257 – Anecdotal – Grand National Politics of the Croytel Riches (3)
Hearing those words, Grand Duke Chainz instead of being delighted, he straightened up and shouted.
“What are you talking about? If our family buys weapons cheaply from the Kreutel Empire, His Highness the King of the United Kingdom may question our family’s loyalty. So I won’t do that. If you die now, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
When I heard that, I remembered what my father said before.
The reason why I openly reject an offer that is absolutely necessary in the other person’s situation is that it is because I am interested in what I have to say.
So when I ask why, please answer.
Just like when you smell food when you are hungry, you want to steal it.
As the saying goes, Archduke Chains continues to maintain an annoyed expression, but in his eyes I can see interest in my proposal.
So if you give up here and go back, you’re an idiot.
“I’m going to dispose of it at half, no, 1/4 the price of selling weapons and armor in the Kingdom of Creutel. Will you be okay?”
Chainz heard those words and looked around as if he were paying attention to the surroundings.
No matter how much it is, it seems that they are reacting like that because they feel like their backs are tense when they exchange secret promises like this at the banquet hall.
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Reacting like that is in itself a declaration that you will listen to the story, so you ate half of it and went in.
So I said while slicing the infinitely tender steak.
“After the banquet, I want to play a game of chess in the grand duke’s room. How about that?”
“hahahaha, it’s an honor. Make a small bet. How about a bottle of wine for every bout you win? I bet Chains red wine.”
“Good. Then I will bet the finest red wine of Akitel.”
Since then, Chainz and I have had only educated conversations about poetry, literature, and theology, a must-have for European aristocrats.
Seeing that, the other nobles of the Grand Duke of Chainz must have lost interest as well, and gradually moved away from us.
In that mood, I’ve been waiting for tonight to come.
Because everything will be decided here.
**
And the night after the banquet, I went to the grand duke’s office to play chess as promised.
Walls and floors covered in checkered patterns using white and black marble, furniture made entirely of willow wood, sofas and chairs embroidered with gold thread.
It’s a completely different atmosphere from my father’s office, but judging from the fact that the style has mostly followed our empire.
Anyway, it could be seen that this nobleman deeply dislikes being judged as an unfashionable country boy stuck in a corner of the United Kingdom.
And this kind of person usually has an inferiority complex about being far from the center.
As I looked around Archduke Chainz’s office for a while, the Archduke, who was sitting on the couch and using his phone, called me.
“It is an honor to think that His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Creutel Empire, who leads European trends, likes my room.”
“My eyes aren’t that high either. His Majesty the Father will be delighted to see such a well-decorated room. I must tell my father that Grand Duke Chains is a man with a very sophisticated sense.”
“This is the honor of the family, so shall we play chess then?”
“No. I’m a little dizzy today, so I’d like to chat lightly.”
And then, with Archduke Chains’ permission, I sat down on the sofa across from him and said.
“As I said at the banquet hall, our empire is willing to sell weapons and armor cheaply. If you wish, we can give it to you free of charge.”
“Since ancient times, I have been told not to trust anyone who tries to give something away for free. Besides, I can’t believe that His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Creutel Empire, is trying to hand over something for free. What do you want?”
You said it as if you were refusing it, but at the point of asking what you want, it’s like you’re halfway caught.
But if I show my happy feelings here, I won’t be able to live up to all the hard work I’ve done and my father’s expectations.
I said it while hiding my emotions as much as possible.
“First of all, in order to prevent misunderstandings between each other, the Kreutel Empire has no intention of accepting any monetary or diplomatic payment from His Highness the Archduke.”
“It’s even more unbelievable. Then why the hell did you make that suggestion?”
“Actually, we, the Creutel Empire, have quite a bit of dissatisfaction with Edward von Londimium, King of the United Kingdom of Brittany. It’s because that nobleman used privateers several times to capture our merchant ships and sell the sailors into slavery. Negotiating with slave traders and heretics in Efrikaya to recapture the sailors, we have not been able to find even a quarter of the sailors sold as slaves.”
In other countries, honestly, if you understand that even if sailors are taken as slaves or merchant ships are captured, it is the work of pirates.
As long as there are no nobles on board the captured merchant ships, they don’t care about the missing crew.
Because the effort and money that go into recapturing one crew member is enormous, and with that money, you can train at least 10 crew members.
So, when other countries are piracy, they are only in a hurry to find out who ran the pirates, and to protect their interests by taking revenge against the country that instigated the pirates.
However, in the Croytel Empire, when a merchant ship is captured by an enemy or a pirate, it is of course necessary to find out as much as possible the relationship with the country to which the piracy belongs.
Every sailor is a citizen that the Emperor of the Empire must protect, so he does his best to find it somehow.
Honestly, apart from the reason that I came here to tear apart the United Kingdom of Brittanya for the sake of national interest, the biggest thing was to “Take revenge on those who touched the people of the empire.”
However, he replied with a suspicious look on his face as to whether he did not understand the values of the empire well to Archduke Chainz.
“I think it must have been very unpleasant since I was definitely pirated. Is that why you want us to take that revenge?”
As long as the conclusion has been reached here, there is no need to repeat it.
“Yes, it is. Instead, it is to support the necessary armor and equipment when fighting the King of the United Kingdom. Wouldn’t this be a good deal?”
At that, Chainz replied with an expression that his interest had completely cooled.
“Stop the bullsh*t. No matter how dissatisfied we are with His Highness, do you think we will rebel? If it wasn’t for the crown prince, I would have strangled him. Come on, get off.”
It was a bit unexpected.
Because he thought that if he were to provide weapons and armor to Archduke Chainz, he might immediately rebel against him because of his character and environment.
I had difficulties with the first plan I had prepared, but there was no hindrance at all.
Because I still had the knowledge of how to incite national conflict, which I had learned directly from my father.
I came up with a vicious move that the other party had no choice but to accept in case the first offer didn’t work.
Instead of obeying the order to leave the office, I said it in a sarcastic way.
“Do you trust the King so much? You are very loyal. By the way, do you think His Highness King Edward would really trust His Highness Prince Chainz?”
As soon as the Grand Duke heard my words, he reached for the sword stuck in his waist and tried to pull it out.
I pretended not to care about that at all.
“If you are an ambitious King, if you hear that the Crown Prince of the Croytel Empire provided weapons to the Chainz family and the three grand ducal families. You think you’re going to attack the Chainz family, even if you fake the fact that you’re starting a rebellion, saying, ‘This is your chance!’?”
“Dog… Son of a b*tch!”
“Isn’t that why you listened closely to my offer and tried to get the weapon? If you bring in a lot of weapons and armor to expand your army, even the King of the United Kingdom won’t be able to touch you.”
I had good intentions to protect myself, but the situation the man was in was too good for us to take advantage of.
Although it was almost 7~8 years ago, the king tried to establish an absolute kingship by expanding his territory even by intervening in the civil war of the Elain Empire.
To such a nobleman, it is a video even without looking at how the three grand dukes, who are semi-independent vassals, will look.
Yes, they are not partners in supporting the United Kingdom, but potential enemies.
So Grand Duke Chains and other grand ducal families had to give up some of their privileges and territories in order to survive.
If they let go of their power to some extent, their life and death rights will fall into the hands of an unbelievable person who is the King of the United Kingdom.
In that case, they would have strengthened the military power and tried to protect the territory and the family with their own strength.
At the point of choosing the latter, your future was in the hands of the ‘Croitel Empire’.
Also, I don’t feel guilty even if I destroy this family. The Grand Dukes of Brittany also sent pirate privateers to rob our merchant ships.
So, to put it in my father’s way, for each merchant ship, at least ten times the blood of the crew on board should be shed.
I pushed the archduke’s right hand, which stopped as he was about to draw his sword, sheathed his sword and said in a whisper.
“Actually, the Prince Chainz family had no choice at all. There is no other way than to accept my favor as it is and fight the King of the United Kingdom who threatens the existence of the Grand Duke’s family. So choose. Will you be given weapons and armor or will you fight bare-handed?”
The Archduke listened to me and leaned in with his face turned white.
He seems to have lost his strength, but he said with an expression that everything was over.
“I will accept your application.”
At those words, I said it with the expression of a benevolent uncle.
“Very good. Then we’ll load the weapons and armor on the pirate ship and send them to the waters off Chains around October 20th. Also, as a bonus, we will put a lot of support money in the name of a reward for catching pirates on a pirate ship. Oh, if you open the floor of the pirate ship captain’s room, there will be a lot of gold coins, so use that too. I will apply in a similar way to other grand ducal families, so please know that.”
It would be a problem internationally if such a hateful act was caught before it was done.
There is no real fear of being caught.
Because in order to uncover my conspiracy, all three grand dukes must report equally to the King of the United Kingdom and abandon their ambitions in order to survive.
Those three archdukes will also covet the crown of the united kingdom that flickers in front of their eyes when they receive the weapon.
Then he will naturally turn to killing the king who threatens his survival.
Besides, even if all three of them report, even if the ambitious king really believes the words, the possibility of choosing the ‘option that saves all three’ is really small.