Copenhagen is literally translated as "the port of merchants", not the "hometown of mermaids".
So the question is, how could a city with a large number of merchants emerge from the barren place in Northern Europe?
Nordic merchants are inseparable from Vikings.
After pirates steal property, they mainly do two things: first, squander the money; second, resell the stolen goods.
Both of these things required the help of merchants, so the Nordic merchants were born. Even many Vikings simply transformed themselves into merchants and were too lazy to do the bloody business anymore.
Today, the Vikings have declined, and the royal city of Bergen, owned by Olaf the Berserker, has become a territory under the rule of the Danish king.
It was a "port of merchants" three hundred years ago, but now there are few merchant ships docking there.
When Wang Ji walked on the streets of Copenhagen, he saw old stone buildings. The stench filled his face with the smell of feces and urine. Even the severe cold could not suppress the smell. From time to time, unemployed people in ragged clothes were found freezing to death on the streets.
, and the corpse collection team is not doing their job well, so I guess I want to gather a few more days before taking action.
A few hundred years ago, how could these old Nordic people freeze to death in front of their own homes? With no food to eat and no clothes to wear, they sailed to rob Britain and France.
However, times have changed.
The small Viking ships could no longer dominate Western Europe, and the French and British were not so easy to bully. Even the Danish king had to spend money to hire German mercenaries to suppress the local nobles, and the money was borrowed from foreign businessmen.
The King of Denmark was in such a miserable state that he was still able to rule Norway and was planning to invade Sweden.
Twenty years ago, Sweden was also ruled by the Danish king, but the rebellion successfully won independence. The deposed Danish king was because of the Swedish rebellion, which shook the foundation of his rule and was successfully usurped by his uncle.
Wang Ji looked at the Danish capital and thought: "This country is really poor."
King Christian III was observing Wang Ji's guards.
Wang Ji only brought a hundred people ashore, 60 Han musketeers and 40 Japanese ronin. Since they have been floating on the sea all year round, these people have a very bad image.
When I changed, my whole body smelled like rottenness - I couldn't help it, the cotton-padded jackets brought on board were limited, not enough for each person to get two sets, so there was no way to change and wash them.
Although the image is not good, he is definitely a capable soldier!
Nearly two years of sailing have tempered the will of these people, and they have become stronger by eating meat for a long time. They took vitamin supplements in time and did not get sick (all the sick people were lying on the ship at this time). In addition, they had to deal with wild beasts along the way.
, indigenous people and colonists, every landing expedition increases their vigilance.
Christian III only looked at them quietly for a few times and knew that these people were extremely fierce, at least much stronger than the German mercenaries.
More than ten years ago, the German mercenaries were very good, and their military discipline and morale were excellent. After the death of the previous Emperor Shinra, they were no longer able to do so. Charles V of Spain succeeded to the throne, and his main energy was used to build Spanish troops. German mercenaries
They were no longer valued so much. However, mercenaries were often dragged to fight by Charles V. Although the King of Spain gave them sufficient commissions, they were deducted in various ways by the German commanders.
Even the "Father of German Mercenaries" died tragically in a mercenary mutiny because he was not paid enough.
What makes the Danish king even more annoyed is that the German mercenaries are affiliated with the HRE Emperor, and the current HRE Emperor is Charles V. Coincidentally, Charles V is the uncle of the deposed Danish princess, and he wants to support the princess to ascend to the throne.
German mercenaries are not allowed to help Denmark fight anymore.
Don't say that the Danish King has no money. Even if he had money, he couldn't hire mercenaries to help.
Christian III thought to himself: "Although one hundred people is a little less, it is still a fighting force, and there is a warship docked at the port."
That night, at the royal banquet, Wang Ji almost ate and vomited.
There were very few vegetables, and they were all cooked in the soup. There were also some barbecued meats, but most of them were seafood. Even the good-looking cod was cooked into a paste, and there was no seasoning added. It was not as good as the fish cooked by the cook on the ship.
Where's the soup?
What kind of Danish bird king is this? In terms of food and drink, he is not as good as the rich country people of the Ming Dynasty.
Let's put it this way, the Danish king didn't even have a palace at this time, and lived in a castle in Copenhagen. As a military building, this castle was very good, but it was very bad for residential use.
Christian III actually ate with gusto and asked: "When will your Excellency go to the south?"
Wang Ji said ambiguously: "After the rest and supplies are completed, we will set off immediately."
Christian III deliberately provoked: "Remember to beware of Dutch pirates. These bastards are usually merchants, but they will turn into pirates when they encounter a lone ship. The king of the Netherlands is none other than King Charles V of Spain. Charles V sometimes
Fight your opponents through piracy."
"Netherlands?" Wang Ji had never heard of this country.
Christian III said: "The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the Habsburg Spanish family (including Belgium) together formed the Netherlands and were ruled by Spain."
Wang Ji was surprised and said: "How many countries does the King of Spain rule?"
Christian III said: "Many kingdoms and principalities have surrendered to the tyrannical power of Charles V. More than ten years ago, Charles V's army even sacked Rome and almost burned it to the ground. Even the Pope was imprisoned.
At Tianshen Castle."
It was the "March on Rome" event that caused the authority of the Pope to plummet, and European countries began the religious reform without any scruples.
It was also that war that caused Spain to completely fall out with the Pope, and also caused France to lose its territory in Italy. The two losers sought cooperation, so the Medici family married France with the help of the Pope. This couple
It was Prince Henry and Catherine - what is very interesting is that the Medici family had a good relationship with Spain, but the Pope who was insulted by Spain happened to be from the Medici family.
To put it bluntly, the Medici family was betting on both ends. On the one hand, it was marrying France, while on the other hand, it was cooperating with Spain. Now, it has also arranged a marriage with Ning Botao, the right commander of the Ming Dynasty Navy.
Wang Ji inquired about the situation in Europe in detail, and Christian III simply brought a map.
The map was crudely drawn, but it was generally accurate. The nominal territory of the King of Spain really shocked Wang Ji.
To elaborate on the administrative divisions of later generations, most of Germany, half of Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg were all the territory of Charles V. Although these kingdoms or principalities were definitely alienated from Germany, they could not withstand Charles V's wealth and the Spanish army.
Strong, they were all willing to fight with Charles V.
Wang Ji was not frightened because Charles V's territory was so large, but it was difficult to understand why Charles V's territory was divided in the east and west?
After careful consultation, I finally got the answer: marriage, money, army.
Mainly through marriage, Charles V inherited large tracts of land and had inheritance rights in many countries. For example, a few years ago, when the Grand Duke of Milan died and his heirs ceased, Charles V and the King of France simultaneously claimed that they had the inheritance rights of the Duchy of Milan. As for who would inherit it?
, let’s talk about it after the fight, it depends on who has more money and whose army is more powerful.
After the banquet, Wang Ji was invited to a secret room.
Christian III said: "I would like to ask your Excellency to do two favors. Of course I will pay enough benefits."
Wang Ji asked: "What are you busy with?"
Christian III said: "Catholicism has long been corrupted, and Lutheranism is the true religious sect. Please ask your army to search several church properties and kill the priests there. We will divide the property in half."
Wang Ji smiled and asked: "You are the king, can't you inspect the church yourself?"
Christian III said: "I have also searched more than ten places, but it aroused strong opposition from the nobles, so I can only give up halfway. You are an outsider, so you don't have to be afraid of the Danish nobles, nor the power of the church."
Wang Ji said: "Let me think about it, what else is there?"
Christian III said: "I have a niece who is extremely beautiful and want to give it to you. But that niece is under house arrest by a noble. I hope you can rescue her and take her away from Europe on a ship."
The ridiculous noble is under house arrest. That noble is protecting the daughter of the previous king.
Charles V wanted to support this girl and compete with Christian III for the Danish throne. This cunning guy wanted Wang Ji to take away the "previous princess" and resolve the throne succession dispute once and for all.