It was June 4, 539 in the New Calendar, and the weather was fine.
Merlin Bay.
The rising sun parted the hazy mist and rose from the sea to the sky.
The deep sea water seemed to crush the pouring morning light, covering the vast sea surface with a layer of sparkling light.
An inconspicuous-looking ship was sailing quickly forward against the turbulent waves.
Although it is early summer, the sea breeze in the morning is still cold and biting.
The white-bottomed animal skin sail erected in the middle of the ship also whirred in the sea breeze.
"Miss, uh... Your Majesty, why did you run out again..."
Julis was not yet familiar with the changed name, but when she saw that no one was in the cabin, she hurriedly ran out of the cabin.
Leya was seen wearing a light purple velvet robe, standing handsomely on the bow of the ship, and her deep sea-blue eyes were looking at the looming coastline in the distance.
"It's too stuffy inside, I just came out to get some air, and... it should be there soon, right?"
"Yes, the coastline not far away should be the Principality of Idar in the eastern part of the empire..." Julis nodded and replied quickly.
Yes,
Taking this ship to the Principality of Idar were the envoys from the Kingdom of Cecil and King Cecil's youngest daughter, Princess Cecil—Her Highness Leia Blood.
Although the Norman royal family turned a deaf ear to the independence of the nobles in the western part of the empire, one thing is obvious.
That is...
Whether it is Reitz, who looms large in the imperial capital of St. Lawrence, or the eldest prince Pitzman, who has become a puppet of the church,
Both of them must be quite hostile to the new Cecil regime, and hate the Blood family with gnashing teeth.
after all……
The Principality of Idar, at least on the surface, was still a vassal of the Norman Empire.
But the establishment of the Cecil Kingdom was equivalent to lifting the last fig leaf covering the face of the Norman royal family.
It also caused the original dispute about the inheritance of the imperial royal family to completely evolve into a game between various forces and a war of division of the empire.
This was undoubtedly a contempt and humiliation for the Alexander family of the Norman royal family, which caused the royal family to lose what little dignity it had left.
therefore……
For security reasons, envoys from the Kingdom of Cecil will never dare to visit the Principality of Idar via land.
And since the land route is impassable,
There was no air transportation in this era, so the sea route naturally became the only option for the Cecil Mission.
But……
It is not easy to enter the Principality of Idar by sea?
Not to mention whether the Kingdom of Cecil has any ships capable of ocean voyages, the extra distance alone is impressive.
Kingdom of Cecil and Principality of Idar,
One of them is at the westernmost edge of the continent, and the other is at the easternmost edge of the continent.
If you want to start from the Kingdom of Cecil and arrive at the Principality of Idar by boat, then the only possible route is to sail through the Principality of Sidon in the southwest corner of the mainland and the Kingdom of Basel in the southeast corner of the continent before finally reaching the Principality of Idar.
Cecil Kingdom’s ships are already very slow, and with such a detour...
Although the Cecil mission set out in mid-March, it was already early June when it arrived at the Principality of Idar.
"Tell me...what will the Idar Principality look like?"
The coast of Idar in the distance was still a little blurry, but Leia couldn't help but ask Julis.
During the two months from the Kingdom of Cecil to the Principality of Idar, the ships carrying the Cecil Mission naturally needed to dock at the seaside ports again and again for supplies.
This also allowed Leya, who had never set foot outside the western part of the empire, to witness with her own eyes the barrenness and decline in various parts of the continent for the first time.
before that,
She only knew that the western part of the empire where she was located was one of the richest areas in the entire continent.
But what other places were like, she could only speculate and conjecture based on other people's words.
Of course she had heard about the dishonored civilian serfs, and also heard about words such as families being destroyed, wives and children being separated, but... to her, these were just words in books.
Although this is also a common situation among civilians in the western part of the empire, but...as a noble, she cannot easily see such a situation.
after all……
She is a member of the Brad family!
No matter where they go, which noble does not try his best to show the best of his territory to Leia?
but……
After she left the Kingdom of Cecil, she could see some things easily.
Whether it is the Principality of Sidon or the Kingdom of Basel, the sallow-faced civilians and the tortured serfs are the most realistic portrayal of the people of this era!
For the first time, she truly saw this era, and for the first time, she witnessed everything recorded in the books.
And this... also deeply touched Leya's heart.
It was precisely for this reason that she expressed her doubts at this moment.
Even in those prosperous and prosperous places where the nobles are praised by everyone, the real living conditions of the common people make people feel pity.
In this case,
Then the Principality of Idar, located in the eastern part of the empire...
In this remote and desolate backwater, which is unanimously considered by the nobles, how difficult and embarrassing must the life of the common people be?
Thinking of this, Leya couldn't help but feel a sense of intolerance in her heart.
I am afraid……
In this corner of the eastern part of the empire, even eating the simplest meal every day is a luxury that ordinary civilians dream of, right?
As for the hunger and cold in winter, and the decline of people's livelihood under the heavy tax burden...
All these things have made Leya dare not even think about it!
but……
After all, Julis did not give her own opinion on this issue.
because……
Not far away, the oncoming giant ship interrupted her thoughts without any surprise:
"Your Majesty Princess, look there quickly!"
Leia looked in the direction of Julis's finger and saw a huge battleship speeding towards her ship.
Compared with the oncoming huge warship,
The largest sea-going ship in the Kingdom of Cecil, the Cecil envoy was on board, was as small as a lonely boat that could capsize at any time.
The oncoming giant ship was naturally a three-masted warship belonging to the Idar Navy.
The wide hull broke through the turbulent waves,
There are huge sails hanging on several towering masts.
On the tallest mast, the flag of the Idar Principality was flying high at the top of the mast.
[Originally I wanted to issue Easter egg stamps, but the Idar flag, clan emblem and other patterns could not pass the review, so I put them in the QQ group. The link is on the introduction page (starting point) and was drawn by the book friend "Listen to the Rain Under the Eaves". 】
No matter which force it is, the naval fleet of the Principality of Idar is not a huge impact.
but……
Leia wanted more.
If the eastern part of the empire is really as barren as the nobles say, then how much manpower and material resources will be consumed by such a huge warship?
After all, in this era, the necessity of the navy has not yet emerged.
so……
From Leya's point of view, although the battleship in front of her looks majestic, how much more unnecessary expenses does it cost? What a heavy burden the civilians have to bear?
Could it be that Duke Idar is another nobleman who is very happy with his achievements?
In the past days and months, Leya has seen too many examples of people who did not care about people's livelihood and only thought about pursuing the dignity of the nobility.
only……
Such thoughts did not last long in her mind.
Because the three-masted warship speeding past the ship of the Cecil Mission was just the beginning.
As the coast of the Principality of Idar approaches,
More and more ships appeared in the sight of the Cecil Mission.
Then……
Leya felt that her outlook on life was shattered.
Although they traveled to the Principality of Idar by sea and had a stereotype about the poverty of the eastern part of the empire that could not be easily eliminated, there was no doubt that the Cecil Mission attached great importance to this meeting.
therefore,
The ship they were traveling on was the newest ship in the Kingdom of Cecil.
But……
Here, near the coast of the Principality of Idar, even an ocean-going fishing boat flying the Idar flag seems not to be much smaller than the ship he is on.
So as they got closer and closer to the port of the Principality of Idar, almost all the members of the Cecil Mission walked out of the cabin with a look of astonishment and stood on the deck looking at the ships going back and forth in all directions.
.
Especially when approaching a port!
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, towering high on the coastal rocks, left everyone present speechless in shock.
here……
Is it the Principality of Idar?
Is it the eastern part of the empire, which is known for its remoteness and desolation?
All right,
Not just Leya, but almost all the members of the Cecil Mission's outlook... have collapsed!
The nobles of this era have never paid much attention to the ocean, so even in the Kingdom of Cecil, the coastal ports are extremely simple, and there are not even a few ordinary fishing boats. It forms a formation with the "barren" Principality of Idar.
A sharp contrast.
wrong,
Even the members of the Cecil Mission who were proud of their origins no longer dared to associate the Principality of Idar with words such as "barren and desolate".
They want face!
Although it has not yet docked, the prosperity and prosperity of Merlin District can already be seen.
The constant crowds of people on the seaside road, the rows of houses and shops...these are sights that cannot be seen in the Kingdom of Cecil!
And looking at the scene before her eyes, even Leya's face couldn't help but feel slightly blushing and... embarrassed.
Although she had never expressed it to her mouth, she had fantasized about the poverty and embarrassment of the Idar Principality just now in her heart, but what appeared before her eyes was an extremely prosperous port!
Such a huge gap made Leya secretly complain about the rumors about the eastern part of the empire, and she also had doubts about the records in the books she had read.
Who said the eastern part of the empire was barren and desolate?
…
Bruno had long received the news that the Cecil delegation was about to arrive, and had sent relevant reception staff to wait outside the port.
As the governor of the Merin District, Shaabi was the Idar official responsible for the reception.
He had already had experience in receiving foreign missions, so he did not feel the slightest panic.
after all……
Kingdom of Cecil...
Although the name sounds like it is one level higher than the Principality of Idar, Shabi has the pride and pride of being an Idar person!
As an official of the Principality of Idar, he can maintain the necessary respect for foreign envoys, but he will never be in awe of them.
By Shabi's side, Anel took three days of personal leave from the Idar Public University and came to the port of the Merin District to welcome the arrival of the Cecil delegation and his sister Leia.
…
No matter who it is,
After disembarking, go through customs first.
After the assassination, the Idar Customs Administration was separated from the Idar Immigration Administration and became an independent administrative agency directly under the orders of the Idar Government Affairs Office.
The Idar Customs Administration is responsible for border inspection and immigration screening, while the Idar Immigration Administration is responsible for handling immigration matters and related matters for non-Idar citizens.
so……
When Leya saw the Idar customs window on the side of the port, she couldn't help but feel quite curious.
However,
Just when she was about to walk that way, noble Cecil on the side took a step forward and stopped her:
"Your Highness Princess, please allow me to go and negotiate with them."
The speaker was the head of the Cecil Mission, Viscount Danielsson from the western part of the empire.
"What's wrong?"
"Your Highness, you don't know something. The handymen responsible for patrolling like this are all a group of greedy guys! Only gold coins can make them get out of the way!"
"So, let me go up and negotiate, don't let these low-level guys taint your eyes."
Viscount Danielsson said indignantly.
Hearing this, Leya couldn't help but nodded.
In fact, she had heard about this as early as in the western part of the empire.
Guys like those patrol members, city defense members, etc., although they treat the nobles with all kinds of respect and flattery, but...
When facing other people, he often has a completely different face, showing an extremely harsh and greedy side.
"You don't talk nonsense!"
At this moment, an extremely abrupt voice came from the side.
Viscount Danielson turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a thin face looking at him very dissatisfied.
"It seems that you have come to the Principality of Idar for the first time. What you are talking about are all things that happened in other noble lands! In our Principality of Idar, whether they are soldiers or officials, they are all very good.
!”
"Unless you are carrying contraband or evading taxes, the staff at Idar Customs will never make things difficult for you!"