Humans were very strange creatures. Their standard for value was often not determined by the specific use of things, but by the difficulty of obtaining them. The more difficult it was to obtain something, the more precious it was to them. On the contrary, the easier it was to obtain something, the less they would cherish it.
The most obvious example was when a man pursued a woman. No matter how gentle, considerate, and beautiful a woman was, as long as there were no difficulties or obstacles in the process of pursuing her, then the man who pursued her would not care too much.
However, if a woman who wasn't considered pretty knew how to control the rhythm, make full use of her advantages, and stimulate the desire to conquer in a man's genes, then she would be able to firmly occupy the initiative in this game. Even if a man got her, he would take extra care of her, afraid that he would accidentally lose her again.
It had to be said that this was a kind of downright sad.
As a smart person, André would never let anyone feel that his good intentions were cheap, and he would not allow anyone to order him around.
He wanted to let the noblewoman in front of him know the heavy price to pay, so he deliberately acted very impolite and did not give her a chance to close the distance between them.
Obviously, it was the first time that Gloria participated in the interest negotiation between nobles, and she was a little unaccustomed to the confrontation of words.
After hesitating for a while, she asked, "Then what do you want?
Do you want to watch my husband's territory be annexed by Duke Wyen? "
"Madam, you have to understand that there is a price to be paid for everything, just like how farmers give more than half of their harvest to the feudal lord in exchange for the feudal lord's protection. If you want me to help Earl Karl, then show some sincerity.
I'm a pragmatist, and I don't like empty promises.
Now tell me, what do you plan to use in exchange for my troops? "
André's tone was neither sharp nor arrogant, as if he was talking about a trivial matter. However, he tore apart all the hypocritical parts of the negotiation and went straight to the core of the problem.
Although he did not have much intention for the surrounding neighbors, he hoped to use this opportunity to expand his influence and slowly infiltrate through trade.
In fact, so far, he had reached the limit in terms of land expansion. Whether it was the farmland in Tuis Valley or the pasture that was about to be opened with the fortress as the center, all of them required a large amount of labor. The gap would not be filled in for more than ten years.
Most of the time, the bigger the territory, the better. Instead, it was necessary to ensure the density of the population. Otherwise, it would be a waste to have an empty land without people.
Gloria fell into silence because she didn't know what André wanted, but André knew what she wanted.
From the very beginning of the negotiations, the two sides were not on equal footing, so it was inevitable that they would be passive.
After hesitating for a while, the countess finally could not hold back her anxiety. She carefully took out a scepter-shaped seal ring from her underwear.
"This is the symbol of my husband's family's supreme power. Any treaty or document will take effect as soon as it is stamped. There is no need to worry about reneging on a debt in the future.
How about it? Are you satisfied with this price? "
Staring at the exquisite patterns on the ring, the corners of Andre's mouth curled up slightly. He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am very satisfied!
Since you've clearly expressed your sincerity, I won't waste any more words.
The requirement is very simple. Count Karl must swear to be subordinate to me. Of course, this kind of subordination can be secret and not public.
I don't need him to pay tribute every year, and I won't pry into the slightest bit of land. I just need to use his name as an inland noble to establish a social circle that can influence the surrounding feudal lords.
As long as you can sign such a secret agreement with me, then I can immediately order the army to move out and completely defeat Duke Wyen. I can even help your husband to invade his territory. "
Why could the nobles stand in this world for thousands of years?
The reason was very simple. In order to protect their own interests, they firmly grasped the power in their hands. The elements that maintained the power were those boring banquets, parties, hunting, and so on.
This huge network of connections completely covered the commoners. Only those with noble blood or status were qualified to get the ticket to the game of power.
As for the civilians …
Even if they caused a big commotion, it was only temporary. It wouldn't take long for them to completely disappear under the suppression of the nobles.
In fact, Auraire was the same as Earth. There had been many large-scale peasant uprisings, and some had even overthrown the regime at that time.
But what happened in the end?
Either they were attacked by the remaining nobles, or they were collectively beaten by the surrounding feudal countries until all the rebels were killed.
It could be said that the nobles used bloody facts to tell every civilian how miserable the consequences of violating their interests were. So now many peasants who couldn't survive would rather escape into the mountains and become bandits than play any tricks to overthrow the nobles' rule.
The longer André dealt with the nobles, the more he could deeply understand the hidden rules under the feudal system. Especially those seemingly useless marriages and alliances, which were completely another form of war.
Now he intended to expand his influence and control. Coupled with the gap between the inland nobles and the coastal nobles, it was necessary to support a chess piece.
Gloria didn't expect the conditions to be so loose at all. She asked in disbelief, "really?
Is this the only one? "
André pretended to be free and easy and said, "Yes, madam, there is no other request."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Quickly take out a pen and paper and let us sign the terms."
Gloria seemed to be a little impatient. She wanted to bring the reinforcements back as soon as possible. She was afraid that there would be unexpected changes as time passed.
Anyway, in her eyes, such a private subordinate relationship was nothing. As long as she could keep her territory and title, it didn't matter even if she completely became a vassal.
As a mage, Andre would always bring a quill, parchment, and ink with him wherever he went. In just a few minutes, he had already written down the relevant terms and conditions on the parchment.
After confirming that there were no problems, Gloria dripped a few drops of wax on it and then stamped her husband's seal.
As soon as all this was done, she immediately asked eagerly, "Now that you have what you want, when can we start marching?"
"Anytime, but I personally suggest that you leave after breakfast. After all, on the march, I'm afraid it will be difficult to eat fresh fried eggs and rabbit meat."
After saying that, André smiled and rolled up the parchment and put it in his waist bag.
With this secret agreement with the family seal, he could hold Count Karl in the palm of his hand. If Count Karl dared to do anything, he only needed to publicize the contents. He didn't even need to do anything himself. The inland nobles who hated Linton City would skin Count Karl alive.