At the end of the Tang Dynasty, it was a feudal town, but in Western Europe

Under the dim light created by the candles in the hall, Feng Sen was sitting in front of the table in a nightgown, holding a glass of wine, facing Zinovac with a tranced and complicated expression.

"Long time no see, Zinovac." Feng Sen forked a piece of pork, "I haven't eaten for almost a day, I'm really hungry, please forgive me for talking to you while eating."

"You've flattered me." Zinovac looked at the muscular Feng Sen and sighed, "I haven't seen you for two years. You are already the Duke of Saxony. How time flies."

"Who says no?" Feng Sen swallowed the mushroom in his throat and said to Zinovac, "When we first met, I was just a 17-year-old child. Now, look at me, I'm 19 years old, according to the customs of my hometown, I'm an adult."

Looking at Feng Sen's full beard and thick arms, the exquisite Zinovac fell into a rare silence.

But in any case, for a 19-year-old duke, it is foreseeable that, at least in the next hundred years, this family named Feng will firmly take root, sprout and bear fruit in Saxony.

But does the royal family of Eupolite still have this chance?Zinovac was a little tired. After working for such a long time, expending so much energy and preparing so many means, nothing changed in the end.

Perhaps this is the guidance of the heavenly father. The royal family of Eupolite has come to its end.

"Are there any other royal blood among the Eupolites?"

"Yes, but that's already too different. Eupolite's royal blood is already thin. There was a civil war in the royal family before, plus wars, diseases, and murders. The number of people is even smaller."

"Oh——" Feng Sen put a piece of ham in his mouth, "What do you think about making Lyudmila a queen?"

"She is too young, and even though we won this time, we are still in a mess..."

"That's true." Feng Sen put down his chopsticks, walked around in front of Zinovac, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "Then have you heard of the United Rule?"

Chapter 263 Surrender Why Still Snatching?

"...for there was a bountiful harvest of corn, wine, and livestock, but with it came the lords who traded the produce for a profit. Some of the great lords themselves took part in oppressing our poor Frankish peasants.

They bought farmers' grain and wine at low prices with bad money, and sent people to steal farmers' livestock and sold them at high prices in the market.

What's more, even annexing the commons of freemen and churches, I have handled more such lawsuits in the past three months than in the whole of last year.

These greedy and damned lords, I must issue a decree to suppress this situation... But anyway, this is a sweet annoyance, after all, the number of people who starved to death this year is definitely much less than last year, this is your credit, Feng..."

In fact, due to the delay in the transfer of letters, by the time the letter reached Feng Sen, Charlie had already issued a decree to stop such situations.

The law of fair measurement, the law of boycotting light and counterfeit money, the prohibition of selling livestock and goods at night, and the uniform size of the bucket across the country. Four laws in a row, although they can't completely put an end to the evil deeds of the lord, at least they have given this trend a head-on blow.

With the gradual supply of food, there will inevitably be a surplus of agricultural products. Unlike in the past, there are too many of these agricultural products, and now the rural areas of Frankish cannot digest them. A large amount of agricultural and sideline products have begun to flow to towns and other places.

It's just that there are relatively few areas where Charlie implements Seris' agricultural technology, so reflected at the national level, compared with the past, the benefits obtained are not as high as expected.

Although the national tax revenue has not increased significantly, Charlie is very happy in this realm of vigor and vitality.

Immediately, he made a request to Feng Sen in the letter: "...I will send a total of [-] noble children from Gaul. They are very interested in the advanced agricultural technology of Seris and look forward to reaching a cooperation with you.

In addition, there is not much wine in the court, please send three hundred barrels of ale, and the woolen cloth of your merchants is also good, send me a thousand horses.I heard that you have produced some new agricultural implements and sent some to the court.There is still paper and soy sauce, there are not many, send some..."

Damn, I just want it, Feng Sen reluctantly asked the secretary at the side to write down these one by one, and sent his subordinates to get them done as soon as possible.

And he himself stood in front of the second-floor window in Mecklenburg, ignoring the oncoming cold wind, squinting and enjoying the sunshine outside.

"The weather is much clearer than before."

Looking down from this position, one can see at a glance the soldiers of the Eight Banners patrolling in the castle, the broken swords and spears outside the castle, and the faint figures in the forest.

"Jie Shuai, it seems that the whole of Frank has a bumper harvest this year." Han Shizhong said to Feng Sen.

Zhang Shicheng said with a smile: "This Charlie can be regarded as a wise emperor, he actually knows how to love the common people."

Han Shizhong turned his head and looked at Feng Sen in the distance and asked, "Jie Shuai, how is our harvest this year?"

Feng Sen was still looking into the distance, as if waiting for something: "The barley and wheat totaled 11677 stones, nearly double the 6000 stones last year.

However, most of the food was used to raise soldiers, artisans, and laborers. There were also some government expenditures and handed over to Charlie. The real deposit in the treasury was about [-] shi.

Even if there is a flood or snowstorm, there will be no shortage of food relief. "

"Benevolence and righteousness." Han Shizhong and Zhang Shicheng cupped their hands sincerely.

Feng Sen walked away from the window: "Let's go, those Borabians and Wa'kyr finally came to surrender, earlier than I thought."

Going down the tower, walking down the slope, and down the steps, you came to the hall of the castle. There was a long table in the hall, and several maids were preparing tableware and food like bees.

Asking Lyudmila to sit in the upper seat, Feng Sen, followed by a dozen guards, came to the gate of the castle.

In front of the ten-foot-high wooden door in Mecklenburg, seven or eight tribal warriors in various tattered armor were sticking close to the door, looking enviously at the weapons and clothes in the hands of the patrolling Eight Banners soldiers.

In front of them, two burly middle-aged men tied their hands and half knelt in front of the gate.

"Velin of Val'kyr sends his greetings to you, the mighty Duke of Saxony." Verin bowed his head to Feng Sen without any psychological pressure.

Latimir, who had gone through several days of mental training, was not so bachelor. Although he was smiling, the bitterness on his face was obvious.

"Latimer of Porabbia sends you greetings, brave Duke of Saxony."

"Both chiefs, get up quickly." Grasping the arms of the two men, Feng Sen forcibly lifted them up, "The two chiefs bound their hands today. What happened when they came here?"

The two looked at each other, they were confused at first, but the clever Verin immediately reacted first, imitating the Han man beside him and cupping his hands: "I heard that Mecklenburg was besieged by the rebellious Ladivoye, I don't stop I rushed to the rescue, but I didn't expect it to be a step too late."

Latimir was robbed by Verin, and hurriedly replied: "Me too."

"Although the circumstances are excusable, the crime cannot be punished, so I bound my hands and came here to plead guilty."

The high-ranking person has stayed for a long time, and this kind of flattering skill has dropped drastically. He was preempted by Verin twice, and Latimer had no time to organize his words, so he hurriedly said: "I am the same."

"Oh, they are all loyal and righteous men, what is the crime? Not only innocent, but also meritorious!" Feng Sen invited the two of them, "Come on, let's go into the castle and say, Feng Youde, reward the two chiefs with twenty wine Bucket, two hundred bolts of woolen cloth."

Latimir immediately followed up and said: "The Polabiya Ministry has brought a tribute to His Excellency the Duke."

"Hahahaha, okay." Feng Sen patted Latimer on the shoulder and smiled, "I heard that Chief Latimer's Borabia Department was robbed by pirates and suffered heavy losses?"

The flesh on Latimir's cheeks twitched, and he forced a smile: "It's all trivial, it's all trivial."

"Hey, listen to me." Feng Sen said with a smile on Latimer's shoulders, "What a coincidence, when I came, I happened to catch a group of Viking pirates who robbed you Although the group of pirates basically spent all their money, they still kept some captives. They said that in this way, they would know who they were robbing.

These prisoners of war are basically some very important people, such as the chief's personal soldiers, such as the family members of some village chiefs, and some cattle and sheep. Since they are from your Borabiya tribe, there is nothing to say. When the things here are over, I will return them to you. "

"Thank you, Mr. Duke."

"Thank you, that's what it should be." Feng Sen made an invitation to the castle, "Please come in, both of you, I'm preparing a banquet for you two."

Chapter 264 There are two hundred fiancees of mine in North Germany!

In the hall, Feng Sen, Lyudmila and several chiefs were seated separately. I don't know if it was intentional. When the waiter arranged the seats, he specially arranged Messislaw opposite Latimer.

There was a gap in the middle of the rack of roast suckling pigs, and the somewhat embarrassed Messislaw and the red-eyed Latimer looked at each other through the gap.

The maids quickly brought out golden beer and plates of grilled beef brisket. Today's weather is fine, so you only need to light a few oil lamps in the dark, and you have to light candles even in the daytime on weekdays.

Feng Sen sat in the main seat with a big grin, and let Lyudmila sit beside him.

"Everyone, I have to toast to everyone here. Thank you for coming to Mecklenburg to rescue the Eupolite royal family that was besieged by rebels. Thank you for your dedication. Loyal ministers like you are just my role models! Everyone, please!" Feng Sen stood up, raised the cup in his hand to everyone present, and said loudly.

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

The chiefs and nobles present all raised their wine glasses and drank them all in one gulp, but soon everyone discovered the problem. The wine seemed to be too weak, with almost no alcohol taste.

"Do you guys feel wrong about the concentration of the wine in the glass? Do you think I was stingy and mixed water into the wine? No, no, no, I did it on purpose." As he spoke, Feng Sen turned sideways and let everyone see the white cloth wrapped around his arms. "I suggest that everyone don't drink alcohol today. The spring water I prepared for you is mixed with wheat juice to keep it pure."

Amid the doubts of the crowd, Feng Sen squeezed out a trace of sadness in his eyes: "In the customs of Siris, the white cloth means sacrifice, and it means someone has passed away.

I have to regret to announce to you that two days ago, our King Desiriko, who had just recovered from a serious illness, went up to the city wall to inspire people and killed the enemy, but was stoned by the despicable rebels and died the same day.

Let us mourn for him. "

When Feng Sen said these words, the nobles who were still whispering seemed to have been pressed the mute button instantly, and the whole hall fell into dead silence.

Messislaw's face turned pale immediately, and he didn't even hide it. As for the eyes of careerists like Verin and Latimer, there was a shrewd light.

The blood of the royal family was cut off, leaving only a young girl. Although she performed well in the Villetti War and the subsequent rebel incidents, this does not mean that the tribal people can accept a young girl monarch.

A crown worn by children and women is the most dangerous.

The tribal kingdom here is deeply influenced by Scandinavian culture and Slavic culture, so their king can be selected from among the great nobles. This is a tradition left behind when they were still in the tribal alliance.

However, as the Kingdom of Eupolite accepted the teaching of the Heavenly Father, the traditions from Germany were gradually introduced, and the royal power over the nobles was not unacceptable.

Therefore, whether to follow the old path or the new path depends on the intention of the Duke from Saxony.

"Your Excellency, Duke of Saxony, since His Royal Highness has been summoned by the Lord, who do you think will succeed the King?" Messislaw asked in a hoarse voice.

An old man from Oupolite immediately answered, "Your Excellency, do you support Princess Lyudmila's succession?"

"Who will succeed? Of course, it must be produced in accordance with the cultural traditions and basic laws of Eupolite." After finishing his speech, Feng Sen had already sat down again. Seeing someone asking, he immediately stood up and replied, "If If the Basic Law requires Lyudmila to succeed, then I will approve it."

"Isn't it unreasonable to let a woman continue to sit on the throne? We have already suffered a turmoil because the king was young. Is there any other candidate?"

Under Feng Sen's gesture, Zinovac stood up and said: "We have searched for other royal bloodlines, and they are either free citizens, physically disabled, or not believers in Heavenly Father.

Among these royal bloodlines, Princess Lyudmila is the only one who has received a complete royal education. I support Princess Lyudmila's succession. "

"Your Excellency Zinovac, I heard a piece of news. Will Frank use some means to interfere with the succession of our Kingdom of Oupolite?"

"You people!" Zinovac frowned and scolded, "Don't listen to the wind and rain. You have to judge for yourself when you receive these rumors. If you say something like this out of nothing, it means you are also responsible!"

"However, as the hand of the king and the chief minister beside His Highness, it is really hard not to give people a feeling of being appointed." Weilin suddenly said with a strange ambiguity.

"No, I don't mean anything else. I can only represent my own position." Zinovac glanced at Verin's face. "However, I can tell you that before His Royal Highness died, he held me with his left hand and Princess Lyudmila with his right hand. I think what this means is self-evident."

"Does Your Excellency the Duke of Saxony also support Princess Lyudmila's succession?" Messislaw looked at Feng Sen who was sitting in the main seat and whispering to Lyudmila.

Raising the wine glass, Feng Sen's eyelids drooped slightly: "Actually, if you ask me, I can definitely say that I have no comment. I have a territory of my own, which is only bigger or smaller than Oupolite, and only richer than Oupolite. Not poor, I can take Lyudmila to Saxony.

By then, her reign as Duchess was definitely better than that of Eupolite.

But if you ask me if I support it, I can tell you clearly, I support it!Why?Because this is the message left by the king before his death, it is the most precious succession law in terms of our Seres culture, but it is different here after all, you have to do as the Romans do.

Therefore, the succession of the king also needs to follow the local basic laws, and Zinovac said that according to the local basic laws, the most suitable successor is Lyudmila, because the alliance between Eupolit and Frank , based on the fact that both sides belong to the same civilized Heavenly Father's world.

If the king is elected from the great nobles, I am afraid that the alliance between Eupolite and Frank will be severed. Although Frank has no right to intervene in the succession of the king, Frank's decision-making power is equally important.

You guys are still too young and naive. Once your covenant with Frank is severed, don’t forget that you have Villetti in the south, Pomeranians in the east, Vikings in the north, and enemies everywhere. This is my advice to you as an old friend of Eupolite. What is right and what is wrong, you can think for yourself. "

After such a long conversation, Messislaw slowly came to his senses, and he tentatively asked: "Then, some people in the country may be dissatisfied with letting Her Royal Highness succeed the throne."

"It doesn't matter, I will take action." Feng Sen waved his hand, "I am already engaged to Lyudmila, she is my fiancée, and I can suppress dissent as a concubine, equivalent to the co-emperor of Rome .

When Lyudmila's child becomes an adult, he will be returned. "

At this point, the nobles present also gradually understood that this is not here to mediate disputes, this is here to pick peaches, but now they are already standing under the peach tree, and he is not allowed to pick them, and he will not let others pick them.

These chiefs and chiefs calculated for a while, but found that this was indeed the optimal solution. It could not only keep the alliance with Frank unbroken, but also appease the big and small chiefs. Moreover, they could also get the Duke of Saxony, a powerful alliance, which was three blessings.

As for the position of the king, it is of course good to be able to be the king. If not, then it doesn't really matter who sits on it, as long as there is one.

Just like if you ask the officials from Chu in the Western Han Dynasty: The king of Chu has been destroyed, how can you still be at ease?The scholar-bureaucrats of the state of Chu would reply: You are sick, our king of Chu, Liu Jiao, is still alive and well.

It doesn't matter who is the king as long as one's own status can be guaranteed.

"I support!"

"Agree!"

But amidst the crowd of approval, a high-pitched voice of misfit emerged.

"Your Excellency the Duke!" Wei Lin suddenly yelled, he stood up suddenly, his eyes were like a tiger, staring at Feng Sen, and Feng Sen looked into his eyes calmly.

The hall fell silent, everyone looked at Verin and held their breath.

"Your Excellency, Duke! I also have a daughter who is about your age, and I want to hand her over to you! By the side of you and Her Royal Highness, she will definitely get the best education!"

Damn you, I thought you were about to rise up again, but in the end you rushed to surrender. The chiefs and nobles slandered in their hearts, you moved really(TM) fast!

"Your Excellency, I have a daughter who is also eighteen this year."

"Your Excellency, I have ten daughters!"

"I have twenty!"

Chapter 265 The Grass Frog Doesn't Know the Golden Scale Roar

For the entire month of March, Feng Sen stayed in Mecklenburg, held the succession ceremony of Lyudmila, received various tribal leaders and tribal people.

At the same time, in this way, Feng Sen made a rough population census based on the data they said.

According to the numbers reported by each tribe, the population of Eupolit is only 30 million, which is smaller than that of Saxony.

During this period of time, with the entry of Norse immigrants and Frankish immigrants, the people of the forest continued to move out, and coupled with the speed of population feeding, the population of Saxony has begun to move towards 40.