The death of Bishop Conrad caused great chaos in the city of Münster. Many of the clergy were shocked by the way Bishop Conrad had died—in the nun's belly......

Of course, the priests were not too shocked or angry. Because, in this era, it is the most corrupt period of the church, and there are all kinds of dirty things. Even the pope has mistresses and illegitimate children, let alone bishops? If the church hadn't been too corrupt, the Reformation wouldn't have happened.

It's just that it's really shameful that Bishop Conrad died directly on the nun's belly. Therefore, the deacons of Münster Cathedral ordered the news to be blocked, except that Bishop Conrad had died of a sudden illness. Otherwise, the church will lose face. If this matter is to spread, it is estimated that the prestige of the church will be greatly damaged among the people.

Because he was busy covering up his ugliness, no one thought of going to self-study to investigate the cause of Bishop Conrad's death. Otherwise, there will always be a little clue. And this is also the reason why Marin is plotting against Bishop Conrad like this - he is sure that the church will not investigate the matter in depth in order to cover up the ugliness. Just like in later generations, if a thief steals money from a corrupt official, the other party will definitely not dare to call the police. Because, when he called the police, he himself was unlucky first.

Just as Marin expected, Bishop Conrad's death was covered up. The monks of Münster Cathedral hurriedly buried the "cool" Bishop Conrad, and did not prepare any solemn funeral.

Then, the Rietbergs were dumbfounded......

They were not saddened by the death of Bishop Conrad, the earl's own brother, but because they didn't know where Conrad's treasure worth 400,000 gold coins was hidden......

Then, John I, Count of Rietberg, in the name of mourning, personally rushed to Münster with his guards to find Bishop Conrad's former cronies and find out the whereabouts of the treasure.

However, someone did it before he did it—Marin's men had already mutinied, taken control of Münster, and captured several of Bishop Conrad's cronies......

Previously, there were two main armies in Münster - 2,000 mercenaries recruited by Bishop Conrad from outside, and a feudal army of 80 ecclesiastical knights.

But what Conrad didn't know was that the leader of this 2,000-strong mercenary group, Ghershey, was simply a spy under Kohler. Even, most of the officers of this mercenary group formed by Gelsy are spies of the North Sea Kingdom.

Marin has long been in Münster City, waiting for the future when Münster City is recovered, he will be able to receive it smoothly. So, he asked Gellsch to form a mercenary group, deliberately approaching him, hoping to accept the employment of Bishop Conrad.

Then, Gelsch's mercenary group, at a relatively low commission, won the contract to defend the city of Münster. But Bishop Conrad did not fully believe in Gelsch, so, in the city of Münster, there was a feudal army of 1,600 men led by 80 church knights, which served as Bishop Conrad's hole cards. At the same time, it is also a containment of Gelsie's mercenary group, so as not to be attacked by it.

However, Bishop Conrad's previous betrayal of the manor of the 80 Church Knights broke the hearts of the 80 Church Knights. In the immediate aftermath of the death of Bishop Conrad, Gersch secretly interviewed the leaders of the 80 betrayed Church Knights and secretly reached an agreement with them......

Gersey then ordered the city to be taken under control and its gates closed, while the 80 conscripts of the Church Knights, who had been used as a counterweight to the mercenaries, did not react - it was clear that an agreement had been reached.

Marin sent someone through Gersch to tell the 80 Church Knights that if they wished, they could officially take refuge in the North Sea Kingdom. At that time, the North Sea Kingdom will recognize the nobility of their knights. Then, make other arrangements for them.

These 80 Ecclesiastical Knights have actually lost their official status as Ecclesiastical Knights since the Episcopal State of Münster was given to Marin by the Holy See, and have been reduced to the status of "temporary workers". After all, the Bishopric of Münster, to which they once swore allegiance, no longer exists, and their status as ecclesiastical knights is naturally gone. That is, they are not currently aristocrats, but temporary workers attached to Bishop Conrad. As a temporary worker, you can be abandoned at any time. This time, for example, Bishop Conrad abandoned them and allowed the coalition forces to sack their estate.

In response to Gellsch's solicitation, 80 ecclesiastical knights deliberated and decided to wait and see for the time being. After all, they didn't know the truth that Marin wasn't dead, and they thought Marin was dead. Therefore, they are not too optimistic about the future of the North Sea Kingdom. But now, no one else accepts them. So, the knights chose to wait and see and be neutral. They chose silence rather than cooperation with Gellsch's control of the city of Münster.

But they didn't know that their choice had led to a change in their future situation - after the war, they were all sent to the Americas to fight the natives. And if they choose to help at this time, they have a chance to stay in their homeland...... Of course, that's for later......

……

After Gersch took control of the city of Münster, he quickly captured several of Bishop Conrad's cronies during his lifetime. Then, after intense interrogation, the location of the treasure of Bishop Conrad was finally found - Bishop Conrad buried the treasure in a manor on the edge of the Münster Canal, so that it could be transported by water......

Then, with a group of reliable men and an overseer sent by Kohler, Gellsch dug up the treasure in a humble manor on the banks of the Münster Canal and quietly transported it back to Emden by boat.

……

On the side of the Eight-Nation Alliance, since the death of Bishop Conrad, John I's already lowest position in the Eight-Nation Alliance has been even lower. Even, at the regular meeting of the princes, the Earl John I had no right to speak.

Moreover, Charlie, Earl of Geldon, suspects that the 400,000 gold coins promised by Bishop Conrad may not be fulfilled (which is indeed the case). Faced with Count Charles's doubts, John I, Earl of Rietberg, pretended to be calm and boasted that the money had long been shipped back to Count Rietberg. In this way, the other princes did not kick the Rietberger out of the game.

……

In order to ensure his position in the coalition and maintain his position as the "victorious power" in the future, John I, Earl of Ritterberg, became more concerned about sacking the North Sea State.

When the princes met to discuss the next course of attack, John I proposed:

"Why don't we march south of the Lipper River!"

The so-called south of the Lipper River, later known as the Ruhr region, was also a very important area for Marin. Of course, because Marin has not yet come up with honeycomb coal and steam engines, the importance of the Ruhr area has not yet been highlighted.

"Marching south of the Lipper River? What is the rationale? Henry, Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, asked with a frown.

You must know that the Ruhr area is the latest to be subsumed under the Beihai State, and the degree of development is not very high. It is said that there are no fertilizer processing plants, and the value is far less than that of East Friesland, Oldenburg, and West Friesland, which were first developed.

John I explained:

"Yes, my lords, I also know that the provinces of East Friesland, Oldenburg and West Friesland are much richer and more prosperous. However, have you ever thought about it, there is still the First Army in East Friesland, and it is very difficult to mess with. And although the provinces of Oldenburg and West Frisland also have money, no one competes with us! ”

After saying that, John I pointed to the map and said:

"Look, my lords—the only neighbor of West Friesland is the Bishopric of Utrecht, and it is unlikely that they will send troops to invade West Friesland. Because, even if the Episcopal State expands its territory, it is not hereditary. Therefore, the Bishop of Utrecht certainly does not want to be troubled. Oldenburg, too, is bordered by Bremen to the east, East Frisland to the west, and only to the southeast is the territory of Lord Henry (Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg). So, no one in Oldenburg grabbed us either. As for East Friesland, let's not talk about it, it was the location of the First Army. Although the armies of our 8 countries are not afraid of opponents, it is also a hard bone, and there is no need to gnaw it so early. ”

"So, no one is grabbing West Friesland and Oldenburg, and East Frysland is a hard bone, so we don't need to grab it so early."

After a pause, John I pointed to the map again:

"It is the territory of the North Sea State south of the Lipper River, and it is surrounded by three powerful neighbors: the Duchy of Cleaver, the Duchy of Berg, and the Archbishopric of Cologne."

"If we do it too late and go to gnaw on the hard bone of East Friesland first, it is very likely that these three countries will take advantage of the opportunity. Well, now the Duchy of Berg and the Duchy of Cleaver are one and the same. Moreover, the land east of the Rhine, south of the Lipper River, and north of the Ruhr River was originally exchanged by the Duchy of Criver for the North Sea State. If they take advantage of the opportunity to take back the land while we go north, and we want to take it back, it will be difficult......"

"Therefore, I suggest that the area south of the Lipper River be sent first, especially the area south of the Lipper River, east of the Rhine, and north of the Ruhr River, so as not to be taken back by the Duchy of Cleaver!"

The other seven princes discussed with each other and agreed with John I's statement. If they are preempted, although they are not afraid, they are also not willing to provoke a strong enemy and make a futile accident. After all, the Archbishopric of Cologne is not easy to mess with, and the Duchy of Cleaver now unites the Duchy of Hulich and the Duchy of Berg because of the marriage, and its strength is also very strong, so it is not easy to mess with. The best option is to strike first. So, the army was assembled and went straight south, straight to the Ruhr area......