"In this way, the pressure from the north can be relieved, and all the supplies and armies can be used against the other kingdoms." Duke Abbas took a sip of his coffee, he obviously didn't like the strong bitterness of black coffee, and subconsciously reached for the white porcelain teapot with hot milk.

Watching his movements, the Marquis of Savidin took advantage of the situation and chimed in: "The northern giants are not the barbarians they imagined. Although they may seem barbaric on the surface, it is undeniable that they have a considerable degree of civilization, especially in some specific aspects, and even have a more advanced level of technology than ours. ”

King Rahman did not speak, he glanced at the Marquis, his gaze shifting with the movements of Duke Abbas, fixed on the white porcelain teapot with hot milk in his hand.

This is the treasure that Savidin brought back from the north.

Rahman was captivated at first sight. The surface is unusually smooth, with a delicate touch that is no less than or even more than jade, whether it is plates, dishes or cups and pots, there are extremely wonderful artistic shapes. Especially those plates, when you look at the sun during the day, you can see the hazy red balls, which feel like they are transparent, and you can't help but want to occupy them forever.

Savidin presented three sets of porcelain. Rahman gave two of them to the queen and his favorite concubine. This seemed to him to be a normal move, but it caused an extremely strong reaction in the harem———— the queen was so powerful that the concubines generally did not dare to provoke, they could only put all their envy, jealousy and hatred on the favorite concubine. In just two days, all kinds of slanderous rumors about the favorite concubine gathered around the king with an unprecedented intensity, forming a terrible bombing effect. Rahman then received a report from a close confidant in the palace that the princess had secretly sent the set of porcelain she had given her outside the palace and gave it to her family for collection. However, the family could not resist the temptation of the treasure and sold the porcelain to a wealthy man for a very high price.

This caused Rahman to be furious, and he was suspicious and ordered his concubine to hand over the porcelain and to investigate the whole matter thoroughly...... The palace made a fuss about this matter for more than a week, and the family of the favorite concubine who sold porcelain privately was all imprisoned, and the favorite concubine herself was implicated and sent to the cold palace by Rahman. The queen and the concubines were full of hostility towards her, and news came from the cold palace the next day that ———— favorite concubine accidentally slipped down the well while fetching water and drowned alive.

Rahman didn't care about this, there were so many beautiful women, whether they liked or pampered it was a temporary act. A woman who truly likes and helps herself qualifies as a queen. But this incident proves the preciousness and value of porcelain from the north.

The king determined that the Marquis of Savitin had far more than three sets of porcelain, and that there should be more. Because of this, the Marquis spared no effort to lobby himself for an alliance with the Northern Giants.

The Duke of Abbas was pleased with the taste of coffee with milk. He drank most of the cup in one go, and while putting it down, he picked up the lid on the top of the sugar jar? Reveal the white sugar that is like fine sand inside.

"The meaning of business is monopoly." The obese duke is not so much a representative of the military? It is better to say an experienced businessman: "Your Majesty, our time with other kingdoms and the Holy See is not short?" We all know exactly what they have. I have to say? The Giants of the North have a big surprise for us this time. Sugar, hemostats, porcelain, and gemstones...... Just an alliance with them? Open up the market, and we can make good profits from it. ”

Rahman didn't make a sound? He thought in silence.

The Duke's words make a lot of sense.

This means exclusivity for goods from the North.

As a king? Rahman was well aware of the virtues of the papacy and the nobles of the other kingdoms. In contrast, the royal family of the Lord is more restrained in its pursuit of luxury, but this is largely due to external circumstances. Looking across the southern part of the continent, including the Holy See? Saxon, Viking, Plantagenet? There is also the Rhine, all countries are enemies of God, and under the pressure of a strong sense of crisis, there is no second way except to do everything possible to strengthen armaments and win the war.

Learned of the defeat of the Suolong Pass? When the news of the capture of the fortress by giants, Rahman was furious? He personally cut off the heads of several concubines who were still fighting for favor at that time, and issued a general mobilization order in the shortest possible time? A state of emergency was imposed throughout the country, and all supplies were transferred to military ...... Thanks to the Lord's blessing? The army of the expedition to the north has returned? Not only is the main force complete? Savidin also brought the good news that the giants were willing to form an alliance.

The king is not an ordinary person, and even the best things cannot be decided lightly. What's more, this time the situation is different, once the alliance with the northern giants is formed, it means that there is no possibility of relief with the Holy See and the other four countries, and the two sides will become mortal enemies in the true sense of the word.

Rahman could understand the significance of so many gifts from the young giant king to Savidin.

Governing a country requires not only military force, but also a stable economic source. In this respect, the northern giants should not be as powerful as they think, and they also need friends, as well as help.

In fact, King Rahman had already accepted the alliance agreement brought back by the Marquis of Savitin and signed it at any time.

But there was one key issue he couldn't determine, and that was the position of the Kingdom of God and the Giants of the North.

Not just anyone can be an ally. In exceptional cases, it is possible for wealthy men and beggars to stand together against bandit gangs that have invaded each other's territory. However, this alliance was doomed from the beginning to be impossible to equalize, after all, the rich have much more than the beggars. He had servants, well-armed, and even an extensive network of contacts that could be used to call for help...... On the other hand, the beggar, in addition to his strength and the broken bowl that he can no longer use when smashed out of his hand, is probably the only weapon that is to smoke his opponent with the strong body odor caused by filth and not bathing for a long time.

There is no doubt that the kingdom of God is the real rich man in this covenant.

What Rahman wants to know is that the northern giant is the same rich man as himself? Or a beggar who has nothing and only thinks about getting something out of it?

The northern giants are indeed powerful, and they are forced to carry the five southern foreign countries and the Holy See, and this kind of power is ashamed even of Rahman.

The Marquis of Savitin brought back a large amount of information from the north.

The giants possessed incredibly advanced cannons, and their rifles far ranged far beyond those currently used in the South. Especially in the battle to annihilate the main force of the Plantagenet Kingdom, the giants chose to attack on a rainy day, their weapons were obviously not afraid of the rain, but the Plantagenet's arquebus was turned into a burning stick.

Cavalry was a vital high-speed mobile force in this era. By all accounts, the Giant Cavalry outfought the whites of the South in all battles and speeds. Equipped with heavy horse armor, the Giant Cavalry was not afraid of traditional arrays of muskets. The number is not too much, three thousand, or five thousand, as long as there is such a cavalry force, Rahman is sure enough to attack the logistics line of the main forces of other kingdoms, and then win more battlefield advantages.

The kingdom of the Lord is adjacent to other kingdoms, but it does not have an advantage. In the southeastern part of the continent, bordering the Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of God has a good outlet to the sea. Unfortunately, the coastal area is not large, and the south is controlled by the Rhine Kingdom, forming a north-south attack with the Saxons...... Over the years, successive kings of the kingdom of the Lord have racked their brains to expand their naval power, hoping to use the southern ports as a springboard to find a wider overseas territory. However, due to the limitations of navigation technology, years of hard work are difficult to pay off, and although a few islands are found overseas, they do not have much development value because of the narrow area.

In fact, in comparison, Rahman had to admit that the kingdom of God was more like the beggar in the covenant. The northern giants possessed so many things, even to the extent that they could not have imagined.

No one will admit defeat, and the king will not consider himself to be on a par with the beggars. Despite the reality, the subconscious mind told Rahman that he had to grit his teeth and persevere, in order to gain more benefits.

"I need more sincerity from the giants." He finally decided: "In principle, I agree with this covenant, but more detailed terms must be negotiated." ”

The Marquis de Savetin's nervous heart suddenly relaxed.

A smile appeared on the face of Duke Abbas: "This is as it should be. ”

King Rahman's tone was resolute: "Send an envoy to the north as soon as possible, Savitin is the chief envoy, and I will send a member of the royal family to participate in the negotiations." Other than that...... Gather the merchants and let them go with them the gold, and our goods. If the young Giant King was clever enough, he should understand my good intentions. ”

The Marquis of Savitin stood up from the cushion and fell to one knee: "I respectfully obey your Majesty's orders. Blessed be the Lord, and your wisdom is unmatched. ”

He has said similar things many times, and this one is more convincing and quite satisfying. After all, the alliance between the two sides is directly related to their own pockets, and there are all kinds of inexplicable joint and several interests.

Duke Abbas glanced at the Marquis, who was standing up from the ground, and the two of them tacitly smiled at each other. Being able to get the duke's support meant that more nobles were involved, and it was impossible for Savidin to swallow such a big cake alone, and he understood it.

King Rahman then made another important decision: "This time the envoys go north, and it is better to reach an agreement with the Giant King on the question of marriage." ”

This sentence instantly shocked Abbas and Savidin, and they focused their eyes on the king almost at the same time, full of shock and confusion.

“…… Marriage? It took a full five seconds for the Marquis of Abbas to react from the blank state of his mind, and asked tentatively and uncertainly: "Your Majesty, I seem to have heard you say the word 'marriage'?" ”

Rahman nodded affirmatively: "Yes, marriage." After all, the agreement on paper is not very binding, and we don't know much about it with the giants. Throughout history, a solid covenant has been ensured only through the marriage of two countries. This is important. ”

Feeling that his brain was a little insufficient, Savidin reminded with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, the average height of a giant is at least more than three meters. I understand your thoughts, but ......"

"I will now order a nationwide search for women who meet the standards of height and appearance." Rahman was unconcerned: "Tall women are rare, but they are still there. We have a huge population base, even if there are no women who are three meters tall, two meters two, or two meters five, women of this height should have. Give her a royal title, plus a generous dowry, and the Giant King will know our sincerity. As long as he has one of us around him, many things can be discussed. ”

"Your Majesty, your wisdom is enviable!" The Duke of Abbas exclaimed in heartfelt admiration. Even he had to admit that it was indeed a good move.

King Rahman was a doer: "Send someone to do it now, and if possible, it would be better for the envoys to go north with the portraits of the women they find." ”

……

Holy See, Gabriel.

In the empty audience room, Pope Maximilian sat in a high-backed chair in the center, and Joseph, dressed in black, stood beside him with his hands down. Across from them, a middle-aged man in a gray robe knelt on the marble floor, his face full of humility.

"Stand up!" The Pope's attitude was gentle: "Tell me about the things you know." ”

News of the defeat had been heard two weeks earlier, but few soldiers had returned from the front. Although Maximilian personally ordered the most elite Holy Army to be sent to the northern border, and excluded a number of messengers from each country to ask for information sharing and a new round of negotiations on the war, there was little response.

This is a papal officer who has fled from the front, and at the same time a junior clergyman. Generally speaking, only those who are most loyal to the Holy See, extremely devout to the Holy Lord, and have passed a series of relevant tests are qualified to have the dual status of military and clergy.

Not just anyone can meet the Pope, especially in this luxurious and sacred room. For reasons of security and confidentiality, all permitted audience members are vetted in advance and given a number before they can kneel before the Pope.

Their number and name are interesting, and they are called "Quasimodo X".

The origin of the name is related to the sprawling underground base of the city of Gabriel. Papal seekers who initially entered the underground to explore found a book. It was a heavy metal case, and the cover of the book was well preserved, and the English title of the book could be clearly seen, "Notre Dame de Paris". Unfortunately, the book itself has long since decayed with time, and the whole book turns to dust when the fingers touch it.

The searcher who turned the pages of the book out of curiosity had a good eye, and he happened to see a remnant of the text before the whole book crumbled to ashes.

Quasimodo, with great reverence, rang the bell.

This is a precious legacy left by our predecessors.