The Rise of the European Emperor

Why is Pastor so happy? He was not only happy because he could capture local farmers as cannon fodder to replace them as mercenaries. In addition to this reason, going to the local village to catch the peasants can make a fortune.

The so-called "making a fortune" actually means robbery. The city of Naples is the capital of the Kingdom of Naples, and the surrounding villages are naturally prosperous. Because, in the villages around the city of Naples, many farmers went to the city to work and do small businesses, and they had more spare money than farmers in other places.

Italy's economic prosperity far surpassed that of Germany at the same time. In this era, the German countryside was still dominated by serfdom. In the countryside, there are basically no self-cultivating farmers. Except for the manor owners and serfs, the extra population often flocked to the cities or docks to work.

The Italian region has had a strong commercial atmosphere since the early Middle Ages. Moreover, here is the birthplace of the Renaissance, people's minds are more open, and economic life is more prosperous. In the kingdom of Naples there were many yeomen. Moreover, many farmers in Italy, on the premise that their land is well served, will often go to the city to do odd jobs or start a small business. Therefore, looting Italian villages, especially villages outside the capital Naples, is definitely more lucrative than looting villages in the German region.

As an Italian, Pastor is also very aware of the economic situation in the villages surrounding Italian cities. Therefore, going out to arrest people this time is definitely a good job...

In other words, this time Louis XII attacked the city of Naples, because it was for the purpose of ruling the Kingdom of Naples in the future. Therefore, he did not send troops to loot the local villages and towns before. After all, it’s about making a good impression on the locals.

Of course, compared with victory, good impressions are secondary. That's why Louis XII allowed Pastor to catch Ding as cannon fodder...

Pastor and his men ransacked twenty or thirty villages in one go and captured 4,000 local farmers. Of course, the pockets of him and his men are also full of wealth.

After sending the captured 4,000 strong men to the camp, Pastor went to a small camp outside the big camp with his men, who had bulging pockets and even carried large and small bags. There, is the camp of Genoese merchants...

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It should be pointed out that robbery is prevalent in military warfare in this era. Therefore, every time the army is dispatched, there will be traders who will take the initiative to accompany the army. On the one hand, they provide the soldiers with some necessities of life; on the other hand, their main purpose is to sell the stolen goods for the soldiers after the robbery...

The profit from selling stolen goods is very high. Except for coins, many things that the mercenaries robbed would not be carried with them because it was inconvenient.

Therefore, they usually find merchants accompanying the army,

Stolen goods at a low price. At this time, it was the gluttonous feast for those merchants accompanying the army. Often a piece of utensil will be crazily lowered by the military merchants, and it will be recycled at half the price at most, or even less than one-third of its own value...

As for those mercenaries who are unhappy? Sorry, there is no way to be upset. Because, these merchants who can accompany the army have the support of generals behind them. They made a lot of money by selling those stolen goods, and they also had to spend a lot of money to honor those generals. Otherwise, with the virtue of those soldiers and ruffians, it would be strange not to beat them to death...

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In fact, not only in the West, but also in ancient China. The most famous one is the Shanxi merchants who automatically followed the Qing army south to burn, kill and loot when the Manchu Qing entered the customs.

When the Manchu Qing Dynasty first rose, they often entered the customs and robbed. However, after they robbed a large amount of gold and silver, they were unable to enter the customs for normal spending. Therefore, at that time, some Shanxi merchants headed by traitor merchants such as Jiexiu Fan Yongdou became their targets for selling stolen goods.

After the Qing army officially entered the customs, it still continued the style of burning, killing and looting. Because, in the final analysis, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was a poor and oppressive regime outside the customs, and there was no money to pay the soldiers at all. But there is a way to be poorer than poorer than poorer, so the Manchu Qing court thought of a way - as long as you take down any place, you can burn, kill and loot it... In this way, the Qing court doesn't have to pay much food and salary, and can also burn, kill and loot , arouse the bestiality of the soldiers, making them bloodthirsty and cruel...

However, the property they got after burning, killing and looting, they can't take it with them, right? Especially for some large-scale belongings, it is impossible to carry them away by yourself. After all, the Qing army could not move forward.

So, there was such a group at that time—Shanxi Merchants with the Army...

Of course, these merchants accompanying the army were not all Shanxi merchants, but they were indeed dominated by Shanxi merchants. They drove mules, or pushed wheelbarrows, and followed the Qing army southward. The Qing army slaughtered everywhere with butcher knives, and they were mainly responsible for buying back the stolen goods at a low price after the Qing army burned, killed and looted. Then, wipe off the blood on those stolen goods, and try to sell those stolen goods for huge profits...

It is said that after the "Ten Days in Yangzhou", many Shanxi merchants who accompanied the army were exhausted. After all, Yangzhou was a metropolis at the time. How much loot did the Qing army burn and loot? As a result, a group of Shanxi merchants who followed the army prospered, and even simply washed their hands in the golden basin and stayed in the local area, and later became Yangzhou salt merchants...

The fact is that the salt merchants in Yangzhou in the early Qing Dynasty were mainly Shanxi merchants. Because, all the locals in Yangzhou were killed... Until the middle and late Kangxi Dynasty, Huizhou merchants who were not far from Yangzhou gradually poured into the restored prosperity of Yangzhou, and became the dominant salt merchants in Yangzhou. After all, the world is peaceful, and Shanxi merchants who started their business by selling stolen goods with the army have no advantage...

In later generations, every time Marin sees Shanxi merchants boasting on TV, he can't help but sneer-Nima coins, there are not many good people in the Shanxi merchants in the late Ming and early Qing... because Marin himself is Yangzhou people……

However, their descendants tried their best to whitewash their ancestors, and almost made Shanxi merchants into heroes for the country and the people. However, from ancient times to the present, how many businessmen have a conscience? Those who are able to hold back and not make money in the country are considered good people among businessmen... The disgust of this group of people is no less than that of Hong Chengchou's descendants of the traitorous traitor who turned Hong Chengchou's former residence into a patriotic education base...

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Of course, European mercenaries in this era, like the Qing army, are not good things. Robbery or something is commonplace. And those merchants who accompanied the army knew this, so they were also happy to help sell the stolen goods with the army.

Even, in addition to the military vendors who helped sell the stolen goods, the mercenaries would also be followed by a large group of women who accompanied the army. These girls who accompany the army will help the mercenaries to cook when they are free. And when the mercenaries ransacked a certain place, the business of these branch girls came...

The mercenaries can't save money. Except for some mercenaries who are old enough to support their families, most of the mercenaries will spend the money they robbed on two things-alcohol and looking for women...

For example, this time, after Pastor's men ransacked 20 or 30 villages, not only the traders whose main business was selling stolen goods were excited, but also the women who accompanied the army were also excited. They began to hide in their tents to wash and dress up, and smeared poor-quality makeup on their faces in an attempt to attract those mercenaries who had money...

During the day, the merchant camp outside the big camp was full of noisy bargaining between soldiers and merchants accompanying the army. And at night, the camp is full of the screams of the girls when they "go to work" to earn money...