Lord of Industrialization

"That woman is so outrageous!" The Archduke of Mainz, who was nearly ninety years old, slapped the armrest of the sofa angrily, "She actually did such a thing!"

"I knew those Gauls were not good-hearted!"

Next to him, Maria kept patting his back and said softly: "Godfather, don't make yourself so angry that it's not worth it."

The Grand Duke of Mainz listened to Maria's advice, sighed and said, "Bring me a bottle of wine."

Maria went aside and poured him and Frederick a cup of tea.

Frederick was sitting on the sofa opposite. The helmet he wore when he came back from riding the dawn was still beside him, and he was holding several letters in his hand.

As he watched, he said expressionlessly: "Our Royal Highness the Crown Princess is really a talent."

The Grand Duke of Mainz snorted coldly, his face terrifyingly gloomy.

After reading the letter from Cologne, Frederick leaned on the sofa, closed his eyes, tapped the armrest with his fingers rhythmically, and started thinking.

The Helvetic Federation is located in the southwest of the Rhine League, across the lake from the Principality of Mainz. To the east is the westernmost end of the Osmaga Empire, to the northwest and west is the Kingdom of Gaul, and to the south is the Kingdom of Sardinia. It covers an area of ​​about 40,000 square kilometers and has a population of more than one million, with tens of thousands of people making a living in Wesson.

Its terrain is quite special, with mountainous areas to the north and south, and a fertile river valley in the middle. There are large lakes 60 to 70 kilometers long and more than 10 kilometers wide on both sides of the river valley. The terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Except for the long and narrow river valleys, the mountainous areas in the north and south of the country can be described as barren and harsh, rich in bears and mercenaries. The royal capital is called Bear City, and the national coat of arms is a black bear.

There are many mountains there but lack of ordinary minerals. They only have iron ore and coal mines that are barely enough for their own use. Only some mineral salts can be traded for foreign trade. The white mountain area in the south is rich in wind magic crystals and ice magic crystals.

The government system of the Helvetic Federation is quite unique in this world. The king is elected by the votes of the 26 counts in the country and is prohibited from being re-elected.

Now that the king is old and his children are only mediocre, he thought that he should leave some dignity for himself and let other families inherit the favor, so at the beginning of the year he announced that he would abdicate on the Harvest Festival and hold a vote for the new king.

The other 25 families immediately took action, and just like before, they staged a drama of collaboration, exchange of interests, and sale at a price.

They used to just play behind closed doors, but things have changed this year. The Kingdom of Gaul is preparing to send troops to the south, and naturally it needs its neighbors here to wear the same pants as itself, so the Gauls found an agent.

The Kingdom of Sardinia looks at the Kingdom of Gaul as if it wants to attack itself. While sending troops to the north, it is also looking for agents in the Helvetic Federation to prevent the north from opening up.

Some people quit. Since you all don't abide by the rules, we don't abide by the rules either, so we sent representatives to ask for help from the Rhine League.

Then something happened.

The Archduke of Mainz said angrily: "I have been running that hidden line for more than thirty years. The first time was to build the railway to the border of the Helvetia Federation to increase foreign trade tax revenue. The second time was to ask him to propose asking us for help. , so that we can get inside them."

"It's good now, that woman, just one word made that idiot Rudolf send the messenger away."

Frederick opened his eyes and sighed after him.

The Grand Duke of Mainz wanted to obtain a full authority through the royal family, and had already communicated with the royal capital for this purpose.

Rudolf was about to agree after listening to the opinions of the ministers, but then Antonia privately told him that the Helvetia Federation had its own national conditions, and the intervention of other countries was probably a lie by a small group of conspirators. If the alliance intervenes, it will have a very bad impact.

Between the messenger and his wife, Rudolf chose to believe in his wife.

Just at this time, another more serious thing happened in the royal capital.

His Majesty William, beloved by all people, was in a coma. After Rudolf rejected the envoy, he only cared about his father's condition.

Frederick frowned and said, "Is it possible that His Majesty's condition..."

The Grand Duke of Mainz said with a gloomy face: "There is currently no evidence. Although the timing is too coincidental, anything could happen to His Majesty after he has been ill for so many years."

"If this time the Rhine League can agree to the request of those Helvetian Federation nobles to intervene in the throne election, this event will be a good experience for Rudolf, and it will be a signal that the Rhine League has become a country with the right to speak. It shows that we have completely emerged from the shadow of defeat eleven years ago."

He sighed deeply again when he said this.

In 1023, the Rhine League suffered a disastrous defeat in the Low Countries and lost all dignity.

At that time, Frederick had been busy protecting his territory and did not feel the pressure from outside like the Grand Duke of Mainz.

In 1027, during the Battle of the Elbe, the Rhine League defeated the sneak attack of the allied forces of the Kingdom of Piast and the Kingdom of Denmark. Frederick successively defeated King Valdemar of Denmark with a peace formation of 800 and 100,000, ending with a huge military victory. The decline of the Rhine League was overturned, and the external situation improved.

By 1034 of this year, the Great Exhibition of All Nations showed the world Frederick's terrible wealth.

The Archduke of Mainz continued: "Military, economic, and political, you have saved the face of the Rhine League militarily and economically, and our internal morale has also been greatly improved."

"Rank and Shakespeare wanted to cultivate Rudolph's political ability and achieve balance by dancing on several eggs despite military and economic backwardness."

"They also hinted to me that they would marry your heirs to the royal family to strengthen the relationship between the two parties."

"well……"

The Archduke of Mainz's last sigh was full of disappointment.

The Rhine League restored its military confidence after the Battle of the Elbe, so the victory of the noble coalition to capture Linden City in the war a few months ago shocked the world.

Politically, the previous secret assistance to the Kingdom of Lisenberg to drive away the Kingdom of Gaul also restored the confidence of the nobles of the Rhine League in foreign politics. However, this matter is not easy to use for publicity, and the election for the throne of the Helvetic Federation It can be used as a demonstration project.

The Grand Duke of Mainz added: "The royal capital is ready. After I succeeded in leading this matter and the Rhine League gained prestige, everyone worked together to prepare for crossing the Elbe River eastward."

Frederick shook his head helplessly.

Rudolph's advantage is to listen to others' advice, and his shortcomings are everyone's.

This matter is very obvious. Antonia's job of marrying to the Rhine League is to hinder her. Otherwise, instead of letting Rudolf directly reject the envoy, she chooses a proper approach and lets the Grand Duke of Mainz act according to the opportunity. Take advantage of it if it is a scam. Walk.

Frederick thought thoughtfully and said: "It seems that this year's Cooperation Cup football match will not be played."

When the leaders of the three parties of the upstream cooperation organization meet, they will organize a single-cycle football match, and everyone will have fun.

Now Archduke Byrne is waiting to attend Anna's coronation ceremony in the Osmaga Empire. His Majesty William is in a coma and needs the Archduke of Mainz to sit in the royal capital. The affairs of the Helvetia Federation can only fall on Frederick.

The Grand Duke of Mainz asked: "What step are you sure of?"

Frederick said helplessly: "I'm not sure either. It would be considered a success if we could return to the past politically, but there is little hope."

The Grand Duke of Mainz also said helplessly: "At least restrict the Kingdom of Gaul."

Now the Helvetic Federation has become a diplomatic battlefield between the Kingdom of Gaul and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The former is adjacent to the Rhine League, and the latter is separated by the White Mountains occupied by the Osmaga Empire. It is self-evident who should be restricted.

Moreover, the Helvetia Federation is right next to the Principality of Mainz. If the Kingdom of Gaul goes to war with the Rhine League, and the Kingdom of Gaul does not go to the lowlands but to the river valleys of the Helvetia Federation, the first one to be beaten will be the United States. Archduke Inz.

Frederick added: "The only bargaining chips I can offer are economic. For example, we can build the railway."

The Grand Duke of Mainz picked up the tea cup and drank it slowly. After thinking for a while, he said: "According to your theory of 'the economic base determines the superstructure', this is a good method."

"As long as they agree, it can be built along the lake from the train station in Trout Harbor."

Frederick nodded.

The Grand Duke of Mainz asked him again: "When will you come over? I'll make preparations here."

After thinking for a while, Frederick said: "I will go there in the name of doing business. I will keep quiet for now and say it is market research so that others will not be wary."

The Archduke of Mainz nodded. Gaul and Sardinia were represented by the national teams, and his side was just a "private" force, so it was better to keep a low profile.

"Alas..." The Archduke of Mainz leaned on crutches and wanted to stand up. Maria and Frederick immediately went over to help him.

The Archduke of Mainz whispered to Frederick: "There are some things that Rudolf can't do, so do it."