Count Gaston's rhythmic voice sank into the tent like an elemental bomb, echoing in the hearts of the northern nobles.
For a moment, the camp was silent, and the only thing that could be seen was the changing expressions of the northern nobles.
But soon, the silence was replaced by rising discussions, and the whispered discussions soon turned into noisy discussions.
There is no doubt that everything Gaston described was far beyond the expectations of the Northern nobles, so much so that they were thrown into confusion for a while.
Since the end of the Star-Moon War, Castel has been peaceful for too long, so peaceful that even an extremely suspicious rebellion could not alert the northern nobles.
As a major taxpayer of the Principality of Boulder and the Crescent Royal Family's "partner" in the mithril mines, the northern nobles could never have imagined that the royal family would actually take action against Castel.
Absurd, shocking, angry, confused, horrified...
Various expressions appeared on the faces of different nobles.
Charlotte took in all the nobles' expressions and was not surprised.
Although the nobles of Castel swore allegiance to her, to be honest, it was far from being truly sincere.
It is more likely that they simply gathered under the banner of the Castel family due to the inertia of family and history.
At most... coupled with the fairly decent cohesion and deterrence that Charlotte has demonstrated since she took over the territory.
This kind of loyalty does not mean there is no way out, but loyalty with a way out is actually quite fragile.
Perhaps when the Legris family rebelled, fellow northern nobles would have gathered around Charlotte in indignation, but when the rebellion spread to higher-level lords, everything... was different.
Just as the Sacred Code stipulates - "My vassal's vassal is not my vassal", as the lord of Bolder, the third prince who became the Duke of Bolder through marriage did not have a direct feudal obligation relationship with the northern nobles.
Charlotte is a vassal of the three princes, and the northern nobles are vassals of Charlotte.
When the northern nobles met the third prince, they only needed to perform aristocratic etiquette, and there was no need to perform the monarch-subject etiquette like they did when facing Charlotte.
This is true of feudal obligations, and it is also true of contradictions.
In other words, when Charlotte, a vassal of Bold, came into conflict with the Duke of Bold, the conflict generally did not spread to the next level.
In the human history of the Miria world, wars between lords and vassals are not uncommon.
After defeating a vassal, the lord would usually just take back or redistribute the vassal's direct territory. As for the lower-level nobles under the vassal, unless there was a reasonable reason, they would not be liquidated for participating in the rebellion.
Even in a vassal war, if the nobles loyal to the vassal made the higher-level lords hate them, as long as the nobles immediately swear allegiance to the higher-level lord the moment he wins, the higher-level lord will not have the power to take action against the surrendered nobles.
The reason and justification are very simple, it is still "my vassal is not my vassal".
Because these lower-level nobles were "not my vassals" but "vassals of my vassals", it was reasonable for them to participate in the vassal's rebellion and they were fulfilling their noble obligations stipulated in the Sacred Code.
After the higher-level lords won and took back their titles, these nobles who were not vassals became vassals. As long as they swore allegiance to the new lord in a timely manner, they would have fulfilled their obligations under the Sacred Code and should not continue to be held accountable for following the old lord in the rebellion.
This kind of clarified and divided power and obligation made the relationship between vassal and feudal lord extremely delicate, especially when vassal lords went to war with their feudal lords.
According to the Sacred Code, nobles could unscrupulously support their feudal lords in their wars against higher-level feudal lords without worrying about being liquidated after the feudal lords' failure.
If we apply this to the Castel Rebellion, the northern nobles could stand on Charlotte's side without any worries and fight against the third prince.
However, this is only in theory.
The Sacred Code seemed to have solved the worries of minor nobles in higher-level lord wars, allowing them to stand on the side of their direct lords without worries, but in fact this was not the case.
Precisely because the Holy Code protected the interests of the minor nobles, when higher-level lords went to war with their vassals, they would often give preferential treatment and various promises to the nobles under the vassal's command.
This leads to a situation—
That is, according to the code, although nobles can participate in wars between lords and lords of lords without worries, in fact, after such a higher-level war occurs, the small nobles will often become the objects of competition between both sides.
The end result is that many small nobles will not actually follow their direct lords to fight, but will tend to remain neutral, trying to please both sides, and they will help whoever is most likely to win.
The noble lords were in a miserable situation. Sometimes they could only rely on their own direct territories to fight against their own lords.
It can be said that this rule that divides the ownership of noble lords of different classes greatly limits the central authority of the noble feudal lords, and is also the brilliance of the Holy Royal Court that established the "Sacred Code".
Through this strict aristocratic system, the interests of the smaller nobles were guaranteed, and it was difficult for the feudal monarchs to achieve true centralization. Even if they possessed powerful supernatural powers, they could not threaten the foundation of the church's rule.
If we apply this to Charlotte, then there's a problem.
Perhaps the northern nobles would unanimously support her in suppressing the rebellion, but when the third prince took action against Caster, it was not certain which side the nobles would stand on.
Whether it is supporting Charlotte, the direct lord, or the higher-level Duchy of Bolder, it is actually possible.
Considering that the current Crescent King Louis V is one of the greatest monarchs since the founding of the Crescent Kingdom, as his prince and a strong contender for the throne, the third prince has obviously higher chips in this game of thrones.
Charlotte could almost predict that as long as the third prince declared war on her with a high-sounding reason and promised to protect the interests of the northern nobles after victory, many of these nobles would probably choose to remain neutral.
This is also what Charlotte was very worried about after she knew that the third prince was planning to take action against her family.
The foundation of her rule in the North is not stable. It can withstand rebellion, but not necessarily the test of war from higher lords.
Honestly speaking, if the northern nobles collectively turned against her in the war with the third prince, she would really have a headache.
To be honest, the phenomenon of vassals being able to please both sides is really disgusting for the lord.
Crescent King Louis V was determined to strengthen centralization and was disgusted by similar things during the Crescent War.
At that time, he was competing with King Henry II of the Fallen Star for the throne of the Crescent Moon. The nobles of the Crescent Moon Kingdom were wavering, trying to win both sides...
That's why Charlotte tries to avoid such situations as much as possible.
It is not realistic to control all the northern nobles like controlling Count Gaston. It is also difficult to gain the true loyalty of the nobles by relying on personal charm and interest binding. Charlotte does not want to be a lord who relies on mental control to rule the territory.
Then the best way is to make the northern nobles completely disappointed in the third prince.
If everything that Count Gaston said was not said by him personally, but was told to the nobles by Charlotte herself, perhaps many northern nobles would not believe it.
Or, although they believed it, more nobles would subconsciously think that the Third Prince's attack on Castel was only aimed at the Castel family.
For the nobles in the north, the final result of the struggle between the two sides was just a change of title, from Earl of Castel to Duke of Bold.
But now it's different.
The narrator is not Charlotte but Count Gaston, commander of the garrison at Bold.
For the northern nobles, the value and credibility behind this are different.
The Castel family might tie the northern nobles to their chariot for the sake of profit, but the Gaston family is different.
They are not nobles from the north, their territories are all in the Boulder region in the south.
Coupled with all the evidence that seems true and false, it can be said that... it is difficult not to believe the truth behind it.
"Lord Gaston, are you telling the truth? The Third Prince is planning to join forces with Violet to attack Castel? He wants to divide up Castel and make the entire Castel his own?"
There were still some nobles who refused to give up and could not help but ask further.
Count Gaston only glanced at the other party and finished the decisive move with two sentences:
"Sir, please don't forget that what our King wants most is to further strengthen the authority of the central government..."
"His Royal Highness the Third Prince is a strong contender for the throne, and the wealth of Castel is well known. If he wants to make Castel a direct jurisdiction, will His Majesty support him or not?"
There is no suspense after this is said.
The nobles seemed to be deep in thought, and each of them looked unhappy.
Yes, what His Majesty the King wants most is to strengthen the central authority.
The third prince Philippe was considered more likely to inherit the throne than the second prince François "the Pilgrim", who was not favored by the king.
Colluding with the Blood Demon Cult
To be honest, considering the delicate relationship between Louis V and the Holy Court, the nobles in the north were not sure whether this was tacitly approved by His Majesty the King.
One of the important reasons why the Blood Demon Cult is difficult to completely eradicate from the Crescent Kingdom is that many of the kingdom's nobles may secretly have inextricable ties with the Blood Demon Cult.
It doesn't necessarily mean surrender, it's more likely to be cooperation or simple exploitation.
It is the political correctness of Xinyue to completely wipe out the power of the Blood Demon Cult, but for the nobles, political correctness is just political correctness.
Of course, perhaps seeking the support of the church is one way, but the beliefs of the northern nobles are very complicated, and many are even non-believers...
Bring in the Holy Court to re-collect tithes
Give me a break.
Let alone dealing with the Third Prince, before that, perhaps many nobles in the North would take the lead in opposing it.
Seeing the nobles fall silent, Charlotte knew that the time was almost right.
She could use Count Gaston to expose the conspiracy of the third prince and stop the nobles from supporting the third prince. However, if she wanted to rally all the northern nobles to rebel against the Duchy of Bolder, she needed to let the nobles see more benefits and hope of winning.
Charlotte tapped lightly on the armrest of the seat, and the power of majesty was quietly released.
For a moment, the eyes of the northern nobles were focused on her again.
Charlotte looked around the room and said calmly:
"Everyone, although the Third Prince is powerful, we are not without hope of victory."
"Colluding with the Blood Demon Cult was ultimately the Third Prince's downfall. If this gets out, it will surely bring him tremendous pressure. And I, Castel, am not without reinforcements..."
"I have hired a mercenary corps from overseas, and they will arrive in the North soon. With our combined military strength, we will still be able to fight."
"This war is also an opportunity for us, Castel. Once we win, we will have the hope of taking back the Earldom of Tulip and completely unifying the North."
"The Earldom of Tulip is a direct territory of Bolder. After it is taken back, my Castel family will only take half of the territory and make it a direct territory. Those who have made contributions will be given corresponding fiefs."
"In addition, once we win, we can declare independence from the Principality of Bolder. Once we become independent, I, Castel, will become a direct vassal of the Crescent Kingdom."
"The contract tax for direct vassals of the kingdom is lower than that for duchies. At that time, the contract tax for each family will also be reduced accordingly. Not only that... you will also have the hope of stepping onto a higher stage and participating in various banquets held by the lords of the kingdom."
"Oh, yes, there is also the Castel Mithril Mine. The dividends that our mining workshop pays to Bolder every year are also a huge expense. From now on, we can save on that. The royal family already has the mining rights to the Mithril Mine, and they don't even look down on our little income."
"I think... this is a good result for any noble family."
After hearing Charlotte's words, the nobles' eyes lit up.
The future described by Charlotte was indeed very attractive. Although the North was rich, as a vassal of the duchy, its political status in the kingdom was still too low.
The Territory of Castel is famous for its commerce. Almost every noble family in the North has a business, and often they need to deal with various forces.
If the political status in the Crescent Kingdom could be improved, it would be a hundred benefits for every noble family.
As for the new territory and lower contract taxes, that would naturally be better.
Of course, the third prince can also promise these things.
But compared to the third prince who assassinated the kingdom's nobles, colluded with the Blood Demon Cult, and openly undermined the "Sacred Code", Charlotte is undoubtedly a more convincing figure.
And if they could defeat the third prince, they might be able to completely cut off his chances of inheriting the Crescent Kingdom.
"My Lord Earl, my Leon-Castel family is willing to follow you to quell the rebellion, unify the North, and resist the tyranny of Bolder!"
Viscount Ryan Castel took the first step forward and tremblingly performed a respectful gesture of submission towards Charlotte.
Soon, other northern nobles also knelt on one knee to express their following and submission:
"My Lord Count! Our Valais family is also willing to follow you and fight against the enemies invading Castel!"
"My Morel family swears to the Lord that we will follow Castel and resist the brutality of the Principality!"
"… "
All of a sudden, a large number of northern nobles knelt on one knee and swore an oath to Charlotte again, expressing their submission and loyalty.
Charlotte smiled at this.
She knew that the weakest link of her own territory after the war with the third prince had been made up.
After smiling, her expression quickly became solemn.
Amidst the solemnity, there is an air of majesty that is inconsistent with his childish appearance.
She gently drew out the long sword representing Lord Castel, raised it above her head, and said:
"Everyone, please remember the oath you made today."
"In that case, let's start from the banks of the Dorne River and crush these rebellious troops one by one!"