The Rise of the European Emperor

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George, Duke of Saxony, had not had time to praise the deliciousness of the black pepper steak he had just eaten, but was completely stunned by Marin's words, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.

After a long time, George spoke:

"What did you say? Let me sell you West Friesland? Duke Marin, do you know how big West Friesland is? That's twice the size of East Friesland, and it can be used as a duchy!"

"I know, but isn't West Frisian also bought by Duke Albrecht for 300,000 gold coins?"

George shook his head again and again:

"It can't be counted like this. The most important thing is that my father led the army to help His Majesty the Emperor quell the rebellion in Flanders. You should know that the importance of Flanders to the Netherlands is the taxation of the Netherlands. Guarantee! Therefore, the value of West Frisian far exceeds the value of 300,000 gold coins!"

Marlin nodded, agreeing with George. When the rebellion broke out in Flanders in 1491, Maximilian I was busy conquering Austria and had no time to take care of the rebellion in Flanders.

Because, during the time of Frederick III, the father of Maximilian I, the Habsburgs lost to the Hungarian King Matthias I and lost half of Austria, including the capital Vienna.

The reason why Maximilian I was stationed in Innsbruck in Tyrol in the west of Austria for a long time was also related to the fall of East Austria from 1485 to 1490.

If Matthias I had not died in 1490, Maximilian I would not have been able to recover Eastern Austria. Really, this guy Matthias I is too ferocious, and his fighting power is strong.

When Matthias I was on the throne, he not only openly occupied half of Austria under Emperor Frederick III, but also controlled Moravia and Silesia, so arrogant. Most importantly, Matthias I also took the initiative to attack Ottoman Turkey twice to curb Turkey's expansion in the Balkans. The Sultan of Turkey at that time was Mehmed II who led his troops to capture Constantinople.

In the face of such a hero, it is not surprising that Frederick III of the Habsburg family failed. It was not until after the death of Matthias I in 1490 that Maximilian I was able to initiate the operation to retake Eastern Austria. If Marin had traveled two years earlier and had become an adult, he might have joined Maximilian I's war to regain lost territory.

In the case of needing to regain his homeland, it is impossible for Maximilian I to be able to support the Netherlands. However, the Flemish region is too important,

So he had to turn to his cousin, the Duke of Albrecht. In order to let the Duchy of Saxony send troops, Maximilian I promised to give the West Frisian region to the Duchy of Saxony as a fief.

Of course, sending troops to help suppress the rebellion in Flanders is not enough to offset the value of such a large site in West Friesland. Therefore, at that time, Duke Albrecht also "loaned" 300,000 gold coins to Maximilian I in the name of a Hanseatic merchant of Saxony. It's a loan, but it doesn't have to be repaid. Then, the Duke of Albrecht got the claim to the West Frisian region.

The reason why George said that the dispatch was valuable was because it coincided with the crisis of the Habsburgs facing a two-sided war. Although the Duke of Albrecht only brought more than 10,000 people, he saved the emergency and ensured the rule of the Habsburg family in the Netherlands. Therefore, this kind of behavior of sending charcoal in the snow is worth more than the 300,000 gold coins. Moreover, the 300,000 gold coins also helped Maximilian I, and helped Maximilian I successfully recruit enough troops to recover the whole of Austria.

Therefore, the help of the Duchy of Saxony in the most difficult time of Maximilian I was far more than the cost of 300,000 gold coins and troops in Flanders. Its value, including the premium at the critical moment, must have exceeded 1 million gold coins in total.

However, Marin is also aware of this, so he said:

"One million gold coins, how? This should be worth the West Frisian, right?"

George shook his head and said:

"Under normal circumstances, 1 million gold coins is indeed enough. But, you know, the Duchy of Saxony invested too much in West Frisland. Just these two wars cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins. What's more, This time, the other party asked for more than one million gold coins for the prisoners of war. You said, is 1 million gold coins enough?"

Marin's mouth twitched - Nima, that's all your failed investment, can it represent the actual value of West Frisian...

Just like a piece of land for a factory building, just because the previous boss invested several hundred million yuan, it cannot mean that the price of this piece of land has risen by several hundred million yuan...

However, in order to gain West Friesland and become the co-owner of the entire Friesland region, Marin also sacrificed himself. He gritted his teeth and said:

"I understand your concern, Duke George, so I decided to bid 1 million gold coins, and send troops to help you get back those prisoners of war!"

George was stunned for a moment, suddenly a little moved. You know, Marin's bid is worth more than 2 million gold coins, which is really sincere. This price greatly exceeds the price of the territory of West Frisian. Moreover, without having to pay the ransom of more than one million gold coins, and getting one million gold coins in cash, the debt-ridden Principality of Saxony will be financially improved immediately.

However, after thinking over and over again, George still felt that land was more affordable than money. After all, land can be passed on to future generations. Also, as long as there are fiefs, you get a lot of money every year. In a short period of time, there may not be millions of gold coins, but in a long time, it is always more cost-effective.

Moreover, George has not reached the point of exhaustion at this time, where would he accept Marin's conditions?

So, George politely declined:

"No, Duke Marin, I still don't plan to sell this fief..."

"If you want to sell the fief, remember to sell it to me! We have signed an agreement!"

George was a little speechless, but now he is stationing on other people's territory with his troops, so it's not good to be too shameless, so he has to perfunctory:

"Okay, if I sell West Frisian, I must consider you first..."

Marin didn't give up, so he decided to blow George's self-confidence. So he pretended to remember just now and said:

"By the way, Duke George, do you know why the allied forces of Saxony lost to West Frisian... oh no, is it Geddes' army?"

"This... bad luck..." George is reluctant to admit that the Saxon army is inferior to others and his command level is bad...

"My intelligence officer just heard an important piece of news, which made me understand why the other party is so strong..."

"What news?" As the losing party, George was naturally eager to know where he lost.

"It is said that more than half of the opponent's army are Swiss mercenaries... Moreover, these Swiss mercenaries are supported by the French... Therefore, your enemy is mainly the mighty France, not just the Duchy of Geddes... "

"I see..." George finally felt better. It is very shameful to lose to the Principality of Gede, and it is not wrong to lose to France, the most powerful country in Europe.

Soon, however, George's mood worsened. Because, he thought - the opponent is the Principality of Gede Company, and he can still win it. If the opponent is France, no matter how he makes a comeback, the odds of winning are not high...

In the end, George left with great frustration...

Marin is not in a hurry, he knows that George is not desperate yet. However, with the credibility of the Duchy of Saxony, George will really get some support.

So, Marin called Kohler and asked him to send someone to spread the news in a country that was friendly with the Principality of Saxony-George's opponent was a Swiss mercenary sent by the French, and the chance of a comeback was very low...

As long as this news spreads, even the country that has good relations with George will probably have to be weighed-whether investing in George will be a waste of water...

When George is beleaguered and completely desperate, Marin will bring up this topic again, presumably George will see the reality clearly... Mobile phone users, please browse and read for a better reading experience.