In another part of the city of Seine, in a high-end salon transformed from the former residence of the Duke of Guyenne, a party hosted by the courtiers of the Dutch Count has just ended. Rafaro, who was the royal ceremonial officer but had not been summoned to the palace for a long time, also walked out surrounded by a group of people.
Although he was disheveled, with disheveled hair, heavy bags under his eyes, and yawning constantly, the well-dressed people who followed him step by step were flattering and flattering like stars over the moon; it was not like he had just been there just now. A fringe person whose backer fell and fell out of favor in the court.
Even the daily living standards have not dropped. As a permanent residence, the Gerlois villa/manor has become more and more bustling with people and traffic; it has become an important place for social occasions in the city of Seine. For reasons known to all, the young nobleman was temporarily out of power.
But instead, it made his career become more and more popular in private. As the tacitly accepted agent of several big shots, he can continuously smuggle and resell all kinds of bulk consumption and luxury goods from the occupied southern region to meet the needs of the upper class in Seine City.
Including bulk supplies of coffee, sugar, tobacco, cosmetics and spices from overseas provinces, and even oriental tea, porcelain, silk products, etc., you can try to get rare and in-demand items. As a result, he quickly earned the nickname "Fantastic Rafalo".
[In view of the general environment,
After all, even though people were starving and exiled everywhere outside the city of Seine, the upper-class nights in the city were still a scene of lively singing and dancing, extravagant comparisons, and even their life schedule of staying up day and night, Not much has changed.
And from the Netherlands in the north of the kingdom, the Counties of Holland, Zeeland, Flanders, Hainaut, Vermandois, Artois, Boulogne, Envoys from the Counties of Etino, the Counties of Erbant, the Principality of Brabant, etc. also gathered in the city of Seine.
These vassals and vassal forces located on the borders of the kingdom; the largest ones are as large as a medium-sized province in the same kingdom, and the smallest ones are no more than the union of several cities. Therefore, it can be called a model of a small country with few people; its origins can be traced back to the First (Rose) Dynasty and resisted to the last remnants of the Franks.
Later, there were losers in dynasty changes and royal struggles; at the cost of swearing to give up all claims within the kingdom; they led their vassals and vassals who were also exiled in disguise, and went to the north where they clashed with the Normans to develop. , descendants of intermarriage between nobles and indigenous people.
In addition, there were defeated Norman tribes who surrendered, or local forces that split from the Norman kingdoms in the north under the inducement of the kingdom; and even the terrifying ministerial reforms and aristocratic revolution during the King of Liege era. After the rebellion; nobles who were deprived of their domestic fiefs and moved to the borders in disguise.
The fact that these various prefectures, princes, and principalities have been able to maintain relative independence and autonomy around the Kingdom of Zealand for a long time is not because the royal families of the past dynasties have been particularly merciful to them; it is because of practical needs and situations. historical practice. Because these areas were developed very late.
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Large areas of wilderness remain in the corresponding territories. Most of the towns and villages outside the cities are either barren, bitterly cold, or poor. In addition, the people's customs are fierce and unruly; making the kingdom's ruling cost after direct conquest high. If it is not lower, it can only be delegated to vassals to manage indirectly.
On the other hand, the Netherlands, where these princes are located, is threatened by seawater erosion and floods; it is spread over large areas of salt swamps and dense forests. Therefore, the output of daily farming land is limited, and it can only be supported by livestock husbandry, mining, trade, and mercenaries, and it is long-term dependent on the kingdom.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of Zealand also needed these Dutch princes with different positions to serve as a buffer zone against and against the Norman invasion. And for this purpose, the Flanders Army, the longest-standing, oldest and largest standing army, was formed for surveillance and guarding.
However, the now-famous Flanders Army has long since collapsed with the collapse of the National Salvation Alliance and has become a thing of the past; the Iron Throne Coalition Forces of the British Isles have landed; the threat of the Norman barbarians is also imminent, and the aliens emerging from the changes in the celestial sphere have Wreaking havoc everywhere.
The princes of the Netherlands also had to change their ways and seek support and help from the emerging Burgundian royal family, the ultimate winner of the kingdom's civil strife.
You must know that as the lord, the "Fearless King" John; defeated several other great dukes in the North who were eligible to compete for the throne with a desperate counterattack;
Political means were used to divide, disintegrate, and pacify the country with armed force. The Flanders Army/National Salvation Alliance Army, headed by the former Kingdom's Grand Marshal, represented the remnants of the old royal family. Just when the new dynasty was at its peak, it was suddenly under control. In the face of the rising rebel forces in the south, they suffered successive defeats.
Although the royal court concealed and blocked the corresponding battlefield news from the beginning, and the dozens of newspapers that remained in the capital always praised the victory of the imperial army with good news and not bad news; however, it became more and more Recent battlefield news and exaggerated victory results cannot be hidden from those who are interested.
Especially those noble children and retinues who managed to break through the blockade and interception on the periphery of the capital region from the battlefield and secretly escaped back; there were also royal family members secretly holding requiem mass in the chapels of several palaces in the suburbs, It even caused all kinds of rumors and undercurrents to surge.
Therefore, seeing that the newly established Burgundian dynasty had been impeccable since ancient times, it was obviously unable to provide sufficient aid and support; even these Dutch princes who were far in the north and seemed beyond their reach could not help but waver their stance and attitude again; trying to Looking for more opportunities and ways out.
But looking around, the impact of the changes in the celestial sphere is reaching deep into the countries of the Western Continent. The chiefs of the Norman barbarian kingdom further north are already involved in a new round of king-selection battles; the nomadic nations such as Avar in the east are taking the opportunity to launch attacks on their old enemies who have had grievances for many years, and are attacking each other endlessly.
As the birthplace of chivalry in the Western Continent and the backbone of many cross holy wars, the Holy Kingdom did not hesitate to give up subsequent intervention. Less than a year after the Sena Agreement was signed, he did not hesitate to give up his sworn protection of the kingdom's western provinces, shrink his military strength and return to the country.
The Sealand Kingdom, which spans the hinterland of the Western Continent, seems to have suddenly become an outcast that no party can care about; let alone the Dutch princes in the northwest corner. In this situation of encountering obstacles, some people will naturally think of the rebels who are wreaking havoc in the south.
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Although, in all the official reports of the Burgundian dynasty, they are referred to contemptuously as the despicable remnants of the Communist rebels, republican sinners and liberal thugs, colluding with the heretics and the south. A group of pagans, a group of mud-legged soldiers gathered together;
However, the various provincial and royal regiments that are no longer mentioned in the official caliber, as well as the additional large loans from banks and the apportionment of special war taxes, and a series of measures to raise military funds that intensify the sale of officials and titles, are all real and tangible. , the failure and decline of the dynasty.
There are even rumors circulating among the people that these rebel parties are mainly troops from overseas provinces; they not only defeated and annihilated the invading coalition forces from the Western Empire, but also repeatedly defeated the occupying forces of the Holy Kingdom in the southwestern provinces; and even Important members of the royal family were also captured.
This gave rise to new ideas, including the Dutch Counties, the British invaders who were plundering the territory, and the lowland princes who were troubled by endless changes. After all, no matter whether it was under the Communist government or the own communes, or during the National Convention or the special supervisory period,
The lowland princes have not stopped secretly contacting and negotiating with those in power in the capital. This time, as a representative of the Dutch Countess, he found a secret middleman who was inextricably linked to the underground black market in Seine City, and was also the Royal Ceremony Officer.
After all, just by seeing the rich variety of southern products on the black market, there is no doubt that this person has special channels and sources of supply that are difficult for others to access, and can even overcome the numerous blockades and defense lines set by the dynasty. Naturally, he is familiar with conveying messages for others.
Cat tired
