Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 247 - 45 The Fuse

Chapter 247: Chapter 45 The Fuse

"I fear the enemy is not only the Wolf Family," Ludwig said anxiously. "Father has already gone to the Duchy of Franconia, you know that, right?"

"The Duke of Franconia has no sons, only a daughter; what can that old man do?" Henry said scornfully, "Harbor grand ambitions?"

"The news at five o’clock this afternoon said that Father’s negotiations with the Duke did not go well." Ludwig spoke in a low voice, "The Church Court has offered the Duke a price he can hardly refuse."

"What price?"

"To give him an heir."

"Is that even possible?" Henry almost blurted out in disbelief.

Ludwig shook his head, "The techniques of the Church Court are unimaginable."

"Then we’re in trouble," Henry immediately became frantic, "How to continue the Hohenstaufen family has almost become the Duke of Franconia’s obsession. Now that the Church Court has dangled this bait..."

"The Duke is most likely to bite," Ludwig’s face darkened, "And if the Duchy of Franconia turns coat and stands with the Wolf Family..."

"Then our connection with the Duchy of Lorraine will be cut off, and Bavaria will need to deal with military threats from both Lombardy and Franconia at the same time," Henry’s brows knotted in concern.

————— Broadcast Reminder —————

Due to the multitude of duchies and families within the Holy Solomon Empire, names are particularly hard to remember. To facilitate understanding, here is a brief explanation of the five major families of the empire:

The Saxon Family of His Majesty the Emperor (with the emblem of a Giant Dragon), controls the Duchy of Lorraine in the northwest.

The Weisbach Family, from which Eleanor hails (with the emblem of a Swan), owns the Bavarian Duchy to the southeast.

The Wolf Family (with the emblem of a forest wolf), the instigators of the current civil war, control the Burgundy Duchy to the southwest and indirectly control Lombardy Territory.

The Hohenstaufen Family (with the emblem of a Griffin), holds the central Duchy of Franconia and also its southern neighboring Swabia.

The Weiding Family (with the emblem of a bear), rose to prominence in Thuringia in the north and has the smallest territory at present.

For a map, please see the pinned post in the book review section. Moving forward, when referring to the five major families, we will try to use animals to facilitate memory.

————— End of Reminder —————

"The Duke of Carinthia is a staunch royalist, but Bohemia on the other side..." Ludwig spoke solemnly. "It’s hard to say, the Luxembourg family is dealing with the Hussite rebellion, a group of local separatists that seem to have gained a foothold."

"If Bohemia also falls into turmoil, then we will be facing enemies on three fronts," Henry took a sharp breath, "God, doesn’t the Duke of Franconia think? We have an age-old blood feud with the Wolf brats, we will definitely stand with the Royal Family. The Great Bear of Thuringia, and the Saxon Duchy as a branch of the Royal Family, will certainly support His Majesty the Emperor. Once he switches sides, Franconia will be the first to be besieged!"

"Conrad is making a desperate gamble!" Ludwig said solemnly, "After so many years of nobility wars, isn’t it clear? Even if you lose, you don’t die; only land and titles suffer!"

"However, the Griffin Family has no direct heirs. If he does nothing, once he goes to Heaven, all the family’s assets, fiefs, and subjects will fall into the hands of others. What’s the difference from being completely defeated in war? If it were you, would you rather wait to die and let your family fall, or would you fight for a chance at a possible heir?"

"This... this is madness," Henry was somewhat lost, "Right, what about the Sorren Family?"

(The Sorren Family, with the emblem of a Falcon, has lands in the Swabian Duchy within Hexingen.)

"They married Conrad’s only daughter and were about to inherit the entire Griffin estate, only to suddenly find that the old griffin has magically got an heir, they will not rest until things are set right!"

"Father has already made contact with them," Ludwig shook his head, "They are willing to fight, but with just Hexingen, they’re likely to be surrounded by Griffin and Wolf pup armies the day after they mobilize."

"We can make a deal with them," Henry spoke quickly, "The Northern Alliance enters Franconia, first holding off the Griffin’s army; we hold off the Wolf pups, and then the Falcon Family seizes the opportunity to rise up from Hexingen!"

"As long as they can successfully conquer the entire Swabian Duchy, it will be tantamount to severing Franconia’s military connection with Lombardy and Burgundy! By then, we can focus on encircling and solving Franconia first, and then march south to take down the Wolf Family!"

"It sounds very feasible. But Henry, do you understand what that means?" Ludwig asked with a bitter smile, "According to this military strategy, before the Emperor’s Northern Alliance breaks through the Duke of Franconia, we need to face the Wolf Clan alone and fight to the death against their armies funded by the Church Court!"

Henry also closed his mouth sheepishly.

As mentioned before, losing a noble war in this era wasn’t terrible (as nobles, even if captured, they wouldn’t be killed and could be ransomed), but the loss of land and subjects was.

Once the Northern Alliance’s offense is held back by the Griffin Family, Weisbach could only struggle alone in the south, independently dealing with the full-scale invasion of the Wolf Clan armies from Swabia and Lombardy.

When the subjects are killed or captured, factories destroyed, and wealth plundered, even if the Northern Alliance were to break through Franconia and annihilate those wolf cubs, what benefit would it then have for the Weisbach family?

Will the Emperor compensate you with the properties of the Wolf family? No, after consolidating his forces, the Emperor will head south through the Lombardy Territory to confront the Church Court head-on!

By that time, other than the annihilated wolf cubs and the Griffin, wouldn’t it be the Bavarian Duchy of Weisbach that truly suffers and is unable to recover?

"You’re right," Henry said, loosing his collar. "We can’t let our family’s interests be buried in the process of defending the honorable Emperor’s interests. Let’s wait for father to return and discuss it further... Brother, is there alcohol in the study?"

"Eh, haven’t you become a ’Blade Warrior’ and taken the Magic Potion yet?" Ludwig asked in surprise.

The Emperor’s Guard Officers, as per the customs of the Franks, would consume a Magic Potion according to the bloodline route of "Emperor’s Guard." The first bottle of the Magic Potion would be "Justice X."

If Henry had already taken "Justice X," and then pledged his oath as a Blade Warrior before the Emperor, then not only would speaking ill of the Emperor behind his back be banned, but even drinking alcohol would be strictly prohibited.

"No." Henry opened their father’s bookcase and retrieved a bottle of Bavarian beer, "My God, beer! How could father like this inferior drink..."

He skillfully opened it with his teeth and took several satisfying gulps, "The Emperor, considering I have no heirs, specially allowed me to return home to marry and father children first before becoming a Blade Warrior."

"I see." Ludwig pondered for a moment, then suddenly said with concern, "Henry."

"Uh-huh?"

"I suspect that Eleanor... has already become a Transcendent."

"What?" Henry’s eyes widened, "Her? A Transcendent? You mean... in the few years she was away from home, she became a Transcendent?"

"Yes," Ludwig replied, "Her power and Spear Technique skills have obviously surpassed those of ordinary people."

"What about her, then? I mean, what happens next... She’s not getting married? Becoming a Transcendent, she obviously can’t join a Monastery either!" Henry immediately felt flustered.

"It seems she already has someone in mind," Ludwig said frowning, "It’s a Squad Leader of a Mercenary Group, who seems to be a Transcendent as well."

"A Mercenary Corps Commander? Ha, father would definitely not agree," Henry sneered, "But a Transcendent too? That leaves some room for maneuver; if I’m not mistaken..."

"I’ve already knighted him," Ludwig said.

"Then, let’s use the upcoming war to have him earn military merit and climb the ranks," Henry also understood immediately, "Once he truly has enough qualifications, then let him enter father’s field of vision."

"That’s when father might agree to Eleanor marrying him," Ludwig concluded.

"Ah, our little sister has grown up after all," Henry said nostalgically, "Do you remember? When she was just so little, she was a complete tag-along. Whatever we did, she wanted to be involved."

"Seeing me read, she also wanted to read, but she couldn’t even read," Ludwig smiled reminiscently, took the beer bottle from Henry’s hand, and took a sip, "Seeing you practice swordsmanship in the courtyard, she would clamor to learn as well."

"Then she got hit on the nose by the hilt of the sword," Henry laughed heartily.

The two noblemen drank their beer freely while sharing anecdotes from their childhood until gradually they found they couldn’t continue.

It was somewhat uncomfortable.

"Damn it!" Henry suddenly put down the beer bottle and cursed angrily, "Where is that Mercenary Corps Commander? I’m going to beat him up! How dare he deceive our adorable little sister away!"