Chapter 291 141 The Declaration of War that Stirs up the Kingdom

Chapter 291 -141- The declaration of war that stirs up the kingdom

Similar to the ultimatum issued by the third prince five days ago, the declaration of war written on the parchment is also a declaration of war.

No...

Compared to the ultimatum that nominally gave a "surrender time", the declaration of war on the parchment is more direct.

In it, Charlotte de Castel formally declared war on the Principality of Borde in the name of Count Castel and Viscount Northport, and the war goal is the independence of Castel and the recovery of the de jure territory of Tulip Territory.

If it were just that, the third prince would only smile sarcastically.

After all, it is not the first time in history that Castel wants independence and the recovery of Tulip Territory that was divided by the Borde family.

The Borde family even took the opportunity of the pioneering classification to raise the Tulip Territory to the earl level, even though its actual size is not much larger than the Viscount Northport Territory.

Although there are not many cases of independence among the vassals of the noble lords, it is definitely not rare.

What really changed the Third Prince's expression was something else written on the parchment scroll...

That was the reason why Castel declared independence and declared war——

The Third Prince Philip, the actual ruler of the Principality of Boulder, colluded with the Blood Demon Cult, attacked Earl Castel, incited rebellion in the North, and intended to forcibly annex Castel and deprive all the titles of the Northern nobles!

This is a very severe accusation.

Whether it is colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, attacking the noble lords, or forcibly annexing the territories of the vassals to expand direct jurisdiction, it can be said that it seriously violated the provisions of the "Sacred Code" and the political correctness of the Crescent Kingdom, and offended the Holy Royal Court, the lords of the kingdom, and the noble vassals respectively.

Not to mention, the implicit reference between the lines on the parchment scroll was almost a slap in the face of the Third Prince Philip's plan to expand his strength by seizing Castel's territory, thereby seizing the throne of the Crescent.

This almost directly exposed the bottom of the current political situation in the Crescent.

You know, although King Louis V seemed dissatisfied with the current heir, he did not issue an order to deprive him of his inheritance rights and replace him (of course, many nobles would not agree with him to do so).

Strictly speaking, the confrontation between the two princes was not put on the table, but in a well-known but not torn form.

In the final analysis, it was the Crescent King who decided the heir.

But the accusation in Charlotte's letter of war was different.

Exposing the purpose of the third prince and putting everything on the table was definitely a heavy blow to the authority and legitimacy of the third prince's faction.

And the most important thing is that the accusation on the parchment scroll is not just empty talk.

Count Gaston, who was once the commander of Boulder, personally admitted many facts and listed many evidences.

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 was much more powerful than the Third Prince's "ultimatum" which was not strictly compliant.

The most interesting thing was that the Third Prince's "ultimatum" had become evidence in the letter of war in a sense.

"Asshole! Traitor! Idiot who betrayed his own people! Bitch who didn't know his own limits!"

After reading the parchment scroll tremblingly, the Third Prince tore it into pieces angrily and cursed.

Looking at Philip, who was furious and had distorted features, Count Lint sighed and said:

"Your Highness, there is news 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 the conservative nobles who smelled the smell have successively appealed to the Council of Nobles, demanding a strict investigation of the accusations in the letter of war."

"Many nobles in the kingdom who are inclined to you have also expressed their concerns directly or indirectly."

"Even the parish priest of the Holy Royal Court has sent a priest to inquire about this matter with the Council of Nobles. If it were not for the royal family's certain immunity and His Majesty the King's constant conflict with the church, otherwise... I'm afraid the trial knights of the Inquisition would have been dispatched."

After hearing what Count Lint said, the third prince's face became even uglier.

He stared at Count Lint and asked:

"So... my dear uncle, what is the position of the Buwat-Lint family?"

Count Lint 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 intervene."

"Although His Majesty the King acquiesced to our actions, if the nobles and the church unite, even His Majesty must give in..."

After listening to Count Lint's words, the third prince's eyes sank slightly.

He squinted at the other party and asked:

"So... my uncle, what do you think?"

Count Lint sighed:

"From the perspective of the family, in the best case, I tend to suspend the troops, so as not to completely stand against 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's face looked a little bad:

"Give up sending troops? Give up Castel? My uncle, do you know how long I have been preparing for today? If I give up this opportunity, there will be no chance in the future!"

"Since you know that this is the tacit approval of the father, you should also know that this is also a test! If I cannot take down Castel against the pressure of the church and eliminate the possibility of the ownership of the Northland falling to the church, then …In his eyes, maybe I’m out!”

Earl Lint sighed again:

"Of course I know, that's why...I said it is 'the most ideal situation'. In fact, as you said, we actually have no way out. You are the second heir after all, and losing the support of the conservative nobles may not be possible." The throne cannot be taken away, but if we lose His Majesty’s favor, we will definitely lose hope.”

"So... we must fight quickly."

"Your Highness, we don't have much time left. If we still want to take Castel, we must move quickly to capture the Northland and occupy North Port before the Noble Council and the Holy Royal Court react."

"The longer time passes, the greater the changes. The noble council is likely to bypass His Majesty's prohibition and provide assistance to the North. The Holy Royal Court may also intervene. Even the nobles on our side are likely to be shaken."

"The good news is that we have no chance of winning. The army in the North cannot compete with us. We will definitely win. The key is how long it takes."

"However, I'm afraid you have to put aside your plan to uproot the nobles of the North. If we want to fight quickly, we must avoid unnecessary consumption and it is best to gain their support."

After hearing what Earl Lint said, the third prince frowned and thought.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and asked:

"Don't the nobles in the army know what is in this letter of challenge?"

Earl Lint glanced at the direction of the army and said:

"We don't know yet, but...every family has its own contact information, and we will know it sooner or later."

The third prince thought for a while and said:

"Block the news, prepare a response letter to Castel, refute all her accusations, and buy us time."

"Send a message to the nobles of the North. Those who pledge loyalty in my name can retain their titles and territories. Contract taxes will be reduced by one-third. The deprivation of titles will only be limited to the Castel family."

"Rest where you are, and attack immediately tomorrow morning!"

Make up for last night