The day after his return, Marin suddenly remembered that the Venetian general Niccolò had said that 20,000 mercenaries in Switzerland had been hired by a mysterious employer.

This matter wanted to be a mystery, because Niccolò's people didn't even find out who hired the 20,000 Swiss mercenaries. You know, if the French hire Swiss mercenaries, there is no need to keep it a secret at all. Because, the cooperation between the French and Switzerland is an old relationship, and there is no need to hide it from others at all.

Therefore, these 20,000 Swiss mercenaries must have been hired by other countries. But why keep it a secret? It can be seen that the employer is planning a shocking action. You must know that 20,000 Swiss mercenaries can fight a war to destroy the country.

"Is it the Duchy of Godwes?" Marin suddenly remembered the Duchy of Gedus, which was fighting against the Saxon coalition.

However, soon Marin himself vetoed the idea. Why? Because the Duchy of Guedes did not need to hire 20,000 Swiss mercenaries at all. With tens of thousands of troops in its own right, and thousands of Swiss mercenaries already employed, there was no need to hire another 20,000 to easily defeat the Saxon coalition.

Besides, the cost of a Swiss mercenary is not cheap, three times that of the average mercenary. The average mercenary is paid 3 pfennigs per day, while Swiss mercenaries are 9 pfennigs. Hiring 20,000 Swiss mercenaries costs 180,000 pfennigs, or 3,000 gold coins, a day. In a month, it will cost 90,000 gold coins. After a few months of fighting, the cost will reach hundreds of thousands of gold coins......

Although the Duchy of Guedes was relatively wealthy, it had an army of 10,000 men to feed, and it did not have the financial resources to hire another 20,000 Swiss mercenaries.

So, Marin is a little confused. But soon, he decided to send a spy to Switzerland to find out the news.

It just so happened that the first batch of students of the spy school had already left the mountain, and a few people could be sent to Switzerland to find out the news. If they can't find out, they can kidnap powerful figures and use torture to extract confessions.

To this end, Marin wrote a letter to Schwartz, asking him to mobilize the special forces led by Cage and cooperate with Kohler's spies to go to Switzerland to find out the news. Kohler's spies are mainly responsible for inquiring about information, while Cage's special forces are responsible for kidnapping Swiss dignitaries who know the news, and can even torture them to obtain information......

……

A few days later, news came from Spain that Isabella I had died......

The news was that the Holy See had arranged for spies in Spain to be sent back by land, through France. As one of the great European powers, it was normal for Julius II to pay attention to the news from the Spanish side. In particular, the enemy of Julius II - Caesar. Borgia is still alive and well in Spain. Therefore, both the Holy See and the Rovere family have spies arranged in Spain.

Upon learning of Isabella I's death, Marin sighed and then breathed a sigh of relief......

Isabella I is arguably one of the most outstanding queens in European history, even more so than Queen Elizabeth I of England. Although, Elizabeth I was more capable of governing personally. However, Elizabeth I's vision was not as long-term as Isabella I's. Moreover, Elizabeth I's influence on later generations was far less than that of Isabella I.

You must know that when Isabella I first financed Columbus's voyage, she almost sold jewelry and belongings through gritted teeth, which was considered a private sponsorship. Neither her husband Ferdinand II, nor the parliament of the Kingdom of Castile, approved the plan and were unwilling to provide money. Therefore, to finance Columbus's voyage was actually to use the Queen's private money.

Without Columbus's voyage to the west, there would have been no rise of the Great European Voyage. Therefore, Queen Isabella I is a strong woman with a great vision and pioneering spirit.

In Spain, in the combination of two royal couples, it was not the husband Ferdinand II who acted as a think tank, but the wife Isabella I. Ferdinand II, although very capable, was more manifested in the ability to execute. Many of Spain's decisions were actually advocated by Isabella I, and then Ferdinand II was responsible for implementing them.

Even the several political marriages that had a great impact on Europe were also decisions made by Isabella I. For example, the marriage with Portugal almost unified the Iberian Peninsula. And the marriage with Austria, in the original history, there was a monster that swept across Europe, the union of HRE and Spain, an existence that struck the whole of Europe......

It's a pity that the union of HRE and Spain only existed during the time of Charles V, and when Charles V died, the two families separated. Otherwise, this powerful dynasty will continue to sling all of Europe.

Of course, it is no wonder that in history, Charles V also wanted to pass everything on to his son Philip II. It's a pity that the princes of the HRE don't do it......

You must know that during the period of Charles V, if it weren't for the struggle for hegemony with the French, the hard fight with Ottoman Turkey, and the religious wars, which consumed too much energy of Charles V, maybe Charles V would have been able to clean up all the great princes of Germany, and then establish a hereditary Habsburg Germany.

Fearing that their authority might be deprived, the German princes decisively chose Charles V's younger brother Ferdinand I as Holy Roman Emperor, forcibly splitting the Spanish Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.

It was precisely because of the German princes' own interests that they broke up this powerful union. Since then, neither Spain nor Shinra has the strength to beat France, but has been cut off by France Alsace and Lorraine.

Once, Marin saw "The Last Lesson" written by the Frenchman Dude and was moved. But in reality, Alsace has always been a German-speaking region, even in the century. The so-called Alsatians described by Dude as being forced to abandon French in favor of German do not exist at all. Because, the locals all speak German. Except for the French who emigrated, they will think like the book describes. But such people are very few in Alsace. Therefore, Dude's "The Last Lesson" is actually a very shameless political propaganda article, which is complete nonsense.

However, in our Chinese textbooks, this article is regarded as a classic...... Well, whether it is the translator Hu Shi or the person who chooses the language of this article, they may not know much about the history of France and Germany, so they regard this text as a good article.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the defeat of Germany in both world wars. The French were the victors and, of course, vigorously propagandized their ideas. Just like if Japan had won the victory, perhaps our school textbooks would have described the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere......

……

The death of Isabella I represented the death of Spain's pioneering spirit. Although Ferdinand II was talented, he did not have a long-term vision and was entangled in the struggle for hegemony in Italy.

As for Prince Juan, who is still alive now, he is usually close to Ferdinand II. Of course, it was also greatly influenced by Ferdinand II. As a result, Prince Juan also seems to be more interested in continental issues......

And Prince Juan's wife, Margaret, although very talented, is a strong woman. However, her heart is still very biased towards Austria. Therefore, she would also encourage Prince Juan to help the Austrians and the French in the confrontation.

Marin had dealt with Prince Juan and found that the man was easy-tempered, but not assertive, and easily influenced by his father and wife. Therefore, when Ferdinand II hangs, Prince Juan will definitely be the next Tang Gaozong Li Zhi - a king who is swayed by his wife......

Of course, now that Isabella I is dead, soon, Prince Juan will be crowned king of the Kingdom of Castile......

After the death of Isabella I, Spain will usher in a new era of father-son rule...... 8)