The Rise of the European Emperor

Honestly, County Wicklow is a really nice place with a mild and humid climate. Even if there is a risk of rain during the agricultural autumn harvest, it can be used for sheep herding, which is absolutely suitable. Because the island of Ireland is warm in winter and cool in summer, the temperature in winter is rarely below zero, and there is no case of animals freezing to death in winter.

Moreover, it just so happened that Marin has now discovered the milk tyrant in Mianyang, the Dongfoli raw sheep. As long as this milk-producing sheep is promoted locally, there will be no shortage of food for the locals.

Not only that, the local excellent livestock conditions can also raise cattle and horses on a large scale, providing cattle and war horses for Beihai. Adler may not be interested in raising cattle, but raising horses is definitely Adler's hobby.

Although he is a viscount, Adler insists on brushing his own horses every day and developing feelings with war horses. Now, there are more than a dozen top-quality horses in Adler's stables. It seems that cultivating excellent war horses has become Adler's hobby.

So, when Marin found Adler to talk, Adler was very interested...

"What? Give me County Wicklow? No need..." Adler waved his hand quickly. In his opinion, being able to be a viscount, with so many fiefs, is a big advantage. After all, he also knew that the territory of the Hoffman family was all conquered by Marin. Without Marin, he would at most become an official knight of the Earl of Mark, how could he be as rich as he is now?

Marin smiled and explained:

"Adler, there's a reason I want to give you County Wicklow..."

Then, he recounted what happened before the old Hoffman named his son "Nafulg", and then explained:

"I'm not worried that you have other ideas, but I'm worried that others have ideas. If they encourage your son to take back the position of Earl of East Friesland from a young age, Muti may turn against Caesar in the future. So, I will Wick Los Angeles County gave it to you to stop everyone's mouths and avoid conflicts between Caesar and Muti in the future, do you understand?"

"I won't let Muti think he shouldn't, don't worry, if he dares to think wildly, I won't need you to do it, and I will beat him to death!" Adler patted his chest and assured. Anyway, he wouldn't say anything about County Wicklow.

For Adler's attitude, Marin is very satisfied. Moreover, from the eyes of the other party, he saw sincerity. However, this is still to be resolved. So Marin said sincerely:

"Adler, I've never worried about you. But I'm worried that my enemies will make a fuss about it!"

"What do you mean?" Adler didn't understand.

then,

Marin told him that he feared that foreign hostile powers would instigate Muti and Caesar to compete for the succession, as France did to Britain. Then, he gave the scumbag Adler Science a few hundred years of grievances between Britain and France...

"So complicated?" Adler, whose muscles had grown into his brain, had a headache. He never imagined that there would be so many troubles between the monarchs.

Marin nodded and said:

"So, I gave Wicklow County to you to prevent foreign hostile forces from doing things. If you don't accept it, they will have an excuse to destroy it! Besides, your son Muti will inherit Wicklow in the future. County, isn't it good to be the local ruler?"

Adler waved his hands again and again:

"I don't care about whoever dominates or not. Besides, I was quite scared when I heard you say that just now. The matter of the monarch is too complicated. By the way, Marin, I have a son now, can you take me with you next time you fight? I'll charge with cavalry!" Adler's eyes lit up.

Marin smiled, took out the map and pointed it to Adler, then said:

"I tell you, County Wicklow is a great place for grazing, it's a mild climate all year round and it's perfect for horses. You can build huge stables there and raise war horses. And, it's County Wicklow. After the master, you have the right to build a cavalry unit yourself!"

"What? Build a cavalry unit yourself? Don't need your consent?" Adler immediately stood up in surprise.

Under Marin, everything is fine, food and clothing are not to worry about, and the status is honorable. But one thing is not good, that is, they do not give military power. Because he only had the power to garrison Oldenburg, Adler could only take a group of second-line militiamen to garrison Oldenburg.

However, Adler's real ideal is to become a cavalry commander!

Adler has been eyeing the Lancers of Marin's First Army for a long time, and he has repeatedly requested to be the commander of this cavalry team, but Marin has refused. At that time, the reason for Marin's refusal was - you don't have a son, so you can't go to die... After all, the cavalry is a military with high casualties. If you are not careful, you will be killed or injured just like the scene of a car accident...

Infantrymen were stabbed, and as long as they were not fatal, they could recover with treatment. And the cavalry, even if they win a battle, may fall off their horses and become crippled. Even, they may be trampled to death by friendly war horses.

However, the cavalry is handsome and has a high status. Adler was never afraid of casualties. His ideal was to become the leader of a large cavalry army, commanding thousands of cavalry to charge into battle. As for the tens of thousands of cavalry, he dared not think about it. After all, poverty limits his imagination...and, even Marin doesn't have 10,000 cavalry in his hands...

County Wicklow has a small population, but not a lot. It is estimated that there are more than 20,000 people, and they are basically Irish aborigines. This place originally belonged to the MacMurrow dynasty, a native Irish power, but it had long been achieved by Edward with the help of Marin, and used it as a springboard to attack Dublin. Later, in return, County Wicklow was awarded to Marin by Edward.

It's just that Marin has been so busy with the war in Europe and England that he really doesn't have much time to manage County Wicklow. Thus, in County Wicklow, Marin actually only stationed an infantry force of a thousand men in Wicklow City. However, these infantrymen can only control the city of Wicklow and the area around the city, no matter how far away they are, they cannot control it at all.

At the beginning, when Edward was stationed in Dublin, he was able to manage these areas. After all, he had tens of thousands of troops, including many cavalry. But after Edward fought back to England, the management here was abandoned. Wicklow's thousand infantry were not cavalry, and could not manage very far.

Marin actually planned to send cavalry to take over the whole area, but now it happened to happen to Adler. So, Marin simply decided to let Adler run things in Wicklow County.

"Adler, I intend to appoint you as the Earl of Wicklow, the Grand Duchy of the North Sea, permanently in charge of the military and political power of Wicklow County, and restore the Hoffman family's rule of Wicklow County by force. Of course, when I need it, The Earl of Wicklow needs to send troops to help, how?"

Adler scratched his head and said:

"It is no problem for me to master the military of Wicklow County, and it is even more no problem to restore the family's rule over Wicklow County by force! However, I am really not good at governing a country..."

This is not Adler's modest resignation, but that he is really not in administrative management. In the Counties of Oldenburg, Haider, the palace minister, is usually in charge of the government affairs of the Counties of Oldenburg. Adler, on the other hand, stayed in the barracks all day with those militiamen brought from East Frisian counties. Even Liv used to live there, he also lived in the villa next to the barracks.

Seeing that Adler had no ambitions, Marin said with confidence:

"Also, I can choose a palace minister for you to go over and handle government affairs for you. However, you will pay for the salary and fief. Also, you can recruit 50 knights by yourself as your vassals. Then, you bring your own vassals. They, gather more cavalry, to conquer the whole of Wicklow..."

"Can I recruit 50 knight vassals?" Adler grew his mouth directly. This was something he had never dared to think about before. Don't look at Marin's promotion of him to a viscount, but that is a viscount vassal under Marin, and is not qualified to recruit vassals. Because, in the Grand Duchy of Beihai, only Marin has the qualification to be a vassal. The possession of vassals is also an important symbol of the independence and self-governance of the princes.

Adler doesn't care about having autonomy or anything, but he can have 50 knights as vassals, and it's very cool to think about it...

Being able to lead troops to fight made Adler very happy. Although the opponents are only some Irish indigenous forces, they are still better than nesting in Oldenburg. Also, Marin allowed him to have 50 knight vassals, which made him even more excited. Adler himself came from a knighthood, and he has a strong sense of identity with knights. Thinking that you will have 50 knights as your younger brothers, don't be too happy...

Looking at the excited Adler, Marin reminded:

"Don't give too many fiefs to knights. According to English standards, 600 acres of land is enough for each knight. Also, don't give all the good land, it's normal to mix a little mountain into it. Otherwise, you will have no place for yourself. "

The reason why the princes of many old-fashioned vassal states are poor is that there are too many nobles who have been enfeoffed in the past dynasties. The land has been divided, how much is left? Those who rely on the ground to eat are naturally poor. The same is true in the Ming Dynasty. Each generation of emperors gave birth to so many princes, and they were all divided into princes, and the sons of princes were divided into princes, and there were generals of the country below... Then, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the nobles of the clan became the imperial court. heavy burden...

50 knights, each holding 600 acres of land, a total of 30,000 acres, equivalent to 121.4 square kilometers, not much. According to the French method of encapsulation, if each family is 1,500 acres, it will be doubled by 2.5 times, that is, 303.5 square kilometers. But County Wicklow is only 2,000 square kilometers, and nearly half of it is mountainous. If you go out so much, you won't have much left.

"What about the baron? There seems to be a baron in all counties..." Adler asked.

"According to Charlemagne's early standards, the baron will give up to 3,000 acres of fief (doubled or even more in the later period), mixed with some mountains! Moreover, the number should not be too many, it is best to control it to two or three. Moreover, it must be Accumulate rewards for military exploits. In addition, leave an unconfined court baron title to the palace minister."

The title of the court is actually a title, and there is no actual fief (the favored may also be given land). This title is generally reserved for important civil servants and favorite ministers. After all, in this era of strict hierarchy, there is no title, and P is not heard. If the palace minister or something does not give a baron title, it is estimated that the people below will not be able to control it... Therefore, the palace title is for the monarch to raise the status of the important minister, but he does not want to give a noble title to the fief. But in Europe, where the hierarchy is strict, it still works. In Europe in later generations, this kind of empty title without fiefs has become the mainstream, and it is specially used to reward those who have meritorious civilians or low-level nobles. It can fool people and save money. After all, the scale of the army of later generations is too huge, with hundreds of thousands of troops at every turn, and the number of middle and high-level officers is staggering. If they are all given to fiefs, they can't afford to sell the king...

Adler rubbed his dazed head and said listlessly:

"It's too complicated, you help me arrange this, I just want to take the knight to charge!"

"No problem, wrap it on me!"

...