The Rise of the European Emperor

Edward was really right. When the newly appointed Count of Calais, François, brought the captured infantry and people back to his country, Louis XII asked with a black line on his face:

"What about the ships? And the sailors?"

Count Francois had to repeat Edward's reasoning...

Louis XII was furious:

"What's the matter, Edward deceived me too much! One hundred warships and several hundred cargo ships were all disposed of by Henry VII? Even sailors were disposed of? That's more than ten thousand sailors!" Louis XII Jumping feet in anger.

In fact, Louis XII really didn't care much about the 5,000 infantry and more than 10,000 people. The core of the French army is those knights. As long as the knights are still there, they can form a new army by recruiting some strong people for training. With so many people in the Kingdom of France, the infantry and the strong are the least valuable. Even, these people rely on England, but also consume England's food.

Before, when Richard Pol was negotiating with France in Calais, the representative of Louis XII did not ask about the strong people and infantry, but only about the ships (especially the warships) and the experienced sailors. Louis XII was willing to pay a lot of money to redeem those warships and sailors, but did not mention those strong people and infantry.

But Henry VII was no fool, knowing that if the warships and sailors were returned to France, France would once again have the ability to threaten England. Therefore, Henry VII did not care about the ransom, but he was unwilling to let the French redeem the warships and sailors, not even the cargo ships, but only the infantry and the people. The two sides were at a standoff for a long time, until Edward broke through London...

Although Henry VII was beheaded, and Richard Boll was also killed by Edward with poisoned wine, Edward also retained the principle of Henry VII before - that is to curb French maritime power...

As long as Edward did not return the ships and sailors, France would have no sea power to threaten England. Just like now, Louis XII was jumping with rage, but he couldn't do anything about England...

Seeing that France had nothing to do with England, Edward's mind began to liven up:

"Count Marin, do you want me to go back on the marriage contract between little Margaret and Louis XII's son?" Edward thought that since France had nothing to do with him, it was better to break the contract. Anyway, after this incident, the relationship between England and France under Edward's leadership should not be over.

Marin's mind was suddenly crooked - Nimade, you are going to ruin the engagement with Louis XII. Are you also ruining my son's second-place engagement? This can't be done...

So, Marin said sternly:

"Your Majesty, no one can stand without trust, let alone the monarch of a country? Your Majesty is prosperous in spring and autumn, and there will be many children in the future. Why should I break my trust in the marriage of Princess Margaret? Moreover, we signed the Treaty of Nantes at the beginning. ”, there is a text in Louis XII. If you openly break the contract, it will have a huge impact on your prestige. Anyway, I estimate that Louis XII is old, and it is estimated that he will not be able to give birth to a son. I haven’t had a son for so many years, my minister. I don't believe he can still give birth to a son..."

Edward nodded. He also felt that Louis Twelve was too old to have a son...

In fact, Louis XII was only in his forties. This is to be put in the 21st century, and it is the moment when a man is in his prime. If they belong to a certain party, they can be regarded as "young cadres". However, in Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, it was an out-and-out old master.

Because, in this era, the medical level in Europe is extremely poor, and there are quack doctors who bleed blood and crap everywhere. In addition, when a man is over forty years old, his body's ability to resist diseases is not as strong as when he was in his twenties or thirties. In this age when illness is purely dependent on physical resistance, the decline of physiological function means that it is easy to die when sick... Therefore, nobles who die in their forties are very common in Europe in this era. And it is not wrong to say that Louis XII was old. It's like later generations, even the definition of youth is put at 44 years old...

"Then if Louis XII did give birth to a son,

And I only have Margaret's daughter..." Edward said worriedly.

"If Louis XII does give birth to a son, it's not too late for you to regret it! Anyway, Princess Margaret is still young. Moreover, these few years have been a critical period for His Majesty to stabilize his rule in England, so it's better not to make extra efforts. . Openly breaking the contract, but it will affect your Majesty's credibility. Even if you break the contract, you have to wait until you have complete control of England..."

Marin persuaded with a stern face, but what he thought in his heart was—Hmph, I already knew that you were not a good thing. When you have complete control of England, I will quietly get rid of you and take over England...

Edward thought for a while, and felt that what Marin said was indeed quite reasonable. He has just taken control of England, and his rule is still very unstable. If he openly breaks the contract, it will indeed affect his reputation, and it may cause the people to distrust him. So, Edward temporarily gave up the idea of ​​breaking the contract...

While the two were talking, there was a quarrel outside the hall. Edward frowned - at this time, who would dare to make a noise outside the hall? You know, Edward killed thousands of people just two days ago. It can be said that he is famous for his viciousness. Unexpectedly, at this time, there are still people who dare to provoke...

Not long after, the guard who went out to inquire about the news came back, and he reported to Edward:

"Your Majesty, it's the French cook and squire you stayed in Dublin before. They said they came back to follow Queen Anne..."

"French cook..." Edward frowned, a little hesitant in his heart. Because, the dishes made by French cooks are indeed more delicious...

You know, England has been known for its "dark cuisine" since the Middle Ages, and it is one of the worst countries in Europe. And Anna's French cook, specially sent by Earl Duarte, also learned some methods of cooking French meals from the fat brothers, which was indeed very suitable for Edward's appetite. Therefore, Edward hesitated... After all, as a king, he didn't want to eat dark food every day...

Marin saw Edward's hesitation, and hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, you better not put them in the palace..."

"Why? The French cook's dishes are really delicious..." After speaking, Edward showed a nostalgic look.

"However, they were sent by Earl Duarte..." Marin reminded. He didn't want to see Edward poisoned by the French. The French hated Edward so much now that there was a real possibility that the cook could be murdered.

"Count Duarte is also my father-in-law." Edward said hesitantly.

"But as far as I know, Count Duarte is not only Louis XII's favorite, but also Louis XII's intelligence officer. Maybe, those cooks and French attendants are French spies arranged by Count Duarte. If they I want to murder your majesty..."

Edward suddenly remembered the last time he was kicked, and shivered for no reason. In the end, Edward nodded and did not accept those people. So Edward instructed his men to arrange for the French cooks and attendants to go outside the palace and find a place to settle them.

"It's a pity, I can't eat French food anymore..." Edward said regretfully.

"If your majesty really wants to eat delicious food, why don't you recommend one or two cooks to come over? I'm sure you are better at cooking than that French chef. Just like the braised pork that your majesty ate last time, it was made by the minister's military cook. However, those The army's cooks are actually very poor at cooking, and the cooks in the court's palace force them to cook a hundred times better..."

"Really?" Edward was also drooling when he thought of the delicious braised pork. However, after thinking about it, Edward still shook his head and said:

"I'd better use an Englishman as a cook, it's safer."

"Damn, now you know how to be cautious? Just now you have to put French spies in the palace..." Marin slandered.

But soon, Marin came up with a compromise:

"Why don't you ask your royal chef in the palace to come over, teach your majesty the royal chef you made, and then go back to China?"

Edward thought about it, and it seemed that this was indeed safe. So, he nodded and said:

"Okay, that's it. I want to send someone to the people to find out who are the famous chefs in London, so I can recruit them into the palace to help me cook..."

Hearing this, Marin's eyes suddenly lit up...

Because, Marin remembered - he let the North Sea Chamber of Commerce operate in London for many years, and it seems that he has trained a lot of cooks...

In addition to some cooks used by the Beihai Chamber of Commerce, Marin also developed offline from the locals, opened some restaurants, and trained some cooks. If these cooks are given special training to make them stand out and enter Edward's palace... Then the source of intelligence will be stable...

The royal kitchen problem is a big problem. Edward obviously understood, so he wouldn't want any of the cooks Henry VII used before, lest he be poisoned to death. Therefore, Edward will definitely re-select the cook.

But cooks also need talent, so the best way is to select good cooks with clean backgrounds from the folk. And the Beihai Chamber of Commerce under Malin happened to have trained some cooks. Maybe, I can take this opportunity to arrange them into the palace...

You know, the royal chef is a very important position. Once you get this position, you can know Edward's physical condition at any time (if you are not in good health, your appetite will be lost, and you can also take some poison or something... Therefore, Marin decided to arrange for the hidden North Sea Chamber of Commerce spies to use bribery and other means, Let the few dark line cooks they cultivate stand out and enter Edward's palace as royal chefs.

When Edward chose the royal chef, he would definitely not choose it himself, but sent his men to inquire. Marin could make people spend money to build momentum, so that the people Edward sent out to inquire about the reputation of the chefs in the North Sea Chamber of Commerce. Then, invite people to deliberately spread rumors and slander those competitors... If possible, bribe the officials who chose the royal chef... Finally, the spy chefs trained by the Beihai Chamber of Commerce will have the opportunity to enter Edward's palace... ...As long as they sneak into Edward's palace, it will be much easier to inquire about information in the future...