Chapter 382 The First Covenant
"I remember your mansion is in the upper city."
"Yes, look, that's it." The prince raised his hand and pointed to a high place in the northwest, where a half-collapsed house stood.
".You gave me the Blood Harbor, so where do you live?"
"Perhaps we can go to Castel?" The prince raised his eyebrows. "I've heard Galahad talk about it many times, and I've long wanted to see it with my own eyes."
Xius narrowed his eyes and looked at the prince with a smile. After a while, the prince sighed and looked away on his own initiative.
"There will be a war between me and the Church eventually. I will build a mansion after I win. I will not die in bed."
Zeus nodded. This was what he wanted to know. There was no possibility of compromise between the prince and the Holy See. After all, all his men were rebels of the empire, and it was the war with the empire that brought them together.
It would be fine to fight the Empire, but if Castel stabbed them in the back, this fragile alliance would break apart in an instant.
By then, let alone the Blood Harbor, it would be hard to say whether the Principality of Tis would exist or not. That’s why the prince was so generous this time and offered the Blood Harbor to appease Xus.
However, given the prince's character of making the best use of everything, he would certainly not stop there. He might even plan to drag Caster into this as well.
Hughes looked at the Blood Harbor delivery contract on the table and rubbed his chin.
To be honest, he really didn't want to take Blood Harbor into his possession.
Occupation requires soldiers, but defending requires even more people. Castell owns the entire Martha Islands and is not short of land, but of people.
Therefore, it is completely meaningless for Hughes to occupy Blood Harbor. With Castel's strength, it would only take a few hours to capture the city if he wanted to.
But taking something by force and possessing it legally are two different things.
This "legality" may not necessarily refer to the law of the empire, but depends more on consensus.
This was what the prince gave him. After he took it over, it would only be a matter of time for him to completely control the port, and there would not be as many troubles as if it were forcibly occupied.
The key is what does the other side want?
Hughes was too lazy to play the guessing game, so he decided to ask directly.
"Let's be frank." Hughes pointed at the Blood Harbor contract. "I see your sincerity. So what do you want?"
"Castel's support." The prince answered without hesitation.
"You can just support us secretly. Of course, if you are willing to join our alliance against the Empire, that would be even better. I will go to war with the Empire soon. I need arms, food, fuel, and everything except ironclad ships!"
"Just tell me what raw materials you need. I will always find a way to get them. We will eat all the goods you are willing to sell, and we will find buyers for the ones we can't eat. In addition, you can also get the most precious thing-"
The prince raised his thumb and pointed at himself: "The friendship of Grand Duke Tis."
Hughes made a "keep going" gesture.
"I noticed that everyone in your Skitarii is literate, and most of them understand some engineering principles, and can even talk about the production process. Elite soldiers are of course a good thing, but you are a little too elite, so I think."
The prince stood up with the help of the table. "Are you short of people? Are these people recruited from the factory? Are there no one to fill the line?"
This is not difficult to guess, and it is something that cannot be concealed. Xius nodded slowly.
"This is just a coincidence." The prince smiled and stretched out his hand. "I want to fight the empire. There will definitely be refugees in the war. These refugees are all strong laborers. Although they have a grudge against our Principality of Tis, you are the border earl appointed by the Queen, a legitimate imperial orthodoxy. They will definitely be willing to surrender."
Hiss. Zeus took a breath. If he followed this line of thought, the prince would lose an undefendable blood port in exchange for much-needed arms, and solve the dilemma of being attacked from all sides, and even solve the future refugee problem at the same time?
Hughes? Hughes has to thank him.
Even if this person was plotting against him, Zeus still felt a sense of awe. The prince really made full use of everything he had. He would try his best to get any benefits he could get, even if it was just a tiny bit. This kind of persistence really deserved success.
And to be honest, Zeus was not disgusted. The prince's proposal was an open conspiracy and a win-win deal. It was indeed generous. The entire Blood Harbor was given away without any hesitation, and he didn't even want it for his own home.
There was a hint of appreciation in Xiu Si's eyes, and he clapped his hands gently: "That's a good plan, but I refuse."
"So what is your appeal?"
"A small number of Crusaders will be stationed in Blood Harbor, and the Empire will be allowed to preach the truth and trade freely. You will also need to write a letter to the North. Well, this is what you promised Josh before."
"Promise Josh? Promise Josh what?" The prince frowned.
Suddenly, his eyes wandered, he tilted his ears, and then nodded: "Well, Nora's matter, right? That's no problem. I will ask Count Bazel for the person in the name of Grand Duke Tis. If he disagrees, I can even send troops."
"That's not necessary. My envoy will go and talk to the earl in person. You just need to transport the refugees from the north."
"No problem. As long as they step into Tis, no one can harm them. Any pursuit of them will be a direct provocation to me personally." The prince promised without hesitation. "Anything else?"
Hughes shook his head, stood up and held out his hand: "That's all. Do you accept it, Your Highness William?"
The prince was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face: "Of course no problem! In my name, Castel and Tis are friends!"
After saying that, he quickly grabbed Xius's hand and shook it, as if he was afraid that he would regret it.
Castel's first covenant with the outside world was signed. Although it was only a verbal agreement, neither party doubted its effectiveness.
Then the two of them walked out of the house together and announced their friendship.
The Crusaders walked down from the ironclad ship and, together with the harbor guards, cleaned up the battlefield and counted the damage in various places.
The prince was busy until the evening, when he finally had a moment of leisure and slumped in his soft chair.
This is his mansion in the upper area, which is half collapsed. You can even vaguely see the starry sky in this office.
A translucent figure appeared from the side.
"Isabella, you just signed a contract with Hughes? Aren't you worried that there might be fraud?"
"What kind of trick could it be? Either he is after my land or my wealth. It doesn't matter to me. I will give it to him if he wants it."
The prince's illusory face showed some confusion. "These are not important? Then what else is important? Arms? Ammunition?"
"Knowledge."
(End of this chapter)
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