Marin's letter to the emperor, because it was delivered quickly, naturally reached the emperor's hands very quickly. At this time, the soldiers and horses of the two phalanxes for reinforcements had just set off not long ago.
Maximilian I was very happy that Marin only asked for one seat in the Imperial Parliament. Of course, he was not very happy that Marin only sent two phalanx reinforcements.
However, Maximilian I also knew that Marin really couldn't come out to reinforce himself. Because, whether it is the Principality of Saxony, which controls West Frisia, or the Principality of Oldenburg, which is backed by Denmark, they are all eyeing the Principality of East Frisia.
Therefore, it is very reasonable for Marin to send two or three phalanxes over for reinforcements. Of course, if you grit your teeth, you can also gather 4 phalanxes to support them.
Because there was no need to pay any fief and title, Maximilian I agreed to Marin's request without hesitation. Moreover, Maximilian I also wrote back to Marin, telling Marin that the nobles of the Habsburg family and the nobles of the Swabian alliance would support Marin in obtaining a seat in the Imperial Parliament.
Because, Marin sent troops this time not only to support the emperor, but also to support the Swabian League. As the supported party, they have no reason not to support Marin.
However, the Saxon nobles, who also had a good relationship with the emperor, would definitely oppose Marin's entry into the Imperial Parliament because of the Battle of Lyle County. At the same time, many hostile princes of the Habsburg family would not support Marin.
However, to enter the Imperial Parliament, unanimous votes are not required, only more than half of the votes are enough. Moreover, Maximilian I clearly told Marin that despite the large number of imperial parliaments, most of them were united around the Habsburg family and the seven electors. As long as the consent of most of the electors is obtained, most of the princes around the elector will agree.
For example, the Archbishop of Cologne, one of the seven electors. As long as he speaks out in the Imperial Diet, the subsidiary powers surrounding the Archbishop of Cologne, such as the Bishop of Münster, the Bishop of Minden, the Bishop of Osnabrück, and the Bishop of Paderborn, will echo him.
Similarly, other electors also have their own group of younger brothers. Most of them surround these electors. As long as the electors are settled, these people will follow the electors to vote.
However, there are exceptions. For example, powerful duchies such as the Duchy of Cliff and the Duchy of Geddes tend to be more assertive and may not be consistent with these electors.
Therefore, if Marin wants to be approved as a member of the Imperial Parliament, he only needs to get the consent of most of the electors and those powerful independent princes.
As for how to get the elector and the powerful nobles to agree? The advice given by Maximilian I was also very simple and rude-bribery...
In fact, Maximilian I's position as emperor was also supported by his father, Frederick III, who spent a lot of money and connections. Originally, when Maximilian I came to power, the princes did not oppose him. However, Maximilian I made it clear that he wanted to learn from France to strengthen the royal power, which annoyed the princes.
Strengthening the royal power is tantamount to weakening the independence and autonomy of the princes, which is tantamount to cutting the flesh of the princes, how could they be willing? Therefore, after Maximilian I expressed this intention when he was young, the princes resisted him more and more.
This also led to the fact that when Maximilian I died and his grandson Charles V wanted to ascend the throne, in order to ensure his election, he had to borrow 850,000 Gulden gold coins from the Fugger family to bribe the seven electors, Only then did he keep the throne.
Of course, what Marin needs is not the throne, but a seat in the Imperial Council. Therefore, it doesn't cost that much money.
The suggestion given by Maximilian I was to give those electors 10,000 to 20,000 gold coins each. As for those principalities with strong independence, a bribe of several thousand gold coins per family would be enough. After all, Marin has in fact become the Earl of East Frisia, and entering the Imperial Parliament is just to confirm his identity again. So it's not a big deal.
Moreover, Maximilian I also helped Marin analyze and told Marin that the Elector of Saxony and the nobles of the Saxony family don't need to think about it, they are already enemies. Therefore, Marin could only choose to bribe other electors. In addition, as one of the seven electors, King Vladislas III of Bohemia, because he competed with Maximilian I for the succession of the Kingdom of Hungary, would not agree with Marin, the emperor's thug, to profit good thing.
Therefore, Marin didn't have many choices, but he could only bribe five electors, including the Archbishop of Cologne, the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Trier, the Elector of Brandenburg, and the Elector of the Palatinate. As for the Habsburg family, there is no need for bribes, and the Swabian League will also stand on Marin's side. Then, there are some powerful nobles who are not attached to the elector and need Marin to bribe them.
After everything came down, the emperor made a list for Marin, and there were about 26 powerful princes who needed to be bribed individually. Of course, for ordinary powerful nobles, a few thousand gold coins would be enough. Even, give two thousand gold coins to get rid of it. After all, it's not a big deal.
Only the five electors, who are used to big scenes, are relatively greedy. They don't have tens of thousands of gold coins, so they can't impress them...
When Marin saw the emperor's reply, he was a little Spartan. Unexpectedly, even if he sent reinforcements, there was no guarantee that the emperor would get him a seat in the Imperial Council, and he had to spend money to bribe him...
However, if you don't get yourself a seat in the Imperial Parliament, it is indeed a bit unfair. Just like going to university in the later life and getting a diploma but not a degree certificate, it always makes people feel uneasy.
More importantly, the politically more sophisticated emperor told Marin in the letter that through this bribery, Marin could significantly improve relations with those princes who had no direct conflict of interest. It is better to have one more friend than one more enemy. Having more friends can also minimize the possibility of being gang-beaten.
Anyway, these bribes add up to so many gold coins, and this can indeed ease the relationship between Marin and the princes, so Marin finally decided to act according to plan. However, instead of giving money directly, he intends to use spices instead.
Marin himself disliked that the spices were too heavy, but those big nobles liked this tune. Anyway, the cost of buying spices is very low, and giving them away as enough gold coins is also a way to open up sales.
Therefore, Marin directly took out all the remaining spices in stock, sent people to transport them to the area where the bribe target was located, and started spice bribery.
Bribing with spices can not only clear the inventory, but also appear more elegant. Unlike directly bribing gold coins, it seems too vulgar...
Moreover, I don't know what the European aristocrats of this era think, but they just like spices very much, and they have to dip some spices in their meals to appetize.
Ever since, Marin's spice bribery went very smoothly. It is expected that all bribes will be completed before the end of the year. When the new Imperial Parliament is held next spring, Marin should be able to obtain a legal seat in the Imperial Parliament and become an "organized" person...