Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

Naturally, this large-scale operation cannot be concealed from the supreme ruler of the Provence region.Only one night later, René I received the news that the Marquis of La Manche had arrived in Arles.

Now France and Provence are allies on the surface, but in fact they are more like masters and slaves.In order to keep his family property under the covetousness of the two hungry wolves of Burgundy and Aragon, René I licked his brother-in-law Charles VII in a variety of tricks.As a heavyweight vassal of France and also the special envoy of the King of France, René I must entertain Ma Youfu well to show the friendship between the two countries.

The main conflict between the two sides - the title of Duke of Lorraine has been resolved by Ma Youfu by holding exhibitions for a while, and René I naturally does not mind making another powerful friend.

The Duke of Anjou is 23 years old this year, and his biological age is similar to the Quanzhou maritime son Ma Youfu's soul wears.However, judging from the external temperament, René I was still a little immature. He was not so much a lord of the principality as a sentimental literary youth.

No wonder he lost to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, and Alfonso V, King Alfonso V of Aragon. In the end, he simply lay down and lived a life of a retired old man who wrote poems and planted flowers every day. King" title.

Compared with the mediocre Duke of Anjou, his wife, Isabel from the Lorraine family, is a remarkable strong woman.

When the two married, René I was only ten years old, and his wife was nine years older.On the website of a sad panda in later generations, the book of this kind of plot should be labeled as "children drive big cars".

Whether the ignorant little Zhengtai and the beautiful big sister's marriage is happy or not, outsiders don't know, anyway, the two already have three children.Isabel not only perfectly fulfilled the most important mission of aristocratic women in this era - procreating offspring for the family, but also conscientiously assisted her young husband in governing the duchy.In addition, after the death of his father-in-law, René I began to jointly rule the Duchy of Lorraine with his wife, which can be regarded as a model of marriage and opening up borders.

However, René I got the rich Lorraine, and also got a lot of troubles about the succession.

Explained by the setting of the game "Kingdom", because Isabella, the successor of the Duke of Lorraine, is a woman, her cousin Antoine de Vaudemont's weak claim can be used up.The Earl of Vademonte approached the Duke of Burgundy, who was coveting the Lorraine region, and planned to join forces to seize this land by force.

Historically, the two sides drew a tie, but René I was caught and imprisoned by Philip III for several years.It was not until his son was put in prison instead of himself that René I regained his freedom.

But in this fantasy world, the situation has changed because of Ma Youfu's arrival.

Philip III has switched to an alliance with France, so he temporarily gave up his coveting of the Lorraine region, but shifted the direction of expansion to the territory of Shenluo.Losing the support of the Duke of Burgundy, the Earl of Vaudemonte did not go to war with his cousin. He still does not know where he is hiding, and continues to plan to seize the territory that should belong to him.

This feeling of being missed by thieves all the time is not good.Therefore, the true intention of the Rene couple to warmly entertain Ma Youfu is also obvious.

The Duchess is 32 years old this year, which is the most attractive age for women.She has awakened extraordinary power since she was born, practiced martial arts since she was a child, and is now a powerful female knight.Perhaps because of the constant exercise since she was a child, the Duchess is tall and strong, one ear taller than her husband.Even wearing a complicated and gorgeous dress, it can't hide the power hidden in the body underneath.If one uses clean and concise Chinese language to describe the Duchess' body shape, it would be "bulky".

However, her facial features have the style of a traditional French beauty, especially a pair of beautiful eyes, which are quite charming.

"If you're not an old driver, I'm afraid it will be difficult to drive this high-performance car!" Ma Youfu commented secretly.

Chapter 330 Financial Innovation

"Lord Marquis, what are you thinking? Could it be that the food doesn't suit your taste?" Isabel who was sitting on the side asked kindly.

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just admiring the castle, it's so white and big!" Ma Youfu picked up the glass and pretended to drink to hide the embarrassment in his heart.

The duke and his wife have a happy marriage, their relationship looks good, and they treat themselves warmly. They really shouldn't be thinking about how to be a Cao thief just because of that little physical impulse.

Isabel didn't hear what Ma Youfu said, and she was also honored when he saw him praise the castle: "Tarascon Castle has spent two generations of the Anjou family's painstaking efforts, and it is indeed a building that is destined to be great. Wait When the castle is actually finished, you must come back to appreciate the architectural beauty."

The Anjou family invested heavily in Tarascon Castle. Although the main castle has been completed, some auxiliary buildings on the south side are still under construction.Although the castle is still a typical medieval castle from the outside, it does not consider the needs of defensive artillery.After all, when René I's father Louis II built the castle, artillery was only a supporting role on the battlefield.

However, the space design and decoration inside the castle are much more optimized than those real medieval castles that focus on military use.

Italian architects injected the fresh air of the Renaissance into the castle, coupled with the Gothic style advocated by René I himself, creating a mixed aesthetic feeling for the castle decoration, which does not look messy and abrupt.

After chatting about architecture for a while, Isabel changed the subject and sighed slightly.

Ma Youfu knew that the other party was deliberately leading, but he followed her expectation and asked: "Madam, you live in such a beautiful castle, you have a husband who loves you and a lovely child, what else do you need to sigh?"

"Master Marquis, my troubles come from this castle that everyone envies." Isabel glanced at her husband, who was half drunk and half awake, reciting poems in public.

Since Renelle I took over the castle, he has spent [-] ducats.If including his father's investment, the total cost of Tarascon Castle must exceed [-] ducats!

It's no wonder that "Civilization" players always talk about "miracles that harm the country". This kind of large-scale construction project is completely a monster that swallows gold.

Even though Provence was rich, the Duke's inner treasury was squeezed out of the wealth accumulated over the years by this huge expenditure.

But will René I's financial situation improve after the castle of Tarascon is completed?

Maybe the Duke himself thinks so, but the Duchess, who has a longer view, has other worries.

The Queen of Naples' health is getting worse and worse, and she will definitely die in a few weeks or a few years.At that time, René I, the current adopted son of the queen, and Alfonso V, the former adopted son of the queen, will definitely fight for the crown of Naples.

In this age of mercenaries, money is the easiest resource to convert into combat power. However, with the depleted internal treasury of the principality, there is no way to deal with a big war.

Even if the castle is built and the surplus is increasing, René I will not have the awareness of thrift and full preparation for war.The Duke of Arts will only patronize artists more generously, and is determined to make Provence the most dazzling pearl in the Renaissance.

When the news of the French army's recapture of Paris and Normandy and the final victory of the Hundred Years' War came from the north and spread to Provence, Isabel's first emotion was not joy, but a mixture of envy and jealousy.

How much profit can those northern nobles who have invested in the Northern France Trading Company gain from the victory of this war!The inheritance left over from England's many years of operation was completely divided between Charles VII and Ma Youfu.

When the news of the Crusades and the establishment of the South France Trading Company reached Provence, Isabel was ecstatic and immediately made a decision to let Provence also take the express train of the Marquis of Siris.

But then, Isabel found to her dismay that there were more than 300 gold coins left in the treasury, which was only enough to buy ten shares.

Ten shares is already a lot of money for ordinary nobles.In the future, if the Crusades go well, the stock price rises, and the family wealth doubles in a few years, it is not a fantasy.But for the Anru family with a big family and a big business, this benefit is not so important.

At most, it would make René I more extravagant when spending money.

This time, Ma Youfu was invited to Tarascon Castle as a guest. The Duchess wanted to discuss with Ma Youfu whether the Anjou family could buy shares in the South France Trading Company through other means than buying stocks in cash.

Hearing Isabel's explanation of the cause and effect, Ma Youfu readily gave an affirmative answer: "Yes. I have considered this issue at the beginning of the company's establishment. Maybe you haven't read the plan carefully, Madam, then I will discuss it again." Let me explain it to you carefully..."

In the end, the two sides reached an agreement of intent in the process of pushing the cup and changing the cup.

René I, Duke of Anjou, agreed to lease the land with a radius of ten kilometers from the mouth of the Rhone River, as well as the Bay of Toulon and the land extending two kilometers outward, to the South French Trading Company.The rent is zero and the lease term is 100 years.The two places will play a role as a transit point for people and materials going south to the Maghreb, as well as a future trade center.

Surrounded by land on both sides, the Gulf of Toulon is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is a natural military center.Historically, since Charles VIII decided to build a military port in Toulon in 1494 in order to send troops to the Mediterranean, it has become the most important base of the French Navy.Putting aside the sentimental factors of the historical keyboard party such as "the place where the king made his mark" and "the French navy sank in World War II", Ma Youfu obviously took a fancy to Toulon's strategic value.

Compared with the famous Toulon, the area at the mouth of the Rhone River is not very famous.

Because of the sediment brought by the upper reaches of the Rhone River, a large saline-alkali marsh was formed here.The Mediterranean climate combined with the humid environment makes it a place where mosquitoes breed and diseases are rampant, which is not suitable for human survival at all.In addition, due to sedimentation, the navigation conditions of the Rhone River are getting worse and worse.It was not until the period of Napoleon III that the navigation conditions here were improved by digging canals and other means, and Port Saint-Louis was built.

But yesterday, after Ma Youfu sent people to investigate the situation at the mouth of the sea, they found that the topography and landforms here had changed greatly because of a celestial sphere convergence hundreds of years ago.

Although large areas of wetlands still exist, there is not much silt accumulated in the riverbed.As long as the embankment is built and the silt is regularly dredged, it can be built into a high-quality port with unique geographical conditions.

However, because of the harassment of Barbary pirates and the fact that Marseille is [-] kilometers to the east, the successive Dukes of Anjou never thought of developing this land.

But for an outsider like Ma Youfu, a newly built port here, which complements the advantages of the port of Toulon for both civilian and military purposes, can become an important fulcrum for him to project his power to the Mediterranean in the future.

As the price for obtaining these two pieces of land, Ma Youfu paid [-] shares, which is [-] livres if converted into cash.

Back then, the Papal State didn't spend so much money to buy Avignon, but now it has obtained such a huge wealth with two pieces of bad land. Isabel felt as if she was kissed by the goddess of luck tonight.

Even if there is an additional condition: the Principality of Anjou must send [-] elite soldiers to join the Crusades for free and obey Ma Youfu's command, she feels that she has made a lot of money.

"Master Marquis, toast to our bright future of cooperation!" Isabel, who was in a good mood, moved her buttocks lightly, and sat close to Ma Youfu.The warmth and elasticity of the leopard-like toned body can be felt even through the winter clothes.

She is seducing me?

Ma Youfu glanced at René I who was performing vigorously in the middle of the hall, resisted his hands that were about to move, and did not make any further movements, but raised his glass in return: "Cheers to our cooperation!"

The banquet continued, and the overwhelmed guests left one after another. After an unknown period of time, only Ma Youfu and the Duchess were left in the hall.

"Mr. Ma Youfu, although you have helped our husband and wife a lot, but I don't know how long it will take to wait for the stock to appreciate and then sell it. It cannot solve the current dilemma that Provence is facing..."

The Duchess is already drunk.Her temples were disheveled, her beautiful eyes leaned on Ma Youfu's shoulder, and her long, strong and healthy legs simply rested on the man's lap, and said vaguely: "Can you find a way to quickly improve the financial situation of the principality?" ?”

Ma Youfu also seemed to be drunk.He recalled the various conversations with Isabel during the banquet, and said with a big tongue: "Isabel, have you ever complained that many relatives have borrowed money from your family, but they have not paid it back for a long time, and sometimes even the interest is not paid?" No?"

"Yes. If we can get the money back, our husband and wife will not be in such a tight situation." The Duchess complained with her lips pouted.

She was obviously a tall beauty who was one finger taller than herself, but at this moment she looked like a spoiled little girl.

Straightforward...

Ma Youfu looked around the magnificent banquet hall of the castle, recalled the exquisite food on the table before, and gained a deeper understanding of the "struggle" of the nobles.

Then he waved his hand and said confidently: "This problem is very simple, I can solve it with my mouth."

"Really, I don't believe it." The Duchess chuckled.

"Innovation, the key is financial innovation, my Isabel! Don't regard those IOUs as debts that are difficult to recover, but as assets that can generate income every year..."

Next, Youfu Ma gave a long talk about the whole story, explaining to the Duchess how the financial capitalists in the future generations who lacked light in the five elements used high-leverage financial innovation methods to harvest leeks.

"The Italians, especially the Venetian merchants, have a lot of cash on hand. Once they find a good investment channel, they will flock to it like sharks smelling blood. You just need to do this...and this...to be able to Exchange those IOUs for real gold coins, wouldn't the temporary financial crisis be resolved?"

Chapter 330 IX Reasoning Genius René I

Today's Valois-Anjou family has nothing to do with the Plantagenet-Anjou family that established a huge but short-lived empire in history.It's just that the Anru family has done a much better job in spreading the branches and extending the family bloodline.

Through a series of marriage coquettish operations, including rich and water not flowing to outsiders, the Anjou family has left blood in many kingdoms, including Hungary and Poland.

If you are a player of "European Universalis", this is equivalent to giving away a lot of pretexts for war of the Union, and it is almost ecstatic.But the reality is that René I and his mother held so many claim rights, but they couldn't win any one. A series of titles did not bring actual benefits, but instead created a bunch of poor relatives.

During the Hundred Years' War, Maine, which belonged to the Duke of Anjou, was captured by England.Now, in the court of Provence, there is another group of relatives and friends who have lost their land and can no longer enjoy the annuity.

In history, Britain and France signed the "Tours Agreement", René I married his daughter Marguerite to Henry VI, and Mann returned it to Provence as a dowry.

But the appearance of Ma Youfu made all this impossible.

After the victory of the Hundred Years' War, the Anjou family was looking forward to Charles VII's return of Mann, but Ma Youfu used "map obsessive-compulsive disorder" as an excuse to promote the transfer of the Duke of Alençon.

It was impossible for René I to go to the Duke of Mann to return the territory, and he had no way to ask Charles VII for compensation, so he could only continue to support his relatives who defected to him.

These relatives don't live and live for free. Every time they borrow money, they draw up IOUs, and most of them can pay the interest on time.But how much ability do the nobles who lost their land have to make a living?

The Hundred Years' War was over, and the wool soldiers were severely punished. The path to become a mercenary with the martial arts that they had cultivated since childhood became narrower and narrower.

Some noble children who have received a certain degree of education become lawyers, or serve as consultants to other nobles, ask or sing and write poems, and they can maintain their lives.But after all, the income is difficult to maintain the extravagant aristocratic status for a long time.

Especially living in the Provence court of René I, you can't help but compare.

As a result, the duchess had more and more IOUs, but fewer and fewer people could afford to pay back the principal.

The solution given by Ma Youfu is very simple, which is to package these debts and sell them to Italy as financial products.In particular, the Venetians, who had accumulated a large amount of precious metals in the Eastern trade, were a group of big dogs with nowhere to spend their money.

Since these Venetians who should be hanged by Jing Luo have teamed up with the Pope to cheat themselves once, how can Ma Youfu not reciprocate?

Of course, it won't be that simple in practice.

Venetian bankers are not fools, how could they not investigate the repayment ability of debtors?

So after discussing with Isabel, Ma Youfu decided to pack all the debtor relatives of the Anjou family to join the Crusaders.

Ma Youfu is not worried about raising a bunch of waste.Those who can fight will go to the battlefield, those who can write and calculate will manage logistics, and those who can sing and draw will set up an organization such as a "art troupe" to boost morale.All in all, make the best use of it.

Because of the fervent preparations for the establishment of the Southern France Trading Company, the impression that "the Crusades will definitely make a lot of money" has penetrated into the hearts of many Europeans.Therefore, after the debtor relatives of the Anjou family joined the Crusaders and served Ma Youfu, their future suddenly became brighter in the eyes of others.

After driving out the infidels and planting sugar cane, do you still have to worry about repaying the debts of tens of hundreds of ducats?

These IOUs will become high-quality financial products with low risk and high return rate. Ma Youfu temporarily called them "jihad coupons", which will definitely cause looting.

This is only Ma Youfu's first step.

He himself doesn't intend to participate in this financial game, lest he will ruin his reputation, so he will withdraw and leave after the Renés have sold all the jihad tickets.

Then, he doesn't need to do anything, just watch the fire from the other side.

As a time traveler, Ma Youfu's biggest advantage is knowledge, not IQ.The Italians, especially the shrewd Venetians, saw that the jihad coupons made by Ma Youfu made so much money. Are they idiots who only watch others make money instead of doing it themselves?

When civilians who aspire to participate in the Crusade to make a fortune borrow money to buy weapons, equipment and supplies, the IOUs they leave will be packaged into stable and high-return jihad coupons by greedy creditors, and sold to others. people.