Chapter 466 Sigismund’s Finances
The friction between Austria and Hungary is getting worse, but to be precise, Austria is being beaten unilaterally. After all, who can afford a cavalry? Only Hungary, Burgundy, and France have the financial resources, not to mention Rome, which has plenty of money.
Sigismund was finally ready to invite all the bishops and popes to a synod. The venue was chosen to be Constanta, and to be fair, he also invited Hus of Bohemia.
Although he was repeatedly persuaded by believers, Hus still went. He wanted to prove that he just wanted the Catholic Church to return to its essence and not have so many luxurious things. I hope the emperor can give him a chance to explain.
At this time, everyone within the HRE was recruiting troops to build up strength. The Berlin Alliance gathered nearly 35,000 people, and the Hanseatic League provided three months of funding. At the same time, because trade in the north was cut off, southern cities could only rely on trade from Burgundy and France. And they cut off the loans of many princes at once, because they found new development paths and did business with Moscow and Rome through the Vistula River and the Baltic Sea.
In order to compete with Sigismund, the Berlin Alliance directly threatened Novgrod and Rome, while Sigismund directly wrote to Poland and Lithuania, and suddenly the entire Central and Eastern Europe became linked.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Burgundy has sent 17,000 men to help us."
Upon hearing so many people, Sigismund thanked eight generations of Burgundian ancestors. Next, he only needed to bridge the church schism and gain prestige. After he was crowned emperor, he would be able to formally fight against the emperor of the Eastern Empire.
"Okay, let them all enjoy the best hospitality and not be afraid of spending money."
Sigismund also became generous, because he directly attacked the remaining autonomous cities, using the power of the German king to force the cities and citizens to bear most of his expenses. Part of it was also made up through tributes from the imperial princes. This directly made him rich, but the bankers in Genoa were not very good, and the loans were always delayed, and they were almost bankrupt.
The Genoese Parliament sent envoys twice. Why did Sigismund, who was originally obedient, become so crazy now? Could it be that you have been living a useless life for too long and you want to indulge yourself, but even so, you have to consider your own feelings. If they go bankrupt, who else can lend you money.
"Your Majesty, our current money can only last for two months, and Genoa still has a payment of 150,000 to repay. You see..."
Sigismund waved his hands with a relaxed expression on his face. "If the Genoese come here to demand a debt, they can delay it as long as they can."
The financial officer couldn't stand these words again. "Your Majesty, you have delayed three times. The total amount is 600,000 gold coins. Let's pay back part of it first and let the Genoese see the money before lending it to us."
What evil had he done to end up with such a master in his life? No, he was a prodigal son. Every time someone says he can put off paying back the money as long as possible, he has to keep making excuses to get over it. The open confrontation of the Berlin Union led Sigismund to take a loan of 100,000, and then borrowed it from businessmen in other cities. As a result, it has not been repaid to this day. Several businessmen have been forced to go bankrupt and commit suicide. Augsburg did not even allow the emperor to come in, lest the other party would find reasons to borrow money again.
Sigismund was a little unhappy, "I can borrow it if I want, and pay it back if I want. It depends on the faces of those merchants. Tell them that I will pay it back after I conquer the north, and let them wait first."
Now he calls himself "I" even before he is crowned emperor. This shows how much impact the sudden level leap has had on him.
The treasurer had no choice but to withdraw to appease the businessmen from Genoa, Augsburg and other cities. When I heard that it was still delayed, I immediately became angry.
"What's going on, Stokes, you promised to pay it back last time, why are you still lying? I tell you, my business is almost dead, and I'm just waiting for this money to save my life."
"Me too. I'm waiting to get the money back to buy wool. At this time, the price of wool has increased by one-third, and my life is almost unbearable."
The businessmen talked about their difficulties, and how could Stokes not know about them. Genoa's economic situation is already not very good, and major southern cities such as Augsburg and Munich are also being squeezed dry. Now just wait for Sigismund to pay back the money.
Not only him, but other princes also owe more or less, and the total sum is about 1.2 million lei. It seems that the southern region is developing well. There is so much money to borrow.
"Please calm down, your Majesty said that as long as the North is defeated, the money will be paid back, absolutely."
"Bah, I don't believe a word of your words. I just ask you, can you pay me back today?"
Stokes shook his head in fear. This time, the anger of the businessmen finally exploded. A man who looked like a business leader stood up.
"Everyone, since Sigismund is not trustworthy, we don't need to lend him any more loans. Stokes, go back and tell him that as long as he doesn't repay the money for one day, we will not welcome him for one day."
This group of businessmen even smashed up the reception room before leaving, and said that Stokes was also on their list, and the sanctions would be lifted when the money was repaid.
"No, I'm wronged! It's him who owes money, not me!"
"Who asked you to be his butler?"
Just this sentence made Stokes feel aggrieved. He just helped Sigismund look after the manor, and later worked hard enough to become the financial officer he is now. Now he doesn't want to work with this mess, but where else can he go?
France, England, Castile, Aragon, none of these will work. As an outsider, I will never get ahead. I have to find a country where civilians can get ahead. The answer is obvious: Rome.
The situation in Rome in recent years has also been well known to everyone, especially the eclectic promotion of talents, which has attracted countless intellectuals. If they go anywhere, they will definitely have opportunities.
He did what he said, but before leaving, he had to finish the matter of Sigismund. If he doesn’t want money, then borrow it and keep borrowing it. He borrowed money wherever he could, because Sigismund gave him all his property to take care of, and mortgaged many land estates to the other party as items. No matter what it was, as long as he If you have any on hand, go directly to mortgage.
Many people saw the other party coming with collateral and thought that this must be true, so they lent money to Sigismund again. Little did they know that this was just the madness of the butler before he escaped. Only a small part of this money was given to Sigismund, and most of it was swept away by Stokes.
Because speed is needed, a lot of land is mortgaged at a discount. By the time Sigismund reacted, he had already fled in a car, leaving him with only a sky-high bill.