However, despite the failure of the debate, Otto III, Count of Schaumburg, intended to give it a try. Taking advantage of the noon recess, he and a group of secular nobles who supported him vigorously advocated the "Marin threat theory" and moved around, hoping to arouse the common hatred of the princes.

And Marin, too, was not idle. While Otto III was there seeking supporters, Marin was not idle. With a small gift, he went to visit the big men among the religious princes.

However, after the gifts and greetings were offered, Marin would inadvertently add the phrase "His Majesty the Pope has also entrusted me to greet the Bishop......

The meaning of this sentence is very profound, Marin is sending a message to the religious princes - the Pope is on my side. So, as a prince of the Church, you'd better not go against me for the sake of Recklinghausen......

Sure enough, after the afternoon meeting resumed, Otto III's supporters increased somewhat, but none of the religious princes supported him. Regarding Marin's desire to buy Recklinghausen, the religious princes basically chose to remain silent.

The bishops knew full well that they were only worried about Marin helping the Habsburgs unify Germany. As for the ownership of the Recklinghausen area, is it their business? If it weren't for the pope, they might have supported Otto III and suppressed Marin by the way. But with the endorsement of the Pope, they stopped talking. The last time the Pope visited Worms to endorse Marin came back to their minds......

In order not to be targeted by the "chairman" of the "ecclesiastical group", these religious princes simply ignored the agitation of Otto III......

Gradually, the secular princes also realized that something was wrong—it seems, that the religious princes all chose to remain silent......

The secular electors, such as Frederick III, also felt that something was wrong, so he asked the Archbishop of Mainz, Jacob, to adjourn the meeting temporarily. Then, the seven Electors entered the secret chamber of Worms Cathedral and discussed it urgently...... Maximilian I watched the 7 electors have a small meeting together, but he did not call him this emperor, full of black lines. But he had no choice but to pull a few sisters-in-law who knew each other to chat together to resolve the embarrassment in his heart......

"Why are you all silent, my lordship? Did you watch that Marlin guy take Recklinghausen? In that way, his strength has increased greatly! Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, asked the three religious electors, puzzled. He had suffered from Marin in the previous war, so he had a grudge against Marin. What can make Marin suffer, he is very happy to see.

But Archbishop Jacob of Mainz shook his head and said:

"Lord Frederick, it's not that we don't want to target him. But...... It's worth the loss for him...... Have you forgotten that at the last meeting, His Holiness the Pope was there? ”

The corners of Frederick III's mouth twitched - paralyzed, could he forget? Last time, he saw that he could trick everyone into forming a coalition to fight Marin. However, the Pope came in person and directly suppressed the side of the religious princes. Relying on secular princes alone, hit a P? You know, the four secular electors, King Vladislas II of Bohemia, seems to be a bit biased towards Marin, and the Elector of Palatine is average. And he and the Elector of Brandenburg, Joakim I, were both subdued...... So, you can only cheapen Marlin......

And this time, it seems to be the case again. Marin had clearly reminded the religious princes not to forget the opinion of the Pope......

"Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty the Pope is far away in Rome, and this time he has not ......been there in person," Frederick III did not give up, and wanted to continue to persuade.

But before the three religious electors could finish speaking, they shook their heads in unison:

"Lord Frederick, you may be right. We are now in charge of a nation, and we can indeed disobey His Holiness the Pope. But don't forget, we all have children and nephews in the church. It may be difficult for the Pope to deal with the three of us, but it is easy for him to strangle our descendants. After all, they haven't grown up yet. Archbishop Jacob of Trier said gloomily.

"Perhaps, when His Majesty the Pope returns to heaven, your descendants will not be in trouble......" Frederick III said.

"No, you're wrong. Lord Frederick, even if this Pope returns to Heaven, the next Pope will not spare our descendants. Archbishop Hermann IV of Cologne said depressedly.

"Why?"

"It's a hidden rule – if the current pope doesn't help the previous pope suppress those who disobey the papacy, then the next pope won't help him suppress the enemies of the papal see. Except, of course, cases where the current pope and the previous pope are mortal enemies. This implicit rule is to maintain the majesty of the Pope from being trampled on by those below. Hermann IV patiently explained.

The bishops could not confirm whether the next pope would be an enemy of the pope, but it was unlikely. Therefore, if you offend this pope, your family may be continuously suppressed in the future, and you won't want to be a bishop anymore. And if you don't become a bishop, you don't have any money to make. You must know that in this era, serving as the bishop of the German Episcopal State is very lucrative, and it is a "money-bound" financial road. If this financial route is broken, then the person who offends the Pope will definitely become the sinner of the whole family......

After saying this, Herman IV said with great dissatisfaction:

"Lord Frederick, we in the Archdiocese of Cologne have agreed to Marin's purchase of secular authority in the Recklinghausen region. Now, Otto III is openly opposed, clearly not giving face to the Archbishopric of Cologne. The old man's face is so worthless? Besides, the matter in the Recklinghausen area is simply a trivial matter. And getting Marin to swear not to send troops to help the Habsburgs invade other vassal states was the main event of this meeting. I hope that Lord Frederick will not miss the real big thing because of this little thing! ”

The two Jacobs, Archbishop of Mainz and Archbishop Trier, also nodded their heads in agreement, agreeing with Hermann IV, Archbishop of Cologne. In their opinion, the Recklinghausen area is not a rich place, just give it to Marin. Only the question of whether the North Sea State and the Habsburgs jointly sent troops is a real matter.

Not only that, but King Vladislas II of Bohemia and the Elector of Palatine agreed. Elector Joakim I of Brandenburg did not speak, and he did not care about these matters now. As long as it did not jeopardize the interests of the Elector of Brandenburg, he did not want to pay attention to it.

When Frederick III saw this, he sighed helplessly, and decided not to dwell on the subject any longer......

When the meeting resumed, the situation suddenly changed. Several Electors have expressed their support for Marin's acquisition of secular governance in the Recklinghausen region. However, Marin was required to swear in writing that he would not send troops to help a certain family encroach on the territory of the princes of the empire. At the same time, it is not allowed to help a family fight in the form of mercenaries......

As soon as Marin saw that his goal was achieved, he naturally accepted it when he saw it.

However, in order to show his "loyal" side, he deliberately squeezed out a few tears and seemed to accept this condition with grief and indignation.

After all, Marin relied on the promotion of Maximilian I to enter the big stage of history. It would be too shameless to accept the conditions of the princes at this time. Moreover, he had sworn in front of the emperor at the beginning. If you break your oath so readily, you will be despised for your character.

Therefore, Marin must try to pretend to be aggrieved that "the baby refuses, they forced me". In this way, it can be regarded as an explanation of His Majesty the Emperor's "promotion grace" back then.

Maximilian I was also full of helplessness, and when he saw Marin with tears in his eyes, he couldn't help but shed tears......

Of course, he was not moved by Marin, but because he wanted to cry bitterly at the thought that the Habsburgs' grand hegemony was about to be snuffed out. After all, it is rare that in addition to an ace general who is loyal to the Habsburgs, he is also persecuted by the princes of all Germany, and he is also very painful......

But to be honest, Marin is really good to him. Not only did he give him the general Frenzberg and the strength of the two phalanxes, but also betrayed the 18,000 Swiss mercenary prisoners of war to the Habsburgs, which played a key role in the Habsburgs' conquest of Switzerland.

The Habsburgs were able to recapture the family's land of dragons, the Eagle Castle of Allgäu, and the first credit must be Marin. Not to mention the fact that the Habsburgs thus occupied half of Switzerland. If it weren't for the French forcibly intervening, perhaps the Habsburgs would have eaten the whole of Switzerland......

Therefore, for the imminent loss of the help of Marin, a fierce general, Maximilian I was so sad that he wanted to shed tears......

As a result, at the Imperial Conference, there was a scene of Maximilian I and Marin, the two monarchs and ministers, "looking at each other speechlessly". If it is accompanied by sad music and narration, it is definitely a classic tragedy......

For a moment, the princes present suddenly had an illusion - as if they had suddenly become villains and persecuted the lovers...... No, it's the monarch and the minister who have to be separated......

Probably thinking that he had acted very well, Marin finally put away his tears, was aggrieved like a little daughter-in-law, and agreed to the obviously forced "suggestion" of the princes on the spot......

However, in order to maintain his image as a good man, Marin put forward a condition - he could promise not to help the Habsburgs attack the German princes, nor to help the Habsburgs expand in the form of mercenaries. However, if the Habsburgs' homeland of Austria, the Netherlands, and Franche-Comté, were seriously invaded, he would still be able to help. In short, what he means is - no assists, but assists (home......

As for the reason, Marin said that in Vienna he had sworn allegiance to the emperor in the name of God at a knighthood ceremony. Therefore, he could not completely disconnect from the emperor. Because, that would be tantamount to breaking the oath. And breaking an oath made in the name of God is serious......

Therefore, Marin's oath of "not assisting, but helping" this time is not a break in his original oath......

The princes' statement about Marin, after a heated discussion, felt that it was very reasonable. After all, the fact that Marin was canonized as a full-fledged knight by Maximilian I in Vienna, they all knew. Therefore, it is not easy for them to force Marin to completely break his oath in the name of God. After all, all of you here are believers in God. So, in the end, the princes agreed to Marin's request. Anyway, for the princes, as long as Marin did not send troops to help the Habsburgs attack the German princes, the goal would be achieved. As for the elimination of the Habsburgs, they actually did not think about it......

Eventually, Marin swore in the name of God in front of all the Imperial Councillors present that he would not send troops or mercenaries to help the Habsburgs attack other German princes. However, if an enemy invades the Habsburg homeland, he will send troops to help, but after helping to defend the Habsburg homeland, he must not continue to send troops to help the counterattack......

After taking the oath, Marin wrote it down, signed and stamped it, and the document was sealed in the Worms Chapel......

Later, the Imperial Diet passed a resolution approving Marin's acquisition of secular governance in the Recklinghausen region. And at the last moment before the end of the meeting, Marin also announced that because of his long absence from serving in the North Sea State, Frentsberg and his subordinates would be dismissed from all positions and titles in the North Sea State......

This decision, called punishment, was in fact tantamount to giving Frenzberg to the emperor entirely...... Moreover, Marin had to do the same. Because, until now, Frenzberg and his two phalanxes from the Beihai Kingdom are still serving the emperor. But Marin had just finished swearing that he would not send troops to help the emperor fight, and he could not break his promise. Therefore, it is the best choice to expel Frenzberg and others and dissociate themselves from them......

Many of the princes were unhappy with this, but they also knew that Frenzberg was now one of Maximilian I's most trusted generals. Even if Marin wanted to take it back, Frenzberg wouldn't necessarily be happy to do so. Therefore, Marlin's disposal method is the most appropriate.

Moreover, although Frenzberg was also a good general, with the Habsburg family of Frenzberg, it was not possible to kill all sides. The current war situation shows this. As long as Marin's main army does not move, it will be difficult for the Habsburgs to take Switzerland, let alone attack other vassal states. So, one Frenzberg does not affect the big picture.

Maximilian I also accepted Marin's affection, after all, with Marin's oath of "not assisting, but helping", other vassal states wanted to jointly invade the Habsburg family proper, and they had to weigh it. And giving Frentzberg and his two phalanxes to the Habsburgs in disguise was also very "affectionate and righteous...... Therefore, Maximilian I could not have asked Marin to do more......

At the time of parting, the pair of monarchs and ministers stared at each other in the distance on horseback, and staged a bitter drama of "speechless stuck" and "reluctant......

It wasn't until Marin's horse team walked to a deserted place outside the city that Marin couldn't help but laugh:

"Haha, finally free! The goal has been achieved! After that, Lao Tzu finally didn't have to pretend to be a loyal minister to help the Habsburgs for free! Of course, this sentence is said in Chinese. Even Karn and the guards who were with him didn't understand what Marin was talking about......

For Marin, this oath incident is not a relief? Previously, in order to become a nobleman, Marin had to become an official knight and imperial baron by currying favor with Maximilian I. For this reason, he swore allegiance to Maximilian I. Because of this, this became a heavy moral burden for Marin. If he betrays the emperor, it is tantamount to breaking his oath and will be pointed out by the thousand husbands. Even, you can't charge for helping the Habsburgs...... This made him a little aggrieved......

Fortunately, these stupid princes helped. With this sworn base. In the future, Marin no longer had to work hard to pretend to be a loyal servant and work for the Habsburgs for free. So for Marin, it was a relief.

Moreover, the tacit annexation of most of the area between the Ruhr and Lippe rivers was also a surprise. After all, mastering these areas would mean controlling most of Germany's coal. In the future, when the industrial revolution is carried out, there is no need to worry about energy. Even if other countries are greedy, they must have coal first......