December 20, 348 Continental Gregorian Calendar, Osasuna, Iberia. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

William Grant, Earl of Osasuna, dined at noon with Suarez, who had just returned from Debans, and Suarez, as a representative of the Count of Osasuna, had gone on a trip to King Ofrite and had just returned to Osasuna on the 19th after a two-month business trip.

"How's the king doing?" William asked.

"He was in a very bad physical state and mentally sluggish." Suarez replied.

"The southern counties have been stirring up lately, and if there is no good news from the king's side, we will soon be forced to take a stand by the old fox of Sanchez."

"The northern territories have had a very difficult winter this year, and it will be even more difficult at the beginning of spring next year." Suarez recalled what he had seen and heard along the way, and was very saddened that the mistakes of the rulers would eventually reach the heads of the people, and the effect would be magnified several times.

"I've heard about the whole battle, and Sogreand Leuss is really angry this time, for he wasn't a commander who liked to slaughter."

"Is it the so-called 'rushing to the crown and being angry for a red face'?"

"How's the Zigner doing?" William continued.

"Prince Henry of Zigner brought back nearly fifty thousand men for the king, and the king was very pleased with their performance, and I think he has the will to continue to employ them."

"Zigner has survived the famine in his country, and it is said that the good seeds that our country has provided them with have given them a good harvest this year, and it seems that they have no reason to become mercenaries."

"No farmer would mind doing some manual work in his spare time, let alone a Zignar." Suarez said this to his lord.

"However, His Majesty the King may have encountered considerable economic difficulties, and the Zignans will not work in vain."

"Lord Grant, if I were a Zigner, I would ask the king to pay him in a different way, and I would not be obsessed with wheat and olive oil." Suarez said.

"Oh?" William laughed, "Speaking of which, I also have Zigner blood, let me guess what they will want." ”

"Then you might as well guess." Suarez also laughed.

William touched his jaw and thought for a moment with a smile, "I think I guessed." ”

"Oh, what is it?"

"Regina." William spat out such a geographical term.

Also in Zigna, Prince Henry brought the wounded and sick of Zigner's mercenaries back to his homeland, and reported to his father the gains of this trip to the mainland.

In his palace in Geldinburg, King Zigner summoned his ministers and nobles to discuss the issue of mercenaries between his country and Iberia. Since the contract was for five years, it was generally the case that by the middle of the next year, it would be time to confirm whether the employer was willing to continue the extension.

"We have passed the most difficult period, and there is no need to continue to act as mercenaries for other countries." There were many ministers who held this idea, especially the local lords. Since the remuneration of the mercenaries was directly at the disposal of the king, the local lords received limited benefits, and they had to face the reality of a shortage of people who could afford local conscription.

Even Prince George had this idea, for he had often felt under-armed in the recent suppression of rebellions in the Chionz Mountains; And the officer who succeeded the Earl of Lancaster was clearly inexperienced, which added to a lot of trouble.

When Prince George expressed this opinion on behalf of the ministers, Richard I turned his attention to Henry. King Zigner had been much better lately, and the gradual relief of the people from their distress was the first thing that pleased him; The second is, of course, the healthy growth of his grandson and the successor of the royal family; As for the third item, Prince Henry's growing maturity in dealing with foreign and domestic affairs led the king to believe that his son would become a famous figure in the history of Zigner.

"The Iberian king Ofhrit's experience of this defeat is already a great loss of vitality, and the former dynastic restorers in the south, led by the Marquis of Sanchez, will inevitably act stupidly." Henry analyzed.

"What does that have to do with us? Let the Iberians fight to the death, and we will continue to have troubles on our side. Prince George interrupted his brother's speech.

"Brother Wang, please let me finish my words."

"George, listen to your brother speak slowly." Richard I helped, and Prince George had to be patient and step aside.

"If there is civil strife in Iberia, Empress Sigrani of Mastar will inevitably intervene, but because of their crushing defeat in the war with the Falunsi this year, Her Majesty Sigrani is afraid that she will not want to come to the table and tear her face with the Falensi again. His Excellency Pharensius was preoccupied with reforms in his own country, and therefore did not want to be entangled again over Iberia and Mastar. They will all look for agents for their interests in Iberia, and we should take advantage of the fact that neither of its two neighbours has any intention of committing major forces to the richest share of the Iberian soup. ”

"...... in a nutshell"

"In short, not only should we not leave Iberia, but we should increase our military presence there."

"So, Henry, my son, tell me what kind of pie we will get a piece of?" After all, the old king was politically experienced, and if he wanted to convince the ministers and lords who disagreed, then the key was to draw them a big, fragrant cake.

"We have to find a way to get the island of Regina and control the Rael Strait."

"What's the use of that place?" George was puzzled.

"First, we need a stronghold close to the mainland, so that we can participate more and more directly in the affairs of the continent in the future, and seize more benefits from it; Second, with Regina Island, there will be one more flank stronghold for the attack on our country from the sea, and if the enemy fleet goes straight to our mainland from the sea, then the army stationed in Regina can attack the home fleet on both sides; Thirdly, His Excellency Leus of Falencia has inquired of me on several occasions concerning maritime matters, and I have been informed of the presence of a Phalenci expedition operating in the lower reaches of the Alque. If there is no mistake, the Farencians hope to find a suitable location to build a port and set up their own navy and merchant fleet, so that the Rael Strait will be a golden shipping route in the future. ”

"At that time, this inevitable passage from the Kafa Sea to the Iswana Sea will bring you the carpets of Pamis, the bronze vessels of Hitarus, the furs of Renosque, the wines of Mastar, the gems of Efini, and the yew wood of Farensi."

Prince Henry's words caused a stirring among the ministers and lords, and even Prince George was impressed by the yew wood. If more yew wood is imported, he will have a more elite and numeric army of longbowmen. And other valuable goods are also what Zigner's lords have always wanted.

"Well, then, if you all have no opinion, Henry, I authorize you to organize an expeditionary force to accomplish the objectives you have promised our noble lord. Are you sure? The old king asked.

"Of course, as long as you can spare no effort to support you, Father." Henry owes himself and replied.

"We support you, Your Highness." Someone among the lords shouted.

"yes, please let me do my part." Others chimed in.

"Little brother, can you really get us more yew trees?" George asked tentatively.

"Brother Wang, in the future, you don't have to worry about not being able to equip the army with weapons, we will have the best equipment, and you can even easily order armor from the blacksmith in Milan." Henry said with a smile.

"Alright then, let's let the barbarians of Chionz get away with it a few more days." Prince George said, which naturally meant that he agreed.

While the courts of other countries were discussing politics and strategy, Queen Farensi had to deal with a proposal of a personal nature and the affection of children.

At this year's New Year's Ball, anyone could tell Her Majesty was having a great time. Although the Prime Minister's tardiness was still the best thing she could tease and ridicule, what made Margaret even happier was that Thorgrande was faithfully by her side throughout the night, and even danced several tunes with her.

However, the young queen's good mood was messed up the next day. The old men of the Privy Council can be described as the three fires of the new officials, and the first fire ignites the queen's cocked tail.

The Queen Mother surprisingly had Margaret come over for lunch with her. Of course, the queen had no choice but to comply with her mother's wishes, even if she had intended to dine with her prime minister.

"Mother, why did you think of having lunch with me today?" As soon as Margaret entered the door, she asked, "It turns out that Count Ingrid is also here, and the Queen Mother is also here to entertain the Earl?" ”

The Queen Mother looked at her daughter with a smile, and then looked back at the old earl, which made the second monk Margaret puzzled.

"Your Majesty, this morning, the Ministers of the Privy Council, led by His Excellency the Earl, have collectively made a proposal to me." The Queen Mother said.

"What is the advice, Queen Mother?" Margaret sat down at the table and asked nonchalantly.

"Hehe," the Queen Mother smiled, and glanced at the old earl again, and the old earl bowed humbly, also with a smile on his face, which made the Queen even more confused, "The ministers of the Privy Council suggest that Your Majesty is not too young to think about the great things of his life." ”

"Huh?!" Margaret's hand, which had just lifted the teacup, trembled violently, and she spilled a few drops of tea.

"I'm still young, let's discuss this kind of thing in a few years." The queen cast some resentful glances at the old Earl Ingrid.

"It's not small, Your Majesty is 19 years old, and the old minister's wife has already given birth to a dog for the old minister at this age." The old earl was very generous in ignoring the Queen's gaze.

"I'm the king of a country, and I still have a lot of political affairs to deal with, so I don't have this time to spare." Margaret came up with a high-sounding reason.

"Political affairs can never be dealt with, but a woman's youth is limited, so Your Majesty should not be stubborn." The Queen Mother easily broke through her daughter's second line of defense.

"But a lot has happened lately, and I am talking about marriage at this time, and I really can't care about people like Lu Siqing......" Margaret said later, feeling her face hot and her voice lowered.

"What? You said Lord Luce, I think Lord Luce has always been well aware of righteousness and reasonable, and he will not support this matter. The Queen Mother obviously didn't see through her daughter's thoughts.

"Queen Mother, as the king of a country, marriage cannot be said in the same way as ordinary nobles, and I think I should be cautious in this matter anyway, for it will affect the future of the whole kingdom. It can be said that it is not just a personal matter for me, but an important official matter. Since this is an official matter, I think it is necessary for the Prime Minister and His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief to participate in the discussion. "Margaret's brain is spinning fast, and she needs to find someone to support her.

"What you said is reasonable, so let's go and ask Lu Siqing and Henry Qing to come over." The Queen Mother said, and the maid next to her said yes and left.

In a short time, Thorgrande and old Henry were invited to the queen mother's bedchamber.

"See Your Majesty, see the Queen Mother." The two ministers bowed.

"Don't bother, I invited the two Qing family here today to discuss a major matter related to Your Majesty." The Queen Mother said.

"I don't know what's going on?" Old Henry asked.

"The Privy Council jointly wrote a proposal to recruit a son-in-law for His Majesty." When the Queen Mother said this, she couldn't help but smile.

"This is a good thing, why didn't Lao Chen think of it?" His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief patted his head and said.

The Queen Mother and Count Ingrid looked at each other and smiled, and they had another supporter on their side. Then, as long as Sogrand does not hold a strong objection, then the matter can basically be determined. On the queen's side, although she didn't expect old Henry to stand on her side, she still very much minded that she would throw herself directly to the queen mother's side. But, Thorgrand, as long as you support me, do you understand my heart? Margaret said to herself.

"What do you think, Lord Ruce?" Count Ingrid asked.

Thorgrande glanced at the queen first, and the other party desperately glanced at him, "I also think this is a good idea." Saugland replied with a smile.

"Huh?" When Margaret heard this, she was very disappointed, and she couldn't help cursing her prime minister. The others were very happy.

"But," Thorgrande ignored the sovereign's annoyance, "since the members of the Privy Council have made this suggestion, I guess a plan for implementation has already been drawn up. ”

"Yes, Count Ingrid, you've thought about it for a long time, haven't you?" The Queen Mother asked excitedly.

"This ......"

"Your Majesty is the king of a country, and the son-in-law you choose must be the dragon and phoenix among the people, and I don't know which gentleman the husband selected by the Privy Council for Your Majesty?" Sogrerd continued.

"Well, there is no suitable candidate for the time being...... Count Ingrid said, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, it doesn't matter, in that case, your Excellency must have already drawn up the criteria and rules for selection. Please make it clear to the next and step up the preparations for this purpose, and make sure that things fall into place as soon as possible. ”

"Uh......" Earl Ingrid is in a dilemma, the Privy Council is only an advisory body, and they do not have the authority to make specific plans and formulate plans, so naturally the members will not be prepared for this.

Margaret's mood at the moment was cloudy, and she took the opportunity to say, "Could it be that the Earl doesn't have any plans?" ”

was stared at by everyone present at Count Ingrid, so he had to blush, spread his hands and said: "This is the negligence of the old minister, and there is really no specific plan." However, as long as everyone agrees with this intention, then Prime Minister Lao will work hard and there will definitely be a comprehensive plan. ”

"Since this is the case, I feel that I should think about it in the long run, Your Majesty will reach the age of complete independence next year, and this year I also plan to hold a more formal adult coronation, and I think it is better to combine the two things. When the time comes, Your Majesty, Wechen will personally check for you. Thorgrande said as he looked earnestly at his sovereign.

"A person who can become His Majesty's husband must have both intelligence and courage, and outstanding conduct and ability, so the test will be very strict at that time, and Weichen and others will not relax in the slightest, so the Queen Mother should be able to rest assured."

"Since even Lu Siqing has said so......," said the Queen Mother, "I don't think there is any hurry in this matter. ”

"However, the most important thing is that His Majesty hopes that His Majesty will be able to choose the person he really likes from the many candidates at that time, and obtain a happy marriage like ordinary people." ”

"Really, really?" Margaret was a little embarrassed.

"Wechen believes that everyone sincerely hopes for this."

"Will Lu Siqing be the last difficulty in front of me then?" Margaret asked rhetorically.

"If this is His Majesty's wishes, Wechen is willing to serve his life."

"That's great." The young queen was now completely relieved.