While Marin was coaxing the big Lolita in his castle, Dresden, the capital of the Principality of Saxony, Albrecht, the Duke of Saxony, gathered an army of 10,000, ready to attack the Friesian Noble Republic.
In order to gather an army of 10,000 in a short period of time, Duke Albrecht went to Wittenberg, where his nephew Frederick III (Elector of Saxony) lived, and asked the Elector of Saxony to borrow 5,000 soldiers and horses. This Frederick III was the prince who later supported Martin Luther's religious reform.
The Saxony line is very powerful. At the end of the Middle Ages when the economy was very backward, especially in the economically underdeveloped German regions, the general powerful princes usually only had a standing army of a few thousand. It is very difficult to gather an army of tens of thousands. Because it costs 200,000 gold coins a year to feed tens of thousands of troops. And that's just overhead. Once a battle starts, the consumption of ammunition, weapons and armor, and the consumption of food brought by the march will be even more expensive.
But in this era, even the big vassal states, there are not many whose annual fiscal revenue reaches 200,000 gold coins. Because, in this era when agriculture is extremely underdeveloped, it is difficult to have 200,000 gold coins per year just relying on land tax. Only the Hanseatic Business League, which is engaged in business, can earn a lot of money.
The Saxon business district is the second largest business district in the Hanseatic League, and the business district is closely related to the Weiting family of the Saxon dynasty, and many merchants belong to the Weiting family at all. Therefore, the Wetting family has very strong financial resources.
Under normal circumstances, in peacetime, ordinary principalities and counties only retain two to three thousand standing troops. Only when there is a war, will a large number of troops be temporarily hired or recruited. It is very good to gather a few thousand or tens of thousands of people.
The Wetting family is different because of their huge financial backing. Therefore, no matter whether it is the Elector of Saxony in the long house or the Duchy of Saxony in the second house, each family usually has a standing army of several thousand.
These standing armies are not the kind of cannon fodder soldiers recruited temporarily, but well-trained professional soldiers. Their combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of conscripts, and they are not easy to collapse on the battlefield.
Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, sent someone to investigate. Although the Friesian noble republic was crippled by Marin, Groningen and Leeuwarden were difficult to conquer because of their strong city walls. Moreover, after the war, the Friesian Noble Republic temporarily recruited 2,000 strong men and incorporated them into the army to enrich the city defense. These recruits may be easily defeated by a stronger army on the field battlefield. But in defending the city, it has a great effect. Therefore, it is safe enough to bring tens of thousands of troops.
To this end, Duke Albrecht mobilized 5,000 veterans from the Principality of Saxony, and borrowed 5,000 veterans from his nephew to make up 10,000 professional troops. After taking the oath in Dresden, he quickly drove to the Friesland area. And the vanguard of this army was a cavalry team led by the knight Mavis that Marin had seen...
Mavis returned to Dresden and continued to serve the Duke of Saxony after he failed in the martial arts contest. Because of the loss last time, Mavis has become more cautious since then, and no longer goes out drunk to prevent being attacked and plotted against.
The last humiliation was something he would never forget. Although, the revenge could not be completed. However, Mavis became more cautious because of this. Strong personal martial arts, coupled with cautious style, made Duke Albrecht appreciate him even more. For this reason, Mavis Knight was appointed by Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, as the commander of 500 forward cavalry, responsible for clearing the way and dealing with the noble forces along the way.
After all, from the Principality of Saxony to the distant Frisian region, it has to pass through many princely states. Although the Saxon princes are powerful, the principalities along the way are not easy to mess with. Moreover, some vassal states also joined forces to fight against foreign enemies.
For example, the princes in the Westphalian region (east of the Rhine) usually have constant internal fighting. But once an external vassal invaded the area, the vassals in the area would easily let go of their prejudices and unite temporarily to fight against the invasion of foreign enemies. Other regions, such as the Rhineland region, Swabia region, Franconia region, Wende region, etc., including Saxony, have this feature.
Although the Principality of Saxony is powerful, it dare not easily offend these princes who are easy to unite, lest they ask for trouble. Therefore, the cavalry regiment led by Mavis was mainly responsible for clearing the way and dealing with the nobles along the way.
Although there are only 500 cavalry, most of them are light cavalry, but in this era, cavalry has a high status, and 500 cavalry can almost be regarded as a dissatisfied cavalry regiment. Even an irregular cavalry regiment dominated by light cavalry has a much higher status than infantry with a number of one or two thousand. Therefore, Mavis Knight has been greatly reused this time. Because, generally only a baron is qualified to be the commander of a cavalry regiment.
Mavis has a high level of military literacy and has performed well in missions. Along the way, the cavalry regiment successfully completed the task of clearing the way, and made good deals with the nobles along the way.
Most of the 10,000 troops led by Duke Albrecht were well-trained veterans. Therefore, even if you are marching, you can reach 30 to 40 kilometers a day, which is very fast. Of course, this is also because the Duchy of Saxony, a local tyrant, has prepared a large number of horses and vehicles, which is very conducive to the long-distance march of the army. In addition, the weather was good during this period, there was no rain, and the road was not muddy.
In addition to making military preparations, Duke Albrecht also made a lot of diplomatic preparations. As one of the most important controllers of the second largest business circle in the Hanseatic League, Duke Albrecht sent people to Groningen, the only Hanseatic city in the Frisian region, and quietly informed the Saxon merchants in the city to let them They assist the duke in his actions...
As for how to help? This one is easy...
When Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, led an army of 10,000 to the city of Groningen, the Frisians were prepared to resist resolutely and planned to ask the surrounding Hanseatic cities for help.
However, they are doomed not to be rescued. Because the Duke of Saxony had already made diplomatic preparations. As one of the heads of the second largest business district of the Hanseatic League, Duke Albrecht sent someone to greet the nearby Hanseatic city early on, telling them not to worry about it. Moreover, even the Hanseatic League, it is difficult to make a decision to fight against the Duke of Saxony.
Because there are already many Hanseatic merchants in the Saxon business circle, it is impossible for them to agree to confront Duke Albrecht, and the same is true for their trading partners. Moreover, the Duke of Saxony has the support of the emperor's edict. Even the Hanseatic League is not willing to tear face with the emperor. Because, many privileges of the Hanseatic League require the approval and authorization of the emperor, especially in those imperial commercial cities.
Therefore, when the Principality of Saxony invaded the Frisian aristocratic republic, even if the Frisians broke their throats, basically no one would come to rescue them. Because, for the sake of Friesland, it is really unwise to fight against the Duke of Saxony, who has tens of thousands of veterans.
After the Saxon army surrounded Groningen, the siege battle was indeed difficult to fight. Although many of the recruits used are recruits who have never seen blood. However, the Frisians relied on high and solid walls for resistance, and it was difficult for the veterans of Saxony to succeed quickly.
Originally, this should have been a long-term battle, and Duke Albrecht was also prepared for a long-term siege. However, after the Saxon army surrounded Groningen, a Saxon-born Hanseatic businessman named Mayer in the city got his brains twisted...