Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

Manasse just stabbed the dagger into the opponent's throat and pulled it hard.

Seeing the "butcher" Forgue being slaughtered by himself like a dead pig, Manasse felt his heart pounding.At this time, he found that the French army was in full swing and was about to hit the Rouen City Hall.

He knew that he had to surrender quickly to help the new conqueror appease the hearts of the people, maintain law and order, arrest rebels, and take control of the city as soon as possible.

So Manasse hurriedly staggered down the half-ruined staircase and down the tower.

……

Whoosh!

An Wen raised her hand and shot an arrow, killing a longbowman who tried to attack Ma Youfu from the window on the second floor.

At this time, the Rouen defenders had collapsed, leaving only a few diehards, trying to rely on the streets and houses to carry out the final resistance.

"Mr. Employer, I saved your life again. Shouldn't you explain where the support shelling on the Seine River came from, so as to satisfy my little curiosity?" the elf girl asked.

Ma Youfu shook the self-made magic grenade gun in his hand: "Actually, I can blow up that enemy to the sky without you. But since the lovely lady follower asked, then I will answer you generously. That is my special weapon. The magic that summoned three gunboats. The specific details belong to the artificer’s secret, and we will not announce them.”

Of course, Ma Youfu didn't have any so-called "arbitrary secrets".He just couldn't explain the system store to the other party, so he had to be so perfunctory.

In the system store in March, Ma Youfu bought an item called "The Magical Shipyard of the Hardworking Goblin" (see Chapter 179).

Ma Youfu placed this prop in Royan, Earl of Saint-Thonday on the west coast.There is a natural harbor there, and it belongs to the royal family's territory, so security and confidentiality are guaranteed.

This magical shipyard finally provided Ma Youfu with three fifth-tier warships of the early 19th century technology level.

Although these three warships could only serve as handymen in the navy in Napoleon's era, they were absolute maritime supremacy and mobile fortresses 400 years ago.

Each battleship is equipped with 32 guns, four of which are 32-pound Caron guns placed on the bow.

This kind of stubby cannon is extremely powerful. The only flaw is that it has a relatively short range.

However, the center of defense of the city of Rouen is the upper reaches of the Seine, leading to Paris, and there is almost no defense for the lower reaches of the Seine, which leads to the English Channel behind it.

Therefore, Ma Youfu's battleship could easily approach the range of the Caron cannon in the dark, and then destroy the city wall of Rouen like a ruin.

If it weren't for this open fire support, how could Ma Youfu dare to go deep alone and attack the fortified city of Rouen, where [-] British troops were stationed, with [-] troops?

The only regret is that these three battleships can only participate in one battle, after which they will disappear.And they are controlled by the ship's goblin. Although they obey Ma Youfu's orders, humans are not allowed to approach.

Otherwise, Ma Youfu would have dispatched craftsmen to board the ship for inspections to gain a thorough understanding of the "advanced technology" of the 19th century.

Soon, the French army took control of several key areas in Rouen.Under the bombardment of nearly a hundred naval guns, the British army quickly lost their will to resist. After more than 400 people were killed in battle, they surrendered and fled.

The French army only killed 72 people and injured 180 people.

After entering the city hall, Ma Youfu was notified quickly: "Master Marquis, a gentleman who claims to be the mayor of Rouen has asked to see him. He has gathered hundreds of people and is willing to follow your command."

After the war, it was necessary to detain the prisoners, clear up the bandits who took the opportunity to cause chaos, and chase down the rout soldiers who fled outside the city. Ma Youfu was worried about the lack of manpower.He nodded, and soon, a fat man with a big bruise on his face was brought to him.

"Strange, I remember that the mayor of Rouen is a guy named Forgue. He is the president of the Butcher's Guild. He is a hard-hearted voter." Ma Youfu asked.

Chapter 240 Six Gold and Silver in Rouen

Ma Youfu's blitzkrieg against the Normandy area was not a simple military operation, but a comprehensive plan that included instigation and persuasion.

Under the management of Vera, relying on the network of the Northern France Trading Company, he basically has a clear understanding of the owners of many castles in Normandy, the commanders of the fortresses, and the chief executives of the towns.

Perhaps the race of dark elves is really talented in espionage.With Vera's help, Ma Youfu quickly classified these powerful figures in Normandy.For those who are not of English descent and who are not deadly loyal to the Plantagenet Dynasty, Ma Youfu sent a secret letter, promising them that as long as the French army arrives to correct the chaos, not only will they be rewarded generously, but His Royal Highness will personally Written power of attorney.

Charles VII was also one of the few insiders about Ma Youfu's plan to bypass Paris and attack Normandy.At first he did not agree with this seemingly too risky plan, but when Ma Youfu promised to give the royal family a "special sponsorship" of [-] livres, His Royal Highness, who was short of money and flustered, readily agreed.

Charles VII not only fully cooperated with Ma Youfu in the military, but also complied with Ma Youfu's request for two hundred blank commissions in the name of the royal family.

With this skill, Ma Youfu encountered almost no resistance after entering Normandy. The six fortresses along the Seine River all depend on the order.

According to the number of troops in hand, each fortress commander received a reward ranging from two hundred to five hundred livres, and transformed into a general loyal to the Valois royal family.

However, Ma Youfu did not stay in these fortresses, and did not even send troops to take over the defense. He just threw a flag with blue iris flowers to the opponent to change the flag.

In Rouen, however, something went wrong.

When all the troops landed and formed their formations, preparing to attack the city, the internal response in the city of Rouen did not make any moves.

Time was running out, and Ma Youfu couldn't wait that long, so he ordered dozens of field mages to throw lighting spells on the city wall, and then started shelling.

Facts have proved that even without internal support, the city of Rouen was easily breached under the powerful artillery fire of the French army.

Ma Youfu's main internal support in Rouen was a big businessman nicknamed "Blacksmith".His name is Ambroise de Bessie, he is the president of the Rouen Rouge Goldsmiths Guild, and he is also a city councilor.

He is a native of Normandy, and his mother died in Henry V's siege of Rouen more than 20 years ago. His rule over England has always been false and submissive.But this time Ambrois can be persuaded to take the initiative to betray the English, mainly because of economic reasons.

Ma Youfu had promised him before that after the capture of Rouen, if he could make contributions, His Royal Highness would allow him to open a gold shop in Paris.

In addition to the textile industry, Rouen's pillar industries include precious metal processing.

The skilled craftsmen in Rouen processed gold, silver, tin and other precious metals into jewelry, cups and plates, candlesticks and other products, and transported them to Paris along the Seine River, earning a lot of wealth.

Ambroise is a leader in this industry.

He was ambitious and had long wanted to open his own goldware shop in Paris, but every time he was resisted by the Paris Goldsmiths Guild citing various legal provisions, and then failed.

To break this kind of local protectionism, we can only rely on royal privileges.

So Ambrois immediately nodded and agreed to the conditions offered by Ma Youfu.

Who knew that after occupying the city hall, the "blacksmith" didn't see it, but a mayor ran out instead.

After being looked up and down by Ma Youfu, Manasse felt a chill down his back and sweated profusely.

He quickly put on the most humble gesture and explained: "Dear Marquis, before April this year, I was the mayor of Rouen. I have been in this position for a long time, and I have been serving this city wholeheartedly. You You can find out with a little inquiring. But the hateful Anglos blamed me for the assassination of their little king, and sent me, an innocent person, to prison..."

"That butcher Folgay was able to expose your actions in advance, and he is also a good talent. Unfortunately, he is a fool who is loyal to England." Hearing the other party's explanation, Ma Youfu shook his head.

It's a pity that no matter how hard Folquet struggled, he was no match for the general situation. In the end, he could only watch Rouen be recovered by the French army, while he died at the hands of the enemy.

After tearfully telling what happened to him, Manasse said: "Mr. Ambrois, who was in contact with you, is leading the militia to the Duke's Palace at this time. Because the precious metal processing industry is developed, Rouen always has A large amount of gold and silver circulates, with unique coinage conditions. The Duke of Bedford set up a secret mint in the Duke's Palace to mint gold coins for the English royal family. There is the most concentrated wealth in Rouen today. Me, and Ambu The loyal citizens represented by Mr. Roy are willing to dedicate it intact to you.”

It would indeed be a great achievement to keep the Mint from being looted in the flames of war.

Moreover, Manase still has a little thought.He deliberately described the safety of the Mint as extremely important, and then lured Ambroise to the Duke's Palace.

And he himself rushed to the city hall to meet Ma Youfu.

"How could that stupid blacksmith with only gold in his eyes know that the most important thing is to meet the new ruler as soon as possible and make a good impression. In terms of political sense, I am stronger!" Manase saw Ma Youfu's face There was a look of approval on his face, and he was secretly proud.

At this time, important facilities such as granaries and armories in Rouen had been controlled by the French army. After Ma Youfu got the news about the mint from Manase, he immediately took 500 people to the Duke's Palace.

The "Duke Palace" in Rouen's population has nothing to do with the Duke of Bedford, who ruled Normandy for nearly ten years.

Here, it was originally the palace of the Duke of Normandy.

However, the Duchy of Normandy has become a French royal territory with a history of more than 200 years.The Dukes of Normandy were also Princes of France.

Basically, this title belongs to the Crown Prince just like the Prince of Wales in England.

The Dauphin of France, of course, lives in Paris, not Normandy.Therefore, the Duke's Palace is still a typical medieval castle, a serious, gloomy stone building, whose military function is far greater than that of residence.

Ma Youfu met the "blacksmith" Ambrois here.

I'm afraid no one would have imagined that this brawny man who had worked as a blacksmith in his youth would be able to do well when he switched to the precision precious metal processing industry.

After accepting the other party's allegiance, Ma Youfu accepted all the coins and raw materials in the mint.

According to the all-night efforts of the clerks, it was finally calculated that a total of 20 livres worth of gold and silver were stored in the mint.A considerable part of it was gold ingots obtained by the Portuguese from Africa, which had not yet had time to be minted into currency.This is actually part of the [-] pounds aid, and now it's all cheaper than Ma Youfu.

Chapter 240 Seven Changes Her Fate

After properly keeping the gold and silver in the Duke's Palace, Ma Youfu returned to the city hall non-stop and started to deal with the aftermath, hoping that the city would recover from the war as soon as possible.

Officials who were loyal to England were either killed, captured, or fled taking advantage of last night's chaos. There were a large number of positions in the city government, and Ma Youfu took the opportunity to arrange his subordinates to fill the vacancies.

Juvenil is now the bishop of Gisor. After regaining Paris, he will go to the diocese to take office. It is impossible for him to follow Ma Youfu and handle various chores for him.

Fortunately, Zhu Wennier had already introduced several talented priests to Ma Youfu, who could help Ma Youfu take over the city.He can also take the opportunity to investigate and choose the best among them to join the court of the Earl of Rouen.

Now that the fief has been obtained, it is natural to set up a management team to build a beautiful feudal homeland as quickly as possible and economically.

After breakfast, the French generals were still excited about the miraculous victory in recovering Rouen, and none of them felt sleepy.Ma Youfu, as an officer with a very large subordinate, naturally satisfied everyone's desire to continue working overtime.

Lahaire and Santreille led the cavalry out of the city, swept up the remnants of the English army in the suburbs, and persuaded several fortresses around Rouen to surrender.

The most important thing, of course, is to occupy the Penteiras Bridge, more than ten kilometers upstream from Rouen.This large arch bridge is the only way from Rouen to Paris. After occupying it, the safety of the south of Rouen can be ensured.

Marshal Busak, an experienced veteran, led a group of generals under Mayouf's command--Zpissico, Torres, Nicola and others, to patrol the city of Rouen, and brought all the bandits, routs, and loyalists from England to the fore. The remaining unstable factors are eliminated one by one.

The Duke of Alençon began to recruit civilians to build the city wall that was bombarded by the French warship last night.

As for Joan of Arc, after visiting Rouen Cathedral and Notre-Dame de Rouen, she reached an agreement with the local clergy to distribute food to the citizens starting in the morning.

In fact, the fighting lasted only one night. Most of the citizens of Rouen just sealed the doors and windows with wooden boards and hid at home for one night, without suffering any losses.

However, today is the "Advent Day of the Mother of All Things", one of the most important festivals of the Seven Sages. It is also due to distribute some benefits to the citizens to calm people's hearts and get the city back on track as soon as possible.

Anyway, Ma Youfu made a lot of money after capturing Rouen, and there is no shortage of this little money.

Among his war gains, in addition to the 20 livres of gold and silver obtained by occupying the Mint, there are also a large amount of food and supplies, enough to feed an army of 1 people for three months.

All this grain was levied in England by the Duke of Gloucester.The English transported these grains to Rouen to hoard them, and prepared to transfer them to Paris to support the Duke of Bedford in the battle. Who knows that they have now become Ma Youfu's spoils of war.

In addition, by confiscating the property of the English, Ma Youfu can earn a huge sum of at least 90 livres.

Since Henry V occupied Normandy, England has managed this land as its own.The English Parliament even instituted a policy encouraging people to emigrate across the Channel.

Although due to the Black Death and the ravages of the war, the population is far from being comparable to that of the heyday, but now Rouen has a total population of more than 4 and is still the second largest city in France.Among them were about eight thousand Englishmen, and two thousand unbelievers.Others are local residents.

Ma Youfu is benevolent—at least more benevolent than the American government that put all Japanese people in concentration camps during World War II.For these Englishmen, he just asked Manasse to come forward to identify them. Among them, the nobles and wealthy businessmen, as well as the citizens who had served in the army and fought against France, all had to pay 1% of their property as the aggressor's "atonement" ", but only English civilians who came to Rouen through immigration, paid a "special tax for foreigners" of [-] shilling, and swore in front of the Seven Saints that they would never be enemies of France, so they could continue to live in Rouen.

Of course, it is also possible to return to England.It's just that we are in an extraordinary period now, and the shipping is stopped, so we can only wait for a while.And while staying in Rouen, you have to pay a detention fee of 5 pence a week.

Ma Youfu implemented this policy not because of the few coins in the pockets of the common people, but because of them themselves.

The Black Death and successive years of wars made population the most precious resource on the European continent.

Throughout the fifteenth century, European populations did not recover to high medieval levels.And Normandy, which has suffered from wars for decades, is even more sparsely populated.

In order to better build the fief, he must find ways to increase the population.

As long as he can work hard for the lord, it doesn't matter whether he speaks French or English?

Ma Youfu reaped a lot of cash after he plundered the wealthy English class in Rouen.It's just that a large part of these properties are fixed assets such as houses, farmland, and workshops, and it is not a quick thing to realize.

After being busy for a while, Ma Youfu finally had time to have breakfast.

He sat in the mayor's office on the second floor of the town hall, leaning against the window, tasting Bordeaux wine and Yorkshire black pudding.

Not far from the city hall is the market square.At this time, Joan was leading the nuns and priests there, distributing festive food to the citizens of Rouen, and preaching the teachings of the Seven Saints by the way to appease people's hearts.