The Rise of the European Emperor

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Afterwards, the situation was as expected, and the Grand Sejm of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania really started to quarrel. Watermark Advertising Test Of course, the watermark advertising test is not arguing whether to send troops, but how much to send, and most importantly, how many troops to send.

And Sigismund I, with 3,000 Polish hussars, set off from Krakow, the capital of the Kingdom of Poland, to Vilnius to attend the Great Sejm Conference and discuss the issue of sending troops.

But Marin frowned when he saw the news from the Grand Duchy of Moscow. why? He felt that Glinski's cover-up was a bit too much, and it might be counterproductive. why? Because of Glinski's purchase of guns in Austria, Sigismund I actually already knew about it. Such a cover-up will make Sigismund I suspicious.

However, the people sent by Sigismund I to Austria to inquire about the news did not actually know how many guns Glinski bought, only that Glinsky bought a batch. As for the reason, it was because the emperor wanted face and didn't want people to know that he had exchanged most of Austria's artillery for money. Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor deliberately concealed the quantity of the artillery transaction, so that the subordinates of Sigismund I only heard about such a thing, but did not know the quantity.

Glinski did not bring a cannon this time, and deliberately lured the Lithuanians to take the bait. In fact, he was smart. If the Lithuanians were on guard against artillery, the result would be unpredictable.

After thinking about it, Malin finally wrote a secret letter, sent it to the Grand Duchy of Moscow through the carrier pigeon system, and ordered the spy to forward the letter to Glinsky.

In the letter, Marin told Glinski that Sigismund I had already learned that he went to Austria to buy guns, but he didn't know how many. Therefore, it is recommended that Glinski take out some of the artillery and pretend to bombard the city walls and gates with artillery in order to deceive the Lithuanians.

...

In fact, Sigismund I did have some doubts. Moreover, he wondered if Marin knew something. Otherwise, the fact that Simon was sent to the Americas happened too coincidentally, as if deliberately avoiding war.

And because of his sister Anne's marriage to Sigismund I, Marin had already planted spies in the court of the Kingdom of Poland. Moreover, the news that Sigismund I suspected that Marin knew something was also sent back.

Marin was also taken aback when he heard the news. After all, Marin is not willing to fight against Poland and Lithuania. This is powerful foreign aid. Many German states are unwilling to jointly attack the North Sea country. Apart from the fact that the North Sea is too strong, the existence of Poland and Lithuania, two powerful allies, is also an important reason.

Moreover, because of Sigismund I, King Vladislas II of Bohemia,

That is, the elder brother of Sigismund I, no longer hostile to the North Sea country.

If there is an enemy with Sigismund I, then the Kingdom of Bohemia, the most powerful secular vassal state in Germany, will also turn against Marin, increasing the danger of the North Sea State being jointly targeted.

Therefore, Marin must clear the suspicion and express friendship...

So, after thinking about it again and again, Marin wrote a letter to Sigismund I, reminding him again...

The general idea of ​​this letter is to tell Sigismund I - I heard that the Muscovites bought a batch of artillery in Austria, and also purchased a batch of weapons and armor in southern Germany. So, brother-in-law, you must be careful this time, it is best to gather enough soldiers and horses, and then go to war.

In addition, Marin repeatedly reminded Sigismund I that Glinsky had been in Western Europe for several years and might learn some advanced tactics, so please be careful.

In the end, he repeatedly told Siegmund I not to go to the battlefield. Just leave the matter of fighting to your subordinates. If he is in danger, his son Marin is too young to control Poland and Lithuania...

...

This letter is sincere, and the source reveals his concern for his brother-in-law. When Sigismund I received this letter, he was still in Vilnius mediating the quarrel between the parliamentarians of Great Sem.

A national war involving tens of thousands of people is not a small matter, and it requires the lords of various places to call up various troops. According to the usual practice, the lords of various places and the leaders of various tribes (non-Lithuanians) will dispatch an army of about 20,000 to 30,000 people, mainly cavalry.

But in addition to sending troops, Lithuania's Great Sejm also needs to authorize food collection across the country to ensure the supply of the army. It should be pointed out that the nobles who sent troops did not pay any food, and the nobles and civilians who did not send troops had to pay a temporarily increased war tax. Those who have food will pay food to supply the war, and those who have no food will provide money, or nomadic tribes will provide horses.

...

Here we need to introduce the Sejm system in Lithuania. Lithuania is a feudal lordship country, and lords occupy a very important position in Lithuania's political life.

Moreover, both countries, Lithuania and Poland, have an important feature-there are so many nobles!

As for why this is so, it is inseparable from the Lithuanian system. Unlike Western Europe, Lithuania has no restrictions on intermarriage. The laws of Lithuania and Poland stipulate that - male members of the nobles marry civilian women, and their descendants are also nobles and have the right to inherit. Of course, if a female nobleman marries a male commoner, the offspring will not have noble status.

The nobility has a name in Lithuania and Poland, called Shilachita. The Schlachita is similar to the Junker class in Germany, but the aristocratic status in Western Europe, only the eldest son of noble and noble intermarriage can inherit the aristocratic status and fief. As for Shilachita, even the children of nobles can obtain noble status. The only difference is that only the eldest son can inherit the fiefdom. But other sons can be recognized as nobles. Even their descendants can be called Shilachita. It's just that there is no fief to inherit.

So, this leads to a bit more nobles in Poland and Lithuania. At that time, in Western Europe, because of the rule that the eldest son takes all and the other sons eat farts, the number of nobles in Western Europe generally accounted for 1% to 3% of the total population. In Poland and Lithuania, the proportion of nobles is a bit high, reaching about 6% to 12%. In other words, out of about ten people in Lithuania, there is actually one nobleman.

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania has a population of 3.6 million, and according to 10%, it is 360,000 nobles. Even at 6%, there are 216,000 people...

Of course, it can't be counted that way. Because Ukrainians are not human...

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the core population is actually 500,000 Lithuanians. The 3 million Ukrainians are actually "barbarians" in the borderlands and cannot be counted as the core ethnic group. And the Belarusians, because of their close relationship with the Lithuanians, are also closer, so there are also many nobles. Among the Ukrainians, only a small number of people can obtain the status of Shilachita.

Therefore, there are tens of thousands of nobles in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, at most a hundred thousand or so. Strong men, generally only 20,000 to 30,000 to 30,000 to 50,000. In general wars, it is considered pretty good if you can scrape together 10,000 to 20,000 noble children.

For example, in the Battle of Orsha, Lithuania dispatched a cavalry team composed of 16,000 noble children. In normal national wars, like France, there are only more than 20,000 cavalry that can be dispatched.

But the Grand Duchy of Moscow is not the only enemy of Lithuania, and the Teutonic state to the west also needs to reserve some troops for deterrence. Therefore, there are at most 20,000 people who can be transferred to the Eastern Front to fight against the Muscovites.

As for the distribution of the more than 20,000 people, there will definitely be a lot of quarrel. Don't get me wrong, it's not that they are competing to send troops, but that they are unwilling to send more troops...

It's not that they don't want to send troops, but that each family is afraid of losing money. Therefore, when sending troops, the number of nobles and lords willing to send troops is basically as small as possible. However, I am afraid of losing the battle, and I hope that others will pay more, so it is best to sit back and enjoy the benefits... So, there is some quarrel...