The Rise of the European Emperor

Marin also discovered that the princes and nobles standing at the gate of Worms were vaguely divided into two parts - one part stood beside Frederick III, and about a hundred secular princes surrounded him. Apparently—those were with Frederick III. The other part is mainly dominated by religious princes, but also mixed with a small number of secular nobles. Obviously, this other group of people did not intend to oppose Marin.

There are a total of 210 secular princes in the German region, but 75 of them are imperial cities. Therefore, there are about 135 secular nobles and princes in total.

Of course, among the 135 secular noble princes, in addition to East Frisian, Schleswig and Oldenburg controlled by Marin, there are also some forces belonging to the emperor. In addition, there are powerful nobles belonging to their own systems, such as King Vladislas II of Bohemia and John II, Duke of Clifford. These powerful nobles are powerful in their own right and do not need to form a group with others, but some small princes will depend on them.

Marin was a little depressed, except for Vladislas II and other neutral faction nobles, most of the secular nobles stood on Frederick III's side.

In fact, what Marin didn't know was that the secular nobles who stood beside Frederick III might not have any deep hatred with Marin. However, they also don't like a rising star like Marin holding them down. Therefore, although they are on the side of Frederick III, many of them are mostly to suppress Marin's upward momentum, rather than to completely turn against Marin. Therefore, many of them accepted Marin's gift and promised not to send troops together, but they still stood beside Frederick III and suppressed Marin together. Because, they know, now that Frederick III has been defeated, his strength and reputation have plummeted. If you don't give Frederick III a strong momentum, Marin can't hold back.

Marin also didn't bother to greet the secular nobles who had made it clear that they wanted to oppose him, but it was too rude not to say hello. So, he simply ran to the circle where the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Cologne, and Vladislas II were.

According to his current status, Marin is only a duke, and his status is under the electors. Therefore, he took the initiative to step forward and greet the Archbishop of Mainz, who is the Grand Speaker of the Imperial Parliament. At the same time, also to the Archbishop of Cologne Hermann IV of Cologne, the Archbishop of Trier...well...also called Jacob, and the secular elector Vladislas II, who stood beside the Archbishop Jacob of Mainz. Hello from the world:

"Greetings to you, Respected Archbishop Jacob... well, the two Jacobs...and Respected Archbishop Hermann, and my sincere regards, Your Majesty Vladislas !" Marin humbly bent over to say hello to the neutral three elector archbishops and a king archbishop, in stark contrast to Frederick III who was also an elector. Of course, this was also Marin's intention.

Marin did not forget that Philip, Elector of the Palatine, who was standing closer to Frederick III's gang, also saluted him, but did not go forward. After all, there is a gathering place for hostile forces. Although Marin didn't believe that those princes would have lunatic who would stab him with knives, there was no guarantee that someone would beat him there. So, just don't rely on the past. Apart from a few electors, Marin didn't need to say hello to other princes first. Because he is a duke himself, and his rank is no lower than others. Before His Majesty the Emperor arrived, Marin really didn't need to take the initiative to greet others.

But Frederick III was unhappy in his heart. He was also a dignified Electoral Marquis. Marin paid tribute to the other electors, but he did not salute himself. He clearly looked down on him! The more unlucky people are, the more they care about the attitude of others towards themselves. It just so happens that Frederick III is quite unlucky now, and is naturally extra sensitive. So, he exclaimed in dissatisfaction:

"Some people just lack basic aristocratic recuperation, and they don't even know how to take the initiative to greet higher-level nobles. Hey, yes, they are just a nouveau riche in the noble circle. 11 years ago,

You are still a wandering little knight who is not even a nobleman, no wonder you don’t understand noble etiquette, and your family education is not good…”

Hearing the yin and yang tone of Frederick III, Marin also burst out with an inexplicable evil fire. So, he rudely replied:

"Noble etiquette is only for virtuous nobles. For some shameless nobles, greetings are unnecessary. It's a shame to say a word to such people!"

Frederick III was at the most sensitive moment. Hearing Marin's face-shaming counterattack, Frederick III became furious. So he blushed and rebuked loudly:

"How do you talk? Boy! Don't you even know how to respect the elders at the very least? Is this your tutor?"

Marin also responded unceremoniously:

"Is there an elder like you? It's okay if you can't fight others by yourself. You actually deceive everyone and say that I am the vanguard of the unified will of His Majesty the Emperor? Don't you feel blush when you lie like this?"

Frederick III exclaimed angrily:

"Isn't it? I heard that when you were in Vienna, you slapped the ass of His Majesty Maximilian I, and made some kind of flattering oath. That's why you came from a vagabond who was nothing. A knight, who has become a real knight, barely ranks among the nobles. Is it wrong for me to say that you are the vanguard of His Majesty the Emperor, even a lackey?"

For the sake of Black Marin, Frederick III turned out the old story of Marin's public flattery to the emperor in Vienna. The surrounding nobles listened, and many people cast contemptuous glances at Marin...

Malin blushed suddenly, and he really couldn't refute this. After all, that's what happens in public. He just wanted to refute, but he couldn't...

Of course, when it comes to sophistry, Marin is really not afraid of anyone. After thinking for a while, Marin came up with the words:

"At that time, I was just a mercenary under His Majesty Maximilian I. Is it wrong to be loyal to His Majesty? Dear Elder Frederick, do you think it is a good phenomenon that knights love rebellion? "

Frederick III quickly retorted:

"I didn't say that the knight's rebellion is a good thing, but, you have been loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, that is an undeniable fact! So, I said that you are the emperor's striker and lackey, am I wrong?"

Marin immediately seized the loophole in the other party's words and countered:

"You still know it's 'once'? Once upon a time, the Wetting family was not the ruler of Saxony! Once I was just an ordinary knight, of course, only by fighting for His Majesty the Emperor could I get my salary and status. Otherwise, I have no I live in law. But, having recovered the crown of East Frisian counties lost by my grandfather, I am now a nobleman, just like you!"

"It is said that the 'very wise and wise' Lord Frederick, do you think that I, a prince with my own territory, will support the centralization of kingship in Germany like France? Isn't this making trouble for myself? Is there such a fool in the world?" Marin said loudly.

In fact, this was not only addressed to Frederick III, but also to the princes present. Although the reason is very simple, the princes of this era may not be as literate as the elementary school students of later generations, and they may not be able to understand it. Especially for some nobles who pay attention to force but not cultural education, it is difficult to make them understand things.

Therefore, Marin wanted to take the opportunity to openly fight with Frederick III to clearly tell the princes that I am also a prince who splits the earth and seals the border, and will not do things that make the princes unlucky...

"Perhaps you and His Majesty have negotiated with your Majesty to retain your autonomy as a reward for your help in unifying Germany..." Frederick III retorted dissatisfiedly.

Marin immediately said unceremoniously:

"Why are you so stupid? If the imperial power of the entire empire is really concentrated, how long can my territory remain autonomous? Even if I maintain the right to autonomy all my life, what about my next generation? The next emperor may not be able to marry my descendants. Good. And the unified empire is so powerful that my descendants can't stop the extremely powerful next emperor who has complete governance over the entire empire!"

On the side, the princes nodded after listening to Marin's words. Because what Marin said is really reasonable. If Marin really helped His Majesty the Emperor to complete the true unification of Shinra, the royal family would become stronger, which might not be a good thing for Marin. One day, the emperor's successor will attack Marin's territory. That way, the unification of Shinra can be completely completed...

This mutual confrontation gave Marin the opportunity to explain it publicly to the princes. Moreover, after this mutual confrontation, there are indeed many princes who believe that Marin will not help the emperor to complete the real reunification of Germany. Because that wouldn't be good for Marin himself...