Although Mayer is just a businessman, he has a heart that wants to be a nobleman. Although he is rich, his status has always been low and he has been discriminated against by nobles. So, he wanted to spend money to buy a title of nobility.
However, although noble titles were sold in this era in Europe, the gold content was very low. Mayer spent money, did buy a knighthood. However, this jazz only has a bare title and doesn't have many practical benefits. At most, the entry tax for entering the city can be exempted. Even, because the title is bare, combined with his identity as a businessman, it makes others know that the title was bought.
The general nobles are all "from a certain family or a certain place" so-and-so, which shows the source. From such-and-such a family, which must be an aristocratic family. From such and such a place, this place must be where the fief is. Mayer bought the jazz title, but only the bare title of "Sir Mayer", which cannot be used from XXX...
According to the practice of this era, generally only nobles with fiefdoms, or jazz from a certain noble family, are considered real nobles. Of course, those trainee knights, because of their high force, are also considered as the reserve echelon of nobility in Germany, which advocates force. Moreover, those trainee knights can also use the prefix "from a certain knight family" to indicate their origin. As for those lords and squires as well, those who come from a certain noble family are recognized by people, because they can use "from such and such a family". As for buying it with money, although it can be regarded as a low-level nobleman, people don't quite recognize it.
This is like the Ming Dynasty at the same time. People who passed the exams were regarded as "right way" backgrounds. And those diplomas that money buys. For example, the status of a prison student obtained by spending money to "donate to the prison" is looked down upon. Although, supervisors can also be officials. However, under normal circumstances, Jinshi and Juren who came from Zhengtu can become officials in wealthy and prosperous areas. However, if Jiansheng wants to be an official, he can only go to the impoverished and dangerous areas of the Northwest, Southwest, and Liaodong. Because, in these places, there are no scholars with regular backgrounds who are willing to go, so that they can spend money to buy supervising students with diplomas cheaply.
Mayer has a strong heart to become a genuine nobleman, and the difference between a genuine nobleman and the jazz title he bought is actually a source. As long as the Duke of Saxony is willing to reward him with a fief, he will have a source.
However, in this era, although the nobles sold jazz titles, they did not sell fiefs casually. This is an unspoken rule of convention. The title of jazz is not hereditary, it doesn't matter if it is sold. But if the fief is sold, it will be a disaster. Fiefs can be hereditary, and nobles with fiefs can also be regarded as real nobles. Anyone who dares to sell indiscriminately will break the rules and will be rejected by other nobles.
The old nobles rejected the upstarts very much. Even people like Marin, who came from low-level noble families, were rejected by the old nobles after they became baron lords, let alone let a businessman become the same existence as them. Therefore, although the nobles are willing to use the useless jazz to exchange some money from wealthy merchants, they are unwilling to let the merchants become real nobles.
Of course, if the businessman has military exploits, then no one would object to being named an official nobleman. Just like Marin, because of his outstanding military exploits. Even if the veteran nobles reject him a bit, they will not despise him or deny him. Because Marin won the title by relying on his actual combat exploits. In martial Germany, military exploits are the most respected. The reason why everyone rejected Marin was because Marin belonged to the emperor's camp and was naturally hostile to the princes. However, no one disputed Marin's aristocratic status.
After Mayer learned that the Duke of Saxony had besieged Groningen, he was in the city, and his mind immediately became active...
Mayer is a weapons dealer. Before learning that Friesland was defeated, he brought several carts of weapons and armor to Friesland to sell them.
However, the Frisian nobles knew that the French would support them with weapons and armor, so they did not agree to buy Mayer's goods. Mayer didn't know this, so he stayed in the city and wanted to continue selling. With him, there are dozens of mercenary guards.
After the Saxon army began to surround Groningen and launched an attack, Mayer's mind became active...
He felt that his chance to make a contribution came...
If he can cooperate with the Duke of Saxony to win Groningen, then the Duke will definitely reward himself. Maybe it will increase the title, maybe give it a fief...
However, in the fierce siege battle, Mayer's 60 mercenaries were too few to be useful. Because, after the siege battle began, the Frisians had already blocked the city gates with large tree stumps, stones, bricks, etc. If you want to capture the city gate, 60 soldiers can defeat the soldiers near the city gate. However, it was not easy to remove those stones and tree stumps.
Therefore, in order to gain this victory, Mayer secretly contacted other Saxon Hanseatic businessmen and asked them to borrow guards...
In the next few days, Mayer borrowed many guards from various Saxon businessmen. Although there are not many merchant guards, ten of you and eight of him make up a lot. More than a dozen Saxon and Hanseatic merchants gathered 260 people...
Coincidentally, Mayer still has a backlog of weapons and plate armor...
As a result, 260 mercenaries, under Mayer's command, were equipped with two-handed swords and plate armor one after another, preparing to seize the city gate...
On the morning of the seventh day, when the Saxon army launched a strong attack again, Mayer rushed to the east gate with 260 merchant guards in plate armor...
At this time, the main force of the Frisian army was attracted to the city wall. For the city gates that had been blocked long ago, they didn't pay enough attention, and only took dozens of conscripted soldiers to guard them.
Facing the 260 merchant guards who were heavily armed, the dozens of people guarding the city gate were powerless to resist and were quickly cut down. And Mayer is also a smart person. After he took control of the city gate, he immediately sent people to start removing the bricks and stumps. Moreover, the bricks and tree stumps were used to block the steps leading to the ground on the city wall, so as to prevent the people on the city wall from being killed.
Afterwards, the excess masonry and tree stumps were piled up behind the city gate, forming the style of fortifications. As for Mayer's guards, half of them were dispatched to guard behind the fortifications to prevent the Frisians from counterattacking.
In order to stimulate the guards to fight to the death, Mayer signed the document on the spot and gave each mercenary guard a reward of 10 gold coins. And promised that even if they died in battle, Mayer would send the money back to their hometown...
Under this stimulus, the morale of the guards was really boosted. Although the Frisians sent hundreds of people to launch a counterattack, they were all beaten back by the drugged guards with fortifications and sophisticated equipment.
An hour later, just as the Frisians were mobilizing their main force and preparing to take back the city gate, Mayer's guards finally cleaned up the bricks, stones and wooden piles behind the city gate, and opened the city gate...
"Crackling—" After a tooth-piercing sound, the east gate of Groningen was opened by Mayer's men...
The Saxon army that was attacking the city was a little stunned, not knowing what happened...
But Mayer was not taken aback, he jumped out and shouted in the dialect of the Saxon region:
"Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and rush in!"
The Saxon soldiers woke up as if they were dreaming, and immediately rushed in without hesitation, and started a fierce street battle with the Frisians...
After all, the Frisians lost their elite in the war with Marin. Many two-handed swordsmen are still being held by Marin to do hard work on the Wadden Islands, and they have not been released yet.
Therefore, the most powerful combatants in the city are actually only those 120 knights...
As for the others, they were actually conscripted cannon fodder soldiers with average combat effectiveness. Let them defend the city, and they can still fight the enemy with their huge terrain advantages. But once they lost the advantage of the city wall, they immediately gave up...
Saxon's professional army beat the Frisians back steadily. Seeing that Groningen must not be able to stand it anymore, Fyskefrijheid, the governor of the Frisian aristocratic republic, and eight other noble councilors decisively brought a batch of easy-to-carry gold, and that 120 knights, and a group of soldiers with fairly good combat effectiveness, opened the west gate and rushed out...
Coincidentally, after learning that the east gate was open, the Duke of Saxony immediately mobilized more than half of the troops from the other three directions to break in from the east gate.
When Governor Fyskefrijheid and others rushed out of the west gate with their elite, there were not many Saxon troops outside the west gate, and they were not particularly elite, they were all infantry. As for the fleeing Frisian army, everyone rode horses. After breaking through the defenses of the unprepared Saxon infantry, the group marched away...
After all, the Saxons came to attack. The Saxon infantry outside the west gate were busy attacking one moment, but became the attacked party the next moment. Therefore, they are inevitably a little caught off guard. When the Friesian elite troops launched an attack, many of them were still climbing the city wall... So, before they had time to set up a defensive formation, they were rushed out by the Friesian breakout troops, and they couldn't catch up...
However, Duke Albrecht didn't care much about the fleeing Frisian nobles. Because, as long as Groningen is occupied, the finances of the Frisian aristocratic republic will collapse, and they will not be able to jump up.
Of course, he did not ignore the enemy's escape. To this end, he dispatched 800 cavalry, Mavis took the lead, and chased the nobles of Friesland. The Frisians fled this time with a total of 120 knights and 300 mounted infantry. When rushing out of the city gate, 50 people were lost. Now, there are only about 370 of them. If they are overtaken by 800 cavalry, they will definitely not be able to escape.
However, the Frisian nobles obviously knew this too. So, instead of taking the main south-west road when fleeing, they took the small north road instead...
Mavis didn't catch up to the Frisian nobles, but he wasn't stupid either. Without chasing the nobles of Friesland, he simply went all the way west, directly to the city of Leeuwarden, and blocked the way into the city.
In Friesland, the two cities of Groningen and Leeuwarden are relatively strong and suitable for long-term persistence. In other cities, the defense is not worth mentioning. As long as the two cities cannot resist for a long time, the Saxon army will occupy the entire territory without any effort.
Although Mavis cannot capture Leeuwarden, he can prevent the Frisian nobles from entering Leeuwarden to resist...
As a result, the Frisian nobles were caught in a dilemma...
In the next few days, after occupying Groningen, the Duke of Saxony left 2,000 people to garrison Groningen, and the rest of the army continued to advance westward and took down various cities...
The Frisian nobles, on the other hand, were forced to hide in the swamp area north of Leeuwarden, somewhat in a dilemma...
Friesland's change of ownership is already a certainty. Although the city of Leeuwarden is strong, there are only 1,000 defenders inside. Facing the tens of thousands of Saxon troops, it will be a matter of time before they fall. Therefore, apart from surrendering, several Frisian nobles could go into exile, or die in battle. They obviously did not want to surrender, nor did they want to die in battle. Therefore, they can only choose to go into exile. But where to go in exile, they can't make up their minds...
At the same time, the Frisian messenger who asked for help rushed to Lübeck, the capital of the Hanseatic League, and asked the alliance to help Groningen.
However, Lübeck was silent...
There is no other reason, because the Saxons are also the second largest force in the Hanseatic League. If the alliance is determined to fight the Duke of Saxony to the death, the alliance will inevitably split. Moreover, after the civil war, the alliance's strength will also be greatly damaged, and it will no longer have the strength to fight against the Danish Kalmar Alliance.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Lübeck chose to remain silent and let the Duke of Saxony occupy Groningen to ensure the stability of the alliance...