As the capital and largest port of the Latin Principality, it is also the seat of the royal family headed by the Grand Duke; it is naturally the most prosperous city on the Latin Island. Although the previous siege battles had damaged many buildings in the main city, and even turned the palace/castle area in the inner city into ruins.
But there are also some tall and gorgeous buildings that have survived the rampant attacks of the big stone men; such as this palace of the Cross that originally belonged to the Latin Region/Archbishop of Cagliari; it has taken more than 400 years since its construction. In the years, it looks simple, solemn, grand and solemn.
Therefore, unnecessary religious ornaments, gorgeous prints, and altars were removed, and silk curtains were used to cover the religious stories on the walls. It served as the banquet venue for the Sealand Kingdom's occupying forces to entertain guests from all over the world. This was also the first social event after seizing the Latin Principality.
Therefore, in addition to the generals who were invited to the Eastern Empire and wore military uniforms full of medals and ribbons, or the diplomats who wore jeweled robes and soft hats, there were also a small number of people from the mainland of Latin Island, but The nobles who surrendered to the royal army and the citizen representatives of each city.
He also regards this opportunity to attend the banquet as an opportunity to return to fame and fortune and the upper-class power circle. After all, the Latin Principality was an important prince in the Western Empire and a famously wealthy area. Under the vassal system headed by the Latin Grand Duke, it maintained at least hundreds of noble families.
This time the punishment and retaliatory war launched by the Sealand Kingdom, the siege of Cagliari alone, led to the destruction of most of the Latin royal family and the middle and upper classes of the principality's ruling class; the only surviving bloodline actually It was because he left the castle as a messenger for negotiation.
Then, the local nobles with some influence were also swept away by the Royal Army's dragnet, and they were wiped out by the coordination of the local servant army and the Corsican auxiliary army, which quickly crushed the last resistance. But in this process, there were also a small number of small and medium-sized nobles in cities and local knights and knights.
They surrendered to the Royal Army and even took the initiative to become a member of the local servant army; this made it impossible for the Royal Army's blade to be aimed at them. On the contrary, these servant armies who are familiar with the country have bitten and devoured a lot of benefits from the corpses of ancient families and prominent noble names in the past.
When they assisted the royal army and packed away most of the wealth and food supplies, they left behind estates such as manors, castles, and land, as well as various vassal populations that had lived in them for generations; they became the main members of these servant armies, and established various jurisdiction of the local self-government council.
There are even some people who have restored the titles that were deprived or abolished by their ancestors; or through marriage with orphans and widowed mothers, they have inherited some ownerless noble families; thus they have paid a sum of varying amounts. The donation is requested to be authenticated by the heraldry officer of the kingdom.
Therefore, these emerging classes who benefited from the destruction of the principality are now dressed in splendid lace dresses or colorful local costumes; they appear in this large-scale social occasion with their families; they are pretentious and pretentious. Chatting with each other.
In addition, a group of traditional ladies/courtesans and high-end nightingales from the city of Cagliari were arranged in the Palace of the Cross, all dressed up in colorful clothes and wearing heavy makeup, as a warm-up and lubricating atmosphere. And provide unlimited drinks and food on the long table for self-service.
There are plump oriental-style steamed lamb with parsley leaves, roasted suckling pig with honey sauce, and African-style roasted hump; traditional mainland quail with milk, braised chicken with apple puree, and braised cheese lettuce; local characteristics of garlic oysters and olives Fried duck; veal braised in wine, sea-roasted shrimp.
Even cinnamon cakes, orange meringue rolls, almond cookies, rice pudding, pigeon meat jelly, chickpea cream soup; and various dried fruits, jams and preserves. Therefore, with the abundant food and sensuality provided, even the newcomers from the Eastern Empire quickly integrated into the atmosphere of the scene.
For a time, the whole audience was dressed in woven clothes, colorful clothes and temples, with bright colors and a faint fragrance; among the whispers and laughter, a series of negotiations and exchanges of interests were born, and a little bit of conspiracy and The calculation of light and darkness is also brewing in the invisible between the red lips and nephrite and the cup and plate.
People from the Kingdom of Zealand, native Latins, people from the Eastern Empire, and brown-skinned traders from North Africa, Africa, the Maghreb, and Tunisia; and even a small group of Mali and Nubians covered in pitch black, wearing desert attire. Stylish feather turbans and striped robes are mixed in.
However, the really crucial negotiation is outside this banquet hall. It was held in a temporary space arranged by professional diplomats of the kingdom and empire on the open and unobstructed terrace on the upper floor of the Cross Palace. This unobstructed open environment is also protected from prying eyes.
The specific general framework and bottom line have been basically clarified in the correspondence with the Eastern Empire, and the rest is just haggling on details. That is, in addition to the capital Cagliari, there are fifteen large and small cities and more than two hundred towns in the central and southern plains of the Latin Principality.
The package offer that the Eastern Empire was willing to pay included 100,000 pounds of gold and 650,000 pounds of silver; as well as various quantities of bulk luxury goods such as spices, porcelain, and silk; and a trading post on the East African coast of the Red Sea. , berthing supplies in colonial cities and port areas.
In addition, there are the North African provinces controlled by the Eastern Empire, the Kingdom's exclusive merchants' trade and passage rights, and the Kingdom's army's reporting and transit convenience. Of course, as part of the kingdom's strategy of establishing close and distant relations, some of the provisions can be implemented immediately.
For example, this time the Eastern Empire shipped with the army, at least 50,000 pounds of gold, 250,000 pounds of silver, and millions of dinars (silver coins) and solidus (gold coins) as a means of purchasing Latin The deposit for the key control area in the central and southern part of the Big Island, and other expenses included.
But there are other anticipated clauses, such as commercial commitments and expediency of military passage, which really leave too much room for manipulation and room for confusion; they need to be demonstrated and improved one by one, point by point; but these are all for the time being. There is no direct relationship with Jiang Tian.
He just needs to be responsible for making the final decision. On the contrary, Meristo, who was the ambassador of the Eastern Empire but was also separated from the negotiating team, also took the opportunity to get close to Jiang Tian, but he took out some palace portrait albums that were obviously from famous artists and introduced them to him without any effort.
Among them are mainly the court nobles from the Eastern Empire, including the plump female princes of the previous royal family, the purple sisters in their prime, and the newly widowed widow with a beautiful daughter; and the specific requirements are not No longer forced a direct marriage, but became a female courtier of the dynasty.
The aesthetic orientation deliberately refers to various characters such as Lady Marlena, Teresa, Theresia, Miss Flanders, Regent Paulina, and even the Iron Masked Maid Liya. type; and provided mines, manors and ports as disguised dowry properties.
In particular, one of the female princes who was part-time the abbess of the nunnery was said to be a cousin of the former queen Mariano; but in the end she was thanked by Jiang Tian. He didn't want to let the harem, where the dynasty was still stable, get involved in a Byzantine-style palace fight for no reason after he left.
However, Melisto seemed to have been mentally prepared for this, and then introduced some other women from the nobility of the empire. They were all famous for their outstanding appearance and outstanding literary and artistic talents. He also hinted that as long as the kingdom officially agrees, they can open a special visits and exchanges.
In this way, if you can conclude a sacred marriage with the kingdom's ministers and officials, or even a young general with great potential, or even have a romantic encounter and beautiful memories, it would also be a great thing. So this time, Jiang Tian no longer had any reason to refuse.
Because this is obviously a roundabout way to increase the influence of the Eastern Empire in disguise, but it also caters to the current needs of the kingdom's regime. Because the existing royal government has purged the local old and new aristocrats too thoroughly, it has resulted in a disguised erasure of the corresponding marriage market.
before women ministers were raised and taught from an early age in the Kingdom's welfare institutions and charitable sectors. Introducing foreign aristocratic women who lack roots and origins in the kingdom can also be used to hedge and balance the social phenomenon of marriages between the kingdom and the emerging merchant class.
After receiving the initial promise and hint from Jiang Tian, Melisto also breathed a sigh of relief; he finally completed a task instructed by the Royal Court of the Castle, or rather by the old Caesar. With his worries at ease, he also took the opportunity to introduce the people and customs of the castle.
For example, contemporary Caesar and his royal family members, the imperial ministers and internal officials who participated in the Golden Palace meeting, the leaders of the Praetorian Guard and the General Corps, various anecdotes of the Imperial Senate and the Cardinal Hall of the Holy City; giant racing venues and beast fighting The battle between the five-color partisans among the citizens in the field; the nightingale in the temple area, etc.
However, a sudden news from outside interrupted this harmonious and comfortable private meeting; "What, someone actually sneaked in and wanted to poison the drinks at the banquet?" Jiang Tian's face immediately darkened. Coming down also made Melisto beside him feel frightened.
Afterwards, he personally came to the scene where he was seized; several local wine merchants and people dressed as apprentices had been arrested on the spot and put on restraints; and a corpse with blood oozing from all its orifices was lying on the bed. Next to the open wine barrel, several medical monks accompanying the army inspected it.
"Your Majesty, it has been verified that it is specially refined tetrodotoxin," one of the medical monks with a long beard immediately saluted: "It is injected into the wine barrel through a steel needle, which is indeed difficult to detect. However, , the effect and impact will be uncertain.”
"Perhaps, this spy wanted to deliberately cause a poisoning incident to ruin this public banquet." The military police captain in charge of the on-site search immediately speculated: "For example, to create panic and suspicion among guests with different backgrounds; But luckily it was noticed.”
Later, as a meritorious person who discovered the abnormality in time, reported it on the spot and stopped it, a short, fat, fat-headed cook was brought to Jiang Tian. However, the next moment he was in full view of everyone; his body squirmed and quickly elongated, and his appearance also changed.
"So, you are actually a shape-shifter? How dare you find an excuse to stand in front of me." Jiang Tian immediately stopped shouting, and the guards who came forward to besiege and kill said: "Think about it, what are you going to do? Are you going to die?"
"No! The most revered King of Knights!" However, the shape-shifting monster threw himself to the ground without hesitation and said in the most humble tone: "I represent my current master, a man from an ancient species. A pure descendant of my family, seeking refuge and grace from you..."
"In order to prove the host's sincerity, I will identify for you the foreign spies and suspicious persons who have hidden identities in this banquet. There are also various secret groups and underground associations that have been lurking in this city for a long time... "(End of chapter)
