"Report! Lord Duke. Outside the city, an envoy claiming to be from the Duke of Swabia has asked to see you. ”

In the inner chamber of the Lombard court, the guards who arrived in a hurry reported to the Duke of Lombardy.

"Swabian envoys?" The Duke of Lombardy, who was leaning on the leather chair to recuperate, opened his eyes slightly, and said silently in his heart. Then his eyes fell on the guard.

"How many of them are there? Is it clear? The Duke of Lombardy asked, his eyes slightly open, and the maid beside him gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Back to the Duke, there are about forty of them, and there are four carriages. The man who claimed to be the envoy said that the stakes were high and that he would not speak until he saw you. ”

There were few high-level contacts between the principalities of Swabia and Lombardy, but commercial and trade cooperation between the two countries flourished. This time, the Duke of Swabia sent an envoy to come, which made the Duke of Lombardy a little confused. But if he refuses rashly, it is a contempt for the Duke of Swabia and may have an impact on normal relations between the two countries.

After weighing the pros and cons, the Duke of Lombardy immediately ordered the guards to welcome a group of people into the court. It was planned to meet the Swabian envoy in person to find out the intentions of the Duke of Swabia.

…………

“…… Your Excellency the Duke, it's a pleasure to meet you~" After the guards introduced the Duke of Swabia envoy into the palace reception hall, the envoy smiled, hurriedly knelt down and saluted, and greeted the Duke of Lombardy.

"You're welcome, please."

"Lord Xie!"

"Listen to my guard, you are going to Lombardy on behalf of the Duke of Swabia~" The Duke of Lombard took a sip of his wine glass with an indifferent expression.

"Yes, Lord Duke."

"In that case, now that you see me, let's talk about it."

The Swabian envoy looked left and right for a moment, then turned to look at the Duke of Lombardy, and had no intention of speaking.

The Duke of Lombardy, who was sitting at the top, glanced at him and saw what the guy was thinking. To the people around him: "You all stand down, you are not allowed to enter without an order."

"Yes, Lord Duke~" The servants and guards in the hall immediately retreated and closed the door.

Seeing that the left and right had receded, the Swabian envoy took a few steps forward, wanting to get closer to the Duke of Lombardy, who was at the top.

"That's right, Lord Duke. A few days ago, after the Earl of Burgundy in the west became the Princedom of Burgundy overnight, and the mercenary Flanders were in charge of the Princely Kingdom of Burgundy, the Duke of Swabia learned that there was a crusade against the Princedom of Burgundy in Lombardy. However, Lombardy is separated from the Princedom of Burgundy by Provence, which prevents you from going to the Princedom of Burgundy. I'm here with a secret order from the Duke of Swabia this time~" The envoy glanced up at the Duke of Lombardy.

The Duke of Lombardy touched the beard on his chin and thought about it.

Everyone in the world knows that Swabia sent troops to capture several castles on the eastern border of the Princely Kingdom of Burgundy at the beginning of the civil strife in Burgundy. If reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, the territory of the Princes of Burgundy might have been swallowed up by the Duchy of Swabia one bite at a time.

Now, the old fellow of the Duke of Swabia has sent an envoy back at this time, and there must not be any good intentions in his stomach. This guy is by no means a fuel-efficient lamp, and there must be something in mind for sending someone here this time.

"It seems that your Duke is very well-informed, and he can understand my Lombard family affairs clearly from such a distance." The Duke of Lombardy's face suddenly became serious.

"Your Excellency the Duke has misunderstood," the envoy hastened to explain, "and my lord also learned about it from the mouths of the merchants and wanderers who traveled between Lombardy and Swabia. The two countries have always been friendly friends, so how could my family send someone to inquire about Lombardy's family affairs? ”

"Forget it, I have no intention of pursuing these trivial matters." The Duke of Lombardy waved his hand. "Let's get down to business."

"Yes, Lord Duke. That's right, my lord the Duke asked me to tell you. If you do decide to attack the Marquis of Burgundy, the Duke of Swabia is here to help. ”

"What do you mean~" The Duke of Lombardy leaned forward slightly.

"Lord Duke, I mean, our Lord Duke is willing to make way for you to attack the Marquis of Burgundy. Your army can enter Swabian territory and use Swabian as a gateway to attack the Princedom of Burgundy. ”

"Oh? When did the Duke of Swabia become so broad-minded? The Duke of Lombardy scoffed. In his eyes, the Duke of Swabia was simply a miser.

The envoy still greeted him with a smile and continued, "Lord Duke, my lord is thinking about you this time. Otherwise, why would he send me to inform you? In the eyes of my family, the enemies of the Princedom of Burgundy were his friends. Do a friend a favor, and that's right. ”

"I'm afraid, this is just one aspect~" The Duke of Lombardy had no intention of wasting words with the guy in front of him.

The envoy smiled and said, "Lord Earl is really an understanding person, and you have already guessed it before I even opened my mouth."

"Humph!" The Duke of Swabia was dismissive. "Tell me, what are the conditions of the Duke of Swabia?"

"Lord Duke, the conditions of my family are very simple. Once the Princedom of Burgundy was taken, half of the land was to be placed under the name of Swabia. ”

"What, half the land? He just made way for me, and he wanted to take half of the land so easily. The Duke of Lombardy raised his voice and said.

"The Duke has misunderstood, Swabia will not only make a way out for you, but will also send troops to attack the Marquis of Burgundy together with the Lombard army and hasten its demise."

The Duke of Lombardy was silent and pondered alone.

If this is the case, why worry about not being able to take a mere Burgundian princely state. But the matter was too hasty, and the Duke of Lombardy could not make up his mind for a while. It was decided to gather several ministers of the court to discuss it before making a decision.

"In this case, you go back and tell the Duke of Swabia that the matter is very important, and I will need to discuss it with several important officials of the court before making a decision. As soon as I have the results, I will send someone to contact the Duke of Swabia. ”

"In that case, I will return to Swabia today and inform my lord of this. I hope that the Duke will keep his promise! ”

In the afternoon, the envoy handed over the four carts of goods he had brought with him to the Lombard court treasurer's office, and then returned to Swabia with his men and horses.

…………

Early the next morning, Wade, who learned of this, learned about it. Burley hurried to the Lombard court to meet the Duke of Lombardy.

“…… Lord Duke, since Swabia took the initiative to reach out and unite with the Lombard First to attack the Marquis of Burgundy, why don't we seize the opportunity to destroy Flanders in one fell swoop. "In the inner chamber of the court, Wade sat on a chair. Burley gushed his point of view, encouraging the Duke of Lombardy to act against the Princedom of Burgundy.

"As you know, Wade, we don't know much about the situation in the Princedom of Burgundy at the moment, and if we do it rashly, there must be some hidden risks. Flender was not an easy opponent, he had led the Midsummer Legion to fight for many years, and his prestige was very high. Moreover, at present, the Princes of Burgundy have been returned to the Kingdom of France, and if we declare war on the Princes of Burgundy, we will declare war on France. The Kingdom of Burgundy may be small, but the Kingdom of France is a lion. It was not easy to snatch meat from his mouth. The Duke of Lombardy analyzed the current situation and sighed from time to time.

"Lord Duke, you may have forgotten," Wade. "The Duchy of Burgundy is separated from the Kingdom of France," Burley reminded. If the Kingdom of Francis wants to come to the aid of the Princes of Burgundy, it depends on whether the Duchy of Burgundy agrees. As far as I know, the Duke of Burgundy has always had a grudge against the King of France, so why not take advantage of it. "Wade. A sinister smile appeared on Burley's face.

"I ask you, can a hound stop a male lion?"

"This~" Wade. Burley was speechless.

"If the Duchy of Burgundy angers the Kingdom of France, the King of France can erase it from the map at any time. You must not underestimate the ambitions of the King of France. The Duke of Lombardy reminded.

"This is the end of it. Tomorrow morning, I will gather several important officials of the court to discuss the matter. The matter of doing something to the Marquis of Burgundy, you must think about it carefully~"

…………

“…… Hum! This old thing, always so indecisive in doing things! How can this be a great thing? ”

"Lord Count is angry~ I think Lord Duke is just confused for a while, and after he thinks clearly about the pros and cons, he will attack the Marquis of Burgundy sooner or later."

Wade. In the Burley Mansion, the earl, who had been holding back his belly, began to lose his temper as soon as he returned. He was very dissatisfied with the Duke of Lombardy, but he did not dare to show it to his face. I had to go back to the house to vent my emotions.

"You know! That old thing is a coward, indecisive, like a woman! ”

"Lord Earl, if these words reach the ears of Lord Duke, I am afraid it will be ......"

Syllable~

Wade. Burley turned around and slapped the guy behind him.

"Lord Earl's life~" The attendant immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy loudly.

"And you bunch of rice buckets, what do I raise you for! Sending you to kill the bastard Art, so far there is no news! "Wade. Burley was furious, and took two sips of the wine on the table.

Looking at the guy shivering on the ground, Wad. Burley instructed: "You immediately arrange for me to arrange a few more people to sneak in and inquire about the news." If it happens again this time, you'll all come back to me with your heads up! "Wade. Burley roared.

"Yes, Lord Earl, I'll do it at once! I'll do it right away! ”

"Get out!"

"Yes, Lord Earl, yes~" The guard looked up at the furious Valder. Bore, and then ran out with a roll on the ground.

…………

"Ouch, this lord, why are you here! Our girl misses you to death~"

In the city of Sorrenburg, at the door of a red mill on the street, scantily clad women kept greeting men who came and went.

On the upper floor opposite the Moulin Rouge, two laborers dressed in coarse linen looked at each other from time to time, never taking their eyes off each other.

"Sir, look at the woman in red, this figure~" One of the skinny guys stared straight at the fat woman he liked, and kept swallowing his saliva.

"You bastard!" The man called the chief slapped the thin man on the head, "Is this what you were called for?" Give me a good look. ”

The thin man smiled, then focused his attention and stared intently at the situation below.

In a few moments, a man in armor, cowhide boots, and a short sword in his hand staggered from a short distance down the street.

This man had just been replaced by Wade. Burley reprimanded the guy. After going out, this guy held back the fire in his belly. I had to find a tavern to get drunk alone, and then run to the Moulin Rouge to find the understanding girl I "met" a few days ago to express my anguish.

"Sir, he's here~" The thin man, who was leaning on the window to observe, turned his head and said to the man behind him who had just picked up his wine glass.

"Let me see~" The man put down his glass and hurriedly walked towards the window.

After a while, the drunken fellow had already arrived at the door of the Moulin Rouge, and the girls in charge of soliciting customers surrounded him, hoping that the official who had gone to have a good time would pamper him.

"Get out of here!" The drunken man pushed the girls around him away, and then walked crookedly inside.

All this was clearly seen by the two pairs of eyes standing by the window on the second floor.

"When this guy comes out, you go in and find the woman at once, and see what useful things come out of his mouth this time. Remember to bring money with you when you go. ”

"Don't worry~"

…………

It wasn't until late evening that the drunken fellow came out of the Moulin Rouge with a red face and walked towards the residence of the Lord of Sorenburg. In the crowd, two guys dressed in coarse linen clothes also followed~

At the same time, the thin man who was watching by the window on the second floor also pushed the door and walked out. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at the door of the Moulin Rouge, surrounded by the women, and walked inside.

It was only when it was dark that the thin man came out of it, and trotted back to a cottage on the upper floor opposite the Moulin Rouge.

“…… How's that, what useful news did you get from that guy this time? The man who had previously been called a chief by the thin man asked.

"Sir, it's not good!" The thin man's face was solemn, "The woman told me that the drunk guy was killed by Wad during the day. Burley reprimanded him before running to the tavern and getting drunk. He inadvertently turned Wad. The matter of Burley going to the court today is shaken out~"

"What's the matter?"

"The Swabian envoy arrived in Lombardy today and came to join Lombardy in attacking the princedom of Burgundy~"

"What?"

"Chief Oliver, what do we do now?" Another guy in the room asked.

Oliver sat on a stool and bowed his head in silence, occasionally taking a few sips of the wine on the table.

"In this way, we will first inform the adults of this news so that they can take precautions as soon as possible. And then ~"

In the middle of the night, a carrier pigeon flapped its wings and took off from the north of Lombardy, heading north with this shocking news~