Chapter 291 -141- The War Book That Stirs Up the Kingdom
Similar to the ultimatum issued by the third prince five days ago, what was written on the parchment was also a letter of war.
No……
Compared with the ultimatum that nominally gave a "time to surrender", the letter of challenge on the parchment was more direct.
On it, Charlotte de Castel formally declared war on the Duchy of Bold in the name of Count Castel and Viscount Northport, and the goal of the war was the independence of Castel and the recovery of the legal territory of the Tulip Territory.
.
If that was the case, the third prince would just smile mockingly.
After all, this is not the first time in history that Castells wants to be independent and take back the Tulip Territory that was originally divided by the Bold family.
For this reason, the Bold family even took advantage of the opportunity of pioneering and grading to forcibly upgrade the Tulip Territory to the earl level, even though its actual size is not much larger than that of the Viscounty of Beigang.
Although there are not many incidents of independence among the vassals of noble lords, they are definitely not rare.
What really made the third prince's expression change was something else written on the parchment...
That was the reason Castres declared independence and declared war -
"We don't know yet, but...every family has its own contact information, and we will know it sooner or later."
"Of course I know, that's why...I said it is 'the most ideal situation'. In fact, as you said, we actually have no escape route. You are the second heir after all, and losing the support of the conservative nobles may not be possible."
The throne cannot be taken away, but if we lose His Majesty's favor, we will definitely lose hope."
He stared at Earl Lint and asked:
"So...my dear uncle, what is the position of the Boit-Lint family?"
Various evidences and accusations, although they are not enough to completely crush the third prince to death, they can basically confirm what he has done...
As he spoke, he looked solemn and continued:
"Your Highness, the conservative nobles will not miss this opportunity to criticize you. They will definitely unite to put pressure on His Majesty the King, and the church will also very likely get involved."
Earl Lint sighed:
"Although His Majesty the King has acquiesced to our actions, if the nobles and the church unite, even His Majesty must make concessions..."
Whether it is colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, attacking noble lords, or forcibly annexing vassal territories to expand direct jurisdiction, it can be said that they have seriously violated the provisions of the "Sacred Code" and the political correctness of the Crescent Kingdom, and have offended each other.
The Holy Court, the lords of the kingdom and the noble vassals.
After hearing Earl Lint's words, the third prince's eyes darkened slightly.
"Your Highness, the moment we decided to send troops, we were in the same boat as you."
Not to mention, the hidden hints in the parchment scroll almost made it clear that the third prince Philip planned to expand his strength by seizing the territory of Castel, so as to seize the throne of the Crescent Moon.
Count Gaston, who was once the commander of Boulder, personally admitted many facts and listed many evidences.
Earl Lint sighed again:
"So... we must fight quickly."
The third prince Philip, the actual ruler of the Principality of Bold, colluded with the Blood Demon Order, attacked Earl of Castres, incited a rebellion in the North, and intended to forcibly annex Castres and deprive all Northland nobles of their titles!
The third prince's face looked a little ugly:
"Give up sending troops? Give up Castel? My uncle, do you know how long I have been preparing for today? If I give up this opportunity, there will be no chance in the future!"
Not only that, the nobles among the rebels captured by Castel also confessed that the third prince supported the rebellion in the North and indeed had contacts with the Blood Demon Order.
He squinted at the other person and asked:
"Then...my uncle, what do you mean?"
"The longer time passes, the greater the changes. The noble council may bypass His Majesty's prohibition and provide aid to the North. The Holy Royal Court may also intervene. Even the nobles on our side may be shaken."
"However, I'm afraid you have to put aside your plan to uproot the nobles of the North. If we want to fight quickly, we must avoid unnecessary consumption and it is best to gain their support."
In the final analysis, it is the Crescent King who ultimately decides the successor.
"Castle is just your springboard. Our purpose is to support you in inheriting the Crescent Moon. If you want to inherit the throne, you must win the support of the nobles..."
This has almost directly lifted the bottom of Crescent Moon's current political situation.
This is much more powerful than the third prince's "ultimatum" that was not strictly legal.
The most interesting thing is that the third prince's "ultimatum" has become evidence in the letter of war in a sense.
Exposing the Third Prince's purpose and putting everything on the table will definitely be a heavy blow to the authority and legitimacy of the Third Prince Faction.
After hearing what Earl Lint said, the third prince frowned and thought.
"Many nobles of the kingdom who are leaning towards you have also directly or indirectly expressed their concerns."
After hearing what Earl Lint said, the third prince's face became even more ugly.
Earl Lint sighed:
The most important thing is that the accusations on the parchment are not just words.
After tremblingly browsing the parchment, the third prince angrily tore it into pieces and cursed.
You should know that although King Louis V seemed dissatisfied with the current heir, he did not issue an order to deprive him of his inheritance rights and replace his heir (of course, many nobles would not agree with him to do so).
But the accusations in Charlotte's defiance are different.
Strictly speaking, the confrontation between the two princes was not on the table, but in a well-known but not confrontational form.
"It is said that those conservative nobles who have smelled the smell have successively filed complaints to the Parliament of the Nobles and want to strictly investigate the accusations in the letter of challenge."
"Since you know that this is the tacit approval of the father, you should also know that this is also a test! If I cannot resist the pressure of the church and win over Castel and eliminate the possibility of the ownership of the Northland falling to the church, then
...In his eyes, maybe I am already out!"
"From the perspective of the family, under the most ideal situation, I would prefer to suspend the dispatch of troops, so as not to completely turn us against the nobles of the kingdom."
"Don't the nobles in the army know what is in this letter of challenge?"
Looking at Philip who was in a rage and with distorted facial features, Earl Lint sighed secretly and said:
"Your Highness, there is also news from my father that this letter of war has been transmitted to the royal capital by the mage tower in the North, causing an uproar."
This is a very serious accusation.
"Your Highness, we don't have much time left. If we still want to take Castel, we must move quickly to capture the Northland and occupy Northport before the Noble Council and the Holy Royal Court react."
"The good thing is that we have no chance of winning. The army in the North cannot compete with us. We will definitely win. The key is how long it takes."
"Even the parish priest of the Holy Royal Court has sent priests to inquire about the matter with the noble council. If the royal family does not have certain immunity, His Majesty the King has never dealt with the church. Otherwise...I am afraid that the trial knights from the trial have already been dispatched.
Already."
Earl Lint glanced at the direction of the army and said:
The third prince thought for a while and said:
"Block the news, prepare a letter responding to Castel, refute all her accusations, and buy us time."
"Send a message to the nobles of the North. Those who pledge loyalty in my name can retain their titles and territories. Contract taxes will be reduced by one-third. The deprivation of titles will only be limited to the Castel family."
"Rest where you are, and attack immediately tomorrow morning!"