From the XIV-XV centuries, so to speak. Swiss mercenaries have made a name for themselves on the battlefields of Europe. This has made other European countries hesitate to use force against Switzerland. Especially after Switzerland declared its permanent neutrality.

No, Norway is also a permanently neutral country. Why did Germany push them during World War II, but not Switzerland? Barring some strategic reasons, the Swiss were too impressed by their bravery. It costs a lot to push one down, and you may encounter resistance, and even the area where the smoke is constantly burning is obviously very unwise.

The spears of the Swiss have been rampant in Europe for hundreds of years. Constant victory means that there are years of conquest, wars with external enemies, and between the various tribes within them, and there have been endless battles for the territorial borders.

The Swiss eventually came out of the fray, but mercenaries were still needed in Europe, or indeed in the world. As a result, a mercenary group that was born around the same time as Switzerland, but whose reputation was slightly weaker than that of Switzerland for various reasons, began to gradually become the leader of the industry. They are Hesse.

Hessian refers to a group of mercenaries composed of Germanic soldiers from the Rhine region, especially from the Hesse-Kassel region. Hesse-Kassel is a small German state located in present-day German state of Hesse, with a long tradition of mercenaries, whose commissions once exceeded half of the country's income.

For the local authorities in Hesse-Kassel, the training, training and pension of mercenaries has become an important industry.

"Without mercenaries, we will lose all our resources." These were the exact words of Count William VIII, who ruled Hesse at the time. That country was one of the few countries like Switzerland that was almost entirely directly founded and dominated by mercenary forces. Unfortunately, they have not achieved the same results as Switzerland.

After the great upheaval in France, they were incorporated into the Confederation of the Rhine. Since then, this country founded and led by mercenaries has disappeared into the long river of history. But the country is gone, but the legacy of the country is not. As far as Hou Dasheng knows, the jackal was a group within Hesse back then.

Historically, Hesse was a mercenary force on a par with Swiss mercenaries. Since Hessian mercenaries are an important source of income for the territory, they are naturally taken very seriously. The army was maintained and trained at around 24,000 standing troops, and the military-civilian ratio in Hesse reached an astonishing 1:15.

The quality of their officers was ahead of the whole of Europe at that time. At the time, they were hailed as "the best combat troops that could be hired with money."

George refers to the origins of the war between the United States and Great Britain. At that time, the British army itself was limited in strength. It is extremely difficult to fight across the sea. So, at that time the British made a decision that seemed very common in Europe at that time: to hire mercenaries.

Black has become their first choice. The first batch of more than 12,000 Hessian mercenaries were thrown into the Americas. As the war intensified, the number began to increase to more than 30,000. In fact, for the Germans at that time, the mercenary profession was one of the ancestral professions.

City-state, political, geopolitical and economic aspirations. The bankrupt aristocracy who once had a lot of combat experience, and the poor people who found a way to survive in order to eat...... During the reign of Friedrich II of Hesse, he began to pay pensions to military officers or the widows of war dead, and to overhaul public facilities.

Between 1677 and 1815, Hessian signed 37 contracts for mercenary services, 20 of which were for England. The British later even wanted to give priority to the use of Hessian mercenaries at all times. Thus, in the 18th century, when mercenaries disappeared as a group in other European countries, the Hessians continued their mercenary business. And there is a tendency to gradually expand, scale, and formalize.

The British Parliament even passed an agreement at the time to buy "preferential employment" for £125,000 a year. This preference further developed into a "special relationship between Britain and Hesse", and Hesse henceforth only "exported" troops to Britain.

Of course, as a "vassal state composed of and led by qualified warmongers", Hesse successfully provided war services to both warring sides in the War of the Austrian Succession. At the beginning of the war, the British army consisted of 6,000 Hessian mercenaries, and the British allied with Austria in the War of the Austrian Succession.

But Prussia and Bavaria, the employers and enemies, said that if Hesse lent troops to fight for them, they would give a lot of territory and turn Hesse into an elector of the Holy Roman Empire. So, without hesitation, the Count of Hesse sent them six thousand men - of course, it was not free.

And the Hessian troops who were sent to fight in the Americas were naturally the predecessors of the jackals. In that war, more than half of the Hessian mercenaries were killed, missing, or sick. Only half survived. Tough Hessian mercenaries are liked not only by the British, but also by the Americans.

Especially when they have just established themselves and have not yet wrestled with their home country. Since Hesse is a mercenary, then the British can invite the Americans. The only problem is that Americans don't have as much gold and currency as the British.

It's not too much of a problem, though. The United States doesn't have so much gold and currency, but they have a vast land! This has a fatal attraction for Hessian mercenaries at the grassroots level. The Hessian mercenaries, who were captured in battle, were well received. Then the federal authorities came forward to communicate.

Most of the mercenaries were either petty nobles or paupers. The Americans could not give gold and money, but they could give a lot of land. The condition, of course, is to defend their own land. How many Hessian mercenaries remained in the United States after the war is impossible to fully verify.

It is also impossible to verify how many Hesses fled to the United States after receiving messages from their compatriots in the United States. But the traces of their stay in the United States are still very evident today. The Hessian currency, called "Thaler". The U.S. dollar, on the other hand, is called "dollar".

What more people don't know is that the North American Industrial Workers League, the largest trade union organization in the United States, the AFL-CIO, the prototype of the Confederation of Labor-Industrial Trade Unions, has enough influence to influence a presidential election. Their working language is not English. But...... German!

"We know your relationship with Hesse, and we know your relationship with the AFL-CIO." George sighed deeply, they had only learned about the jackal. After all, if you have too much contact, you will always leave some traces.

But what if you get it?! They can't really be. Hesse, after being included in the Rhine Confederation, gradually moved towards history. But those who were unwilling to withdraw from the stage of history became the later Juncker. The other part is to go to other battlefields and continue his mercenary career under other names.

Switzerland, after 1860, also almost completely withdrew from the stage of mercenary history. But there are always people who want to continue their mercenary careers. Those people, combined with the unwilling crowd of Hesse. It is a jackal that is formed.

The Miao descendants left behind by Hesse in North America on the one hand housed jackal veterans who could no longer engage in military warfare. On the other hand, it is with the help of the military power and wealth of the jackal. gradually emerged and gradually became a decisive force.

Thanks to Hesse's growing influence in the United States, the jackals also gained a relatively solid rear area. It's just that with the changes of the times, the United States has gradually become stronger. The connection between jackals and Hesse gradually tends to be hidden.

"If you know, why do you choose to shake these wits with us?!" With a smile on his face, Hou Dasheng slowly stood up: "Okay, I don't have much time to talk nonsense." If you wish, you can go to the United States together after I'm done with my business. ”

After a pause, Hou Dasheng turned around: "If you don't want to, the matter will end here." We will use our own way to get justice back to us. ”

After saying this, he left here directly with the hound Hou Dasheng without looking back. After Hou Dasheng left, the jackals who were hiding in the shadows slowly withdrew. Of course, George was well aware that there were still people watching them in the dark. If they want to do anything wrong, these people will not hesitate to give them a taste of the bullets.

George stood up and glanced at the three men behind him who had not spoken. Then he tightened his robe and began to walk outside. Hou Dasheng was in the car at this time, quietly drinking tea in his cup. Lu Song, these guys, even got some tea. I have to say that the quality of this tea is not bad.

"We'll get in touch again. This is a big matter, and I have no way to make the decision myself. After George walked out, he nodded at Hou Dasheng: "But I believe that I will be able to get the news soon." ”

Hou Dasheng put down the teacup and looked at George still smiling: "I hope you will be as soon as possible, I don't have much time and patience to wait for your reply." ”

With the three men with him, George left with his head down. Hou Dasheng turned around and returned to the car, took out another satellite phone and dialed it out. After a while, the phone was picked up. Pressing the phone, Hou Dasheng said in a deep voice: "Boss, I will give you a list in a while." The pit viper can kill as many as he wants. Count the money together. Not a single cent is not less! ”

"You...... Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure...... Leave it to the pit viper?! The manager on the other end of the line asked, a little uncertain.

Holding the phone, Hou Dasheng showed his smile again: "You know, I also roughly know." My problem with some people is the problem of investors. Nothing to do with the people on my list. Whether it's pit vipers or you, it's just business. It's just a list, how much I will give you how much you have completed. ”

"As for the problem between us...... We'll figure it out. I promise. ”