107 Complex Situation (2)
After the breakdown of the succession to the throne, Yi Hwan returned to Literkirk.
By the time he returned to the headquarters, a visitor arrived.
After staying at the East Stellar Company for two days, he met Lee Hwan, Viscount Rifeltria, who was close to the king.
Viscount Ripeltria made a remarkable contribution to the Austrian army by enlisting with King Willem I in the Napoleonic Wars in the past, and was revered as one of the war heroes.
He had recently been spending the rest of his life in the secluded countryside of northern Holland, but had recently come down to Ritterkirk as the succession issue arose.
As soon as he met Lee Hwan, he handed him a thick notebook.
“What is this?”
“I brought it with me because I thought it was a must see.”
When I opened the notebook, it was not difficult to see that the contents were in the form of a diary.
As soon as Lee Hwan saw the handwriting, he could recognize the owner.
“… … This is the handwriting of the previous king.”
“Right. A diary written by King Willem I. He said he had ordered his servants to pass it on to me shortly before he died.”
“iced coffee… … !”
“If you look at the contents, it will be enough to explain why the previous king handed over the throne to Princess Elizabeth Sophia.”
Still, Lee Hwan wondered why Elisabeth and himself became the people who would continue the succession to the throne.
Willem I had a second son to succeed him, and Willem II was also a soldier who served in the Continental Wars in the past.
He thought that he was an indispensable person for the king, and Lee Hwan had no doubts that he would inherit the next throne.
However, he could not understand why he suddenly changed the route to Elizabeth.
Lee Hwan read the diary step by step as Viscount Rifeltria said.
The contents of the diary remained the same.
“The King has always been concerned about the Netherlands.”
“You thought that your choices could cost countless lives. That is why he was prudent when he made one choice, and he suffered from the consequences of that decision. He wanted no one in this world to suffer because of him.”
“… … okay.”
“However, that does not mean that he hesitated to lead the Netherlands into a prosperous and powerful nation.”
William I’s diary clearly shows that he intended to unite Luxembourg with Belgium and reach out to the Italian peninsula.
Lee Hwan could see that almost half of his diaries were filled with his advances into southern and central Europe.
“The only way for the Netherlands to become prosperous was to take part of its control over the Italian peninsula. That’s why I actively supported Austria even when they said they were going to war.”
“It must have been a war to establish a foothold for territorial expansion.”
“Right. But our territorial expansion means a little more. It was to contain the British expansion, while completely freeing them from their interference.”
“Um, I didn’t know there was such a story.”
“That’s why I started making plans to keep Britain in check. In effect, he was planning to wage an economic war with Britain, including tariff hikes and restrictions on items handled.”
Economic wars in this era usually escalate into heat battles that cause casualties.
It has been tormenting the royal families of each country as if it were an unavoidable fate that the power that moves the country eventually comes from bread.
In order to solve this chronic problem, it was essential to gain an edge in economic negotiations.
“The previous king made an alliance with Austria in cooperation with France on the basis of economic sanctions against Britain. Few people knew that we had partnered with France, but in fact, the work behind the scenes is almost done. When roads and railroads were built in the Netherlands, the first registered customers were England and France. Even though France is, in effect, just a fallen kingdom, you dared to drill roads and give permission to build railroads.”
“Well, that’s right.”
“Britain is trying to use the Netherlands and Austria as a springboard for an expedition to the East. The King was trying to contain it through territorial expansion and the formation of an economic alliance with the Netherlands.”
“… … okay.”
“In fact, it must have been a strategy to kill Britain. But unfortunately, as soon as the alliance was decided… … .”
“I didn’t know there was such a story.”
“Perhaps the old king felt that he himself was in danger of dying. That’s why you must have come to the same conclusion you have now after much agony. Do you not believe that strengthening the alliance with Austria and promoting the alliance with Easterfield was the only way to protect the royal family?”
Willem I thought that the birth of the Elizabethan Sophia family would lead to a union between Austria and Easterfield, and that it was worth doing with England.
In the end, it is said that all of this was for the British containment.
“It was the maintenance of the previous kings to contain Britain and unify the Netherlands. Now you must act in accordance with this cause.”
“Hmm… … .”
“You now have the military and economic power to easily destroy a country. Frankly, even if you abandon the Netherlands and establish a first-class nation, we have no right to say anything. But even so, you were once a servant of Willem I, and you still hold the title of baron. Think of it as your bond with us. I beg you to never forget that bond.”
Lee Hwan gladly agreed to the request of Viscount Rifeltria.
“All right. I will follow the legacy of the previous king.”
“… … Thank you! I will surrender the will of the Senate and the nobles to you and Queen Elizabeth. From now on, please carry out the will of King Willem I to the end.”
Lee Hwan with a firm promise.
He decided to try making his wife king first.
***
Although the coronation ceremony was postponed indefinitely, Lee Hwan decided to hold the wedding in Ritterkirk.
As soon as Yi Hwan announced his marriage, the Habsburgs sent huge amounts of gold to Literkirk.
Since the dowry in this era symbolized the status of a woman and the wealth of her family, the Habsburg dynasty provided gold even if she robbed her of their personal wealth.
Lee Hwan welcomed the Habsburg royal envoy who made a procession with gold.
Lee Hwan made an unexpected declaration to this dowry procession that came the day before the wedding day.
He spoke politely to Elizabeth’s uncle, Frederic II, who had brought the dowry.
“This dowry is not acceptable.”
“… … Genga with low dowry? We will do our best to prepare as much as we can.”
“no. I cannot accept this dowry.”
“Can’t you get a dowry?”
“I would like to return this dowry back to the Austrian Empire and use it to fund the reunification of the German Confederation.”
“Are you saying that we are sending the money we have raised from our personal wealth to be used in the Empire? It means giving up your wealth in the end.”
“Now we will become one family. It is only natural to think of the Austrian Empire. For him, of course, I can give up this dowry.”
“Huh… … . How can you make such a decision? Aren’t you also a man made of bone and flesh?”
“In the East, this saying is passed down. It is said that if a wife is pretty, she bows down to a stake. Please think of it because she is pretty.”
Frederick understood the deep meaning of Lee Hwan.
He knelt down on one knee and paid tribute to Lee Hwan.
The fact that a nobleman who was in charge of an axis of the Habsburg dynasty and held a very important position in the Empire fell to his knees was a strange occurrence.
“A salute to the great Baron Easterfield.”
“Hey, wake up! People see it.”
“Are you thinking about the face of aristocrats?”
“Sometimes, face is more important than you think. Besides, now that you’re my uncle, isn’t it a bit strange to be bowed down?”
“Um, yes. Then let me get up from here.”
Frederick II clearly realized just how big Lee Hwan’s bowl was today.
He was determined to support Lee Hwan and follow him in the future.
“From now on, I will follow you wherever you go. I want to call you lord someday.”
“Thank you so much for that.”
“No, it’s not just the mind. I’ve been thinking about having a hero like you to accomplish a great cause.”
“A business?”
“To unite this European continent. We are building a great empire.”
“Ah, did you mean that?”
“I cannot become a vessel to unify the continent. So I had no choice but to wait for a hero like you to appear.”
Frederic had big dreams and ideals, but he knew right away that he couldn’t fulfill his ambitions.
As soon as he saw Yi Hwan, he realized that the bowl was large, and he sincerely vowed to follow him.
“Promise me. Someday you will be my lord.”
“All right. One day we will be able to have a military relationship.”
“Ha ha, yes! Never forget that promise!”
Frederic returned to Austria with the gold.
As soon as he returned, Elizabeth came to visit Lee Hwan, almost as if in exchange.
Elizabeth seemed very moved by the news that Lee Hwan had returned the dowry.
“thanks! To marry a man with a deep heart like you. I am a lucky woman.”
“I was just thinking about what could be more helpful for Austria.”
The two are now getting married tomorrow.
Already in Austria, nobles were preparing to head to the Netherlands one by one.
Lee Hwan and Elizabeth walked along the river and shared their feelings about marriage.
“Aren’t you nervous? I even received such bombastic remarks from the king of the Netherlands. Maybe you have to feud with the Ben-Heren, whom you admire so much?”
“More than that, let’s say that I have no regrets about doing what I take for granted.”
“Well… … .”
“Above all, I do not regard my woman as a political opponent.”
She poked Lee Hwan’s side with her elbow.
“… … speak very well Have you ever done that to another woman?”
“no. It will probably be the first time.”
“okay. It must be the first time Otherwise, tomorrow you will become a corpse and float in the Mas River.”
“It’s all good.”
Although she was very good at jokes, it was also true that she was dazzlingly beautiful.
Then Lee Hwan asked her.
“By the way, do you want to be a queen?”
“Uh… … . Can you be honest with me?”
“Absolutely. What do you have to hide between the couple?”
she said with a bitter smile.
“no. I don’t want to be a queen. To be honest, I don’t want to make money while traveling to the new continent with you, I don’t want to engage in politics.”
“Hmm, that’s right… … .”
“But now I can’t help it. If the Austrian Empire did not know about this fact, I would not be complacent until I found out.”
Willem I’s will would have a huge impact on the continent.
In other words, the dice are thrown.