

Morgan, before the simulation, revealed a happy smile. Camelot was already in internal chaos before the war had even begun. It was a pity that she and Artoria had agreed to develop separately for three years without interference; otherwise, she definitely would have gone over to stir up trouble. Perhaps Camelot would have collapsed on its own without needing three years.

June, 2nd Year of the War: Onik discovered that it had too many troops and insufficient food reserves. Morgan decided to go to Falanxi to borrow grain...

Same month: Camelot had a bumper harvest of crops.

July, 2nd Year of the War: Morgan returned successfully after borrowing grain from Falanxi, but she left Onik with a mountain of foreign debt.

Same month: The Knights of the Round Table returned, and Camelot's internal strife was quelled.

"This... how does this feel a bit wrong..." Morgan felt something was off. Her side had strong troops and sturdy horses, but why did she feel so poor?

Watching the situation on Morgan's side, Lin Ye began to laugh.

"A policy of impoverishing the people to build up the military is not advisable, my royal sister."

Lin Ye understood that Morgan was in a hurry. Three years, only three years. Onik's own military strength could not compare to Camelot's; Morgan had to develop rapidly to have the strength to fight Camelot.

Otherwise, he wasn't bragging, but 150 Knights of the Round Table could wipe out Onik.

Of course, some might say this was unfair to Morgan. But one must know that personal charisma is an important standard for evaluating a monarch. One-third of the 12 Round Table seats were held by Morgan's own children; if even they wouldn't help her, doesn't that say something?

It could be said that Lin Ye was exploiting this psychology of Morgan's, and furthermore, Morgan had no choice but to bite the bullet and fall for it; otherwise, she would have to admit defeat.

September, 2nd Year of the War: Morgan traveled to the Fairy Forest to seek aid from Vivienne. Vivienne refused Morgan's request on the grounds that the Great Mother Fairy could not violate her original mission.

Morgan went to the major fairy clans again to seek help, only to find that these fairies were devoted to researching various strange but interesting items they had named "Yiwu Small Commodities."

They claimed that they had decided to focus on developing various interesting small commodities, so they had no time to attend to Morgan's plea for help.

Same month: Artoria officially appointed Lin Ye as the Commander of the Knights of the Round Table!

Morgan...

"Lin Ye!!! It's you again!! It's you again!!"

Morgan gritted her teeth as she watched this scene. With the final duel drawing closer, what else could she do?

It seemed she could only continue to develop her military!

As long as the military could win, everything else would no longer be a problem!

Isn't there a saying? "The neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns; the neighbor is my granary."