In modern times, Siena is just a small city of tens of thousands of people, and it is completely incomparable with large cities such as Milan and Turin, which have a population of more than one million. Even, with three or four hundred thousand people and only 50 kilometers away, Florence is not on the same level.

In Italy, Siena is the capital of the province of Siena, with a population of only 54,000 people. However, the provinces of Italy cannot be compared with the provinces of China. The area of Siena Province is only 3,821 square kilometers, which is not as large as a prefecture-level city in China, let alone a province in China. Of course, the area of European countries is generally smaller, and the area of the whole of Italy is not as large as that of a province with a larger area in China, let alone a small province under Italy? The population of 54,000 is not as large as a small county town in China.

All in all, Siena was a humble Italian town, whose light was completely overshadowed by nearby Rome and Florence. It's not as good as Pisa City, famous for its Leaning Tower and pizza.

However, in this era, the Republic of Siena was one of the most powerful countries in Italy. With an area of about 8,000 square kilometers, the Republic of Siena can already be regarded as a "large (vassal) state" in Europe, where vassal states are all over the country.

Moreover, like the medieval Italian republics such as Venice, Genoa, and Florence, the Republic of Siena was also a country with developed commerce, wool and finance. Moreover, the coastal province of Grosseto was also the territory of the Republic of Siena at this time, and the maritime industry was relatively prosperous.

In addition, the Republic of Siena has a strong military. How to describe Siena's military strength? For example, when Siena went to war with Florence in 1260, Florence had an army of 33,000, while Siena was weaker but also had more than 20,000 troops. Moreover, in the end, it was Siena that was victorious......

Being able to dispatch 20,000 troops shows that Siena has good financial resources and considerable manpower. Moreover, that was in 1260, and now nearly 250 years have passed, and Siena's strength continues unabated.

Moreover, during the First Italian War, French troops entered the Florentine Republic and looted and destroyed the more prosperous Florentine Republic. But then, the French army left Florence and went straight to Rome, and then attacked the Kingdom of Naples, ignoring the Republic of Siena, not far from Florence......

The Republic of Siena escaped, but it also surpassed Florence in terms of national power...... Of course, there is no point in saying this now, because the Florentine Republic has been destroyed......

However, this also shows that the current Republic of Siena is more difficult to fight than the original Republic of Florence. Moreover, the city of Siena is located in a valley and the terrain is extremely complex. Originally, in 1555, Charles V's Spanish army besieged the city for two years before finally breaking through the city of Siena. Therefore, Siena City is much more difficult to beat than Fiorentina.

Moreover, after Marin helped the Papal States capture Florence, they also needed to digest and absorb the rich "big country" of the Florentine Republic, and they had no time to take care of Siena.

Today, the Papal States have basically completed the absorption and assimilation of the Florentine region. So, Pope Julius II felt that the time was ripe for the capture of Siena......

Of course, Julius II also knew how difficult it would be to capture Siena. Therefore, he could only turn to Marin, who had more ideas about fighting. In addition, if Marin was able to help the Papal States capture Siena, he would have a reason to reward Marin. For example, rewarding colonization rights in the Americas or something. In this way, it is difficult for other countries to oppose it - you see, they have indeed made a real contribution to the Holy See. Are you going to be jealous and disagree that you will also help the Holy See to conquer an Italian territory?

……

However, Marin did not make a rash decision, but conducted a three-day analysis based on the information collected by Kohler's side, such as the topographic map of the mountains and rivers in Italy.

As a result, Marin sadly came to the conclusion that if he wanted to storm Siena in the mountains, he needed at least 30,000 troops. Moreover, it is said that the gates of Siena were replaced with iron ......

It's not that Marin, a 30,000-strong army, can't be taken out. It's just that I can't take it out at the moment. It is true that Marin has a total of 50,000 troops, but two legions are placed in England and cannot be mobilized at all. There were 30,000 men on the mainland, but it was impossible to transfer all of them to Italy to help the Papal States attack Siena. For security reasons, he dispatched up to half, or 15,000 people. But that's not enough. Even if you add the 7,000 people he originally sent to the Papal States, it is only 22,000. As for the Papal States' own Italian mercenaries...... Don't mention it......

It's not that these 22,000 North Sea troops can't capture Siena, but it may take a long time for those who rely on this to capture Siena. Charles V's Spanish army, which was then sweeping across Europe and beating France, also took two years to break through Siena. Therefore, if an army of 22,000 is used, even if Marin personally commands and uses stratagem, it is estimated that it will take several months.

But Marin knew what would happen if he took half of the country's troops and horses to Italy for a few months. After all, he was not popular among the German princes. If someone had attacked his hometown at that time, he would have been in a dilemma......

And to capture Siena as soon as possible, Marin estimated that at least 30,000 troops would be needed, and 30,000 main battle troops without waste......

Of course, if there are 40,000 troops, the certainty is even greater. The premise is that the commander is Marin......

However, where did Marin find the 40,000 army? Then, he became depressed......

……

Just when Marin was worried about how to mobilize enough troops to quickly take Siena, Emperor Maximilian I, who was far away in Austria, suddenly sent an envoy.

The envoys came for two main purposes - one was to buy porcelain and silk. As Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I had more face than the kings and dukes. If there were no porcelain decorations in the palace, wouldn't it be laughed at? plus the sentence of Marin's spies, "There are not a few pieces of porcelain at home, and you are embarrassed to call yourself a nobleman?" "The lethality is too great, and as an emperor, you also need some porcelain to fill the façade. Otherwise, it's not good to call yourself the emperor when you go out......

Of course, as Marin's old master, he will definitely not be the one who is wronged by the price of others. Then, a few dozen more pieces of porcelain were missing from Marin's storeroom. The discount is still 5% off...... In addition, there were some fine silks that were used to make the new emperor's new clothes (literally......

As for the second purpose of the envoy, he asked Marin to be a lobbyist. And who does the emperor want Marin to help him convince? It was His Holiness the Pope. For what? It is the question of the coronation of the emperor......

The Holy Roman Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were all going to Rome to be crowned. Before the coronation, although he was called emperor, he should actually be legally called "king of Germany". In this regard, France and other countries also addressed Maximilian I as His Majesty, not His Majesty. Only within the Holy Roman Empire, the position of Emperor Maximilian I was recognized. Even the princes who opposed Maximilian I recognized this. After all, this is the leader of the princes, the Seven Electors. The bosses have all admitted it, but how can the younger brothers not admit it?

It's just that Julius II was an old politician, and he knew that Maximilian I wanted to be crowned, but he didn't coronate him. Because, he needs to hold this chip in his hand, and then exchange it for the maximum benefit......

Maximilian I was very helpless, but he was poorer than a poor man, and he had no money to bribe the pope. And, as the war in Switzerland continued, he couldn't get any more treasures. But Maximilian I suddenly remembered that Marin seemed to have a good relationship with Pope Julius II, and even that Julius II was escorted back to Rome by Marin's army. Therefore, he decided to enlist Marin as a lobbyist to help convince Julius II to help him be crowned. Of course, there is still a price to be paid at what cost......

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