The bloody scene at the Marquis's funeral quickly spread throughout Besançon. Early on the third day, rumors spread throughout the streets and alleys. The group of black-robed men who attacked the crown prince Robert in the sanctuary of Besançon Cathedral were the killers paid by Count Baldwin, the deputy minister of the palace.
It is a well-known fact that Baldwin was at odds with the inner court faction, but no one would have imagined that Baldwin would hire a murderer on the day of the Marquis's funeral, and commit the murder openly in front of the witnesses of many powerful dignitaries and many civilians. At first, many people didn't believe it. No matter how stupid they were, they would not use such despicable means to kill people at that time.
But that night, a temporary court composed of Bernard, the Marquis of Ode from the Principality of Burgundy, and many friendly envoys publicly tried the captured men in black robes. They could not bear the torture and confessed in full.
The men in black robes were a newly formed assassination group. They were bribed by a powerful man who claimed to be the assassin. According to the confession of the captured man in black robes, the palace guards found the assassin in a cellar in the west of Besançon, but his neck had been cut from behind with a sharp weapon.
After investigation, this ** was originally just a small vendor in the city of Besançon. However, since this spring, the small vendor suddenly changed his identity and became the owner of several southern goods shops in the city of Besançon, and became one of the leaders of the Besançon Southern Goods Guild.
There must be an unusual reason for such a sudden rise. The temporary court headed by Count Bernard showed extraordinary efficiency in investigating the case. It took them less than half a day to find out the true identity of the murderer - he was the brother of Count Baldwin's mistress.
The temporary court did not reach the conclusion that Baldwin assassinated the prince, but combined with Bernard's assassination a few weeks ago and Baldwin's sudden departure on the day of the funeral, as well as the previous indictment that Baldwin sent to the Principality of Burgundy, people have reason to believe that there is a shadow of Baldwin behind all this.
On the fourth day of the bloody funeral, the special envoys and distinguished guests attending the funeral had just left Besançon when a proclamation jointly issued by the Marquise and the Crown Prince Robert came out from the inner court.
The proclamation declared that Baldwin was a regicide and would petition the Duchy of Burgundy to deprive Baldwin of his earldom and take back the territory of Yona. All those who continue to support and hide Baldwin will be punished with treason, those with titles and lands will be deprived of their lands, and all troops who follow Baldwin will be regarded as rebels and rioters and become enemies of the entire county...
Fortunately, Baldwin had already killed the enemies at the back gate of the temple before the gates of Besançon were closed and the whole city was under martial law, and he led his guards back to the third regiment of the Praetorian Guards. By the time the temporary court of the palace found out about the brother of Baldwin's mistress, Baldwin, who had gotten wind of the situation and had a premonition that something bad was going to happen, had already led hundreds of soldiers of the third regiment of the Guards to break camp overnight and rush towards the border of Yona Province in the east.
Baldwin escaped unscathed from the danger, but other members of the Baldwin group were not so lucky. Although the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Privy Seal were Earls, they only had a few earldoms near Besançon, and they had no actual power such as military or financial power, so they could only sit back and wait for death in the face of a sudden crisis.
But fortunately, they still have the title of earl shining on them, and Bernard will not attack them directly for a while.
However, those small nobles and wealthy merchants who followed Baldwin were unlucky. Early on the fifth day, the palace guards, the 1st and 2nd regiments of the Praetorian Infantry Corps and the Cavalry Corps entered Besançon. The entire city declared a state of war, followed by a general purge of the army in the city...
Why did the Praetorian Guards become the sharp sword in Bernard's hand? That's right, the palace military minister "treason".
As early as two years ago when the Marquis fell ill, the military minister who originally belonged to Bernard's faction began to sit on the fence and watch. He had a premonition that the Marquis' time was running out, and he became increasingly interested in getting closer to the Crown Prince Robert. In addition, although Baldwin was a military deputy, he served as deputy palace minister. Known for manipulating military affairs everywhere, even one-third of the Guards Infantry Corps, which was originally only commanded by the Minister of War, was arbitrarily taken away by Baldwin. The Guards Corps was regarded as a taboo by the Minister of War, and he would not allow others to peep at it...
When Besançon was turned upside down, Baldwin had already led his army back to the Province of Yona. He also issued a proclamation in the Province of Yona, denounced Bernard and the Marchioness for murdering loyal ministers, and revealed the true identity of the crown prince Robert to the court for the first time. The name of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Guardian of the East was announced to the world. He refused to recognize Robert's Marquis inheritance and claimed that the Marchioness and Bernard were the real culprits in the assassination of the Marquis of Ivrea. Baldwin declared that Besançon no longer had a monarch and the palace was broken.
同日，东境约纳省所有军队领民宣布拒绝接受罗贝尔和贝桑松宫廷的统治，一千五百多东境军队顷刻间出现在了约纳省的边界地区......
............
Matt held an urgent secret message sent back from Lucese in his hand. He did not expect that things would turn out like this. This was not what he expected.
The people around me are still arguing.
"Earl Baldwin sent someone to assassinate the prince at the Marquis's funeral? How is this possible? Who would believe such a thing? Even if he really wanted to assassinate Robert, he would not choose such a time." In the hall of Wincheston Manor Manor, after hearing the news that Ron brought back from the North, Wells Robert, the priest of the regiment, shook his head repeatedly. He had lived in Besançon for many years and had heard a lot about the deeds of the powerful people in the palace. In his eyes, although Baldwin was not the most powerful and conspiracy person, he would never be stupid enough to do such a thing. Otherwise, he would not have been able to become the deputy palace minister and deputy military minister step by step.
Ron, who had just returned from the North, stood up and said to everyone in the hall: "I didn't believe it at first, but our eagle eyes in Besancon saw the scene in the temple of Besancon Cathedral with our own eyes. The black-robed assassin was indeed aiming for the crown prince Robert."
"I also thought it was the person sent from the southwest, but soon the court found the brother of Earl Baldwin's mistress, and the Earl's mistress also admitted that his brother had said not long ago that he would do a shocking thing for Baldwin."
"Just two days ago when I was returning from the south, I received an urgent message - the Eastern Army appeared on the border three days east of Besançon. It was rumored that there were 3,000 people, and there were also rumors that there were as many as 5,000 people. However, according to our eagle eye, the border army was around 1,500 people, and it should be the vanguard of the Eastern Army. In addition, the Palace Guards Corps Only one infantry regiment followed Count Baldwin out of Besancon..."
..."
"My lord, how do you think we should deal with the crisis?"
"Sir?" Odo woke up Art, who was in deep thought.
“What did you just say?” Art didn’t hear Odo’s question clearly.
"Sir, how should we deal with this situation now? The situation is too complicated now."
None of the officers in the hall knew what was behind the whole incident, and the group started talking loudly.
Matt slapped the secret letter on the wooden table, stood up and yelled at everyone in the hall, "Why panic!"
Everyone was not panicked, they just suddenly became villains and may be treated as traitors and rebels. They have always been treated as palace troops. It is difficult for everyone in the team to adapt, and more importantly, they are currently in a weak position. Bernard is in control of the prince. Although he has not yet been canonized by the Duchy of Burgundy, everyone regards Robert as the successor to the title of marquis and the rule of the county. This concept cannot be shattered by Baldwin's words.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Art slowly walked around the long table and said, "You are all the people who came from the civilian patrol with me. Which battle doesn't involve broken bones and flesh and corpses everywhere? Are a group of people who took heads as weapons still afraid of being falsely accused of being rebels?"
"And I can tell you with certainty that the so-called prince of Besancon is not the legitimate son of the Marquis of Ivrea at all, he is just a bastard under the slut of the inner court and a palace attendant!" After Art said this, he no longer felt burdened.
"Is the Crown Prince not a direct descendant?"
"Bastard?"
The officers were whispering among themselves, and many of them did not know these shocking secrets.
After everyone slowly recovered from the shock, Art continued to speak loudly: "That's right! Robert is not the son of a marquis. The count married three ladies in total. The first two marquises did not have children. The court doctor also said that the marquis was infertile."
Everyone nodded. Many of them knew that Ivrea had not been able to give birth to an heir for more than ten years, and had never even heard of an illegitimate child.
"The so-called "monarch" does not have the right to inherit the title of marquis and county at all, so we are not traitors. "
The officers' mentality gradually stabilized. Angus stood up first and said loudly to everyone at the wooden table in the hall: "Sir, since we follow you, let alone the bastard in the palace, even if he is really the so-called monarch, we will not waver in your decision! It is you who have led the guys to kill all these years. It is you who gave us dignity and glory. The Marquis of Ivrea once gave us a place to stand, but the old Marquis passed away. The lord of the lord is not my lord. We only know you as a lord. We will fight whoever you ask us to go, and we will go wherever you ask us to go!"
Odo, Kazak, and Ron also stood up and shouted: "I will follow you to the death!"
The rest of the officers also stood up and stood up, shouting that they will follow you to the death.
Att turned his head and looked at the military priest Robert who had been silent all this time, and asked: "Father Robert, you are not my vassal, I will not make it difficult for you."
Robert's face was calm but his heart was slightly moved, "Master Att, I am a man of God and should not be involved in secular affairs, but God sent me to you, and he must have given me a mission of the Holy Spirit. I am willing to accompany you under the guidance of God." Robert is a clergyman, and he will not specify it if he takes an oath of allegiance.
「传令！威尔斯军团及威尔斯男爵领进入战时状态，所有军队准备战斗。」
「是！」
…………
六月末，勃艮第伯国开始分裂。
On the fourth Wednesday, the entire eastern province of Yona mobilized and declared its independence from palace rule;
On the same day, Count Flanders of Longchard did four things. First, submit an ultimatum to the Principality of Burgundy and request that he be granted the title of Marquis of Burgundy and inherit the rule of the Principality in accordance with the law, and change his name to "Flanders Otto"; second, declare Robert as a regicide in the name of the Crown Prince of Burgundy, and deprive Bernard and all his lords of their titles and fiefs; third, they will The court of the County of Burgundy temporarily moved to the city of Yona and established the Longsummer Palace. It ordered all the troops in the county to swear allegiance to Flanders Otto I and kill Bernard's faction. Fourthly, it was announced that all neutral provincial and county nobles could retain their lordships and military power, and the neutral army would not be held accountable by the Yona court.
On the fourth Thursday, the three autonomous cities of Burgundy declared neutrality;
On the fourth Friday, the province of Côte d'Or declared neutrality, recognizing neither the court of Besançon nor the court of Jonah. They announced that they were waiting for the ruling of the Principality of Burgundy;
On the fourth Sunday, the province of Lucesne declared neutrality;
On the same day, Viscount Pierre, the governor of Tyniec County, a fief directly under the Marquis of Ivrea, declared neutrality.
Tynets was the first margrave to declare neutrality, but on the same day, the County of Tynets delimited the Barony of Wells of Arte from the county...
In early July, the entire Saône Province of Bernard was mobilized, and 2,200 troops were assembled and marched to the city of Besançon to join the Palace Guards. Another thousand Western Frontier troops marched to the southern border with the Côte d'Or Province to guard against the Longxia Army;
At the beginning of July, Baldwin's entire territory of Jonah was assembled. A total of 1,800 soldiers were stationed on the border of Jonah Province, and another 1,400 soldiers were left to guard the city of Jonah;