Chapter 166 Busy socializing
The 80th birthday of the Grand Duke of Mainz was held grandly. All the prestigious nobles from the Rhine League came. Prince Rudolf came to congratulate on behalf of the royal family, which is adjacent to the Principality of Mainz. The Kingdom of Gaul and the Helvetic Federation also sent envoys.
The circle between nobles is determined by factors such as title, region, blood relationship, mentorship, interests, etc., but no matter how it is determined, age has nothing to do with it.
At first Frederick thought he would have time to play with Maria, but they had no overlap in various social activities.
After arriving in the city of Mainz, he received invitations by the pound. There were formal banquets and dances, as well as tea parties and salons for women, but they all stated that Duke Wesson could come by himself. Everyone knows that he has no female relatives.
So the guy eagerly attended a tea party hosted by the daughter-in-law of the Grand Duke of Mainz.
For these ladies, the tea party is a place for relaxed chat, sometimes with the hostess or the guests invited by the hostess as the core. Participants can either surround the core or be on their own in small groups. People talk privately.
Salons are a little different. They often have a theme when they are launched, mostly art, and professionals are often invited to attend. It’s like a rich woman calling a celebrity she is a fan of home, and then calling her friends. Let’s see the stars together.
Frederick had never seen what a high-end tea party was like, so he went there, showing off his cuteness because of his age, and then spent a fulfilling afternoon, physically fulfilling.
At night, Baron Wesson curiously asked Duke Wesson: "Are the meatballs not to your liking?"
The grandfather of Baron Wesson was the younger brother of Frederick's great-grandfather. It was he who drove the old man away from the exclusive territory, so the old man went to join the late king.
In terms of blood, Baron Wesson’s family are Frederick’s closest relatives.
Now that the Duke of Wesson is prosperous, relatives naturally come to visit him. Today, the restaurant not only has northern hometown dishes, but also several families who are related to the Wesson family.
Baron Weissen prepared the common meatballs in his hometown. The balls are mixed with minced meat, onions, eggs, fish and some other ingredients. After they are cooked, they are topped with cream and served with shredded meatballs. Sweet radish root tastes pretty good.
It was just that Frederick acted cute during the afternoon tea party, but the ladies who had a maternal outburst kept feeding him. His stomach was full, and now he eats very slowly.
He smiled and said: "The food is delicious, so you have to taste it slowly."
Frederick is not going to dwell on the grievances of his predecessors. This kind of historical accounts cannot be settled. It is better to see if he can To expand the scope of business, I began to ask about the customs and customs there.
Baron Wesson was relieved when he saw that he did not dislike him. What he had to do now was to coax his nephew.
"Our territory is not far south of Hanma City." Baron Wesson introduced the territory, "The land there is pretty good, quite flat, and there is enough water. We can only grow wheat and grapes. . ”
Frederick thought for a moment, the small nobles these days are all like this, mainly engaged in agriculture, with at most some handicrafts.
Baron Wesson continued: "The world is not easy now. In August, the Osmaga Empire and the Piast Kingdom fought a war in Bohemia. It was not a large scale, but Osmaga The empire has suffered a loss.”
“Now the Osmaga Empire is asking the nobles on the other side of the Elbe River to send troops across the Odra River to attack the west of the Piast Kingdom to share the pressure on the south. "
"Those nobles have been skinned by the Osmaga Empire in the past. If they have the money to send troops, why not cross the river to rob us first?"
"We have no choice but to do so. We were able to go to the king, but no one in the capital paid any attention to us. "In the end, we had no choice but to try our luck here."
As he spoke, he began to complain, and others around the table joined in.
However, they seemed to have no intention of asking Frederick for help. They just wanted to ask him to help deliver a message to the Grand Duke of Mainz and have a private conversation.
Frederick didn’t say much, nodded in agreement, and had his own thoughts in mind.
At the end of the banquet, he had to go to the third party of the day. The carriage left the city and arrived at a manor not far away. As soon as they entered the gate, they heard music coming from a distance.
The ball was a place for nobles to chase birds and swallows. Frederick yearned for it very much, but for now he could only yearn for it.
The party held tonight was Reiner, the heir to the Archduke of Bain, and Theodore, the heir to the Archduke of Mainz, was also present. Plus Duke Wesson, this was a high-end game.
The dance floor was covered with flowers, and the ladies and ladies were all dressed up. It was a beautiful sight.
But this had nothing to do with Frederick. After the host greeted him with a few polite words, he went to dance, and then disappeared with his beautiful partner. As for Theodore, he had long since disappeared.
The person sitting next to Frederick now is a burly man. This man is Sforza, the head of the Helvetic Federation mission. This time I have something to talk to him about.
Sforza said to Frederick: "There are many Helvetic prisoners of war in your territory. I wonder what you will do with them."
Frederick held a glass of juice and took his time. After taking a sip, I thought that this was indeed the problem.
He seemed to be talking about a trivial matter, and said as usual: "Don't worry, I have no intention of killing them, nor do I have any plans to detain them for a long time. I will also arrange for someone to rescue them if they are injured. Appropriate treatment."
"They are prisoners of war and need to pay a ransom for their freedom. That's no problem."
Sforza nodded: "I think it makes sense. Know how much ransom they require, the money will be paid by our country.”
Frederick did not answer immediately, but asked the servant on the side to get him some biscuits.
He then had the opportunity to think about it. Those prisoners were all strong mountain mercenaries. It would be okay if they were redeemed in small quantities. But if they were all packed up at once, it would look like they were trying to expand the army.
If the Helvetia Federation and the Principality of Mainz do not deal with it, these people will not be good no matter where they are used after they go back, so Frederick ate biscuits and replied: "I heard that the Helvetia Federation Mountain There is a lot of arable land and minerals, and the country is not rich. Your king should spend the money where it is more needed."
"Don't worry, they only need to work with me for three years and don't cause trouble. You can go home. Of course, those who are injured will have to work for two more years."
Sforza said a little anxiously: "This is not possible, the families of those prisoners are dependent on them. They send money back to support their families. If they don’t go back home for three years, they will starve to death.”
Frederick pretended to be surprised and thinking. If he hadn't asked, he would have been deceived.
Although the income of mercenaries is high, these people spend money lavishly. Coupled with the cost of purchasing and maintaining weapons, it would be good to have one gold coin sent home every year.
In Wesson, an ordinary laborer earns two florins a year. These mercenaries are strong and do a lot of work, and they are very disciplined and easy to manage. Based on their wages, they are given 3 florins a year. Florin is not a problem.
“Okay,” said Frederick, “I will give each of them 1 florin a year as wages and let them work at my place for 6 years. I will send this money through the church. On the hands of their family members."
The corner of Sforza's mouth twitched slightly, thinking whether he really didn't know or did it on purpose. If he couldn't take the person back, the king would definitely beat himself up like a millstone. It keeps spinning.
Frederick looked triumphant, as if he had done something great.
Before Sforza could say anything, several girls aged sixteen or seventeen came over happily. One of them seemed to have lost a bet and was pushed out by her companions to invite Frederick to dance with her.
Frederick thought to himself, this is a dance that a child like himself can dance, and then he agreed to the other party’s invitation.
(End of this chapter)