When Wang Ji overturned the Saxon and Brandenburg coalition forces, the Livonian Knights had also sent troops.
Moreover, Livonia directly attacked Finland because the two sides were bordering each other.
Wang Ji quickly received the news, but did not make any reaction. He would not even rescue Jutland, the most elite place in Denmark, but would he care about the life and death of that miserable place in Finland?
What can be done about Finland?
Even St. Petersburg in later generations is now just a swamp. Finland's big port, Helsinki, was regarded as a trading town at this time, but its size was only equivalent to a small fishing village.
If Livonia wants to occupy Finland, let them do it. Even if they rob Finland, they won't be able to extract a few taels of oil or water.
What's even more funny is that the Livonian army was blocked by Vyborg.
There is nothing to grab in the northern part of Finland, and the coast is slightly valuable. However, if you want to invade the coastal towns of Finland, you must capture Viborg.
The Vyborg garrison only had more than a hundred people, and the Livonian army of more than 2,000 people was stuck outside the fortress and could not move forward... This kind of thing had happened before. 50 years ago, the Russian (Muscovy) army surrounded them.
Vyborg was also stuck there and had no temper. After struggling for a long time, they could only choose to withdraw in despair.
Livonia also withdrew its troops this time, and could only rob some coastal fishermen. The fish caught was not enough to feed the troops for a day.
The entire military operation was like a large-scale armed outing. They also tried to attack the fortress midway, but the Livonian army, which lacked heavy artillery, did not kill a single Finnish defender. Instead, dozens of them themselves were shot dead.
Wang Ji's navy and the Dutch pirates had completely controlled the Baltic Sea. Hanseatic League merchant ships did not dare to leave the port, let alone transport troops from the sea to attack across the sea.
The Principality of Prussia also sent troops, but when they were halfway there, they received news that the city of Lübeck had been breached and that the two allies had been defeated. They were so frightened that they immediately withdrew their troops and returned home. As soon as they returned home, they were dragged away by Poland and Lithuania.
Fighting because Russia is invading Livonia.
The war in the north becomes more intense!
Poland and Lithuania have not yet formed a federation, and are respectively the Kingdom of Poland and the Principality of Lithuania.
However, the marriage more than a hundred years ago gradually allowed the cultures of the two countries to blend together, and they have always been ruled by the same monarch. There is only one formal procedure left to form a federation, which is equivalent to having a banquet but not getting a marriage certificate.
Lithuania was at a disadvantage in this undocumented marriage, as the Lithuanian nobles had always wanted to break up.
But a few decades ago, Lithuania fought a war with Russia and was forced to cede nearly 90,000 square kilometers of land. After that, the Lithuanian nobles did not dare to jump again and attached themselves to Poland as concubines, otherwise they would definitely be defeated by Russia.
Strong men bully.
What's even more interesting is that after the war, the Russian princess married the Grand Duke of Lithuania (who had not yet succeeded the King of Poland at the time).
The Russian princess was a spy, and she obtained a lot of information and returned home. Russia launched a larger-scale invasion on the grounds that the Grand Duke of Lithuania had cheated. At this time, Poland was at war with the Ottomans and had no ability to rescue Lithuania.
In this battle, Lithuania's main force was completely wiped out, and 210,000 square kilometers of land was once again cut off by Russia.
Within ten years, Russia occupied 300,000 square kilometers of Lithuania!
This time, Tsar Ivan IV led a personal expedition of 50,000 people in an attempt to annex Livonia and turn it into a country with access to the sea.
Livonia has always wanted to jump back and break away from Polish control, but was forced by Russia to cling to Poland's thigh.
The combined forces of Poland, Lithuania, Livonia, and Prussia, with a total strength of 60,000, faced the Russian army of 50,000 thirty miles outside Riga.
In terms of the scale of the war, Wang Ji's side was fighting in a small way.
Both sides used cavalry as the main force, and they tested each other and fought for more than 20 days. Finally, the Russian side showed a trap.
However, after Ivan IV succeeded to the throne, he couldn't wait to take over power, and also revealed his intention to reform, which offended a large number of Russian nobles.
At a critical moment in the war, a Russian nobleman on the Polish border defected, causing chaos in the Russian left-wing formation. The Polish coalition seized the opportunity and organized thousands of cavalry to charge. The Russian army was then defeated. Ivan IV retreated with the main cavalry.
Throw all your own infantry on the battlefield.
After the battle, Ivan IV returned to his country and launched a major purge, beheading six hostile nobles in one go. Moreover, he refused to cede territory and wanted to regroup and fight again.
On the Polish coalition side, internal strife also emerged after the great victory.
"Poland-Lithuania" took the opportunity to annex a large area of Livonia's territory. The Livonian Knights were unable to resist, and the Knights were disbanded.
A large area of land equivalent to later southern Estonia and northern Latvia was ceded to "Poland-Lithuania".
The Grobina region on the Baltic Sea coast was ceded to the Principality of Prussia.
On the remaining territory, the "Duchy of Courland and Semilia" was formed, with the head of the knights serving as grand dukes, and the leaders of the remaining knights becoming nobles. This country existed as a vassal of "Poland-Lithuania".
This is something.
When the Russian and Polish coalition forces were fighting, Wang Ji was besieging Hamburg.
Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen are the three core cities of the Hanseatic League.
When Wang Ji led troops to surround Lübeck, the other two cities did not send troops to rescue them because they believed that Lübeck could not be breached.
When Wang Ji defeated the reinforcements one after another, they did not dare to send troops, but sent envoys to negotiate peace.
"Peace talks?" Wang Ji smiled.
"Yes," the Hanseatic envoy said, "the Hanseatic League will recognize your majesty's legal authority and your title of 'King of Northern Europe'. Moreover, the merchants of the Hanseatic League are willing to give up all their privileges in Northern Europe, and we will abide by your majesty's rule."
According to the laws of the country, we must pay commercial taxes according to the tax amounts set by His Majesty. Of course, we also ask Your Majesty to withdraw from the city of Lübeck."
Wang Ji made a puzzled expression: "Lübeck used to be the territory of Denmark, but now it is the territory of the United Kingdom of Northern Europe. Why should I withdraw from the city of Lübeck?"
The Hanseatic envoy was speechless for a moment. He could not say: Lübeck was the land of the Holy Roman Empire, and Denmark's claim to Lübeck was just wishful thinking.
Wang Ji said: "Peace talks are possible. Hamburg and Bremen, swear allegiance to me and accept the management of officials sent by me."
"This is impossible," the Hanseatic envoy said, "Hamburg and Bremen are both under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire. Do you want to go to war with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with such wanton annexation?"
Wang Ji asked back: "Do you still know about Charles V? To him, you are all rebels! If Charles V interferes, then I will send troops jointly with him. I want Hamburg, and he wants Bremen. I think he is very
I am happy to get a commercial city. By that time, I will not force you to become Catholic, but he may force you to give up Protestantism!"
The Hanseatic envoy once again had nothing to say. It was not that he was not good at words, but that he had no good cards to play.
Wang Ji smiled and said: "You can go back and recover. By the way, Hamburg's outer port is about to be blocked by me."
Hamburg is a riverside city, but there is an Elbe River that leads directly to the sea, and there is a prosperous outer port at the mouth of the river. Wang Ji can completely block Hamburg's water trade routes as long as he sends the navy to seal the outer port.
A few days later, Hamburg's outer port was blocked, and Wang Ji immediately sent troops to surround the city.
You don't need too many soldiers, 1,500 musketeers, plus a dozen cavalry, are enough to siege the city. Anyway, the outer port of the city has been blocked, and the cavalry dispersed to investigate the situation. Anyone who dares to enter or leave the city will immediately attack.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Ji sent ships to block the entrance of the Weser River and the outer port of Bremen, and then sent 1,500 musketeers to surround Bremen.
Wang Ji himself led his troops to Oldenburg.
The lord title of Oldenburg is earl, and after enfeoffment, there are three earls of Oldenburg, one of whom is Wang Ji himself.
Wang Ji has every reason to send troops here. He is the Count of Oldenburg. Isn't it natural to take Oldenburg back?
Another Count Anton I of Oldenburg, as the actual controlling noble of this city, felt like a dog. I didn’t interfere in other people’s business. You were at war with the Hanseatic League, and you came to beat me out of nowhere.
what?
It's very simple, just along the way.
Anton I was not wealthy and only raised dozens of private soldiers. Wang Ji sent out troops so quickly that he had no time to recruit knights, and the castle was surrounded.
"Surrender immediately, otherwise I will send your whole family to the gallows after I attack!" Wang Ji sent someone to shout.
Anton I looked at the dozens of private soldiers around him, then at Wang Ji's troops outside the city, and responded: "I am willing to surrender, but I have to take away all my property."
Wang Ji replied: "The gold and silver can be taken away, the food can be left, the army can be left, the land can be left, and the castle can be left! Moreover, your whole family must move to Copenhagen, and I will allocate you a piece of land in the suburbs!"
"I still want to retain the title of earl." Anton I emphasized.
Wang Ji smiled and said: "Okay."
At this point, Wang Ji captured the Oldenburg area, recruited 2,000 farmers here, and returned to the army to cut down trees outside Bremen and build siege equipment.
After the siege equipment was built, Wang Ji did not attack the city immediately, but shot letters into the city.
Wang Ji promised that whoever is willing to seize the door and surrender will keep his property and safety, while all other merchants will be executed and their property will be confiscated.
The merchants in the city held an emergency meeting and agreed that no one should surrender to the enemy and must hold on to the city. After a long time, the enemy naturally withdrew their troops. They also learned the lesson of Lübeck and did not take the opportunity to drive up prices. Instead, they began to provide relief to poor citizens.
After the meeting in the morning, everyone swore an oath on the Bible. That night, three families seized the gate and dedicated it to the city.
Wang Ji blocked the outer port and surrounded the city. Their business could not be done. One more day of delay would be a huge loss. After seizing the gate and offering the city, other merchants were killed, leaving only himself alive, who could take the opportunity to rob the deceased.
Business, maybe you can make more money than before!
After Wang Ji successfully entered the city, he kept his promise and left these three families untouched. He executed all the other merchants and ransacked their homes and made a lot of money.
Then, Wang Ji took the business leaders of the three clans and returned to Hamburg. He asked the three businessmen to speak out and tell the situation in Bremen, and made the same promise again. However, at most three families would be spared from death.
, anyone who is slow will be executed.
The merchants took action in the afternoon without waiting until night, and seven families wanted to surrender.
When the seven families presented the city, they actually started fighting each other, just to get one of the three places to avoid death.
These merchants of the Hanseatic League, not to mention the disunity between the cities, were also scheming within the city. The conflicts may not be obvious at ordinary times, but when a large army besieged the city and there was no external aid, all their ugly faces were exposed.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Ji came to Hannover again and repeated his old tricks and made the same promise.
But this city is different. Although it belongs to the Hanseatic League franchisee, there is still an archbishop sitting in charge.
The archbishop persuaded the merchants not to mess around, and he personally went out of the city to negotiate with Wang Ji.
"Your Majesty, we are willing to dedicate the city and agree to your sending officials to manage the city," the archbishop said with a smile, "but please do not kill innocent people indiscriminately and promise not to rob merchants of their property."
Wang Ji said: "I don't have to kill anyone, but only if you pay enough ransom!"
The Archbishop asked: “What is enough?”
Wang Ji said: "It depends on how wealthy the merchants in Hanover are."
The Archbishop frowned and said, "Your Majesty is too greedy to do this."
Wang Ji smiled and said: "Compared with businessmen, my greed is nothing."
The archbishop sighed and said: "Please make an offer, otherwise peace negotiations will be impossible."
Wang Ji thought for a while and said: "It's worth the equivalent of 100,000 Daiston gold coins."
"Deston" is a French gold coin during the Renaissance. The currency in Germany is too confusing, so you can only use French gold coins to convert it.
One hundred thousand Dayston gold coins are approximately equal to the Ming Dynasty's 8,000 taels of gold.
The archbishop said: "Impossible, there are too many."
Wang Ji said: "I believe that the merchants in Hanover can raise 100,000 Daiston."
The archbishop said: "Maybe it can be lowered a little."
Wang Ji smiled and said: "Then 150,000 Daiston."
"Ah?" The archbishop was a little confused.
"200,000?" Wang Ji said again.
The archbishop said angrily: "Your Excellency, you don't really want to negotiate peace!"
Wang Ji angrily scolded: "If you keep nagging, it will cost you 250,000 Daiston!"
The archbishop hesitated and finally said: "Then 100,000."
Wang Ji said: "200,000, no less, if you ask for more, it will be raised to 300,000!"
The archbishop had no choice but to return to the city to discuss. In the end, both parties compromised and the deal was concluded for 150,000 Dayston gold coins. The whole city pooled their money together to pay 12,000 taels of gold, or they could use the market price of silver coins instead.
After paying the money, Wang Ji took over the city and sent officials to manage it, but they were not allowed to kill or rob.
At this point, about one-eighth of the German territory in later generations was occupied by Wang Ji. Moreover, he continued to advance troops and wanted to eat up all the coastal areas of Germany.
These are all free commercial cities, nominally affiliated with the Shinra Empire, but they have been independent and autonomous for a hundred or two hundred years.
If anyone really stood up to intervene, the only one left was Charles V of Spain.