When the sun sets, Sean finally returns to Poitou.
He immediately rushed to pay a visit to the mansion of the Koval family where His Royal Highness Philip was staying. Accompanying him was Adrian Major.
Sean knew that Major's identity was now sensitive in the eyes of some people, especially after he became his protector. People had to associate Major's relevant remarks with Sean.
To be fair, the establishment of the Confederacy was also an important measure to gather strength and unite people, just as Major claimed on the surface. But in the eyes of conspiracy theorists, this idea obviously has a tendency to break away from the Holy City, and some support it.
The author deliberately deepens this tendency.
Whether it's the former or the latter, this philosophy has its fair share of supporters, depending on which side you stand on. Sean is careful not to let the latter dominate public opinion.
Therefore, instead of deceiving himself and letting Major hide behind his back, it would be better to let him appear publicly in front of the prince. Sean still has this responsibility.
In fact, Sean's move not only surprised the prince, but also Major himself.
Philip showed great joy and warmly invited Sean and Major to have dinner with him and taste the wine he brought from the Holy City.
"The best grape wine in the empire comes from the Northern Frontier Province. The soil and climate there are conducive to the cultivation of grapes and the precipitation of sugar. Thanks to the sterilization method you invented, the wine is better preserved and increased.
It has a special flavor. It’s a pity that the Frontier Province has now fallen into the hands of the Assyrians, so there are fewer bottles of this fine wine.” Philip sighed.
"Your Highness, it's rare for you to come to the south and taste the local fruit wine. The flavor is also good. However, the harm and pain the invaders inflicted on the people of Europe will be repaid a hundred times." Sean said, "The citizens of Genoa
The army is ready to move north."
Phillip looked at Sean deeply:
"Sean, my friend. I believe in your enthusiasm and loyalty to the Empire, but after all, Genoa is a special province, and there is no compulsory military service even for adult men. This was when my great-grandfather integrated the south into the Empire.
territory, one of the conditions of the promise to the southerners."
"Then why do we have to accept the past? What's more, defending our country is also the duty of Genoese people. Just as I took the initiative to join the army, Genoese people should not have special treatment in this regard." Sean said, "This is what I do.
One of the reasons for submitting the report to the Three-Level Conference is that helping the northerners is helping ourselves."
"What you said is very good, Sean. But traditional ideas have always been deeply ingrained, and it's difficult to change them overnight." Philip said, "For example, there is a line between the north and the south that we can't see.
The ravine exists, it exists in our perceptions.”
"Yes." Sean picked up the topic. He pointed at Major and said to the prince, "Mr. Major advocates that the South form a union. His original intention is to unite the will of all southerners. A fragmented South cannot serve the country.
I have made too many contributions. However, the southerners have their own interests and demands, and their performance is disturbing. In this case, I can only try to persuade the Genoese and ask the Estates-General to allow me to lead my troops north."
Sean's original intention was to show his loyalty and explain a few words to Major. Philip raised his glass to Major and said:
"Thank you Mr. Major for speaking out. The Empire needs scholars like you who have profound insights, especially the concept of 'active defense'."
"This is my honor, Your Highness." Major stood up slightly from his seat and bent down to greet him.
Major's etiquette and respectful attitude were impeccable. This made Philip wonder if he had wronged him. The purpose of establishing the Confederacy was for active defense?
But in any case, Sean's request to lead troops north is a conspiracy, and no one can blame him morally.
The next day, Sean, together with Governor Byrne, Mayor Welch, Count Koval and Sieyes and other leading figures, accompanied the prince to visit the shipyard, railway company, University of Poitou and Soya Church, and took a train
This new form of transport arrives in the town of Vichy.
This section of railway is newly built. As part of the coastal railway, it has now been built to the capital of Javia. At present, this section of railway has not yet been officially put into operation. Only one train runs to Rowanborg every day.
"Railways and trains are a great invention. I hope that railways can also be built in the north of the empire." Philip, like everyone who took a train for the first time, was very excited. From his perspective, it was not just about convenient transportation.
In this regard, "If our vast north has a developed railway network, it will be of great help for the rapid mobilization of troops and materials, not just for economic and personnel exchange needs."
“I have a dream, that one day in the future, citizens can take trains to any city in the empire.” Sean said, “From the perspective of national governance, this will also help boost the economy. Judging from Genoa’s experience
, any city that builds a railway will see a significant increase in tax revenue. At the same time, this can also strengthen the cohesion of the entire empire. Orders from the Holy City will not be delayed for too long due to backward transportation. Therefore, building a railway is not only from
It’s about convenience and affordability.”
"Sean, I have to say that your views are novel, thought-provoking, and very high-level. I think you can be the prime minister." Philip praised, and then said seriously, "What I said was not a joke."
People on the train listened intently with different expressions.
They had been accompanying the prince for most of the day and visited many places. Although the prince was kind to every prominent figure in Genoa and did not hesitate to show goodwill and wooing, it was obvious that the prince respected Sean more. When he said this "
When the words "You can be prime minister" came out of the prince's mouth, they believed that this represented a royal gesture.
However, including Sean, they did not know that Philip already had deep thoughts about the throne, and that His Highness was already thinking about the future.
Obviously Sean's ideas and foresight scratched Philip's itch the most. Like countless subjects, he was also dissatisfied with the Prime Minister and the bureaucrats in the cabinet with outdated ideas.
"Your Highness, thank you for your affirmation. But governing an empire has never been an easy task. I don't even have any experience in governing a city." Sean said, "In a sense, we should understand that cabinet ministers
Our difficulties are that feeding a family is not the same as feeding a thousand people, let alone tens of millions."
Phillip nodded: "Sean, what suggestions do you have?"
"Why not use Genoa as a model and select one or several provinces to pilot, let these provinces take the first step, imitate Genoa's policies, and accumulate experience. Even if it fails, it will be a rare experience." Sean said, "If Your Majesty,
and the cabinet if they think there is merit in some of Genoa’s policies.”
Philippe did not give a clear answer because the train had arrived at the station. After all, Vichy was too close to Poitou.
"This is indeed a beautiful place. No wonder Elizabeth likes it here." Philip looked at the scenery in front of him.
Spring comes early in the south, and here is already a world of flowers in bloom.
Residential houses uniformly painted with white lime and red roofs are scattered in an orderly manner, and parks filled with green trees and flowers can be seen everywhere. The residents here are well-dressed and live a comfortable life. As for the villas of the rich, they are located near the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the north.
In the background are green tea plantations and rolling mountains on the hills.
Compared with those newly built beautiful villas, Sean's rose garden looks a bit quaint.
Sean held a grand banquet in the rose garden. The invitation list was drawn up by Count Torres of the Court and approved by Philip. It basically included prominent figures in Genoa.
In order to host such a banquet, Sean had to invite the Robinson family's butler Miller and the servants from Rowan Castle to organize it together with Cleveland, striving to make the etiquette and specifications suitable for the status of the guest of honor.
This kind of delicate work requires someone who is familiar with the etiquette of the upper class aristocrats to preside over it behind the scenes, so Audrey quietly came to the rose garden.
When Philip went south this time, in addition to inspecting the sentiments of the people in the south, grasping the political trends in the south, and winning over people's hearts, he also had a secret mission, which was to adhere to his father's order and hope to marry his widowed sister to Sean.
Although he was not optimistic about this mission and even resisted it, when his father clearly told him that it would be easy to save money, Philip was moved.
Especially when he actually came to Genoa, what he saw and heard made him pay more attention to the power of the Genoese people, a force that was ready to flourish.
The more emphasis he placed on this power, the more cautious Philip became. He wanted to know how much weight this lady held in Sean's mind.
Even at the grand ball during the banquet, Philip took the initiative to invite Audrey to the first dance.
"Madam, my sister lived here for a period of time. Thank you for taking care of her." Philip said, "This place has left her with wonderful memories."
"This is Ronburg's honor." Audrey said.
"I am also grateful for such a grand yet considerate banquet, which allowed me to feel the hospitality of Genoa and also allowed me to get to know many important people in Genoa. I heard that this is your behind-the-scenes credit, madam?"
Philip said.
"As everyone knows, Sean is not good at this." Audrey said frankly. As a woman, she was very keenly aware that the prince's words seemed to have profound meaning.
At the same time, Audrey's words also showed the prince her status in the rose garden.
"Haha, I can totally understand." Phillip smiled, but felt a little sad in his heart.
A few years ago, when his sister's marriage first entered the agenda of the royal family, Philip carefully considered the young nobles he knew and wanted to find the best marriage for his dear sister. The candidate list also included
Sean.
But Sean at that time really couldn't be compared to the Earl of Rocky Mountain today.