The Rise of the European Emperor

In modern times, Siena is just a small city of tens of thousands of people. Compared with big cities such as Milan and Turin with a population of over one million, it is completely incomparable. Even Florence, which is only 50 kilometers away from 300,000 or 400,000 people, is not on the same level.

In Italy, Siena is the capital of the province of Siena, with a population of only 54,000 people.” However, the province of Italy cannot be compared with the hub of China. The area of ​​Siena Province is only 3,821 square kilometers, which is not as big as a prefecture-level city in China, let alone a province in China. Of course, European countries are generally small in size. The area of ​​the whole of Italy is not as large as that of a province with a larger area in China, not to mention a small one below Italy? And the population of 54,000 people is not as large as a chest city in Huaxia.

All in all, Siena in later generations is an inconspicuous Italian town whose light is completely obscured by nearby Rome and Florence. Even, it is not as good as the city of Pisa, which is famous for its Leaning Tower of Pisa and pizza.

However, in this era, the Republic of Siena is one of the most powerful countries in the Italian region. The Republic of Siena covers an area of ​​about 8,000 square kilometers. In Europe, where the vassal states are spread, it can already be regarded as a "big (vassal) state".

Moreover, like Venice, Genoa, Florence and other medieval Italian republics, the Republic of Siena is also a country with developed commerce, with relatively developed wool spinning and finance. Moreover, the later coastal province of Grosseto was also the territory of the Republic of Siena at this time, and the maritime industry was also relatively prosperous.

In addition, the military strength of the Republic of Siena is also very strong. How to describe the military power of Siena? For example, when Siena fought against Florence in 1260, Florence dispatched 33,000 troops, while Siena was slightly weaker, but also dispatched 20,000 troops. Moreover, the final victory is Siena

Being able to dispatch 20,000 troops shows that Siena has good financial resources and considerable manpower. And, that was in 1260, and now nearly 250 years have passed, and Siena's real estate has grown unabated.

Moreover, during the First Italian War, the French army entered the Florentine Republic and looted and destroyed the more prosperous Florentine Republic. But then, the French army left Florence, went straight to Rome, and then attacked the Kingdom of Naples, but directly ignored the Republic of Siena not far from Florence.

The Republic of Siena escaped, but it also surpassed Florence in terms of national strength. Of course, it is meaningless to say this now, because the Republic of Florence has been destroyed.

However, this also shows that the current Republic of Siena is more difficult to fight than the original Republic of Florence. Moreover, the city of Siena is located in a valley, and the terrain is extremely complex. In the original history, in 1555, the Spanish army of Charles V finally broke the city of Siena after besieging the city for two years. Therefore, the city of Siena is much harder to play than the city of Florence.

Moreover, after Marin helped the Papal State to capture Florence, it also needed to digest and absorb the wealthy "big country" of the Republic of Florence, and had no time to consider Siena.

Today, the Papal State has basically completed the absorption and digestion of the Florence area. So, Pope Julius II felt that the time was ripe for the capture of Siena

Of course, Julius II also knew the difficulty of taking Siena. Therefore, he could only turn to Marin, who had more ideas for fighting. In addition, if Marin can help the Papal State capture Siena, he also has reason to reward Marin. For example, rewarding the colonial power of the Americas is something that other countries are not opposed to - you see, they have indeed made practical contributions to the Holy See. Do you want to be jealous and refuse to accept that you also helped the Holy See conquer a piece of Italian territory?

However, Marin did not make a rash decision, but conducted a three-day analysis based on information such as topographic maps of Italian mountains and rivers collected by Kohler.

As a result, Marin sadly came to the conclusion that at least 30,000 troops were needed to storm Siena, the mountain banner. and,

It is said that the gates of Siena were replaced by iron ones.

30,000 army Marin is not impossible to come up with. It's just that I can't get it out right now. Marin has a total of 50,000 troops, but there are two legions in England, which cannot be mobilized at all. There are 30,000 people on the mainland, but it is impossible to transfer all of them to Italy to help the Papal State attack Siena. For safety reasons, he dispatched at most half, that is, 15,000 people. However, this is not enough to count the 7,000 people he originally sent to the Papal States, but it is only 22,000. Not to mention the Papal State's own Italian mercenaries

It's not that the 22,000 North Sea Guards can't attack Siena, but it may take a long time for them to attack the Spanish army of Siena, Li V, who was traversing Europe at that time. It took two years for France to break through Siena. Therefore, if a 22,000-strong army is used, even if Marin personally commands and uses tactics, it is estimated that it will take several months.

But Marin knew what the hell would happen if he took half the country's troops and went to Italy to fight for a few months. After all, he was not popular among the German princes. If someone attacked his home at that time, he would be in a dilemma

And to capture Siena, Marin estimates that at least 30,000 troops are needed, and 30,000 main battle troops without waste

Of course, if there are 40,000 troops, the grasp is even greater. The premise is that the commander is Marin

However, where did Marin find a 40,000-strong army? Then he got depressed

There is no way out, just when Marin was worried about how to mobilize enough troops to take Siena quickly, Emperor Maximilian I, who was far away in Austria, suddenly sent a special envoy.

The special envoy came for two main purposes - one was to buy china and silk. Maximilian I, as Holy Roman Emperor, had more face than those kings and dukes. Wouldn't it be laughed at if there were no porcelain decorations in the palace? In addition to the sentence of Marin's spy, "I don't have a lot of porcelain at home, so I'm embarrassed to call myself an aristocrat?"

Of course, as Marin's old protagonist, he definitely won't be taking advantage of the price hike. Then, dozens more pieces of china were missing from Marin's warehouse. The discount is still 50% off. Also, there are some fine silks for making the new Emperor's New Clothes (literally)

As for the second purpose of the special envoy, it was to invite Marin as a lobbyist. And who did the emperor want Marin to help him persuade? It is the Pope. For what? It's the emperor's coronation

The emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of all dynasties have been crowned in Rome. Before the coronation, although he was called the emperor, he should actually be called the "King of Germany" according to law. ♀ A point. When France and other countries communicated with Maximilian I, they also called him His Majesty the King, not His Majesty the Emperor. Only within the Holy Roman Empire recognized the position of Emperor Maximilian I. Even those princes who opposed Maximilian I also recognized this. After all, this is the leader of the feudal lords—the seven elected emperors have all acknowledged it, so how can the younger brothers deny it?

However, Julius II was an old politician. He knew that Maximilian I wanted to be crowned, but he would not crown the other party. Because, he needs to hold this bargaining chip in his hands, and then change the interests of Ruan Da

Maximilian I was very helpless, but he was poor and had no money to bribe the Pope. And, with the Swiss war going on, he doesn't have much to offer. But Maximilian I suddenly remembered that Marin seemed to have a good relationship with Pope Julius II, and even Julius II was escorted back to Rome by Marin's army. So he decided to ask Marin to act as a lobbyist to help persuade Julius II to crown him. Of course, there is a price to be paid.

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