King of German Mercenaries

Maximilian I didn't know what to think, and suddenly frowned...

After a while, Maximilian I said to Marin:

"Marin, I suddenly remembered that although the Graubünden area did not join the alliance, the three local alliances seemed to have secretly formed alliances with the Swiss alliance last year and the year before. In the Graubünden area, the Swiss Confederation may send troops as a result..."

"This..." Marin also frowned. He knew the fighting strength of the emperor's army and the Swabian army. They were not weak, but compared with the Swiss mercenaries, they were scumbags.

Although, relying on blocking information can also keep the Swiss uninformed for a period of time. But even in the Middle Ages when messaging was backward, you could block messages for ten days and a half for a month. Because, if a region has not communicated with the outside world for more than a month, people in other places will definitely be curious about what happened. As soon as the investigation was conducted, it was revealed.

Moreover, Marin did not think that the Emperor's army could sweep the Graubünden area within a month. If the Swiss reinforcements arrive and attack from inside and outside, the emperor may fail.

However, as an important channel connecting Tyrol to Italy, if it is not taken down, its influence on the Italian region will be greatly reduced. Originally in history, it was because of the failure to compete for the Graubünden area that when Louis XII entered Italy, he successfully took care of the Principality of Milan, an ally of Shinra. And because of the inability to seize Graubünden, the channel directly connected to Milan, Maximilian I could not even rescue Milan. Coupled with the war with the Swiss, in the original history, Maximilian I watched France annex the Principality of Milan.

"Mistel Valley...Traffic...Milan...Italy..." Marin began to ponder. Maximilian I, on the other hand, was drinking a drink without disturbing him. But he knew that Marin was holding back some bad idea...

Sure enough, almost half an hour later, a traditional Chinese strategy formed in Marin's mind...

"Your Majesty, if you are willing to officially recognize my status as an earl, I am willing to make a contribution to help you win the Graubünden area..." Marin said confidently.

"Oh? You still have such ability?" Maximilian I was surprised when he arrived. You must know that the Graubünden area is not small, about twice the size of East Friesland. Moreover, there are high mountains and dangerous terrain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Marin said that it was effortless, which really made Maximilian I a little unconvinced, thinking that Marin was bragging in order to seek his own recognition of his earl status.

"Of course, this is a conspiracy that Mr. Einstein gave me back then. The effect can be compared to the ambush of the French King Charles VIII!"

"Really?" Maximilian I immediately became interested.

Graubünden has an area of ​​six or seven thousand square kilometers, which is very large. Moreover, it borders on the east with the Principality of Tyrol, the territory of the Emperor. For a long time, the Habsburgs have also infiltrated the Graubünden area in an attempt to control the area. It is precisely because of the Habsburg family's step-by-step success that the three local forces in Graubünden have quietly formed an alliance with the Swiss Alliance.

Although it is said that there are more mountains in the Graubünden area, there are also many fertile river valleys. Moreover, the local wine is rich, it is also a good place. If you can take it down, the emperor will indeed make a lot of money.

"Of course, do you think I'm a liar? We can sign a written agreement, and if Your Majesty wins Graubünden easily, I'll admit my earl status. If you can't take Graubünden, you won't admit it. I will..."

"So confident? Well, let's talk about it."

"Let's sign an agreement first?" Marin is the master of the eagle and the rabbit. The emperor of the West is not as inviolable as the emperor of the East,

Talk about a condition, or nothing. Moreover, Marin now controls a country, and he barely has the confidence and qualifications to negotiate with the emperor.

"This..." The emperor hesitated. After all, if he really admitted Marin's status, he would have offended the powerful Duke of Saxony.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, this year Louis XII may march into Italy and capture the Principality of Milan..." This is true. Originally, in 1499, Louis XII would indeed invade the Principality of Milan and occupy the entire Principality of Milan. , drove away the Sforza family. At that time, Maximilian I was busy fighting with the Swiss, and he did not get the important pass of Graubünden, unable to support his ally Milan, and could only watch the Duchy of Milan being occupied by France.

"What you said is true?" Maximilian I immediately paid attention.

"Of course, according to the information provided by my informant in Paris, the French may collude with the Venetians to carve up Milan..." Historically, it was indeed the Venetians who invited Louis XII to clean up the Duchy of Milan. Because the Principality of Milan is very strong, it affects the expansion of Venice in Italy. To this end, Venice did not hesitate to invite the French to come and swallow the Principality of Milan to help clear the obstacles for itself.

"Your Majesty, you know that after the death of the Visconti family that ruled Milan back then, it was originally agreed that Charles I, Duke of Orleans would succeed the throne. But the locals of Milan established the Republic, which was later taken advantage of by the Sforza family. According to Legally speaking, the Duke of Orleans and his descendants can be regarded as the legitimate heirs of the Duchy of Milan."

"And this generation of Louis, Duke of Orleans, has become King Louis XII of France. In other words, the new King Louis XII of France has a reason to invade the Duchy of Milan. Therefore, Your Majesty, you must control the Mistyr Valley, In order to facilitate the support of the Principality of Milan.”

"You are right, I must support the Principality of Milan. Because my queen is from the Sforza family."

Moreover, the Duchy of Milan was the emperor's important ally in the Italian region and the bridgehead for the emperor's intervention in Italian affairs. Therefore, its importance can be imagined.

Not only that, the emperor's army wanted to enter Italy, there were only two ways:

One is the western passage from the Mistyr Valley into the Principality of Milan; the other is the eastern route from the east into the Republic of Venice.

However, the Republic of Venice is a powerful country, and it does not deal very well with the Holy Roman Empire. If they rashly want to interfere in Italian affairs, the Venetians may not allow the emperor to enter the Italian region.

Therefore, the western passage connecting the ally of the Duchy of Milan is even more important to the emperor.

Thinking of his grand blueprint for Italy, compared with the will of the Duke of Saxony, his grand blueprint is obviously more important.

Finally, the emperor nodded:

"Okay, let's sign the contract. Well, according to your method, I can't let me lose too much..."

"Don't worry, you!"

...

After signing the document, the emperor asked here:

"Can you talk now?"

"Well, of course. The strategy I'm about to talk about comes from the far east. He has a name called 'Fake Dao to Cut Guo'..."

"Fake Dao to cut Guo?" This sentence is very troublesome to translate in German, and the emperor did not understand...

So Marin had to start explaining:

"In the far east, a king wanted to attack two neighboring small countries. However, these two small countries helped each other and formed an alliance... Barabarabara...The king of Yu received the benefits of the king of Jin, so he Allow the army of Jin to pass through the border... After the Jin army conquered Guo, they returned to the court. When they passed by Yu, they deliberately stopped the army near the capital of Yu. Later, the king of Jin personally led his army to Yu to welcome the army that conquered Guo. , and then invited the king of Yu to go hunting. When the king of Yu accompanied the king of Jin to go hunting, the army of Jin took the opportunity to cooperate with each other, took the capital of Yu, and easily controlled the king of Yu who followed the king of Jin out of the city to hunt. …”

After the emperor heard this, he thought for a while and said:

"You mean, let me pretend to go to Italy with the Graubünden people, and then take Graubünden while the Graubünden people are not paying attention?"

"Yes, that's what it means!"

"But, what excuse do I use to go to Italy? With a large army, I can't use an excuse to attack the ally, the Principality of Milan, right?"

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? You are the emperor, but unfortunately you haven't been crowned yet..." Marin reminded.

"What do you mean?" The emperor was a little surprised.

"Going to Rome! Who would doubt such a good excuse? Every generation of emperors has to go to Rome. Whether it is to go to Rome or go to Rome in a low-key manner, they always go to Rome once. Your Majesty, you use this as an excuse, Graubin. Will the people be suspicious?"

"This...this...but isn't this playing a bit too much?" Maximilian I was a little stunned. To march into Rome is to provoke the Pope. It's okay if you succeed, but shame if you fail...

"No, no, you just need to secretly write a letter to the Pope and explain it..."

"That's right, it's a good way..."

"Your Majesty, you want to march into Rome and bring an army of tens of thousands. That's very reasonable, right?"

"Of course, 10,000 people are too few..."

"And Your Majesty, you are resident in Innsbruck, the capital of the Duchy of Tyrol, so it is normal to take the western route, right?"

"That's right!"

"You make it a little louder and make it known. Then the people of Graubünden will not doubt your motives..."

"However, how can the local leaders be tricked out of the city?"

"This is easy, you can make it bigger, but you must accept the congratulations from the lords along the way, and entertain the lords along the way. When you arrive near Chur, the capital of Graubünden, you can also invite local archbishops, including local archbishops. Celebrities, attend your banquet..."

"Then, when they are at the banquet, catch them together?" The emperor understood...

"That's it!"

"How can I make them believe me and go out to the city for a banquet?"

"Didn't you say, you started from the Tyrol region, and you began to entertain the lords along the way. It doesn't matter if you walk slowly, you must let the Graubünden people in Chur know the news. Let them know, participate in the emperor It doesn't matter at the banquet, because the emperor is about to be crowned, and he is happy..."

"Then, after entering the Graubünden area, starting from the border area, you will entertain the local gentry all the way to the vicinity of Chur City. The people in front of you are not in trouble, and the people in Chur will naturally not feel any danger. …”

"Wait until the important figures of Graubünden in Chur City come to the banquet together, just in time to catch up..."

"If you catch them, will you be able to open the city gate?"

"Not necessarily, but the minister has a way! You can find someone in Graubünden who is willing to surrender, and let them take the elite guards you accepted, pretend to be the guards of the big man, and enter the city together. Then, cooperate with the inside and the outside. , take down the city gate in one sentence, and you can bring the army into the city..."

"This...this...it really is a clever trick, and it's very poisonous..."

"However, Marin, if I do this, I can easily take down Graubünden. However, my reputation will stink in the future... Moreover, the matter of entering Rome will not end well..."

What the emperor said was right, if Graubünden was openly overshadowed this time, it would be known by the lords of other regions. In the future, if the emperor's army wants to borrow the way, who would dare to borrow it? In the future, the emperor's army will not have to leave Austria...

"This... Rong Chen think about it..."

When it was almost night, Marin came up with a solution:

"Yes, Your Majesty, at that banquet, you can send your subordinates to pretend to be local nobles and pretend to assassinate Your Majesty..."

"Pretend to assassinate me? What do you mean?"

"The fake local nobleman assassinated you, do you have an excuse to get angry and take Graubünden? After all, they plotted to assassinate the emperor..."

"That's the truth..."

"And, after the incident, Your Majesty, you can also pretend to be seriously injured and be bedridden. In this way, you don't have to go to Italy, just cancel the 'March to Rome'..."

"What a great idea!" the emperor slapped the table.

In this way, the emperor has a good excuse for capturing Graubünden. Moreover, the emperor cheated injury, but also to win the sympathy and support of public opinion. Then, "March to Rome" can also be canceled. Everyone is seriously injured, and you still go to Rome in a P? Naturally, there is no need to really conflict with the Pope. So, this method really kills two birds with one stone...

Moreover, if it took a short time to occupy the Graubünden area, even if the Swiss Union tried to rescue, it would not be able to respond. When they reacted, the emperor had already arranged defenses against the Swiss army.

Although the Swiss spearmen are ferocious in the field, their siege ability is mediocre. Because the spearman holds a spear several meters long, it is not convenient to climb the city wall at all. And climb the city wall with a short knife, even if you climb up, you will be stabbed by the other side's spearmen defending the city... Therefore, the emperor's army can't beat the Swiss in the field. But if you defend the city, you can completely resist the attack of the Swiss...

The only problem is to communicate with Pope Alexander VI in private, so as not to misunderstand the Pope. The situation of Maximilian I was not very good. If the Pope called on the whole of Europe to oppose the emperor, then Maximilian I would not be able to eat and walk...

In this regard, Marin's advice is simple - send money. Pope Alexander VI and his son are the most greedy for money, as long as they give enough money, they will not have any opinion...

In this way, the emperor smiled wickedly and decided with Marin a plot to seize the Graubünden region in southeastern Switzerland...