Why is Pastto so happy? He was not only happy because he could catch local farmers as cannon fodder to replace them mercenaries. In addition to this reason, going to the local village to catch the people can also make a fortune.

The so-called "making a fortune" actually means robbery. The city of Naples is the capital of the Kingdom of Naples, and the surrounding villages are naturally thriving. Because, in the villages around the city of Naples, many peasants went to the city to work and do small businesses, and they had much more spare money than peasants in other places.

Italy's economy was far more prosperous than its contemporaries, when serfdom was still dominant in the German countryside. In the countryside, there are hardly any yeoman farmers to be seen. In addition to the lords of the manors and serfs, the extra population often flocked to the cities or docks to work.

Italy, on the other hand, has had a strong commercial atmosphere since the early Middle Ages. Moreover, it was the birthplace of the Renaissance, where people were more open-minded and economically prosperous. In the Kingdom of Naples, yeoman farmers were abundant. Moreover, many farmers in Italy, on the premise of serving their own land, will often go to the city to do odd jobs or do some small business. Therefore, the looting of Italian villages, especially those outside the capital city of Naples, was definitely more oil and water than the looting of villages in the German region.

As an Italian, Pasto is well aware of the economic situation in the villages surrounding Italian cities. Therefore, going out to arrest people this time is definitely a beautiful difference......

It is said that this time Louis XII attacked the city of Naples because he was running for the purpose of ruling the kingdom of Naples in the future. Therefore, he did not ransack local villages and towns before. After all, make a good impression on the locals.

Of course, compared to victory, a good impression or something is secondary. That's why Louis XII allowed Pasto to be used as cannon fodder......

Pastor and his men ransacked twenty or thirty villages in one fell swoop, capturing 4,000 local farmers. Of course, he and his men also had pockets full of money.

After sending the captured 4,000 strong men to the camp, Pasto took his subordinates with bulging pockets and even large bags on their backs, and went to a small camp outside the main camp. There, it was the camp of Genoese merchants......

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It should be pointed out that because the army fought wars in this era and robbery prevailed. Therefore, every time the army is dispatched, there will be traders who take the initiative to follow the army. On the one hand, they provided some necessities for the soldiers; On the other hand, and their main purpose, is to sell the stolen goods for the soldiers after the robbery......

The profit from selling stolen goods is very high, and in addition to coins, many things that mercenaries have stolen will not be carried with them because they are inconvenient.

Therefore, they usually find the stolen goods that they have snatched at a low price. At this time, it was the gluttonous feast of those military traders. Often, a piece of artifact will be frantically lowered by the military traders, at most half the price is recycled, or even less than one-third of its own value......

As for those mercenaries? Sorry, I can't help it. Because, these traders who can follow the army have the support of generals behind them. They made a lot of money by selling those stolen goods, and they also had to spend a lot of money to honor those generals. Otherwise, with the virtues of those soldiers and ruffians, it would be strange not to beat them to death......

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In fact, this was not only the case in the West, but also in ancient China. The most famous is that when the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs, they automatically followed the Qing army south to burn and loot the Jin merchants.

When the Manchu Qing Dynasty first rose, they often entered the customs to rob. However, after they had robbed a large amount of gold and silver, they were unable to enter the customs and spend their normal expenses. Therefore, at that time, some Jin merchants led by traitor merchants such as Jiexiu Fan Yongdou became the target of their stolen goods.

After the Qing army officially entered the customs, it still continued the style of burning, killing and looting. Because, in the final analysis, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was a poor government outside the Guan, and there was no money to pay the soldiers. But the poor have a trick to be poor, so the Manchu court thought of a way - as long as you take any place, you will burn and loot it...... In this way, the Qing court did not have to bear much food, and it could also stimulate the bestiality of the soldiers by burning, killing and looting, making them bloodthirsty and cruel......

However, they can't take the goods they have gained from burning and looting with them, right? Especially some large belongings, it is impossible to carry them with them. After all, the Qing army can't stop advancing.

Therefore, at that time, such a group appeared-the merchants who followed the army......

Of course, these military merchants are not all Jin merchants, but they are indeed mainly Jin merchants. They drove mules or wheelbarrows and followed the Qing army south. The Qing army slaughtered all places with butcher knives in hand, and they were mainly responsible for buying back the stolen goods at a low price after the Qing army burned and looted. Then, wipe the blood off those stolen goods and find ways to sell them for a huge profit......

It is said that after the "Ten Days of Yangzhou", many merchants who accompanied the army were overwhelmed. After all, Yangzhou was a metropolis at that time, and the Qing army burned and looted the loot and how much? Therefore, a group of Jin merchants who accompanied the army became developed, and even simply washed their hands in the local area, and later became Yangzhou salt merchants......

The fact is that the salt merchants in Yangzhou in the early Qing Dynasty were mainly Jin merchants. Because, the locals in Yangzhou have been killed...... It was not until the middle and late Kangxi Dynasty that Huizhou merchants, who were not far from Yangzhou, gradually poured into Yangzhou, which had restored prosperity, and became the dominant salt merchants in Yangzhou. After all, the world is too peaceful, and the Jin merchants who started by selling stolen goods with the army have no advantage......

In later generations, every time Ma Lin saw the Jin merchants on TV, he couldn't help but sneer - Nima coins, there were few good people in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties...... Because, Ma Lin himself is a native of Yangzhou......

However, their descendants tried their best to whitewash their ancestors, and almost blew the Jin merchants into heroes for the country and the people. However, from ancient times to the present, how many businessmen have a conscience? If you can endure not to make a fortune, you can be regarded as a good person among businessmen...... The disgusting degree of these people is no less than that of Hong Chengchou, the descendant of the dog traitor, who turned Hong Chengchou's former residence into a patriotic education base......

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Of course, the European mercenaries of this era, like the Qing army, were not a good thing. Robbery or something, that's commonplace. And those merchants who accompanied the army also knew this, so they were also happy to help sell the stolen goods with the army.

Even, in addition to the military merchants who help sell the stolen goods, the mercenaries will be followed by a large group of female branch girls who accompany the army. These female branch girls who accompany the army will also help the mercenaries cook when they are fine. And when the mercenaries ransack a certain place, the business of these female branch girls comes......

The mercenaries can't save money, and with the exception of some mercenaries who are old enough to support their families, most of them spend the money they have stolen on two things - wine and finding a female branch girl......

For example, this time, after Pasto's men and horses ransacked twenty or thirty villages, not only the merchants whose main business was to sell stolen goods were excited, but also the women who accompanied the army. They began to hide in their tents to freshen up and apply inferior fat powder to their faces in an attempt to attract the mercenaries who had money in their hands......

During the day, the merchant camp outside the large camp was filled with the noisy sound of soldiers and accompanying traders haggling. At night, the camp is filled with the screams of the female branch girls as they "go to work" to earn money......

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