industrial lord

Chapter 692 I have a premonition
Every profession has its specialties, and Richard saw it very clearly. In politics, Frederick was good at providing general guidance but not so good at executing specific details.

So he tactfully reminded Frederick that these jobs should be done by professionals and he should do other things, such as reconnaissance behind enemy lines.

The next biggest goal of the Rhine Alliance is to move eastward and actually visit places instead of just reading reports, so as to better understand the local situation.

Frederick saw that Penteko and Sadek quickly gathered old friends to form an advisory group, and that Allmight was preparing to take the train to Hamma City with them as their plenipotentiary representative. He revealed his next action plan at a dinner party.

Rudolf was the first to support it, and was glad that Frederick had such foresight.

People who knew Rudolph well sensed something was wrong, but couldn't tell what it was.

Before departure, Frederick gave instructions to Allmite and others in person, and finally had a secret conversation with Franz the Younger.

Little Franz was puzzled by Frederick's action and asked, "Master, why do you choose to travel at this time?"

In his opinion, Frederick's move had no clear purpose and could only be understood as a trip.

Frederick said in a deep voice: "I have a feeling that His Majesty the King will take away your command."

"The short training gave him confidence, and his past experience made him need a victory to prove himself."

"If I were in Hanma City, he would definitely not take any action. But it's hard to say when I leave and it's hard to contact him."

The great nobles all had informants around the king. Frederick spent a lot of gold coins, and those informants who received money from several families would first report the information to the relevant departments of the Duchy of Wessen.

Frederick recently received intelligence that Rudolf had been doing paper simulations with several young officers he was familiar with, during which he revealed his desire to command the army.

Now that Rudolf's reputation has improved, if he wants to take over the military power, no one can stop him except Frederick who can force his way back.

Young Franz realized the seriousness of the problem. If Rudolf and a group of nobles made trouble, he would have to give up his command.

He asked Frederick: "Master, if things come to that point, what should I do?"

Frederick smiled and said, "Of course, I will return the command to His Majesty the King. Do you want to be the king?"

Little Franz immediately said, "I think the master is more suitable."

Frederick waved his hand and said, "If it's just defense, with the foundation you've laid, it's okay to let him play around."

"I'm afraid of an offensive operation. Kosdorf is not a mediocre person. Rudolf is just a novice in battle command and is in urgent need of proving himself, so I'm very worried."

"Are you afraid that Kosdorf will set a trap?" said little Franz.

Frederick nodded and said, "He has too many chips in his hand. He can use bait to make everyone lose their minds."

"I have done some deductions. The worst-case scenario is that the main force of the Rhine Alliance army is lured to the preset battlefield in the Danmar Kingdom and annihilated. Then the Battle of the Elbe River will be staged again."

Sun Tzu once said, "Before thinking about victory, think about defeat." The worst-case scenario Frederick considered was that the main liaison force of the Rhine Alliance would be completely wiped out.

At that time, the Duchy of Wessen will be unable to support itself, the political landscape will undergo fundamental changes, and the Rhine Alliance will become a delicious stewed pork knuckle.

Little Franz looked solemn as he thought, "If the main force of the coalition army is wiped out, the enemy's next target will definitely be Hamma. If Hamma is captured, it can be used as a support point for attacking the area west of the Elbe River."

"At that time, I'm afraid that all the land in the north of the Rhine Alliance will be lost, and only the central and southern parts will rely on the terrain for defense."

"If this really happens, we must protect the city of Hammer." Frederick nodded and said, "The lives of our soldiers cannot be wasted."

"I know what to do," said little Franz.

Frederick finally said: "What I am most worried about is the Kingdom of Piasts. The benefits are enough for them to join forces with the Kingdom of Sverria."

“So I’m going to go there and take a look this time.”

Although the raiding groups of the Kingdom of Sveria also attacked the northern coastal areas of the Kingdom of Piast, there were sufficient benefits for both sides to put aside their differences, such as another attack on the city of Hamma.

If the main force of the Rhine Alliance coalition was trapped in the Kingdom of Danmar, or even completely wiped out, and even better, the Wessen Army was gone too, the Piast Kingdom would even be happy to take the initiative to attack.

The Piast Kingdom is the biggest variable at the moment. It has not yet fallen out with the Duchy of Wessen, and ships full of refined iron ore are being shipped to the city of Wessenburg.

Frederick wanted to take this opportunity to go there and take a look, and personally understand what the locals thought.

Little Franz said worriedly, "It's too dangerous."

Other places are okay, but when Frederick killed so many nobles in the Kingdom of Piast, almost every family attended the funeral. If they were discovered there, something bad would probably happen.

Frederick said, "It's okay, I'll be low-key this time, no one will recognize me."

Little Franz looked at him with suspicion. Every time this master traveled in a low-key manner, he always caused a lot of trouble.

Frederick smiled awkwardly and said, "This time I am no longer traveling as a businessman, but a portrait sketch artist."

Although cameras have appeared, they are still a long way from being widely used.

Thanks to the development of postal services, sending letters is now very convenient. When people need it, they will ask painters to draw a portrait of themselves and send it out. The cheapest one is the sketch artist at a roadside stall, who can draw a decent portrait in ten minutes.

Frederick's sketching skills were pretty good, enough for him to set up a stall in Weissenburg to make a living, and naturally he would have no problem going to other places.

This time I will be traveling in a low profile and will not be doing business on the way, so it is quite appropriate to use the identity of a painter as a cover.

"Uh...I said keep a low profile."

Frederick was a little confused when he saw the carriage prepared for him. The steel frame, fully enclosed carriage and spring shock absorbers were nothing new nowadays, but the carriage was pulled by two golem puppet horses, which was very cool in the city of Weissenburg.

The man in charge said, "But they are the cheapest horses in the stable."

Frederick thought about it and realized that it was true.

Horses are the face of the nobility, and servants use good horses worth dozens of gold coins. Industrial products like puppet horses are not as valuable as good horses with pedigree certificates.

Frederick finally found two draft horses from the manor to replace them.

A few days later, Rudolph asked his entourage at breakfast: "Is Wesson really gone?"

The attendant replied, "Grand Duke Wesson and Earl Shakespeare's granddaughter, Belle Burke Shakespeare, left Hammer City yesterday and headed east."

Rudolph nodded calmly and continued to eat his breakfast, but he couldn't help but feel excited.

(End of this chapter)