The reason why the "Girdle Canal" is in its current embarrassing situation is entirely due to the defeat of the Holy Ashan Empire on the battlefield.
The counter-rebellion war launched by the Holy Ashan Empire not only failed to eliminate the Korath regime in the Far East, which was founded as a warlord, but instead suffered defeats on the battlefield.
The mobilization slogan in newspapers also changed from "Conquer the rebellion" to "Keep the thieves out of the country."
In the end, they were unable to even defend the country's gates, and were driven straight in by the Far East army until they were beaten outside the gates of the holy city of Ashan, the capital, and were forced to sign a humiliating alliance under the city.
As a key bargaining chip in the armistice agreement, the customs of the Belt Canal and the nearby naval base were packaged and leased to the Far East barbarians.
At the same time, the headlines in major newspapers in the Holy City also looked like this:
"His Royal Highness Roland, the noble Prince of the Far East, arrived today in the Holy City of Ashan who admires him!"
"His Royal Highness Roland promises to bring us an era of peace!"
The former overlord of the Vales world was defeated by the new overlord. Even the capital became a stage for the coronation ceremony of the enemy's head of state. This fiasco not only had a huge impact on the imperial political arena, but also directly caused the old emperor Charles IV's "
"Death" and the cabinet reshuffle have also had a profound impact on the fate of many ordinary people in this country.
The Wayne family is a small boat overturned by the tide of the times.
The story begins seven years ago.
In early October 1620, the Far East rebels declared their independence.
Although at this time neither the imperial government nor the opposition believed that this small group of rebel forces could take off, the reaction in the securities market was extremely sensitive. Overnight, the price of grain futures soared!
In hindsight, this reaction is not surprising.
The Far East Province has always been the most important granary of the Holy Ashan Empire. The grain shipped to the interior of the empire every year accounts for 30% of the urban commercial grain market.
Now that the rebel parties in the Far East have declared independence and blocked transportation, the newly harvested grain cannot be transported to the interior of the empire. The spot price of grain will inevitably rise sharply, and grain futures will also rise simultaneously.
For ordinary people, such hindsight is enough.
But for the securities traders who eat this bowl of rice, hindsight is worthless. Only foresight can bring wealth.
Unfortunately, most practitioners do not have the foresight to match their self-confidence.
Mr. Adrian Wayne, a well-known securities dealer in Coast City, made the wrong bet this time and shorted the grain futures contract with a heavy sum of money. As a result, his position was wiped out.
Mr. Wayne not only lost all his savings, but also the deposits of clients who entrusted him with financial management, as well as funds borrowed from multiple banks.
I originally wanted to make a big bet, but ended up losing everything and had to sell my property, close my position, and pay off my debts.
Overnight, the originally wealthy family fell into bankruptcy.
The Waynes laid off their servants and the mansion was forced to be sold to an elderly lady.
On the morning when the Wayne family moved out of the mansion, a boy wandered alone in the garden.
The boy's name is Roger Wayne. He has just turned ten and is the only son of the Waynes.
The sudden changes in the family brought a great inner shock to this young master who had been well-fed and well-fed and surrounded by servants since childhood.
Although he did not fully understand what "bankruptcy" meant, at least he knew that he would have to live a strange and poor life in the future, and would have to give up many things and privileges that he had been accustomed to before.
For example, this big house, the beautiful garden, and the pet dog nicknamed "Bernie" following behind him.
"Roger, we have to go!"
My mother's crying urging came from the door.
"Mom, wait a minute, I'm saying goodbye to Bernie!"
The boy held the toy box and took the hound with him, and hurried to a small wooden house in the garden.
The gardener has been laid off and the cabin is vacant.
Roger opened the door and went in, walked to the corner of the wall, and skillfully lifted up a wooden board with a nail that fell off, revealing the hole in the wall.
He put the box containing his favorite toys into the hole in the wall, and then inserted a letter into it.
In this letter, he extended his sincere greetings to those who might discover the treasure he left behind in the future, and gave this gift to them.
I hope the other person can experience the same happiness as him when playing with these toys.
The boy closed the wooden boards and silently prayed that the treasures he had collected would be discovered by a kind-hearted person who would cherish the small gifts he left behind.
"Bernie, I'm leaving."
The boy knelt down, hugged the hound hard, and whispered into the hound's ear with tears in his eyes.
"Bernie, I really want to take you with me, but what can I do..."
"My father was bankrupt and had no money to send me to a private school, so I had to go to a boarding charity school run by the church. I heard that there were many bad kids from the workhouse..."
"If I could take you to school, you wouldn't have to worry about being bullied by bad kids. It's a pity that dogs are not allowed in boarding schools."
"When Dad sold the house, he treated you as a piece of property and sold it to the new owner of the house."
"Yesterday afternoon, I saw the old lady in the living room."
"Mrs. Gallup is the widow of a general. She is very gentle and promised me personally that she will take good care of you."
With tears in his eyes, the boy kissed his pet dog's forehead.
"Bernie, after I leave, you must remember to take care of the treasure hidden in the hole in the wall for me. Don't let mice get in!"
"Goodbye, Bernie, and wish you happiness!"
The boy hugged the hound for the last time, wiped away his tears, and turned away at his mother's impatient urging.
The hound barked and chased them out until they reached the gate. They watched the young master and his family get on the carriage with their suitcases, and gradually disappeared from the end of the field of vision with the sound of rolling wheels.
…
(7 years later)
…
On April 4, 1627, on a bright spring afternoon, a luxurious carriage stopped at the door of the former Wayne family mansion.
Two maids wearing headscarves and aprons got out of the car first, carrying suitcases and parasols, and stood respectfully on both sides of the car door.
Immediately afterwards, a fair-skinned, beautiful and slender blonde girl appeared at the door of the carriage.
The girl was wearing a snow-white long skirt with a waist and a wide-brimmed hat with gauze hanging down from her head. She waved her hand to decline the help of the maid and jumped out of the carriage on her own.
Her cat-like nimble movements and elegant and vigorous steps show that she is not a weak rich lady.
This beautiful and noble lady is 18 years old, her name is Louise Quinn, and she just graduated from the Divinity School of Imperial Central University this spring.
Miss Quinn came to Coastal City this time. In addition to visiting relatives and vacationing, she also had an important purpose, which was to receive the inheritance left by her grandmother.
Walking into this mansion, Louise Quinn's eyes revealed a hint of nostalgia.
