Tang Qi Tan

And in another place in the city of Seine, in the high-end salon transformed from the former residence of the Duke of Guienne; the party held by the courtiers of the Earl of the Netherlands has just ended.Rafaro, who was an imperial ceremonial officer but had not been summoned into the palace for a long time, also paced out surrounded by a group of people.

Although he was disheveled, with disheveled hair and heavy bags under his eyes, he kept yawning; but the well-dressed and luxurious people who followed him step by step were flattering and fawning like stars; A fringe man who fell from the mountain and fell out of favor in the court.

Even the daily standard of living has not declined. As the resident Gelois villa/manor, it has become more crowded and busy; it has become an important place for social occasions in Seine.For well-known reasons, this young nobleman temporarily lost power.

But on the contrary, it has made him a career that has become more and more popular in private.As the default agent of several big figures, he can continuously smuggle and resell all kinds of bulk consumption and luxury goods from the vast southern region that has been occupied to meet the needs of the upper echelons of Seine City.

Including coffee, sugar, tobacco, cosmetics and aromatic medicines in distant overseas provinces, and even oriental tea, porcelain, silk products, etc., rare things that are scarce and in short supply can be obtained.So he got the nickname "Magical Rafaro" in a short time.

After all, even if the city of Seine is full of hunger and exile, but in the night of the upper class in the city of Seine, it is still a scene of singing and dancing, and extravagant comparisons; It didn't change much.

And from the Netherlands in the north of the kingdom, the Counties of the Netherlands, Zeeland, Flanders, Hainault, Vermandois, Artois, Boulogne, The envoys of the Counties of Etino, Eber, Brabant, etc. also gathered in the city of Seine.

These vassals and vassal forces located on the border of the kingdom; the larger ones are compared to a medium-sized province of the same kingdom, and the smaller ones are no more than the union of several cities.Therefore, it can be regarded as a model of a small country with few people; its origin can be traced back to the first (Rose) dynasty, and its resistance to the last Frankish remnant.

Then, there were losers from successive dynasties and royal struggles; at the price of swearing to give up all claim rights in the kingdom; led the vassals and subjects who were also exiled in disguise, and went to the northern border where they confronted the Normans to open up , descendants of nobles and aboriginal intermarriages.

In addition, there are Norman tribes who were defeated and surrendered, or local forces split from the Norman countries in the North under the persuasion of the kingdom; After the rebellion; aristocrats who were deprived of domestic fiefs in disguise and replaced to the frontier.

The fact that these various counties, princes, and duchies have been able to maintain relative independence and autonomy for a long time around the Kingdom of Sealand is not because the royal families of the past dynasties have given them special favors; it is because of historical practices caused by realistic needs and circumstances.Because these areas were developed very late.

But looking around, the impact of the celestial change is penetrating into the countries of the Western Continent.The chiefs of the Norman barbarian countries in the north have fallen into a new round of king election competition; the nomadic countries such as Avar in the east are taking the opportunity to attack their old enemies who have been feuding for many years, and they are constantly attacking each other.

On the other hand, the Kingdom of Sealand also needed these Dutch princes with different positions as a buffer zone to resist and resist the Norman invasion.And for this reason, the Flanders Legion, the longest standing army with the longest history and the largest scale, was formed to monitor and guard.

Especially those aristocratic children and entourages who managed to break through the blockade and interception outside the capital region from the battlefield and escaped secretly; there are also requiem dispersals held by the royal family secretly in the suburbs and chapels in several palaces, and even more so. It is to let all kinds of rumors and undercurrents surge.

Although the royal court has concealed and blocked the corresponding battlefield news from the very beginning, and in the dozens of newspapers remaining in the capital, they have always praised the victory of the dynasty army with good news but not bad news; The news of the recent battlefield and the exaggerated results of the battle can't be hidden from those who are interested.

As the birthplace of chivalry in the Western Continent and the backbone of many crusading jihads; the Holy Kingdom did not hesitate to give up subsequent intervention and intervention.Less than a year after the signing of the Senna Agreement, they did not hesitate to give up the oathed protection of the western provinces of the kingdom, and returned to the country with a reduced military force.

A large area of ​​wild land remains on the corresponding territory. Most towns and villages outside the city are either barren, bitterly cold, or poor. In addition, the folk customs are brutal and unruly; the cost of ruling after the kingdom is directly conquered is high. No less, can only delegate indirect management to vassals.

On the other hand, these princes are located in the Netherlands, which is threatened by sea erosion and flooding; large areas of saline marshes and dense forests are scattered.Therefore, the output of daily farming land is limited, and it can only be supported by animal husbandry, mining, trade, and mercenaries, and it has long been attached to the kingdom.

However, now the prestigious Flanders Legion has long since collapsed with the Allied National Salvation Army, and has become a passing cloud; the Iron Throne Allied Forces of the British Isles have landed; Wreak havoc everywhere.

The princes of the Netherlands also had to change their course and seek the support and help of the emerging Burgundian royal family, the ultimate victor of the kingdom's civil strife.You need to know John the "Fearless King" as the master; several other grand dukes who are qualified to compete for the throne after defeating the Northland with a Jedi counterattack;
It was disintegrated and pacified by political means. The Legion of Flanders/National Salvation Alliance, headed by the former Grand Marshal of the Kingdom, represented the remnants of the old royal family; Facing the rising rebels in the south, they suffered a series of disastrous defeats.

Therefore, seeing that the newly established Burgundy dynasty has no time since ancient times, it is obviously unable to provide sufficient assistance and support; even these princes of the Netherlands who seem to be out of reach for a while in the far north cannot help but waver again; Looking for more opportunities and outlets.

The Kingdom of Sealand, which spans the hinterland of the Western Continent, seems to have suddenly become an outcast that no one cares about; let alone them, the princes of the Netherlands in the northwest corner.In such a situation of hitting walls everywhere, it is natural for someone to think of the rebels who are raging in the south.

Although, in all the official notifications of the Burgundian dynasty, it is contemptuously referred to as the despicable and shameless charter party, the remnant/dead seed of republican sinners and liberal thugs, colluding with heretics and heretics in the south A group, a group of mud-legged armed forces assembled;

However, the various provincial legions and royal legions that are no longer mentioned on the official caliber, as well as the additional large loans from the bank group and the apportionment of special war taxes, a series of measures to raise military expenses that have been intensified by selling officials and nobles; , The defeat and decline of the dynasty.

There are even rumors circulating among the people that these rebels 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; even Important members of the royal family were also captured.

This gave rise to new ideas, including the Earl of the Netherlands, for the British invading army stranded in the territory and looting, as well as the lowland princes who were troubled by endless changes.After all, no matter in the charter government or self-owned communes in power, or during the period of the National Convention or the special supervision period,
The lowland princes have never stopped, secretly contacting and negotiating with those in power in the capital.This time, as the representative of the Earl of the Netherlands, he approached Rafaro, a secret middleman who was inextricably linked to the underground black market in the city of Seine, and also the imperial ceremonial officer.

After all, just seeing the rich variety of southern products in the black market, there is no doubt that this person has special channels and supply sources that are difficult for others to reach, and can even overcome the heavy blockades and defenses set up by the dynasty.Speaking for others is naturally familiar.