1092 in the mainland calendar should be a better year than last year!This is the prediction and expectation of everyone in the Marfar Empire.Once this expectation fails, I am afraid that all the people of Mafar will be reduced to hell together with the entire empire! Last year, the 1091 year of the mainland calendar, the Marfar Empire experienced the worst year since its founding.Although the death of Emperor Boguda II was not a big deal to the people of Mafar, the series of conspiracies and wars that occurred after the death of Boguda II made the people suffer from troubled times. There are six major duchies in the empire, among which the Duchy of Longya was ravaged by the tyranny of Dragunson after the duke Yan Duolei was murdered by his subordinate Dragunson, forming a scene of hell on earth.Although in the end Dragonson died after a battle with the army led by the Grand Duke Karman, ending a man-made disaster; but the cruel nature launched an attack immediately, and a cold disaster made the Mafar Empire The whole country suffered serious losses and blows.Therefore, "This year should be a good year!" became a phrase used by the people of the Mafar Empire to greet each other when they met at the beginning of the year.This sentence not only indeed contains people's wishes, but also contains the vision of a bright future.

The reason why the political situation in Mafar's country has been stagnant last year is that after the death of the former emperor Boguda II, the princes who decided the successor were still unable to resolve the situation of confrontation with each other, and the new emperor has been unable to decide , leading to a series of large and small military disturbances, and the natural weather seemed to respond to this chaos. In June, it was still snowing heavily, and even the rivers were still frozen. "The number of people who died of freezing or even starvation may be five million people."

After calculation, Mafar's bureaucrats mostly paled because of this number.Although since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has been hit by famine and cold damage several times, but this time it suffered the most serious losses and blows. At the end of a series of power struggles, the Archduke Karman won a lightning victory, and took drastic measures to control the famine, so that the number of victims in Mafar due to the ravages of ice and snow was limited to 30,000. The fact that 30,000 people died of freezing and even starvation is a very shocking situation.But the damage was much smaller than previously estimated; and Kalman had indeed done his best.At least, most people think so.Although during this famine, the original food reserves have been exhausted, and even had to close the treasury to buy food from Zrunagra, but anyway, Mafar survived the cold snap for ten days. The unusually cold winter of the month.The new year is here, and when the spring finally comes to the ground with the sunshine, everyone in the whole country, regardless of their status, breathes a sigh of relief.

However, the situation last year was so poor that even the rice seeds for sowing had to be eaten, so it is generally predicted that this year's cultivation will be difficult; Yes, so it seems that there is no need to use the word "difficult" to describe it.If it's just a matter of feeling, then maybe it is.But now that the Marfar Empire can have such a young and powerful ruler as Kallman, it really has a refreshing effect. As soon as the new year came, the Emperor Election Conference, which had long been in vain, was held again. The only one present, Munchell, the Duke of the Golden Crow, held several powers of attorney in his hand, and respectfully recommended Daikaman as the successor of the emperor. , and announced the resolution of the elector meeting to the world.

On March 31, 1092 in the mainland calendar, Archduke Karman, the third son of the late Emperor Boguda II, was officially crowned as Emperor Karman II, the twenty-fifth emperor of the Marfar Empire. The enthronement and coronation ceremonies were very simple and simple, and even the representatives of various countries who attended the ceremony were limited to the resident ambassadors of the imperial capital Onogur.This is of course because Mafar at this time has no spare power to use luxurious and spectacular ceremonies to promote the country's prestige; Don't like pretentious personality.

Today, in this empire, the person with the highest status is of course Emperor Karman; but where everyone's eyes are focused, there is another person who occupies the second place in the country. That was Munchell, Duke of the Golden Crow, who was the same year as the emperor.He is twenty-seven years old, with brightly colored hair and a slender appearance.But this young man, who seems to be weak and weak, holds an invisible porcelain bowl in each of his hands, which is full of wisdom and ambition.Until last year, he had always been the youngest of the six imperial princes, and he was often despised by the other five princes. But now he not only occupies the top position among the six princes, but also owns as many as 15 states. It is also the most powerful in terms of power.

Originally, the Golden Crow Principality, like the other five principalities, was composed of ten states.The ten states are Satormal, Besdelche, Alumahsiu, Ferudo, Orbajak, Szolnok, Perik, Shavarut, Krasnia, and Keku thunder.After Emperor Karman II ascended the throne, he added the five prefectures of Zalando, Koro County, Guraxiu, Torna, and Fier to the territory of the Principality of the Golden Crow. These five states originally belonged to the territory of the Principality of Dragon Tooth, but because the former Dukes Yan Dolei and Dragongson both took a hostile attitude towards Karman, half of the territory was confiscated.

Karman transferred the land he had confiscated from the Dragon Tooth Principality to Munchell, the Duke of the Golden Crow.Because before Kalman came to the throne, Munchell always supported him as the heir to the throne; and during the Dragonson Rebellion, he not only let his sister, Princess Angelina, lead troops to join the Kalman army, but also brought his own troops. The soldiers captured the city of Cassia, the base of Dragongson, pacified the Principality of Dragon Tooth, and then dedicated the land of the Principality of Dragon Tooth to Karman.After that, he was also very enthusiastic in providing materials to prevent cold damage and assisting in famine control.

To reward Munchell for his many exploits, Kalman rewarded him with five states.It made Munchell's territory increase by 50% at once.Such a reward seemed very generous and generous, but Karman himself didn't feel distressed, because the five states were only separated from the old territory of the Dragon Tooth Principality. Moreover, since the past, the territories between the principalities have not been directly adjacent to each other, and the direct jurisdiction of the emperor must be sandwiched between the two principalities.Therefore, Munchell's new territory and the old territory were not able to be integrated, and became territories that were not adjacent to each other.Of course, in a world of peace, such an arrangement would not cause any trouble. Munchell only needs to send magistrates to the new territory to implement various civil affairs measures, maintain law and order and collect taxes.

Comparing causes trouble only when fighting.But having said that, if it is a formal foreign war, it doesn't matter even if the Golden Crow Principality's army travels between the old territory and the new territory; because this is also agreed by the emperor.Therefore, the only real inconvenience is the use of troops without the emperor's permission.In other words, it refers to the time of covert rebellion.However, of course, the Duke of Moncher would not have any intention of rebellion, so there should be nothing wrong with such an arrangement. In fact, Munchell accepted the new emperor's "good intentions" without any objection.

While watching his old friend respectfully thank the emperor for his kindness, Kalman thought to himself: "Munchell, you can restrain your ambition a little bit! I will bestow on you the highest honor that a minister in the whole world can have." , the greatest power. You can be satisfied with this! In this way, you and I will be able to coexist in the future, and I don’t want to fight with you at all!” Perhaps as long as he said these words, Kallman would feel a little more relaxed.However, this is absolutely unspeakable.Because once these thoughts are turned into words, not only will it be impossible to end up as a joke, but it will never be taken back by Kallman. It may even accelerate the evolution of the situation, and the two will have to face the final confrontation at once.Karman, who never knew what fear was on the battlefield, became a little timid after completely analyzing his mentality.He knew with certainty that what he knew had already completely passed the stage of doubt.He knew that at this time, although the Duke of the Golden Crow, Munchell, was his friend, co-worker, and important minister of the country, one day, Munchell would definitely raise the banner of rebellion against him. On the other hand, what is Munchell's inner thoughts? In Munchell's heart, there lived a dragon named "Ambition". This dragon was growing day by day, and what bound it was the shackles called "Rationality"; but the shackles were always shining with dangerous Light, this means that the shackles may be broken by the dragon at any time. In the era of the Grand Duke, Kalman was a figure of Mafar, the hero of the north, who symbolized Wuwei.As long as there is war, there will be victory.Moreover, after every victory, his diplomatic handling is very admirable; he is extremely fair to the soldiers, extremely lenient to the peasants, and at the same time, he has won the trust of his staff.Although he has just ascended to the throne of God, Mingjun's reputation can almost be said to be certain. However, Munchell knew that Kalman, who ascended to the throne under the expectation of thousands of people, was actually charged with killing his own father.He knew that the first emperor Boguda II was actually killed by his own son.The only one who knows this fact is Munchell, and this fact is constantly irrigating the root of the ambition of the King of the Golden Crow. Regardless of the essence, on the surface, the relationship between the emperor and the Duke of the Golden Crow, and between the imperial government and the Duke of the Golden Crow is very friendly.As for the other five duchies—Black Sheep, Tiger Wing, Dragon Tooth, Bronze Sparrow, and Silver Wolf—compared with last year, what are the differences? Fortunately, the Principality of Black Sheep was still able to retain the territory of ten states.Stursa, the Duke of the Black Sheep, died in disgrace last year. Regardless of his personal conduct, he has always supported Kalman's succession to the throne politically.After Stursa's death, the former Duke Almoxiu became the temporary agent of the Duke's government affairs.Although Elder Almoxiu's performance and character have long been widely known, it is a pity that he is old and blind, and it is difficult to rule the entire principality by himself, so In any case, an assistant position must be established. Under the deep expectation of Elder Almoxiu and the persuasion of the new emperor Karman, the knight Lidwan assumed the position of assistant.For Lidwan, who also served as the Prime Minister of the Tiger Wing Principality in the past, this is the second time he has become the Duke's assistant. After Lidwan left his youngest son with Angelina, the younger sister of Munchell, the Duke of the Golden Crow, he followed Almoxiu to the territory of the Principality of the Black Sheep.There, he not only implemented various countermeasures against cold damage, but on the other hand, he also recruited the main retainers of the principality to carry out a very severe personnel reform. During Stursa's tenure as Duke, he never returned to the territory of the Principality of Black Sheep. Instead, he stayed in the imperial capital Onogur for a long time, indulging in singing, dancing, drinking and feasting day and night, and invited artists to compose poems Meetings, theater meetings, or frolicking with women.Everyone who is the lord is already like this, so the official Gang Ji who is far away in the territory of the country naturally relaxes.Not only did he not do his best to administer affairs, but he was addicted to wine and sex, filling his own pockets.Ridwan punished these people without mercy.As for the magistrates who used to arrest innocent people without reason, torture them, and then embezzle the people's property, now it is their turn to be arrested, and they will be beheaded immediately without torture.All the corrupt officials trembled and knelt down to beg for mercy.In this way, Lidwan carried out a political sweep for the Principality of the Black Sheep. "By the way, is there any progress in the relationship between Lidwan and Princess Angelina of the Principality of the Golden Crow?" Emperor Karman II was in the imperial capital Onogur, and asked about this matter to his personal attendant.Karman also knew a little about the relationship between Ridvan and Angelina, who seemed to be a couple.But the answer he got was no. "What? Not even engaged yet? Lidwan's movements are unexpectedly slow!" Kallman smiled, but if you think about it carefully, since the emperor passed away last year, Kallman's own love affairs have not been very exciting.Although the Dragoonsun Rebellion has been quelled, in order to minimize the possible disasters caused by the most serious cold damage since the founding of the People's Republic of China, all those in public office have to work hard.It was precisely because Lidvan temporarily put aside his personal affairs that the Principality of Black Sheep was able to restore order. The situation of the Silver Wolf Principality is the same as that of the Dragon Tooth Principality, the territory of ten states has been reduced by five states.The cut part was directly merged into the emperor's directly governed territory, and the remaining five states were scheduled to be handed over to the Duke's heir, Ferienz, after he reached the age of 18. Before that, the Temporarily managed by the Imperial Government. As for the Principality of Tiger Wings, it barely managed to keep ten states, and this was actually the result of the Duke's widow, Gertrude, no, it should be said that it was the result of the desperate running of Simeon, Gertrude's lover.During the civil strife last year, the Tiger Wing Principality has always adopted a neutral stance, but as soon as there were signs of peace, Simeon immediately showed extremely cunning ways of dealing with the world, which is really helpless.Simeon understood very well that once the imperial government announced that it would halve the territory of the Tiger Wing Principality, a mere principality would have no power to resist.So, in this way, all he can do is to try his best to win the favor of the new emperor; there is no other way. Knight Ridwan's son Parr is the nephew of Imreel, Duke of Tiger Wings, which means that Parr's mother is Imreel's younger sister.Simeon once thought of a way to make Pal the adopted son of Geltrut, in an attempt to make the succession of the status more legitimate in form, but was rejected by Ridwan. For Simeon, the Lordship of the Tiger Wing Principality was achieved with great difficulty by himself, even committing the crime of killing the lord. If a child like Paar is to be taken away, no matter what He will never be reconciled.Behind his attempt to let Geertrut adopt Pal as his adopted son, there is actually a sinister conspiracy waiting for the opportunity to kill Pal.But Lidvan was not fooled by the desire for profit in front of him. So at this point, the only way for Simeon to survive is to try his best to flatter and flatter Emperor Karman in order to preserve his and Geltnate's status. Simeon had also weighed the worst case scenario, that is, the possibility of the five states of the Tiger Wing Principality being confiscated. He even considered that instead of letting the imperial government confiscate, he might as well pre-emptively donate half of the state. territory.However, the new emperor Karman did not intend to confiscate the territory of the Tiger Wing Principality.When he knew this, Simeon was happy at first, but then he became uneasy again.Are all ten states going to fall into Parr's hands sooner or later?Maybe in the end he might just be a clown! Originally, Simeon was not a man who was born with such flawed personalities as subservience and viciousness.He has always been an important minister of the Tiger Wing Principality, fulfilling his duty of assisting the lord, commanding the officials under him, and actively handling civil affairs, and even having the courage to say what he should say to the lord.For example, it is a good example to make admonitions against Imre, the Duke of the Tiger Wings, who attempted to forcefully marry Geertrut as his wife.So far, Simeon's life has been aboveboard.However, since getting Geltrut, his life has embarked on a dark and tortuous path that is completely different from the past. In this way, Simeon developed contempt for himself, an unreasonable hatred for Lidvan and Parr and his son, and even an abnormal resistance to Emperor Karman. The inner entanglement is getting tighter and tighter.Even so, he just couldn't hate Gertrude.Maybe he actually hates Gertrude in his heart!But the feelings on the other hand are stronger, stronger, and deeper.As long as it is for the purpose of protecting the status and interests that Gertrude has acquired, Simeon even sells his soul.From several facts, it can be proved that his determination is indeed very firm.On the whole, the ruler of the Tiger Wing Principality is in an extremely unstable state of mind. As for the Principality of Longya, it barely escaped the end of being wiped out.After being ravaged by Dragonson's tyranny, the territory of the original ten states was given to the Principality of the Golden Crow and transferred to five states. The principality must not be eliminated" as an excuse, and asked his confidant, General Oda, to take over the position of the Duke of Longya. The new Duke of Longya, Oda, is a military commander who is deeply trusted by Kallman. He is not only thoughtful and far-reaching, but also has strong leadership skills.The Principality of Dragon Tooth has been devastated by the tyranny of Draconson. How to restore all the land and people is a very difficult task; but if it is done by Oda, even if it takes more time, it must be can be done reliably. The one whose territory has been cut in half like the Dragon Tooth Principality is the Bronze Sparrow Principality.Duke Charamon had no heirs, so the blood of the Duke's family had to be cut off.After Carman succeeded Oda, he made one of his confidants, General La Costa, the adopted son of the Duke, inheriting all the territories, and asked La Costa to present five of them to the state in his own name. emperor. According to Kalman, La Costa, despite his young age, is quite capable.According to his ability, it should be enough to rule the five states and become a royal minister to carry out activities. Before Kalman ascended the throne, the status and power of the six princes may have far surpassed him as the Grand Duke at that time.Especially the duchies of Dragon Tooth and Silver Wolf even openly raised their troops in an attempt to destroy Karman.But now, regardless of the possibility of professing the public and violating the public, all the electors of the empire bowed their heads and swore allegiance to Kalman. The Chronicle of the Marfar Empire records: "The princes put their knees on the ground and swore allegiance to the new emperor. The twenty-fifth emperor of the Marfar Empire has since opened. The emperor's name, Karman, can become the second emperor with the same name." In this way, all of this seems to be coming to an end. In the past, the emperor's direct jurisdiction was originally seventy states, and now the ten states confiscated from the duchies of Silver Wolf and Bronze Sparrow have made the territories under the emperor's direct control Eighty states have been reached. The Principality of Golden Crow has fifteen states, the two principalities of Black Sheep and Tiger Wing each control ten states, and the three principalities of Dragon Tooth, Silver Wolf, and Bronze Sparrow each control five states.After the "Dragonson Rebellion", the ownership of the 130 states of the empire was determined in this way.In the past, there was a so-called balance of power between the royal family and the princes of the six countries, but now it seems that it is just a joke.As soon as Karman came to the throne, he mastered the greatest power that the emperors of all dynasties had never had.Now in the entire Mafar country, no one can compete with him. On the surface it looks like no one can. After Grand Duke Karman became Emperor Karman II, Onogur, the capital of the Marfar Empire, seemed to have jumped into the diplomatic season.The embassies of neighboring countries such as Yerudi, Zrunagra, Kurland, Zara, Risania, and Uluqal have begun to carry out activities enthusiastically.Collect intelligence, exchange intelligence, and analyze intelligence; so as to judge how the new emperor and his government will conduct future wars and diplomacy, as well as the interests of this future trend for their own country.Among them, the one who is most enthusiastic about the activities is the new Yarudi ambassador. This person is one of the nine-pillar generals of the Yerudi Kingdom, that is, the well-known General Lasalle.This keen young man with bronze-colored hair and eyes came to Onogur, the imperial capital of the Marfar Empire, with the task of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. In fact, he is not just a diplomat, but also the overall person in charge of various tasks such as strategy and espionage carried out by the Kingdom of Yarudi on Mafar.In the "Battle of Mihai Canyon" between Yerudi and Mafar last year, the Yerudi army suffered a big defeat before the strategy of Grand Duke Kalman. The whole army was wiped out.At that time, he not only saved the Yerudi army, but also saved his reputation from the mud of defeat.Therefore, he got an opportunity to serve as the commander of the defense of the royal capital; but at his personal request, he came to the northern capital instead.Because for the security defense of Yerudi, Mafar has always been a worry since the founding of their country. For Lasalle, the job of serving as the ambassador to Mafar is far more rewarding than the defense of the royal capital. doing. In the embassies of various countries, for example, a lot of information like the following is collected. "There is a female officer named Efimiya who is deeply favored by the new emperor. She is not pregnant yet, but once she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a boy, maybe she will be officially registered as the imperial concubine." "What is the identity of the female officer?" "Not high. However, if you need status, you can find a powerful nobleman to adopt her as an adopted daughter, so her status should not have any impact." That is to say, but all this is not so certain.In order to meet future needs, the emperor may continue to maintain a single image in form.The so-called future actually refers to the possibility of the emperor having a political marriage with a princess or princess of another country. Once you are the monarch of a country, you lose the freedom to make decisions according to your own will when it comes to marriage.In order to maintain the form and the interests of the country, as the king of a country, he usually has to conclude a so-called political marriage; but on the other hand, in order to meet his physical and mental requirements, there are usually several lovers around him, a king's marriage That's roughly the case.As the king of a country, there are very few people who can continue their relationship through marriage.Therefore, in many knight stories, the married woman and the unethical but deeply touching love affair between the married woman and the married man are often used as the theme of the story. The king's marriage is worthless except for the significance of political behavior.But because of this, both the Yerudi embassy and Lasalle himself had to pay a high degree of concern to Karman II's marriage.And even if the marriage problem is resolved, then there is the problem of the birth of children.What is the birth of a boy?Or had a girl?After being born, the next step is to grow up. If one is lucky enough to grow up to about fifteen years old, then one will face the problem of finding a concubine or concubine.These same questions have been repeated for hundreds of years, if not dozens of generations.In fact, these have gone beyond pure individual behavior, and have evolved into the overall operation of a country.The so-called state management is generally larger than purely individual behavior, and the motivation is also more stupid. In this way, among the intelligence collected by Lasalle, there is a rather strange piece of news, saying that there are unusual movements in the embassy of the Kingdom of Zrunagra. Lasalle, one of the Nine Pillars Generals, let out a low but acrimonious laugh. "The emperor's power in Karman's hands has now been established. Instead, they want to stir up trouble at this moment. What's the benefit? It will probably only make Zrunagra's border retreat further in the direction of the capital." What Lasalle meant by this was actually that Kazrunagra's troops were far inferior to Mafar's, and this was indeed a fact.Knowing that Zrunagra's military strength is far inferior to Mafar's, Zrunagra has not started any wars with Mafar in the past ten years.If Zrunagra tried to take the opportunity to provoke Mafar, it would be equivalent to not wearing armor when fighting, but wearing silk and silk clothes on the battlefield. Anyway, the breeze can also be the harbinger of the storm.So in any case, it is absolutely necessary to maintain close contact with the embassy in Zrunagra in the future.There are so many things in various aspects, and the life of an ambassador is actually very busy.In the midst of busy schedules, it is also part of the ambassador's job to attend banquets held by the court.On this day, he was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit next to someone who had been of great interest to him in the past.This person is the leader of the fifteen states, the largest nobleman in the entire Marfar Empire. "Oh, you are very resourceful, the famous King of the Golden Crow Monchel, aren't you?" The ambassador of Yerudi stared at the young Duke of the Golden Crow with obvious interest on his face.In fact, both the ambassador himself and Mafar's emperor were also very young.And youth itself represents how much energy a person has to reform the status quo.If you add strategy and self-confidence to youth, then there should be nothing in this world to be afraid of.At this time, Munchell was above ten thousand people and was an extremely powerful minister. His power and reputation were second only to the emperor. "...Your Majesty Munchell and His Majesty Karman have a basis of mutual trust as a connection. It is really great; I am a narrow-minded and suspicious person. Then the person who needs to be purged first is probably Duke Monchier!" "Hahaha!" Lasalle, the ambassador of the Yerudi Kingdom, ended with a hearty laugh, and his bronze eyes were full of boldness and fearlessness. "I'm sorry, I was just joking, please don't take it to heart anyway!" Faced with the other party's remarks, Munchell calmly replied with a few words that sounded plain but meaningful: "Of course I know that you are joking. If you are serious, it must have already reached His Majesty's ears!" The sights of the Mafar people and the Yerudi people were like two knives rubbing against each other, and sparks burst out immediately.The eyes of the Yerudi seemed to be challenging each other, while the Mafar seemed to accept the challenge clearly.However, when the eyes of the two sides met, although there was no reason, La Salle understood that Munchell did not see him. On the other hand, the two seem to sense the danger lurking in each other's eyes at the same time.Whether it is Munchell or La Salle, they are neither saints nor hermits, but careerists in the world. Of course, LaSalle had ambitions of his own.He is only in his twenties this year, not only already has a place in the ranks of Yerudi's highest military attache in the country, that is, the seat of General Nine Pillars, but now he is stationed in the heart of Mafar, a super enemy country, as a plenipotentiary ambassador .The chief of General Jiuzhu, or the position of prime minister, may be owned by him sooner or later. His future status will even be above this.For example, La Salle is also unmarried at present. With the promotion of his status, he is very likely to marry a woman from the royal family in the future, and the possibility is extremely high.In this way, there is nothing wrong with it. "My Yerudi Kingdom, although I am fortunate to be next to such a great empire as Mafar, has never been less worried! Of course, it is impossible to move the whole country to other places... so we are the only one The idea is to try our best to maintain a friendly relationship between the two sides." "Friendly relations are exactly what we hope for. If useless wars can be avoided, then the citizens will be happy to see them!" "Exactly. Not only you and me, but also other countries such as Zrunagra and other countries hope to maintain peace forever. Zrunagra is actually very worried. If the two countries can It would be great to work together to eradicate this source of worry..." The banquet broke up, and the Yerudi left with a dangerous smile on their faces.Munchell sat alone in front of the large oval table, holding his cheeks with both hands and thinking deeply, until the court waiters began to pack the plates and utensils, then he slowly stood up and left his seat.While walking out of the hall where the banquet was held, Munchell turned around and asked: "Mickles, are you there?" "Yes, this subordinate has been waiting for Your Excellency." "You have heard all the dream talk that the Yerudi man said just now. What do you think?" What Munchell asked his confidantes was about the possibility that Lasalle hinted that Yerudi would join forces with Zrunagra.Miklosson replied while thinking: "If the two countries Yerudi and Zrunagra join forces to attack Mafar from the southeast and southwest respectively, then even a powerful country like Mafar should not be taken lightly?" "It doesn't take much to deal with them." "what……?" "The union of Yerudi and Zrunagra is like morning glory. Although it blooms in the morning, it will wither before noon. There is nothing to be afraid of." Munchell not only has a strategy, but behind the strategy, there is more courage to set off.Once you have seen it through, you will not continue to have any worries about this matter.However, at this moment, in his eyes that never pursued the lingering traces of remnants of dreams, there remained a blade made of cold and hard light. "...However, if only Yarudi has any intentions, then we can't laugh it off." The so-called peace is actually a period of conspiracy that connected the two wars before and after.This is not a great or lofty realization, however many people do think so while preparing for the next war. The interest of the Yerudi Kingdom lies in weakening the strength of the Marfar Empire.If you want to completely eliminate Mafar and then merge its entire country, it is actually an unrealistic idea; but if chaos can occur in Mafar and civil strife is added, then it is already very important for Yerudi. Thanks for that. But if this situation happens in Yerudi in reverse, it would be rather welcomed by Mafar, because the weakening of Yarudi's national power is also what Mafar expects.In this way, the right hands of Mafar and Yerudi each hide a sword behind their backs, while their left hands weave the ropes of conspiracy. As long as there is a good opportunity, it is possible to put the ropes wrapped in their hands on each other's head Go up, tighten the opponent's neck.This can be said to be a warm relationship! Emperor Karman learned from the report of the courtiers that Ambassador Yarudi had emphasized more than necessary the friendly neighborly relationship between Yarudi and Zrunagra at the palace banquet. "Yerudy and Zrunagra are joining hands, trying to plan some kind of conspiracy?" This is actually not a new topic, it has happened countless times in the past.As far as Kalman was concerned, the subject could only be laughed at, not hindered at all. However, the fierce battle he experienced last year also gave Kallman a taste of half-laughing but his whole face froze.Moreover, as far as the neighboring countries repairing each other's relations, Mafar should also be alerted.The diplomatic corps of these two countries must be closely monitored. As for now, let them move freely for a while. As for what can really teach Karman to frown, it is actually the report brought by Song Ertan, the prime minister since the emperor's time.The widow of Karman's deceased brother, Princess Ai Shebet, is said to have secretly summoned the ambassadors of Zrunagra and Yarudi to negotiate with them that may be unfavorable to Karman II.After Song Ertan finished his report, he continued to squirm his squirrel-like mouth and said: "Please pay attention no matter what, Your Majesty the Emperor. Although she is a weak woman, she cannot participate in the battle by herself, but she can instigate men to fight each other." Song Ertan's smug face and smart mouth made Kallman feel unhappy for a while, but he still understood that he must be on guard against the Grand Princess Ai Shebet.Although she no longer has any power, she still hates Kallman, and she also has the power to unify and plan conspiracies.支持着她发出憎恶和阴谋统合力量的，正是她对于已经失去的东西，以及应该可以得到的东西的执着，而她的儿子，也就是鲁谢特的存在正是她产生此种执着的根源。就在卡尔曼沉默着的时候，宋尔坦又开口说道，眼前似乎不宜将鲁谢特皇子再放着不管，年轻的皇帝听了，很不愉快地回答道： “鲁谢特才只有四岁。” “可是二十年后就是二十四岁了。到那时，陛下您本身的子嗣究竟是几岁呢？” 宋尔坦压低声音所说的话，不仅击中了卡尔曼，同时更是击中了所有专制君主在心理上共通的弱点。虽然卡尔曼对自己本身还很有自信，但是，将来会如何呢？当卡尔曼年迈的时候，鲁谢特正迎向他人生中最鼎盛的时期。 “想想二十年后的事情也无妨，不过我希望身为宰相的你也能够花些心思在今年的事情上。如果灾害连着两年的话，国家的根基将无以为立。在政事上多用点心吧！” 宋尔坦稍微眯着眼睛，注视着眼前这位突然将话题的方向作一百八十度转变的年轻君主，不过他随即又马上深深地低下头，这正是他每当为了隐藏自己的表情时所会作出的动作。
暖炉里熊熊燃烧的火焰，似乎还不足以温暖房间里的每一个角落。虽然已经是春天了，但是马法尔的夜晚仍然用它那充满寒气的手掌，轻轻地抚摸着人们的躯体。此时的爱尔梅特大公妃像是一座背负着火焰的雕像，一动也不动地伫立在耶鲁迪与兹鲁纳格拉这两国大使的面前。 “真正的皇帝，根本就应该是我的儿子鲁谢特。卡尔曼大公靠着卑鄙的手段篡夺了皇位，这一点你们应该是知道的。当初在选帝会议上，鲁谢特才是拥有多数支持的人选哪！” 爱谢蓓特眼眸里散发着阴郁的光芒，声音当中透露着无法抑制的激动。 “大公妃殿下，话虽如此，但卡尔曼二世已经登基，而且也取得各国的认同，事到如今，难道还有可能扭转事实吗？” 兹鲁纳格拉的大使札伊歇尔公爵提出问题时，一面很夸张地比手划脚。在一旁的拉萨尔内心不禁想着，这家伙就算到临终的时候大概也还是这样吧！不过他仍然保持着沉默，而且也抹去自己的表情，没让内心的想法从脸上流露出来。在因应的对策还没有决定以前，他暂时不想给爱谢蓓特大公妃任何言语上的承诺。札伊歇尔究竟能从大公妃的嘴里套出多少东西呢？且好好观察他到底有多少能耐吧。正当拉萨尔这么思索着的时候，大公妃的声音又灌进他的耳里了。 “事成之后，我会分别奉送三十个州给耶鲁迪、兹鲁纳格拉两国以作为酬谢。” 根本还无须用上套话的技巧，爱谢蓓特就自己把交易的筹码给拿出来了。看来她不是个有耐性的女子。 “这、这、这，您真是太大方了。” 札伊歇尔公爵稍微地瞪大了眼睛，用眼尾瞄了一下耶鲁迪的大使。 “不过，这么一来的话，整个马法尔帝国的领土就失去了六十个州，几乎等于是减半了。这样是否妥当呢？大公妃殿下！” 札伊歇尔又瞥了拉萨尔一眼，意思大概是说，你这家伙也说几句话吧！尽管心里明白，不过拉萨尔仍然毫无表情地继续保持沉默。爱谢蓓特的声音更提高了一些： “如果让卡尔曼再这么样恣意妄为下去的话，那么鲁谢特的手里将连一州也不剩。相较之下，如果能剩个七十州就很了不起了。只是，我既然奉上了六十州的土地，当然也希望能够获得同等的代价。” "what do you mean?" “您应该知道的，就是卡尔曼的人头。” 平静地吐出这两句话之后，爱谢蓓特的嘴唇两端往上吊起，形成一个具有魔性的半月形。过去曾有人形容这名深宫幽阁之中的女子有着酷似人偶娃娃的美貌，但如今增添了些许妖异的神气，两名大使不由得感觉到一阵战栗，仿佛像是一把薄刃的刀顶在他们的背脊上。在去年的那场权力斗争中，如果是爱谢蓓特大公妃获胜的话，那么此时的她应该早已经是皇太后的身份，所有的权势都独揽于一身了。只是，姑且不论这些已经属于过去的可能性，此时此刻这个类似阴谋的计划有成功的可能吗？ 当然，没有人会在阴谋一开始筹划的时候，就打算要面临失败的。在付诸实行以前，任何阴谋都被人认为是会成功的。 爱谢蓓特本身不但没有武力，而且也没有权力；她展示给拉萨尔与札伊歇尔的诱饵，根本不是属于她的所有物。如果想要得到那个饵的话，就要以自己的实力去夺取，所以这其实也不是什么有甜头的交易。 “这女人赤手空拳也想要搏倒卡尔曼的气魄固然很令人钦佩，可是我无论如何也不可能和这女人一起去送死。札伊歇尔尽管去作他三十州的大头梦，到时摔到地狱里如果只断个手脚的话，那还算是幸运的咧！” 拉萨尔已经一眼看穿了。最主要的原因是，此时的爱谢蓓特应该是随时受到非常严密的监视，如今她秘密地传唤了两名大使，可能是监视网让人刻意给放松了的结果吧！虽然不晓得这究竟是卡尔曼的命令，或者是宰相宋尔坦的指示，但是这幕后主使的确是非常危险的。爱谢蓓特是不是能够分辨她此时的立场呢。在前一场宫廷斗争当中失败之后，全因为新皇帝卡尔曼的手下留情，她才能够过着金钱上毫不匮乏的生活。现在的她或许应该要稍微自重一些，留意自己不要拿着绳子来勒住自己的脖子吧。不过，眼前的境遇本身或许正是激发爱谢蓓特内心怒气的原因。 结果，这一天晚上，两名大使从大公妃跟前退下的时候，都没有给予任何口头上的承诺。 到了第二天，兹鲁纳格拉大使札伊歇尔公爵前来谒见皇帝卡尔曼。 “启奏皇帝陛下，我兹鲁纳格拉的国王达尼洛四世有个提议想告知陛下。请容我代为转述。” “就请你说说看吧，是什么提议呢？” “我主君是想把他的第十一个女儿，也就是亚德尔荷朵公主献给陛下作妃子，但不知陛下的御意如何？” 卡尔曼没法一下子回答。 “……我很感谢贵国国王的提案，以及兹鲁纳格拉皇室的好意。不过这不是我能够立刻回答的提议，所以留待日后再请教吧！” “陛下所言甚是，鄙人但愿能在近日内叨扰您一小部份的时间。” “那么就明日中午一起用餐好了，大使。” “遵命。鄙人将带来足以夸耀全大陆的白葡萄酒，但愿有幸能请陛下亲自品尝。” 札伊歇尔公爵依照宫廷的礼法，配合他那其实更像是舞台演员的身段，恭谨地一鞠躬之后，便从新皇帝的面前退下。 兹鲁纳格拉大使札伊歇尔公爵这名男子，其实比拉萨尔所想像的还要更不好对付。尽管爱谢蓓特大公妃对他鼓吹了一些阴谋，但是他却丝毫不动声色，连吭都不吭一声地，在隔天中午用餐的时候再度来到皇宫。将一坛白葡萄酒，与一个用薄薄长长的油纸所包起来的东西交给皇宫里的侍者。 “这就是全世界第二美味，同时也是我兹鲁纳格拉所引以为傲的白葡萄酒。” 此时的说辞和昨天有一点差别。或许是故意谄媚地将马法尔所产的葡萄酒奉为世界第一的美酒吧。反正随他爱怎么说就怎么说，对于卡尔曼而言，真正的问题在于达尼洛国王的提议。 兹鲁纳格拉国王达尼洛四世是一个多子多孙的人；除了他与王妃之间所生的三男六女之外，其他经认领的私生子有十四男、二十九女之多。至于未经认领的私生子，以及在认领以前就死去的孩子们全部加起来的话，已经超过了一百人。据说他曾经在某地方的贵族宅邸里，发见一名容貌美丽的少女，正垂涎欲滴，想要提出要求时得知：“这姑娘是一名私生子，父亲的名字叫做达尼洛。” 据说他得到这个答案的时候，曾羞愧地面红耳赤。不过总而言之可以用一句话来形容他这个大情圣，那就是“只要有庄园处，就有曾经和他发生过性关系的女侍者；只要有城馆处，就有他的私生子”。 不过，他并没有因为他个人复杂的男女关系而忽略了现实的重要性，达尼洛四世在其他方面也确实有非凡的表现。自从他即位之后，兹鲁纳格拉与马法尔之间从未曾发生过任何公然的战役。虽然也曾经数度因为国境线，与交易权的问题而发生纷争，但也都凭着巧妙的外交交涉而获得处理。虽然有人残酷地批评他：“只不过是个擅长于拖延、敷衍与贿赂的人”，但他总算还能够一方面维持着两国间的和平，一方面与其他国进行“有胜算的战争”，如此确保着国家的利益。 至于国内方面，他也培育了许多平民出身的学者、官僚与武将，与旧有的土豪势力相对抗，而他的王权也就确立在这两股相对势力的均衡点之上。 曾经有人在他的背后批评说：“国王的办公桌就在女人的肚子上面。” 不过达尼洛四世在国政方面，确实也有不少的实绩，足以让他获得明君的评价。也正因为如此，旁人才能够允许他那过度渔猎女色的行为。 至于亚德尔荷朵公主，正是达尼洛四世的第十一个女儿，是王妃排行第五的亲生女儿。今年十八岁，刚好是皇家公主的适婚年龄。而卡尔曼今年二十七岁，两人在年龄上的差别还算过得去，不过其实无论两人年龄的差距如何，年龄根本不是皇室通婚的考虑因素。年龄上相差三十岁，甚至于四十岁的国王夫妇也是很稀松平常的。 “看来大使是非常擅长于运用美丽的辞句哪！不过，对于公主的美貌，朕所知道的还是没有大使多呢！” 卡尔曼的话有点讽刺的意味。对于札伊歇尔公爵那永无止境、喋喋不休地形容公主如何又如何美丽的舌头，卡尔曼已经开始感到厌烦。 “陛下您果然是一位注重真实的人。鄙人也了解要用言语来形容美丽毕竟是有限的，而且早先也预料到陛下您可能会有所要求，所以早就从我国将亚德尔荷朵公主的画像带来了。” “哦？准备得可真周到哪！” 卡尔曼心里想着，这真是个喜欢演戏的人。恐怕连动一根手指头，也都在计算着舞台上的效果。而且他那舌头上大概也涂了满满的香油，才能够这么样滑溜顺畅地转动着。不过要以外交官来说的话，这男子算是二流的，卡尔曼在内心给了这样的一个评价。至于亚德尔荷朵的美貌，一定也被夸大了四成左右。 但是，当侍者们将那幅巨形人像画呈上来，由札伊歇尔公爵将画上的油纸给掀开的时候，年轻的皇帝也不禁“哦”地发出了赞叹声。 那画的大小比例与真人差不多，画着一名身上裹着淡红色丝绸的年轻女子，鸡蛋形的脸庞像初雪一般洁白，那头淡褐色的头发，与暗褐色的眼眸更叫人印象深刻。真是非常……不，这已是超乎寻常的美丽了。 “这幅画像上绝对没有任何稍加夸张之处。如果，真有任何地方和亚德尔荷朵公主本人不同的话，鄙人愿受陛下您任何处罚。” 公爵接着又说，亚德尔荷朵公主迟早将会接掌兹鲁纳格拉王国的皇位。也就是说，如果卡尔曼与亚德尔荷朵公主结婚的话，整个兹鲁纳格拉国将会随同公主一同陪嫁过来。如果这真是事实的话，倒还真是个不错的提案。 “不过话说回来，札伊歇尔公爵，兹鲁纳格拉的国王陛下是出了名的多子多孙。而且听说儿子的数目也颇多。是否有什么特殊的理由，才特意立公主接掌皇位呢？” 这时，札伊歇尔公爵刻意压低了自己的声音，这当然又是他的演技。 “陛下，鄙人就坦白地说，我国王确实有不少儿子，但儿子的人数并不是愈多愈好啊！” 没错，这话倒是很坦白。从兹鲁纳格拉王国的这名臣下嘴里所说出来的，其实就是他们国内没有一个成材的王子。卡尔曼在心里微微地笑着；根据他自己本身的调查，札伊歇尔公爵的话确实是有根据的。达尼洛四世的王子们，全都遗传了父王的缺点，终日沉溺于酒色之中，教他们的父王也不禁怅然。 “总之，兹鲁纳格拉的宫廷里面，还因为陛下所亲生的皇子人数，形成了许多不同的派系！” “这么说来，不就有五十几个派系了？” 卡尔曼故意瞪大眼睛。事实上，大使压低声音所说的话，卡尔曼早就已经知道了。不过，卡尔曼没有义务、也没有必要告诉他自己所知道的内情有哪些。此时的他所必须要作的，只是顺应对方想让自己吓一跳的意图，施展一点社交手腕罢了。 “不，嗯，要说五十几个是太夸张了，不过大致区分起来，也有十几个派系，而最年长的王子也已经有全部的贵族与大臣作为他的后盾。” 这么说来，就是难以收拾了。现在的兹鲁纳格拉王国在达尼洛四世的政治手腕下，还维持着安定的状态，不过只要国王一死，立刻就会有问题发生。看来达尼洛四世自己也已经预料到国内在自己死后将会出现分裂的混乱局面，所以已经有所觉悟，而且作出决定了。 那就是让马法尔与兹鲁纳格拉拥有同一个皇帝，成立一个同君联合的体制。 依照达尼洛四世的看法，与其让国内分裂为十几个派系来争夺皇位，不如将自己的爱女嫁给强国马法尔的年轻英君，让他们所生下来的孩子成为两国的统治者，总比最后导致自取灭亡的结果要强得多。虽然从表面上看起来，兹鲁纳格拉好像是被马法尔给并吞了，但是如果亚德尔荷朵成为一个在地位上与卡尔曼同格的女皇帝，而且能够使得兹鲁纳格拉皇室的血统能够传承到后世的话，这其实可说是他们长期的胜利。 “这话说得不错，达尼洛四世陛下的确是相当地深谋远虑。” “咦？想出这个提案，而且说服达尼洛四世陛下的可是鄙人我啊！无论如何，尚恳请卡尔曼陛下，将鄙人这一片赤诚留在您记忆中的一角。” 说完之后，便接着一个恭谨的鞠躬。此时的卡尔曼，已经看穿了札伊歇尔公爵内心真正的用意。姑且不论祖国兹鲁纳格拉是否能维持独立，皇室是否能存续，对他来说，今后能够在独占两国皇位的卡尔曼麾下，享尽所有的荣耀才是更重要的。“如果是这样的话那倒也好”，卡尔曼断然地下了一个结论。这名男子的人格如何还不足以让自己放在心上。如果兹鲁纳格拉王国就是札伊歇尔公爵所带来的礼物，那么今后就对他一人予以厚待也无妨。 但是卡尔曼根本不知道。这个政策性婚姻其实不是出自兹鲁纳格拉人的头脑，而是金鸦国公蒙契尔的谋略。 而蒙契尔所作的也仅仅是派出自己的一名心腹拉斯罗到兹鲁纳格拉王国，向支持亚德尔荷朵公主的贵族，以及朝臣们鼓吹这个政策婚姻，让邻国马法尔皇帝卡尔曼成为他们兹鲁纳格拉王国的女婿。事实上，也谈不上什么鼓吹，因为要让这些人开始行动，只要一句话就行了，这句话就是：“皇帝卡尔曼现在还是单身”，只消这句话就行了。 “一波起则万波生动。只要拉拉线，玩偶们就会使劲地跳起舞来了。” 蒙契尔站在公邸的阳台上，独自一人喃喃地用着他一贯伪装邪恶的口吻说道。春天的夜风吹抚过年轻的脸颊，那感觉真教人舒服。 “不过，一旦我自己被那波浪给溺毙，可就变成地狱与天堂两边的笑话了。” 蒙契尔并没有装腔作势地自以为是一个预言者，不过他所投掷的石块已经在时代的水面上掀起了一阵既远又大的波纹，而首先他所要溺毙的人，就是兹鲁纳格拉的大使札伊歇尔公爵。