Whenever Gawain starts to talk about these things involving power struggles and noble games, Rebecca and Amber will rarely reach a consensus and form a cute group. In the eyes of these two girls, the relationship between the king and the nobles The rules of the intrigue games are really complicated and profound and have no practical use at all. Instead of studying this aspect, it would be more interesting to fight with wolves and make fireballs at home/paddle for fish and steal wine...
But thinking so, the two of them did not dare to say it in front of Gawain. Amber would always worry that Gawain would actually slap her against the wall with an eggplant, and Rebecca would never forget being hung from the beam and beaten by her elders. After listening to Gawain's words, the two of them thought about it decently. Rebecca looked thoughtful: "So, the king is worried about restarting diplomacy in Ansu and Typhon. Did any nobles cause trouble during the process?"
"That's pretty much it."
"But why did the nobles make trouble?" Rebecca looked confused, "It's Ansu and Typhon's. Isn’t it a good thing that the war can be postponed?”
“This is a good thing for the king and the common people, but what good is it for the nobles in various places?” Gawain chuckled. The king's war is just a routine fulfillment of obligations for most of the feudal nobles. As long as they send some knights and retinues who bring their own food to participate in the war, they have fulfilled their obligations. Does the outcome of the war have anything to do with them? If they win, the knights sent out will plunder a large amount of wealth and meritorious service. If they lose, even if the country is destroyed, they only need to swear allegiance to Emperor Typhon, and their titles and fiefs will not have any Change - at least, this is the rule of the game for many Anzu nobles, and they don't know that there are other rules of the game in the world."
For Gawain in his previous life, this was the rule. A kind of "rule" that is difficult to understand, but Gawain in this life has to face up to this fact: Generally speaking, the wars of the nobles in this era are the carnival of grassroots and bandits. The nobles may be greedy or barbaric, but they are They will invariably abide by the rules of the noble game. The wars between them are rarely fought to the death. In most cases, the wars between the nobles are just to plunder wealth and land. Once this goal is achieved, everyone will immediately They stopped with a tacit understanding and carried out a set of customary "mopping up" procedures——
In war, only a few nobles will lose their lives, and the worst outcome for most people is to be captured. No one can They were reluctant to kill noble prisoners, because these prisoners could be exchanged for large amounts of ransom, and these ransoms were completely reasonable and legal - the most famous example was the fight that broke out between two field earls in the Western Region in Ansu 576, where the royal family obtained In the tacitly agreed war, Earl Toquebel was defeated, and even the Earl himself was captured. In order to redeem his lord, Tokebel paid twice the Earl's weight in gold and nearly 30% of the land ownership, and After the war, the two earls and their heirs and blood relatives were all alive and well, and those who were capturedThe knights (lower nobles) and barons and viscounts all returned safely after their respective families paid sufficient ransoms.
Except for a few unlucky nobles who died on the battlefield, "only" 6,700 civilians died.
Do not kill noble prisoners, do not completely end any "honorable surname", and use ransom to settle the war. These are the three rules of noble war.
No one will break this rule, because this rule is observed and implemented by all nobles. It maintains the "glory" of the nobles and ensures the enfeoffment of this country in the past seven hundred years. The stability of the separatist system.
The nobles called this kind of war "the war of civilized people" and said that it was "as elegant and honorable as a duel witnessed before the gods." Initially, this rule was to prevent The unsteady human kingdom was mired in quagmire due to severe internal divisions and struggles, but now, it has become a means for the nobles to demonstrate their nobility and moderation. The nobles of Anzu seem to believe that even if Typhon really fights over , even if Anzu is really defeated, they can still use this set of rules to maintain their dignity - as long as they swear allegiance to Emperor Typhon in time.
So they didn’t care at all about the outcome of the negotiation between the king and Emperor Typhon. They only thought about whether they could get some benefits in the process, and Francis II wanted to prevent the domestic nobles from having any trouble. To ensure stability, they can only pay out part of the "benefits" in advance...
Those nobles would never have thought of the purpose of the Typhons in attacking this country - it was in a period of transformation. Typhon is like a gluttonous beast. Will this hungry beast care about whether his food is loyal to him?
Gawain glanced at the scroll in Rebecca's hand and sneered softly: "Francis II recognized my actual rule over the Kant Territory. This was just a favor to follow the trend, and he A piece of royal land on the east side of the Kant Territory was given as a gift in the hope that the Cecil family could remain 'quiet' during the negotiation period. After all, although the Cecil family has left the center of power in the kingdom, I myself have returned. Under the circumstances, my appeal may bring him unimaginable trouble..."
"No matter what, no one wants it for free," Amber summed up this job in the most concise and concise way. The meaning of the document, then frowned, "But it's too lax for the king to send a hurried messenger to deliver the letter... Although I don't understand the troublesome rules of your nobles, but no matter how you say it, this is The deal between the king and the duke must at least have a canonization ceremony or something?" "Sending a document in a low-key manner is the only option Francis II can make," Gawain laughed, " Otherwise, what do you want him to do? He, an illegitimate son of the royal family from seven hundred years ago, comes to consecrate an ancestor-level founding prince from seven hundred years ago? Apart from anything else, during the canonization ceremony, when two people face each other, should he bow first or should I bow first? Or should we bow together when I met Charlie?There is no need to salute, and Francis II is not afraid of shortening his life! "
Amber thought about the embarrassment of that scene, and suddenly took a breath: "...Oh, it's so troublesome. "
"Anyway, keep this thing for now," Gawain waved his hand, "I have another more important thing. Rebecca, you know...well, you probably don't know, go and find Hetty. "
"What? "Rebecca listened blankly, and she was a little nervous when she heard that Hetty was being called, "Ancestor, can't you tell me? "
Gawain glanced sideways at the girl: "Tell you? Do you know the genealogy of the southern nobles? "
"...Oh, then I'll go find my aunt! ”
Rebecca ran out in a hurry, and not long after, Hetty came to Gawain’s study.
This elegant lady not only has outstanding beauty, She has internal affairs skills, and is also quite smart in the rules of nobles and kings. As soon as she came in, she was the first to speak: "Ancestor, what the messenger sent should be the king's canonization document, right? "
"Yes, the Kant Territory and the hilly land east of Kant are now owned by the Cecil family, but that is not important," Gawain waved his hand, "I called you here to inquire about the southern territory. Is there a noble family named 'Glen'? ”
“Glen? Hetty frowned slightly, and after a brief thought, she nodded, "Yes, Viscount Grant, who is located in the northeast - ah, Lady Grant is ruling that land now." "
" Dame? Gawain raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but think of Rebecca - Rebecca was also a female countess, "Did the previous Viscount Grant pass the title to his daughter?" ”
He had already learned from Patty in the spiritual network that the current Glen family is run by a mistress, so there was no surprise at this moment. He just asked casually out of curiosity.
“No, the former Viscount Grant is the husband of the current female countess,” Hetty shook her head. “The former Viscount died suddenly and unexpectedly a few years ago. According to the will he made during his lifetime, this The title passed to his widow, Penny Grant. ”
Ansu’s inheritance laws are relatively loose. It is not uncommon for couples to inherit or transfer titles. In fact, many nobles rely on shrewd marriage calculations to continuously expand themselves. The power of the family - Marriage is also one of the important means for the nobles to seek benefits and land without easily provoking a war between the nobles.
"Ancestor, why do you suddenly inquire about the Gulen family? "Hetty was very curious about Gawain's sudden mention of a noble surname with which they had not much communication, and couldn't help but ask.
Gawain pondered for a moment and said bluntly: "I doubt that this family and the Eternal Sleeper have anything to do with it. implicated. "
"The eternal sleeper? ! Hetty was startled. She did not question the reliability of the news, nor even asked where Gawain got the news. With great trust in her ancestors, she asked directlyThe extent of the threat, "Is it the same situation as the Kant Territory?"
"It's not sure yet, but at least one of their family members is deeply involved with the Eternal Sleeper," Gawain said seriously, "This Gulen family...has there been any abnormal changes in recent years? For example, like the Kant Territory, it suddenly has additional output, or suddenly becomes prosperous in some aspects."
"...Not at all. , In fact, the situation is even the complete opposite," Hetty thought for a moment and shook her head, "The Grant family was originally prosperous, and the young former Viscount Grant was a very accomplished figure. However, in a magic experiment accident, Grant's family was prosperous. Viscount Lan died unexpectedly, and the Gulen family and the territory they ruled declined rapidly... Although Countess Luo Penni has controlled the situation in the past two years, got the territory back on track and gradually developed, nothing can be seen. There are traces of the secret involvement of the cultists..."
Speaking of this, Hetty added: "Of course, the Eternal Sleeper acts strangely, and everything is uncertain."
"Did he die accidentally in a magic experiment accident..." Gawain frowned slowly, "I'm going to go over to see the situation."
"Do you want to go there in person?" Hetty frowned slightly, "A The Duke always visits lower-level nobles in person, which seems inappropriate..."
"The rules were all set by us back then - and anyway, I visited the Kant leader last time, no matter how many The same goes for Grant," Gawain waved his hand, "It's better to go see it with your own eyes, otherwise I won't be sure."
"Okay, I'll make arrangements," Hetty lowered her head, "Just right, Grant. The Cecil Territory is just east of the Kant Territory. After we obtained the new fiefdom in the east of Kant, the Cecil Territory has already come into contact with the Gulen Territory... As new neighbors, we have no shortage of reasons to visit."