Groningen, the capital of the Frisian aristocratic republic, is also one of the cities of the Hanseatic League. Members of the noble council secretly received distinguished guests from France...
"Good afternoon, Baron Denier!" Fyskefrijheid, Governor of the Friesian Noble Republic, greeted.
Baron Denier is a secret representative sent by King Charles VIII of France. As early as 1477, after the death of the Duke of Burgundy "Charles the Bold", the French also sent Baron Denier to the Friesland area secretly to help The Frisians resisted with force and took the opportunity to break away from the rule of the Duchy of Burgundy. Of course, Baron Denier was only a knight and very young back then. Denier is now 50 years old and has also been promoted to baron.
"Governor, it's a pleasure to meet you, and all the lords of the Frisian Parliament, it's a great honor to meet you!" Denier has a very kind face and is also good at dealing with people. Although he was a special envoy sent by the "Tc Upper Country" from Great France, Desnel did not show any expression of contempt for these local beetle nobles in the "small country of Quer". On the contrary, Denier was very polite to the nobles of the Frisian noble council, which made the members feel respected.
After some polite greetings, Governor Fyskefrijheid asked curiously:
"Mr. Special Envoy, don't you know that His Majesty the King of France sent you here for something important?" Fyskefrijheid couldn't think of the intention of the French sending a special envoy at this time, because the last time the French sent a special envoy was nearly 20 years ago before. At that time, the French sent a lot of money, a lot of weapons and armor, and a batch of war horses, which gave them the confidence to betray Burgundy.
But why this time? You know, the French and the Frisians agreed back then that France would not ask the Frisians to cooperate with France in attacking Burgundy. This time, do the French have to change
For confronting Burgundy, the Frisians actually have no confidence. You know, to fight against Burgundy, the enemy you face is not only Burgundy, but also Austria. Most importantly, as King Maximilian I of Germany, he could call on his allies for help. Just like in 1491, Maximilian I had no time to quell the rebellion in Flanders because of his confrontation with the Hungarians, so he simply asked Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, to send troops to help.
Therefore, whether it is Fyskefrijheid or other Friesian aristocratic councilors, they are full of worries, fearing that the French will ask them to attack Burgundy.
Baron Denier seemed to see everyone's worries, so he said relaxedly:
"Everyone, don't worry too much. Our Majesty the King will not ask you to attack Burgundy. I know, that is also a very difficult thing."
Hearing this, the members of the Frisian nobles here are all relieved...
"My lords, you should know Marin Hoffman, right?" Baron Denier threw out a new topic.
"Of course I know, this little bastard cheated hundreds of fishermen under my rule, and reduced my tax revenue a lot!" The important controller of West Frisia, Baron Zetter of Leeuwarden, said through gritted teeth.
In West Frisia, including parts of Groningen and Drenthe, there are no nobles of the rank of earls. If there was, the Bo Kingdom would have been established long ago. No Viscount either. The local power is the parliament jointly controlled by the 9 baron lords who control the various places. The seat of its parliament is Groningen, the largest city in the territory and also the city of the Hanseatic League. The Governor of the Friesian Noble Republic is the most powerful Baron of Groningen.
As for Baron Zetter, who controls Leeuwarden, the second largest city in the territory, and a large area nearby, he is already considered the number two boss in the Friesian Noble Republic.
As a direct victim, Baron Zittle naturally tended to attack Texel Island and snatch back the fishermen who had paid him taxes. However, apart from him, the other 8 barons in the parliament did not agree with the reckless use of weapons. Of course, other congressmen have absolutely no favor with Marin. It's just that they believe that the conflict with Marin has not risen to the point of using force.
Baron Denier observed and found the coping expressions of the other 8 barons, knowing that the others had no hatred for Marin, so he decided to provoke:
"My lords, you must have heard the news of what happened in Italy, right?"
Everyone nodded. No matter how slow the news spread in the Middle Ages, the news spread quickly in a big war. Those that travel slowly are generally less important news happening in remote areas. The news of Charles VIII's defeat reached the Frisian noble republic a week later. However, the news that Charles VIII was ambushed by Marin did not spread immediately because Marin deliberately kept it secret and ran away on the spot. Later, it was Maximilian I who took the initiative to spread the news. However, in order not to lose face, the French also spread the real news-Marin ambushed Charles VIII in the middle of the night...
"Marin Hoffman is a bold, crazy, and insidious guy. Don't underestimate his current actions. Back then, he was only a phalanx leader, and he dared to ambush the king of our country. It shows how daring he is. Now that he is weak, he dared to abduct your country's fishermen openly. If he becomes stronger, he might covet your country's territory..." In fact, although Baron Denier was just fabricating nonsense, he was not careful Tell the truth.
"That's right, that's right, let me just say that this little boy Marin is ambitious. Don't look at what he's abducting fishermen under my rule now. In the future, he may abduct the people under your rule!" Baron Zittle quickly echoed . He has long been unhappy with Marin, and wants to send troops to teach him a lesson. However, he is not strong enough, with only 50 knights and 400 spearmen under his command, he has no confidence to defeat the legendary cunning Marin.
The other 8 barons began to whisper, discussing the possible harm that Marin might cause in the future...
Baron Denier saw that there was a door, and decided to add fire, and by the way, he also revealed his real intention:
"It's like this, my lords. My king is very dissatisfied with that despicable Marin who plotted against him, but it is inconvenient for my king to send troops to teach him. Therefore, my king would like to ask you to send troops to Texel Island to teach that bastard a lesson …”
The meaning of the King of France... Several noble councilors looked at each other, and then there was some brilliance in their eyes...
why? Because, since the King of France asked someone to do something, he would definitely not speak in vain. The last time they supported the independence of the Friesian noble republic from Burgundy, the French were generous. This time, inviting them to come forward must be of great benefit...
"If you are willing to attack Texel Island and completely destroy the houses and farmland on the island, my king is willing to subsidize each of you adults with 20 sets of plate armor and 50 horses..."
20 sets of plate armor, each with an average of 50 gold coins. 50 war horses, each with at least 100 gold coins. Calculated, the French are equivalent to giving each member of Parliament 6,000 gold coins. This price is enough to drive people crazy. You know, in 1512, the Grand Duke of Lithuania paid 15,000 gold coins to bribe the Crimean Khanate to send troops to attack the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
Of course, the Crimean Khanate is a poor country, and 15,000 gold coins can make them submit. However, the Frisian Noble Republic was not as poor as the Crimean Khanate, so Charles VIII took out gifts worth 54,000 gold coins.
The 9 barons were immediately moved, and after Baron Denier told them that there were only 400 soldiers on the island (because the news was delayed, the French did not know that Marin had recruited a phalanx), everyone was immediately relieved...
After discussion, the nine barons unanimously decided to send 3000 troops to attack Texel Island. Although you can't break the rules and kill Marin, you must also destroy the houses and crops on the island, plunder the livestock, and cause the greatest damage to the island's economy...