"Father, brother!" Marin, who came to the intersection, was a little surprised when he saw the old Hoffman and Adler who came to greet him. But he reacted quickly, dismounted and greeted old Hoffman and Adler.
The old Hoffman gave a reserved "hmm", but he was actually very happy. He was an unfavorable knight in Earl Mark's country. After giving birth to a son, he became the imperial baron personally appointed by the emperor. How could he not be proud? It's just that, in front of so many subordinates of his son, he has to be a little more reserved.
On the other hand, Adler breathed a sigh of relief. In the past, he was the eldest who could inherit the family business. Moreover, because he is good at martial arts, he will definitely pass the assessment of Earl Mark in a few years and become a knight of the earl country. Therefore, his status is naturally superior to Marin who has no inheritance rights.
Although, he was good to Marin before. But now Marin has become the Baron of the Empire, separated from one side, and has become the number one person with a name and surname in the empire, and he has not yet become famous, not even a knight. Therefore, he inevitably thought a little too much. For example, how to get along with Marin in the future... Do you want to salute Marin...
Old Hoffman and Mrs. Mary definitely don't need to salute Marin. Although filial piety is not respected in Europe, there are still basic moral principles. But Adler and Marin are of the same generation, and they don't have the grace to raise Marin. If Marin cares, it is not impossible for Adler to salute him. You know, there is no saying in Europe that "an older brother is like a father". Between brothers, they are completely independent individuals, and they are at most intimate.
Seeing that Marin still treated him the same, Adler heaved a long sigh of relief. Being surpassed by his underage brother, Adler must feel uncomfortable. However, he is not stupid. Marin is developed, so why not give him a hand in the future
After the rendezvous of the two parties, the father and son hurried back happily. On the way, Adler asked:
"Marin, what's in those carts of yours? It looks so heavy." Adler pointed to the carts loaded with plate armor and horse armor.
"That's all the plate armor and horse armor used by the French knights I captured..." Marin replied indifferently.
"So, it's true that you defeated the French king?" Adler had read the letter from Marin before, otherwise he didn't know that Marin was going home. However, he was still skeptical about whether Marin defeated the French king. After all, that was the king of France, the number one knightly power in Europe, and he also brought 8,000 knights with high martial arts skills. But Marin told him that those carts were all equipped with captured armor, which made him a little convinced. Because, there are currently only three knights in Hoffman Manor, Old Hoffman, Adler, and Marin, and Marin doesn't need to buy a few large cart armors, and Marin can't afford it under normal circumstances.
"Then there is no need to ask, can my seed be worse?" Old Hoffman gave Adler a hard look. Adler's suspicion of Marin's military exploits does not mean that he suspects that his blood is not awesome...
Adler was a little embarrassed at once, but he was not convinced, and thought to himself:
"Aren't I also your seed? Why hasn't Mao even got a knight title?" Of course, he didn't dare to say it. If you say it, it will definitely attract a big beating from old Hoffman. Old Hoffman may not beat Marin, who has been sealed as a baron, but there is still no pressure to beat him...
When 400 people from the huge "Black Cross Mercenary Group" and a large number of draft horses drove into the Hoffman Manor, the whole manor was boiling.
Mrs. Mary stood outside the gate of the manor, with three young children, and a group of peasant women, welcoming the return of her son and husband.
Seeing the loving Mrs. Mary, out of the instinct of this body, Marin hurriedly jumped off the horse and rushed towards Mrs. Mary...
"Mom, I'm so happy to see you again!" Marin said this sentence involuntarily, as if rehearsing a thousand times. It seems that the original owner of this body was very attached to his mother. No wonder, the original owner of this body was only a 17-year-old boy. And the old Hoffman was a "tyrant" and often beat him up, so the original owner naturally got close to Mrs. Mary.
"You're such an adult, and you're still a baron, and you still love to act like a baby!" Mrs. Mary hugged her son, and said angrily. But that tone didn't mean to blame, on the contrary, it was very proud. Especially when the word "baron" was mentioned, Madam Mary raised her head high...
"Okay, don't be sensational, let's go in first. The banquet in the manor has already been set up, let's take everyone in for dinner!" Old Hoffman said in a rare way. Before doing it, maybe he would give Marin a kick directly, and hate his mother-in-law.
"By the way, dad, is there enough food at home? I brought 400 brothers back this time. There are also 1030 horses that need to be fed."
"The food is definitely enough! But, Marin, why are there so many horses? I don't have enough feed for the horses." Old Hoffman was terrified by the number of horses Marin brought back.
"Yes, yes, Marin, why did you bring so many horses back? Don't you have to hand over the captured horses to the emperor?" Adler was also curious. Although he is simple and honest, he is not stupid. He knew that war horses in Europe were valuable strategic materials, more important than armor. Because not all horses can be war horses. A war horse must be the favorite among horses.
"Adler, don't you see that these horses are basically not armored? Only 30 are war horses!"
"Thousands of other horses are draft horses?"
"Of course, those are the pack horses used by the French heavy cavalry on their way. Although the quality is not as good as war horses, they are much better than ordinary draft horses."
"The emperor asked you to bring so many harness horses back? Did you confiscate most of them?" Old Hoffman was also surprised.
"Don't mention it, father, the emperor is really stingy. I sent him 2,000 French captives, each worth at least 500 gold coins as a ransom. In addition, I gave him 970 French horses, 3,000 sets of plate armor, 2,000 A set of horse armor and 3,000 two-handed swords. In the end, His Majesty only rewarded me with a title of baron and a small island as a barony, how stingy!"
"Just be content, the baron is still young? Your father and I are just knights. You know, it is not too much for you to become a baron from a commoner. Although the price is high, it is worth it. Because your The future generations will also be barons! Besides, the army under your command receives the emperor's salary, and the bulk of the spoils goes to him, isn't it normal?" Although the old Hoffman is not very smart, he also has rich life experience. He knew that Marin's future would never be the same as before. Becoming a hereditary baron, his descendants don't have to wait helplessly for the great lord to bestow the title again. Just like Adler, he had to go to Mark Fort when he was twenty-four or five years old, and accept the assessment and selection by the court of Mark's country. Only after passing the assessment can one be awarded the title of knight.
"What island? By the Italian coast or by the North Sea?" Lady Mary interrupted.
She knew that in the territories controlled by Emperor Maximilian I, both Austria and the Netherlands were by the sea. However, Austria's estuary to the sea is very small, and there are no big islands at the estuary.
"On the North Sea, the island of Texel at the northern tip of the Dutch province of the Netherlands."
"Texel... seems to be the westernmost island of the Frisian Islands, right? It seems quite big..." Mrs. Mary was born in East Frisia, and she is familiar with the Frisian Islands.
"Yes, it should be the largest island in the Frisian Islands. The land on it is about 162 square kilometers... Uh, you don't know what a square kilometer is, do you? In conversion, it is about 20,000 Ugrams (40,000 acres ) look..."
"What? 20,000 Ugrams? Isn't that 40 times the size of Hoffman Manor?" Adler's eyes widened in surprise.
"Nonsense, otherwise why is he a baron?" Old Hoffman glared at Adler who was screaming.
"You can't say that. I know the situation of the island. It is said that there are 20,000 Ugrams. However, because of the tide problem, the salt content of the coastal beach is relatively high, so there is no value for reclamation. In addition, it is estimated that there are still some mountains on the island. Qiu, it is estimated that out of the 20,000 Ugrams, there must be several thousand Ugrams of land, which cannot be developed and utilized." Mrs. Mary grew up by the sea and is relatively familiar with those islands. However, her family is in East Frisia, and she is not very familiar with the island of Texel near West Frisia.
"In addition, I can actually recruit some fishermen. You know, that is an island, and the North Sea is a famous fishing ground. I can recruit fishermen to fish, and then charge them half of the catch as tax." Marin added .
"That's not bad, how about, from now on, you will catch all the fish in our family?" Adler said happily.
"Baomao, it's a two-day journey (on horseback) from Texel to Bochum. The fish will stink long ago. The only thing that can be sent back is dried salted fish. But, my Young master, do you like stinky salted fish?" Marin gave Adler a contemptuous look.
"That's true..." Adler was a little distressed. In fact, Adler also liked to eat fish, inherited from Mrs. Mary. Although he was stuck by a fishbone last time, it did not prevent him from liking to eat fish.
"Brother Adler is so stupid, we won't go to Brother Marin's castle to eat fresh food?" Little Loli Anne couldn't help worrying about the boss's IQ.
"That's right, Anne is still smart, then let's go to Marin's new home to eat fish!" Adler also reacted.
"Brother Marin, do you really have a castle?" The third brother Simon asked Marin with wide-eyed eyes.
"Here, there seems to be a castle. However, it was a vacation castle built by the Earl of the Netherlands more than a hundred years ago. It should not be big. Moreover, it is said that it has been abandoned for decades..." Maximilian I told him the news of. Holland was annexed by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and is now in the hands of the Habsburgs.
"That's a castle too! Unlike our house, there are only a few tile-roofed houses!" Simon said enviously.
In the minds of people in the Middle Ages, nobles were associated with castles. Without a castle, I am ashamed to tell people about my aristocrats. Ordinary knight families can't afford to build castles at all. Even many poor barons could not afford to build castles. Marin can get a castle, even though it is an old castle, it is enough. After all, the castle is made of stone, and it will not break for hundreds of years.
"What's the matter? If you and Albert are happy, Simon, you can go to live in my castle. But, I have to wait until I renovate the castle and make sure it's ready for people to live in."
"Really? Brother Marin, you are so kind!" Both Simon and Albert jumped up happily.
"Brother Marin is bad, and he didn't invite me to live in your castle!" Little Loli Anne was unhappy...
"Okay, okay, I officially invite the beautiful and lovely Miss Anne to come to my castle!" Marin bowed gracefully, making little Anne giggle.
"Okay, stop talking, let's go to the yard for dinner! In order to receive your men, I killed several pigs and cooked them with braised pork..." Old Hoffman was also a little greedy.
The last time Marin was at home, he taught Mrs. Mary how to cook Chinese food. The man who entertained Marin this time was Mrs. Mary herself, who made a large pot of braised pork. For the carnivorous old Hoffman and Adler, they would never tire of eating this dish.
In fact, because of the lack of spices, the braised pork made by Mrs. Mary is a castrated version. But even so, it is much better than the food eaten by medieval Europeans. Just by looking at the greedy looks of old Hoffman and Adler, two nobles who are "not short of money", you can know the lethality of this dish.
And the mercenaries sitting in the yard also cheered when they saw the pots of braised pork being served. You know, in Marin's army, this delicious dish will only be served to them on festivals or when Marin is happy. So, when pots of braised pork were served, these guys knew that they were lucky...