While talking, Captain Tranmere of the Royal Guard suddenly came in, as if he had something to report. Tranmere looked at Marin, who was chatting with the emperor, and then at the emperor, and found that the emperor had no intention of telling Marin to avoid him, so he reported directly:
"Your Majesty, there is news from France that Louis XII has brought 20,000 French troops to Lyon in the southeast of France. However, they stopped there."
"Oh? Stopped? Why?"
"It seems to be recruiting more Swiss mercenaries. Louis XII felt that 20,000 troops seemed not enough, and he seemed to want to recruit another 10,000 troops..."
"Not enough? Haha, he really thinks I'm going back to Italy? I don't even think about going to Italy. He's enough to bring 10,000 people."
In fact, the French army is powerful, with plate armored knights criss-crossing the European continent, and the other 10,000 soldiers are the most powerful infantry in Europe-Swiss mercenaries. Therefore, 20,000 people are definitely enough.
However, Louis XII is still recruiting. Obviously, Marin guessed that Louis XII was not interested in the emperor, but in the territory of Italy...
As a liberal arts student who has studied European history, Marin naturally knew that in the original history, Louis XII sent troops to Milan and Naples, and both of them were successful. If it hadn't been for the defeat to Spain in Naples, Louis XII would really have dominated Italy.
It is only to blame, the Sforza family is too capable. Over the years, under the diligent rule of Sforza, the Principality of Milan has developed agriculture, and its industry and commerce are also very powerful.
It can be said that the Duchy of Milan is one of the richest regions in Italy. If it weren't for Venice's commercial advantages to make it richer, Milan should be regarded as the richest region in Italy.
The Sforza family ruled Milan and should be regarded as a tyrant. Because, the father of the Duke of Sforza, who was originally a mercenary general, forcibly ascended to the position of the Duke of Milan by force and married the illegitimate daughter of the extinct Duke of Milan. According to the original plan of the extinct Visconti family, it was planned to let the then Duke of Orleans, the father of Louis XII, inherit it. However, the Milanese did not agree at the time and formed a republic by themselves, but it was later annexed by the Sforza family.
The Sforza family also knew that their position was not right, so they tried their best to please the people and built water conservancy in the Duchy of Milan, which led to the great development of Milan's agriculture.
And Milan's handicraft industry is also very developed. Very early on, Milan plate armor became a famous product that European knights flocked to. The handicraft industry in other industries in Milan is also very developed.
In the Middle Ages, European cities were mainly composed of nobles, soldiers, craftsmen and merchants. The nobles accounted for a small proportion of the population, and the number of troops did not account for the mainstream. Although there are many merchants, they are not the most important. Generally speaking, the citizens of medieval cities were mainly artisans and their families.
The city of Milan, with a population of up to 100,000, ranks first in the Holy Roman Empire. It can be seen that there are many craftsmen and merchants in Milan. The population of Western European cities in this era can directly reflect whether the city's economy is prosperous. As the most prosperous city under the control of the Habsburg family, Ghent has a population of 75,000, ranking second in the Holy Roman Empire. The reason why there are so many people in Ghent is because Ghent is the center of wool textiles in Flanders. There are naturally many handicraftsmen, and there are also many taxes provided to the Habsburg family. At the same time, Austria had a population of only 20,000.
With such a prosperous city and such developed agriculture, it is no wonder that the Duchy of Milan is not coveted. Coincidentally, the new king of France, Louis XII, happened to take advantage of the fact that his father was selected as the Duke of Milan, and brought up the past again, asking for the Duchy of Milan.
In fact, as early as when Charles VIII launched the first Italian war, Louis XII, who entered Italy with the army, tried to take down the Duchy of Milan. However, at that time, Charles VIII focused his energy on the Kingdom of Naples and had no energy to manage Milan's affairs. Moreover, the theoretical heir of the Duchy of Milan is Louis XII, not Charles VIII himself, so Charles VIII naturally doesn't care. Not only that, when Louis XII led thousands of troops to occupy the Duchy of Milan in vain, he was besieged by an army of 30,000 Milan and had to give in and run away.
It can be seen that the strength of the Principality of Milan is still very strong. Of course, don't look at the fact that the Duchy of Milan can raise 30,000 troops, but that was temporarily recruited during the war. Under normal circumstances, the Duchy of Milan maintains a standing army of about 10,000.
But this time, Louis XII was very cunning, and led his troops south under the banner of "supporting the Pope", and did not publicly ask for the Duchy of Milan at all. In this way, the Principality of Milan will not have much preparation at all. When the French army reaches the gate, it will be too late to raise enough troops...
Thinking of this, Marin immediately said to Maximilian I:
"Your Majesty, the Duchy of Milan is in danger!"
"Ah? The Principality of Milan? What danger are they in?"
"Louis XII is probably trying to seize the Duchy of Milan this time!"
"How did you see that?"
"If it is to 'support Rome' or capture Naples, does Louis XII need to recruit another 10,000 Swiss mercenaries? With the elite of the French army, whether it is to deal with His Majesty's army or attack Naples, 20,000 elite troops are enough. However, Louis XII is not enough. Obviously, Louis XII also has to deal with the equally powerful Duchy of Milan... "
"The Duchy of Milan? You mean, Louis XII will bring up his father's election as the Duke of Milan again?"
"Yes, he will definitely do it!"
"But why didn't he bring it up earlier, but why did he use the slogan 'March into Rome'?"
"Your Majesty, have you marched into Graubünden and openly opened your banners?"
"That's true. I didn't expect Louis XII to be so cunning. Oh, I hope Duke Ludovico can be prepared... No, I have to send someone to notify!"
"How about I go for a run?"
"You? No need, I have a lot of people..."
"It's like this, I just need to go to Milan, recruit some craftsmen, and make weapons and armor for me. You know, the craftsmen in Milan are very famous..."
Marin's statement is reasonable, but in fact, he is not very interested in making plate armor. He just wants to hire some skilled craftsmen who are good at making fine steel springs.
Just relying on the few craftsmen now to make fine steel springs, the manufacturing speed of clockwork pistols is too slow. Therefore, Marin plans to recruit a few more craftsmen who make clockwork in Milan, the city of handicrafts. Of course, other types of craftsmen can also recruit a few more if they have the opportunity.
"Okay then, I beg you to make this trip." Since Marin took the initiative to invite Ying, the emperor thought it was okay. Anyway, Marin had already finished his work of cooperating with acting, and he really helped him treat the wound, and told his doctor the secret of wound treatment. Therefore, there is actually no need for Marin to stay now. Therefore, the emperor entrusted him to go to Milan to warn the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, to make preparations in advance to guard against the French...