Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

Ma Youfu's strong rise has also benefited the French branch a lot.Francesco is now an important shareholder in the North and South French Trading Company, and seems to be Ma Youfu's agent.

And Vera is not only favored by that Sirisian, but also plays an important role with great power beside him.

The French branch is thriving, but the main family of Florence is now suffering a heavy blow.

Under such circumstances, Cosimo would naturally be more vigilant.If you ask your grandniece Vera for help, will the other party take the opportunity to make some demands and extend her hand back to Florence?

Cosimo must completely eliminate this possibility.

Florence does not belong to Mayouf, nor does it belong to the Medici family, but belongs to him Cosimo!

After being directly rejected by his father, Giovanni looked a little embarrassed: "If you refuse to ask Vera to help mediate, then only..."

"The only way is war!" Piero resolutely said.

Seeing that his younger brother's face changed greatly when he was frightened by his words, he smiled and explained calmly: "Giovanni, don't be afraid at the thought of going to war with a strong enemy. Before launching a war, the first thing we should think about is not the paperwork of both sides." It is not the strength on the surface, but how to achieve the goal of the war and how to end the war.

Do we need to go to France and take Normandy?Do not.We only need a short, low-intensity war to prevent Ma Youfu from interfering in the internal affairs of the Italian states through the debt problem. "

"You mean, unite other countries."

"Of course. Florence is not the only one that owes money to St. George's Bank. Almost all Italian states, including the Pope, have borrowed money from St. George's Bank. Among them, Mirandola, Capri The rulers of small countries such as Oro and Torilia even mortgaged more than [-]% of the land in the country to the St. George Bank!

Ma Youfu only thought about lending as much money as possible to earn profits, but he ignored that the serious debt problem would make the Italian states unite to form an anti-debt alliance with a common goal!The power we can use is very impressive. "

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Piero continued: "I made a rough estimate. Apart from Genoa, which is directly or indirectly controlled by Mayouf, and Naples, only the Duke of Savoy, who is obsessed with religious affairs and has no interest in making money, did not participate in the previous In the financial carnival, there is no money owed to St. George's Bank. History has proved that as long as we Italians unite, we will be fearless even in the face of Emperor Shinra in its heyday. Let alone a mere French duke ?”

Cosimo pondered for a moment and asked: "If all the Italian rulers who owe money to St. George's Bank can unite, they can indeed fight against the Duke of Bar. Then what is the goal after forming the coalition? Since you dare to initiate a war , then we must be sure to end the war.”

Seeing his father asking questions, Piero knew that he was interested in his proposal, and quickly replied: "Our goal is to attack Naples, occupy Naples, and capture Jeanne II. Then, we can discuss with Ma Youfu We have negotiated. As long as the other party agrees to cancel all debts, then we can withdraw from Naples and return the Queen."

When Ma Youfu entered Naples, in order to seek stability and not arouse the resistance of the local nobles, he adopted the indirect method of using René I's son John as the next king and himself as the consul to rule.

But this also leaves hidden dangers.

If Jeanne II was captured and then forced to amend the will and entrust the position of the heir to the Kingdom of Naples to someone else—such as King Alfonso V of Aragon—then Ma Youfu's previous efforts would all be in vain.

At that time, if Ma Youfu wants to ensure the succession of Naples, he will have to send troops to attack Naples and defeat the anti-debt coalition forces.However, Naples is a fortified city, and the anti-debt coalition forces are not weak. In a real fight, not to mention the casualties of the troops, the military expenditure alone would be a huge expenditure.

At that time, Ma Youfu will have to settle the score.

Tens of thousands of people were killed and wounded, and hundreds of thousands of livres of military funds were spent to forcefully take down the city of Naples.

Negotiate directly with the anti-debt coalition forces, and exchange the city of Naples and Queen Jeanne with the terms of exempting the other party's debts.

Which of these two methods is more cost-effective?

Piero believes that as long as he pays attention to controlling the scale of the war and the two sides do not fight against each other, then as a rational ruler, Ma Youfu will eventually agree to his own conditions.

After listening to Piero's analysis, Cosimo showed an expression of approval.He nodded and said, "Your method is feasible."

"Father, is it too risky to do this?" Giovanni looked worried.

In the financial field, he has always been bold and willing to take risks.

But in the real military struggle, Giovanni showed his timidity.

"Brother, the blood of the dark elves flows in the body of our Medici family. The nature of being adventurous and walking on the edge of danger is buried in our blood." Piero dismissed his younger brother's caution.

"If I didn't dare to take risks back then, I wouldn't sit on the throne of the Lord of Florence today." Cosimo indirectly agreed with Piero.

He paused, and said, "However, there are still some mistakes and omissions in your plan that need to be added."

"I am listening carefully to your instruction, father."

Cosimo continued: "Our Italian states have long lost trust in each other during the long-term mutual attacks. Maybe we can get together for the common benefit. But on the battlefield, the situation is different. Yes. If there is no absolute trust, being able to hand over the back to the other party will definitely fail. Therefore, we need a leader with sufficient prestige to command this coalition army."

"Who is qualified for this?"

"Of course it is Sigismund. After all, in theory, all of our Italian states are subjects of the Holy Roman Empire. If Sigismund is not willing to lead us to confront Mayouf, then we will withdraw from the empire collectively." threaten."

Although Sigismund had just suffered a big defeat, he can fully reason that it was a crime other than war.If it weren't for the incompetence of the navy, if it weren't for the Mulhollan people not talking about martial virtues and using secret weapons, the Eastern Crusaders would have taken Tunisia by now.

In addition, His Majesty the Emperor did lead the Eastern Crusaders to a brilliant victory before, so even if he is now lingering in Tripoli, he still has a certain appeal among the small Italian states and grassroots soldiers.

"By recruiting scattered remnants, now His Majesty the Emperor is in Tripoli, and gathered about [-] crusaders. Among them are [-] Italians, [-] Germans, and [-] Aragonese. After a rest, this group of people It still has some fighting power.”

"The Aragonese will also join our alliance?" Giovanni wondered.

"Alfonso V is obsessed with the throne of Naples. I don't believe he won't take the bait. However, as long as we can force Ma Youfu to forgive the debt, if Alfonso V wants to continue to fight against the other party for the succession of the Naples throne, then no It's none of our business."

It is indeed a coup to draw Sigismund and the Aragonese into the anti-debt alliance.

The crusaders at Tripoli, together with Aragon's garrisons in Sicily and Sardinia, would add 3000 men to the Union's available strength.

The total force is estimated to exceed [-].

Can such an army not take down little Naples?

Giovanni looked at his father, who was gradually getting more energetic, and his brother, who was getting more and more excited when he talked, but still frowned.He summoned up the courage to interrupt the conversation between the two, and said: "Father, brother, I heard that the French saint is leading 3 elites to be stationed in Naples. We can really achieve the goal of the war with only [-] people." ?"

"The saint is just a mortal. Since she was able to be captured by the Burgundians, why couldn't she lose to us? The biggest reliance of the French army is nothing but cannons. With the technical level of our northern Italy region, can't we create weapons no less than The opponent's cannon?" Piero said confidently.

Cosimo did not disagree with the opinion of the eldest son who was full of confidence. Instead, he said to Giovanni: "Don't say any more. Your mistake caused the Medici Bank to suffer heavy losses. From tomorrow, go to the Bank of Arezzo. Let the castle rest for a while."

Giovanni knew that this was a signal that he had fallen out of favor in his father's heart and lost his family power.

He had no way to disobey his overbearing father, so he could only nod his head sadly and stop talking.

Compared with his frustrated brother, Piero is very proud at this time.Although the Medici Bank suffered heavy losses this time, he himself took the opportunity to make trouble, making his younger brother completely lose the possibility of competing for the heir of the family.If the battle goes well and the Anti-Debt Alliance can defeat the Duke of Barr, then he, the initiator, will also gain a wave of prestige, which will be of great benefit to taking over the power of Florence in the future.

Piero knew that with his physical condition, he could not be the ruler of Florence for a few years.But if you can pave the way for your son, all the hard work is worth it.

However, although Piero was full of confidence in the future and Cosimo agreed with his decision, the father and son did not know that they had made a huge mistake.

Although the rulers of the generation of the Medici family have won repeatedly in the civil wars that seized the highest power in Florence in the past, and have continued to expand outward after securing the position of the tyrant of Florence, they look very brilliant in this series. Behind their military victories, their lack of military knowledge cannot be concealed.

Cosimo and Piero were handicapped due to gout and basically never went to battle in person.Florence's victories on the battlefield have always come from the mercenary group hired by money, rather than the military talents of the members of the Medici family.

Therefore, although Cosimo was considered to be very resourceful in terms of strategy and diplomacy, he didn't know much about the details of the battlefield confrontation.

The father and son didn't know how powerful the French military generals who had been baptized in the Hundred Years' War were.How powerful is the Provence army that has adopted new equipment and new ideas.

……

Not to mention the Medici father and son who stayed in bed with illness and discussed various countermeasures.

In this financial turmoil that has affected the entire Italian region, although many people have suffered serious losses, there are also some lucky ones who have benefited from it.

Sergian and Cacciola from Naples are two of them.

The financial product "Hermosa Blessing" they bought from St. George Bank is now increasing in value at an extremely high rate.The wealth at hand is steadily rising, and the two of them have already begun to consider buying a property in Florence.

After all, in Naples, which is relatively backward, where is the prosperity and development, especially Florence, which is developing rapidly in the field of literature and art, attractive?

On this day, Sergian and Cacciola, led by Jacob, visited a manor outside Florence.

The estate originally belonged to a Florentine banker.During the previous financial upsurge, the other party mortgaged all their property and went to St. George Bank for a loan to purchase jihadi bonds.

After the bond storm, the bankrupt banker took a deep leap and jumped into the Arno River, leaving his young and beautiful wife to face huge debts alone and shed tears all day long.

Although the banker's loan has not yet expired, the man is dead now, and his widow is unable to repay the loan, so sooner or later the manor will be taken back by the St. George Bank and then resold.

Jacob's task today is to sell the manor to Sergian and Cacciola.

After issuing a large amount of loans, St. George Bank did not have much liquidity on hand, and needed to withdraw part of it to maintain daily operations.

After arriving at the destination, the two felt a little familiar after seeing the words "Teleni Manor" on the house number.

"By the way, what's the name of that unreasonable fat man who received us at the Medici Bank earlier?"

"Looks like Luca Terene."

Sergian and Cacciola immediately looked at each other and smiled.

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"Sergian, can't you show your sympathy? Although the fat man is greedy, unreasonable, cunning, and arrogant, he is obviously just a commoner, but he dares to rely on the support of the Medici family to show us nobles High-spirited attitude. But he was also a poor man who broke his fortune and lost his life."

"Cacciola, I know what you're thinking. You do have more sympathy than I do. And you want to dedicate all your sympathy to Luka's helpless widow, right? ?”

The two exchanged words, and under the leadership of Jacob, they began to visit the manor.

After a tour of the vineyards and olive groves, Jacob led the two into the main building.

"Gentlemen, this three-story mansion was designed by the famous humanist art master Timoteo. It is completely different from those cold and depressing Gothic buildings. The decoration design and furniture in the house are of the highest quality... ..." Jacob gave them a detailed introduction to the house.

"The hostess here probably hasn't moved out yet, why is it so deserted?" Cacciola asked.

"Yes, the Tereni family's loan has not yet expired, so the ownership here still belongs to Ms. Julia de Baldi, Mrs. Luca's widow. In order to save money, she dismissed most of the servants. In the manor Only a coachman, a cook, and a maid remained."

"Baldi? I remember the wife of the tyrant of Florence, whose surname is Baldi. It turns out that Ms. Julia is also from a famous family." Sergian sighed.

"Yes, sir. Your news is really well-informed." Jacob said with a smile, "It's just that Ms. Julia is from a branch of Baldi's family..."

"I understand, a concubine who is not valued in a wealthy family. Otherwise, the Baldi family would not marry her to a small citizen." Cacciola curled her lips, still not forgetting to mock the drowned ghost Luca. identity.

"Three gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to Terene Manor, please visit as you please."

Just as the three of them were talking about the hostess of the manor, the real master appeared.

Looking at the woman in front of her with black and beautiful long hair, who has both a pitiful girlish temperament and a bit of a mature charm, Kaciola and Sergian had an idea in their hearts at the same time: that fat man who is enviable!If he didn't commit suicide by jumping into the river, he would die on this beauty's bed sooner or later!

Seeing the two men staring at her, Julia blushed slightly, and said in a sad tone: "Two noble gentlemen, if you are willing to show some mercy to me, a helpless woman, with a relatively normal If you buy this manor at a reasonable price, instead of trying to lower the price by all means, I will pray for you in front of the Seven Saints every day."

"We are going to buy this manor, and we are also buying it from St. George's Bank. What does the price have to do with you?" Sergian wondered.

"You two noble gentlemen, that's the thing." Julia looked at Jacob, "This kind gentleman promised that if I would honestly perform the loan contract left by my deceased husband without causing any trouble, then he 5.00% of the income from the sale of the manor will be given to me as a resettlement fee."

Jacob shook his head again and again, as if he wanted to shake his big nose: "No, no, madam, I have explained it to you many times. It is not my promise, but the regulations of St. George Bank. To be precise, it is The benevolent Duke of Barr, in order to avoid the financial turmoil caused by the jihad bonds and cause too many derivative family tragedies, the special policy adopted..."

From an emotional point of view, although those speculators ruined their families because of their greed, it is their own fault.But it is very inhumane to sit back and watch the implicated family members, especially the elderly and weak, women and children, also be implicated and fall into a miserable situation of abject poverty.

From the ruler's rational point of view, it is very wasteful to allow a large number of high-quality people to fend for themselves after being deprived of all their property.

In Europe, where the impact of the Black Death is still in progress and is still in a slow recovery period, population is the most precious resource.After Ma Youfu completely won the Crusade, he will need a large number of European immigrants who believe in the Seven Saints as a basic base to consolidate his rule in the Maghreb.

Most of those who went bankrupt or even committed suicide because of investing in jihadi bonds were wealthy people with little spare money.A jihad bond worth at least fifty gold coins is not something that civilians can buy.

Judging from the level of education and health, these people and their families are undoubtedly high-quality population.

The resettlement fee that Julia mentioned was not a direct cash payment, but a consumption quota.

She can choose the goods she needs from the shopping list listed by St. George Bank.There are everything from houses and land to daily necessities such as pots and pans, and even funeral services and skills training.

After selecting the required products, St. George Bank will directly debit the placement account, and then pay the money to the designated merchants who provided the products.