Similar to the ultimatum issued by the three princes five days ago, what was written on the parchment scroll was also a declaration of war.
No…
Compared with the ultimatum that nominally gave a "surrender deadline", the declaration of war on the parchment was more direct.
In it, Charlotte de Castell formally declared war on the Duchy of Bold in the name of Count Castell and Viscount Northport, and the war goal was the independence of Castell and the recovery of the de jure territory of Tulip.
If that were all, the third prince would only smile sarcastically.
After all, this is not the first time in history that Castel has wanted independence and to take back the Tulip Territory that was originally divided away by the Bold family.
The Bold family even took the opportunity of the pioneering classification to raise the Tulip Territory to the earl level, even though its actual size was not much larger than the Viscount of North Port.
Although there were not many cases of independence among the vassals of noble lords, they were definitely not rare.
What really changed the Third Prince's expression was something else written on the parchment scroll...
That's why Castres declared independence and declared war -
The actual ruler of the Principality of Boulder, the third prince Philip, colluded with the Blood Demon Cult, attacked Earl Castel, instigated rebellion in the North, intended to forcibly annex Castel and deprive all the northern nobles of their titles!
This is a severe accusation.
Whether it was colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, attacking noble lords, or forcibly annexing vassal territories to expand direct jurisdiction, it could be said that it was a serious violation of the provisions of the Sacred Code and the political correctness of the Crescent Kingdom, and offended the Holy Royal Court, the kingdom's lords, and the noble vassals respectively.
Not to mention, the implicit hints between the lines of the parchment scroll almost exposed the Third Prince Philip's plan to expand his power by seizing Castel's territory in order to seize the Crescent throne.
This almost directly reveals the true nature of Xinyue’s current political situation.
You know, although King Louis V seemed dissatisfied with the current heir, he did not issue an order to deprive him of the right of inheritance and replace the heir (of course, many nobles would not agree with him doing so).
Strictly speaking, the confrontation between the two princes was not put on the table, but was in a well-known but not hostile form.
Ultimately, it is the Crescent King who makes the final decision on who will be the heir.
But the accusations in Charlotte's letter of challenge were different.
Exposing the Third Prince's purpose and laying everything on the table will definitely be a heavy blow to the authority and legitimacy of the Third Prince's faction.
And the most crucial thing is that the accusations on the parchment are not groundless.
Count Gaston, who was once the commander of Bold, personally admitted many facts and listed a lot of evidence.
Not only that, the nobles among the rebels captured by Castel also confessed that the third prince supported the rebellion in the North and did have dealings with the Blood Demon Cult.
Although all the evidence and accusations were not enough to completely crush the Third Prince, they basically confirmed what he had done...
This is much more powerful than the third prince's "ultimatum", which is not strictly speaking legal.
The most interesting thing is that the third prince’s “ultimatum” has, in a sense, become evidence in the declaration of war.
"Asshole! Traitor! Idiot who betrays his own people! Bitch who overestimates her own abilities!"
After reading the parchment scroll tremblingly, the third prince tore it into pieces angrily and cursed.
Looking at Philip, whose features were twisted in anger, Count Lint sighed and said:
"Your Highness, news has also come from my father that this letter of war has been sent to the capital by the Mage Tower in the North, causing an uproar."
"It is said that those conservative nobles who have smelled something have filed complaints to the Council of Nobles one after another, demanding a thorough investigation of the accusations in the letter of challenge."
"Many nobles in the kingdom who are inclined towards you have also expressed their concerns directly or indirectly."
"Even the parish priest of the Holy Royal Court sent a priest to inquire about this matter with the Noble Council. If it weren't for the fact that the royal family has certain immunity and His Majesty the King has always been at odds with the church, otherwise... I'm afraid the trial knights of the Inquisition have already been dispatched."
After hearing what Count Lint said, the third prince's face became even uglier.
He stared at Count Lindt and asked:
"So... my dear uncle, what is the position of the Bois-Lint family?"
Count Lindt sighed:
"Your Highness, the moment we decided to send troops, we were in the same boat with you."
As he spoke, his expression became serious and he continued:
"Your Highness, the conservative nobles will not miss this opportunity to attack you. They will definitely unite to put pressure on His Majesty the King, and the church is likely to get involved as well."
"Although His Majesty has acquiesced to our actions, if the nobles and the church unite, even His Majesty will have to give in..."
After hearing what Count Lint said, the third prince's eyes darkened slightly.
He squinted at the other person and asked:
"So... my uncle, what do you mean?"
Count Lindt sighed:
"From the perspective of the family, in the best case scenario, I would prefer to suspend the dispatch of troops, so as to avoid us becoming completely opposed to the kingdom's nobles."
"Castel is just your stepping stone. Our goal is to support you in inheriting the Crescent Moon. If you want to inherit the throne, you must win the support of the nobles..."
The third prince looked unhappy:
"Give up sending troops? Give up Castel? My uncle, do you know how long I have been preparing for this day? If you give up this opportunity, there will be no chances in the future!"
"Since you know that this is the tacit consent of the father, you should also know that this is also a test! If I can't take down Castel under the pressure of the church and eliminate the possibility of the ownership of the North falling into the hands of the church, then... in his eyes, maybe I'm out!"
Count Lint sighed again:
"Of course I know, so... I said it was 'the most ideal situation'. In fact, as you said, we don't have any way out. After all, you are the second heir. Losing the support of the conservative nobles may not mean you can't seize the throne, but losing the support of His Majesty will definitely make you lose hope."
"So... we have to act quickly."
"Your Highness, we don't have much time left. If we still want to capture Castel, we must speed up our actions and capture the Northland and North Harbor before the Noble Council and the Holy Royal Court react."
"The longer we wait, the greater the uncertainty. The Noble Council may bypass His Majesty's ban and provide assistance to the North. The Holy Royal Court may also intervene. Even our nobles may waver."
"Fortunately, we are not without a chance of winning. The northern army cannot compete with us. We will definitely win. The key is how long it will take."
"However, I think you should put aside your idea of uprooting the northern nobles. If we want to win a quick victory, we must avoid unnecessary consumption and it would be best if we can gain their support."
After hearing what Count Lint said, the third prince frowned and thought.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and asked:
"The nobles in the army don't know what's in this declaration of war, right?"
Count Lint glanced in the direction of the army and said:
"I don't know yet, but... every family has its own contact information, so we'll know sooner or later."
The third prince thought for a moment and said:
"Suppress the news and draft a letter in response to Castel, completely refuting her accusations to buy us some time."
"Spread the news to the nobles of the North. Those who pledge allegiance in my name can retain their titles and territories. The contract tax will be reduced by one third, and the deprivation of titles will only be limited to the Castel family."
"Rest here and attack immediately tomorrow morning!"