naaapseattle #693 - Sharpipe's Wail
#693 - Sharpipe's Wail
Standing before the expensive white silver mirror produced in White Sand Land, Shapipé trimmed his handlebar mustache with small scissors, silently listening to the letters being read by his servant, which had been sent from the Lilac Corridor.
"...Therefore, the local governor hopes to end the war as soon as possible, while Duke Podosha opposes it."
The young male servant, with his shoulder-length bowl cut, finished reading the letter and stood anxiously to the side, awaiting the Navy Minister's response.
But Shapipé simply trimmed his mustache quietly, without saying a word, until he put down the small scissors and came to the table, where he asked blandly, "What does Uni (Yuleri Larkin) say?"
"Lord Yuleri said that it is acceptable, but the share is too small, and asked if he could ask for a little more."
"Of course he would accept it." Shapipé snorted disdainfully, throwing the ceasefire agreement along with the blotting paper onto the table, making a crisp sound. "How could Lord Conrad have such a complacent and stupid son? Doesn't he know who is earning the money from the spice trade?"
After Conrad Larkin, the leader of the Old Party, failed in the political struggle, the Old Party did not completely disappear from the court, but stubbornly persisted.
The fundamental reason is that this group of upper-level landed nobles in the Old Party also learned from the new nobles and engaged in industry and commerce, although they still advocated agrarianism.
The Old and New Parties in the Fran court were less like rigorous platform parties and more like loose political alliances; it was normal for a courtier to jump back and forth.
Their political views could not be deduced from their origins; often, those political views were just gimmicks for power struggles, that is, "I must oppose what you support."
And a major source of income for the Old Party was the spice and sugar trade in the Lilac Corridor and Red Maple Hills. Although the textile industry and other large and small industries were taken away by the New Party, these two items were still firmly in the hands of the Old Party.
Otherwise, how could these two places monopolize spices and sugar? Did they really think they had the ability to resist the king on their own?
As a wealthy noble in the Lilac Corridor, Shapipé would never give up this benefit. He could cede Fran colonies to the Norn Kingdom at will, but he really had a spice merchants' association!
"Then should I write a letter to Duke Podosha and ask him to continue recruiting troops?"
"He fought such a defeat, with nearly 20,000 people killed like dogs by 8,000 people, and he still wants to continue recruiting troops?" Shapipé's forehead veins kept jumping at the thought of this.
This dispatch was originally his idea, intending to give the new king a show of strength to let him see what the consequences would be of reaching out and interfering with sugar and spices.
But now, it was all for naught, and he had become the show of strength himself.
Where did this Saint Sun Hown get so many elite infantry? They were almost on par with the King's Guard. Could they have trained so many battle-hardened soldiers in the two and a half years of the Thousand River Valley War?
Could it be that these short-haired bandits had really spent decades lurking in the Thousand River Valley, training elite soldiers as Barneyfoss said?
No wonder Prince Condé, who had once suppressed Fran knights, had suffered here.
Thinking of the Black Serpent Bay incident, Shapipé felt棘手, especially since the other party was standing on the side of the royal family.
"Then what should we do?" The servant scratched his scalp. "Or should we call Валентин back from the Zealand Islands? He is best at the Dunjar Phalanx."
"What phalanx? Didn't you see in the battle report that there were magical catapults? Tch, I'll go meet His Majesty the King later and clean up their mess." With the help of the maid, Shapipé adjusted his collar and stretched his neck. "In the evening, help me contact Yuleri and the other adults. We must unify our opinions on this matter and not let that little brat take advantage of it."
"Yes, sir."
Leaving the administrative residence and passing through the narrow alleys, Shapipé walked into the Fran Palace through the cold doorway.
He skillfully called for a young servant to take away his horse, then lowered his head slightly and walked through the portrait gallery of past kings, which he had passed countless times. Behind the mahogany door at the end of the gallery was the highest ruler of the Fran Kingdom—Charles VIII.
After the master of ceremonies announced his name, Charles VIII's enthusiastic voice came: "It's Lord Shapipé, please come in."
After entering the study, Charles VIII picked up a piece of bone china and poured a cup of fine red tea for Shapipé, handing it to him warmly: "I heard that Lord Shapipé has recently built a new garden?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I built a retirement mansion on Golden Fleece Beach, which can't be called a garden, it can only be regarded as a yard." Shapipé took the bone china cup with a smile.
"Have you heard about the suppression war in the Lilac Corridor and Black Serpent Bay?" Charles VIII always valued efficiency and spoke bluntly after exchanging pleasantries.
Shapipé naturally understood His Majesty the King's character very well: "The nobles in the Lilac Corridor witnessed Black Serpent Bay helping the Thousand River Valley rebels drive out the church, and were greatly angered, so they brought the suppression war forward."
"I heard people say that the Thousand River Valley army used a special catapult that could launch iron balls five miles away?"
"Hahaha, Your Majesty, these soldiers, they just like to exaggerate. In my opinion, it's only good for seven or eight hundred steps at most." Shapipé naturally covered it up with a laugh.
Holding the bone china teacup, Charles VIII nodded thoughtfully, drinking the tea unconsciously as if he was absent-minded.
After about three minutes, when Shapipé was a little distracted, the king spoke again in a faint voice: "How many rune craftsmen are there in the Lilac Corridor?"
The so-called rune craftsmen are actually alchemists in disguise, and the essence is to cover up the nobles' secret control of local secret societies and wizards.
The nobles say that they are irreconcilable with wizards, but in reality, everyone who knows anything knows the truth.
That Barnette even knew how to secretly raise magical creatures to exchange for huge profits. Didn't these Fran nobles, who acted even more outrageously, know about it?
Similar to spices, the rune itself does not have that high value. The real value lies in the obvious blockade and suppression, so it can secretly obtain such high profits.
For a while, some southern nobles even tried to draw a line between themselves and the alchemists through the guise of rune craftsmen, as if they were testing the waters.
It was a pity that just as there was a little bit of a start, it was strangled by Pope Johnny VIII at the time.
Coincidentally, among the young clergy who advocated the legalization of rune craftsmen that year was Lorenzo, the fifteen-year-old prime minister at the time.
"What are you doing in a daze? Speak." Charles VIII's original cordial tone revealed a trace of impatience.
Although he didn't understand why His Majesty was asking this question, Shapipé still stammered vaguely: "There are probably about 1,000 of them, maybe."
"Send them here." Charles VIII opened his mouth decisively,扣着脸上的痤疮, "I won't pursue the matter of you starting the war without consent and causing my knights to suffer."
"Send them here? Your Highness, are you saying, send all those alchemists to Flower Hill City?"
"Or what else?" Charles VIII said coldly, as if he was talking about someone else. "Your family has been manipulating the spice trade for so many years, don't you think I don't know? Or do you think everyone has no objections?"
Shapipé instantly felt countless thorns rising from the velvet cushion, making him uneasy: "This war... then we... but... it's a suppression war..."
"Who said it was a suppression war?" Charles VIII's mouth curved into a mocking arc. "Grandiva did not receive your notice."
Shapipé's hair stood on end, and he wanted to argue, but could only force a smile and say: "The opportunity must not be lost, our messengers may not have arrived yet, maybe we will receive the notice in the next few days..."
"How is the garden at home?" Charles VIII interrupted him again, asking about the topic just now.
Shapipé, who had been wondering what Charles VIII meant by asking the question, finally realized it at this time. His mouth opened and closed constantly like a goldfish, and after a long time, he murmured: "No, Your Highness, you can't do this... I have shed blood for the royal family, I have made contributions to the empire..."
"You can choose, whether I announce it or you announce it." Charles VIII no longer had the warmth he had when Shapipé first entered, and looked at him coldly.
As a nail in the Lilac Corridor in the court, and a capable cadre of the Old Party in the court, it was impossible not to take advantage of the storm of this spice war to drive him down.
As long as this nail is removed, the Lilac Corridor will not be completely in the dark about the court, but it will not be as well-informed as in the past.
This news was almost a bolt from the blue, making Shapipé unable to speak. He was well aware that at least half of the Lilac Corridor's forces were in Black Serpent Bay, and if Charles VIII was really determined to take action at this time, then the Lilac Corridor would really have no ability to resist.
Although he disliked the New Party, who were political enemies, Shapipé had to admit that the Royal Constitution Cavalry they trained were much more combat-effective than those country knights.
Curled up in the chair, Shapipé struggled for a long time before squeezing out an ugly smile on his grieving face: "My family's garden hasn't been taken care of for a long time, please allow me to take a vacation to go home and repair the garden where I will retire after retirement."
"You are a loyal and good minister, I will not forget the contributions you have made." Charles VIII immediately stood up. "What is due to you will not be less."
After Shapipé closed the study door, Charles VIII immediately heard the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground and the exclamations of the servants.
Holding the teacup and walking to the window, watching Shapipé being carried by the servants towards the residence of the court physician, Charles VIII muttered to himself: "Hown, Hown, you really are a surprise every day."