The Rise of the European Emperor

Frederick III, who was resting in the posthouse, was extremely angry, feeling that his authority had been ignored. However, after he calmed down, he found that he had no good choice now.

Because, if Marin is really ruthless and joins forces with the Habsburg family army, Basel's 37,000 princes' coalition forces are really doomed. If the coalition forces of 37,000 princes are wiped out, and all the dozens of German princes who sent troops are captured, then everything will be over.

Falling into the hands of Emperor Maximilian I, although these princes would not die, they would definitely be severely blackmailed. Even asking for a huge ransom is light, the most fearful thing is that the emperor may let them cede the land.

The land ceded by one family or two may not be very big, at most it is as big as an earl country. But dozens of princes together, especially if these dozens of princes are the most powerful secular princes in Germany, that would be terrifying. At that time, the territory ceded by dozens of princes may be much larger than the existing Grand Duchy of Austria of the Habsburg family, or even several times larger.

At that time, the Habsburg family will definitely be even more powerful, and its strength will increase greatly. On the contrary, the strength of the princes will be weak to the point where they are close to the bottom. Then, Maximilian I's ambition to unify Germany may really come true...

If it was only the Habsburg family, Frederick III was not worried. Even if this battle fails, there are still so many church princes in Germany who have not made a move. At that time, the two sides will start a full-scale war, and the outcome is unknown.

But the terrible thing is that the existence of Marin made the princes have no chance of winning...

Once Marin's tens of thousands of Beihai Kingdom's elite army completely fell to the emperor, not to mention that the 37,000 princes' coalition forces would definitely be finished. In the future, even if the princes join forces again, they may not be able to win. After all, the combat effectiveness of the Beihai State's army is not finished.

Last time, the Electorate of Saxony and the Electorate of Brandenburg assembled more than 50,000 troops and were defeated by Marin. This time, the eight princes sent more than 40,000 troops and were also defeated. Moreover, it was defeated by the Beihai army with inferior forces.

Now Marin is heading south with 40,000 main forces, not to mention that there are 20,000 Habsburg troops south of Basel. But Marin's 40,000 army cannot be defeated by the coalition forces of the princes...

...

In the middle of the night, Frederick III tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He suddenly remembered Marin's words - "It's you who have been making trouble with me and refusing to recognize my status as a vassal"...

"Yeah, why have we been refusing to accept him?" Frederick III thought of the issue of blood—Marin was born in a humble background. But he also thought of the history of Marin's fortune - it seems that Emperor Maximilian I promoted Marin to the throne...

With a humble background and being promoted by the emperor, it's no wonder those veteran princes are unhappy with him. But Marin was right. From the moment he became the Earl of East Frisia, he naturally became a prince in a separatist area, and was no longer a thug of Emperor Maximilian I. Even, Marin hardly went to Austria to serve and serve the emperor...

In contrast, Frederick II, Earl of Hohenzollern, who belonged to the Swabian League, accompanied the emperor in Austria almost every day, managing the army for the emperor...

In other words, Marin did not intend to stay with Emperor Maximilian I to serve him from the beginning, but had long been self-reliant. It's a pity that the princes of them didn't notice it, and they always regarded him as the emperor's lackey...

...

Frederick III thought he had seen Marin's position clearly, but he didn't know that Marin's thoughts as a traveler were beyond the guesswork of people of this age.

If it was an aborigine in this era, Marin would generally have only two choices-one is to choose to become the lackey of the emperor and fight against most of the princes in Germany; the other is to stand on the side of the princes and fight against the emperor. confrontation. After all, no one wants to be made a puppet... No matter what, as an aborigine, you have to stand in the two camps...

But where did he expect that Marin's soul came from the later generations who value equality for everyone? Modern people simply lack the awe of the monarch and princes.

Especially the traversers, it is easy to regard others as NPCs, and it is easy to regard themselves as gods, and it is impossible to feel awe of anyone. Therefore, even though Frederick III was one of the wisest European monarchs of this era, it was difficult to guess what Marin really thought...

...

The next day, the Elector Frederick III of Saxony, who was negotiating with Marin again with dark circles under his eyes, changed his negotiating strategy.

"Grand Duke Marin, you are also a prince, and you are relatively powerful among the princes. Do you want Beihai to break away from the control of the Hoffman family and be managed by the Habsburg family? At that time, we will all be like the dukes and princes of France. Like the earls, they can only live in Vienna, everything depends on the face of the emperor..."

"At that time, our fate will no longer be in our own hands. If His Majesty the Emperor is unhappy and charges him with any crime, he may not be able to keep his title..."

Watching Frederick III spitting and flying, Marin took a sip of milk tea in his spare time, and then replied slowly:

"Lord Frederick, I understand what you said. So, I have chosen for you too. As long as all the adults agree to fulfill the agreement in the duel book and unanimously recognize my occupation of the eight vassal states, I will immediately turn around and leave , will never attack the coalition forces of the princes, and will no longer participate in the military confrontation between the Habsburg family and the princes."

"No!" Frederick III shook his head repeatedly and said:

"Let me tell you this, Grand Duke Marin, I have no problem with you annexing 7 other countries. However, Henry, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg is my brother-in-law, and I can't just watch you annex or not Brunswick-Lüneburg Principality! You know, I am the leader of the German princes, if I can't even protect my own sister, do you think those princes will obey me in the future?"

After a pause, Frederick III continued:

"My prestige is actually a trivial matter, but if my prestige is completely lost, then the hard-won alliance against the Habsburg family's unification of Germany will be disbanded. At that time, it will be easier for the Habsburg family to separate from each other." Defeat and solve the various vassal states. I think, as a powerful vassal, you don't want to see such a thing happen? So, my opinion is-I have no problem with you annexing the other 7 vassal states. But, Brunswick-Lüneburg Duchy, please hold your hands high. Even if you cede most of the land, it’s okay, but please be sure to keep some land and noble titles, so as not to lose face and prevent the alliance of princes against the emperor from being distracted... ..."

After listening to Frederick III's words, Marin fell into deep thought...

Thinking about it carefully, what Frederick III said was really good. It can be said that Frederick III is indeed the most powerful figure in the anti-emperor alliance. If Frederick III loses all face, it is really easy to shake the hearts of the anti-emperor alliance.

You must know that apart from Frederick III, in the anti-emperor alliance, there is indeed no strategist who can be compared with Maximilian I.

What height did Frederick III's strategic level reach? According to historical records, after the death of Maximilian I in 1519, because he felt threatened by the powerful Ottoman Turkey, Frederick III took the overall situation into consideration, changed his attitude of confrontation with the Habsburg family, and rejected his own bid to become emperor. Possibly, in turn supporting Charles V as emperor. Therefore, later generations called Frederick III "Wise Frederick".

As Frederick III said, Marin is a prince after all. Moreover, the other princes in the anti-emperor camp are basically idiots. If Frederick III had fallen, this faction would really not be able to support the powerful role of Maximilian I.

In particular, at the moment Maximilian I is likely to take Switzerland. Once Switzerland is conquered and the dividends of the large number of soldiers in Switzerland are digested, the Habsburg family may become so strong that they lose control. And as the emperor's old department, it is not easy to confront the emperor openly. Therefore, it is really necessary to keep Frederick III to contain the equally powerful Emperor Maximilian I... And this is the so-called "way of balance", the most basic thing in the emperor's mind...

So, after thinking for a long time, Marin finally nodded:

"Okay, we can discuss about Duke Henry..."

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