Frederick III, who had returned to the inn to rest, was furious, feeling that his authority had been ignored. However, when he calmed down, he found that he had no choice now.

Because, if Marin is really ruthless and joins forces with the Habsburg army, Basel's 37,000 princes' coalition army is really in trouble. If the coalition of 37,000 princes is wiped out, and all the dozens of German princes who sent troops are captured, then everything will be finished.

Falling into the hands of Emperor Maximilian I, these princes, although they would not die, would certainly be extorted fiercely. It is light to ask for a huge ransom, and the most feared thing is that the emperor may let them cede the land.

The land ceded by two families may not be very large, at most the size of a country. But dozens of princes together, especially if these dozens of princes are still the dozens of worldly princes who are the most powerful in Germany, it is very terrifying. At that time, the territory ceded by dozens of princes may be much larger, or even several times larger, than the existing Austrian Grand Duchy of the Habsburgs.

When the time comes, the Habsburgs will inevitably be like a tiger with wings and a great increase in strength. And in turn, the princes will be weak to the point of reaching the bottom. Then, Maximilian I's ambition to unify Germany may really come true......

If it was only the Habsburgs, Frederick III was not worried. Even if this battle is lost, there are still so many church princes in Germany who have not made a move. At that time, the two sides will go to war in an all-out way, and the outcome is unknown.

But what's worse is that the existence of Marin has made the princes have no chance of winning......

Once Marin's tens of thousands of elite troops of the Beihai Kingdom completely fell to the emperor, not to mention that the 37,000 princes' coalition army was definitely finished. In the future, even if the princes join forces again, they may not be able to win. After all, the combat effectiveness of the Beihai Army's army is not the end of the story.

Last time, the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburg were defeated by Marin when they raised an army of more than 50,000 men. This time, the eight princes sent more than 40,000 troops, but they were also defeated. Moreover, it was defeated by the army of the North Sea State with inferior forces.

Now Marin is heading south with 40,000 main forces, not to mention the 20,000 Habsburg troops south of Basel. But Marin's 40,000-strong army can't be defeated by the coalition of princes......

……

In the middle of the night, Frederick III tossed and turned in bed and could not sleep. He suddenly remembered Marin's words - "It is you who have been getting along with me and refusing to recognize my status as a prince......

"yes, why don't we accept him all the time?" Frederick III thought about the question of descent - Marin came from a humble background. But he also thought about the history of Marin's origins, which seems to have been promoted to the throne by Emperor Maximilian I......

With a humble background and the fact that he was promoted by the emperor, it is no wonder that those veteran princes are unhappy with him. But Marin was right, from the moment he became Count of East Friesland, he was naturally a vassal of a divided territory, and no longer a thug of Emperor Maximilian I. Even, Marin hardly went to Austria to serve and serve the emperor......

In contrast, Frederick II, Count of Hohenzollern, who belonged to the Swabian League, accompanied the emperor in Austria almost every day, managing the army for the emperor......

In other words, Marin did not intend to stay by the side of Emperor Maximilian I to serve him from the beginning, but had already been self-reliant. It's a pity that these princes didn't see it, and they always thought he was the emperor's lackey......

……

Frederick III thought he had seen Marin's position clearly, but he didn't know that Marin's thoughts, as a time-traveler, were not at all something that people of this age could guess.

If he was a native of this era, Marin generally had only two choices - one was to choose to become the emperor's lackey and confront most of the princes of all Germany; The other option is to stand on the side of the princes and confront the emperor. After all, no one wants to be overturned as a puppet...... In any case, as an indigenous, you must always take sides in these two camps......

But where did he think that Marin's soul came from the afterlife that emphasized the equality of all people? Modern people lack reverence for monarchs and princes at all. Especially for traversers, it is easy to treat everyone else as an NPC, and it is easy to think of themselves as gods, and it is impossible to have a sense of reverence for anyone. Therefore, even as one of the wisest European monarchs of his time, it was difficult for Frederick III to guess what Marin really thought......

……

The next day, Frederick III, the Elector of Saxony, who negotiated with Marin again with a dark eye, changed his negotiation strategy and no longer competed with Marin, but changed to a warm route, wanting to impress Marin.

"Grand Duke Marin, you are also a prince, and you are the most powerful of the princes. Do you want the North Sea Kingdom to be taken out of the hands of the Hoffmanns and under the administration of the Habsburgs? When the time comes, we will all be like the dukes and counts of France, who can only live in Vienna, and everything will be done according to the emperor's face......"

"When the time comes, our fate will not be in our own hands. If His Majesty the Emperor is unhappy, he may not be able to keep the title if he is charged with a crime on his head......"

Watching Frederick III foam at the mouth, Marin took a sip of milk tea and replied slowly:

"Lord Frederick, I understand what you say. So, I've got you covered. As soon as you agree to fulfill the agreement in the dueling book and unanimously recognize my occupation of the eight vassal states, I will immediately turn around and leave, and I will never attack the alliance of the princes, nor will I participate in the military confrontation between the Habsburgs and the princes. ”

"No way!" Frederick III shook his head again and again:

"Let me tell you this, Grand Duke Marin, I have no problem with you annexing the other seven countries. However, Henry, Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, is my brother-in-law, and I cannot watch you swallow the Duchy of Lüneburg! You know, I'm the leader of the German princes, and if I can't even protect my own sister, do you think those princes will obey me in the future? ”

After a pause, Frederick III continued:

"My prestige is a small matter, but if it is lost, then the hearts of the people who have been so hard organized to oppose the unity of Germany by the Habsburgs will be scattered. At that time, it will be easier for the Habsburgs to defeat each and settle the various vassal states. I don't think you, as a powerful prince, want to see this happen, do you? So, my opinion is - I have no problem with you annexing the other 7 vassal states. However, the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, please raise your hand. Even if you cede most of the land, you will be fine, but please keep some of the land, as well as the title of nobility, so that I do not lose face and avoid the disillusionment of the princely alliance against the emperor......"

Marin listened to Frederick III's words and fell into deep thought......

If you think about it, Frederick III was right. It can be said that Frederick III was indeed the most powerful figure in the anti-imperial alliance. If Frederick III loses face, it will be easy to shake the hearts of the anti-imperial coalition.

You know, except for Frederick III, there is indeed no strategist in the anti-imperial alliance who can be compared with Maximilian I.

What was the strategic level of Frederick III? According to historical records, after the death of Maximilian I in 1519, Frederick III took the overall situation into account and changed his attitude of confrontation with the Habsburgs, rejecting the possibility of becoming emperor and supporting Charles V as emperor. Therefore, later generations called Frederick III "Frederick the Wise".

As Frederick III said, Marin was a prince after all. Moreover, the other princes in the anti-emperor camp were basically straw bales. If Frederick III falls, this camp really can't bear the powerful role of Maximilian I.

In particular, at the moment Maximilian I may well take Switzerland. Once Switzerland is taken and the dividends of Switzerland's large number of troops are digested, the Habsburgs may become too strong to get out of control. And as the emperor's old department, it is not easy to confront the emperor openly. Therefore, Frederick III really had to be kept to contain the equally powerful Emperor Maximilian I...... And this is the so-called "way of balance", the most basic thing in the emperor's mind......

So, after thinking about it for a long time, Marin finally nodded:

"Well, Duke Henry's matter, we can discuss it......"

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