Similar to the ultimatum issued by the third prince five days ago, what was written on the parchment was also a letter of war.
No……
Compared with the ultimatum that nominally gave a "time to surrender", the letter of challenge on the parchment was more direct.
On it, Charlotte de Castre formally declared war on the Duchy of Bold in the name of Count Castre and Viscount Northport, and the goal of the war was Castre's independence and the recovery of the legal territory of the Tulip Territory. .
If that was the case, the third prince would only smile mockingly.
After all, this is not the first time in history that Castells wants to be independent and take back the Tulip Territory that was originally divided by the Bold family.
For this reason, the Bold family even took advantage of the opportunity of pioneering and grading to forcibly upgrade the Tulip Territory to the earl level, even though its actual size is not much larger than that of the Beigang Viscounty Territory.
Although there are not many incidents of independence among the vassals of noble lords, they are definitely not rare.
What really made the third prince's expression change was something else written on the parchment...
That was the reason Castres declared independence and declared war -
The third prince Philip, the actual ruler of the Principality of Boulder, colluded with the Blood Demon Order to attack Earl of Castres, instigated a rebellion in the Northland, and intended to forcibly annex Castres and deprive all Northland nobles of their titles!
This is a very serious accusation.
Whether it is colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, attacking noble lords, or forcibly annexing vassal territories to expand direct jurisdiction, it can be said that they have seriously violated the provisions of the "Sacred Code" and the political correctness of the Crescent Kingdom, and have offended each other. The Holy Court, the lords of the kingdom, and the noble vassals.
Not to mention, the implicit reference between the lines on the parchment almost slaps in the face the third prince Philip's plan to expand his strength by seizing the territory of Castel, thereby seizing the throne of the Crescent Moon.
This almost directly lifted the bottom of the current political situation in Crescent Moon.
You know, although King Louis V seemed dissatisfied with the current heir, he did not issue an order to deprive him of his inheritance rights and replace his heir (of course, many nobles would not agree with him to do so).
Strictly speaking, the confrontation between the two princes was not on the table, but in a well-known but not confrontational form.
In the final analysis, it is the Crescent King who ultimately decides the successor.
But the accusations in Charlotte's challenge are different.
Exposing the Third Prince's purpose and putting everything on the table will definitely be a heavy blow to the authority and legitimacy of the Third Prince's faction.
The most important thing is that the accusations on the parchment are not based on words.
Count Gaston, who was once the commander of Boulder, personally admitted many facts and listed many evidences.
Not only that, the nobles among the rebels captured by Castel also confessed that the third prince supported the rebellion in the North and indeed had contacts with the Blood Demon Order.
Various evidences and accusations, although they are not enough to completely crush the third prince to death, they can basically confirm what he did...
This is much more powerful than the third prince's "ultimatum" that strictly speaking was not very legal.
The most interesting thing is that the third prince's "ultimatum" has become evidence in the letter of war in a sense.
"Asshole! Traitor! A rip-off idiot! A bitch who overestimates her abilities!"
After tremblingly browsing the parchment, the third prince angrily tore it into pieces and cursed.
Looking at Philip who was in a rage and with distorted facial features, Earl Lint sighed secretly and said:
"Your Highness, there is also news from my father. This letter of war has been transmitted to the royal capital by the mage tower in the North, causing an uproar."
"It is said that those conservative nobles who have smelled the smell have successively filed complaints to the Parliament of the Nobles, and they want to strictly investigate the accusations in the war letter."
"Many nobles of the kingdom who are leaning towards you have also directly or indirectly expressed their concerns."
"Even the parish priest of the Holy Royal Court has sent priests to inquire about the matter with the noble council. If the royal family does not have certain immunity, His Majesty the King has never dealt with the church. Otherwise...I am afraid that the trial knights from the trial have already been dispatched. ”
After hearing what Earl Lint said, the third prince's expression became even more ugly.
He stared at Earl Lint and asked:
"So...my dear uncle, what is the position of the Boit-Lint family?"
Earl Lint sighed:
"Your Highness, the moment we decided to send troops, we were in the same boat as you."
As he spoke, he looked solemn and continued:
"Your Highness, the conservative nobles will not miss this opportunity to criticize you. They will definitely unite to put pressure on His Majesty the King, and the church will also very likely get involved."
"Although His Majesty the King has acquiesced to our actions, if the nobles and the church unite, even His Majesty must make concessions..."
After hearing Earl Lint's words, the third prince's eyes darkened slightly.
He squinted at the other person and asked:
"So...my uncle, what do you mean?"
Earl Lint sighed:
"From the family's point of view, under the most ideal situation, I would like to suspend the dispatch of troops, so as not to completely turn us against the nobles of the kingdom."
"Castle is just your springboard. Our purpose is to support you in inheriting the Crescent Moon. If you want to inherit the throne, you must win the support of the nobles..."
The third prince's face looked a little ugly:
"Give up sending troops? Give up Castel? My uncle, do you know how long I have been preparing for today? If I give up this opportunity, there will be no chance in the future!"
"Since you know that this is the tacit approval of the father, you should also know that this is also a test! If I cannot take down Castel against the pressure of the church and eliminate the possibility of the ownership of the Northland falling to the church, then ...In his eyes, maybe I am already out!"
Earl Lint sighed again:
"Of course I know, that's why... I said it is 'the most ideal situation'. In fact, as you said, we actually have no way out. You are the second heir after all, and losing the support of the conservative nobles may not be possible." The throne cannot be taken away, but if we lose His Majesty's care, we will definitely lose hope."
"So...we must fight quickly."
"Your Highness, we don't have much time left. If we still want to take Castel, we must move quickly to capture the Northland and occupy North Port before the Noble Council and the Holy Royal Court react."
"The longer time passes, the greater the changes. The noble council is likely to bypass His Majesty's prohibition and provide assistance to the North. The Holy Royal Court may also intervene. Even the nobles on our side are likely to be shaken."
"The good thing is that we have no chance of winning. The army in the North cannot compete with us. We will definitely win. The key is how long it takes."
"However, I'm afraid you have to put aside your plan to uproot the nobles of the North. If we want to fight quickly, we must avoid unnecessary consumption and it is best to gain their support."
After hearing what Earl Lint said, the third prince frowned and thought.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and asked:
"Don't the nobles in the army know what is in this letter of challenge?"
Earl Lint glanced at the direction of the army and said:
"We don't know yet, but...every family has its own contact information, and we will know it sooner or later."
The third prince thought for a while and said:
"Block the news, prepare a response letter to Castel, refute all her accusations, and buy us time."
】
"Send a message to the nobles of the North. Those who pledge loyalty in my name can retain their titles and territories. Contract taxes will be reduced by one-third. The deprivation of titles will only be limited to the Castel family."
"Rest where you are, and attack immediately tomorrow morning!"
