"I think we should be responding positively to the Pope's proposal to use this excuse to control the two states?" said Elise, who was opposite William, casually. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

She was speculating about the emperor's countermeasures. Whenever the latest information came, William would not say it, but let Elise guess first. It seems to have become a kind of pastime between them.

"To be honest, that's what I thought. William shook his head helplessly: "Spiritual power, spiritual power." The domains of the northern princes were supported by Protestants. Naturally, it is stronger to fight. In this regard, the emperor suffered.

The best thing for him to do was to use the power of the Church of Rome. Although it is said that the Church of Rome is getting weaker and weaker...... However, the beliefs of traditional sects have also spread in the human world for nearly a thousand years. There are still many people who believe in traditional sects. There are even quite a few devout believers. ”

"But it's not the best choice. Elise said: "The Church of Rome is a complete mess of greed and decay. No one would want to work with them if they could. Especially in this case. ”

"That's right. William nodded: "But you also lose, provided that the 'if you can't' problem is that the emperor can't." His territory is close to the south. Both Great Moravia and Lombardy were the spheres of influence of traditional sects. If the emperor cooperated with the Roman Church, they would not necessarily approve. But if Kalman IV dared to cooperate with Protestantism, then they would definitely be against it. ”

"If that's the case, then why ......" Hearing William say this, Elise was even more puzzled.

If this is the case, then why did Kalman IV not respond to the call of the Holy See?

"He's waiting. William said categorically: "He's waiting for someone else to make a move!" Cheka's intelligence shows that in recent times, the number of emissaries running towards Franconia has been more than ten times higher than usual. Kalman IV wanted his traditional allies to be the strikers. Squeeze their last bit of use.

He is also waiting for our Hereford family to act - because of his performance in the Second Great Frontier War, Khalman IV may feel that our Hereford family takes the Pope more seriously! He wants the Hereford family and the Sarian family to come first, and he will profit from the back. ”

"That's right...... Hearing William say this, for a moment, Elise was a little difficult to accept, and a little difficult to understand: "Does he really think so? This is a bit too ......"

"Be smart, be self-righteous?" said William, saying two unspoken words from Elise.

"Well, yes, that's it. Elise nodded reluctantly.

For what William said, Elise was very intellectually very recognizable, but emotionally a little difficult to accept. After all, Kalman IV was her emperor anyway. As one of the nobles of the empire, slandering her emperor behind her back made Elise feel a little uncomfortable.

However, this is actually not difficult to understand. William said with a smile.

"Why?" asked Elise.

"The main thing is that I don't have any money. William said of course: "Lombardy is very rich, but those interests are all divided among the counts and dukes of the small states of Lombardy. It is considered the private reserve of the Holy See. Although nominally subordinate to the emperor, in reality it is not. The Kingdom of Carpathia, on the other hand, has the duty to defend against the dark elves. In addition, it is located in the middle of nowhere, so it has never been very wealthy.

The only territory that the emperor could really rely on was Great Moravia. ”

"O Great Moravia......" Hearing William say this, Elise was a little strange: "It is the largest, most populous and richest state in the Empire. ”

"Well, that's exactly what happened. Wilhelm nodded—the Great Moravia of this world is basically equivalent to the combination of Austria, Bohemia, and Saxony in the original world. Both the territory and the population are second to none within the empire.

"If it weren't for the previous civil war, it would indeed be the richest state in the Empire. "The previous civil war had drained too much of the Swabian family's strength...... Our previous estimate was a bit wrong. If this progress continues, Moravia will not be able to sustain another major war until the death of Kalman IV. ”

"This ...... However, all the previous signs indicated that the emperor was going to start a war. Hearing William say this, Elise was even more confused.

"Maybe it's just an attitude, maybe it's just a bluff at all. William replied, "He did not want the other electors, and the foreign monarchs, to know of his weakness." Even, he wanted to use this shelf, which did not look bad on the surface, to get some benefits from other states.

It's just a pity that His Majesty the Emperor miscalculated. Those states were not as easy to handle as he thought, and his attitude, in turn, led to their union. What's more, there are Briton people behind it.

That's it, he just wanted to scare, but he didn't expect everyone to take his words seriously. What do you think he can do now? He smiled and said that what he said before was all false? ”

“...... That's not impossible. Hearing William say this, Elise nodded thoughtfully: "So what will happen next?"

"It's still smart people who do their own clever tricks. William sighed slightly: "It's like Emperor Kalman IV, and the others don't end up."

The Britons did not end, nor did Prince Henry of Franconia. The Pope did not end up. Even we, the Herefords, didn't end up. All the important actors did not end up. Now there are only a group of clowns performing hard in front of the stage. Everyone is waiting, waiting for others to strike first, and they are good at picking up the bargain later. Everybody was too smart, too smart. Everyone wants to be the last to play, the last to make a choice...... That's really ......."

William kept shaking his head as he said this: "However, this war will eventually be fought." Just this year, either a little earlier or a little later. Now everyone can hold on, but soon someone will not be able to hold back. ”

William's words made Elise seem to understand something. She thought about it for a moment and felt that her mind was still a mess. I couldn't help but ask directly: "Then what should we do?"

"We, let's just wait and see. William squinted his eyes out the window, and on the street below, the organized Bolotsk people were cheering and marching to continue the process of William's coronation as King of Bolotsk. Perhaps it won't be long before William gets his wish.

"Hmm...... No," William's words turned around at this point, "Maybe we should be a little more positive." ”

"More positive?"

"Well, a little more positive...... My father's messenger is already urging me to go back. I can't go back yet. But faith, you can go. ”

William said with a little emotion.

Yes, the emissary of King Otto, William's father, arrived in Riga more than half a month ago. They were supposed to welcome His Royal Highness the prince back to Novgorod. King Otto had a lot to discuss with William.

It's just that the matter in Polotsk has reached the most critical moment, and William really can't leave...... Therefore, the two sides can only send messages by messenger at the moment.

On the road from Riga to Novgorod, the emissaries of the Hereford family rode fast horses, day and night. The opinions between William and King Otto were constantly exchanged in this way.

Contrary to William's expectations, King Otto's attitude - he was so resistant to marrying the Swabians that William did not know what to say. This was something William did not expect. also made a series of words he originally uttered empty.

William was pleased with this attitude. But King Otto's other attitude made William laugh and cry - in this case, he was still hesitant to go against Kalman IV.

This guy still wants to be loyal to the emperor and to his own morality...... This made William very emotional. Among the self-made monarchs in the world, there is no one else with this moral standard except King Otto, right?

To be honest, William was not interested in the heroism of their time, chivalry or anything. As an independent individual, William resisted standing above anyone or anything to give orders. Not even the emperor.

But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. William's father, King Otto, was not really an emperor's loyal dog like Franz after all. He valued his family more than chivalry and allegiance to the monarch.

"But...... Husbands and wives must be very painful inside. William sighed in his heart...... This is the sorrow of a man like King Otto. It is impossible to carry out their chivalry, nor to abandon it and become a truly selfish ruler. Caught between these two feelings, I am torn between them.

"However, there is no way to do it. After a little emotion, William's gaze returned to calm. Then, he smiled again - although it was not good to say that he had "trapped" his father in this way, now this was the best way to change the current situation.

With this thought in his heart, William asked Elise to bring the letterhead, and after a little deliberation, began to write letters—one to Emperor Kalman IV, and the other to his father, King Otto.

The two letters say the same thing, and that is the marriage between the Herefords and the Swabians.