The Rise of the European Emperor

In this era of Europe, wars are raging and the situation is chaotic. Of course, no amount of chaos can compare to Italy. The French King Louis XII has completed the occupation of the kingdom of Naples, and the class teacher has returned to the dynasty.

As in history, the French did not completely occupy the entire kingdom of Naples, but jointly occupied the kingdom of Naples with Spain. Among them, France occupied the northern half of the region, and Spain occupied the southern region. The southern region is also the southernmost point of the Apennine Peninsula.

Originally, Louis XII did not want to share the fruits of victory with the Spaniards. However, if the territory is not divided with the Spaniards, the Spaniards will support the kingdom of Naples and the French confrontation.

You know, Sicily, to which the Spanish Kingdom of Aragon belongs, is right next to the Kingdom of Naples. The Spaniard wants to support Naples, not too simple. Not only could they use Sicily as a base to support the Naples resisters, but they could also use Sicily as a base for exiles from the Kingdom of Naples. In any case, Spain can't be comforted, and the French can't even think about it.

In desperation, Louis XII decided to compromise first and divided the southern part of the Kingdom of Naples to Spain. According to the agreement, Spain gave up its asylum to the royal family of Naples. In the end, King Frederick IV of Naples was captured by the French because the Spaniards refused to shelter him, brought back to France, and deposed the title of King of Naples. Louis XII used the title of a French count to forcibly switch to his kingdom of Naples. The southern part of Naples acquired by Spain is actually a poorer part of Naples. The core area of ​​Naples is still the northern part of the Romagna area centered on the city of Naples.

In fact, whether it was King Louis XII of France or King Ferdinand II of Spain, they all had their own ideas, which also laid the root of the trouble for the two countries to fight for Naples in the future.

Of course, it was precisely because the monarchs of the two countries turned their faces for the kingdom of Naples, which in the original history led to the emergence of the Spanish phalanx that ran rampant in Europe for hundreds of years. And because of the emergence of the Spanish phalanx, the Spaniards defeated the French army with a knightly advantage and swallowed the kingdom of Naples.

However, in this time and space, because of the appearance of Marin, the Spanish phalanx appeared a few years earlier. What's even more bizarre is that the Spanish phalanx is no longer called the Spanish phalanx in this time and space, but the "Marin phalanx". What is even more interesting is that the original creator of the Spanish phalanx, Gonzalo de Córdoba, came to learn this "Marin phalanx" from Marin...

To be honest, Marin, the "Li Gui", met the genuine "Li Kui" Gonzalo. At the beginning, he was very guilty. But after a long time, Marin's face thickened, and he boldly pointed out the original creator Gonzalo...

And Gonzalo de Córdoba was astonished after he learned the "Marin phalanx" from Marin, and immediately saw the ability of this phalanx to restrain the French knights.

To be honest, if Marin's phalanx encounters a wretched Mongolian cavalry archer, he may be tortured into a dog. Therefore, Marin specially formed black knights and lancers. Because the biggest disadvantage of this phalanx is that it lacks offensive power and is more suitable for defense.

However, this is no problem for Spain. Because Spain has a lot of light cavalry, which can completely deal with such arms as the Mongolian cavalry and the cavalry archers. Moreover, the Spanish opponents, the French, are the main arms of the plate knights and Swiss spearmen. These two arms just can't bring trouble to the Spanish phalanx. Therefore, Gonzalo de Córdoba attached great importance to this phalanx, and was authorized by Ferdinand II to form several such phalanxes, supplemented by a large number of hussars (melee light cavalry). Even, Gonzalo de Córdoba has already planned that when his "Marin phalanx" is proficient, he will be able to turn his face with the French...

...

here in France,

Louis XII also left Paris a long time ago. Therefore, he can't wait to return to Paris to take charge of the government. After all, the power of the government is not at ease in the hands of others for a long time.

Therefore, after leaving part of the army stationed in the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan, Louis XII returned to Paris with half of the army.

In the Principality of Milan, the situation has also changed. Originally, after the French left Milan and went south to Naples, Ludovico Sforza, the Principality of Milan, gained the support of some Swiss mercenary leaders, got the Swiss mercenaries all the time, and regained the Principality of Milan.

But in this time and space, because of the battle between the Swiss and Maximilian I, the troops could not be drawn to help Sforza. Therefore, Sforza has not been able to find an opportunity to obtain enough mercenaries to counterattack Milan until now. Of course, this is not his misfortune, but his luck. Because the Swiss mercenaries who helped him recapture Milan in history, after the French sent a large number of Swiss mercenaries to suppress them, used the so-called "Swiss don't fight the Swiss" as an excuse to directly abandon him and let him After spending so much money in vain, he ended up running away in a hurry. So, although he didn't get the chance to counterattack, he didn't waste money hiring the Swiss either.

After Louis XII returned to Paris, he warmly received Count Edward, and was willing to provide him with mercenaries to help him compete with Henry VII for the British throne.

In order to win over Count Edward, Louis XII also arranged for Anna, the daughter of a great French nobleman, to marry Count Edward as his wife and be engaged. In this way, if Edward becomes king of England in the future, his wife is French...

However, although Louis XII was willing to support Count Edward with enough money to hire mercenaries, he was willing to introduce some French and Swiss mercenaries to him. However, Earl Edward lacked land and no place to place his troops.

And Louis XII was not happy that Count Edward put his army in France. Because that would be dangerous for France. You know, mercenaries are not a good thing. Where they are stationed, God knows what bad things they will do.

To fight Henry VII, Earl Edward needed to recruit at least 10,000 mercenaries. 10,000 troops, wherever they are placed, are a huge scourge, and may also endanger the security of France.

Therefore, Louis XII asked Count Edward, after recruiting Qi mercenaries, to take Calais, the last British stronghold on the mainland, and then use the Calais area as a springboard to attack Britain.

However, the United Kingdom was able to keep Calais from being taken away by France. Obviously, the defense here is very good. The fortress of Calais is also a fortress that is difficult to conquer. Moreover, the fortress of Calais is by the sea, and the British can easily support the fortress of Calais by sea. Therefore, the Calais region is very difficult to conquer. Even if there is an army of 10,000 people, it will take a long time to capture it.

However, mercenaries are people who fight for money after all, not the diehard subordinates of Earl Edward. If the task is too difficult, they may not accept it, or they will not work hard. Especially in a battle to the death like the fortress of Calais, few mercenaries are willing to participate. Because, accepting such a task is thankless.

In fact, Louis XII also wanted to use Count Edward to make him and the British army in the fortress of Calais die. After the fight between the two sides was exhausted, Louis XII might come out to pick peaches. Because, the fortress of Calais is the last stronghold of Britain on the European continent. As long as this nail is removed, the United Kingdom will become a complete island country, and it will no longer have a springboard to intervene in the European continent.

Earl Edward is obviously not a fool. He knows that Louis XII is trying to use him to storm the fortress of Calais. Count Edward is different from Louis XII. Louis XII was the king of France. If he stormed the Calais region, he would be strongly resisted by the local British.

The Earl of Edward, the only male heir to the York dynasty, has many supporters in the UK. Asking him to attack the fortress of Calais will make the British defending the fortress have mixed feelings, and they may not necessarily defend the resistance. With any luck, someone might surrender. But with bad luck, it's hard to say. Even if the Fortress of Calais is taken, Louis XII may soon incorporate the Fortress of Calais into French territory.

Therefore, for Edward, storming the fortress of Calais is not cost-effective, and it is also a very bad choice. Therefore, Earl Edward was very depressed, so he found a secret representative of the North Sea Chamber of Commerce secretly established by Kohler to complain.

The secret representative of the North Sea Chamber of Commerce soon sent the information back to East Frisian. Then, Kohler sent the information to Marin's desk who had just returned from Worms...

"So, Earl Edward has no place to stand now, so he was forced by the French King to attack the Calais region as a foothold?" Marin asked after reading the information.

"Yes, young master, Earl Edward has now recruited 5,000 mercenaries, many of whom are French and Swiss. Their combat effectiveness is not bad, but they lack a foothold and are difficult to obtain supplies. They can only rely on France."

"This is a problem. Edward will not attack Calais, and Louis XII will not give him a place to squat, it will be sad..."

"Then young master, where do you think he should go?"

"Where should I go? It's best to go to England, but that's too dangerous. After all, Edward has been imprisoned for many years and has no allies in England. If you land in England, you will be defeated quickly."

"How about going to Ireland?" Kohler suggested.

"Ireland... um, it's a good idea. However, the various forces on the island of Ireland are not weak... 5,000 troops, newly formed, and they are not skilled enough to cooperate with each other. If you play wild with those princes on the island of Ireland In battle, you may have the upper hand. But if the enemy hides in the city and resists stubbornly, they will not be able to fight... When the British side gets news and sends troops to attack, it will be over..."

"How about we loan him Koke?" Kohler suggested.

Today, the important port of Cork in southern Ireland is under the control of Marin. Marin was there, with a garrison of 500, and sent the North Sea Chamber of Commerce, where wool was acquired from the island of Ireland and exported to Flanders.

However, this business does not seem to be very profitable. Of course, not too low. On average, the Port of Cork can provide Marin with a few thousand gold coins in taxes each year.

Because there is more than one port on the island of Ireland, Cork. For example, Dublin, under the direct control of England, is an excellent port. Most of the goods in the northern and eastern parts of the island of Ireland go through the port of Dublin.

And even the southern region, Watford, east of Cork, was an important port. Including Limerick and Galway on the west coast, are export ports, and Cork is a competitor.

The most important thing is that because Marin secretly occupied Cork, it is not easy to openly use the banner to solicit business. If it attracts the attention of Henry VII and his identity is revealed, he may be attacked by the British army, and may lead to a war between the counties of East Friesland and the United Kingdom. And silent words, it is difficult to attract enough businessmen. Therefore, Cork City has become a tasteless existence. It fell short of Marin's original expectations, but the profits were not small. Every year, it can provide Marin with a few thousand gold coins in tax. You know, this tax is what is left after feeding the 500 garrison and paying the salaries of local administrators.

After thinking about it, Malin finally decided to give Cork to Earl Edward, so that he could have a place to live, so as not to have no base like Liu Bei did in the early days.

Edward had 5,000 troops and a fortified city like Cork. Even if tens of thousands of British troops came to attack, he would not be able to conquer it. Unless a 50,000-strong army is dispatched, it is more certain. But did Henry VII have the money to employ 50,000 troops? Apparently not... It would be even more perfect if Edward wooed a few more native Irish states. At that time, Edward was based on the island of Ireland, and he and Henry VII tore each other, and Britain would not think about peace. And the British heritage is strong, and Marin is most afraid of the British competing with his own maritime interests. With Edward and Henry VII making trouble, Britain will be in a continuous civil war, draining its finances and wanting to rise, it will be very difficult...

Moreover, the black-bellied Marin intends to serve as a "boxing referee" between Henry VII and Earl Edward in the future. Once a side shows strength, Marin will try to intervene, help the weak side and suppress the strong side... In short, it is to make the two sides evenly matched and fight to the death... Just like what the United Kingdom did to France and Germany in the original history so... so that it will be difficult for Britain to rise...

Therefore, Marin ordered that the 500 defenders of Cork City were ready to withdraw and hand over Cork City to the Earl of Edward at any time. However, the North Sea Chamber of Commerce's wool acquisition market in Cork City is retained. Although city control and taxes have been relinquished, the North Sea Chamber of Commerce's acquisition of Irish wool in Cork City will not stop.

At the same time, Marin asked Kohler to send a secret representative of the North Sea Chamber of Commerce to quietly inform Earl Edward, let him find a ship, and quietly pull all his men and horses to Cork, and use Cork as a base to start a battle for the throne with Henry VII. ...