King of German Mercenaries

While Marin was coaxing Lolita in his castle, Dresden, the capital of the Duchy of Saxony, Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, gathered an army of 10,000 people, ready to attack the Frisian noble republic.

In order to gather 10,000 troops in a short period of time, Duke Albrecht went to Wittenberg, where his eldest nephew Frederick III (the Elector of Saxony) was located, and asked the Electorate of Saxony to borrow 5,000 soldiers and horses. This Frederick III was the prince who later supported Martin Luther in the Reformation.

The Saxon system was very powerful. At the end of the Middle Ages when the economy was very backward, especially in the economically underdeveloped German region, the general powerful princes usually only had a standing army of a few thousand. It is very difficult to gather tens of thousands of troops. Because it costs 200,000 gold coins to feed tens of thousands of troops every year. And that's just the day-to-day expenses. Once a war is fought, the consumption of ammunition, weapons and armor, and the consumption of food brought by the march will be even more expensive.

But in this era, not many even large vassal states have annual financial revenue of 200,000 gold coins. Because, in this era of extremely underdeveloped agriculture, it is very difficult to have 200,000 gold coins per year just by relying on land taxation. Only the Hanseatic business alliance, which is engaged in business, can have a lot of money income.

The Saxony business circle is the second largest business circle in the Hanseatic League, and the business circle is closely related to the Wetting family of the Saxon dynasty, and many businessmen are simply affiliated to the Wetting family. Therefore, the Wei Ting family is very wealthy.

Under normal circumstances, in times of peace, ordinary principalities and counties retain only two or three thousand standing armies. Only in the event of a war, will a large number of troops be temporarily hired or recruited, and if it is large enough to have a few thousand or tens of thousands of people, it is very good.

The Weiting family is different, because they have huge financial support. Therefore, whether it is the Electoral State of Saxony in the long room or the Duchy of Saxony in the second room, each family usually has a standing army of several thousand.

These standing armies are not the kind of cannon fodder that are temporarily recruited, but well-trained professional soldiers. Their combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of conscripts, and it is not easy to collapse on the battlefield.

Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, sent people to inquire. Although the Friesian noble republic was crippled by Marin, Groningen and Leeuwarden were difficult to conquer because of the strong walls. In addition, after the war, the Frisian aristocratic republic temporarily recruited 2,000 strong men, incorporated them into the army, and enriched the city defense. These recruits may be easily defeated by stronger armies in the field. But in the defense of the city, the role is very big. Therefore, it is enough to bring tens of thousands of troops with you.

To this end, the Duke of Albrecht recruited 5,000 veterans from the Duchy of Saxony, and borrowed 5,000 veterans from his eldest nephew, making up 10,000 professional troops. After taking the oath in Dresden, he quickly drove to the Frisian region. And the vanguard of this army was a cavalry team led by the knight Mavis, whom Marin had seen...

After failing to recruit relatives, Mavis returned to Dresden and continued to serve the Duke of Saxony. Because of the loss last time, Mavis has since become cautious and no longer goes out drunk to prevent being attacked and plotted against.

The humiliation last time made him unforgettable for the rest of his life. Although, the revenge could not be completed. However, Mavis has become more cautious because of this. Strong personal martial arts, coupled with careful manners, made the Duke of Albrecht appreciate him even more. To this end, the Knights of Mavis was appointed by Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, as the commander of the 500 forward cavalry, responsible for clearing the way and dealing with the noble forces along the way.

After all, from the Duchy of Saxony to the far-flung Friesland region, there are many vassal states. Although the princes of Saxony are powerful, the principalities along the way are not easy to mess with. Moreover, some vassal states also held a group against foreign enemies.

For example, the princes of Westphalia (east of the Rhine), although infighting at ordinary times. But once an outside prince invades the region, the princes of the region,

It is easy to let go of prejudices and temporarily unite against foreign invasion. Other regions, such as the Rhineland region, Swabian region, Franconian region, Wende region, etc., including Saxony, have this characteristic.

Although the Duchy of Saxony is powerful, it does not dare to offend these princes who are easy to unite, so as not to cause trouble. Therefore, the cavalry regiment led by Mavis was mainly responsible for clearing the way and dealing with nobles along the way.

Even though there were only 500 cavalrymen, most of them were light cavalry, but in this day and age, the cavalry had a high status, and with 500 cavalry, it was almost a dissatisfied cavalry regiment. Even an irregular cavalry regiment dominated by light cavalry had a much higher status than infantry with a number of one or two thousand. Therefore, the Mavis Knight has been greatly reused this time. Because, generally only barons are qualified to be commanders of cavalry regiments.

Mavis has high military literacy and performs tasks well. Along the way, the cavalry regiment successfully completed the task of clearing the way, and made good dealings with the nobles along the way.

The 10,000 troops led by Duke Albrecht were mostly well-trained veterans. Therefore, even if it is a march, it can reach 30 to 40 kilometers a day, which is very fast. Of course, this is also because the local tyrant's Saxony Principality has prepared a large number of horses and vehicles, which is very conducive to the long-distance march of the army. In addition, the weather was good during this time, there was no rain, and the road was not muddy.

In addition to the military preparations, the Duke of Albrecht also made a lot of diplomatic preparations. As one of the most important controllers of the second largest business circle of the Hanseatic League, the Duke of Albrecht sent someone to go to Groningen, the only Hanseatic city in the Friesland region, and quietly informed the Saxon merchants in the city to let the They assist the Duke's actions...

As for how to help? This one is easy...

When Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, led an army of 10,000 troops to the city of Groningen, the Frisians were prepared to resist resolutely and wanted to seek help from the surrounding Hanseatic cities.

However, they are destined to wait for rescue. Because, the Duke of Saxony has already made diplomatic preparations. As one of the leaders of the second largest business circle in the Hanseatic League, the Duke of Albrecht sent people early to greet the nearby Hanseatic city and told them not to be too busy. Moreover, even in the Hanseatic League, it is difficult to make a decision to confront the Duke of Saxony.

Because there are already many Hanseatic merchants in the Saxony business circle, they cannot agree to confront the Duke of Albrecht, and the same is true of these people's trading partners. Moreover, the Duke of Saxony was supported by the emperor's edict. Even the Hanseatic League was not willing to tear its face with the emperor. Because many privileges of the Hanseatic League required the approval and authorization of the emperor, especially in those imperial commercial cities.

Therefore, the Duchy of Saxony invaded the Frisian noble republic, and even if the Frisians broke their throats, basically no one would come to rescue them. Because, for the sake of Friesland, it is really unwise to fight against the Duke of Saxony, who has tens of thousands of veterans.

After the Saxon army surrounded Groningen, the siege battle was indeed not easy to fight. Although many of the recruits used are recruits who have never seen blood. However, the Frisians relied on strong walls as resistance, and it was difficult for the Saxon veterans to succeed quickly.

Originally, this should have been a long-lasting battle, and Duke Albrecht was also prepared for a long-term siege. However, after the Saxon army surrounded Groningen, a Hanseatic businessman from Saxony named Mayer in the city had a crooked mind...

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