International Situation

The castle's living room was quite cool, unaffected by the scorching sun outside.

"Don't be anxious, have a cup of tea first."

Frederick poured the visiting Baron Philip von Ertal a cup of his self-concocted Kang Shuai Fu Iced Black Tea.

Philip picked up the iced tea and took a sip. He felt the taste was good, and he calmed down.

King William's action of driving refugees towards the Wessen Territory was now known throughout the land. For a time, the Rhine River Basin was filled with grievances.

Philip had initially worried that the refugees would pass through his territory along the Main River. Now he didn't need to worry; they would be staying in his territory.

This was deadly. Rumors were spreading everywhere that these refugees were possessed by devils. They would cut any earthworm they saw in half, eating one piece today and saving the other for tomorrow.

Philip put down his empty teacup, looked at Frederick, and said, "You're quite composed."

"But then again, when I visited three years ago, you didn't say a word, just sat there quietly."

Frederick put down his own teacup, pouted, and said glumly, "Actually, I lost my baby teeth early back then."

Philip was momentarily at a loss for words.

Frederick asked solemnly, "May I ask, Baron Ertal, is your visit for the unfinished matter of three years ago, or for this refugee situation?"

Philip's heart skipped a beat. This turn of conversation was unexpected, but as an experienced diplomat, he had composure. He calmly asked, "Does Baron Weissen know about the matter from three years ago?"

Frederick looked directly into his eyes and said in a calm tone, "The Duchy of Mainz, the Duchy of Bayern, and the City of Nuremberg are the three largest power blocs in the southern Rhine Alliance. Among them, the Grand Duke of Mainz and the Duke of Bayern have the power to influence the choice of a royal successor."

"Since the Osmagar Empire defeated the Second Pulan Empire and dismantled the empire, indirectly controlling the Eastern Capital and a large area of the northern plains, only a hundred years have passed with the Rhine Alliance barely surviving in the mountains and valleys."

"The original imperial royal family is fragmented. The descendants of the last emperor became the King of the Rhine Alliance. The various regions have long been disobedient to the royal family, only reluctantly uniting under the pincer attack of the Osmagar Empire and the Kingdom of Gaul."

"Now, the Osmagar Empire is in turmoil over the issue of imperial succession. The Kingdom of Gaul and the Kingdom of Riesenburg are locked in a protracted war. Our King William tried to take advantage of the situation to occupy the Low Countries but suffered a crushing defeat."

"At this time, it is not impossible for the Duchy of Mainz, the Duchy of Bayern, and the City of Nuremberg to merge and become one nation."

"Precisely because of this, the former king, with foresight, sent several of our families to cause trouble in the area where the three parties meet before his death."

"Your visit three years ago was to ask our Weissen Family to join your ranks, but my father did not give any indication."

After he finished speaking, the living room instantly fell silent.

A moment later, Philip applauded.

"Very well said!" he said with a smile. "Except for the last point which isn't complete, everything else is correct."

"Who taught you?"

Frederick shrugged and said dismissively, "I just thought of it by looking at the map."

Philip naturally didn't believe this. Like others, he thought Frederick had a hidden master behind him. If an eight-year-old could figure this out on his own, it would be unbelievably outlandish, off the charts.

"Have you ever studied Heraldry?" Philip asked a seemingly unrelated question.

Frederick was about to say he had studied a little when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. A moment later, he opened his mouth in surprise.

The crests of noble families have specific designs. They need to highlight the family's identity, territorial features, and honor, among other factors.

In Philip's territory, a river runs through the middle. Their family crest is a blue river running through green farmland, somewhat resembling the character "Shen".

The Weissen Family's crest has this castle in the center. At the bottom of the castle are blue wavy lines representing a river. These are not the main point. The main point is the eagle above the castle.

A long time ago, an emperor of the Second Pulan Empire was particularly fertile, having over a dozen children with four empresses. These princes and princesses, after centuries of enfeoffment and intermarriage, have led to many noble crests now including an eagle.

However, such nobles were mostly in the wealthy northern plains. Frederick's great-grandfather had his original territory stolen. Later, he pledged allegiance to the former king, who then sent him to seize land in the southern mountains.

Here, descendants like them, like the "Descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan," were relatively scarce.

"No way?" Frederick asked in surprise. "You want to push our family to the forefront as puppets?"

However, Philip was even more surprised. While history and international affairs could be taught and Frederick had a good memory to recite them at length, the moment he mentioned Heraldry, this little guy immediately thought of their plan, even considering being a puppet. How did his brain work?

To test if this little guy was an unbelievably intelligent genius, Philip asked, "So, what is your answer?"

Frederick immediately said seriously, "Your Excellency, please don't worry. We will build refugee camps in the fallow fields away from the towns in your territory. This will not affect your territory and can also provide compost for the fields. This is a win-win situation!"

"Please rest here for the night. I will prepare a special carriage from the Wessen Territory. Tomorrow after breakfast, I will set off with you. We will spare no horse power and can arrive at Lohr by noon."

"After I meet with the Grand Duke of Mainz, my people will immediately go to Lohr to receive the refugees."

Philip quietly watched this prodigy finish speaking and then picked up the teapot to pour himself some tea.

"I can disclose some news to you in advance." At this point, Philip treated Frederick as a noble equal to himself, no longer a child. "My visit to the Duchy of Bayern this time did not yield any results."

Frederick thought for a moment while drinking tea and said, "There were still results. You both had frank discussions, exchanged opinions, and enhanced understanding."

"Since you are merging, one side must take the lead in terms of power. However, the Duchy of Mainz and the Duchy of Bayern are of equal strength, and they cannot merge through marriage now. Neither wants to be subordinate."

"That's right," Philip nodded. "In the foreseeable future, the Duchy of Mainz, the Duchy of Bayern, and the Weissen Family will become the powers that divide the southern Rhine Alliance. Neither side can do anything to the other."

Frederick just calmly drank his tea, not showing a happy expression because of the other party's flattery.

"Forget it," he put down his teacup and said. "I still owe King William 5,000 Florins."

"Oh, isn't the Duchy of Mainz going to buy more steel from us?"

"Although we have temporarily suspended steel exports in the short term to ensure we have enough for ourselves, we can resume large-scale supply next year after the new workshop is put into use."

Currently, the Wessen Territory's waterway to the north passes through the Duchy of Mainz. The main channels for raw material procurement and finished product sales are in their hands. He didn't mind giving them some profit to act as middlemen and earn some money. Doing business also required understanding human nature and relationships.

Philip was a little tempted. Steel was a strategic resource. The price of steel in the Wessen Territory was much lower than elsewhere. Whether used himself or resold, it was profitable. This business was feasible.

Frederick continued, "If Your Excellency can facilitate the steel trade between the Wessen Territory and the Duchy of Mainz, I am willing to pay a 1% commission."

Then, the next day, after seeing Philip's daughter, this guy voluntarily increased the commission to 2%.