Chapter 579: Thousand Valley Constituent Assembly
On April 29, 1446 in the imperial calendar, more than a month had passed since the fateful battle.
The port outside Feiliu Castle is now decorated with cogwheel sun flags and obsidian iris flags, and the hotels at the port are almost filled with business travelers and public opinion representatives from each county.
Notable figures from many places even came to Feiliu Castle by boat at their own expense.
They directed their servants or family members to move the luggage from the barge to the port, and marched carelessly toward the city.
Elm and willow trees wrap around the square paved with cobblestones and strips of stone. Soldiers wearing black knee-length jackets carrying axes, guns and holy guns patrolled the street corners in groups of four.
On the other side of the clearly separated street corner, three or five Duke Army mountain infantrymen wearing chain mail were sitting on wine barrels, drunkenly playing dice and cards.
Carrying a lightweight wooden suitcase and wearing a flip-brim felt hat, a young man jumped onto the pier and scanned the buildings and pedestrians in front of him with bright eyes.
There was a warning cough immediately behind him, and the young man turned around belatedly, put on a smile and helped the coughing old monk off the boat.
Following this respected old monk, the public opinion representatives on the ship behind him walked off the deck one after another.
First there was another middle-aged monk in black robes and his entourage of monks, and then there were craftsmen, citizens, merchants and their apprentices and boys wearing jackets and waistcoats.
The last ones walking were farmers wearing long pullovers, stockings and clogs.
“It’s so beautiful, Feiliubao.” The farmer couldn’t help but sigh.
The businessman on the side sneered: "Let's take a look at the church in the distance. If you live here for three days, you will hate this place."
"It's better than our Rapid City The original port was still big, but it was too empty, wasted, and had too many churches." The notary, with his hands on his hips and wearing a midnight blue silk robe, stood on the roadside and gave directions.
The old monk asked the Megdi man who was guiding them: "Where is the person who will guide us? I can't stand for a long time."
"I have already informed you that the slowest two I'll be there in a quarter of an hour," the chamber of commerce clerk said with a smile.
These people are all public opinion representatives from Lower River. There are actually only 9 of them, and the remaining 20 or so people are their entourage, escorts and alternate representatives.
The purpose of their trip is also very clear, to participate in the constitutional conference for the founding of the Thousand River Valley.
After defeating Prince Condai and occupying Feiliu Castle, Horn and Meliaty did not immediately declare their founding in Feiliu Castle.
Instead, they first jointly sent a letter to the entire Qianhe River Valley, asking each county to elect 5-9 public opinion representatives to come to Feiliu Castle to discuss the state affairs together.
And Meliati also stipulated three chapters in the letter. First, churches at all levels do not have to repay usury interest that exceeds the principal. Second, release all monks and priests in prison for spreading Juanoist ideas. Third, forgive all armed peasants who participated in the war.
These three chapters effectively stopped riots in various places after the war.
After sending the joint letter, the Salvation Army and the Duke's Army left Feiliu Castle one after another, leaving only the troops stationed for public security.
After all, the main forces on Prince Condai's side have been cleared away, and there are still remaining opposition forces in North Mound County, Mound County, and Kasha County.
The Salvation Army went south to clear out Putzilio, who was entrenched in Kasha County, while the Duke's Army needed to return to its hometown and repel the aristocratic coalition in the gravel plains.
Prince Kong Dai and the imperial company were defeated. Naturally, these Thorn Garden forces who helped in the battle had nothing to say.
Puccilio quickly sold the mercenaries on the front line, took his own knights and domestic servants, and fled with the property stolen from Kasha County.
By mid-April, Horn successfully recaptured Brago Abbey.
The coalition of nobles in Ruishiyuan, because they did not grab anything good, were procrastinating and unwilling to retreat. As a result, they fought a battle with Meliati and returned with a great defeat.
After the coalition forces of Puzilio and Gravel Plains nobles all withdrew, Mound County, the last county controlled by the church, also chose to surrender after struggling for so long.
According to the news three days ago, the Bishop of Mound County fled to Norn overnight, and the local nobles and knights smoothly offered water and soil to Meliati - which meant surrender.
So at the end of April, the entire Thousand River Valley, more than 200,000 square kilometers of land, fell into the hands of Horn and Meliati. All the things that the people of Qianhe River Valley dreamed of came so quickly, so that the public opinion representatives standing on the dock were still in a daze.
Originally they did not take the joint letter between the Saint-grandson and the Grand Duchess seriously. It was not until the news of Barnifus and Prince Condé came that they hurriedly chose Representatives of public opinion.
According to later additions by envoys, the delegation from each county must include nobles, citizens, peasants and monks.
Of course, the priests are not responsible for this.
Everyone is a member of the New Dynasty Yazheng, and they all read "Holy Word of Salvation". Your priest reads "Latter Gospels", so naturally you are not qualified to participate in this meeting.
There are 9 official representatives from Lower Rivershire, including 2 knights, 4 citizens, 2 monks and 1 farmer.
These two knights are new nobles who side with the Megdi Chamber of Commerce. Their manors do not rely on food output as their main income, but on cash crops, namely dye plants, as their industry.
They even have their own printing and dyeing workshop in the city.
Among the 4 citizens, there is 1 notary, 1 banker, 1 stonemason and 1 dyer.
It is said that he is a craftsman, but in fact he is a workshop owner or even a guild leader. How can an ordinary small shop owner or small workshop owner be chosen so easily?
The two monks are highly respected old monks in the monastery. Compared with other monks, their important characteristic is that they are Juannos.
The last farmer representative is naturally an armed farmer.
Although public peasants and armed peasants had the same qualifications, in fact, none of the people who could stand for election as representatives were truly poor.
Most of the really poor public farmers live in a very closed environment. They are not even aware of the changes that have taken place in the Thousand River Valley, and they are still chanting the names of Prince Condai and Barnifus.
What they don’t know is that their lives will change dramatically.
"Ah, the carriage has arrived." As the fussy farmer jumped up from the road pillar, everyone stood up following his gaze.
Two elegant carriages came slowly, with a sun flag hanging on one side and a fleur-de-lis hanging on the other. Pedestrians on the road knew that they were the carriages of the Constituent Assembly and got out of the way.
After signing the confirmation form, the representatives got into the carriage with their luggage. As for the entourage they brought, they had to find a small hotel nearby to stay.
Sitting on a high-end carriage with gilded coat hooks, the only farmer representative was squeezed to the door by the dyer. He only had half of his butt resting on the cushion, for fear of staining the cushion.
Sitting in the car, once the novelty wore off, the farmer representative became a little bored. He looked left and right, and then mustered up the courage to speak to the mason representative opposite who was also bored to the point of falling asleep:
“Brother Liborolle, I have become a farmer’s representative inexplicably, and I still don’t know what the Constituent Assembly does. You are knowledgeable, can you tell me what it is?”
"Constitutional means establishing a constitution." Although the stonemason named Liborolle didn't understand it at all, it is almost everyone's nature to be a teacher. He immediately got excited and said, "Rangbang, you have caught up. It’s a good time. In the past, it was the foreign nobles and priests who made the laws. Now that the saints and grand dukes have come to power, it is our turn to make the laws.”
"Oh——" Farmer Jean Bang nodded in understanding.
On the other side, the knight Ovid, with his belly pressed against the table, sneered: "I think you don't understand at all. Do you really think that the Constituent Assembly will allow you to speak and vote?"
"What else?" Liborole turned his head and looked at him.
"Do you understand the law? Do you understand the doctrine? You don't understand anything. Do you know what is right and what is wrong?" Ovid Knight suppressed Lipolo with one sentence, " The citizens are better, at least they can read and write, are you, Rang Bang?”
Rang Bang nodded with a shrug.
"The farmer is invited just to show that he has the support of everyone." Knight Ovid turned around with difficulty, "I tell you, you are here just to be a mascot. Freedom and equality have nothing to do with you. Stop talking. , when it's time to vote, I'll tell you what to vote for.
You can brag about it when you get the participation allowance, but I said too much and voted wrongly, so I’m sorry, I’ll look good on you when I go back.”
Rangbang slammed. He shrunk his neck and nodded blankly, not daring to speak again.
(End of this chapter)