Why did Marin think that Goodendorff could be bought? Because the intelligence collected by his spies showed that Gudendorff himself, as a Swa, had a good opinion of the Habsburgs. Moreover, the reason why he fought as a mercenary was actually to revitalize the family and restore the glory of the Lai Chengen family.

At present, Goodendorff is only left with the title of baron, and the family domain has long been lost by the ancestors, and even the ancestral castle has been sold.

Therefore, the reason why Gudendorff fought in the north and south and fought to earn money in these years was that he hoped to save enough money, and then buy a fief with the princes of Swabia as the foundation of the Lechengen family.

If you want titles and fiefs, who would have an emperor in the entire Holy Roman Empire who is more qualified for rewards? Don't look at Maximilian I who was poor, but the most he could give was a title and land.

If it was an earldom or something, Maximilian I might not be able to give it. However, a barony or something, Maximilian I had. After all, a barony, with only 10 small villages, can almost do it. And Maximilian I, who owned large tracts of land in Austria and the Netherlands, could still do it if he gave some land.

Moreover, Goodendorff still has a big problem at the moment, that is, he is 50 years old, and he has no legal heirs as heirs......

It's not that Goodendorff didn't have a son, but his only son died unexpectedly five years ago, leaving no heirs. Subsequently, Goodendorff's wife also died of grief. After that, Goodendorff had no legitimate heirs, and neither did his daughter.

However, Goodendorff still has three illegitimate children! It was the child of Goodendorff and the daughter of a merchant, two boys and one girl, both young. The eldest son, Denton, is 18 years old and is currently following Goodendorff in the mercenary army, accumulating enough prestige in order to take over this mercenary army in the future.

Why did he let Denton inherit his mercenary group? Because, this is the only possibility for Denton, who is an illegitimate child, to become a nobleman!

If nothing else, let's just say that the famous Sforza family in Italy was originally just a peasant family. But with the mercenaries in their hands and the daughter of the Visconti family, the Sforza family became the ruling family of the Duchy of Milan. Although the French were not convinced, they robbed the Duchy of Milan many times, but this was indeed a shortcut to becoming a nobleman!

If you have soldiers in your hands, you will find a monarch to make war achievements in the future and become a hereditary nobleman!

……

It was precisely because Marin knew about Goodendorff's idea that he felt that Goodendorff could be bought. Goodendorff tried so hard just to seek hereditary nobility and fiefdom for his illegitimate son.

Perhaps, this is difficult for ordinary people, but for Maximilian I, who has the title of emperor, it is simply a piece of cake. Moreover, as the Holy Roman Emperor, the nobles canonized by Maximilian I were the most authoritative in the entire HRE region. Even the princes who hated the Habsburgs had to recognize the legitimacy of the nobles proclaimed by Maximilian I. The nobles of the emperor's title are imperial nobles, not comparable to the nobles of ordinary vassal states.

For example, Marin's Grand Duchy of the North Sea, the canonized earls, leaving the Grand Duchy of the North Sea, it is impossible for everyone to think that they can be on an equal footing with those counts who are princes. Because, this is the self-appointed aristocracy of the princes, and they are naturally a head shorter than the nobles of the same rank recognized by the empire.

But the nobles canonized by Maximilian I, the emperor, are different, as the emperor of the HRE, the nobles he canonized are not only common to the entire HRE Empire, but also recognized by the whole of Europe.

France, for example, could not recognize Maximilian I as Byzantine Emperor, but they could not fail to recognize him as Holy Roman Emperor. As the Holy Roman Emperor, the nobles canonized by Maximilian I were not only recognized by the HRE, but also traveled all over Europe. The exceptions, of course, are pagan Turkey and the Orthodox Grand Duchy of Moscow......

As long as it is a Catholic country, the nobles canonized by Maximilian I, who has already been crowned emperor, must be recognized.

Of course, this is the canonization of titles below the earl, and Maximilian I can come as he pleases, and everyone does not care. But if it comes to the level of an earl, especially a count at the level of a prince, this requires the recognition of the princes of the Imperial Council. However, Maximilian I canonized a landless count, but it did not need to be recognized by the Imperial Princes' Court. The meaning of the existence of the Imperial Princes' Court is to verify the identity of the princes. For example, at the beginning, it took a lot of effort for Marin to be accepted by the Imperial Princes' Court and become a recognized Imperial Prince.

But Goodendorff is different, his son Denton is only an illegitimate child, and it is very difficult to even become a nobleman, and the starting point is lower than Marin's original. After all, Marin was a legitimate child, a son of a nobleman who was unanimously recognized.

And Goodendorff's son, Denton, is just an illegitimate child with no identity and no rights. If you want to become a nobleman, it is much more difficult than Marin.

For Denton, who has no status, it is good luck to be able to mix with the title of knight, and it is simply unimaginable to become a baron......

……

Therefore, Marin sent a direct message to Maximilian I, suggesting that he send someone to secretly contact Gudendorff, promising to ensure that his illegitimate son would inherit Gudendorff's baronial title and give him a fief as his barony. In this way, you will be able to win over Goodendorff. Not to mention that Gudendorff can immediately turn against the French, but at least it can make Gudendorff "contribute to the attack on the Müstur Valley......

As long as the Müstair Valley is not breached, then Switzerland is safe, and so are the Habsburgs......

……

But unexpectedly, Maximilian I was a dead brain, and he refused to give the barony titles and fiefs easily, and was only willing to canonize Denton as a knight of the fiefdom......

This is how Maximilian I sent someone to contact Goodendorff, and Marin also received the news......

Sure enough, Goodendorff was unhappy that Denton was only being canonized as a knight of the minced estate, and planned to refuse Maximilian I's woo. After all, Goodendorff didn't want his grandson to become a commoner.

……

When Marin learned the news, he was furious. He immediately wrote a letter, and the flying pigeon passed the book to Maximilian I.

This time, the tone of Marin's letter was rather unceremonious, almost making Maximilian I angry......

In his letter, Marin pointed out that Maximilian I clung to the dogma of the past and took the title too seriously. For example, Frentzberg, obviously he can be made an earl for his military exploits, but he is still only a baron, and he is not even a viscount (deputy earl).

Moreover, this time the conditions opened by Maximilian I were also stingy. For a big guy with 16,000 mercenaries, he was only willing to give the title and territory of the knights of the miners.

In his letter, Marin bluntly pointed out that if Goodendorff attacked with all his strength and invaded Switzerland, the army of Vrenzberg could be destroyed. When the time comes, not to mention Swiss soil, the enemy may even take the opportunity to invade Austria proper. Without Austria, Emperor Maximilian I might not have been able to hold his position......

Marin also pointed out unceremoniously that the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was nothing more than an honorary position, a hypocrite, and had no real power. Therefore, it is only right that the Habsburgs occupy more territory. If Switzerland is not saved, the Habsburgs are likely to be doomed. Compared with the future of the family, a mere baron is a P. If they were reluctant to have a baronial title and that bit of land, the Habsburgs might as well have withdrawn their troops from Switzerland and retreated back to Austria. That way, I can keep my old ......

……

These words were too blunt and directly hurt the self-esteem of Maximilian I. But after the exasperation, Maximilian I sadly discovered that Marin was right. If the Habsburgs were completely defeated on the Swiss battlefield, not only would they not be able to keep Switzerland, but the enemy could even take advantage of the situation to invade Austria itself. When the time comes, it will really outweigh the losses......

So, after much thought, Maximilian I finally stopped being stingy on this point and agreed to canonize Goodendorff's illegitimate son Denton as a baron and give him a certain fief. Anyway, if Switzerland is kept, the barony can still be squeezed out.

Moreover, if Denton became a vassal of the Habsburgs in Switzerland. Then, Goodendorff's 10,000 men will stand firmly on the side of the emperor and help him defend Switzerland......

……

It's just that Marin didn't expect that this incident would open the mind confinement of Maximilian I and discover a new world. Then, His Majesty the Emperor was out of control. It is true that he has no money, but later, relying on wholesale barons and baronies, he actually won over many thugs and successfully gained a foothold in Switzerland...... Of course, that's for later......