After being the "mascot" for a month, the old Hoffman didn't have many friends of the same level to show off. So, he agreed with Marin to leave.
Marin seemed to run away quickly, took his men and horses, rode horses and drove to the Netherlands...
The speed of riding a horse is obviously not comparable to that of walking, and Marin and others are equipped with one person and two horses, and the horses pulling the cart are also three horses per cart, which is extremely efficient. Therefore, three days later, Marin brought a large force and arrived at the small seaside port of Den Helder across the sea from Texel.
Den Helder is only 4 kilometers away from the fishing village of Thorenche, the small southern port of Texel. However, Den Helder is not yet a port city, but a larger fishing village with a small fishing port.
If it is carrying people, the small fishing boats in these fishing villages can easily transport everyone to the other side. However, Marin brought 1030 horses and several large carriages, which could not be carried by small fishing boats. Therefore, Marin had to send people on horseback to Amsterdam, an important nearby seaport, and hired several large ships.
In this way, after waiting for four or five days, Marin and his party boarded a large boat hired from Amsterdam and landed in the fishing village of Te Horenche.
After landing, Marin sent people to gather the local villagers, found a businessman who could speak the local dialect (it's not easy for a businessman these days, he had to learn to speak multiple dialects), and helped to announce loudly that he was the new Texel The facts of the lord of the barony, and issued a sheepskin document and seal issued by the emperor.
Facing the 400 wolf-like warriors under Marin, what else do the villagers think? Therefore, they swore allegiance to Marin and expressed their willingness to pay taxes.
Considering that 1495 is coming to an end, and next spring, the fish season in the North Sea will start. Therefore, Marin requested that the tax be levied in the spring of next year.
Then, Marin continued to lead people northward, and arrived at the administrative center of Texel—Denburg...
To Marin's disappointment, he did not see the mighty and majestic castle he imagined, but a desolate old castle...
Yes, the desolate old castle...
This castle is very small, and it is completely incomparable with the photos of European castles that Marin saw on Weibo in his previous life. Of course, those castles that are tourist attractions are either the king's residence or the duke's residence. And Den Burg, strictly speaking, was just a residence of the Earl of the Netherlands. Therefore, the size of this castle is about two or three villas. At best, it was a luxurious country house. It's just that there are taller and stronger walls than the villa.
Around the old castle, there is a church and some houses scattered sparsely. It seems that Den Burg is just a small town with a small population.
When Marin entered the town with an army, it caused a huge panic. People fled home one after another, closed the door, and watched Marin's troops through the crack of the door.
In medieval Europe, it was normal for troops to pass by a small town and then grab one. It is even common to kill a person and rob a person. Therefore, the townspeople are also very afraid that they will be robbed or even killed...
Marin ignored these townspeople, but ran directly to the church, greeted several local priests, and by the way, inquired about the situation on the island.
The head of the Den Burg Church is an auxiliary bishop who is responsible for missions and religious ceremonies throughout the island. In fact, Texel is an embarrassment. This area is not small, but the population is small. It would be overkill to send a regional bishop. It is not appropriate to assign priests (priests) to take charge of the religion in this area. Therefore, the Archbishop of Utrecht simply appointed an unfavored auxiliary bishop (lower than the assistant bishop, the assistant bishop has the right to inherit the regional bishop, but the auxiliary bishop does not) to manage the hundreds of believers on the island …
Yes, there are only a few hundred people on the island...
According to the introduction of the auxiliary bishop of Dalyan, at present, Texel Island is sparsely populated. The reason for this is mainly due to the inconvenience of transportation.
These days, there are no planes or boats. Therefore, it is very inconvenient to travel between Texel Island and the mainland. Residents on the island want to go to the mainland, they must take fishermen's fishing boats.
However, fishing boats do not often go to the mainland side. Generally, fishermen will dispatch their fishing boats only when they are going to sell salted fish or go shopping. The farmers and herdsmen on the island can only take a boat by the way.
Usually, due to inconvenient transportation, the price of goods on the island is much higher than that on land, except for the sea fish, rye and mutton that are produced on the island itself...
So while quite a few people have immigrated to the island, most have since moved away...
Right now, there is only one town in the entire Texel Island—Denburg, with 200 townspeople. Outside the town there are the three villages of De Waal, De Koog and De Cocksdorp, and the two small fishing villages of Thorenche and Oderschild. The total population is just over 800 people.
The arable land on the island disappointed Marin even more, only 1,000 Yugram. In addition, many grasslands are used for sheep.
Not to say that the land on the island that can be reclaimed as farmland is only 1,000 Yugram. Rather, there are few people on the island, so they can only plant such a large area of fields. If there are more acres, the labor force is simply not enough. Even, because of insufficient labor force, only half of the 1,000 Yugram arable land on the island is cultivated every year, and the other half is left fallow.
Moreover, the 200 Yugram fields on the island belong to the church property on the island. The remaining 800 Ugrams belonged to three families—the Colin Family, the Maher Family, and the Ronnie Family.
It's just that these three families also have a lot of land on land. They don't really care much about the land on Texel. Because the affairs on the island are too troublesome to manage due to inconvenient transportation.
"Bishop Dalyan, are these three families willing to sell their fields?" Marin thought for a while and decided to buy the land that the three families did not value. As a lord, it would be a joke if he had no land.
"You are already the lord, of course you can do this. Moreover, you can buy it from these three families at a reserve price. Because, in name, you are the master of this island!" Dalyan auxiliary bishop suggested very friendly.
The Auxiliary Bishop of Dalyan welcomes Texel as an independent barony. Why? Because there is a baron who regards this island as his territory, he will definitely manage it well, and even recruit refugees to open up wasteland together. At that time, when there are more people on the island, he, the auxiliary bishop, can be promoted to the real regional bishop. Moreover, the more people there are, the more "tithes" the church pays.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, the church had the privilege of collecting tithes from the people. This privilege has survived until modern times. However, in Protestant countries, this tax was later taken over by the government.
According to the suggestion of the auxiliary bishop of Dalyan, Marin decided to spend money to buy the land ownership of three agricultural villages and several pastures on the island. According to the estimation of the Assistant Bishop of Dalyan, the total value of the three agricultural villages and several pastures on the island is only a few thousand gold coins. This is a piece of cake for the local tyrant Marin.
Then, with 400 men, Marin came to the desolate old castle-Denburg...
I saw that the inside of this ancient castle was covered with dust, only the sheriff of the town sent people to clean the facade from time to time. As for the interior of the castle, it has always been locked. The thickness of the dust inside is a pit when you step on it...
As for the wooden furniture in the castle, many of them fell apart at the first touch. Obviously, it's all corroded...
"Damn it, Kohler, go find someone to clean the castle tomorrow. Remember, let everyone wear masks, it's so dusty, it's really uncomfortable..."
Because the castle was too dirty, Marin had to order his men to set up camp near the castle and live in tents for a few days first. As for Marin himself, at the invitation of the auxiliary bishop of Dalyan, he lived in the church room...