Chapter 241 Big News
It was time to drink medicine. A maid brought a cup of medicine into the bedroom. Ferdinand made a grimace like a child.
Frederick was also shocked when he saw the cup on the tray. It was actually a draft beer cup, 500 ml in size, filled with a red crystal-like potion, and the steam coming out looked like flames.
He suddenly thought, the fire element in this potion is almost as big as a finger-sized fireball. Is it really okay to just drink it like this?
Ferdinand took the cup and drank it in one gulp. His body shivered a few times, and his pale skin turned a little red.
He leaned against the head of the bed with his eyes closed, his breathing became heavier and his body was trembling slightly.
After about a minute, Frederick was thinking about whether to leave first. Ferdinand opened his eyes and looked more energetic than before.
"Huh..." He took a deep breath, "Every time I take medicine, I feel bad."
Frederick asked curiously: "Your Majesty, are you sick? ..."
"You see?" Ferdinand said helplessly, "You are right, I am poisoned."
Frederick was stunned and didn't guess, but he still looked surprised and asked: "Who gave you the poison?"
Ferdinand replied depressingly: "My winter poison When I went skiing in the mountains, I was bitten by a snake. "
"Skiing, you know, is the way to go in the dark places in the north, sliding down the slopes with thick snow on a wooden board."
Of course Frederick knew how to ski. He was even more surprised when there was a snake in the snow that could bite people. He couldn't help asking: "What kind of snake is so powerful? It can also move in winter?"
Fei Dinan replied calmly: "It's Ferdinand the Ice Rock Snake."
When he saw Frederick's question mark, he explained: "That kind of snake lives in the crevices of rocks in the mountains. It sleeps in the summer and comes out to the mountains to find food in the winter. No one who was bitten in the mountains in the winter could come out alive until I didn’t know about this kind of snake until I was bitten, so I took my name.”
“There is a weird ice element in the snake venom, and it will increase on its own, making me weak and have low blood pressure. , so he would fall into coma from time to time."
Frederick thought for a while, this weird ice element could be some kind of microorganism.
At this time Ferdinand said: "For myself, the biggest threat is the toxins in my body. Do you know what the biggest threat to the empire is?"
Where is Frederick? Knowing this question, I can only reply: "Your Majesty, please make it clear."
Ferdinand took a deep breath and said very solemnly: "It's the Ghazi Empire on the other side of the inland sea. Those pagans no longer have much money to make in the south, and they are starting to make plans to go north."
" Your Helmut put forward the theory of military geography, which is very inspiring to me."
"For the Ghazi Empire, the best way to attack to the north is to capture Jun, which is separated by a sea. Stanbul serves as a bridgehead. "
"After occupying Constantbul, there are too many mountains to the west to attack, and to the north is the plain area of the lower reaches of the Danube. It will be unreasonable not to attack the Ghazi Empire. There, we will go upstream along the Danube River."
Frederick nodded slightly and said: "If that is the case, the Ghazi Empire can fight upstream to get here."
"Yes." Ferdinand sighed, "So I really hope that you can support which one, and I can get your support at that time."
"I don't have much time, look. It’s not surprising that I won’t be able to triumph before you. Everything I said today is sincere.”
Frederick sighed. Hearing such words from the emperor, I am afraid that he has realized that the empire has declined. You cannot defeat your enemy alone.
He said calmly: "I can reach an agreement with the emperor."
Seeing that he was still "supporting whoever is the emperor" approach, Ferdinand said: "If you want to occupy The Franconian Principality and the Regans Alliance, the Osmaga Empire will not make any statement and will not support any party, provided that you provide military assistance when the infidels attack the Osmaga Empire."
For his own safety, the emperor sold his two younger brothers without hesitation.
The corner of Frederick's mouth curled up slightly and asked: "What if my appetite is more than this?"
Ferdinand looked at him seriously for a long time, already understanding in his heart that he still had He wanted to fight north, and finally said: "If you were defeated from the hands of other kingdoms, the Osmaga Empire would not make any statement."
North of Weisen and beyond the Elbe River The eastern region was originally a territory ruled by the puppets of the Osmaga Empire. However, during the Battle of the Elbe, the empire misjudged the situation and did not believe that Frederick had won. Therefore, the area around Linden City in the south and along the northern coast The area was taken advantage of by the Piast Kingdom.
The Osmaga Empire will not be able to fight back for a while. If Frederick can defeat it, it is better than being controlled by the old enemy of the Piast Kingdom. However, this is conditional. Ferdinand continued: "If the pagan army attacks the Osmaga Empire, you will need to personally lead the troops to support it."
Frederick thought for a moment, the influence of the Osmaga Empire was very great, and it would be much easier for them to digest their territory by themselves if they kept silent.
So he agreed, and the two discussed some details, and then took paper and pen from the clerk to sign the "Venn Secret Agreement Memorandum" on the spot, setting down the principles, and the details would be handled by professionals later. talk.
After receiving the memo, Frederick said: "In my opinion, if you can determine the successor to the throne early and reduce the country's internal friction, there is still hope for the empire."
Ferdinand He just shook his head slightly and looked at him for a while before saying: "If that old guy William had one more child, you wouldn't know where to hide by now. Rudolph, that useless thing, grows up in the deep palace." Good luck, you’re a coward.”
"If his position as prince is unstable, he will get enough training. As long as his ability is not too bad, even if he failed in the war ten years ago, he will get a decent evaluation as long as his performance is qualified."
Frederick nodded and said: "What you said makes sense. It is undeniable that your children are powerful enough to throw off Rudolf as a white mountain."
"But this is at the expense of the empire's strength. Is the price worth it? "
" Worth it!" Ferdinand was full of confidence at this moment, "Only an emperor trained in this way can have the means to control the empire."
Then he said a little helplessly. Said: "Emperors of all dynasties have been like this, and I also grabbed this position from my brothers. It's just that I have a lot of children, so the competition is more intense this time."
Frederick was speechless and complained: "Then why did you marry so many queens and have so many children?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ferdinand had a sneer on his face, shook his head and said: "You don't understand Politics."
"My four queens come from four different regions. Their descendants and I represent the connection between the royal family and these regions. Even if the children fail to compete for the throne, they can still return. Inheriting fiefs in the mother's area further strengthened the royal family's management of vassals. "
"If you study our royal family, you will find that the spouses of three consecutive generations of emperors rarely come from the same place. "
He said that these are not secrets. They are well-known rules among the nobles of the Osmaga Empire. It is only Frederick who has not had much contact with them and does not understand them.
Frederick was speechless. For this era, this kind of blood-based governance is indeed a good method.
He did not want to talk more about political topics, so he turned the topic to the economic direction, discussing the establishment of a telegraph network, mutual tariff reductions, academic exchanges, and transportation construction.
Ferdinand has been paying attention to the new gadgets built in Wessen, and he is most concerned about wireless telegraphy that has blossomed in the Rhine River Basin and the North Sea coast. In principle, he agrees to establish a telegraph network in the country and cooperate with the entire network. Seamless connection.
At the same time, he also hoped to get Frederick's help to build several railways in the next few years.
So the two signed another memorandum of economic cooperation.
Near dusk, the palace steward came to report that the banquet was ready. Ferdinand said to Frederick: "You don't have a place to stay. Go to Ganquan Palace to stay. It is a hunting palace outside the city. All expenses are at my expense." I pay the standard. You can play whatever you want. Come and chat with me when you have time. There is no one else I can talk to except you."
In the end, Ferdinand couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Frederick naturally agreed. After all, he would eat and live with others, so what if he came to talk to the old man.
Later, His Majesty Ferdinand held a grand state banquet in the palace to welcome Duke Wesson.
Before the banquet began, His Majesty Ferdinand said in his speech that we jointly celebrate the friendly relations between the two sides, which will help us ensure security and prosperity for decades. I believe the future is bright and beautiful.
In his speech, Duke Wesson praised His Majesty Ferdinand as a very great emperor who represented dignity and responsibility. These spirits beat proudly in the hearts of every Osmaga Empire person.
Duke Wesson said that our two sides are about to establish a broad and substantive cooperative relationship. The various cooperation agreements we are about to sign will bring more substantive content to the relationship between the two parties. These agreements will help us further promote trade. exchanges and cooperation in the fields of investment, communications, transportation and other fields, and to better understand each other.
Everyone present was confused. No one expected that His Majesty the Emperor and Duke Wesson would make such big news in one afternoon.
Especially those princes and princesses who want to seize the throne are all regretting it now. If they were waiting at the dock to pick up Duke Wesson, they would also benefit from such big news.
But this matter has passed. What is more important now is how to participate in the next big news, so as to gain the favor of the father.
The problem is that the two of them only said they wanted to sign agreements. No one knew the direction and content of these agreements, so they had no way of starting.
At the banquet, there were people making insinuations, but Frederick was always discussing the food at the state banquet.
(End of this chapter)