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 Count of the Netherlands has just ended. As the royal ceremonial officer, Rafaello has 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.
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. As we all know, this young nobleman has temporarily lost power in the city.
Lose ground.
But on the contrary, it made his career become more and more popular in private. As the agent of several big shots, he can continuously smuggle and resell various bulk consumption and luxury goods from the vast southern region that has been occupied.
Meet the needs of the upper class of Seine City.
Including bulk supplies of coffee and sugar, tobacco, cosmetics and spices from overseas provinces, and even oriental tea, porcelain, silk products, etc., he could manage to obtain scarce and in-demand items. Therefore, he managed to obtain them in a very short time.
Earned the nickname "Fantastic Rafaro".
After all, even though people are starving and exiled everywhere outside the city of Seine, the upper-class nights in the city are still a scene of drunkenness and death with singing and dancing, extravagant comparisons; even their life schedule of staying up day and night,
Not much has changed as a result.
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 Erb, the Principality of Brabant, etc. also gathered in the city of Seine.
These vassals and vassal forces located in the border areas of the kingdom; the largest ones are no more than a medium-sized province in the same kingdom, and the smallest ones are no more than the union of several cities. Therefore, they can be regarded as a model of small countries with few people; their origins can be traced back to the first (Rose)
Dynasty, the remnants of the Franks who resisted to the end.
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 northern border where they clashed with the Normans to develop.
, descendants of intermarriages 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 in disguise and replaced them with those on the border.
As the birthplace of chivalry in the Western Continent and the backbone of many cross jihads, the Holy Kingdom did not hesitate to give up subsequent intervention. Less than a year after the Sena Agreement was signed, it did not hesitate to give up its control of the western province of the kingdom.
He was sworn to protect, reduced his military strength and returned to the country.
There are large areas of wilderness remaining in the corresponding territories. Most of the towns and villages outside the cities are either barren, bitterly cold, or poor. In addition, the folk customs are fierce and unruly, which makes the cost of governance after direct conquest of the kingdom high.
If not, it can only be delegated to vassals to manage indirectly.
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 concealed from those who are interested.
The fact that these various princes, 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 historical practices caused by the situation. Because
These areas were developed very late.
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 large and small dense forests. Therefore, the output of daily agricultural land is limited, and they can only rely on livestock, mining, trade, and domestic services.
Soldiers serve as support and remain attached to the kingdom for a long time.
The princes of the Netherlands also had to change their ways and seek the support and help of the emerging Burgundian royal family, the final winner of the kingdom's civil strife. You must know that the "Fearless King" John, as the lord, is qualified to defeat the North with a desperate counterattack.
several other grand dukes vying for the throne;
Political means were used to divide, disintegrate and pacify the country with armed forces. 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 suddenly fell into disarray.
Faced with the rising rebel forces in the south, they suffered successive defeats.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of Zealand also needs these Dutch princes with different positions to serve as a buffer zone to resist the Norman invasion. For this purpose, it has established the longest standing army with the oldest history and the largest scale——
The Legion of Flanders provided surveillance and garrison.
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.
However, the now prestigious 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
It's wreaking havoc everywhere.
But looking around, the impact of the change in the celestial sphere is penetrating deeply 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 countries such as Avar in the east are even more
They take the opportunity to attack their old enemies who have had grievances for many years, and attack each other endlessly.
The Sealand Kingdom, which spans the hinterland of the Western Continent, seems to have suddenly become an outcast that no party can take care of; let alone the Dutch princes in the northwest corner. In this situation of encountering obstacles everywhere,
Naturally, some people will think of the rebels wreaking havoc in the south.
Especially those aristocratic 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 who secretly held requiem mass in the chapels of several palaces in the suburbs, and even more.
It caused all kinds of rumors and undercurrents to surge.
Although, in all the official reports of the Burgundian dynasty, they are called contemptuously, the despicable charter rebels, the remnants of republican sinners and liberal thugs, colluding with heretics and heretics in the south
A group, a group of mud-legged armed men gathered together;
However, the various provincial and royal corps 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, as well as 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 invading troops who were stranded in the territory and looting, and the lowland princes who were troubled by endless changes. After all, whether in a charter government or a self-owned commune,
Or the National Convention, during the period of special supervision,
The lowland princes have never stopped secretly contacting and negotiating with those in power in the capital. This time, as a representative of the Dutch Count, they found a secret middleman who was inextricably linked to the underground black market in Seine City.
, Rafaello, who is 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 up by the dynasty. It is natural to convey messages to others.