King of German Mercenaries

Because of the secret of the previous grain harvest, Marin and his father-in-law, Archbishop Rovere, had a very unpleasant quarrel. After all, although those two followers were not the top confidants of Archbishop Rovere, they were also very close. Both are said to be descendants of a former friend of Archbishop Rovere.

Therefore, instead of killing the two of them, Marin arranged for them to be monitored in a remote manor and forbid them to leave the manor.

Moreover, Marin knew that doing so would make Archbishop Rovere dissatisfied with himself. My future depends on this father-in-law. So Marin decides to repair the relationship between the two...

As for how to fix it? Malin thought about it, but for the time being to no avail. But Marin was inspired by the occasional sighting of stout guards all over the palace.

Marin suddenly remembered that his father-in-law, the "God of War Pope", seemed to be the founder of the famous "Pope's Guard".

Apparently, Archbishop Rovere was interested in having force. In the future, he will create the Papal Guard, which is mainly Swiss.

But Marin didn't deal with the Swiss, and naturally he didn't want to see the Swiss get the honor of defending Rome. In addition, he wanted to please his father-in-law now, so Marin decided to help his father-in-law form the Pope's Guard in advance!

The current Archbishop of Rovere is embarrassed. He is hiding in a large remote courtyard on the East Frisian archipelago with dozens of loyal followers. There are no people on the island, no farmland, only a small fishing village, and some herdsmen who herd sheep.

It can be said that the current Archbishop of Rovere is a bit miserable and has no face at all. Marin helped him form the Pope's Guard in advance, not only to ensure his safety, but also to help him raise his face.

Of course, the Archbishop of Rovere is not the Pope at the moment, and naturally he cannot publicly claim to be the Pope's Guard. However, in Marin's private letter to Archbishop Rovere, it is directly stated - this is to set up a papal guard for you in advance...

Archbishop Rovere is really interested, and he deserves the title of the future "God of War Pope". After receiving Marin's letter, he replied quickly, urging Marin to form a "Papal Guard" quickly.

So, Marin began to choose honest and brave soldiers in his own army...

Marin was selected on the scale of the papal guard of the later Vatican, intending to select only 100 fighters and junior commanders. As for the officers, the Archbishop Rovere must have appointed them himself.

Moreover, even if Archbishop Rovere wanted a high-ranking officer, Marin might not be willing to give it. After all, Marin himself was short of officers.

That way, picking is easy. Anyway, it's easy to just ask for honesty and bravery. Soldiers who have never retreated as long as they have fought bravely forward in previous wars meet the requirements.

In addition, in terms of staffing, Marin tried his best to select members from the counties of East Friesland. After all, this unit is also one of the ties between him and the Pope's father-in-law in the future, and naturally it is best to stamp the stamp of East Frisian. Therefore, in the selection, out of 100 fighters, Marin selected 50 fighters from the East Frisian native.

These soldiers are all honest and brave, and there is no problem in moral character. Moreover, their families are now living in the manor in the counties of East Friesland. So, don't worry about their betrayal. Unless, they are willing to watch their loved ones be executed.

Then, these 100 warriors, although their martial arts skills are no match for those apprentice knights from knight families. But after staying in the Marin army for a long time, all of them are very obedient and disciplined.

In addition, Marin "designed" the uniform for this future "Papal Guard"...

In fact, Marin's so-called "design" uniforms were identical to the later uniforms of the Vatican's papal guards, with blue and orange stripes. In addition, they are also wearing two-thirds breastplates and helmets.

The blue and orange strips need to be customized, and two-thirds of the breastplates are in stock. However, the breastplate in Marin's hand was not polished, and it was not as bright as the breastplate worn by the papal guards later. Also, the helmet styles are different.

Because the helmets worn by Marin's men did not have the cherry whiskers used for the honor guards, nor did they have a wide edge, and they were more practical. However, as the guard of the future pope, encountering battles is actually very rare. Therefore, the beauty of clothing is more important than practicality.

Therefore, Marin drew a wide-brimmed helmet in the shape of a small boat for the papal guard of later generations, and asked a craftsman to make it. Of course, the top of the hat is also to be added with red cherry whiskers.

When Marin invited the Archbishop of Rovere to visit his "Papal Guard", the Archbishop of Rovere was indeed very satisfied to see the well-disciplined and well-dressed 100 strong men.

After all, Archbishop Rovere doesn't have many guards around now, and he does need an armed force to keep him safe. After all, Alexander VI, the political enemy of Archbishop Rovere, had installed a lot of cronies in all of Italy during his tenure as Pope.

Even if Alexander VI died and the Archbishop of Rovere returned to Italy, it was very likely that he would be counterattacked by Alexander VI's best friend before he died. At that time, the assassination will not be able to escape. After all, the Borgias are the best at this.

Although these 100 strong men could not withstand a large-scale army, there was no problem in protecting Archbishop Rovere from assassination. After all, that's 100 meat shields. It doesn't matter whether it is assassinated with a crossbow or with a musket. If you want to assassinate Archbishop Rovere, you must first penetrate these 100 meat shields. Moreover, these 100 people are also veterans from the battlefield, and the counterattack is also very sharp. Assassins are in front of them, that is not enough to see.

The Pope's Guard looked even more dashing when the uniforms and helmets, custom-made by Marin, were in place. This made Archbishop Rovere look even more satisfied.

After inspecting the neatly dressed future Pope's Guard, Archbishop Rovere suddenly made a request, which caught Marin by surprise...

"What, you want to hire the mercenaries of my Blackwater Company?" Marin was a little stunned... Could it be that the father-in-law wants to fight back to Rome?

"Don't think about it, I don't want it now, but when I take the position of Pope..." Archbishop Rovere explained Marin's surprise.

"You've already become a mercenary, so what are you doing as a mercenary?" Marin was a little puzzled. Before becoming Pope, it is understandable to ask mercenaries to cheer. It's all successful, you just need to build your own army, why do you need mercenaries?

"No, Marin, you don't understand. You fought in Italy, so you should know the combat effectiveness of Italian mercenaries?"

Marin nodded, of course he knew, Italian mercenaries are a group of troops who like to pick up girls and drink, and are not very reliable at critical moments. At least, the German mercenaries were much braver than them.

"That's it, I don't really believe in those native Italian mercenaries. The most important thing is that the army of the Papal State is not completely controlled by the Holy See..." Archbishop Rovere revealed a secret.

"How do you say that?" Marin asked curiously.

"In fact, although the Papal State is not small, there are actually many nobles inside. The real control of the Holy See is actually only Rome and some nearby areas. Many other areas are controlled by local nobles. All the troops of the Papal State are actually They were all secretly controlled by those local nobles..."

Archbishop Rovere revealed a lot of secrets about the Papal State. In fact, the Papal State is not a centralized country, but a political alliance. A ruling alliance formed by the monks of the Holy See and the local real power nobles.

Generally speaking, the Holy See holds the religious power and some political rights of the Papal State. And those nobles in the Pope control military power and share political rights with the Holy See.

Moreover, the Pope of Rome is often generated from the noble groups within the Papal State. Therefore, even the Holy See can't do anything about these great nobles who have been passed down for a long time.

Archbishop Rovere actually meant that after he ascended the throne, he planned to form a trusted army by himself, start a new job and get rid of the army of the local nobles.

In fact, the local troops of the Papal States are actually useless. When faced with the French army, all these cowards were scared away and did not dare to resist.

After seeing the combat effectiveness of his son-in-law's army and the city of the Blackwater Company, Archbishop Rovere suddenly had the idea of ​​hiring his son-in-law's army.

In his plan, Marin's mercenaries would assist him in taking back the military power of the local nobles, and then gradually take back the secular power of the Papal State, making the Papal State a truly centralized state, with all power being returned to the Pope. Then, the Pope used his own army to unify the whole of Italy...

Moreover, after Archbishop Rovere came to power, he planned to be the first to attack Florence on the edge of the Papal State. Because, after the fall of the Medici family, Florence has been in a state of chaos. Although it is protected by France on the surface, the French will not send people to guard here every day. Moreover, if the Papal State makes a move, the French will not be able to expressly oppose it. Because the rights and interests of the French in Italy also need to be recognized by the Holy See.

Moreover, Florence's territory was so large, and commerce was more prosperous than Rome's. Therefore, winning Florence will not only greatly increase the territory of the Papal State, but also increase a lot of taxes.

"So, what benefits can I get?" Marin thought for a while, then asked rhetorically.

There is no problem with sending troops on your own, but the problem is that sending troops in vain is not Marin's style...

"The Bishop of Munster..."

Marin immediately understood that if he sent troops to help the Holy See conquer Florence, then it would be considered a meritorious service for the Holy See. At that time, the Archbishop of Rovere, who has assumed the position of the Pope, will have reason to reward himself with the Bishopric of Munster.

In this way, the Holy See and Marin can be regarded as a win-win situation...

After all, the Holy See has expanded its territory and taxes, and Marin can more than double the territory. In fact, although the Bishopric of Münster is nominally affiliated with the Holy See, it is actually under the indirect control of the Archbishop of Cologne. Therefore, for the Bishopric of Munster, the Holy See will not benefit much. At most, when the bishop of Münster is replaced, the Holy See has the power to approve the successor. Even so, the candidate for the bishop of the Bishopric of Münster was actually recommended by the Archbishop of Cologne. The Holy See only has the power to approve, but not to directly appoint. On the other hand, it is better to give the Bishopric of Munster to Marin, and let Marin work hard to lay down a large area of ​​Florence for the Holy See without spending a penny.

You must know that Florence is the capital of the Italian Renaissance and an important commercial city, so there should not be too much oil and water. For the Holy See, taking a remote and uncontrollable bishopric for Florence is an absolute profit.

Similarly, for Marin, getting the Bishopric of Munster is also a huge profit. Because the area of ​​the Bishopric of Münster is nearly 6,000 square kilometers, almost twice that of the East Frisian Country.

The most important thing is that, in the southernmost part of the Bishopric of Münster, some land is just in the Ruhr area, and there are many coal fields...

Therefore, for Marin, obtaining the Bishopric of Munster is simply a profit...

This deal, both for the Holy See and for Marin, is a win-win. Only the Archbishop of Cologne has lost his interests.

However, the Archbishop of Cologne can't have a hard top with the Holy See either. Because the appointment of the Archbishop of Cologne requires the consent of the Holy See. Moreover, the archbishops of these archbishopric countries are actually representatives of the interests of various noble families. Many archbishops in Germany are either the non-eldest sons of the princes and nobles, or the illegitimate children of the nobles. At that time, as long as you take out the exchange chips that satisfy the family to which Herman IV belongs, you can make him nod in agreement. After all, the Bishopric of Münster does not belong directly to the Archbishopric of Cologne, but indirectly.

Therefore, the last person to lose power was actually Conrad III, the bishop of the Bishopric of Münster. But who cares? After all, Conrad III only came from a small family - the Rietberg family. Although the Rietberg family also controls a country, but this country is only a few hundred square kilometers. It is a small country and has no strength at all. No one cares about their wishes...

Of course, Marin could imagine that Conrad III might boycott him at that time, and even Saxony and the county of Oldenburg would try to prevent it from expanding its territory. Therefore, Marin still needs to strengthen his own strength to deal with the possible counterattack of the three countries...