Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

In particular, those merchants who joined the North French trading company can purchase wool from Iberia at extremely favorable prices, which almost wiped out the cost increase caused by freight charges, and at the same time can use this to bargain with English wool merchants to further lower the price. price.

In this category, the cost of woolen cloth produced in the lowlands has been further reduced, and the businessmen whose profits have increased have invested in the textile industry with greater enthusiasm.The textile industry in the Lowlands, which had been hit hard by the Ghent weavers' rebellion last winter, not only recovered quickly, but also showed a scene of prosperity.

Of course, as the chairman of the Northern France Trading Company, Ma Youfu is also a beneficiary of this change.

"Unexpectedly, while the prosperity of the textile industry in the lowlands brought me a large amount of military expenditure, it also threatened the textile industry in Rouen, which in turn caused dissatisfaction among the rich businessmen under his rule..." Ma Youfu smiled wryly to himself.

This wave, the left arm hit the right arm.

But the problem still needs to be solved.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Firman, I cannot agree to your request. If I return the wealth of those rich merchants and nobles in England in full, and then send them away, not only will I be ridiculed for being weak and stupid, but this is still a disguised form. Restore the enemy's war potential. England's inhumane riding and looting on the land of France, the main purpose is to destroy the country's war potential. I still retain my humanity, so I will not massacre the English indiscriminately, but it is not If you abuse good people, you will forgive enemies unconditionally."

After rejecting Firman's absurd request, Ma Youfu added: "Of course, as the lord of Rouen, I am also very concerned about the development of this city. From now on, all Rouen businessmen can apply to join the Northern France I founded As a trading company, the review conditions will be relaxed compared with foreign businessmen. With the support of the company, you can not only import cheaper wool from Iberia, but also expand more sales."

The conditions offered by Ma Youfu can be regarded as quite favorable.

It's a pity that Firman was not reconciled, with a hint of disdain in his eyes, and wanted to argue with Ma Youfu.

He was about to speak, but when he saw several members of parliament shaking his head, he could only give up.

These MPs also occupy a pivotal position in the Rouen textile industry.With their support, Firman has the confidence to compete with Ma Youfu.

It's just that not everyone is as courageous and greedy as him.

After all, Ma Youfu is the lord of this land, not only has a legal advantage, but also has the army, a powerful violent machine.Continuing to confront is not a wise choice.

Taking a deep breath, Firman bowed slightly to Ma Youfu, and said, "Although I failed to reach a consensus with you, I still want to thank you for your patience and generosity. I have long heard that the business of the North France Trading Company is getting bigger and bigger. It would be an honor for me to join."

Ma Youfu could hear that there was a kind of unconvinced resentment in Firman's tone.But he didn't care, after all, as a lord, one must have a broad mind.

He even made a suggestion to the other party: "Mr. Firman, and all of you here. The textile industry is not the only way to make money in this world. I plan to develop the sugar industry in Rouen in the future. If you are interested , you can understand that if you are willing to invest, it will be even better. If you bravely carry out industrial transformation, you can get more wealth."

Ma Youfu, who is familiar with history, knows that the good days of the textile industry in Normandy, the Lowlands, and even North Germany will soon come to an end.

Because the textile industry in England is developing rapidly.After fully satisfying the domestic market, it will start to enter Europe, and then rely on government support and the advantages of being in the raw material production area to become the industry hegemony.

Although weavers in other countries will not be bankrupted by England's wool, they can't easily make a lot of profits as before.

Then, cotton from the New World will deal a dimensionality reduction blow to the European textile industry.

Although the woolen textile industry occupies an extremely important position in Rouen, Ma Youfu does not want to support this sunset industry, just let it develop naturally.It is the utmost benevolence to give a few words to the big businessmen and point out the future development direction.

After talking for about an hour, Ma Youfu and the congressmen had a preliminary understanding.

"Everyone, the city has just experienced the flames of war, and the conditions are limited, so we will not hold a banquet. Today is the Advent Day of the Mother of All Things, everyone, go back and spend more time with your family."

After the order to see off the guests was issued, the congressmen left one after another.

It's just that Mrs. Eli, who left last, quietly said to Ma Youfu when everyone was not paying attention: "Master Marquis, I have something to do, and I hope to communicate with you in private."

"Of course, my lady."

……

After leaving the city hall and getting into the carriage, Firman's face suddenly changed, gloomy as if a storm was gathering.

"That damned Seris clown! How dare he..." Firman murmured to himself with a look of resentment, "At the Duke of Bedford's, I am a distinguished guest who needs to be treated solemnly. The outbreak that just occupied Rouen How dare you use a bunch of nonsense to perfuse me! North France Trading Company? Sugar industry? Industrial transformation? Humph! Since he is unwilling to accept my reasonable and sincere suggestion, don’t blame me for resorting to extreme measures.”

Chapter 250 Killing Relatives and Animals (Third Watch)

Firman cursed Ma Youfu all the way, and when he drove back to the mansion of the Rabat family, a housekeeper greeted him: "Young master, after the master asks you to come back, go to see him immediately and inform him about the meeting with the Marquis today."

"Tut! Troublesome old guy." With a disdain in his mouth, Firman went straight to his father Robert's bedroom.

The helm of the Rabat family has not improved since he fell seriously ill in the winter.After spending a lot of money to hire several well-trained doctors for diagnosis and treatment, old Robert's condition has successfully worsened, and now he is terminally ill, and even the magic spell is hard to save.

The strong smell of herbs in the bedroom made Firman frowned, and then he put on a dignified expression and came to his father's bed.

"Fillman?" Old Robert asked with cloudy eyes.

"It's me, father."

"You went to meet the Marquis of La Manche today, what did you gain?"

"Mayouf did not blame us for our previous strong links with England."

"That's good." The old man on the bed breathed a sigh of relief, "Yesterday, our Rabat family should have responded to the call of the blacksmith and cooperated with the Marquis in attacking Rouen as an internal agent. Who knew that the plan had been revealed and we had not had time to make a new decision. The battle is over. Now that the Marquis has not liquidated us, he will not go back on his word in the future. As long as the Rabat family keeps a low profile and firmly stands on the side of France politically, their position in Rouen will be unshakable, ahem... "

Looking at his aging father, Firman did not agree with him.

Is it enough to just keep the family status?

Why not go further?

Little Rouen has no room for my ambitions!

Thinking of this, Firman finally couldn't help it, and said to old Robert: "Father, why do you firmly rely on the French? Obviously, under the rule of England, we can obtain greater benefits."

"Have you forgotten the people who died in the siege in 1418? Among them was your mother, and your two younger brothers... The English are beasts, and they will never be able to win the loyalty of the French!"

Firman dismissed his father's anger.

In that siege battle, he was just a child, and he had no unforgettable memory at all except that the food was getting less and less.

In fact, the attitude of Firman and Robert Sr. towards England is also the epitome of the city of Rouen.

Those of the older generation who have experienced the war have hatred for England buried deep in their hearts, and the Duke of Bedford will never be able to gain their loyalty.

But the new generation who grew up under the banner of Plantagenet didn't feel the hatred of the country and family more than ten years ago.

Firman continued to explain his thoughts to his father: "Father, let's not say whether the Siris is trustworthy or not. Even if he fulfills all his promises, so what? We have joined the Northern France Trading Company, and we can trade from Iberia Getting cheap wool from other people only wiped out the original disadvantage. We still have to compete fiercely with merchants in Ghent, Brussels, and even Hanover!"

"I understand what you mean. You are afraid of fair competition with other textile merchants, and you only want to rely on the special relationship with England to obtain cheap wool, so as to establish an advantage..." Old Robert said intermittently, "It seems that my Education has failed utterly. The pursuit of money magnifies your greed and weakens your courage to make bad judgments...”

"It was you who made the wrong judgment, father!" Firman became excited. "Do you think that the overall situation is settled after Mayouf captured Rouen? No! Paris is still in the hands of England, and the army of the Duke of Bedford is still in the hands of the Duke of Bedford." Just wait and see. After the Duke of Bedford has defeated the mob still lingering in Paris, he will immediately go north. While Mayouv divides his troops to recover other cities in Normandy, His Excellency the Duke will deal a fatal blow! Then It's time for us to unite all those who are still loyal to England and take back Rouen!"

Old Robert's face changed drastically in horror, his cheeks that were so pale without a trace of blood turned sickly red.

"Where did you know this? That's right, you must have kept in touch with the English. Son, cut off contact with the English quickly, and then hand over those spies to the Marquis... I think people are very accurate, that Sirisian is absolutely It's not something you can contend with. If you don't do so, then I can only write to the Marquis myself. It's better to sacrifice my only son than to sacrifice the whole family..."

Firman showed an unbelievable expression, he pondered for a moment, and a trace of cruelty flashed in his eyes.

"Father, I understand. I will go to the city hall this afternoon and confess to the Marquis." Firman stood up and walked towards the bed, "You should have a good rest... Well, the pillow seems a bit short, let me give it to you again." You put one..."

The above were the last words old Robert heard during his lifetime.

Firman picked up a pillow without hesitation, and tightly covered his father's face.The seriously ill old man just struggled for a minute before completely losing his breath.

"Old man, you are so accurate at seeing people, why didn't you see what kind of person your son is?" Firman threw down the pillow, dealt with the crime scene, and then shouted, "Doctor, doctor!"

The death of the owner plunged the Rabat family's mansion into sudden grief.

The sky was getting dark, and after pretending to be a dutiful son who had lost his blood relative for a day, Firman returned to his room.

Here, there is a guest who has been waiting for a long time.

Sir Thomas York.

As a member of the York family, a distant relative of Henry VI, and a young talent among the English aristocracy, he is the real commander of Rouen.

It's just that Baron Thomas was also a victim of the plague that broke out in Rouen this year.

His condition was so serious that even though the saint Elizabeth tried her best to treat him, it left troublesome sequelae.

Baron Thomas, whose health is not as good as before after recovering from illness, can only maintain his rule with the support of some big families in the city.It's not that the Duke of Bedford has never thought about changing people, but he has searched all over England, and there is no second commander who is as capable as Baron Thomas, and belongs to his own family in blood, and is completely reliable.

Rouen was the most important city in Normandy, and the most important quality of its commander was loyalty.

Maybe he didn't expect that Ma Youfu would launch a surprise attack on this city that was originally in the safe rear. With Baron Thomas' physical condition, he couldn't cope with this kind of high-intensity battle at all, so he was just a butcher, and he didn't know much about military affairs. Only Folgay will take on the important task of commanding the city defense.

For the Duke of Bedford, the best news after the fall of Rouen was that Baron Thomas escaped and went into hiding.

He will play an important role in the next military operations.

Chapter 250 Bedford is about to counterattack

"Mr. Firman, I have two new news for you." Baron Thomas said weakly, "The Duke of Bedford will soon launch an attack on the French army in Paris. Although the rapid fall of Rouen was unexpected, but The situation is uncertain, we still have hope, and in a week's time at most, we must be as ready as possible. In addition, Sir Fastolf has been reactivated and arrived in Caen on Qingqi early this morning. He will take the The defenders of Caen and nearby strongholds are all assembled, and then sailed to Calais. That is to say, to the east of us, there will be a reinforcement army with a number of [-] to [-] people, and it will be led by a famous general."

Firman was still a little worried that the army of the Duke of Bedford would not be able to quench his thirst.But now that there are reinforcements from Calais, the chances of them resisting the French counterattack after recapturing Rouen are much greater.

"The Duke of Bedford has already consulted the Elders of the Circle. The Oak of Wisdom told the druids that the reason why Ma Youfu was able to capture Rouen quickly was to use a strange magic to summon three terrifying gunboats. But Now he can no longer use this kind of magic, and when the French army took the dragon head ship, in order to reduce the baggage, they did not carry cannons, and even the cavalry was only [-]. The combat effectiveness of this French army is not strong, and it has almost no siege ability , even with that French witch, we can win!"

Although Baron Thomas looked sick, he was still very good at inspiring people. After some well-founded analysis, Firman's heart was surging, as if he had seen the defeat of Mayouf, the recapture of Rouen, made great contributions, and was then defeated. The scene where the King of England proclaimed himself a nobleman.

Maybe even get a Knight of the Garter to wear.

After establishing their confidence, the two began to plan in detail how to gather the opposition forces in the city and take Rouen back while Ma Youfu was out.

"Among the English civilians, there are quite a few who are dissatisfied with the so-called 'foreigner special tax' imposed by Ma Youfu. There are also quite a few poor people who are willing to risk their lives for a few shillings. Instigate these people Standing up, it will be a force to be reckoned with," Baron Thomas said.

Fei

Erman nodded in agreement: "The Siris will search and extort all the wealth and store it in the Duke's Palace. In addition, I also know a secret news that there is a secret mint in the Duke's Palace, where there are many newly minted British pounds, and There is a considerable store of gold and silver ingots."

Baron Thomas raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, but was relieved immediately.

He is just a baron. Although he was born in the York family, he still has not entered the core ruling circle of England.It is estimated that only the Regent Council knows about the royal family's secret mint.

However, a mere wealthy businessman from the city of Rouen was able to discover such a secret.

He knew that Firman was deliberately showing his strength, and he didn't point it out. He continued: "We can incite those civilians to destroy everywhere, besiege the Duke's Palace, and create chaos as much as possible. But we can't count on the fighting power of these civilian thugs. A fully armed Armed knights can deal with a hundred civilians. The truly reliable forces are those nobles and wealthy businessmen who have been deprived of their property by Ma Youfu."

Although they lost most of their properties, these propertied classes still had considerable fighting power.Most of the nobles had received military education since childhood, and the rich merchants also had many skilled guards.Not to mention, quite a few of this group of people are veterans who have retired honorably because of their military exploits and wealth accumulated in the Hundred Years' War.

As long as these people are gathered together, it is a force that cannot be underestimated.

"It's ridiculous that although the Serisian showed no mercy in front of outsiders, he was actually a weak and kind-hearted idiot in essence. He actually placed those people in several churches on the grounds that 'out of humanitarian considerations' ’. This gave us a fantastic opportunity!”

Baron Thomas deeply agreed with Firman's words.

If it was him, even if he couldn't kill them all due to the unspoken rules of the aristocratic class, he would definitely put all these potentially dangerous elements under custody and release them after the war was over.

Separating custody would have weakened the strength of the guards, and choosing a place with weak defenses like a church seemed to be deliberately stupid.

"Wait... what if that Siris really intentionally exposed his flaws, so as to lure us to take the initiative to attack, and then wipe out the latent resistance?" Baron Thomas suddenly felt uneasy.

However, they are only part of the Duke of Bedford's strategy, and there is no turning back, so they can only be more cautious in their actions.

After discussing, the two split up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of his father's death, Firman sent eyeliners to the city.Although Ma Youfu has arranged a large number of troops to patrol the city, even if his eyeliner is discovered, he can still show his identity, and then use the reason of "delivering an obituary to the friends of the Rabat family and preparing for the funeral".

Firman noticed that Mayouf was sending troops out frequently every day to retake strongholds across Normandy.

There are fewer and fewer defenders in Rouen.

Five days later, Ma Youfu himself also set off in person, and it is said that he went to Caen.