When Talleyrand personally carried Laing's letter from the overland route to Fort Marlin, even a fool would know the seriousness of the problem.
As a foreign affairs minister who was very afraid of death, when he was asked by Laing to deliver the letter, he was very reluctant, but he could not refuse, so he could only put on a long face. He was even a little angry and told Laing, "Your Majesty, when you need a lamp, the servants will not bring a sofa."
"But I need you. I believe that when I need you, Talleyrand, you can be a lamp or a sofa." This was Suria's answer.
Talleyrand did not say anything more and agreed to deliver the letter and investigate the matter. For convenience and as fast as possible, he only brought a few servants. Since Lingard happened to be behind Berchemund, Laing asked Lingard to escort Talleyrand to Fort Marlin.
They arrived at Dale-Angoulang by ship. In Kurona, one man and three horses galloped for six days. Talleyrand and the others finally arrived at the outskirts of Fort Marlin.
At this time, Fort Marlin seemed to be covered with a very dark shadow. Since the last time it was robbed by the Brittany, Fort Marlin had become a lot more desolate. Now that there was news that there seemed to be a Chaos fleet approaching from the Claw Sea, Fort Marlin was even more panicked. However, when the people of Fort Marlin saw the dozens of meters high city wall, the pointed wizard towers, the hundreds of battleships and the legendary mercenaries docked in the port, they immediately felt relieved.
Let them come!
After getting off the horse, Talleyrand was still complaining in his heart. The lame man really did not want to do this difficult task. He had just made up his mind to deliver the letter and find out the situation before running away. On the other hand, Lingard looked at the city wall and the dozens of cannons on it with great interest. The 28-year-old knight of the Holy Grail said with great interest, "It's not easy to have a chance. Great-grandfather never allowed us to come here."
"Here? Fort Marlin? " Talleyrand looked at the young knight of the Holy Grail. Of course, he knew that the knight of the Holy Grail, who was nicknamed "Emperor Lin," was not only born in a famous family, but also proved his ability. He had won the Holy Grail at such a young age, so naturally, he had the brightest future. Therefore, the lame man was happy to chat with him. "Actually, it's just a little more prosperous than Bordro, a little more treacherous than those big merchants, and has more goods."
"Is that so?" As soon as he entered the city, Lingard was shocked by the world in front of him. Two rows of tall houses and extremely crowded streets greeted him. There was an endless stream of people and dozens of open shops. It was a vitality that he did not feel in Bastogne. People were hawking, discussing, trading, and a large number of caravans and fleets were moving back and forth on the roads and waterways in the city. What made Lingard even more interested was that there were many gorgeously dressed women standing at the entrance of many alleys. As soon as they saw Talleyrand and the others, they could not help but wave. The most important ones were Talleyrand, who was wearing a set of crimson Brittany aristocratic robe and a full set of chainmail and breastplate, a golden cross helmet with a red dragon statue hanging on his waist, and a robe and cloak with the Holy Grail pattern.
There were also young girls on the street who took the initiative to send flowers with various addresses and their names mixed in with the flowers.
On the entire street, people were strung together by ropes and carrying wooden plaques behind their backs. They were moving forward under the whips of the patrols and guards. There were men and women, old and young, crying, numb, confused, and those who were too hungry to walk. The more chaotic the era was, the more profits the profiteers could make.
"I heard that since the fall of Kislöw, a large number of Kislöw beauties have been wandering among the people, and they are very willing to marry Brittany." Lingard and Talleyrand accepted the little note, and the Knight of the Holy Grail said lively, "The people in Bastogne always say that there are a large number of blonde girls crying and shouting to marry Brittany, and they are afraid that the Brittany will look down on them."
"Want to marry Brittany (×)."
"Want to marry a Brittany noble, at least a soldier or above, especially a Knight of the Holy Grail and an Old Guard like you who was born in a Red Dragon Duke family (√)."
Talleyrand corrected Lingard's words with a smile, and the tall lame man laughed.
"The beauties of the fallen Kislöw all want to marry Brittany and admire the charm of the knighthood culture (×)."
"A country bumpkin who has no house and no land and feels good about himself wants to marry a young, beautiful blonde girl for free (√)."
"Hahahahaha!" Lingard and Talleyrand looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Lingard told Talleyrand that his great-grandfather, Berchemund, recently got about seven or eight young and beautiful Kislöw beauties in Bastogne's private manor. Berchemund let them dress up as bunny girls and dance for him, and then take turns to serve him wine. The old duke liked this the most, and when Lingard came back, Berchemund also let him enjoy it once. Of course, only a few of the beauties could stay and become part of the old duke's harem, and most of them would be replaced after three to five years of service.
Talleyrand told Lingard that he had an entire team of maids in his manor, and 80% of them were Kislöw beauties. He had always enjoyed these beauties as he pleased, and when they were about 25 years old, Talleyrand would pay them a severance fee and let them pack up and leave. These Kislöw beauties would often find a free and honest man in Muxilon and marry him.
The moment they finished talking, Talleyrand and Lingard suddenly had an indescribable tacit understanding and telepathy that only men could have. Both of them couldn't help but reach out and hold each other's hands tightly.
From today onwards, we are comrades!
"Let me guess, this kind of talk is especially popular among the people, especially the serfs?" Talleyrand said with a smile. "Because people are especially willing to believe in things that are beneficial to them and can be reaped without sowing. People tend to be inclined to …"
"Yes." Lingard made a face and wriggled his body on the street to perform a Breton dance. "Don't you think I'm full of charm when I'm like this?"
"You? You, Lin Huang, are full of charm in front of those Kislöw beauties even if you do a handstand. " Talleyrand twitched the corner of his mouth. "Holy Grail Knight, Red Dragon Bloodline, Supreme Pontiff Circling the Evil Lands, infinite arrogance."
"What about you?" Lingard chuckled.
"I'm an elf, a High Elf." Talleyrand smiled very sincerely. "That's enough."
Lin Huang's face suddenly fell. He had already seen how much advantage and charm the High Elves had over humans in terms of race alone.
Talleyrand had made a lot of achievements in diplomacy ever since he worked for His Majesty, the Sun King. One of his biggest advantages was that he was a High Elf, and it was said that he was a member of the High Elf Family. Because of this, even the nobles who suppressed him would give him enough respect on account of his status as a High Elf and the Sun King's close minister.
There was no point in continuing this topic.
The famous Shield Street did not seem to be as prosperous as it used to be. It was the gathering place of all the large merchant guilds, guilds, and churches in Marlinburg. When Talleyrand and Lingard arrived at the Shield Street, the private army and mercenaries of the merchant guilds were everywhere to maintain order. When they saw Talleyrand and his party appear, the private army could not help but show disgust on their faces, but it quickly turned into fear. After a quick check of the documents, they let them pass.
When they arrived at the Marlinburg City Council Hall, they could not enter because of the meeting. Muller, Duke Schulz's deputy, came out to greet Talleyrand and Lingard. He brought them to the reception room and told them the latest news.
Soon, Talleyrand and Lingard received two important pieces of news.
First, the Marlinburg City Council received an urgent document from the Empire. The Empire, in the name of Karl-franz, requested the Marlinburg City Council to immediately purchase about 3.8 million gold marks worth of "war bonds". At the same time, they also requested to temporarily expropriate all of Marlinburg's resources and all of the gold in the bank.
This request was naturally rejected by both the upper and lower houses of Marlinburg.
"Our defense is our duty. Your defense is your duty." This was the official reply from both houses of Marlinburg.
Second, because the request for help from the Empire or the Knight King's Kingdom could not be approved, Duke Schulz chose to resign. Marlinburg was now preparing to elect a new duke. After all, Schulz's attitude was firm and he planned to leave within five days.
With that, Muller left, leaving Talleyrand and Lingard to do as they pleased.
"His Majesty asked us to send a letter. He also asked us to find out whether Marlinburg is going to defend to the death," Lingard said to Talleyrand. He was a little anxious. "But what do we do now?"
"Don't worry." Talleyrand picked up the famous Da Hong Pao tea that Schulz had imported from Aurora's Min province. "Schulz didn't pass the proposal, but the rich merchants of Marlinburg obviously didn't pass the other proposals either."
"Huh?" Lingard did not understand what Talleyrand was talking about.
"Let me tell you an Ossouin joke." Talleyrand tasted Aurora's Da Hong Pao tea. The Cripple knew that this tea was more expensive than gold in the old world. "Once, a Kaledonian asked on the streets of Lotharn what Finnuba's greatest failure was in his many years of rule."
"Immediately, someone answered, 'He didn't do anything!'"
"Then, it was the Savry who asked on the streets of Lotharn what Finnuba's greatest achievement was in his many years of rule."
"Then, almost everyone in Lotharn shouted happily, 'He didn't do anything!'"
After saying this, Talleyrand could not help but laugh. He put down the teacup and said, "Marlinburg is Lotharn, a society dominated by business and capital. The big capitalists and the rich always have the same idea: they always expect things to get better on their own, they always expect things to get better, they always expect less investment and more output."
"I still don't get it," Lingard continued to express his confusion.
Talleyrand suddenly felt bored. Talking to Lingard was not as interesting as talking to Laing. Usually, when he talked to Laing about the classic Ossouin joke, Laing would have understood it completely, but this Grail Knight in front of him was too inexperienced.
Talleyrand hated to say things out loud. The tall cripple thought for a moment and changed his analogy. "Let me give you another example. My predecessor and teacher Arsène once went to Nippon and served as a military adviser there for a while. Do you know how the famous retainers and merchants there faced problems and made mistakes?"
"Actually, it's very simple. The classic three-part set: apologize, bow, and sit down." Talleyrand continued, "Then it's fine. They don't have to do anything. Basically, nothing has changed. They'll do it again next time."
Now, Lingard understood a little. He used the most classic dwarf saying, "If something is not broken, don't fix it?"
"Not necessarily." Talleyrand thought that Lingard finally understood what he meant. He played with his luxurious crutch and said, "I think we'll know the answer soon."
"The answer is … nothing has changed. They won't ask for help, they won't agree to the Empire's request for help, and they won't run away. Everything will proceed as usual." Schultz strode in from the outside. The Grand Duke of Marlinburg was obviously very angry and deeply disappointed. He sat down on the sofa and scolded, "88% of the citizens of Marlinburg who have more than 1,000 gold coins think that we should immediately ask for help from the Empire or at least strengthen the city's defense on a large scale. However, only 12% of the people think that those things are 'unnecessary costs'. Unfortunately, Mr. Talleyrand, and this Knight of the Holy Grail, these 12% of the people in the upper and lower houses are the majority."
"My Grand Duke …"
"I'm not a Grand Duke anymore."
"You still are." Talleyrand paused for a moment and then said, "That's normal, isn't it? Two-eighty percent of the population controls 80% of the wealth. "
"In Marlin Castle, 13% of the population controls 86% of the wealth." Shultz corrected Talleyrand's estimation. He took the letter from Talleyrand. Laing's letter did not contain much. He glanced at it and nodded slightly. "That's fine."
"That's fine?" Talleyrand asked.
"In the upper and lower houses, it can be said that most people are not willing to give up their wealth." Shultz sighed. "The truly valuable things in Marlin Castle have never been the gold, weapons, jewelry, or rare items in the bank or the chamber of commerce. It's the fixed assets and channel resources, such as real estate, supply channels, trade channels, and fixed business contracts. If we want to withdraw, most people's wealth will be greatly reduced. Now that we've decided to reject the request for help, I'll ask which members are willing to withdraw."
"Then, Marlin Castle is planning to defend to the death?" Talleyrand asked the most important question.
"That's right." Shultz nodded. "Most people don't plan to change anything. They won't ask for help, won't withdraw, and won't recruit or build a new army. However, they won't do nothing. Isn't there still dozens of legendary mercenary groups, pirate privateers, armed sailors, city defense forces, and three land ships from Nur? The council plans to mobilize all of them. "
"Can they resist the Army of Chaos with just these?" Lingard asked, puzzled.
"Other than that, there are walls dozens of meters high, countless cannons, six wizard towers, and hundreds of warships docked at the docks," Shultz added. Schultz added, "Everyone thinks that the city is not that weak. There is also an army, a large ogre army, and the legendary ogre warlord, Big Stomach. The council thinks that if necessary, they can hire them to protect the city. Marlinburg has the ability to protect itself, at any time."
"This has also greatly affected the perception of most merchants and citizens. Ever since the great Holy War, Marlin Castle has never been in a defensive battle."
"Then, my Grand Duke, do you plan to leave with us?" Talleyrand asked.
The Marlin Castle branch of the Nymphs of the Lake, as well as a large number of Brittany merchants and other personnel, would leave Marlin Castle with Talleyrand.
"Give me five days." Shultz nodded. "Blackbeard Teach, the Mannen Blade, and I, as well as the rich merchants who are willing to leave with us, will sell all of our real estate within four days and follow you to Brittany."
"Retreat to Brittany, not the Empire?" Lingard asked without thinking.
"Everyone thinks that Brittany is safer now," Shultz smiled. Schultz smiled. "From top to bottom, the general consensus is that if they retreated to the Empire … their enormous wealth would either be expropriated or confiscated."
"Then, if you're in a hurry to sell your real estate, you'll definitely lose a lot, right?" Lingard asked.
"Greatly reduced, but … at least there's still tomorrow." Shultz nodded heavily. "Okay, that's it!"
At the end of April, 2525 of the Empire calendar, Grand Duke Shultz of Marlin Castle resigned, and the new Grand Duke Valverde took over. The first thing Valverde did when he took over was to launch a "war donation" and tell everyone not to panic. The invasion of Chaos was "preventable and controllable."
Valverde once again rejected the Empire's request for help, and he did not intend to ask for help from the Empire or the Knight King's Kingdom. However, the new Grand Duke and the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament tried to hire and gather all the mercenary groups near Marlin Castle.
"Beep, Meituan Field has a new order, Marlin Castle's real-time order!"
The mercenaries were gathered.
At the same time, Grand Duke Shultz of Marlin Castle, Viscount Casanova, president of the Gentlemen's League, and Bernard Arnott, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Louis Vuitton, as well as six wealthy businessmen in the Lower House of Commons decided to give up their positions as members of parliament, sell all their real estate in Marlin Castle, and retreat to Brittany.
When entering the border of Curona, Viscount Casanova made a fool of himself. Because he deliberately kept a low profile, his clothes were not outstanding, and he did not like to talk. He even wore a classic dock worker's cap on his head, the border officer thought that he was a worker, so he stopped him and asked, "Excuse me, do you have any special skills? We don't want people who only know how to sell their strength here. "
"Me?" Viscount Casanova was stunned.
"Yes, you. Do you have any special skills?"
"I'm very rich."
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