Re: Steel and Gunpowder

Chapter 80: Five Wives

After hearing such words, Konrad stopped pacing. He stood in front of the spymaster, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Thirty-two years is a long time to build trust," Konrad stated flatly. "It is also a very long time to build resentment. Tell me, what is the current exchange rate for Fugger silver in the Duchy of Savoy?"

Heinrich simply tilted his head slightly, as if considering a math problem.

"The exchange rate in Savoy is currently very poor, Lord Konrad," Heinrich answered. "...mostly because the Duke’s treasury is empty."

"Because he bought a mercenary army." Konrad pressed, stepping an inch closer.

"Yes." Heinrich agreed, "A very large, very expensive army."

Konrad stared at him, waiting for the lie. "If you know about the army," Konrad said, "then you also know why they are massing on my border. Did you sell my southern expansion plans to the Duke of Savoy, Heinrich?"

However, the plain-looking spymaster just let out a soft chuckle.

He reached into his simple wool tunic. Instantly, the sound of three wheellock muskets clicking echoed in the small room as the guards outside raised their weapons through the iron bars of the door.

Heinrich ignored them... he slowly pulled out a heavily sealed, ciphered letter and held it out toward Konrad.

Konrad looked at the ciphered letter extended toward him. He slowly reached out and snatched the vellum from Heinrich’s hand.

He broke the wax seal, his eyes quickly scanning the messy ink.

"Burgundy..." Konrad whispered, his brow knitting together in confusion. "He is marching on Burgundy?" frёeωebɳovel.com

Heinrich smiled, slowly lowering his hands back to his lap. "Exactly, Lord Konrad. The Duke of Savoy has been quiet for years, but not because he is a peaceful man. He has been hoarding his silver, staying out of the Swabian Diet’s petty squabbles, waiting for the perfect moment to expand his borders westward."

"Why?" Konrad asked, leaning back against the wall. "Burgundy is firmly tied to the Emperor’s interests. If the Duke of Savoy launches a sudden invasion into Burgundian lands, the entire Holy Roman Empire will come down on his head."

However, Heinrich shook his balding head, "Normally, yes. But the Emperor is currently distracted by the Teutonic crusades in the north, the religious schisms your printed books caused, and a dozen other fires. The Duke sees a gaping hole in the Empire’s armor. And his eyes have always been looking for Burgundy."

"How do you know this with such absolute certainty?" Konrad pressed, "Armies can pivot. A camp facing west can turn north in a single night."

"Because of his maid, My Lord." Heinrich answered.

After hearing such words, Konrad just stared at the plain-looking spymaster. "His maid? You expect me to base the entire strategic deployment of the Swabian forges on the gossip of a servant girl cleaning bedsheets?"

"When that servant girl sleeps in the Duke’s private chambers, yes," Heinrich chuckled softly. "She told my whisperers that the Duke spends hours staring at maps of the western passes. But more importantly, she revealed a great deal about the Duke’s... unique personal nature."

Heinrich leaned forward slightly in the chair, "The Duke of Savoy is a very loving man, Lord Konrad. Or rather, a very restless one. The maid said he has married more than five wives over the years."

Konrad frowned, "Five wives? The Pope doesn’t allow annulments that easily. Even kings have to beg Rome for years to discard a single queen."

"Exactly my point," Heinrich smiled widely. "He marries them, gets bored or politically dissatisfied, and divorces them quietly. Then he just marries another. It is incredibly strange. To openly mock the sacred vows of the Catholic Church so many times without fear of excommunication... it means something."

"It means he doesn’t give a damn about the Pope," Isolde concluded.

"Or perhaps he isn’t a man of religion at all," Heinrich suggested, casually rubbing his chin. "Maybe he has secretly adopted another religion. One that allows him to dismiss his wives and ignore the Vatican’s holy laws. If he doesn’t fear the Pope, then he certainly doesn’t fear the Emperor’s Diet. He is a rogue actor, Viscount. A wild card driven purely by his own earthly ambitions."

Even so, the revelation was staggering...

Konrad rubbed his aching temples.

Clearly, things were descending into utter chaos, with every lord in the empire seizing as much land and silver as he could, while the Church’s authority crumbled.

If the Duke of Savoy was throwing his treasury into a massive mercenary invasion of Burgundy, it meant two things.

First, the Swabian border was safe from an immediate southern attack.

Second, and far more importantly...

"When the Duke marches that mercenary host westward into Burgundy," Konrad said slowly, "the Duchy of Savoy will be empty."

"They are leaving their back door wide open," Heinrich nodded, looking highly pleased with himself. "Your casus belli plan, Lord Konrad... the fake Fugger silver convoy... it will work. The greedy, low-level border barons left behind in Savoy won’t be able to resist the bait. They will ambush your wagons, and the Duke’s main army will be too far away in Burgundy to march back and stop your retaliation."

Konrad let out a sigh. "Heinrich," Konrad said.

"Yes, My Lord?" the spymaster replied politely.

"You did well," Konrad stated bluntly. "Go to the quartermaster. Tell him to give you fifty silver florins for your network, and a crate of the new coffee beans for your personal use. Keep your whisperers in Savoy. I want daily updates on the Duke’s marching orders."

"You are too generous, Lord Konrad." Heinrich bowed deeply, though the glint in his eye showed he fully expected the reward.

Konrad turned his back on the spymaster and looked at Isolde.

"Isolde, unlock the door." Konrad commanded.

Isolde stepped over to the iron-banded door and slid the deadbolt back.

The two black-armored guards outside snapped to attention, lowering their weapons.

"Tell Eckhard to meet me in my study. Wake him up if you have to." Konrad said, walking past the guards.

"We are accelerating the timeline?" Isolde asked, following closely behind him as they walked back toward the upper levels of the keep. fгeewebnovёl.com

"If the Duke of Savoy marches on Burgundy, the Emperor will inevitably send his own armies to intervene. I need to strike while the iron is hot." Konrad replied.

They ascended the spiral staircase. "I need to know how many men he can arm by the end of the week," Konrad continued. "If we are to take the Duchy of Savoy while their duke is occupied, we must strike with overwhelming force."

Isolde smirked, "Eckhard will be shocked when you tell him we are invading an entire duchy."

"Eckhard will do his job." Konrad stated.

They reached the doors of the study. Konrad pushed them open, stepping back into the room.

He leaned heavily against the table, staring down at the map.

His finger traced the western passes, right into the heart of Burgundy, as a smile slowly touched his lips.