Tome of Blood

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 of "surrender time" in name, the letter of war on the parchment scroll is more direct.

On it, Charlotte de Castells officially declared war on the Principality of Boulder in the name of the Earl of Castells and the Viscount of Northport, and the goal of the war was the independence of Castres and the recovery of the de jure territory of the Tulip Territory .

If that was the case, the third prince would just smile mockingly.

After all, it is not the first time in history that Castel wants to be independent and take back the tulip collar that was divided by the Polder family.

For this reason, the Bold family even took advantage of the opportunity of pioneering and grading to raise the Tulip Collar to the earl rank, even though its real size is not much larger than the Viscount Territory of Beigang.

Although there are not many incidents of independence among the vassals of noble lords, they are definitely not rare.

What really changed the third prince's expression was the other things written on the parchment...

That's why Castel declared independence and declared war—

The third prince Philip, the actual ruler of the Principality of Boulder, colluded with the Gorefiend Sect, attacked the Earl of Castel, and instigated a rebellion in the Northland, intending to forcibly annex Castel and deprive all the titles of the Northland nobles!

This is a very severe indictment.

Whether it's colluding with the Gorefiend Cult, attacking noble lords, or forcibly annexing vassals' territories to expand their direct jurisdiction, it can be said that they have seriously violated the provisions of the "Holy Code" and the political correctness of the New Moon Kingdom, and offended Holy royal court, kingdom lords and noble vassals.

Not to mention, the insinuation between the lines on the parchment scroll almost slapped the third prince Philip's plan to expand his strength by seizing Castel's territory, so as to seize the Crescent Throne.

This almost directly revealed the old background of Xinyue's current political situation.

You must know that although King Louis V seemed dissatisfied with the current heir, he did not issue an order to disinherit and replace the heir (of course, many nobles would not agree with him to do so).

Strictly speaking, the confrontation between the two princes was not put on the table, but in a well-known, but not face-to-face form.

In the final analysis, it is the King of the New Moon who ultimately decides on the heir.

But the accusations of Charlotte's gauntlet are different.

To expose the purpose of the third prince and put everything on the table is definitely a blow to the authority and legitimacy of the third prince faction.

And most importantly, the accusations on the parchment scroll are not just words.

Earl Gaston, who used to be the commander of Boulder, personally admitted many facts and listed a lot of evidence.

Not only that, the nobles among the rebels captured by Castel also confessed that the third prince supported the rebellion in the Northland, and indeed had contacts with the Gorefiend Sect.

All kinds of evidence, all kinds of accusations, although they are not enough to completely trample the third prince to death, but they can basically prove what he did...

This is much more powerful than the third prince's "ultimatum" that was not strictly compliant.

The most interesting thing is that the "ultimatum" of the third prince has become evidence in the letter of war in a sense.

"Bastard! Traitor! Idiot who eats inside and outside! Overwhelmed bitch!"

After browsing the parchment tremblingly, the third prince angrily tore it up and cursed.

Looking at Philip who fell into rage and distorted facial features, Earl Lint sighed secretly and said:

"Your Highness, news has also come from my father's side that this letter of war has been sent to the king's capital by the Mage Tower in the North, causing an uproar."

"It is said that those conservative nobles who smelled it have already filed complaints to the noble council one after another, and they want to investigate the allegations in the gauntlet."

"Many nobles of the kingdom who are inclined to you have also expressed their concerns directly or indirectly."

"Even the parish priest of the Holy King's Court sent priests to ask the noble council about this matter. If the royal family has certain immunity, His Majesty the King has never dealt with the church. gone."

After hearing Earl Lint's words, the third prince's face became even more ugly.

He stared at Earl Lint, and asked:

"So... my dear uncle, what is the position of the Bois-Lint family?"

Earl Lint sighed:

"Your Highness, the moment we decide to send troops, we are on the same boat as you."

After speaking, he looked serious and continued:

"Your Highness, the conservative nobles will not let go of this opportunity to attack you. They will definitely unite to put pressure on His Majesty the King, and the church is likely to intervene."

"Although His Majesty the King acquiesced to our actions, if the nobles and the church unite, even His Majesty must make concessions..."

After hearing Earl Lint's words, the third prince's eyes darkened slightly.

He squinted at each other and asked:

"So... my uncle, what do you mean?"

Earl Lint sighed:

"From the perspective of the family, ideally, I would like to suspend sending troops, lest we go completely against the nobles of the kingdom."

"Castel is just your springboard. Our purpose is to support you to inherit the new moon. If you want to inherit the throne, you must win the support of the nobles..."

The third prince's complexion was a bit ugly:

"Give up sending troops? Give up Castel? My uncle, do you know how long I have been preparing for today? I gave up this opportunity, and there will be no chance in the future!"

"Since you know that this is the acquiescence of the father, you should also know that this is also a test! If I can't take down Castel under the pressure of the church and eliminate the possibility of the ownership of the Northland falling to the church, then ...In his eyes, maybe I'm already out!"

Earl Lint sighed again:

"Of course I know, that's why... I said it was 'the most ideal situation', but in fact, as you said, we don't have any way out. You are the second heir after all, and losing the support of the conservative nobles may not necessarily The throne cannot be taken away, but if you lose His Majesty's favor, you will definitely lose hope."

"So...we have to make a quick decision."

"Your Highness, we don't have much time left. If we still want to take down Castel, we must act quickly and capture the North Land and occupy the North Port before the Noble Council and the Holy Royal Court react."

"The longer the time drags on, the greater the variables. The noble council is likely to bypass His Majesty's ban and provide assistance to the Northland. The Holy Royal Court may also intervene. Even the nobles on our side may be shaken."

"The good news is that we are not without a chance of winning. The army in the Northland cannot compete with us. The victory must be ours. The key is how long it will take."

"However, your idea of ​​uprooting the nobles of the Northland may have to be put aside. If the battle is quick, we must avoid unnecessary consumption, and it is best to get their support."

After hearing Earl Lint's words, the third prince frowned and thought.

After a while, he took a deep breath and asked:

"The nobles in the army don't know what's in this gauntlet, do they?"

Earl Lint glanced at the direction of the army and said:

"I don't know yet, but...each family has its own contact information, and they will know sooner or later."

The third prince thought for a while and said:

"Block the news, prepare a letter in response to Castel, refute all her allegations, and buy us time."

"Release the news to the nobles of the Northland. Those who pledge allegiance in my name can retain the title and territory, and the contract tax will be reduced by one-third. The deprivation of the title is limited to the Castel family."

"Rest in place, attack immediately tomorrow morning!"

Make up for last night