On the second day of spring, Marin couldn't sit still again, and planned to take Schwartz and other henchmen to check some terrain and mineral deposits on the north bank of the Lower Lipper River. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

According to his memories in geography class in his previous life, Marin remembers that the coal mines in the Ruhr area were very large. Although the main mining areas were concentrated in the southern half of the Ruhr area, the area north of the Ruhr River that is now occupied by the country of Mac. However, in other regions, there are also many coal mines.

For example, south of the Ruhr River, probably south of the river near Bochum, there are a number of coal mines. In addition, there are several coal mines in the west of the Rhine, near this section of the Ruhr. And parts of the north of the Lipper River also appear to have some coal mines.

So, taking advantage of the spring light, Marin took a few henchmen and a large group of guards, rode his horse, and ran to the north of the Lipper River to find the coal mines.

Marin also had the grand idea of digging a canal between the Lippe and Emes rivers to facilitate the transportation of coal and other goods.

Now, after the possession of the Bishopric of Münster, the Ames River has essentially become an inland river in the territory under the control of Marin. The Lippe River is the southern border of the Bishopric of Münster.

If a canal from the Lippe to the Ems could be built, then the coal of the Ruhr area could go directly down the canal, from the Lippe to the Ems, and then all the way to Emden, the mouth of the Ems.

Ada's steam engine has been invented, and the future will definitely enter the era of steam engines. Then, the transportation of coal will also become a top priority.

If you take the Rhine route, first go to sea and then transport it to the coast of East Friesland, the safety of transportation is not guaranteed. After all, transporting coal from the Ruhr out of the Rhine to the sea would have to pass through three or four vassal states, which would not only be easily taxed, but also very dangerous to be blocked from transport.

And if a canal from the Lipper River to the Emes River is opened, then the whole transportation will be in your own country, so that the transportation of coal will not need to be taxed by others, and no one will intercept it.

Not only that, but in addition to coal, the transportation of other goods will also be greatly facilitated. After all, these days, water transport is much more convenient, less costly, and more expensive than land transport.

In later generations, for the sake of economic development, Dortmund specially dug a 266-kilometer-long Dortmund-Ames Canal, from Dortmund to the middle and lower reaches of the Emes River port Mepen.

However, in reality, the Dortmund-Ames Canal is a canal built at the end of the 19th century with the aim of navigating large cargo ships of more than 1,000 tons. So, naturally, the canal was built all the way to Maupon.

In fact, if you consider it from this era, if you only need to run one or two hundred tons of river boats, you don't need to build the canal to Meppen at all, and connect it directly with the Ames River near the city of Münster. The navigable distance above the mouth of the Ames River is exactly 116 kilometers, not far from Münster.

Therefore, Marin's plan was to dig a canal from the Lipper River through Münster to the navigable part of the Ames River, and the total length would not be as long as the 266 kilometers of the Dortmund-Ames Canal, but only more than 60 kilometers.

Moreover, once the canal is opened, the city of Münster will immediately be transformed from an inland city into a convenient city for shipping, with direct access to Emden's water and land transportation, which is conducive to economic development.

At the same time, because the Emes and the Rhine were opened through this canal, the economy of the river along the canal and the lower Emes in the Bishop of Münster would be boosted by the ease of water and land transportation.

Marin, Schwartz and others looked along the Lipper River, and instead of seeing the so-called coal mines, they saw a flat terrain that seemed to be suitable for digging a canal. It is no wonder that later generations of Germans dug canals such as the Dortmund-Emes Canal and the Sino-German Canal here, which facilitated domestic freight transportation.

However, Marin knew that with his current level of financial and technical resources, he could only dig a weakened version of the Dortmund-Ames Canal. The navigable ship was also rated at about 200 tons by Marin, instead of the 1,350 tons stipulated by the Dortmund-Ames Canal and the Sino-German Canal in later generations. After all, digging a canal now, without the help of machinery, can only be dug manually, digging a canal of more than 60 kilometers, which is already very difficult, let alone hundreds of kilometers long.

Although it is said that the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal built by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty is more than 1,700 kilometers long, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty used the power of the whole country and two or three million people to dig the longest canal in the world. The total population of Marin is only a few hundred thousand, how can he have the strength to dig a canal that is too long? A canal of more than 60 kilometers has reached its limit.

Marin was not discouraged by the failure to find a coal mine north of Lipo. Because Marin remembers that the coal mines here are still being mined at the beginning of the 21st century. That proves that the coal mine north of the Lipper River is underground and is relatively difficult to find. Because if it was an open-pit mine, it would have been mined a long time ago. For example, in the area near the Ruhr River, there are more open-pit mines, but they are also the first to be mined. No matter how big the mine is, after hundreds of years of mining, coupled with the advanced mining machinery in Europe, it is almost clean. Therefore, on a map of the coal mines that Marin had seen in his previous life, the abandoned mines, mainly in the southern part of the Ruhr area, were the objects of Marin's focus. Because, those mines were mined early, which proved easy to find, and the coal mines were shallow and difficult to mine. Most of the coal mines discovered in later generations were deeply buried and difficult to mine. Otherwise, it would have been discovered long ago. Like the lead-zinc mine in Tara, if it hadn't been buried under a 50-meter-thick layer of soil, it wouldn't have waited until 1970 to be discovered.

Because no coal mines were found, Marin and Schwartz and others returned listlessly. Along the way, the seedlings in the field were unearthed, and from a distance, they looked like leeks in the same place......

"The land here is so fertile, and in autumn, I don't know how much grain to shoot!" Marin sighed.

"Oh, alas, these lands belong to the Münster Church. The grain harvested is mainly included in the granary of the church, and some of it is counted as tithes and paid......" Schwartz suddenly interjected.

"Tithe......" Suddenly, Marin was stunned, and quickly reined in his horse and stopped, causing the knight behind him to almost collide. Fortunately, Marin, the knights of the guards, were clever in riding, and they all reined in their horses to avoid a "crash".

"What's the matter, young master?" Schwartz asked curiously.

Marin thought for a moment, sighed and said:

"Schwartz, I think we're in trouble......"

"Trouble? What's the trouble? Schwartz was puzzled.

"Tithes......" Marin sighed, full of melancholy.

"What happened to the tithes?" Schwartz didn't react.

"What's wrong? The church in Münster is not of the same mind as us. If you want to hide your tithes, it won't work in Münster! Marin finally voiced his inner worries.

Schwartz thought about it, and his face changed......

Why? Because Marin has mastered advanced agricultural technology, mainly fertilizer. Therefore, the grain production of East Friesland is not comparable to that of other countries.

However, in order to prevent this secret from being leaked, Marin had long since taken control of the church in East Friesland. Even the churches of the newly conquered Earl of Oldenburg and Schleswig were controlled by Marin.

In this way, the secret of Marin's high grain yield was concealed. The Church tithes were levied in the same amount as before, not at one-tenth of the amount that would have been levied after the use of fertilizer.

The churches of the East Friesian Counties, the Earls of Oldenburg, and the Duchy of Schleswig were easier to control because they were secular states, and the power of the churches was suppressed, and they had to cooperate with the princes as long as Marin coerced and enticed.

But the Bishopric of Münster is different, although Marin has received its secular power, the Church in the Bishopric of Münster is too powerful. In addition, the religious power Marin cannot interfere for the time being, and the current Bishop Conrad still has a grudge against Marin.

In this way, when the autumn harvest comes, the church will collect tithes, which will certainly not help Marin to conceal the report. If Marin had used new agricultural techniques in the Bishop of Münster, food production would have skyrocketed. Marin was almost certain that the priest sent by Bishop Conrad to wait in the fields to collect tithes would certainly report the secret. And Conrad, the bishop who is destined to be at odds with Marin, will definitely spread this secret.

In this way, Marin's agricultural secrets, which he had kept for several years, would spread. Moreover, the problem of concealment of tithes in previous years will also surface.

Even if the Pope is his father-in-law, this kind of tax evasion will cause public outrage.

For a moment, Marin almost felt the urge to use Cantrella to poison Bishop Conrad to death. However, Marin endured. If Bishop Conrad dies in "Cantrella". One only compares the circumstances of Alexander VI's death and Marin's closeness to the current pope, and it is easy for others to think of the cause of Alexander VI's death. Thus, Marin suppressed the tantalizing idea of poisoning Bishop Conrad. Moreover, now the right to appoint bishops in the Episcopal State of Münster is still in the hands of the Archbishop of Cologne, and the bishop who is not recommended by himself will not help him conceal the grain production after all.

As a result, Marin was hesitant to decide whether to use advanced agricultural techniques in the Bishopric of Münster......

"If only the amount of tithes could be fixed......," said Sauer, who was on the side, suddenly.

"Tithes are fixed...... Marin frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly became enlightened......

"Yes, I can ask the Holy See to fix the amount of tithes in our country!" Marlin slapped his head.

If it were someone else, it might not have the ability. But, who is Marin? He's the son-in-law of the current Pope. As long as he casually makes a meritorious contribution to the Holy See, and asks his pope's father-in-law to find a reason to set the rate of tithes in the territory of East Friesland and other Marins, is it not a simple matter?

When the time came, the Pope's father-in-law could have set the tithes of the Bishoprics of East Friesland and Münster, especially for grain production, at 15 pounds per acre, or 90 pounds per acre.

Find a tax rate and put it in other countries, it is definitely a high tax rate. Because, in other countries, many acres of yield do not reach 150 pounds. Using a tithe of 15 pounds per mu to levy it is definitely too much.

However, the estate under Marin's name now has an average yield of more than 500 pounds per mu. In this case, the fixed tax rate of 15 pounds per mu is definitely a big profit for Marlin. Moreover, as long as Marin does not disclose his own yield per mu, no one will envy this tax rate......

After thinking about this, Marin decided to contact his papal father-in-law, sing a double reed, and then, come up with a fixed tax rate. In this way, even if the secret of high grain production is leaked in the future, others will be helpless -- the Holy See has given a fixed tax rate, so we are not evading taxes......

After thinking about it, Marin decided to send another 3,000 mercenaries to Rome, bringing the number of troops he sent in Rome to 10,000. Moreover, the salary is borne by yourself.

Such a great contribution that Julius II could well be classified as exemplary, and then publicly recognized. Finally, take the opportunity to set a fixed tax rate for yourself. In this way, you will not have to pay tithes at the rate of a real tithe. Moreover, it is ordered to evade taxes......

As for where to find the 3,000 men to send to Rome, Marin suddenly remembered the 5,800 Münster mercenaries who had not yet been dismissed.

Originally, Marin had planned to send them all to Ireland. However, it is now used to fool the Roman side, which is the most important thing. As for Count Edward, it was enough to send 2,800 men to him.

In this way, Marin cut down 3,000 of the 5,800 men that were originally intended to be given to Count Edward to 2,800 people. Then, the 3,000 people who were cut down were sent by Marin to Rome to help defend Florence and other cities.

These German mercenaries, although Marin does not look down on them. However, their combat effectiveness is still much stronger than that of Italian mercenaries.

When the time comes, Stader will be instructed to give them some more special training, so that their discipline will become better. In this way, it can also be used to fool around. Anyway, the main force defending Rome was to take 7,000 veterans himself. These 3,000 mercenaries are just an auxiliary, but they are still competent.

Moreover, defending Rome was an incomparably honorable thing for most Christians of that age. After all, this is the time when the Holy See has supreme authority. Guarding Rome, where the Holy See is located, is definitely a very face-saving thing.

Just like the famous Vatican Papal Guard in later generations, those Swiss lads are very poorly paid, but there are still people who are willing. Because, for those devout believers, guarding the Vatican, guarding the Pope, is an incomparably sacred job......

He sent another 3,000 soldiers and horses to the Holy See, and he didn't have to pay a salary. In that case, Julius II could have found a good excuse to give himself a benefit and fix the amount of tithes. Then, you can safely evade taxes without worrying about being exposed......