chapter 11 - reorganization of the 'shadow'

 Edward was very happy today because today he had finally taken care of Bishop Thomas Cranmer, a good start to mixing things up in the big coup two years from now.

 Within ten minutes of being happy, Edward began to summarize his day's gains and losses.

 First, too much contempt for the ancients. Were it not for the thickness of the beneficence left by Henry VIII, it would not necessarily have changed Bishop Cranmer's mind.

 Secondly, it was too hasty. Running to the bishop's residence overnight made the original conditions that could have been fought for, only half of which were accomplished, only the right to neutrality was fought for, and the original plan to fight for full defection to oneself failed.

 Alas! Still one is not sufficiently equipped to impress Henry VIII. by his graciousness.

 But Henry VIII's afterglow was pretty good, and if the day of the coronation hadn't been so widely publicized, that old fox Cranmer wouldn't necessarily have remembered Henry VIII's kindness?

 As Edward thought this, suddenly a guard came to report that Baron Smith had come to pay his respects.

 That's right! Everyone had guessed that it was Baron Smith who had led the cry for a surrogate at the coronation that day, and his gruff voice was just the thing for answering the call to lead the way.

 "Uncle Smith, you're just in time, I haven't thanked you for your help the other day?" Edward thanked.

 "Thing! Edward, you scared the hell out of me the other day!" He got excited again, "But you did carry your words with you that day, making those Catholics almost gasp! Haha!"

 Baron Smith's laughter almost vibrated the floor, showing how happy he was.

 Indeed, by such a move, Edward virtually declared that as the new king he was unequivocally in favor of Protestant England and against Catholicism.

 And Baron Smith was a Protestant, and if he had not been a Protestant, he would not have gained the confidence of Henry VIII to serve as Captain of the Royal Guard.

 "Uncle Smith, is your eldest son Vega of age?" "Yes, Your Majesty!" Baron Smith seemed to anticipate something and responded with a mixture of surprise.

 "Then let him come to the crown as my squire!" Edward's voice at this moment was so melodious in Baron Smith's ears.

 By serving as the King's squire, you will see His Majesty often, and later on, if you are meritorious, you may become a nobleman with a fief, so that you will be a real nobleman, not a court nobleman.

 Baron Smith came and went back with gusto.

 Next Edward began to receive the 'Shadows', the shadowy organization that had mapped out the Catholic possessions for Henry VIII, with only about twenty or thirty people.

 In fact, monarchs of any age have secret organizations working for them, and those who don't are deaf and blind.

 The historical Ming Dynasty was merely strengthened and publicized. Even the Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties advocated by later generations will have blood drops and sticky poles to serve them.

 The most obvious example is the poor Chongzhen Emperor. He was not educated by the monarch of the Prince suddenly sat on the throne, by the compulsion of the Donglin Party, the careless dissolution of the East Chamber and the Brocade Guards, and since then some of the eight Jin merchants in Shanxi, headed by the traitorous group of bright and open smuggling of weapons and food to the Jiannu, sucking the blood of the Ming Dynasty to strengthen their own.

 And the poor Chongzhen emperor still know nothing, the whole person is in the circle in the death of the country.

 To put it simply, the army is the monarch's open sword, while the likes of the Brocade Guards are the concealed sword in the sleeve, one without the other.

 The Shadow, an organization, was born out of Henry VIII's desire to discover Catholic property. In fact, it was still Henry VIII who was too poor to leave a little loophole open for a hit.

 But since Henry VIII, Edward actually took control of the organization.

 People are going to ask at this point, aren't there any pricks? So smooth and in full control of the organization.

 It's actually not that hard for Edward to control this organization, mainly for two reasons.

 One of them is that the organization is small in number, with a total of only thirty or so people, and it is not very big!

 Secondly, like all secret societies, they have no independent financial intake, and are entirely dependent on royal grants for their activities.

 For example, for the last publicity for Edward's coronation, Edward had laid out five hundred pounds, which was almost what The Shadow used to get in a year.

 Edward looked closely at the man in front of him on one knee.

 With his greasy black hair, which he wore casually, and a long, disheveled beard hanging from his chin, he was an off-the-wall type of character for the century.

 His height of about one meter seven appeared to be extraordinarily stout, but his narrow shoulders and slender arms revealed his outwardly strong bottom. Alas! It was the result of never developing well.

 From his profile, he's called Guyham, leader of the Shadows, all right! His former Majesty was rarely in the habit of recording information, and he got his name from his self-introduction, the son of a fallen squire who could read a little.

 "Guy! How has the task been accomplished in a month?" Guy bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, by the Lord's great blessing, it is rumored throughout the county of England that you were blessed by the Lord at your coronation!"

 "And your exploits have been carried by merchants to Wales and Scotland!" Without the slightest intention of looking at Edward, Guy answered with extra seriousness and an unconscious pat on the back.

 "Your deeds are now being talked about throughout England!" Guy's tone had a covered envy, "People are now proud to have a king blessed by God!"

 "Your reputation has now overshadowed the late king!"

 Guy finishes with a loud generalization that unabashedly expresses his admiration for Edward.

 After all, such a shameless and loud self-promotion like Edward's was rare in the late medieval period. The nobles were unconcerned about what the untouchables thought of them, and they didn't have the chutzpah to proclaim themselves like Edward did, after all, it was humiliating to be known.

 They don't realize that the situation in England is different from that of continental Europe.

 The nobility of England was now weak, and the king's power could not penetrate deeply into the localities, so the whole English countryside was controlled by squires with prestige, who not only governed the localities in the king's stead, but also possessed the qualifications to be elected to the House of Commons.

 By way of analogy, they were the equivalent of the landlords and magnates of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the aristocrats were the families. They did not have the power and status of the nobles, and could only rely on the support of the local people to manage the localities and share the benefits left behind by the nobles.

 That's why the prestige thing is important to them and a sharp weapon they use against the king. Because they were the representatives of the people's opinion! So they could oppose the king with a straight face, and the Lower Council was their concentration camp.

 And for Edward to exercise his kingly power, he had to have a good reputation among the people in order to get the local squires to support his pro-regime. In centralizing power in the center, so that those peasants would not blindly follow the squires against themselves.

 Through this incident, Edward discovered a great use for the Shadow, and it was time to put it to greater use.

 So Edward decided to reorganize The Shadow.