Chapter 438 Cecil Mission
On June 4, 539 of the new calendar, the weather was sunny.
Merlin Bay.
The rising sun pushed away the hazy mist and rose from the sea and sky.
The deep sea water seemed to crush the pouring morning light, covering the vast sea surface with a layer of sparkling light.
An inconspicuous-looking ship was sailing rapidly forward against the surging waves.
Although it is early summer, the sea breeze in the morning is still cool and sharp.
The white-bottomed animal-skin sail standing in the middle of the ship was also whistling in the sea breeze.
"Miss, uh... Princess, why did you come out again..."
Julis was not yet familiar with the changed name, but when she saw that there was no one in the cabin, she hurriedly ran out of the cabin.
Leia was seen standing at the bow in a light purple velvet robe, and her deep sea-blue eyes were staring intently at the looming coastline in the distance.
"It's too stuffy in there, I just came out to get some fresh air, and... we should be almost there, right?"
"Yes, the coastline not far away should be the Principality of Idar located in the eastern part of the empire..." Julis nodded and replied quickly.
Yes,
Those who took this ship to the Principality of Idar were the delegation from the Kingdom of Cecil and King Cecil's youngest daughter, Princess Cecil - Her Highness Rhea Blood.
Although the Norman royal family turned a deaf ear to the independence of the nobles in the western part of the empire, one thing was obvious:
That is...
Whether it is Rez, who dominates the imperial capital of St. Lawrence, or the great prince Pitzman, who has become a puppet of the church,
The two of them must have considerable hostility towards the new Cecil regime and hate the Blood family with a vengeance.
after all……
At least on the surface, the Duchy of Idar is still a vassal of the Norman Empire.
However, the establishment of the Kingdom of Cecil was equivalent to removing the last fig leaf covering the face of the Norman royal family.
It also completely transformed the original dispute over the imperial succession rights into a game between various forces and a war of division of the empire.
This was undoubtedly a contempt and humiliation to the Alexander family of the Norman royal family, and made the royal family lose the only remaining dignity.
therefore……
Due to security concerns, the delegation from the Kingdom of Cecil would never dare to visit the Principality of Idar via land.
Since the land route was blocked and there was no air traffic at that time, the sea route naturally became the only option for Cecil's mission.
But……
But how easy is it to enter the Principality of Idar by sea?
Not to mention whether the Kingdom of Cecil has ships capable of ocean voyages, the extra distance alone is enough to move people.
The Kingdom of Cecil and the Principality of Idar, one is located at the westernmost part of the continent, and the other is located at the easternmost part of the continent.
If you want to depart from the Kingdom of Cecil and take a boat to the Principality of Idar, then the only possible route is to sail through the Principality of Sidon in the southwest corner of the continent and the Kingdom of Basel in the southeast corner of the continent, before you can finally reach the Principality of Idar.
The ships of the Cecil Kingdom were already very slow, and with this detour...
Although Cecil's delegation set out in mid-March, it was already early June when they arrived in the Principality of Idar.
"What do you think...the Principality of Idar will look like?"
The Idar coast in the distance was still a little blurry, but Leia couldn't help but ask Julis.
From the Kingdom of Cecil to the Principality of Idar, during the more than two months, the ship carrying the Cecil delegation naturally needed to stop at the seaside ports for supplies again and again.
This also allowed Leia, who had never set foot outside the western part of the empire, to witness for the first time the poverty and decline of various parts of the continent.
Prior to this,
She only knew that the western part of the empire where she was located was one of the richest regions in the entire continent.
But she could only speculate and imagine what other places were like based on what others said.
Of course, she had heard of half-naked commoners and serfs, and words like broken families and separated wives and children, but... to her, these were just words from books.
Although this is also the common situation of civilians in the western part of the empire, but... as a noble, it is naturally impossible for her to easily witness such a situation.
after all……
She is a member of the Brad family! No matter where they go, which noble doesn't try their best to present the best of their territory to Leia?
but……
After she left the Kingdom of Cecil, some things and some events could be easily seen.
Whether it is the Principality of Sidon or the Kingdom of Basel, the sallow-faced civilians and the devastated serfs are the most true portrayal of the people of this era!
For the first time, she truly saw this era and witnessed everything recorded in the books with her own eyes.
And this... also deeply touched Leia's heart.
That is why she expressed her doubts at this moment.
Even in those prosperous and wealthy places praised by the nobles, the real living conditions of the common people make people feel pity.
In this case,
Then the Principality of Idar in the eastern part of the empire...
In this remote and desolate place that the nobles unanimously believed to be poor and remote, how hard and embarrassing must the lives of the common people be?
Thinking of this, Leia couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity in her heart.
I am afraid……
In this corner of the eastern part of the empire, even having the simplest meal every day is a luxury that ordinary civilians dream of, right?
As for the hunger and cold in winter, and the decline of people's livelihood under the heavy tax burden...
All these things have made Leia dare not think about it!
but……
After all, Julis did not give her own opinion on this issue.
because……
Not far away, the oncoming giant ship interrupted her thoughts as expected:
"Your Majesty, look over there!"
Leia looked in the direction of Julis's finger, and saw an extremely huge warship speeding towards her ship.
Compared with the huge warship coming towards them, the largest ship in the Cecil Kingdom that the Cecil delegation was riding on seemed as small as a lonely boat that could capsize at any time.
The oncoming giant ship was naturally a three-masted warship belonging to the Idar Navy.
The broad ship broke through the raging waves.
Huge sails are hung on several tall masts.
And on the tallest mast, the flag of the Principality of Idar was flying high at the top of the mast.
[I wanted to post an Easter egg chapter, but the Idar G flag, clan emblem and other patterns could not pass the review, so I put it in the QQ group. The link is on the introduction page (starting point), and it was drawn by the book friend "Yanxia Ting Yeyu". 】
No matter which force it was, the naval fleet of the Principality of Idar was a huge blow.
but……
But Leia was thinking about more.
If the eastern part of the empire is really as barren as the nobles say, then how much manpower and resources would it take to build such a huge warship?
After all, in this era, the necessity of the navy has not yet emerged, so...
In Leia's opinion, the warship in front of her looked majestic, but how much unnecessary expense would it cost? And how heavy a burden would the civilians have to bear?
Could it be that the Duke of Idar was another aristocrat who was fond of showing off?
In the past days and months, Leia has seen too many examples of people who disregarded the people's livelihood and only cared about pursuing the dignity of the nobility.
only……
This thought did not last long in her mind.
Because the three-masted warship that sped past the side of Cecil's mission ship was just the beginning.
As the coast of the Principality of Idar got closer,
More and more ships appeared in the sight of Cecil's delegation.
Then……
Leia felt that her three views collapsed.
Although they traveled to the Principality of Idar by sea and had a stereotype about the poverty of the eastern part of the empire that could not be easily eliminated, there was no doubt that Cecil's delegation attached great importance to this meeting.
therefore,
The ship they were on was the newest ship in the Kingdom of Cecil.
But……
Here, near the coast of the Principality of Idar, even an ocean-going fishing boat flying the Idar flag seemed not much smaller than the ship he was on.
As they got closer to the port of the Principality of Idar, almost all members of Cecil's delegation walked out of the cabins with a look of astonishment on their faces, and stood on the deck to watch the ships going back and forth in all directions.
Especially when approaching the port! The Lighthouse of Alexandria towering over the coastal rocks made everyone present speechless with astonishment.
here……
Is it the Principality of Idar?
Is it the eastern part of the empire, which is known for its remoteness and desolation?
It's not just Leia, the world views of almost all members of the Cecil delegation... have collapsed!
The nobles of this era never paid much attention to the ocean, so even in the Kingdom of Cecil, the coastal ports were extremely simple, and even ordinary fishing boats could not be seen. This was in sharp contrast to the "poor" Principality of Idar.
wrong,
Even the members of Cecil's delegation, who were proud of their origins, no longer dared to associate the Principality of Idar with words such as "barren and desolate".
They want face!
Although it has not yet docked, the prosperity and prosperity of the Merlin Special District is already evident.
The constant flow of people on the coastal road, the densely packed houses and shops... these are scenes that cannot be seen in the Kingdom of Cecil!
Looking at the scene before her eyes, even Leia's face couldn't help but turn slightly red and... embarrassed.
Although she had never said it out loud, she had imagined in her heart the poverty and hardship of the Principality of Idar, but what appeared before her eyes was an extremely prosperous port!
Such a huge gap made Leia secretly complain about the rumors about the eastern part of the empire in her heart, and she also doubted the records in the books she had read.
Who said the eastern part of the empire is barren and desolate? ...
Bruno had received the news that Cecil's delegation was about to arrive long ago, and sent relevant reception staff to wait outside the port.
And Shabi, the governor of the Merlin Special District, was the Idar official in charge of this reception.
He already had experience in receiving foreign delegations, so he was not at all nervous.
after all……
The Kingdom of Cecil...
Although the name sounds a level higher than the Principality of Idar, Shabi is proud of being an Idarite! As an official of the Principality of Idar, he can maintain the necessary respect for foreign envoys, but he will never be in awe of them.
Next to Shabi, Anel took three days' leave from Idar Public University and came to the port of Merlin District to welcome Cecil's delegation and his sister Rhea.
…
Whoever it is,
After disembarking, go through customs first.
After the assassination, the Idar Customs Administration was separated from the Idar Immigration Administration and became a separate administrative agency directly under the Idar Government Office.
The Idar Customs Administration is responsible for border inspection and screening of incoming personnel, while the Idar Immigration Administration is responsible for handling immigration matters and related matters for non-Idar citizens.
so……
When Leia saw the Idar Customs window on the port side, she couldn't help but feel quite curious.
However, just as she was about to walk over there, the noble Cecil stepped forward and stopped her: "Your Highness, please allow me to go and negotiate with them."
The speaker was the head of the Cecil Mission, Viscount Danielson from the western part of the empire.
"What's wrong?"
"Your Highness, you don't know that the patrolling errands are all a bunch of greedy guys! Only gold coins can make them give way!"
"So, let me go up and negotiate, and don't let these low-level guys pollute your eyes."
Viscount Danielson said indignantly.
Hearing this, Leia couldn't help but nodded.
In fact, she had heard of this as early as when she was in the western part of the empire.
The patrolmen and city defensemen were very respectful and flattering to the nobles, but...
When facing other people, they often put on a completely different face, showing an extremely harsh and greedy side.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Just at this moment, an extremely abrupt voice came from the side.
Viscount Danielson turned around and saw a thin middle-aged man looking at him with great dissatisfaction.
"I can tell this is your first time in the Principality of Idar. What you said happened in other noble territories! In our Principality of Idar, whether it's soldiers or officials, they are all top-notch!"
"Unless you are carrying contraband or evading taxes, the Idar Customs staff will never make things difficult for you!"
"Who are you……"
"I?"
"I work on these docks! I'm an Idar man!"
The man said proudly.
(End of this chapter)
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