How to obtain claim rights?
Naturally, it is the blood of the previous ruler of this land.
This is why, in the original plot, after the demise of Cintra, Cirilla suddenly became the focus of contention between the North and the South.
Because all the kings know that whoever can get Cirilla will have the right to legally rule Cintra.
When Emperor Emhyr announced that he was about to marry Cirilla (actually a fake princess), Marshal Vissegerd, who led the Cintra resistance, frantically slandered the bloodline of Calanthe and Calanthe's ancestors.
It is also to hedge the emperor's strategy: once the emperor marries the fake Ciri, the Cintra people will have no reason to resist, and the Cintra resistance will collapse in an instant.
However, Lynn chose another path:
He redefined the structure of power by canonizing civilians as minor aristocrats, splitting up large aristocrats, and replacing aristocratic rule with officials.
This approach is actually not a path that has never been imagined.
Because when humans first came to this continent, they did the same thing.
The earliest kings and nobles also came from the common people.
Just because so much time has passed, both nobles and commoners have become accustomed to it, and subconsciously feel that kings and nobles have always been so noble.
Just as Velerad was racking his brains to think about how to save the situation, Prince Villem from Lyria made another proposal on behalf of his mother, Queen Meve.
Meve Queen is willing to grant Augustus Family unconditional garrison rights and military passage rights.
He even hinted that he is willing to turn Lyria into Toussaint in the north and become a neutral country.
Lynn heard the subtext: Lyria and Rivia have really small land areas, almost half of Aedirn, and only slightly larger than the province of Velen.
Even if all the people are armed, they can't resist the invasion of the Augustus Family or the former Nilfgaardian Empire.
Since it is difficult to protect oneself, it is better to simply take the initiative to move closer to Lynn.
Meve Queen also saw it.
Augustus Family is actually the second Nilfgaardian Empire.
Although he is still a vassal of Kovir, Augustus Family is actually independent.
Moreover, the trend of unifying the north and the south is inevitable.
The only difference is whether it was conquered by force or surrendered voluntarily.
Velerad on the side looked at Prince Villem in shock.
He really didn't expect that Queen Meve would relent.
You must know that even when the Nilfgaard army was approaching, Queen Meve personally led the army to Marnadal Valley Fortress to assist Cintra and Skellige in resisting the black-clad army.
What now...
Ignoring Velerad's reaction, Meve was very satisfied with Queen Lynn's understanding of current affairs.
He doesn't mind letting Meve's family continue to rule that land. Anyway, Lyria and Rivia's land area is small. As long as they don't make big mistakes, stability for generations is not impossible.
Finally, Mousesack and Crach brought the proposal of Queen Calanthe.
It turned out to be a marriage contract, and it was about Queen Calanthe's granddaughter, Princess Cirilla.
Lynn was a little surprised at first. Could it be that Calanthe has changed his temper?
Because based on his understanding of Calanthe, this queen has always been strong and is not someone who will give in easily.
After Mousesack's explanation, Lynn finally understood the reason.
Cintra is a very traditional country.
Traditionally, the nobles of Cintra would rather have a foreigner as their king than accept a queen like Calanthe who sat on the throne at the age of 14 and defeated the enemy's army in the first battle at the age of 15.
Calanthe had two husbands. The first husband died of smallpox, but there are also rumors that he died at the hands of Calanthe (because of his infidelity).
The second husband was the brother of King Bran of Skellige Isles's Tuirseach Clan, Eist Tursek.
The two have a deep relationship and are very loving.
But Calanthe was infertile, so her only descendant was princess Cirilla.
In the original plot, Nilfgaard Army crossed Marnadal Valley without any hindrance and set up an ambush, waiting until Calanthe and her husband arrived with their troops to surround Cintra's army.
In the end, Calanthe was seriously injured, and Eist died on the battlefield.
But now the plot has changed, Nilfgaard Army has never been able to cross Marnadal Valley, and Eist has survived.
Therefore, it was Eist who proposed to marry Cirilla, who has reached marriageable age, to Lynn to establish an alliance between Cintra-Skellige and Augustus Family.
Lynn's name has long been spread among Skellige Isles. He once helped Tuirseach Branch Family defeat Nilfgaard's invasion fleet and became a well-known hero in the archipelago.
Skellige people have a good impression of Lynn.
Therefore, Lynn's expansion in the north did not arouse the resentment of Skellige people.
After all, in the legend of the Skellige people, those warriors who were qualified to enter Valhalla, before the arrival of Ragnarok, only did two things: drink non-stop and fight non-stop.
Being able to conquer other countries just shows that Lynn has powerful force, which is also what Skellige people want.
Therefore, since it is time to choose a marriage partner for Princess Cirilla, there is no more suitable candidate than Lynn.
In this era, the most effective alliance is marriage, forming an alliance with its archipelago-Cintra-Temeria to fight against Lynn. Why not an alliance between the archipelago-Cintra and Lynn?
Even Skellige people have no interest in striking an egg with an egg.
In addition to Eist and Skellige, the ministers of Cintra are also unwilling to antagonize Lynn.
Although Lynn is a demon hunter whose identity is between human and non-human races, after Lynn gained such great power, the Cintra nobles automatically ignored the issue of Lynn's bloodline.
They value prosperity and stability more than pointless resistance.
Cintra is one of the countries closest to Toussaint. The ruler of Toussaint outsources even national defense to Nilfgaard, in exchange for the stability of its duke family, noble family, and knight family for generations.
Isn't stability better than standing in a pile of rubble shouting "at least they have freedom"?
Cintra people are brave and aggressive, and the nobles of Cintra are not stupid. They will not gamble with the prosperity of generations. Resistance has no benefit in the end, and there is no glory at all.
Because history is a little girl who can be dressed up, and is written by the victors. If they are really conquered, future generations will not remember how brave they were, but may record that they were conquered because they provoked first.
Lynn gladly accepted the engagement.
Velerad was completely dumbfounded.
Indeed, the reputation of Princess Cirilla is much better than that of Princess Adda. If he had the choice, he would definitely make the same choice as Lynn.
But Velerad is not Lynn, and he can already predict what will happen to him when he returns to Vizima city.
Foltest I'm afraid His Majesty won't be happy.
Lynn chose to hold the wedding with Cintra's princess Cirilla in Tretogor city.
He didn't want to be extravagant, but with the advice of all his officials, he finally held a grand wedding.
Queen Saskia of United Kingdom of Kaedwen and Aedirn, Queen Meve of United Kingdom of Lyria and Rivia, King Bran of Skellige Isles, King Eist of Cintra and Queen Calanthe, as well as many nobles were present in person to witness this event.
Kovir also sent a representative, but it was not Istredd, the lord of Lynn, but the only son of Istredd, prince Tankred.
Out of etiquette, Lynn invited Prince Tankred to sit down, but Prince Tankred modestly declined and chose to sit on the guest's seat.
This move made other guests present understand.
Nowadays, Augustus Family has surpassed Thyssen family in terms of land and national power, and the relationship between its lord and vassals has long existed in name only.
Istredd didn't come in person just to avoid embarrassment in terms of status and relationship.
If he were to sit in the main seat, Lynn would feel uncomfortable; and if he were to sit in the guest's seat... he is still a lord after all, so he still has to save face.
That's why he asked his son, Tankred, to come on his behalf.
It is not disrespectful and avoids any embarrassment in status.
Although Tankred is the son of Istredd, sitting in the guest's seat will not cause controversy and will make all parties presentable.
When Lynn and Princess Cirilla celebrated their first wedding anniversary, the Nilfgaard civil war was coming to an end.
The situation that occurred within the empire was just as Lynn expected. In order to compete for imperial power, all forces in the empire adopted extreme measures.
Burning villages, looting towns, killing civilians...
They used 19th century tactics to fight a medieval war.
As a result, Nilfgaardian Empire, which was originally a strong national power, rapidly declined.
The Sun Empire, which once dominated the south, has turned into a rotten tree riddled with holes.
Today, the empire is devastated, villages have been razed to the ground, smoke pillars are rising into the sky, and hundreds of miles around are deserted.
Agriculture and commerce suffered a devastating blow.
Serious famines occurred everywhere, and bandits were rampant. Even without the intervention of external forces, no one could unify the empire in the short term, and even self-preservation was a problem.
The provinces that were once conquered by Nilfgaard with force have shown obvious wavering and have refused to obey the rule of Nilfgaard.
Lynn is waiting for this opportunity.
His army was assembled on the north bank of the Yaruga River, then crossed Yaruga River and marched south.
After learning that the flag of the jet-black golden double-headed eagle crossed the Yaruga River, the Nilfgaard garrison on the south bank of the river did not even have the courage to defend the stronghold, so they abandoned their helmets and armor and fled south.
As if entering an uninhabited land, Lynn's Army successfully occupied the entire Maecht.
Then there are Geso, Ebbing, and Metinna.
The southern countries that were once occupied by Nilfgaard all dream of independence, but after experiencing such a long civil war, they don't have so many ideas anymore.
As long as we can give them a peaceful and stable environment and let them have enough to eat, it doesn't matter who rules them.
After occupying Maecht, Geso, Ebbing, and Metinna, Lynn did not allow the army to continue southward, but ensured military control to prevent Nilfgaard from counterattacking.
Next is to restore people's livelihood, rebuild infrastructure, and promote economic recovery.
Since the agriculture in various provinces has been greatly damaged, it is necessary to adjust grains from Nazair. However, these grains are not simply distributed directly, but are used in a work-for-relief method, allowing refugees to exchange labor for grains.
Maecht, Geso, Ebbing, and Metinna are all vast plains. From a geographical point of view, they are also the most suitable to become the imperial granary. Therefore, Lynn's first five-year plan is to restore the agriculture of the four provinces to 70% of the pre-war level.