Chapter 44 It's Better to Sell Technology (read more)
Otto did not hide anything and told everyone about his intention to take advantage of this opportunity to capture the Basel area.
Anyway, now we are married and allies. If we don’t have this bit of trust, don’t even think about helping and cooperating with each other in the future.
When they heard that Otto wanted to capture Basel, several people frowned.
"As far as I know, the Basel area is not currently under the control of any family, but rather under the control of the church.
Taking Basel away from the church, well...how to put it, I still don’t recommend being an enemy of the church.”
Count Ansbach expressed his opinion.
"Yes, Otto, didn't you once defeat the Grodunning family in Bern before? I think we should take this opportunity to capture the Neuchâtel area. The Earl of Neuchâtel is definitely not your opponent.
, there is no need to forcefully fight for Basel from the hands of the church.”
Baron Gold was of the same opinion.
Otto was a little helpless. He always thought that he wanted to expand his territory. If the territory was worthless, it would be better not to expand it. Otto understood this truth better than anyone else.
"The strategic location of the Basel area is too important for the Allgäu. I have to control it to feel at ease."
Otto stood by his opinion.
Several people looked at each other and realized that they had tried to persuade him. Now that Otto had made up his mind, there was no need to persuade him anymore. In the final analysis, we are just allies.
"I have an idea."
Count Ansbach thought for a while and said with a smile.
"I think Otto, you must have received a recruitment order from the Kingdom of Lotharingia before, so why not take advantage of this opportunity and enter the Basel area in a legitimate manner.
It seems that the Basel area should be the territory of the Kingdom of Lotharingia."
Otto is not stupid either. Count Ansbach understood this in an instant.
Since we can't directly fight the church with real swords and guns, there must be a reason to intervene in Basel. Helping to defend Basel is undoubtedly a good excuse.
"By the gods, this is truly a genius suggestion. I am impressed by your wisdom.
But after occupying the Basel area, I still need you and Sieghard to speak a good word for me in front of His Majesty Louis, otherwise it would be too bad if the army of the East Frankish Kingdom attacks me."
"Don't worry, this little thing will be taken care of by us." Count Ansbach did not speak, and Otto's father-in-law, Baron Gold, assured with a smile.
After the private chat ended, everyone left the reception room and returned to the banquet hall.
As the host and the most important guest, there are some disadvantages in not being present at the banquet for a long time.
After returning to the banquet hall, Otto saw Sophie sitting there looking unhappy.
"Dear Miss Sophie, you look a little unhappy. What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with today's banquet?"
Otto walked gently to Sophie's side and asked with a smile.
When Sophie saw Otto, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes, but the expression on her face did not change.
"A poor noble lady wanted to invite her fiancé to dance with her, but was rejected. Dear Baron Otto, do you think this noble lady can still be happy?"
"Is there such a thing? That young lady's fiancé is too ignorant of coquettishness." Otto pretended to be surprised. "I think if it is a beautiful lady like Miss Sophie, no one should be able to refuse.
"
"Really?" Sophie tilted her head and looked at Otto with a half-smile. "But a certain handsome baron who had an inexplicable charm rejected me before."
"Oh, gods, how come there is such a hateful baron in the world? I will definitely help Miss Sophie teach him a lesson the next time I see him.
However, beautiful Miss Sophie, I wonder if I would be honored to invite you to dance?"
Otto stretched out his hand without blushing and looked at Sophie with a smile.
When Otto appeared, Sophie was actually already prejudiced that her missing father and his brother had returned to the banquet hall. She also roughly guessed what Otto was doing when he left, and most of her unhappiness had disappeared.
Sophie still had a lot of affection for the handsome Otto. Even though the education she received since childhood made her know that she would inevitably fall into a political marriage in the future, she never thought of resisting this fate.
But what girl doesn’t want her husband to be handsome? Judging from his performance these days, Otto is not only handsome but also polite. He can be said to be the best husband in Sophie’s fantasy.
Now that Otto was acting humorous, Sophie was naturally very happy.
"Okay." Sophie put her hand on Otto's, and the corners of her mouth curved. "Damn it, Your Majesty the Baron, then I'll give you this chance."
The next day, Otto invited Count Ansbach and Baron Gold to watch the crossbow's power test.
"Is this the weapon that His Excellency the Baron used to defeat the Bernese Territory? It's really amazing."
In public places, even Baron Gold changed Otto's title to a formal one. This is the most basic etiquette for a nobleman.
"Is it difficult to make this kind of weapon? How much does it cost and how difficult is it to operate?" Count Ansbach asked a concerned question.
When Otto answered him one by one, Count Ansbach not only had no smile on his face, but frowned.
"In this case, if crossbows are equipped on a large scale, wouldn't knights have much use? I think that the majority of knights will not want to see this weapon."
Count Ansbach is worthy of being the patriarch of a powerful family. No wonder he has the courage to compete for land with a duke. His judgment and vision are truly amazing.
"You can't say that. The role of knights and cavalry has not changed." Otto patiently explained to Count Ansbach.
"They are still the most elite force on the battlefield, and they still have destructive strength. However, after the crossbow appears, ordinary levies will no longer be completely useless and can only serve as cannon fodder for sieges.
As for the threat to the knight's life from the crossbow, it can actually be offset by making small changes and upgrades to the armor.
Even if there were no crossbows, wouldn’t there be fewer knights killed by longbows?”
"So, if you are going to promote this crossbow, the new armor must have been produced by Aargolling.
How much price are you prepared to sell the crossbow to?"
Count Ansbach nodded. In fact, as a great nobleman, what he was most worried about was not the opposition of the knights, but the issue of safety.
If the crossbow spreads, the lives of all nobles may be threatened by a mud-legged man. It is unbelievable what a huge impact it will cause.
"The armor that can protect against crossbows hasn't been developed yet, but it will be soon."
Otto told a small lie.
"I am not going to sell the crossbow, but the craftsmanship of the crossbow. Your Excellency, do you think the nobles will be willing to pay for this?"