Earl Gaston's muffled voice sank into the tent like an elemental bomb, resounding in the hearts of the nobles of the Northlands.

For a while, there was silence in the tent, and only the expressions of the nobles in the north could be seen.

Soon, however, silence was replaced by rising chatter, and whispering chatter soon turned into noisy discussion.

There is no doubt that what Gaston told was so much more than the Northland nobles expected that the Northland nobles were thrown into chaos for a moment.

Since the end of the Star-Moon War, Castel had been at peace for too long, so peaceful that even an extremely suspicious rebellion could not warn the nobles of the Northlands.

As a large taxpayer of the Duchy of Boulder and the "partner" of the Crescent royal family on the Mithril vein, the nobles of the Northlands could never have imagined that someone from the royal family would actually make a move against Castel.

Absurd, shocked, angry, confused, frightened......

A variety of expressions appeared on the faces of different nobles.

Charlotte took in all the expressions of the nobles, and she was not surprised.

The nobles of Castel had sworn allegiance to her, but to be honest, it was far from truly heartfelt.

More likely, they are simply clustered under the banner of the Castels with the inertia of family and history.

Most...... Coupled with the unifying power and deterrence that Charlotte has shown in the period since she succeeded to the territory.

This kind of loyalty is not without a way out, and the loyalty that has a way out is actually quite fragile.

Perhaps the Northland nobles who were their allies would rally around Charlotte in indignation when the Leglis family rebelled, but when the conflict of this rebellion spread to the higher lords, everything ...... It's different.

Just as the Holy Law stipulates that "the vassals of my vassals are not my vassals", the third prince, who became the Duke of Boulder by marriage, as the lord of Boulder, had no direct feudal obligation relationship with the nobles of the Northlands.

Charlotte was a vassal of the Three Princes, while the Northland nobles were a vassal of Charlotte.

When the nobles of the Northland saw the third prince, they even only needed to perform aristocratic etiquette, instead of courtesy like they did to Charlotte.

This is true of feudal obligations, and the same is true of contradictions.

In other words, when Charlotte, a vassal of Boulder, clashes with the Duke of Boulder, the conflict usually does not spread to the next level.

In the human history of the world of Miria, wars between lords and vassals were not uncommon.

After the lord defeats the vassal, most of them will only take back or redivide the direct territory of the vassal, and those lower nobles under the vassal will not be liquidated because they participated in the rebellion unless there is a reasonable reason.

Even in vassal wars, the nobles who are loyal to the vassals make the higher-ranking lords hate them, as long as the nobles immediately swear allegiance to the higher-ranking lords at the moment of victory, the higher-ranking lords have no right to act against the attached nobles.

The reason and reason is simple, it is still "my vassal is not my vassal".

Since these lower nobles were "not my vassals" but "my vassals", it was only reasonable for them to participate in the rebellion of the vassals, fulfilling their noble obligations under the Holy Code.

And after the victory of the higher-ranking lords, the titles were withdrawn, and these nobles who were not vassals became vassals, and as long as they swore allegiance to the new lord in time, they should not continue to be liquidated for following the actions of the old lords in the rebellion, even if they fulfilled their obligations under the Holy Code.

This clarification and division of powers and duties makes the relationship between vassals and vassals extremely delicate, especially when there is a war between vassals and vassals.

According to the Holy Code, nobles could support their feudal lords in their battles against higher-ranking feudal lords without fear of liquidation if the feudal monarch failed.

And if it is substituted for the Castell's rebellion, it is that the nobles of the Northland can stand on Charlotte's side without any worries against the third prince.

However, this is only theoretical.

The Holy Law seems to solve the worries of the minor nobles in the wars of the higher lords, allowing the minor nobles to side with their direct lords without any worries, but in reality this is not the case.

Because the Holy Law protects the interests of the minor nobles, when a higher-ranking lord fights with a vassal, he often gives preferential treatment and promises to the nobles under the vassal.

And this leads to a situation -

That is, according to the legal code, although the nobles can participate in the war between the lord and the lord's lord without any worries, in fact, after such a higher-level war occurs, the minor nobles often become the object of competition between the two sides.

The end result is that many minor nobles do not really follow their direct lords to fight, but tend to remain neutral, left and right, and help whoever is most likely to win.

The lords of the nobles were miserable, and sometimes they could only rely on their own direct domains to fight against their lords.

It can be said that this rule, which divides the relationship between the lords of different classes of nobility, greatly limits the central authority of the aristocratic feudal lords, and is also the wisdom of the sacred royal court that established the "Sacred Code".

Through this strict aristocratic system, the interests of the minor nobles were guaranteed, and it was difficult for the feudal monarchs to achieve true centralization, and even the possession of powerful supernatural power could not pose a threat to the ruling foundations of the Church.

To paraphrase Charlotte, the problem arises.

Perhaps the nobles of the Northlands will unanimously support her in quelling the rebellion, but when the third prince makes a move against Castel, it is not certain which side the nobles will be on.

Whether it is to support Charlotte, who is a direct lord, or to say a higher level of the Duchy of Boulder, it is actually possible.

And considering that the current Crescent King Louis V can be called one of the greatest monarchs since the founding of the Crescent Kingdom, as his prince and a strong contender for the throne, the third prince has significantly higher chips in this power game.

Charlotte could almost predict that many of the nobles would choose neutrality if the third prince declared war on her with a high-sounding reason, and promised to protect the interests of the Northland nobles after victory.

This is also one thing that Charlotte is very worried about after knowing that the third prince intends to do something to her family.

Her rule in the Northlands is not stable enough to withstand rebellion, but not necessarily from the test of war from the higher lords.

To be honest, if the nobles of the Northlands collectively defected in her war with the Third Prince, she would really have a headache.

To be honest, the phenomenon of vassals being left and right is really disgusting for the feudal monarch.

King Louis V of the Crescent was determined to strengthen the centralization of power, and he was disgusted by similar things during the Star-Moon War.

At that time, he and Henry II, King of the Falling Star, competed for the throne of the Crescent, and the nobles of the Crescent Kingdom were swaying one by one, eating left and right......

It is also for this reason that Charlotte has to avoid such situations as much as possible.

It is not realistic to control all the nobles of the Northlands like the Earl of Gaston, and it is difficult to obtain the true allegiance of the nobles by relying on personality charm and interest bundles, and Charlotte does not want to be a lord who relies on mind control to rule the territory.

Then the best way is to make the nobles of the Northland completely disappointed in the third prince.

If Earl Gaston had told him not himself, but Charlotte himself telling the nobles, perhaps many of the Northland nobles would not have believed it.

Or although they believe it, more nobles will subconsciously think that the third prince's attack on Castel is only aimed at the Castel family.

For the nobles of the Northlands, the final result of the struggle between the two sides was only a change of feudal lord on their heads, from the Count of Castell to the Duke of Boulder.

But now it's different.

The narrator is not Charlotte, but the Earl of Gaston, the commander of the garrison in Boulder.

For the nobles of the Northland, the gold content and credibility behind this are not the same.

The Castels may have tied the Northland nobles to their chariots for profit, but the Gastons were different.

They are not nobles in the north, and their territories are in the southern region of Boulder.

Coupled with all kinds of evidence that seem to be true and false, it can be said that ...... It's hard not to believe the truth behind it.

"Your Excellency, Lord Gaston...... Is that true? The third prince actually planned to unite with Violet to make a move against Castel? He wants to divide Castel and turn all of Castel into his own dominion? ”

There are still nobles who don't give up and can't help but ask.

And Count Gaston just glanced at the other party, and completed the lore in two sentences:

"Your Excellency, please don't forget that the most important thing our Majesty wants to do is to further strengthen the authority of the central government......"

"His Royal Highness the Third Prince is a strong contender for the throne, and the riches of the Castel Territory are well known, so if he wants to turn Castel into a direct rule, will His Majesty support it or not?"

There is no suspense when this is said.

The nobles were thoughtful, and their expressions were not very good-looking.

Yes, what His Majesty wants most is to strengthen the authority of the central government.

The third prince, Philippe, was considered more likely to inherit the throne than the second prince "Pilgrim" François, who was not loved by the king.

Collusion with the Blood Demon Order?

To be honest, given Louis V's delicate relationship with the Holy Court, the nobles of the Northlands were not sure if this would be the acquiescence of His Majesty.

One of the important reasons why it is difficult for the Blood Demon Order to be completely uprooted from the Crescent Moon Kingdom is that in fact, many of the kingdom's nobles may secretly have inextricable links with the Blood Demon Order.

It doesn't have to be a refuge, it's more likely to be just cooperation or simple use.

It is the political correctness of the Crescent Moon to completely wipe out the power of the Blood Demon Order, but for the nobles, political correctness is only political correctness.

Of course, it may be that seeking the support of the church is the way to go, but the beliefs of the nobles of the Northland are complex, and many are even outright unbelievers......

Bringing in the Holy Court to re-tithe?

Don't be funny.

Not to mention dealing with the third prince, before that, perhaps many nobles in the Northland themselves will take the lead in opposing it.

Seeing the nobles fall silent, Charlotte knew that the fire was almost over.

She can use Count Gaston to publicize the conspiracy of the three princes and make the nobles break the idea of falling to the third prince, but if she wants to pull all the nobles of the Northland to rebel against the Duchy of Boulder, she also needs to let the nobles see more benefits and hope of victory.

I saw Charlotte gently tap on the armrest of the seat, and the prestige technique was quietly released.

For a while, the eyes of the nobles of the Northland were focused on her again.

Charlotte swept the audience and said calmly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, although the third prince is powerful, we are not without hope of victory."

"Collusion with the Blood Demon Cult is the failure of the third prince after all, and publicizing it will inevitably bring him great pressure, and I, Castel, am not without reinforcements......"

"I've hired a corps of mercenaries from overseas, and I'll be in the Northland soon, and with our combined forces, we still have the strength to fight."

"This war is also an opportunity for our Castel, once we win, I, Kastre, have the hope of recovering the Tulip County and completely unifying the Northlands."

"The Tulip County is the direct domain of Boulder, and after it is recovered, only half of the territory of my Castells family will be taken under the direct jurisdiction, and those who have made meritorious contributions will receive corresponding feuds."

"In addition, if we win, we will declare independence from the Duchy of Boulder, and once we become independent, I, Kastre, will become a direct vassal of the Crescent Kingdom."

"The contract tax of the direct vassal of the kingdom is lower than that of the principality, and at that time, the contract tax of each family will also be reduced accordingly, and not only that...... You will also have the hope of stepping on a higher stage and attending the various banquets held by the lords of the kingdom. ”

"Oh, by the way, there is also the Castel Mithril Mine, the dividends that our mining workshop pays to Boulder every year are also a lot of expenses, after that, you can save it, the royal family already has the right to mine the Mithril Mine, and it doesn't look down on our little income."

"I want to ...... For any noble family, this is a good result. ”

Listening to Charlotte's words, the nobles' eyes lit up.

Charlotte's description of the future is indeed attractive, although the Northland is rich, as a vassal under the duchy, the political status in the kingdom is still too low.

The Castel Territory was famous for its trade, and almost every Northland nobleman had business, and many times had to deal with various forces.

If the political status of the Crescent Kingdom can be elevated, it will be beneficial and harmless for every noble family.

As for the new territories, lower deed taxes, it would be better.

Of course, these things can also be promised by the third prince.

But compared to the three princes who assassinated the nobles of the kingdom, colluded with the Blood Demon Order, and openly destroyed the Holy Code, Charlotte is undoubtedly a more convincing object.

And if he can defeat the third prince, maybe he can completely cut off the possibility of the other party inheriting the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

"Lord Earl, I, the Leon-Castel family, would like to follow you to quell the rebellion, unify the Northlands, and resist the tyranny of Boulder!"

Viscount Lean-Castel took the lead and bowed respectfully to Charlotte.

Soon, the other Northland nobles also knelt on one knee and expressed their following and submission:

"Lord Earl! We, the Valais, are willing to follow you in the fight against the enemies who invade Castel! ”

"I, the Morel family, swear to the gods that I will follow Castel and rebel against the tyranny of the principality!"

“……”

For a while, the nobles of the Northland knelt down on one knee in an uproar and swore to Charlotte one after another, expressing their submission and allegiance.

Seeing this scene, Charlotte smiled.

She knew that the weakest link in her own territory after the war with the third prince had been made up.

And after smiling, her expression quickly became solemn.

In the solemnity, there is a majestic momentum that does not match the immature appearance.

I saw her gently pull out the long sword representing the lord of Castell, raise it above her head, and said:

"Everyone, remember your oath today."

"In that case, the next step is to start with me on the banks of the Dorne and bring these outnumbered rebels ...... Crush them one by one! ”

(End of chapter)