Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 611: Eat at the table
"It's been really busy here lately." Zhu Wenkui couldn't help but sigh on the way, "The last time it was this chaotic was probably when we first got here. So it looks like a new round of war is about to begin."

"I heard from Captain Jessica that they are organizing a meeting of the leaders of the various rebel forces in their hometown." Captain Lucas told him: "I'm not sure about other places, but I think there will definitely be a fight over there."

"The last time my father wrote to me, he only said that the progress was smooth and that wherever the king's army went, the people would give them food and drink and wholeheartedly welcome them. But after so many years, he always boasted like this." Zhu Wenkui scratched his head: "I don't know how prepared they are."

"Don't underestimate His Majesty the old King Wu. I know a lot of mercenaries in the German region. I heard from them that many people support him." Captain Lucas advised: "I just learned a proverb recently, which is... Three years of silence, then a sudden roar will surprise. Although the old King Wu didn't take any major actions before, he has been accumulating strength, which may be more beneficial."

“That being said, I’m not sure if it will work…” Zhu Wenkui himself obviously had no confidence in his father.

"I think everyone else is very confident. Not to mention Captain Jessica and the others, even the people from the Ming mainland are the same." Captain Lucas told him: "Last time, Master Daoyan came to us and asked about the recent situation of King Wu. While chatting, he asked us what theory King Wu used to govern the country. Captain Jessica and the others honestly said that King Wu himself said that he governed the country according to Zhou Li. Master Daoyan shook his head and sneered after hearing this."

"Hey, the old monk is very smart." Zhu Wenkui shook his head helplessly: "If Zhou Li was useful, Wang Mang would have succeeded at that time, and there was no need to wait until today. Today, any knowledgeable people will only think that we are pedantic and brainless. After so many years, we have no practical experience. Look, now we are laughed at by others."

"Your Highness, I haven't finished yet." Captain Lucas quickly explained: "Later, he investigated again and found himself dumbfounded."

"Captain Jieshika and I were drinking with his guards that time, and we heard them joking about how Master Daoyan was very surprised during that period, and kept saying, 'How can this be possible?' Later, he recovered quickly, but often told people around him that this was also a test called 'knowledge barrier'. It seems that it is right to go on a long journey." He learned the words he heard to Zhu Wenkui:
"I actually want to know how he investigated. But the guards there are very tight-lipped, unlike the guards of my old lord, who can get everything out of me with just two bottles of wine. So, I don't know what they investigated."

“This is all possible…” Zhu Wenkui himself was a little surprised that he could scare the old monk.

"Now in the Shinra territory, many people come to us to join us. The situation is indeed very good." Captain Lucas continued, "And Ms. Jeanna said that not only are there people who come directly to join us, but there are also many rebel armies that are not established by us but are also under the banner of Ming or Wu, and are active all over the mainland."

"The last time they held a meeting, it was said that there were eighteen rebel armies, all of which came to participate. The smallest ones only had three to five hundred people, similar to the common refugee groups. The largest ones had several thousand people, and even the local nobles took the lead in joining. Everyone decided to respect King Wu as a feudal lord, help the Ming Dynasty, and fight against the common enemy together. I estimate that if a war really breaks out, there will be even more people like this."

"Also, over the years, many people who rebelled have liked to claim that they are the descendants of the King of Wu. This statement was very useful at one time, but now, more and more people have seen the King of Wu, and everyone sees that you look obviously different, something is wrong. So, many people have started to change their words."

"I heard from the princess consort that, taking advantage of this current situation, many people claiming to be the youngest son of the King of Wu have come to the palace on their own initiative, wanting to worship the King of Wu as their godfather and to establish the title of 'Prince Zhu San'. The palace was also very confused at first and thought it was too weird."

"But Mr. Huang and Mr. Qi believe that the scriptures say that the ancient sage King Wen of Zhou had a hundred sons. This was a blessing he received because of his high morals and excellent performance as a monarch, which was in line with the will of Heavenly Father. In fact, King Wen of Zhou only had ten sons born to his legal wives and seven sons born to his mistresses. The others were actually his adopted sons. The number is not necessarily exactly a hundred, but it means that he was supported by everyone, so many people respected him and recognized him as their father. That's why there is such a saying."

"Now, so many people are willing to recognize the King of Wu as their foster father. This is a good omen, and there is no need to shirk it. As long as anyone is willing to abide by the rites of the Ming Dynasty, they can accept it. When the King of Wu heard that this was also in line with the Zhou rites, he was very happy and agreed to this suggestion. So during this period of time, many people like the Third Prince Zhu suddenly appeared. Didn't two people come to visit the day before yesterday? You were not there at the time, so they went to find the princess. They came to see you, the eldest brother."

"Ah?" Zhu Wenkui wondered, "Those two are much bigger than me, right?"

"Maybe in name only." Captain Lucas didn't quite understand: "I don't quite understand the rules of the Ming Dynasty, but this time, you do have a lot of brothers and sisters in name only - from an old man who fishes to a little girl who works on the land. I think you'll see them all in the future."

Zhu Wenkui was a bit confused by the sudden appearance of a bunch of brothers and sisters he had never seen before. However, if all these people ran to Dadu, the palace would definitely be a scene of many talented people. He thought about it and decided that it would be best to ignore it.

"This kind of thing... since my father has agreed, let my mother take care of it." Zhu Wenkui said decisively: "I don't think I can handle it..."

"It's better for you to meet them. I think Captain Jessica and Ms. Jeanna also have the same idea." Captain Lucas advised: "There should be no need to do anything. Now there is a banner and a certification. It is enough to implement the matter and avoid misunderstandings in the future."

"I'm actually more weird than Master Daoyan." Zhu Wenkui shook his head and said, "Why is my family's name so popular all of a sudden? First, Princess Jeanne tried her best to snatch me away, and then these people came to join in the fun. Are these false names really that useful?"

"That depends on the situation. What everyone needs right now is this kind of title." Captain Lucas thought for a moment and replied.

"If you want to organize a group of people, you have to give them something to look forward to. Otherwise, why would they listen to you? Therefore, if you want to accomplish something, you have to have a name and then make promises to everyone. Don't think this is empty. Here, the king and nobles also make empty promises all day long. I encountered many such things when I was organizing mercenaries before."

"Although the Ming Dynasty is far away, its reputation is much better than that of the local nobles. The King of Wu not only promised money, he was willing to promise official positions and titles, which far exceeded others. So, of course, everyone was happy to listen to him."

"I can understand that, but why do people have to rely on an existing monarch?" Zhu Wenkui asked curiously, "I know my family's situation well. Although we insisted on our status at that time, everyone knew that we were so poor that we had to beg for food. Europe is so big, there should be many people who are more powerful and wealthy than us. Why don't they establish themselves as kings and insist on nominating my father as monarch? I don't understand their thinking very well, so I don't know if they can be trusted."

"It's impossible that all those who come to seek refuge are saints. There must be many ambitious people among them. But if these people can be used well, they are also resources." Captain Lucas said without hesitation: "At least, they must recognize the authority of King Wu. Maybe they will use some means to fight for power, but there is really no other claimant to the title of King Wu. I think this point is still very credible."

"You also want to claim this..." Zhu Wenkui muttered, "Is bloodline the only way to inherit the throne? Emperors and kings are all born nobles. Is it impossible without bloodline?" "That's right." Captain Lucas nodded, "Look at Hungary and Naples. Even if the bloodline is a little weak, everyone will feel dissatisfied and think that the new king is not worthy of loyalty. What about people without bloodline?"

"Uh……"

"Well, everyone needs a banner to increase their persuasiveness. It doesn't matter whether the banner is true or not. As long as everyone believes it and it's persuasive, that's enough. Besides, your story is not fake in the first place." Captain Lucas comforted him:
"We have no shortage of people or warriors who want to resist tyranny. It's just that the nobles can quickly organize themselves through traditional kinship and loyalty relationships, but it's difficult for the common people to do the same. We also know that there is no evidence for the official positions of the King of Wu. And everyone really doesn't understand the rules of the Central Plains. God knows what they mean. But through these official positions, everyone did quickly organize themselves and build a system that can work, manage the place, and recruit troops. So even if this official position was originally made up by him, it is now real."

"That does make sense." Zhu Wenkui nodded. "I hope everything goes well over there. It seems that the Great Qin Kingdom is about to have a war. If we can cooperate, it should be good for everyone."

"Everyone has been saying lately that the King of Naples won't live long," Captain Lucas said. "I know a few Italian mercenary managers, and I talked to a few Florentines a few days ago. They said that the king's chosen successor, his sister, is also a waste."

"This woman is most famous for her promiscuity. She has many lovers - and all of them are playboys and bootlickers who are only good at talking but have no ability at all. Italy is a piece of fat meat that many powerful countries are eyeing. It is definitely impossible to survive by relying on these people. I guess she may not even need to take the initiative to attack. Because it won't be long before she has to take the initiative to give up national interests and attract the Romans to help maintain her rule."

"Can't she win support from other countries? There are more major countries around her than just this side," said Zhu Wenkui.

"The princes of the Holy Roman Empire are now unable to take care of themselves, and the Kingdom of Aragon is aiming to replace them. Hungary has already collapsed, and the French royal family is facing a lot of internal and external troubles." Captain Lucas replied: "Besides us, probably only the great nobles in southern France can help. But they all think that the Bourbon family seems to want to take over themselves, so they probably have no choice but to seek support from the Romans."

"You know so much." Zhu Wenkui exclaimed.

"Hey, this is a skill that can help you make a living." Captain Lucas said with a wry smile, "As a mercenary, it is also important to stand in line - especially in Italy, where it may even be more important than combat ability. If you want to stand in line and follow the winner, you have to learn more."

"That's right." Zhu Wenkui nodded. "But I thought before that the French royal family had the ability to intervene personally like last time. When Princess Jeanne told us before, it seemed to mean this..."

"She's just bragging." Captain Lucas shook his head. "It was possible 20 years ago, but not now. When Charles V just died, the French were able to compete with England and even gain an advantage thanks to his wealth. They could definitely reach out to Italy. But the next king, Charles VI, was a psychopath and couldn't manage the country at all. His regents also had their own ulterior motives."

"Originally, Charles V organized a group of low-ranking nobles and clergy to serve as his advisors. This advisory group, known as the 'Malmuseet Council', was directly responsible to the king and helped him govern. Before his death, he left these confidants to his son, hoping that they would continue to help him fight against the great nobles. But the council itself was heavily dependent on the king and had no independent legal principles and power of its own. So after Charles VI fell ill, the Malmuseet Council lost the king's support and protection and was soon disbanded by several great nobles who served as regents."

"When Charles VI was not completely crazy, he even appointed his wife as regent in order to deal with his uncles. But judging from the results, this was a complete disaster."

"His queen, Isabeau, is from the Wittelsbach family, which is from our Bavaria. She lived an extravagant life. In order to enjoy herself, she raised taxes on the people many times, which made the citizens and farmers extremely disgusted. She also had no political acumen and foresight. She just jumped back and forth between the various factions based on her own preferences, and finally offended both the Orleans faction and the Burgundy faction."

"I heard that this person even has a bad relationship with his own sons. To be honest, I don't know how he did it. There is a prophecy circulating among the French people now, saying that the country will be destroyed by a woman and saved by another woman. Everyone says that the woman who destroys the country should be her. Judging from her performance, this is probably not an exaggeration. With her around, the royal family probably can't spare the energy to take care of other things."

"So exaggerated..." Zhu Wenkui exclaimed, "She looks like the French Wu Zetian. I don't know what's wrong with her. Why do they look so similar?"

"I guess it's not all her personal problem. The atmosphere in France is not very good." Captain Lucas commented: "When she was in her hometown, I didn't see her do anything out of line. But after arriving in France and suddenly gaining power, this woman went crazy - even more harmful than her truly crazy husband."

"Environmental issues?" Zhu Wenkui asked.

"Yes, you see the French princess before, she is also a very troublesome person." Captain Lucas said: "The environment in France is probably in line with their predictions - they take women too seriously. This can indeed breed heroines, but more often, it will definitely breed these kind of ladies who have no ability but think they are very powerful, and end up being willful and incompetent."

"Nobles live a life of luxury. If they lack pressure when they are young, it is easy for them to develop this kind of personality. Male nobles are already a headache. Women's emotions are unstable, and the consequences will only be more serious, causing more trouble for the country."

"When we were there, the situation was better because we were stricter with women. Didn't Isabeau like extravagance and waste, holding court banquets every day? But in our German region, women are not allowed to dine with men during formal banquets. So there are fewer such messes." He spread his hands and said, "I think it was the French who let her sit at the table to eat and spoiled her."

"I think the French should legislate to prohibit the selection of queens from Germany." He sighed: "If this happens again, I'm afraid they will suffer."

Zhu Wenkui had never studied these things before, and didn't know how to comment on them. But after thinking about the big things Princess Ranna had done before, he felt that this might really make sense, and nodded helplessly.

(End of this chapter)