Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

In another world line, this square is where Joan of Arc was burned.Not far from Rouen Castle stands tall, and the tower named "Maid's Tower" is the place where Joan of Arc was imprisoned.

In honor of the saint, the tower was later renamed the Tower of Joan of Arc, and the main street leading from the castle to the market square will also be named Rue Joan of Arc.On the market square, a church of Joan of Arc was also built, which looks like an upside-down Viking longship.

Recalling the history of another world line, and looking at the blond girl in the square, Ma Youfu felt complicated emotions in his heart.

"I may not have changed the world, but at least I have changed her destiny..." Ma Youfu murmured.

"Bah! This British guy's dark food really shouldn't be eaten by dogs!" His Majesty's mood was completely ruined by the black pudding that he just chewed.

Although this thing is called pudding, it is actually blood sausage made with pig blood as the main ingredient.But the same blood sausage, why can the Chinese make it delicious, but the British make it hard to swallow?

What an unsolved mystery.

Throwing away the blood sausage on the plate, Ma Youfu filled his stomach with two pieces of bread.

At this time, more than a dozen luxury carriages drove into the market square and finally stopped at the entrance of the city hall.

The gorgeously dressed guests who got off the carriage were all members of parliament, and they were prominent figures in the city.Ma Youfu must get their support in order to manage the city well.

Chapter 240 Eighth Canonized Knight (Third Watch)

There are generally two kinds of origins of medieval European cities.One is a city that already existed during the Roman Empire.The second is that with the development of the commodity economy, handicraftsmen and merchants formed settlements on important transportation routes, and then gradually developed.

In jurisprudence, since the city was built on the land of the feudal lords, the lords naturally also had ownership of the city.It's just that not many feudal nobles have business knowledge and know how to manage and trade.

The rule of the feudal lords did no good to the city except to pluck the wool hard and extract the bags of gold coins.Therefore, the citizens naturally seized every opportunity to defend their own interests and obtain power from the feudal lords through methods such as redemption.

The process is sometimes peaceful and sometimes bloody.

At the end of the Middle Ages, a tacit agreement has basically been formed between the city and the lord: the lord who doesn't know how to manage gives the city autonomy, allowing the citizens to make their own laws, elect officials, and manage themselves.Because only in this way can the economic vitality of the city be maintained and sufficient taxes be provided for the lord.

And as economic activities became more prosperous, the power of the city continued to grow, and the burgher class gradually grew into a force capable of influencing politics.

Of course, the above is only an overview of medieval cities.Different cities have different autonomy.In order to fight against local lords, cities often resort to the power of the royal family.If the city is established in the parish, then the church power will also participate in this power game.

Specific to the city of Rouen, it is another situation.

Because Normandy has long belonged to the royal domain, the citizens of Rouen obtained the franchised autonomy directly from the royal family.After England occupied here, the situation has not changed much, except that the supreme ruler has changed from the King of France to the King of England.

But now, Ma Youfu has taken over strongly, and the original two-party game between the citizens and the royal family in Rouen has become a three-party game between the citizens-the earl and the royal family. The situation is much more complicated.

For Ma Youfu, if he wants to take charge of the city well, he must not only deal well with the citizens, but also appease Charles VII.Otherwise, if the two sides join forces, he will face difficult problems.

So early in the morning, Ma Youfu summoned the city councilors.

The councilors got out of the carriage and saw the neat and tidy city hall in the past, which had been scarred by the battle last night. They were taken aback for a moment before moving forward.

When they came to the living room and saw Youfu Ma, everyone was taken aback again.

The newly appointed Earl of Rouen was sitting on the sofa. On the left behind him stood a mighty orc warrior like a hill, and on the right was a heroic elf ranger.

Being able to have two powerful alien fighters as followers, such a nobleman must have extraordinary strength and is not something to be trifled with.

There are also guards scattered around, standing against the wall, each with distinctive armor and magnificent equipment, which can almost be compared with the king's guard.

Although all the congressmen also knew that Ma Youfu put on such a posture deliberately to show his strength.But they were still deeply impressed by the powerful strength of the Sires.

The new owner of the city is not easy to mess with.

The House of Representatives is headed by Manase.The fat man took off his hat cleverly, knelt down on one knee, and saluted Ma Youfu.

The people behind followed suit, but there were also people who just bowed instead of kneeling.

Ma Youfu saw them all.

These days, all those who can become city councilors are people with status, property, and power.For example, 80.00% of the guests present in the living room are the presidents of a certain guild. Not only are they wealthy, but they can also easily mobilize hundreds or even thousands of people by virtue of their influence.

It's understandable to have a bit of a temper.

With a smile on his face, Ma Youfu called out their names: "Mr. Manasse de Estre and Mr. Ambroise de Bessie, please come forward and keep kneeling."

The two were confused at first, but the clever Manase suddenly saw the swords on Mayoufu's knees, and suddenly understood, and a burst of ecstasy suddenly surged in his heart.

He took the lead in kneeling beside Ma Youfu on one knee, the fat on his body trembling with excitement.

Ma Youfu first read to Manasse the motto of knights that he learned from Marshal Busac last night, then pulled out the sword of Saint Catherine borrowed from Joan of Arc, and lightly tapped Manasse with the back of the sword once each on the left and right shoulders.

Subsequently, the bishop of Rouen, who came to watch the ceremony just after taking office (the former bishop was British and has now gone), announced that the ceremony was completed.

"Congratulations, Mr. Manase, in view of the bravery and loyalty you showed last night, I canonize you as a knight."

The onlookers couldn't bear it any longer, they all exclaimed and stared at Manasse with envious and jealous eyes.

This lucky fat man!Yesterday he was a prisoner, but today he is a nobleman!

Later, Ma Youfu also canonized the "blacksmith" Ambrois as a knight.

"Show allegiance to me, make meritorious deeds, and you will be able to achieve a class leap, from a commoner to an aristocrat!"

This is Ma Youfu's greatest weapon against these wealthy citizens.

Some people may ask, is it too hasty to make a fat man who can't even ride a horse, and a former blacksmith who looks so rude to become a noble knight?

Ma Youfu will only give this answer: It is now the late Middle Ages, and in more than 20 years, we will be weeping and we will enter a new era.With the development of the economy and the emancipation of the mind, the feudal system has rapidly disintegrated, and the title of nobility has long been less precious than before.

In order to make money, nobles can already buy and sell their titles, which was unimaginable in the past.

Of course, this kind of title trading is still limited to the aristocratic class.

A wealthy businessman can join the aristocratic class by spending money to buy a baron title. This kind of good thing will not happen until the price revolution brought about by the Age of Discovery.

At that time, the precious metals imported from the New World led to general inflation, and it was difficult for the monarchs to maintain a luxurious life while fighting and fighting with other rulers.

Therefore, selling officials and nobles has become a way to make money.

When Emperor Huanling knew about it, he would call him an expert.

Seeing the two people who were just canonized as knights, who were so excited that they wanted to kneel down and kiss their shoes, and the reactions of other congressmen, Ma Youfu knew that the card he played had a very good effect.

"Today is the festival of the goddess Catherine, the first day of Rouen's recovery, and the day when the two gentlemen became knights. It's triple joy. Please sit down, everyone." Ma Youfu returned to his seat with a smile on his face. Only then did he start to look seriously at these big shots in Rouen.

Chapter 240 IX Irrefutable Reasons

Before parting with Manase last night, Ma Youfu consulted him about the situation of the Rouen city councilors.So although Ma Youfu met for the first time, he already knew something about the congressmen in front of him.

Among them, there are two people who deserve the most attention.

The first one is the owner of Moon Mask, the largest brothel in Rouen. No one knows her real name, and everyone calls her "Madame Ley".

Don't look at her as just a bustard, but she has a profound influence on the city.Except for the moon mask, Mrs. Ley owns shares in almost all the brothels that are on the table in Rouen.All the prostitutes in Rouen City regard her as a leader—that is a powerful influence that can summon 2000 people, and it is not an exaggeration to say that she is the Dark Queen of Rouen City.

Some people may think that there are 4 prostitutes in the urban district of Rouen, which has a population of [-], which is too outrageous.

When Youfu Ma heard this number from the fat mayor last night, he was also surprised.It's just that after careful understanding, I accepted this fact.

In a society where exploitation and oppression are severe and women's status is low, selling their bodies is undoubtedly the most convenient way for young women to make a living.

It was true of Victorian London, it was true of the Balkans in the 21st century, and it was true of medieval Europe.

The situation in Rouen is actually not bad.

In the capital Paris, the number of prostitutes even exceeded one-fifteenth of the total population, so that the king had to unite with the church to crack down on the flesh and blood industry.But whether it is fines or restrictions on the scope of activities of prostitutes, it has little effect.

If a tourist goes to Paris and wants to experience the enthusiasm of a French girl, he only needs to ask a little bit, and he can know where he should go to have fun from the name of the street.

Those street names with very straightforward names, such as Yin-Mao Street, Niuzi Street, Scratching Butt Street, Laughing Nun Street, etc., some of them are still in use even in later generations.

If you have a prostitute, you will have an effective source of intelligence and a huge network of relationships.This is the same in both East and West.So it's not surprising that a bustard can secure a seat in the council of Rouen, and make Manase and other local bosses feel awe.

Mrs. Ley was wearing a luxurious purple silk long dress, and her figure was quite charming, but she was wearing a half silver mask, so she couldn't see her appearance clearly.

Although she was very conspicuous among many members of parliament, Mrs. Ley herself was very low-key. After responding to Ma Youfu's greetings with a magnetic and hoarse voice, she stopped talking, admiring the scene in the living room like a bystander. Vicissitudes of life.

Such as Manase and Ambrois.After the two became knights, they had already obeyed Ma Youfu's orders, and it was estimated that they would become the vanguard of the lord to intervene in Rouen affairs in the future.

There are also some councilors, although envious of the rewards Manase and Ambrois received, but out of reserve and caution, they only showed a willingness to cooperate with Ma Youfu.

Of course, some councilors were wary of the new owner of the city, and even expressed opposition to some of his moves.

Among these people, the vice president of the Textile Guild, Firman de Rabat, was the head.

This is an ambitious young man, always wearing a set of red coats embroidered with gold silk and flame patterns to show off in the market, with thick pomade on his head, and combing his golden hair meticulously.

The Rabat family is the largest weaver in Rouen, with thousands of looms on hand.As the legitimate son of the family, Fellman became the actual speaker of the guild after his father, who was the chairman of the textile guild, became seriously ill.

As the leader of the textile industry in Rouen, the relationship between the Rabat family and the English authorities has always been very good.After Henry V occupied Normandy, the Rabat family used special channels to obtain a stable and cheap supply of wool from England. Since then, the business has grown by leaps and bounds, and soon became the leader of the textile industry in Rouen.

After Ma Youfu occupied Rouen, because of the war, the wool trade between London and Rouen had to stop naturally.

Although the wool imported from Iberia by the Northern France Trading Company can also meet the demand, the price is not as beautiful as before.

Among other things, the shipping fee alone is twice as high as before.

Regardless of the changes in the political situation, England has always been the preferred source of raw materials for North France and lowland weavers due to its geographical advantages.

The Rabat family did not serve England wholeheartedly like "The Butcher" Forgue, and even did not hesitate to meet France.Therefore, after the change of ownership of Rouen City, it was not liquidated.

After Ma Youfu expressed his goodwill, Firman believed that with the influence of the Rabat family in Rouen, he could make some "reasonable" suggestions to the other party.

"Master Marquis." When the guests and the host were enjoying themselves, Ferman stood up and said, "We are all willing to pledge our allegiance to you, to His Royal Highness Charles VII. Then, in order to make Rouen develop better in the future, can you listen to How about a little suggestion?"

"Please speak. As long as there are suggestions that are beneficial to urban development, I will carefully consider them." Ma Youfu said.

"I think that your previous policy towards the English was too harsh? Those commoners are nothing. It is your legitimate power as a lord to collect taxes from them in any name. It's just that those noble and decent Is it too much to confiscate [-]% of the family's income?"

His words instantly changed the expressions of the people around him.Manasse immediately stood up and reprimanded: "Fierman! You actually pleaded for those Englishmen? They are war criminals! They are the demons who brought death and disaster to Normandy! Mrs. Ma You didn't kill them all, Just confiscating part of the property and giving these people a chance to return to England is already very merciful!"

Ma Youfu behaved as usual.After Manasse finished his rant, he asked: "Mr. Rabat, since you have the courage to plead for the British, you must have a good reason. Please continue, I hope you can convince me."

"The reason is simple." Ferman took out a livre from his pocket, "Money is an irrefutable reason. Although Rouen's textile industry is prosperous, it is also facing competition from lowland merchants. After the wool trade is cut off, our cost will rise a lot, and we will be at an absolute disadvantage in trade competition. The entire textile industry may suffer a fatal blow. Life must go on, and the war will always end. Now show a little favor to England It will be convenient to restart the trade between Britain and France as soon as possible in the future. The weavers in Rouen can earn more money, and as a lord, you can also receive more taxes, which is good for everyone.”

Chapter 250 Industrial Transformation

For Rouen's weavers, the rising cost of raw materials was only the next worst thing.Worst of all, at the same time Lowland merchants were able to continue to import wool from England.

An enemy of an enemy can be a friend, and a friend of an enemy is not necessarily an enemy.

Before France regained all its core territories, Britain and France were undoubtedly mortal enemies with no room for compromise, but the situation in Burgundy was different.

Although France and Burgundy are now allies, and Philip III even sent troops to participate in the Battle of Paris, it does not mean that England and Burgundy will cut off all exchanges.

In fact, although Philip III fulfilled the covenant and imposed an embargo on England, the effect was not very good.

The duke's control over the lowland cities was not strong enough. Although he ordered the weavers to cut off trade with England and instead purchase Iberian wool, the merchants said "good, good, good" , While smuggling wool from England, Philip III had nothing to do.

Moreover, doing so can maintain the competitiveness of Lowland Textiles and allow you to earn more money, so why not do it?

England, on the other hand, did not want to completely tear itself apart from Burgundy, its former ally, so it turned a blind eye to wool smuggling.