King of German Mercenaries

The return route is still a familiar formula and a familiar road. Marin rushed to the port of Barcelona, ​​took the ship from the Kingdom of Aragon to Sicily, and then to the Kingdom of Naples.

This time, Marin did not go to the Royal Palace of Naples, but went directly north. The last time he was a guest at the Royal Palace of Naples, King Frederick IV had complained that he just didn't have enough spices in stock, so he had to ask him to eat more cane sugar. He didn't understand what was going on.

Now, Marlin understands. Feelings Last time, Marin happened to encounter the lack of pepper, cloves and other spices in the palace of Frederick IV.

He was really lucky, if he was invited to eat with pepper last time, Marin wouldn't be so depressed?

Therefore, on this return trip, Marin did not dare to visit the King Frederick IV of Naples, so as not to eat a few more pepper-dipped feasts. Feeling the flaming bubbles around his mouth, Marin had some fear in his eyes.

After the kingdom of Naples retrieved the horses entrusted here, Marin led his men to the north, non-stop...

He and Ferdinand II and his wife said that they had something to do when they went back. It was not an excuse, but something really happened. Right now, the Teutonic Knights’ former Grand Commander had passed away at the end of August, and had been dead for more than a month. As is customary, the Knights are currently looking for a new Grand Master and are preparing for an election.

However, this time, there seems to be no perfect and suitable heir within the Knights. Therefore, the Knights sent people to the German region and issued an invitation to invite the knights in the German region to participate in the election of the new Grand Master.

However, the candidate for the Teutonic Grand Regiment has conditions. First of all, the person must be from a knightly family, preferably a prestigious high-ranking noble.

Second, the person must remain unmarried for life. It is equivalent to the Teutonic Grand Commander being half knight and half monk. And monks are not allowed to marry.

In fact, there are many people who meet the first condition. However, knights who came from large noble families may not be willing to stay unmarried for life. Therefore, the second condition is the real stumbling block, brushing off most of the knights of the big noble families. Even within the knights, the vast majority of knights are married, and they do not want to remain unmarried for life.

Fortunately, because of the second condition, there are not many eligible candidates, which leads to the election of a new head of the delegation, which will take a long time. According to the original history, Frederick, the youngest son of the Duke of Saxony, was sworn in only the following year. The specific year of its selection should be at the end of the year. So, Marin still has time.

When passing by, his hometown, the Earl of Mark, Marin paused for a while. When he arrived in the Duchy of Clifford on the Rhine, Marin, on a whim, visited John II, Duke of Cliff and Earl of Mark.

John II was both Duke of Clifford and Earl of Mark. Therefore, John II is actually the monarch of Marin before his fortune.

As for John II, he was also curious about Marin Hoffman, a young hero under his rule. Hearing that Marin came to visit him, he was curious and met him.

Throughout the meeting, the atmosphere was friendly and warm. When Marin came over, he was actually saying hello and asking John II to take care of his hometown, Hoffman Manor. And John II, as a more senior noble and elder, taught Marin earnestly and earnestly.

In fact, Marin didn't know what the wind was, why he came to see John II. It's just that there seems to be a voice in his heart telling him not to regret it...

Although John II was a great prince, he did not reject Marin. Moreover, although as a prince of the northwest region, he did not fall to France. Between France and the Emperor, this person is relatively neutral. On weekdays, he also likes to do prayers. He is a devout Catholic, and he has some sense of being indifferent to the world. Marin also knew that this person had nothing to do with France, so he dared to come to see him. Otherwise, if you are not careful, you may be caught to please the French.

In the evening when John II invited Marin to dinner,

Marin finally knows why he came to visit John II...

It turned out that there was a prince named Philip who accompanied him for dinner...

This Prince Philip is not Prince Philip, the son of the Emperor, but the younger brother of John II.

John II's father, John I, was also a devout Catholic. So, between the three sons - John II, Engelbert, Count of Nevers, and the youngest son Philip, Philip was chosen to become a monk.

Therefore, from a very young age, Philip was trained as a priest, and of course, as a knight. In other words, the unfortunate third Prince Philip was determined to be a bachelor for a lifetime...

In fact, until now, Prince Philip is only 30 years old. John II and his second brother Engelbert have decided to make a move and make him bishop of Nevers in two years.

When he heard the dual identities of Prince Philip, a priest and a knight, Marin's eyes instantly lit up...

He stood up, bowed, and said:

"Lord Duke, have you heard what happened in the Teutonic Knights?"

John II was stunned for a while, but still replied:

"I just heard that the chief over there seems to have passed away, what's wrong?"

"Have you ever thought about letting Lord Philip run for the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights?"

"What?" Both John II and Prince Philip grew their mouths in surprise...

"Yes, participate in the election of the Grand Commander of the Teutonic Knights! Lord Philip has a noble background, and meets the requirements of the Teutonic Grand Commander to be both a knight and a monk, why not participate in the election?" Marin said enthusiastically.

At this time, Prince Philip's eyes also burst into desire. Because he was unwilling to be a little bishop without real power in such a small place as the Counties of Nevers ruled by his second brother. When he heard that he might become the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, his heart almost stopped beating with excitement.

You know, in this era, almost every German man has a knight's dream in his heart. Prince Philip attended today's dinner also to see Marin, a legend among the knights. Moreover, the Teutonic Knights have accepted too many German wandering knights with knight dreams, and it is a holy place in the hearts of many German wandering knights.

"However, as far as I know, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights passed away on August 27. Didn't they elect a new Grand Master?"

"No, as far as I know, this commander died suddenly, and the reserve commander has not been selected. Therefore, the new commander has not been decided for the time being. Even the Teutonic Knights sent an invitation to the German region. , invite some eligible noble children to participate in the election..."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, there are not many knights who are willing to stay unmarried for the sake of the Teutonic Knights. So, stuck on the point of being unmarried for life, there is no suitable candidate within the Teutonic Knights, so they have to send an invitation to the German region. Yes. The Duchy of Clifford is in the far west of Germany, and it is estimated that it is the latest to receive the news..."

"Baron Marin, thank you very much for bringing this news. However, as far as I know, we Westphalians have no electoral advantage in the Teutonic Knights..."

Yes, the Westphalians and the Rhinelanders together have only 210 seats out of the more than 800 official Teutonic knights who have the right to vote. Their arch-rival, the Franconian-Swabian alliance, had 230 votes. Coupled with the fact that the Franconian-Swabian alliance and the Saxons were relatively close, John II believed that even if Prince Philip had run for office in the past, it would have been difficult. And, Marin told them, Frederick, the youngest son of the Duke of Saxony, would also run...

"No, Lord Duke, Lord Philip has a good chance. Because, if Lord Philip is willing to run for election, I am willing to pay tens of thousands of gold coins in advance..." Marin thought for a while and said firmly.

"tens of thousands of gold coins? Are you trying to bribe the election?" John II's eyes lit up. John II is also looking forward to his younger brother being elected as the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. The Teutonic Knights are much stronger than the Principality of Clifford. With a younger brother who is the head of the army, it's definitely a good thing to say it out, isn't it? Great nobles, all they want is face...

"Yes, the Franconian-Swabian League and the Saxons together have only 410 people. Moreover, although the son of the Duke of Saxony is running for the election, the Saxon knights will definitely vote for him, but Franconian-Swabian Ben's knight may not be..."

"That's right, but the knights of the Franconian-Swabian League will certainly not vote for Philip."

"I think there must be more candidates than just Frederick and Lord Philip, and maybe from other regions. As long as there are other candidates acceptable to the knights of the Franconian-Swabian alliance, I will send someone to bribe them. Some of the knights in the country, let them vote for other candidates. Then, the votes of the son of the Duke of Saxony will be diluted and divided..."

"Amazing! This trick is really second!" John II wanted to understand the key. As long as the opponent's votes are reduced, and there are a lot of votes on your own side, it is not impossible to fight.

"Hehe, my teacher taught me..."

"By the way, Baron Marin, what are you paying for tens of thousands of gold coins? What do you want for such a big payment?"

Marin rolled his eyes, and a reasonable answer jumped out:

"Lord Duke, my Texel Island is a good place to boil salt, which is rich in salt..."

"Wait... As far as I know, the lowlands are relatively short of firewood, so what do you use to cook salt?"

"Go out to buy fuel, the price of salt is so expensive, this investment is worth it..."

"Well, what is your request?"

"If Lord Philip becomes the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, please open to me the salt market of the Teutonic Knights and provide protection. You know, the Teutonic Knights are on the Baltic coast, and the price of salt is very expensive. I can buy the salt, and the profit is also high..."

John II and Philip thought for a while and thought it was reasonable, and nodded. You must know that, as a region along the Baltic Sea, the price of salt in the Teutonic Knights is generally twice as expensive as that in Germany. Therefore, it is absolutely profitable to sell the salt in the past.

However, not everyone can sell salt in the country of the Teutonic Knights, which is generally monopolized by some Hanseatic merchants with great origin and background. But Marin did a good job. Once Philip became the new chief of the Teutonic Knights, he would be able to cover him by selling salt in the Teutonic Knights country for huge profits. It doesn't take long to earn tens of thousands of gold coins. After all, salt prices there are twice as high as in Germany.

"Hehe, Baron Marin, we won't be able to repay these tens of thousands of gold coins in the short term. If the election fails..."

"Even if my investment is worthless, you can rest assured!"

Marin originally had 200,000 gold coins in his hand, and after checking with Wright after a while, he also had hundreds of thousands of salt money delivered, tens of thousands of gold coins, and he could still afford to lose money.

"Okay, refreshing, if my younger brother becomes the chief of the Teutonic Order, I will definitely try to bring you all kinds of convenience and protection!" Prince Philip, who dreams of being the chief of the Teutonic Knights, is also Nodding again and again.

While chatting and laughing, a major event that would determine the future fate of the Teutonic Knights was completed at the banquet...

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