The return route is still a familiar formula and a familiar road. Marin first rushed to the port of Barcelona, took a ship from the Kingdom of Aragon to Sicily, and then arrived at the Kingdom of Naples.
This time, Marin did not go to the Royal Palace of Naples, but went directly north. When he was a guest at the Royal Palace of Naples last time, King Frederick IV complained that the reserves of spices happened to be insufficient, so he had to ask him to eat more sucrose. He didn't understand what was going on.
Now, Marin understands. The last time I was emotional, Marin happened to meet that there was a lack of spices such as pepper and cloves in the palace of Frederick IV.
It's really lucky. If he was invited to eat with pepper last time, wouldn't Marin be so depressed
Therefore, on this return trip, Marin did not dare to meet Frederick IV, King of Naples, so as not to eat a few more pepper-dipped banquets. Marin felt a little fear in his eyes as he touched the bubbles on his lips.
After the Kingdom of Naples retrieved the horses entrusted here, Marin led his men, and all the members went north without stopping...
He told Ferdinand II and his wife that they had something to do when they went back. It was not an excuse, but something really happened. Right now, the previous Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights has passed away at the end of August, and he has been dead for more than a month. According to the usual practice, the Knights are currently looking for a new grand master and preparing for the 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 talented knights from the German region to participate in the election of the new grand master.
However, the candidate for the Teutonic Grand Commander has conditions. First of all, this person must come from a knight family, preferably a prestigious high-ranking nobleman.
Second, the person must remain unmarried for life. Equivalently, the Teutonic Grandmaster is half knight, half monk. Monks are not allowed to marry.
In fact, there are many people who meet the first condition. However, knights from great noble families may not be willing to remain unmarried for life. Therefore, the second condition is the real stumbling block, eliminating most of the knights from the great aristocratic families. Even within the knight order, the vast majority of knights are married, and they are unwilling to remain unmarried for life.
Fortunately, because of the second condition, there are not many qualified candidates, and it will take a long time for the election of a new Grand Leader. According to the original history, Frederick, the youngest son of the Duke of Saxony, was actually sworn in the following year. The specific year when it was selected should be at the end of the year. Therefore, Marin still has time.
When passing by, his hometown, Earl Mark, Marin paused for a while. When he arrived at the Principality of Cliff on the Rhine, Marin had a whim and visited John II, Duke of Cliff and Earl of Mark.
John II was both the Duke of the Duchy of Cleaver and the Earl of the Earl of Mark. Therefore, John II is actually the monarch of Marin before his fortune.
John II, on the other hand, was also more curious about Marin Hoffman, a young hero under his rule. Hearing that Marin came to visit him, he met him out of curiosity.
Throughout the meeting, the atmosphere was friendly and warm. When Marin came over, he actually said hello and asked John II to take care of his hometown, Hoffman Manor. And John II, as a more senior nobleman and elder, educated Marin earnestly.
In fact, Marin didn't know what was going on, why he came to see John II. However, there seemed to be a voice in his heart telling him that he would regret not coming...
Although John II was a great prince, he actually did not reject Marin. Moreover, although as a prince of the Northwest, he did not fall to France. Between France and the Emperor, the man was relatively neutral. On weekdays, he also likes to pray. He is a devout Catholic, which means he is aloof from 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.
When John II invited Marin to dinner at night, Marin finally knew 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, not the son of the emperor, but the younger brother of John II.
John II's father, John I, was also a devout Catholic. Therefore, among the three sons-John II, Engelbert, Count of Nevers, and Philip, the youngest son, Philip was chosen to become a monk.
Therefore, Philip was trained as a priest from a very young age, and of course, he also had the status of a knight. In other words, the unlucky Third Prince Philip was determined to be a bachelor for the rest of his life since he was a child...
In fact, until now, Prince Philip is only 30 years old. John II and his second brother Engelbert decided to make a move and make him the bishop of Nevers in two years.
Marin's eyes lit up instantly when he heard Prince Philip's dual status as priest and knight...
He stood up, bowed, and said:
"My lord, have you heard what happened in the Teutonic Knights?"
John II froze for a moment, but replied:
"I just heard that not long ago, the head of the group over there seems to have passed away, what's wrong?"
"Have you ever thought about letting Sir Philip run for the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights?"
"What?" Both John II and Prince Philip opened their mouths in surprise...
"Yes, participate in the election for the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights! Sir Philip is of noble birth, and meets the requirements of the Teutonic Grand Master as both a knight and a monk. Why don't you participate in the election?" Marin said impassionedly.
At this moment, longing also burst out in Prince Philip's eyes. Because he was not willing to be a little bishop without real power in a small place like the County 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 dream of a knight in his heart. Prince Philip attended today's dinner to see Marin, a legend among knights. Moreover, the Teutonic Knights have accepted too many German wandering knights with knight dreams, and it is the 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 grand master passed away suddenly, and no backup grand master has been selected. Therefore, the new grand master has not been decided for the time being. Even, the Teutonic Knights sent an invitation to the German region , invite some qualified noble children to participate in the election... "
"Is that so?"
"Yes, there are not many knights who are willing to remain unmarried for the sake of the Teutonic Knights. Therefore, there is no suitable candidate in the Teutonic Knights for the lifelong unmarried. That's why we have to send an invitation to the German region Yes. The Principality of Cliff is located in the westernmost part of Germany, and it is estimated that it is also the latest to receive the news... "
"Baron Marin, thank you for bringing this news. However, as far as I know, we Westphalians have no electoral advantage in the Teutonic Knights..."
Yes, Westphalians and Rhinelanders combined account for only 210 seats among the more than 800 official Teutonic knights with voting rights. Their bitter rival, the Franconia-Swabia Union, had 230 votes. Coupled with the fact that the Franconian-Swabian Alliance and the Saxons are closer, John II believes that even if Prince Philip participated in the election in the past, it may be difficult. Moreover, Marin told them that Frederick, the youngest son of the Duke of Saxony, would also run for the election...
"No, Lord Duke, Lord Philip has a good chance. Because, if Lord Philip is willing to run for the election, I am willing to advance tens of thousands of gold coins..." 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's election as Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. The State of the Teutonic Knights is much stronger than the Principality of Cleaver. With a younger brother who is the head of the regiment, it will definitely give you face when you say it, right? Great nobles, what they want is face...
"Yes, the Franconian-Swabian Alliance and the Saxons together only have 410 members. Moreover, although the son of the Duke of Saxony is running for the election, the Saxon knights must vote for him, but the Franconia-Swabian League Ben’s knight may not be…”
"That's true, but the knights of the Franconia-Swabia League will certainly not vote for Philip."
"I think the candidates must be more than Frederick and Lord Philip, maybe there are other candidates from other regions. As long as there are other candidates that the knights of the Franconia-Swabia Union can accept, I will send someone to bribe them Let some of the knights among them vote for other candidates. Then, the votes of the son of the Duke of Saxony will be diluted and shared... "
"Amazing! This trick is really instant!" John II figured out the key point. As long as the opponent's votes are reduced, and the own side has a lot of votes, it is not impossible to fight.
"Hehe, my teacher taught me..."
"By the way, Baron Marin, why did you take out tens of thousands of gold coins? After paying so much, do you want anything?"
Marin rolled his eyes, and a reasonable answer jumped out:
"Your Excellency, my island of Texel is a good place to cook salt, and it is rich in table salt..."
"Wait... As far as I know, firewood is relatively scarce in lowland areas. What do you use to cook salt?"
"Go to other places to buy fuel, the price of salt is so expensive, this investment is worth it..."
"Well, what is your request?"
"If Sir Philip becomes the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, please release me the salt market of the Teutonic Knights and provide me with protection. As you know, the Teutonic Knights are on the coast of the Baltic Sea, and the price of salt is very expensive." .Be able to buy salt in the past, the profit is also high... "
John II and Philip thought for a while, thought it was reasonable, and nodded. You know, as a region along the Baltic Sea, the price of salt in the Teutonic Knights is generally twice as expensive as in Germany. Therefore, selling salt in the past will definitely make huge profits.
It's just that not everyone can sell salt in the Teutonic Knights. This is generally monopolized by some Hanseatic merchants with a long history and background. But Marin did a good job. Once Philip became the new head of the Teutonic Knights, he was fully capable of covering him with selling salt in the Teutonic Knights country and making huge profits. It won't take long to earn back tens of thousands of gold coins. After all, the price of salt there is twice as high as that in Germany.
"Hehe, Baron Marin, we won't be able to pay back these tens of thousands of gold coins in the short term. If the election fails..."
"Even if my investment is in vain, you can rest assured!"
Marin originally had 200,000 gold coins in his hand, and after a while when he settled the bill with Wright, he also had hundreds of thousands of salt money delivered, and he could still afford to lose tens of thousands of gold coins.
"Okay, refreshing, if my younger brother becomes the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, he will definitely try his best to bring you all kinds of convenience and protection!" Prince Philip, who dreams of being the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, also Nodding again and again.
While talking and laughing, a major event that will determine the future fate of the Teutonic Knights was planned at the banquet...