Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

The ransom price he offered to Albrecht was [-] livres.That's a lot of money, but it's also very reasonable.

King John of France was captured by the Black Prince Edward, and the British ransom was 400 million kronor!

The average ransom for those captured French dukes was more than 1 pounds.

As the designated heir of the Grand Duchy of Austria, Albrecht is very likely to become the son-in-law of Emperor Shinra, and the ransom of [-] livres is not outrageous.

The Habsburg family who received the news did not bargain.However, they actually wanted to use a bare duke title as a ransom of [-] yuan, which is like a white wolf with empty gloves!

Chapter 160 Equal ransom

Aware that Yofu Ma's expression was not right, Marcus hurriedly defended the bid: "Mr. Marquis, His Majesty the Emperor thinks that a noble duke title is absolutely worth [-] gold coins. What's more, the title of Duke of Lorraine is not comparable to ordinary dukes. You become Duke of Lorraine, and you have a legitimate claim to all the fertile lands along the Rhine, from Verdun to Aachen, from Metz to Antwerp. When the princes of the empire have disputes, he will remain permanently neutral."

Marcus is clearly avoiding the real and making the false.What's the use of making more claims after getting a polished title?

It can also let the brother-in-law of King Charles VII of France, René I, who bears a bunch of names such as "King of Naples, Duke of Anjou, Duke of Barr, Count of Provence, Count of Piedmont, King of Jerusalem", etc. will belong to the Duchy of Lorraine. Territory surrendered?

Or let Philip III, who is now a close friend and loyal reader of Yof Ma, the Lord of the Lowlands, who has an 85.3% probability of becoming his father-in-law, give him all the territories except Burgundy as his daughter's dowry?

One of these two dear friends is "Good King Rene" and the other is "Good Man Philip", but if you really think that they are good friends when it comes to their core interests, then they are not far from death.

Even if it is to recover the homeland of the Principality of Lorraine from the broken Shinra little lords, it is not so easy.

Of course, Yoof Ma has considered so many difficulties, it does not mean that he is not interested in the title of Duke of Lorraine, but wants to lower the price severely.

After expressing his doubts, Ma Youfu said: "Mr. Marcus, if you are willing to reduce the price of the title of the Duke of Lorraine to ten thousand ducats, then I can accept this transaction."

This cut directly to one-tenth of the price made Marcus shake his head.He looked embarrassed: "Master Marquis, your bid is ridiculously low. A duke title should never be so cheap. Back then, His Majesty the Emperor sold the title of Marquis of Brandenburg to the Hohenzollern family at an asking price. But 40 Gulden gold coins—this is due to the preferential price given by the Hohenzollern family who have always supported His Majesty's acquisition of the throne. A marquis is so expensive, and a higher-level duke only costs [-] gold coins. It is a very rare opportunity to get it.”

The original intention of the title of Brandenburg was to protect the northern frontier of the empire and fight against the pagan pagans on the Baltic coast.

Therefore, the Marquis of Brandenburg, like the Marquis of La Manche of Mayouf, has a strong color of the military commander of the border region.

The implication of the other party is roughly: A title equivalent to your current main title will cost 40 yuan.Then for a higher-level duke title, if it only sells for [-] yuan, it’s already a broken bone. You Sirisians should do it for themselves and don’t haggle about the price.

However, Ma Youfu will not be easily fooled by the other party, and immediately retorted: "The Hohenzollenzo family bought not only the title of feudal marquis for 40 yuan, but also the corresponding territory! In addition, they also became emperors Hou, since then he has one of the seven votes that can determine the ownership of the emperor. Such rights and actual benefits are only worth 40 yuan, how can a mere title of duke be comparable?"

Seeing that his flickering didn't work, Marcus changed his words in order to avoid angering the Seris, who had achieved great achievements in a short period of time, and said, "Mr. Marquis, the price of the title of duke can be negotiated again. Albrecht The amount of ransom is huge, and it is difficult for us to raise it as soon as possible. Apart from cash, are you interested in other physical objects or assets?"

The Fugger family's main business today is physical textiles and mining, and has not yet set foot in the financial business, so it is difficult to raise a huge sum of [-] gold coins in a short period of time.

But looking at Marcus, it seems that he is very urgent to redeem Albrecht as soon as possible.

However, Ma Youfu did not play with the means of raising the price and delaying the time.Because time is equally precious to him.Being able to get the money as soon as possible, expand the strength, and deal with the upcoming Paris battle is the top priority.

So he nodded and said, "Weapons, armor, grain, cloth, and even raw materials such as wood and minerals can all be used to pay off debts."

After getting an affirmative answer, Marcus bent down and took off his hat, gave a salute, and left.

He needs to contact the Habsburgs and His Majesty the Emperor as soon as possible to continue discussing the ransom issue.

……

Amidst the sucking sound of "tsk tsk", Yofu Ma, who was lying on the bed with a large font, was flipping through the report prepared by Vera.

According to the opinions she received from professional scholars at the Burgundian court, the title of Duke of Lorraine sold by Sigismund not only had legitimacy, but also had a very high gold content.Billernet I now has the title of Duke of Upper Lorraine, derived from the Count of Metz, covering a wider range of claims.

Of course, the premise of everything is that your strength can stand, and this title can be recognized.

Today is not the era when wealthy businessmen of later generations can spend money to buy titles, and in the eyes of traditional aristocrats, "ceremonies and music have collapsed".Even though there have been frequent transactions of noble titles, buyers are generally nobles, and there is no such thing as a "class jump".Otherwise, even if you, a nouveau riche, rely on money to buy titles and make the leap from the third class to the second class, no aristocrat is willing to intermarry with you, and you will still be a nouveau riche who cannot integrate into the aristocratic circle.

But Yoof Ma is different.

First of all, he came from Seris, the wealthy and civilized El Dorado in the eyes of Europeans, the ideal country in everyone's imagination.

The old Nanjing sun and moon flag is born, and he is naturally higher than the vulgar Europa barbarians.

And through his real achievements, he has won two titles, and he has money, food and soldiers, and he is also a spellcaster.There are probably less than ten people in Europe who have the strength to look down on him.

The advantages of winning the title of Duke of Lorraine will outweigh the disadvantages - provided that the price does not exceed [-] ducats.

The remaining ransom, according to Vera's distribution, is divided into three parts.

One is cash, a total of [-] ducats.

The second is the supplies that can support the next Paris campaign, worth [-] ducats.

The third is assets.Vera prepares to take over two mines of the Habsburg family in Switzerland for Yof Ma.These two mines mainly produce iron ore, and there is also a small amount of associated mithril, which has important strategic value.

It's just that the Swiss dwarves are in an uprising, which has caused the mine to be half-stopped and unable to make ends meet, which has become a burden for the Habsburg family. That's why Vera dared to propose to win two mines with a mere 20 ducats. [-] years of management rights.

"Yes, you did a good job, Vera. For the next negotiation, just follow your plan." Youfu Ma nodded.

After the sound of "Boom", the dark elf girl slid up from between Yofu Ma's legs like a water snake.

"Since that's the case, my lord, how should you reward me? You know, I've been busy all over the lowlands during this time..."

Looking at the girl's eyes mixed with desire and loneliness, Youfu Ma could only do his best to feed her.

Chapter 160 Two Competent Secretary

After letting the maid outside the room blushed all night, Yofu Ma woke up at noon the next day, full of energy and relaxed.

After all, he has never tasted meat since he set out for Ghent, and the fiery solicitation and flattery of the dark elf girls, naturally to the last drop.

But after enjoying life, the business still has to continue.

The next day, Mayof continued negotiations with Marcus.

The latter used the communication technique overnight to discuss a new plan with the Archduke of Austria and Emperor Shinra, so after lunch, he immediately came to see Yofu Ma.

"Lord Marquis, His Majesty the Emperor agrees with the price you offered. He can grant you the title of Duke of Lorraine as a deduction for the ten thousand ransom."

"Very well, with this good start, Mr. Albrecht must be able to return to Vienna as soon as possible."

"But we have one condition." Marcus added, "I hope you can cooperate with us to release some news. It is emphasized that the reason why Albrecht was captured was that after a heroic battle, in order to take care of the overall situation, the confrontation suddenly appeared. The devil was attacked by a sneak attack."

Youfu Ma chuckled softly.

It seems that Albrecht is really valued by His Majesty the Emperor, and he does not hesitate to fabricate lies and maintain his prestige and personality.

But what does your Habsburg affair have to do with me?

Ma Youfu directly refused: "As long as my reputation is not damaged, I can have no opinion on the remarks you spread. But if you want to rely on lies to make that dragon prince into a pious and brave, reckless in order to fight against the devil, and finally regretted defeat and captured The tragic hero, if you want me to cooperate, you will have to pay more."

Marcus looked embarrassed.

To collect a ransom of [-] yuan to take Albrecht away in a short period of time has already stretched the Habsburg family’s finances. How could it be possible to add more money?

So he simply made a haha ​​and skipped this matter.

Anyway, Yofu Ma promised not to talk too much, that's enough.

Next, Ma Youfu took out the ransom plan that Vera helped him formulate.After Marcus looked at it, the frown that was originally frowning because of the pressure became even tighter.

"Lord Marquis, you have a great intelligence and business talent under your command. Get a clear picture of the Habsburg family's financial situation and bottom line." Marcus smiled wryly.He pondered for a moment, finally made up his mind, nodded and said, "I agree with this plan."

After speaking, Marcus slumped on the chair, looking like he was completely defeated.

Youfu Ma knew very well: This guy is showing weakness on purpose.

A big businessman who has been in shopping malls and dealt with dukes, emperors, and archbishops all day long, how could it be that the sky is about to fall because of the ransom of [-] gold coins.Marcus put on such an appearance, is to cover up.

To hide the anxiety in his heart, and the desire to complete the handover of the ransom as soon as possible and take Albrecht back.

Originally, the raising and payment of ransoms for nobles was a rather lengthy process that often took several years.The captured nobles, including Albrecht, were often served with delicious food and drink, and their lives were not in danger.

Then there is obviously another reason why the Habsburgs are so eager to bring Albrecht back.

In this regard, Ma Youfu was too lazy to delve into it, but he could take the opportunity to make some requests.

"As for the details of the ransom payment, I also have two requests. First, for the [-] in cash, all I want is Italian gold coins."

Among the several large denomination currencies in circulation in this era, one pound is equivalent to one pound of silver, so it has the highest value and can be set to 9.

Next is the gold mark in circulation in the German region, valued at 7.

There are several remaining gold coins, such as the French Rifle, the Gulden from Shinra and Eastern Europe, the Genovino from Genoa, the Florin from Florence, and the Ducat from Venice , whose value is all 1.

It's just that Riffel and Gulden have a bad reputation because of the casting process and the fact that the lords who have the right to mint often cut corners to mint bad coins for wool.

The Italian states have a stable source of gold because they trade with the Ottomans and the Mulholland people in North Africa all year round, so the gold coins are of the best quality and the most widely circulated in Europe.

Ten thousand ducats, or ten thousand florins, that is ten thousand gold coins.If it is replaced by Gulden, I am afraid it will be discounted to nine thousand.

These little financial knowledge was reminded by Vera panting while she was constantly ups and downs on Yofu Ma last night.

Well, it would be nice to have a capable secretary.

After listening to Yofu Ma's request, Marcus said, "A smart but reasonable request, I agree."

Then, Ma Youfu said: "In addition, the weapons and armor worth [-] yuan in the ransom must be produced by the following three cities: Augsburg, Landshut, Nuremberg. Please don't fool me with shoddy goods. When the time comes, I will send someone to inspect the goods."

Although North Germany still has large swamps and black forests, it is relatively backward and poor, but South Germany is quite prosperous. The weapons and armor craftsmanship of the cities mentioned by Ma Youfu is not inferior to Milan and other Italian cities.

This requirement is a bit strict, but it is not beyond the capabilities of the Habsburg family.After all, the Fugger family, which runs the Swiss mining area, has connections with the blacksmith guilds in various cities.

Finally, after an afternoon of tedious paperwork, the two sides finally reached a ransom agreement.After a sumptuous dinner for the guests, Marcus set off overnight and returned to Austria.

The power of Emperor Shinra, the relationship of the Habsburg family, and the wealth of the Fuerger family, all three-pronged, it took only one week to fully pay the ransom.

Weaponry and cash, will be shipped to Reims immediately.Vera, on the other hand, went to Switzerland with the transfer document of the management right of the mine.Along with him was the shield dwarf Volgar.

With him as a local snake, Vera's resistance to receiving the mine and restoring production will be much smaller.Moreover, after Volgar lost many soldiers in Ghent, he had to return to his hometown to recruit a group of new recruits to join the mercenary group.In the next battle of Paris, he, Charles VII's favorite mercenary general, must not be absent.

On the other side, Albrecht, who was freed, wore a silk uniform and walked out of the manor mansion where he had been imprisoned for less than half a month.

Not far away, Marcus Fugger, who was standing beside the carriage, couldn't help but nodded when he saw Albrecht, whose temperament had become restrained and soft.

I hope that His Royal Highness the Dragon Prince will grow up after this experience of being a prisoner.

"Marcus." Albrecht walked to the carriage, a little ashamed to look at the Habsburg financial steward.

Marcus didn't talk much, just handed him a letter sealed with gold paint and said, "Your sister wrote everything in it. After reading the letter, I hope you will cheer up as soon as possible and help the family get through this time. crisis."

Chapter 160 The Third Civil War Is Imminent

"The family is in crisis?" Albrecht's expression changed.

"Time is running out, get in the car first. You'll know when you read the letter." Marcus opened the car door and got in the car first.

Albrecht followed, and before he could sit still, he could not wait to tear open the envelope.

"Dear brother, pray to the seven saints, and may St. Joseph bless us. I already know your situation, brother, your performance this time is disappointing. Your fault is not in failure, but in always blindly following superficial instructions, You have never had your own opinions, which is very different from your heroic and decisive image on the battlefield. Without your own decisiveness, you cannot lead your family forward as a qualified lord..."

The first half of the letter is both rebuke and instruction.Albrecht did not feel unhappy because his sister's words were euphemistic and subtle. Instead, he was very grateful that his sister could bluntly point out his shortcomings.

Of course, this younger sister, who is known as "gathering all the wisdom and essence of the family's blood", has a mysterious origin and has a special position in the family, and even her father should be respected accordingly.