Chapter 198: Shocking Change (Part 2)
Raphael Alexander is the 43rd emperor of the Norman Empire and the current supreme ruler of the Norman Empire.
However, as the emperor of the empire, he did not enjoy the supreme majesty that was reserved for emperors.
The Norman Empire is the most powerful empire on this continent, bar none.
Even the brave and warlike Odin people can only admit defeat in terms of overall strength.
However, if the territory, population and actual wealth under his rule are not taken into account, the power he possesses is not even as great as that of the King of Basel, who is hiding in the southeast corner of the continent.
It can be said that...it was precisely because of the Norman Empire's own violation of the law that the Kingdom of Basel was able to avoid following in the footsteps of the Norman Empire.
Therefore, no matter from which angle you look at it, Raphael Alexander has no good feelings towards his ancestor, Hele Alexander, who is known as the "wise king".
Not everyone is capable of reducing their own power when they have nothing better to do.
I have the power, but I don’t use it, I just want to have fun!
Heller Alexander's actions undoubtedly won praise from the nobles of the Norman Empire, earning him the title of "wise king", but it brought suffering to the generations of Norman emperors who came after him.
After all, a high-end thing like the Regency Council is not something that just anyone can handle.
If Bruno had not seen how incompetent the Norman royal family, who were the instigators, were, he might have really thought that there had been time travelers in this world before, and then he would have gotten carried away and wanted to do some advanced things.
Even though the Norman emperor at that time had a relatively good original intention, he overlooked an extremely important thing - my vassal's vassal is not my vassal.
This sentence is commonly used to describe the Western medieval feudal monarchs on Earth. It can also be used to describe the political system of the Norman Empire, except that...
In some aspects, there are some differences.
The Norman Empire did indeed implement a title system of duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron, but in such a title system, the hierarchical order between earls, viscounts and barons was far less strict than that of dukes and marquises.
As for the title of knight... although it is a title of nobility, it is just a title conferred by the local lord.
Just like in Idar County, as long as the lord is willing, anyone can become a knight, even a cook...
Perhaps this was not the original intention of the rulers, but in the process of continuous implementation, due to various reasons, it evolved into the current situation...
The duke is a vassal of the emperor, the marquis is a vassal of the emperor, and the earl, viscount and baron can all directly become vassals of the duke or marquis.
So, this also means that...
Apart from the level of title and the size of the territory, the gap between earl, viscount and baron is not that big.
At the same time, the power of dukes and marquises was greatly expanded.
For example, taking Bruno himself as an example, the Idar Territory and the Solon Territory, as well as all the noble territories in the remote and desolate areas in the eastern part of the empire, were nominally loyal to the same marquis - the Marquis of Valens who ruled the Valens Plain.
The power of the duke and marquis was already not to be ignored, and with the addition of a regency council, the power of the nobles became even greater.
But fortunately, the former Norman royal family was not too stupid. At least they knew to keep the imperial army in their own hands.
But this is not very friendly to Bruno...
If the Norman royal family at that time had given up the military power of the empire, then maybe after traveling through time, I would no longer be just a small earl in a remote area. If I was lucky, I might even become a prince...
Therefore, Raphael Alexander, the ambitious 43rd emperor of the Norman Empire, was determined to eradicate this drawback from the first day of his reign.
It was precisely under this ambition that Raphael Alexander made the decision that horrified all the nobles of the empire - to abandon the northern border of the empire directly! After all, although the northern border of the empire ravaged by Odin's army would be riddled with holes, it could also become a blank slate for him to write on.
This allowed one of the regions, which was originally heavily populated by aristocrats, to undergo a complete reshuffle and return to the jurisdiction of the imperial royal family without any obstacles.
This is no longer killing the monkey to scare another monkey, but killing the monkey to honor the monkey.
But... for the Imperial Emperor Raphael Alexander, all this is worth it in order to regain his supreme power.
In fact, he knew very well in his heart that such an approach would undoubtedly cause the civilians and serfs in the northern border to suffer unbearable losses, reduced food production, shrinking wealth, and even famine, resulting in corpses everywhere.
But... the Norman Empire is vast and rich in resources, and Huang's presence in the northern border is already minimal. He can definitely afford such a loss... at least, that's what he thinks.
Only what you get is yours. Compared with the method of boiling a frog in warm water, Raphael Alexander prefers to cut the Gordian knot quickly, believing that a short pain is worse than a long one.
Besides, “those who eat meat are vulgar” is not just a saying.
For a superior like Raphael Alexander, what does the life and death of serfs and civilians have to do with him?
The luxurious palace was magnificent, with orange-red flames dancing on the pure gold candlesticks, and a lavender flag with the Norman Empire's royal emblem hanging behind the throne...
Like most nobles of this era, Raphael Alexander had never seriously considered the significance of the existence of serfs and civilians, nor had he ever thought about the foundation that supported the long-term continuation of the empire.
"Your Majesty, the messenger sent by Marshal Teodoro has arrived..."
The heavy bronze door was slowly pushed open, and a palace eunuch walked in cautiously and spoke softly.
Hearing this, the emperor who had been resting with his eyes closed suddenly opened them. His deep eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the barriers of distance and look directly at the forefront of the war.
"Let him in." Raphael Alexander said calmly.
"yes."
Led by the eunuch, a knight in gorgeous armor walked into the hall.
"His Majesty……"
The knight knelt on one knee and paid the highest greetings to the Emperor before him.
"How is the battle going? Any news about Teodoro?" Raphael Alexander said in a deep voice.
"Marshal Teodoro's tactics have achieved initial results. Within a month, the Odin people will surely retreat."
After saying this, the knight carefully took out a letter from under his armor: "This is something Marshal Teodoro specifically ordered me to pass on to you."
Raphael waved his hand, and the eunuch who had served Raphael for many years took the letter from the knight's hand, walked carefully to Raphael's side, and handed the letter over respectfully.
only……
"Kerry, move aside, you're blocking the light..."
Raphael opened the letter and spoke to the eunuch.
but……
No one answered...
Raphael frowned, raised his head, and then...
He saw his eunuch respond to him with a bright smile.
"Goodbye, Your Majesty..." Kerry said with a smile.
Soon,
Raphael suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and saw a sharp dagger piercing into his abdomen without any defense...
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(End of this chapter)
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