"Master Marin, why are you back? But I forgot to say anything?" Frederick III, who was just about to rest, was also surprised when he saw Marin return.
"It's something to say, but it's not that I forgot to say it just now, but it's inconvenient to say it publicly in front of so many people." Marin nodded and said.
"What do you want to say?" Frederick III asked curiously.
"I am a prince..." Marin paused and said this simple sentence.
Frederick III, the Elector of Saxony, was silent for a long time before saying:
"But you are too close to His Majesty the Emperor!"
Marin shook his head and said:
"It's not that I want to get close to His Majesty the Emperor, but that you don't want to accept me."
What Marin said is also true. Because of his origin, in this era when he values ​​bloodlines, most princes looked down on Marin and were unwilling to join him. However, Maximilian I faced too many enemies and needed help, so he did not value bloodlines, but more importantly, abilities.
In fact, Frederick III himself also valued Marin's ability, but he was not a monarch, but just a group of people's leading brothers, so he could not control his younger brothers' ideas.
Frederick III shook his head, and he could not change his exclusion of the princes. Even the fact that he was elected as the boss by the princes was based on his noble background. Secondly, his ability was his ability.
After slowing down, Marin continued:
"Sir Frederick, you should be very clear that I am a knight, and His Majesty the Emperor gave me the status of a nobleman and supported me to become a prince. Therefore, I cannot publicly turn against the Habsburg family. Otherwise, this would violate the morality of a knight and would have a great harm to my reputation. I was born with a low origin, and I would have a bad reputation with an ungrateful reputation, which would be really notorious."
"So, I can only maintain a good relationship with the Habsburg family on the surface. But at the same time, I know that I am also a prince and cannot support His Majesty the Emperor to unify Germany, which would harm my interests. Therefore, I am very conflicted now. On the one hand, I cannot openly break with the Habsburg family; on the other hand, I will not send troops to support His Majesty the Emperor and harm the interests of the princes..."
At this moment, Frederick III suddenly interrupted:
"What's going on with that Frenzberg? Isn't it the general you support to His Majesty the Emperor?"
This is an inaccessible problem between Marin and the princes. Marin has also explained it before, but the princes do not believe it.
So, Marin said with grievance:
"Actually, you are really wrong. I swear in the name of God that it was not that I sent him to serve the emperor, but that this guy defected to His Majesty the Emperor himself! You know, I was a little earl at that time, and His Majesty the Emperor was the emperor of the entire Holy Roman Empire, and it seemed to be more attractive to him."
"Also, he came from the Swabian region, and most of the princes in that region were close to the Habsburg family, the family where Frenzberg was located, and he had always been close to the Habsburg family. Therefore, it was no surprise that he chose to betray me and surrender to His Majesty the Emperor."
"And because I can't turn against His Majesty the Emperor and I can't publicly accuse him of being a traitor, I have to accept his betrayal by default. In fact, I really don't mean to send him to serve the Emperor. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to Beihai Kingdom to inquire. Frenzberg's title and manor in Beihai Kingdom have been withdrawn. Now he only has the fiefdom and title given by His Majesty the Emperor."
"In other words, he actually has nothing to do with me now. It's just that because I can't openly get into evil with the emperor, I can only remain silent about it."
Frederick III looked at Marin suspiciously:
"What you said is true?"
Frederick III did not believe much about Marin.
"It's absolutely true. I can swear by my hand in the Bible!" Marin said excitedly. He really didn't lie.
Frederick III nodded, accepting his statement, but there was still doubt in his eyes.
After thinking about it, Frederick III asked again:
"The reason why the princes are hostile to you is not only because of their background issues and their relationship with His Majesty the Emperor is the issue of violent annexation of the surrounding vassal states. You can calculate it yourself, how many vassal states have you annexed? No less than 10, right? The princes are hostile to you, and they are also worried about being annexed by the Beihai State. You must know that it is a violation of the rules to defeat your opponent and annex their country!"
This is another core issue. According to the customs of medieval Europe, in the battle between princes, the victorious party often chooses to demand huge ransoms according to the unspoken rules. Only when the other party cannot afford the expensive ransom will they choose to cede territory, but generally only cede part of the territory, and will not occupy all of them, and will not give the other party a way to survive. Like Marin, if he fights with people, he will completely annex the opponent, which really breaks the rules and causes panic among the surrounding princes. After all, land is the foundation of the princes. If you swallow them all, you will not give people a way to survive.
Regarding this question, Marin frowned and thought for a while and replied:
"That's right, Lord Frederick, I chose to annex those vassal states, in fact, to intimidate the surrounding vassal states so that they dare not attack Beihai easily. You know, Beihai is richer, and there are more people who covet the wealth of Beihai. If I don't take any ruthless measures, many people will be lucky enough to attack Beihai. So, I chose to annex all the enemy's territory before to establish my authority. In this way, no one dares to provoke me easily."
"And you should also know that all the vassal states annexed by me were the ones who took the initiative to attack Beihai. Beihai State never took the initiative to invade and annex other countries, and were forced to fight back!"
Marin did a good job in this regard. After all, it was from later generations and he attached great importance to excuses. Therefore, he obviously annexed neighboring countries, but on the surface he always took the rightful side.
Frederick III thought it was true, the vassal states that were annexed by Marin basically attacked the Beihai Kingdom first. Then, like Brother Long, he was killed...
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content behind! "Doesn't that mean that others can't provoke you yet? If you provoke you, you will destroy the country?" Frederick III said speechlessly.
Marin asked strangely:
"Why do you want to provoke me? I have always been very obedient and have never provoked my neighbors! So, those who provoke me have to consider why they provoke me. And I am a very reasonable person. I will not do it easily without reasonable reasons..."
Frederick III was speechless. It sounded like this was really fine. It was a good thing. Why did you provoke this person? But I always felt something was wrong.
After holding it in for a while, Frederick III asked again:
"Why do you keep such a huge army without any trouble? There are 4 10,000 troops in England, with two in total, with a total of 60,000 people. Looking at Europe, no country retains so many troops. You know, I, Saxony, usually only retains thousands of troops, and only in wartime will they recruit more than ten thousand troops. No wonder you feel uneasy when you do this."
Marin sighed and said:
"I have no choice. If I don't keep so many troops, I'm afraid, so scared that I can't sleep. You know, I became famous by defeating the French King Charles VIII. So, I offended the most powerful France, afraid that France will suddenly come one day. At the same time, many vassal states are also very unfriendly to me. So, I had no choice but to place four 10,000 troops on my land in case of emergencies."
After hearing this, Frederick III nodded. Indeed, Marin had offended France severely. If Charles VIII had not died early and the descendants of Charles VIII would have been the one who succeeded the throne, France might have organized the army to retaliate. As for the princes' hostility to Marin, in addition to not recognizing his identity and close ties with the Habsburg family, coveting the wealth of the North Sea Kingdom was also an important reason.
Therefore, Marin really has a reason to retain a large-scale army. Otherwise, it would be not safe enough. At the beginning, he sent troops to invade Beihai Kingdom.
...
Seeing Frederick III thinking, Marin gritted his teeth and decided to use his last big move:
"Sir Frederick, I am actually not very concerned about German affairs now, and my focus will also shift."
Frederick III was surprised:
"Transfer? Is it a wild continent?"
Marin shook his head and thought to himself that you were quite accurate, but I wouldn't admit it:
"The wild continent is too dangerous and difficult to solve in a short period of time. It takes many troops to defeat the barbarians before they can be truly developed. The shift in focus I am talking about is actually moving to England."
"England?" Frederick III was stunned.
"Yes, England! You should know that my son Caesar, and Margaret, the only daughter of His Majesty Edward, had a specific engagement. In the future, my son is likely to become the King of England!" Marin explained.
"England? What's good about that? I heard it's wet and rainy." Frederick III also had some understanding of England.
Marin nodded and said:
"Yes, it is indeed wet and rainy. However, England lives overseas. As long as the sea strength is strong enough, even a top power like France will have no choice but to England. It is safe enough. The reason why I chose to marry Caesar and Margaret was to consider letting the next generation go to England to develop. In Germany, the danger is too great. Even if the North Sea Kingdom is strong, it is still dangerous to be destroyed by France and the princes."
"And if I retreat to the British Isle, even if France and Germany combined, I can't do anything to me. You know, I can't guarantee that my descendants are as good as me in wars. If I encounter unsuccessful situations, the vast territory of the North Sea Kingdom will easily be coveted and seized. But if I own England, as long as I do a good job in maritime defense, I can ensure that the family inheritance is worry-free."
Marin said seriously that this was his true thought. Moreover, the logic in the words was reasonable and there was no problem.
Frederick III nodded and agreed to Marin's idea. However, he asked again:
"What if Edward VI gave birth to a son? Then the marriage between your son and Princess Margaret is meaningless."
Marin smiled and said:
"According to my subordinates in England, His Majesty Edward has often had sex with Queen Anna over the years, but not to mention his son, he didn't even have a daughter. In addition, His Majesty Edward suspected that Queen Anna could not give birth, so he found several mistresses outside, but none of them were pregnant. Therefore, I think His Majesty Edward will have no more children. As long as Princess Margaret does not die prematurely after falling ill, the throne of England will be settled!"
"But I heard that someone is planning to replace Caesar and Princess Margaret's marriage..." Frederick III was talking about the contact between Henry of the Boer family and the Habsburg family and the English royal family.
"Otherwise, why do you think I have retained a 20,000 army in England? Do you help protect England for free?" Marin said meaningfully.
Frederick III immediately understood that if Edward VI dared to blame the debt, Marin would be tough. Moreover, he had this ability.
After a brief reasoning, Frederick III found that Marin said nothing was wrong, and it was completely reasonable. Therefore, he believed most of Marin's words for the time being. However, out of caution, he still retained a certain degree of suspicion...
Chapter completed!