In fact, Prince Sigismunt did not know that he had walked around the ghost gate. Had it not been for the timely expression of fear and shock, Marin felt that he had been bluffed, and that perhaps he would have died of assassination after leaving East Friesland.

Prince Zygmunt is a smart man, and after seeing Marin's great strength, he actually gave birth to the idea of "hugging his thighs". He has not yet been identified as the crown prince of Poland and Lithuania, but has an advantage over his brother Vladislas II.

After all, the change of positions of the Polish king and the Grand Duke of Lithuania was strange - it required the election and confirmation of the great nobles......

In this respect, Poland and Lithuania are very similar to those of Germany. The German king was also elected, but after Charles IV issued the Golden Seal, only seven electors were left with the right to vote. But in Poland and Lithuania, the dukes and counts of the powerful faction can vote.

Out of the need to protect their own rights and interests, the great nobles of Poland and Lithuania certainly did not want the monarch to be too powerful, lest they be deprived of their autonomy like the great French nobles. Therefore, Prince Sigismunt had an advantage in the election over his brother Vladislas II.

But what the final result will be, Prince Zygmunt has no idea in his heart. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable, who knows who those big nobles will vote for in the end?

Therefore, Prince Zygmunt actually needs the support of his allies as well. What he needed most was to win over the great Polish and Lithuanian nobles.

Prince Zygmunt was a very capable and intelligent monarch. Otherwise, he would not have bribed the Crimean Khanate of Montgogire Khan in 1512 to make the Crimean Khanate army attack the Grand Duchy of Moscow and successfully break up the alliance between the Crimean Khanate and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

From then on, the Crimean Khanate became a half ally of Poland (historically, the Crimean Khanate did not stop plundering the population of the southern regions of Poland and Lithuania after this war), but after the turn against the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Crimea often invaded the southern part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, so that the Grand Duchy of Moscow needed to dedicate a large number of troops to the southern border, thus losing the ability to concentrate on attacking Lithuania.

Therefore, Prince Zygmunt is a person who is very good at judging the situation. After seeing Marin's strength, Prince Zygmunt took a moment to adjust his mood, and then, with a smile on his face, as if he owed someone money, came up......

"Second Brother......

"Poof-" Marlin squirted out a mouthful of milk tea......

In the West, there are very few words about calling the second uncle. However, the Lithuanian side dealt with the great powers of the Golden Horde, and knew a little bit of oriental customs, which could be expressed in the form of phrases. Marin understood, but also squirted a mouthful of milk tea, which happened to be sprayed on Prince Zygmunt's clothes......

However, Prince Sigismunt's face did not change, as if he didn't feel it, and continued to smile all over his face, almost like Marintaus:

"Second uncle, you see, I am just a prince with a little future, and if I marry Anne in the future, I can't treat her badly......" Prince Zygmunt said with a pretentious expression.

"Stop—just say whatever you want!" Marin couldn't stand Prince Sigismunt's sudden cheapness. At the same time, he also admires this guy, for the sake of benefits, knows how to be flexible, and is a talent.

"I know a little bit about my uncle's and aunt's thoughts. However, it is not yet known whether I will be the king of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania. I would love to become King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and to make Anne a queen. But I lack support right now...... Look, do we want to make an alliance? ”

"Alliance? For now, it's me who simply supports you......" Marin said speechlessly.

"That's right, it's you who support me now, but when I become the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, I can give you back! Poland and Lithuania are also big countries, and there are many places that can support you. ”

Marin nodded, agreeing with Prince Zygmunt's statement. If he had become King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, he would indeed have been a strong reinforcement to Marin. Among other things, diplomatic support alone can fully alleviate Marin's current predicament of diplomatic isolation. Even, the marriage with the Jagiellonian royal family can greatly enhance the influence of the Hoffman family.

The Hoffman family originally relied on Marin's ability to fight, and only then did they build a large territory. But in the eyes of those old aristocrats, the Hoffman family is still a small nouveau riche who can't get on the table. What the? You say you're a bloodline of the former Earl Bullock's family? Don't be funny, the Bullock family was also a frontier chieftain in the eyes of the orthodox German aristocracy......

Therefore, even if Marin's strength is very strong, the influence of the Hoffman family in the aristocratic circle is really weak. This is also an important reason why the elder Hoffman, including Lady Mary, was keen to let his son marry a princess and his daughter marry a prince.

Only in this way, marrying with the traditional old aristocratic family can show that the Hoffman family has stepped into the top aristocratic circle.

When they go out in the future, the old Hoffmanns can proudly proclaim - my daughter is the queen of Poland! Who would dare to look down on that?

In terms of knowledge and practical interests, through the marriage with the Polish royal family, Marin can actually extend the tentacles of commerce into Poland, which has a large area and a large population. For example, the salt trade, and the future sugar trade or something.

In addition, Marin also knew that because there were many feudal nobles in Poland and Lithuania, the number of wandering knights was no less than that of Germany. With the future Polish king and his wife as introducers, Marin wanted to recruit a group of Polish knights to serve as lancers (hussars), and that was absolutely fine. Unlike in Germany, because of the family's reputation, there are not many German wandering knights who are willing to come to Marin.

Thinking of this, Marin nodded and said:

"Well, I agree to an alliance. Just, how can I support you now? ”

"Now? Then support some fertilizer. When I have earned enough money, I will have the money to bribe the great Polish and Lithuanian nobles so that they can support me! ”

"No, even if you have money now, it's not appropriate to openly spend money to buy those big nobles. You know, although Grand Duke Alexander is not in good health at the moment, he is only in his forties after all, and you are openly bribing the great nobles, aren't you looking forward to his early death? What if he supported His Majesty Vladislas II in Poland and Lithuania in a fit of rage? Marin immediately rejected Prince Zygmunt's claims. Moreover, he thinks that the other party is a little too anxious.

Prince Zygmunt thought about it and felt that it was indeed inappropriate to do so, and it was easy to anger his brother. So, he earnestly asked:

"So, second uncle, what do you think I should do?"

"Who is your second brother?" Marin gave him a blank look, but still gave advice:

"Right now, you're really not fit to spend money on it. However, it is okay to enhance the relationship with those big nobles in ordinary times. ”

"And how do I develop a relationship with them?" Prince Zygmunt asked.

"It's very simple, please eat! Have you forgotten my cook's skills? With so many delicious things, it's sure to attract them! Marin said proudly.

Prince Sigismunt immediately nodded violently, indeed, the food in the Marin Palace attracted him deeply, who had always been very restrained, let alone those ordinary nobles.

Moreover, eating and drinking together, although they are friends with wine and meat, they are also friends, aren't they? At least, when you're having a good time, these friends won't deliberately go against you. They often eat and drink with Prince Sigmunt, and at least they owe favors.

Although the life of the nobles was much better in these years, in the early Middle Ages, the kings and nobles of Europe liked to take a large group of people to "patrol" and eat and drink in various places during the harvest season. There are even kings and nobles who die because of eating and drinking......

It's not as exaggerated as it was in the early Middle Ages, but it's a big favor in Europe to invite you to dinner.

As for expenses, Marin promised to give 10,000 yugram of fertilizer every year, which would allow Prince Zygmund to earn hundreds of thousands of more gold coins a year. This money is definitely more than enough to entertain those big nobles for dinner, and there can be a lot of surplus.

Marin's opinion was that after Prince Sigismunt returned home, he would entertain more of the great nobles who had the right to vote to eat and drink and enhance their relationship. Inviting someone to dinner did not touch the sensitive nerves of Archduke Alexander, but it was able to connect with each other very well.

Wait until the Grand Duke of Alexander really hangs up, and then take out a sum of money to bribe the leaders of those important nobles. In this way, the throne will be secured at that time.

At the end of the day, Marin also gave detailed instructions to Prince Sigismunt on how to use fertilizer covertly. This is done by finding a remote manor territory where fertilizer can be used to increase yields. Then, an inconspicuous chamber of commerce was set up to quietly transport a large amount of grain to other places for sale in a dispersed manner, so as not to attract the attention of others......

You must know that in Poland and Lithuania, the royal family cannot cover the sky with one hand, but is only one of the great nobles. If the secrets of these fertilizers were known to those great nobles, they would definitely join forces to force Prince Sigmunt to hand them over. Once fertilizer is popularized, Prince Sigmunt will still make a ghost of money? Food prices must have plummeted......

Therefore, after a thorough analysis, Prince Sigismunt also understood that keeping the fertilizer technology secret was the most beneficial choice for himself. If the fertilizer technology spreads and allows those nobles who are already very strong to get the technology, then their strength will be even stronger. And as the monarch of Poland and Lithuania, the more miserable it will be, and it may even become a puppet altogether......

When he understood these truths, Prince Sigmunt said that he should not only choose a remote manor that does not border others. Even, when fertilizer is used, serfs will be allowed to apply fertilizer at night to avoid being seen by outsiders. In addition, the steward of the manor will also use the most trusted people to avoid the leakage of secrets......

Seeing that Prince Zygmunt was so good, Marin dismissed the idea of killing him, and happily talked to him about Anne's marriage. In this regard, Prince Zygmunt said that he would return to China immediately and seek the support of his brother, Archduke Alexander, in order to marry Anne as soon as possible. And Marin also said that he would give enough dowry to let Anne marry beautifully......