plumnovel #711 - Where the old meets the new
#711 - Where the old meets the new
"One more round, just one more round."
"Let's take a break," Armand said, looking helplessly at Lufiel, whose face was covered in paper strips. "Besides, we have to meet with His Honor, Kwalin, in a little while. Try to be a bit more presentable."
"That old geezer is half-buried already; does he even care about these formalities?" Lufiel swept aside the paper strips hanging like a beaded curtain from the doorway, glanced at the pendulum clock, and insisted on another round with Armand.
Armand could only sigh, giving the maid a knowing look, signaling her to throw a few hands.
Otherwise, Lufiel, terrible at cards but eager to play, would insist on winning.
However, before they could even begin the next game, a servant knocked on the door: "Lady Lufiel, High Judge Kwalin is about to arrive. Would you like to freshen up?"
Having spent the entire night playing cards, Lufiel's eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was a mess. Obviously, she couldn't meet Kwalin like this.
Therefore, Armand had to meet the esteemed Elder High Judge of El before Lufiel.
Standing before the iron gates of the riverside villa, a black oak carriage slowly came to a halt. A short old man, wrapped in an expensive beaver fur robe, stepped out.
He looked to be in his seventies, with white hair and beard, and a fur hat that was even longer than his face.
His pale face was covered in wrinkles and age spots, and his eyelids drooped over his eyes, obscuring half of his pupils.
Yet, the remaining sliver of his pupils was dark and piercing, as sharp as the damp sea breeze that swept through the passage.
"Your Thousand River Valley is making a fortune in our Windmill Territory," Kwalin said, extending the hand that wasn't holding a cane towards Armand.
"Ah, we in Thousand River Valley don't like to profit off the poor; we only profit off the rich, especially the rich of Leia," Armand said naturally, taking the offered arm.
This was no exaggeration, as most of the El big sugar merchants had already been informed.
Only most of the Leia oligarchs and a few French merchants suffered significant losses. The El commercial territory not only didn't shrink, but it actually increased.
According to Catherine's report, this wave was expected to reap as much as 500,000 gold pounds in cash and high-quality assets from the oligarchs.
At least half of the Leia oligarchs would go bankrupt or defect and surrender.
According to the previous agreement, the cash would go to Catherine, and the high-quality assets would go to the El.
Even so, they could obtain about 200,000 gold pounds worth of precious metal currency.
Horn had fought to the death in Black Serpent Bay for more than half a year and only brought back 160,000 gold pounds. Factoring in the cost of the military operation and the start-up funds allocated to Black Serpent Bay, the actual amount received was not much.
Although the French would take a considerable handling fee from the 200,000 gold pounds, the amount received would not be less than 160,000 gold pounds.
"Shouldn't you stop now?" Kwalin whispered as he walked.
In fact, this financial war was coming to an end by the end of the year.
As the price of white sugar fell to 18 dinars, Mittenier and Catherine were already tightening the distribution of white sugar.
They were trying to stabilize the price at 18 dinars and even slowly raise it back to 20 dinars.
After all, their main goal was to reap profits. If they crashed the white sugar market, no one would benefit.
Armand responded with a smile, "Of course, the price of white sugar will rebound at the latest tomorrow..."
Armand had barely finished speaking when the casement window on the second floor of the villa swung open.
Wearing thin silk pajamas, Lufiel leaned out, her hair a mess, and said, "Teacher, Armand and I played all night. You guys talk first; I need to freshen up."
Looking at Lufiel, disheveled but with rosy cheeks, the frost in Kwalin's eyes increased exponentially.
"Armand."
"Yes?"
"Is my ivory comb with you?"
"How would I know where your ivory comb is?" Armand was sweating.
"Oh, I thought it was with you," Lufiel said, retreating back into the room.
"We were playing cards, just playing cards," Armand explained hastily, meeting his piercing gaze. "I adhered to the rules of propriety and did nothing out of line."
"If you were adhering to propriety, you wouldn't be in a room with an unmarried young lady in her pajamas for an entire night," Kwalin said unkindly.
"I really didn't do anything; I'm still a virgin," Armand blurted out.
After glaring at Armand for several seconds, Kwalin turned away and said, "You better be... I'm not worried about Lufiel. Even if she were pregnant, a million men would still want her."
"Yes, yes," Armand said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he regained his polite smile.
Kwalin didn't enter the villa but instead turned a corner. "Since Lufiel is freshening up, you can accompany an old man like me for a walk."
"It would be an honor."
The old man and the young man walked through the marble corridor, at the end of which was the villa's rose and goldenrod garden.
"That Gigi King is no pushover," Kwalin said, looking ahead as they walked. "After taking the two dukes' territories, he'll need to rest for at least half a year before regrouping. It should be spring of the year after next."
Armand helped the old man down the marble steps into the garden, smiling but saying nothing.
Entering December, even the usually warm Water Dam City couldn't avoid the cold.
Pure black blackbirds flew back and forth in the cold, gloomy clouds.
A layer of white frost had condensed on the flowerbed fence, and the autumn goldenrods drooped listlessly in their pots.
Most of the flowers in the rose garden had fallen, and the bright petals had turned dark red.
The damp, cold sea breeze blew on High Judge Kwalin, and the grand judge in his expensive fur robe still shivered.
"If you come to Windmill Territory thinking you can instigate us to form a federation like in Black Serpent Bay, then you are greatly mistaken," Kwalin said directly when Armand didn't respond.
"This is the choice of the Holy Father. Windmill Territory may not be willing now, but that doesn't mean it won't be willing in the future," Armand said with a smile.
"What, are you very confident?" Kwalin turned his head, his dark pupils fixed on Armand's profile.
"If you don't believe us, anything I say is futile," Armand said, helping the old man sit on a bench.
"Believe?" Kwalin slammed his cane heavily on the ground, making a "thud" sound. "Thousand River Valley is just a small place. Do you expect me to believe that it can stand against all of Leia?"
"If you must ask, I can tell you."
Armand straightened his back, his tone steady but powerful: "Currently, the Holy Alliance has 8,000 Holy Musket Infantry, 12,000 Pike Infantry, 4,500 Foot Knights, and 4,000 Light and Heavy Cavalry... The total number of troops is already over 30,000.
Every soldier is an absolute elite who trains every day, and every pike infantryman has at least one breathing technique.
Furthermore, forty-five fortresses have been built along the border, with 1,800 clockwork cannons installed.
You've heard of clockwork cannons. They fire instantly and devastatingly. In the Black Serpent Bay War, one cannon devastated dozens of miles. One fortress can stop 50,000 people.
With that, even if Leia invades, so what? They can't defend their borders and send out all their forces. Do they have 2.25 million people?"
"Do you think I'm senile?" Kwalin glared at Armand with displeasure. "With the population and wealth of Thousand River Valley, supporting 20,000 soldiers is the limit, let alone over 30,000.
And the claim that one cannon devastates dozens of miles is pure fantasy. Do you think I haven't read 'The Garden of Arts'?"
"The clockwork cannon may be a bit of an exaggeration, but who says 30,000 soldiers can't be supported?" Although he had been exposed, Armand was not at all embarrassed. "The 20,000 soldiers you mentioned are just the agricultural tax, but you forget the wool from Broken Stone Plain and the sugar and spices from Black Serpent Bay.
They can bring us at least 100,000 gold pounds in revenue each year, equivalent to an additional 3 million farmers.
Although Leia has Windmill Territory, Eagle Horn Bay, River Isle, Dawn Island, Thorns Garden, Broken Stone Plain, and Fairy Stone Field, with a population of tens of millions, it seems powerful.
However, Windmill Territory is autonomous, Thorns Garden listens but doesn't obey orders, the Dawn Island nobles followed the two dukes in rebellion and are unreliable, and the Broken Stone Plain nobles are two-faced.
Of such a large Leia, Gigi King can only mobilize River Isle, Eagle Foot Bay, and Fairy Stone Field, only ten million people.
Let's say he has 20 million people. Can he really mobilize 30% of them?
To say nothing else, our Holy Alliance can mobilize at least 70%.
Because this war is what all the Holy Alliance people want to fight, and must fight, while in Leia, only the king and the pope want to fight.
The reason I say Leia will definitely lose is because the Leia people can't see the situation clearly.
Your Honor Kwalin, the big picture of the empire is that knights and priests are leaving the stage, while the new industrial and commercial upstarts and citizens are coming to the stage.
All discerning people can see that, in addition to knights, priests, and farmers, the power of citizens is emerging.
Today, in the coastal areas of the empire, which landed nobles are not living on loans from merchants and bankers?
I heard that, in the end, some even had to sell their daughters to merchants and new nobles in the name of marriage.
The Kingdom of France has accepted the new industrial and commercial upstarts, and although the Kingdom of Norn is chaotic and backward, merchants and citizens are also guests of the monarch.
Only the Kingdom of Leia holds onto the old crown of the Knight's Kingdom, is unprogressive, adheres to the ancient system, and is still dreaming of the Third El Empire."
"Watch your words, boy," Kwalin's lower eyelids wrinkled. "I am an El."
"But you no longer believe in the revival of the El Empire, do you?" Armand immediately retorted. "You are an El of Windmill Territory, not an El of the El Empire anymore."
After glaring at Armand for a long time, Kwalin slowly opened his mouth: "You have a lot of guts, boy. You have angered me. With a single word from me, I can have you sent to the dungeon and collect a bounty of 2,000 gold pounds."
"But you won't do that, will you?" Armand didn't back down at all. "Because you also hope that Windmill Territory can truly be autonomous; otherwise, you wouldn't have helped Princess Catherine in this white sugar war."
"Young people who are too confident become arrogant."
Armand straightened his chest: "We have the courage and confidence to win, and even more so, the reason to win!
The independence of the Thousand River Valley people was bought with countless blood and sweat. We finally managed to raise our heads. Even if you cut off our heads, they will never bow again!"
Squinting his eyes, Kwalin stared at Armand for a long time without saying a word, while Armand met his gaze without showing any weakness.
After looking for a while, Kwalin slowly got up with a lack of interest: "I am old. All I have seen in the first half of my life is failure. I really find it hard to believe that your ideals can be realized.
All I can do is ignore the spread of the Holy Way sect. Once you are defeated, I will immediately arrest them.
Lufiel and Leonardo can gamble with you, but we can't, at least not until you prove that you can truly be independent."
"You will definitely see it," Armand said, reaching out to help the old man, and together they slowly walked towards the villa.