Chapter 446 The Bubble Bursts

Mid-July.

Goethe Plain, northern part of the Kingdom of Basel.

The private armies of nobles from various noble lords of the Kingdom of Basel have arrived one after another and set up camp on this land.

The nobles' tents were extremely luxurious. Not only were there special caravans carrying the nobles' furniture and utensils, but there were also attendants, cooks, and servants who served the nobles.

In contrast,...

On both sides of the nobles' tents were civilians and serfs sleeping on the ground in the barren fields.

Although they are also participants in this war, they are not even qualified to live in the tents!

Participating in the war is their obligation, but they do not have the right to enjoy the fruits of war after the war.

The results of the war they achieved will be placed on the heads of their lords, who will then allocate them to them according to their own moods.

In the morning light, the colorful flags and military flags with noble emblems are particularly eye-catching.

Colorful flags fluttered, songs rang out, and although the war had not yet begun, in the military camp...

The knights of the Kingdom of Basel were already sitting around the campfire with great anticipation, bragging and joking, and telling others about their past glorious experiences.

To be honest, the so-called glorious experiences of the knights and those "extremely vicious" villains who were killed by them were mostly just serfs who could not even afford white bread.

They could no longer tolerate the exploitation of their lords, so they rebelled.

However……

Their only fate was to be labeled as bandits and robbers by their own lords, and then have their heads chopped off so that the reactionary lords could claim credit and receive rewards.

The stories and achievements told by the nobles and knights are completely false.

But no matter how false these stories sound, no matter how outrageous these experiences seem,

The spectators and soldiers present did not dare to make any rebuttal.

after all……

The knights who tell these stories all have noble bloodlines, ranging from barons to dukes, and can be said to have the noblest bloodlines in this land.

Perhaps it was because the Kingdom of Basel had enjoyed so many years of peace and stability that these nobles had long forgotten the cruelty of war and the brutality of close combat.

therefore,

They can only invent their own brilliant experiences based on the glorious history their ancestors once had.

Around their waists hung sharp swords that had not been drawn for decades; their fat bellies supported the gorgeous aristocratic ceremonial costumes.

The war was so far away for them that their state of mind at this moment was like a rare spring outing.

They just think,

After the war, I will return home with honor, and my story will be passed down by countless future generations.

But they never considered how many people could survive the entire battlefield.

Oh, no.

They really don't have to think about it.

because……

Although they were called Basel nobles, they were not the protagonists of either side in the war.

To kill them they had to rely on the serfs whom they didn't even want to look at, and to fight in close combat they had to rely on the mercenary legions that were hired at great expense.

All they had to do was stand behind the battlefield and wait for the end of the war.

…

On the hillside to one side of the tent, a middle-aged man with a ferocious look was riding a tall warhorse, looking from afar at the tent of the Basel nobles located not far away.

He is the leader of the famous mercenary group "Sidon Rebellion", Sir Bradleys.

Under his guidance,

The Sidon Resistance Army gradually transformed from an unknown group into a mercenary group that was famous throughout the continent but received mixed reviews.

The reason for the reputation,

Because they are often able to complete the tasks assigned by their employers well.

The destruction is because in the process of completing their tasks, they often bring unprovoked killings and sufferings to the civilians in many villages and towns.

He just looked at the nobles' tents from a distance,

Then……

"Pooh!"

Sir Bradley suddenly smiled contemptuously and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm in the direction of the tent with great disdain.

Sir Bradleys was undoubtedly a violent and straightforward man.

so……

He had never concealed his contempt for the Basel nobility.

He was indeed employed by the King of Basel, but he never liked the hypocritical attitude of the nobles of the Kingdom of Basel.

Sir Bradleys knew very well that those Basel nobles were incapable of fighting and they did not understand what war was.

The only thing those nobles could do was to wave their flags and cheer after the war, and then fabricate that they played an important role in the war.

"Of course they don't know what war is, otherwise... why would King Basel ask us to fight for them?"

As if he had seen what Sir Bradleys was thinking, his deputy at the side echoed, "Besides... as long as the money is in place, it will be enough."

Hearing this, a hint of greed flashed across Sir Bradley's face.

The price of tulips has risen again.

This means that…

After the employment relationship ended, he and his brothers were able to get a larger amount of money.

"The Principality of Idar..." Sir Bradlis muttered silently.

"The Principality of Idar will probably be a tough nut to crack. After all, they have a record of defeating the Odin Empire." The deputy reminded.

"The words of the nobles are deceiving. Do you think... those corrupt nobles can really compete with Odin's cavalry?" Sir Bradlis asked back.

"They are just using the lives of serfs and civilians to fill the void! And... no matter how hard it is to chew, we have chewed it!"

After saying this, Sir Bradlis turned around and looked at the team behind him.

The Sidon resistance army has a size of about four to five hundred people. Although it sounds like a small number, each of them has several hideous scars on their bodies and faces. These are the marks they have earned after going through hundreds of battles!

This era is still an era that places great emphasis on personal bravery.

Therefore, Sir Bradleys was full of confidence, waiting to capture the Fortress of Maine and then to gallop freely on the land of the Principality of Idar.

after all……

At this moment,

The mercenary groups gathered in this land are not just the "Sidon Rebels"! In order to increase his chances of winning as much as possible, King Basel has invested a lot of money!

The number of mercenaries alone is no less than four thousand!

This means that almost all the mercenaries in the southern part of the continent have been hired!

And all payments were made with tulips!

While he was thinking, he saw a well-dressed royal knight riding a horse towards him.

"King Basel has issued an order! All troops are dispatched, target - the Principality of Idar! Fortress Mann!"

After a long wait,

With the sound of trumpets and the arrival of the king's order, the Basel army gathered on this land finally moved.

More than 4,000 mercenaries and 10,000 Royal Guards directly under the Royal Family of Basel.

Twenty-four thousand noble private armies from various noble territories, plus cannon fodder, coachmen, and serfs...

For this war, the Kingdom of Basel actually gathered an army of nearly 100,000 people and marched towards Fortress Mann in the north of the Kingdom of Basel!

…

In this era, undeclared war is a very damaging thing to the dignity of the nobility.

so……

Before launching the war, King Basel summoned Idar's ambassador, Joey Hicks, and told him in detail the time and location of the attack.

In his opinion,

By the time the messenger named Joey Hicks brought the news back to the Principality of Idar, it is likely that Fortress Mann had already been captured by the Basel army.

It does not damage one's own dignity and can also achieve the effect of a sneak attack.

However……

King Basel's vision was quite beautiful, but reality is often not as good as expected.

As soon as Joey Hicks returned to the Idar Embassy in Basel, he transmitted the King of Basel's war intentions back to Idar through the Idar Principality's long-distance communication system.

therefore,

While the Basel army was busy marching, planning to launch a surprise attack on the Principality of Idar...

Bruno had already received the news from the city of Basel and declared a state of emergency in the Principality of Idar.

This may sound a little funny - except for the Basel army themselves who thought they were launching a sneak attack, everyone already knew the strategic intentions of the Kingdom of Basel.

But this is indeed a living reality.

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so……

The Idar army began to mobilize and Idar soldiers began to prepare for war.

In just half a day, the garrison of Fort Mann grew from 2,500 to more than 10,000 men.

At the same time, under the expectant gaze of many Idar officials,

Bruno finally gave the order - the tulip bubble in the Kingdom of Basel had finally come to burst! In his opinion,

The key to victory in this war is not in Fortress Mann, but in the Kingdom of Basel! This will be a war without gunpowder, but even more brutal! ...

Southern Kingdom of Basel.

The Idar fleet, which had been anchored near the coast for a long time, finally docked at the port in the Dukedom of Stein.

And when the delighted Duke Stein finally entered the cabin at the cordial invitation of Krell, the director of the Idar CIA...

He was shocked!

Because there was only one thing in the cabin - tulip bulbs!

Duke Stein couldn't determine the number of tulips at all, because they had been piled up like a hill! And there was more than just one ship! Before this,

Duke Stein once made a bold guess that the Idar people should have a large number of tulip bulbs.

But no matter how much he imagined it, he never realized that the Idar people had so many tulip bulbs!

This is no longer as simple as making a profit from it!

This was destroying the foundation of the Kingdom of Basel and the rule of the Basel nobles over this land! Even though he was prepared in his heart,

But when that day really comes...

Duke Stein was still trembling all over, unable to control himself.

What he was involved in was a major event that could change the landscape of this era! "Duke Stein..."

Claire looked calmly at the trembling Duke Stein and said in a deep voice.

"I'm fine!"

finally……

Duke Stein took a deep breath and said firmly.

Now that things have come to this, there is no way he can back down.

Otherwise... all the previous efforts made by Duke Stein will be in vain and become nothing.

"It's better this way. Then the Idar CIA will tell you what to do."

"clear."

Hearing this, Duke Stein nodded seriously.

…

The people of Idar are finally starting to sell off their tulip bulbs.

only……

Even if you want to sell off such a large number of bulbs, it will take a long time and flexible trading techniques.

At least……

The sale of tulips should be carried out simultaneously throughout the Kingdom of Basel.

Otherwise,

Although it can also achieve the effect of bursting the bubble, the benefits that the Idar people can obtain are indeed much less.

…

then……

End of July.

On the same day that the Basel army was able to see the walls of Fortress Mainn not far away, the nobles of the Kingdom of Basel suddenly discovered that... the tulip bulbs that were originally priceless seemed to have suddenly become more abundant.

but,

They didn’t think much about it.

They had experienced such fluctuations many times before.

It was simply that a certain noble suddenly needed gold coins urgently, so he had to reluctantly give up and sell the tulip bulbs in his hands.

They firmly believe that

This was just a brief fluctuation in the price of tulips. In a few days, the price of tulips would continue to soar.

after all……

At this time, the price of a tulip bulb had reached twelve gold coins!

Moreover, the upward momentum of tulip prices has only been increasing!

It is for this reason that they made the decision almost immediately to continue increasing their holdings!

A large number of nobles who still had gold coins in their hands exchanged their gold coins for tulips, and then happily locked them in their warehouses, waiting for the price to rise as usual.

But I don't know how.

The twelve gold coins seemed to have become an insurmountable barrier. No matter how much tulips were purchased, the price of tulips never went up.

Three days,

Five days,

After the price of tulips remained around twelve gold coins for a week...

A small number of Basel nobles finally became restless.

Could it be that the price of tulips has reached its peak? When this thought finally appeared in the minds of some nobles... the collapse of the tulip bubble had already become a foregone conclusion!

after all……

The reason why the price of tulips reached such a high level was closely related to the social atmosphere in which all Basel nobles agreed that the price of tulips would skyrocket.

When some nobles gave up this view and finally began to return to rationality...

The panic atmosphere in the market will begin to be amplified!

The price of tulips fell...

Although the decline was not large at the beginning, once such a trend was formed, it would no longer be easy for others to save it.

From eleven gold coins to ten gold coins,

When the price of tulips finally fell below ten gold coins and returned to single digits...

Those nobles who still held tulips were already in endless panic! The tulip bubble lasted for more than half a year.

Finally, at this most critical moment,

Being ruthlessly pierced...

【Today's joke】

Liu Bei's horse ran away and ran towards the cliff. Zhang Fei shouted anxiously: "Brother, please rein in your horse!" Liu Bei scolded: "I am very happy!"

(End of this chapter)