King of Mercenaries Chapter 197

Published at 14th of June 2023 05:21:50 AM

Soon after, Marin took 1,000 soldiers and boarded dozens of fishing boats. Under the **** of three warships, he hurriedly crossed the English Channel towards Cork, Ireland.

If it had been changed before, Marin would not dare to walk such a large fleet on the English Channel so aggressively. However, things are different now.

Before His Majesty's ships passed the English Channel, they had to be careful, because they were afraid of getting the attention of the French and were intercepted. However, right now, not long after the death of the French king, there is chaos in France, and the forces of all parties are secretly fighting. Who cares about the English Channel?

也是 The British side is the same. Henry VII just packed the fake Richard last year. The country is also maintaining stability now. He has no intention to pay attention to anything else, but the situation is better than France.

So, Marin's fleet was sailing in the center of the English Channel, leaning towards the French side ...

However, when passing through the Calais (British occupation), Marin passed at night in order to avoid British attention. Because the British now claim that the island of Ireland is British territory. Wouldn't it be provocation to Henry VII if Britain knew it was going to seize Cork?

It all went well, and Marin fought a French flag to confuse merchant ships in the English Channel. Sure enough, British merchant ships, although puzzled by the Frenchman's launch of such a large fleet, did not take it seriously. After all, the British couldn't control what the French wanted to do.

As for France, the country is in a mess, and no one can verify whether the fleet is really the French fleet ...

That's it. After more than ten days, the fleet led by Marin arrived in Cork smoothly without causing doubts along the way ...

However, Marin's fleet entered the Lee River from Cork Bay during the day, and was just seen by women who picked wild vegetables out of the city. Therefore, when Marin's troops completed the landing, Cork City had already closed the gate and made a defensive posture.

But Marin did not control the people in the city for the time being, but sent 100 cavalry to land first and went to several roads north of Cork city to intercept all the people who went north.

Because, Marin was worried that people in the city would go north and wanted Morris, Earl of Desmond, for help. But in fact, the people in Cork City did not trust Morris and did not send people north for help. Although no one was intercepted for help, Marin entrusted the 100 cavalry to be scattered on the roads in the north of the city to ensure that the news was not leaked.

Then, Marin slowly swarmed Cork with 900 infantry ...

Cork's city walls are tall and sturdy, and Marin looked at them. Even if the defenders are all old men, if they want to attack, they will lose a lot. After all, you have to climb up the wall. The old men may not be able to beat you, but you can still push you down from the wall.

Moreover, once bleeding, Marin's relationship with the people in the city will become tense. After all, blood feuds are difficult to resolve. Marin thought about it and decided to use a milder approach ...

On the first day, Marin divided the army into three parts, stationed in the north, west, and south of the city (the east of the city is the Li River, and the people in the city ca n't run away without sending troops). People in the city.

Over the head of Wucheng, a hundred local veterans looked at the Marin army who were building camps there leisurely, and some looked at each other. It seems that the other party came to camp, not to fight.

However, after feeling the wind direction, Marin let the military camp in the west of the city drift a little south ...

Why did you do that? Because at this time Cork prevailed in the southwest wind, Marin set his main camp in the southwest direction of Cork City, which is the upper wind of Cork City ...

After the camp was repaired, Marin instructed the cooking team to set up a cauldron and start cooking on the fire ...

Obviously, Marin will use the aroma of food to seduce people in Cork ...

According to Kidd, Cork City has been out of food for several months. Right now, people in Cork City are eating edible wild plants, tree bark, and grass roots.

The siege of the city of Marin actually cut off the way for the people in the city to dig wild vegetables, leaving the people in the city hungry. At this moment, he also let people upwind, set up a large pot to cook meat-clearly want to choke the people in the city ...

Sure enough, when the aroma of the spice broth was fragranced in the direction of Cork City, the 100 old men who were standing at the head of the city drank the aroma while spitting ...

Then, Marin also let everyone run below the city wall, where the bows and arrows cannot reach, the upwind mouth of Cork City, eating and drinking happily, but also let the Cork people on the city see and smell ...

Holding the dried wild vegetables in his hands, the old men on the city's eyes were red with jealousy ... You know, the wild vegetables they ate were dug out by the women in the city and then distributed to them ...

On the first day, there was nothing wrong, and the next day, Marin continued to raise the cauldron and boil the broth. Then, he also found a group of Frisian sailors to let them out of the city's bow and arrow range, while drinking the broth, sipping the bread, while praising the deliciousness of the food in Frisian ...

However, Marin did not attack the city. A siege battle made Marin a food show for the hungry people in the city ...

On the third day, Marin removed an old-style rock throwing machine from a battleship (Friesland warships belong to old-style warships, with artillery and rock throwing machines), and placed it under the city ...

The old men on the head of Tancheng were nervous, thinking that Marin was finally going to attack the city ...

I didn't expect that Marin did not fire a stone bomb, but put a few pieces of black bread into a leather bag and threw it on the wall through a stone throwing machine ...

Looking at the pieces of brown bread in the leather bag, the old Cork men on the city face looked at each other—what is this about?

At this time, the people of Cork are already hungry. Marin's two-day blockade, for them, is equivalent to two days of wild vegetables. Even the old men who are defending the city can only be eaten half full if they are given priority to wild vegetables ...

Looking at the brown bread that I felt uncomfortable before, the old men around the leather bag suddenly felt hungry ...

Then, a few loaves of bread were "snapped" by a dozen old men in this leather bag ...

Finally, on the fourth day, Marin felt that the people in the city should be very hungry. So he sent someone to use the earth trumpet and started shouting to the city:

"Residents of Cork City, we are your friends, and come to discuss cooperation with you. Ladysand folks, open the door, we are good people!"

Marin looked at the sailor shouting in Frisian, and suddenly wanted to laugh. Although this shout was designed by him, why does it sound so funny? In particular, the last sentence, "We are good people," sounds like a good card to yourself ...

"Ladysand folks, open the door. As long as you open the door, our meat and bread here will be distributed to you, so that your family is full ..."

Uh ...

"We don't want to do anything, but you send a representative to negotiate ..."

Uh ...

Then, the shout on the fourth day had no effect. Because the people in the city did not believe that Marin was really good. If you are a good person, what are you doing with thousands of people around the city?

Alas, on the sixth day, the people in the city were too hungry ... because the wild vegetable reserves were used up ...

In desperation, the people of Cork City recommended a clan named Locke, put down the hanging basket, and let him negotiate in Marin's barracks ...

Marin personally received the clan elder, but did not rush to negotiate, but first invited him to eat a large bowl of braised pork and a large bowl of pork rib soup ...

If it wasn't for Marin to stop it, the old man who was hungry for a few days would probably die because he couldn't control his mouth ...

After starting negotiations, Marin expressed his willingness to control Cork City. However, Marin also said that on the surface, Cork is still an autonomous city, and the mayor is also recommended by the city. However, Marin would expel a political representative. Every document signed by the mayor must be submitted to this administrative representative for review in advance ...

Locke understood that Marin wanted to secretly control Cork City. Locke has read books and was a member of the McLaren family, one of the original 15 largest families. He knew that Marin had taken the status of Cork City Trade Center and wanted to make money through Cork City.

Although, I was very unhappy. However, Locke can't help it. Because there is no army in Cork City, it is impossible for the 100 old men to beat Marin's thousands of soldiers. If it is hard to resist, not to mention that you can fight too much, even if you are out of food, starvation can starve the people in the city ...

Thinking here, Locke no longer struggled with the question of surrender, but began to fight for greater benefits for the people in the city ...

For example, Locke demanded that after Marin's army entered the city, people should not be robbed. Their 15 big families, although all the strong men are gone, are still a bit of a family member. If Marin's army is a detail, they'll have nothing.

For this, Marin naturally agreed. He originally wanted the port of Cork, not the rare money of the people in the city. Moreover, the 15 largest families, although still have a little family, but not many.

Because when I first followed the fake Richard, the 15 big families had already taken out most of the many years of old books to support the fake Richard, just for the countless countless count ...

Therefore, grabbing is not necessary for Marin. Moreover, he wanted to occupy the city of Cork for a long time, and his relationship with the locals was too bad and bad, so as not to run into an uprising or something later.

Marin fully agreed to Locke's request, but he also proposed that not only the mayor will be 傀儡, but also the financial officer of Cork City, but he also directly appointed instead of local elections ...

This is the core. Once the trade resumes in Cork City, the taxes will definitely be generous. Who controls finance is the core of Cork City ...

According to the tradition of Cork City, the finance officer is also elected by the citizens. However, Marin is not a fool. I am a conqueror. I wo n't rob you, and let the finances go. Is n't that a fool?

Although Locke was unwilling, there was nothing he could do-the situation was better than people ...

After returning to the city, Locke summoned the elders of various ethnic groups and announced Marin's conditions. The clan elders were very unhappy at first, but when they saw the hungry children crying, they were still a little soft-hearted ...

Finally, Locke returned to the city and asked Marin to immediately distribute food to the people in the city. Marin naturally agreed, because he had brought a lot of food with him, and he had already prepared it all.

But before the city gate was opened, several clan elders came down from the hanging basket and started to talk to Marin about the last important issue-the taxation of the citizens in the city ...

Marin thought for a while, but did not answer immediately, but asked how taxes were collected in the city before ...

After the old people in the city described the original tax collection method in the city, Marin was a little bit stricken-originally, the residents of the medieval autonomous cities (which are very different from the lord cities, which are set by the lord) do not pay taxes Only pay a limited municipal maintenance tax. When a tax increase is needed, a municipal council is also convened to vote on whether to increase the tax. Such tax increases are generally unconventional tax items such as war taxes ...

"Nima, no wonder the kings of the Middle Ages were very poor, so they rushed for this tax. The autonomous cities basically gave no money to the king ... No, this is not in our interests ..."

Marlin thought for a long time, and finally added a tax item to Cork City-personal income tax ...

Of course, this personal income tax has a lower limit. For example, the poor who earn no more than 2 pence a day are not subject to personal income tax. However, once this figure is exceeded, the excess will be subject to 10% personal income tax ...

Originally, Marin wanted to set a 20%, but now the taxes in European cities are so low, it will be temporarily ignored. In fact, European citizens were spoiled because they were accustomed to low taxes, and when kings demanded a tax increase for war, they would resist. Charles I and Louis XVI were both cut off because of tax increases ...

So, Marin is not planning to have a high tax rate for later generations, but he is going to take it slowly. Moreover, he has not formulated a detailed city tax plan yet.

However, during the negotiations, when Marin raised this tax requirement, he was opposed by the elders. This is because these ethnic groups are all wealthy people and are covered by the personal income tax.

But Marin did not give in. If you give in this time and want to do it next time, it will be difficult ...

The old people of the Dai ethnic group returned to the city in anger, but the people in the city couldn't bear the hunger, and many people began to eat soil. Even the grandchildren of the clan began to cry hungry ...

After a long day of puppetry, under the persecution of the people in the city, the clan elders were finally forced to accept Marin's conditions ...

As for why they accepted these conditions, it was actually that Marin sent a horn of soil to shout to the residents of the city. When most people heard it, they had to pay more than 2 pence a day to pay taxes. It didn't matter to them ...

Moreover, Marin also asked his men to shout that as long as an agreement is reached, meat and bread will be immediately supplied to the city residents to ensure that everyone is full ...

As a result, hungry people surrounded the homes of several clan elders, forcing them to agree to this condition ...

In order to survive, people even issued death threats to these ethnic groups ...

In desperation, several clan elders from wealthy families had to agree with Marin's conditions. But when signing the agreement, Marin silently added a clause-the city's patrol (police), which was also under the administration of his administrative representative. In other words, the local mayor has no armed forces.

In this way, the garrison and patrol of Cork City are all Marin people. As Mayor of Puppet, there is no force to resist.

In the future, Marin also intends to vigorously promote the prohibition of guns in Cork City to prevent citizens from acquiring weapons. As a result, citizens have even less power to resist.

Moreover, Marin had planned for a long time, no matter the garrison in the city or the patrol, no locals were used. In this way, once the people in the city are in trouble, there will be no incident of the army going into trouble.

Like the French Revolution, during the citizen revolution in Paris, it would be difficult for citizens to occupy the arsenal unless the army refused to fire and faced down.

Marin sent troops to Cork City, basically all Germans ~ www.novelhall.com ~ they are impossible to follow the local artificial counter. This way, he doesn't have to worry about being revolutionized ...

After signing the agreement, Marin officially took over the authority of Cork City, and temporarily appointed a more educated Buckman knight, led 500 soldiers stationed in Cork City, protected the security of Cork City, and was responsible for local security . At the same time, Buckman was a trainee knight and also served as the first Marin stationed in Cork City to supervise Mayor ...

As for the tax officer, it needs to be appointed separately. In the past two years, Kohler seemed to be on Texel Island, and received a few disciples to teach them to settle accounts. It seemed that there was a young Frisian in it. Frisians use Frisian to communicate with local English-speaking English and Irish people. It is more convenient to send them over to take over local tax collection matters.

Although the kid is only 18 years old, there is no way. Marin is extremely lacking in talent now, so he has to let such young people take the lead ...

After holding a simple city dedication ceremony, Marin and his men arrived in Cork City and began to distribute food ...

The people in Wucheng are so hungry that they want to come, they went directly to the food distribution point set up in Marin, and almost stomped. Fortunately, Marin's army was powerful enough to calm down in time ...

After eating and drinking, the city settled down quickly. Besides, Marin's army has entered the city, relying on the 100 old men in the city, they can't find the waves ...

Uh ...

In this way, Marin did not use force, and only through food temptation, he "captured" the severely lack of food in Cork and controlled the largest port in Ireland ~ www.novelhall.com ~ Welcome the book readers to read, the latest The fastest, hottest serial works are at ~ www.novelhall.com ~ Please read for mobile users.

Chapter end