Why did Marin help the French? There are two main reasons - the first is naturally that the French are afraid that the French will not be able to fight well in the early stage, so that they will give up the Italian hegemony.

Don't look at the fact that the French can easily use tens of thousands of troops, but the combat effectiveness of the French army is really not too strong. If it is a decisive battle in the field, the French may be quite powerful by relying on the advantage of knights. After all, 20,000 French knights rushed up and shook the mountains absolutely.

However, if the French laid siege to the fortified fortress defended by the Spaniards, it would be fatal......

The Spaniards because of Gonzalo. Morality. The relationship of Córdoba, a famous general, attached great importance to the use of muskets. Today, Spain has a standing army of more than 10,000 people in the Kingdom of Naples, with 2,500 authentic Mushkert muskets.

These 2,500 arquebuses, if they were in a decisive battle in the field, might be a little overwhelmed in the face of 60,000 French troops. However, if it is used to defend the city, it is extremely powerful!

Once, in the original history, during the siege of Vienna in 1529, the Austrians successfully held the gap in the wall opened by the Ottoman Turks with 74 arquebuses, and withstood the attack of the Ottoman Turks' 100,000 troops......

Therefore, the Spanish Neapolitan defenders, with 2,500 arquebuses, were extremely capable of defending the city. The premise is that there is plenty of ammunition......

Now, according to the information obtained by French agents in Spain, in order to suppress the Moroccan resistance, the Spaniards used most of the gunpowder on the Moroccan battlefield. So, on the side of the Kingdom of Naples, gunpowder was not sufficient. Even if the Spanish defenders there had 2,500 arquebuses, they would be like burning sticks if they didn't have enough ammunition.

As long as the Spaniards did not replenish the garrison of the Kingdom of Naples with enough gunpowder, the French would definitely be able to defeat the Kingdom of Naples by virtue of their numerical superiority. Subsequently, the tug-of-war between France and Spain in Italy could unfold smoothly.

If Spain had succeeded in repelling the French army from the beginning, it would have been impossible to talk about dominating Italy. Therefore, Marin, out of self-interest, had to support the French in the early stage. Of course, it is covertly supported......

And the second point is that Marin wants John. Rafite, a spy under his command, was able to gain the favor of Louis XII and enter the core aristocratic circle of France through this offer. Then, find a way to reach out to the woman Margaret of the Tudor family......

The so-called "Henry VIII" that this woman "gave birth to" was too great a challenge to Edward's legitimacy. Of course, Marin did not care about Edward's life or death, he was worried that his son Caesar would be challenged by this so-called "Henry VIII" when he became king of England in the future.

So, no matter what, Marin has to find a way to get rid of Margaret of Tudor and her so-called "son". Marin didn't know that "Henry VIII" was an impostor, but even if he knew, he would get rid of it. Because, even if it is an impostor, it can have a big enough impact. After all, the French supported him......

But the woman Margaret of the Tudor family was too cunning and cautious, hiding behind the army all day long, and the house was surrounded by French soldiers, and Marin's people could not do it. The only chance is probably when the woman is on her way out.

However, in order to get the woman's travel arrangements, it is necessary to blend into the inner circle of the French aristocracy. Only in this way can we obtain more accurate information.

So, Marlin let John. Lafite offered Louis XII a plan, in addition to helping France gain a first-mover advantage at the beginning, that is, he hoped that John would be able to gain a first-mover advantage. Raffi took the opportunity to infiltrate the inner circle of the French aristocracy, making it easier to obtain information about the woman and make it easier for the Assassins in the North Sea Kingdom to do it...... In this way, it can be regarded as "killing two birds with one stone"......

The strategy given by Marin is naturally no problem. John. After Lafite entered the palace and presented this plan to Louis XII, Louis XII was really "happy" and was impressed by him. Then, John. Lafite, an outsider, finally obtained access to the inner circle of the Kingdom of France......

……

At this time, the Spaniards did not know about it. Of course, the Spaniards did not have time to take care of the European side at this time. In addition to continuing to suppress local revolts in Morocco, the most discussed issue in Spain is the gold of the Zimbabwean Empire......

This is because there is exciting news coming back from Mozambique - the colonizers there have successfully come into contact with the people of the Zimbabwean Empire. Moreover, in exchange for a lot of gold and copper ore.

This news greatly stimulated the Spanish government and opposition. Looking at the buckets of golden sand that were brought back, only greed remained in the eyes of the Spanish monarch......

Speaking of which, Spain's actions against the golden country of Zimbabwe can be described as twists and turns. At the beginning, according to the map given by Marin, the Spaniards easily found the mouth of the Saavi River in the east of Zimbabwe in Mozambique, south of Mozambique, and built a castle at the mouth of the Savei River.

Subsequently, the Spaniards sent people deep into the interior several times to find a way to Zimbabwe, the golden country.

It is a pity that their arrival caused strong resentment among the locals and Arab merchants......

The locals were dissatisfied because the Spaniards had seized their land and wanted to drive them away. And the Arab merchants were dissatisfied, and it was even simpler - they realized that the Spaniards had come to steal business......

In the past, Arab merchants traded with Zimbabwean merchants in exchange for cloth and glass from the Persian Gulf region for the abundant gold sand, ivory and copper ore in Zimbabwe.

Now, the Spaniards have come and not only built castles, but also explored the trade of Sands, doesn't this clearly show that they want to steal business?

Therefore, the Arab merchants who came and went here quickly colluded with the local blacks in Mozambique and began to act against the Spaniards.

As soon as the Spaniards left the castle by the river, they were attacked by the local blacks. With the support of Arab merchants, the indigenous blacks, who had been able to use sharpened sticks as javelins, suddenly had crossbows to use against the Spanish colonizers......

If it's fine in the plains, the Spaniards don't have vegetarian muskets. In close combat or something, the Spanish spearmen taught the local indigenous black people to be human in minutes.

However, when they entered the rainforest, the Spaniards were immediately blinded......

Those local indigenous blacks, taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain of the tropical rainforest, occasionally let go of cold arrows and ran away. The Spaniards didn't dare to catch up even if they wanted to, and who knows if there were any traps waiting for them?

In this way, for several years, the Spanish colonizers' efforts to penetrate deep into the interior were frustrated. In addition to being harassed by the local black natives, there was another problem that plagued the Spaniards - the problem of transporting supplies......

The Sawe River is about 644 kilometers long, and the Zimbabwean Empire is located near the source of the Sawe. As long as you follow the Sawe River, you can naturally find the Zimbabwe Empire.

The problem is that the Sawe River is only 160 kilometres downstream. After 160 kilometers of the estuary, you will encounter waterfalls with a large water level difference, making it difficult for boats to navigate.

But disembark and walk the riverside rainforest...... The cold arrows of the natives really can't deal with it......

Moreover, without the transportation of ships, the supply of materials is also a big problem. The mules and horses brought from Spain were not adapted to the local climate and frequently fell ill. At the same time, the Spanish colonizers themselves were often plagued by poisonous insects in the rainforest, and there were many deaths and injuries.

If you go along the land along the river, there is no means of transportation adapted to the local climate, and the supply of supplies for the colonial team becomes a big problem.

It wasn't until an idea from a colonial official transferred from India that the problem of material transportation was solved......

Gonzalez, a colonial officer who had worked in Calicut, India, proposed that elephants from India could be used to carry supplies and facilitate the advance of the team...... Because, in India, he had seen Indians use elephants to carry supplies and shuttle through tropical jungles......

The suggestion was very constructive, and then the bold governor really got a couple of elephants from the Indian side. After a test, it was adapted to the tropical rainforest climate. Moreover, each elephant can carry a lot of goods. In this way, the problem of Spanish transportation in the rainforest was solved. Then, it was the successful contact with the Zimbabweans and the exchange for a lot of sands, which caused a sensation in the Spanish government and the public...... In short, the attention of the Spaniards was drawn to Zimbabwe's gold......