The port of Danzig, one of the most important ports on the Baltic Sea, was also the largest port in Poland at this time. After the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years' War of 1454-1466, the Poles gained direct control over the land known as East Pomerania (West Prussia). The remaining members of the Teutonic Order founded the Duchy of Prussia in Königsberg and submitted to the King of Poland as his vassals.

However, the good times were short-lived, and by 1629 the Poles had lost the entire coastal strip of Livonia (including Courland), Prussia, and Trans-Pomerania after the outbreak of the Second War with Sweden for dominance over the Baltic Sea by 1629, and became almost landlocked. Fortunately, the Swedes were anxious to take part in the Thirty Years' War, so with the mediation of France, the Netherlands, and the British, an armistice was signed, and the Poles recovered the ports of Putzk, Danzig, and Königsberg, barely allowing the country to have an export port for grain and livestock.

Gaumo descended to the docks with the help of Schneider and his secretary, and the port of Danzig was raining moderately, and the ground was full of potholes and muddy puddles. For this reason, before disembarking he had to change his leather shoes and put on riding boots that he did not like. There are a lot of people on the docks, with all kinds of accents, Polish, Swedish, Dutch, English, Russian, German, etc., you can see merchants from all regions of the Baltic coast here. During this era, Danzig and Riga were the only two commercial ports in the Baltic region where more than a hundred ships docked each year, and it was here that large quantities of Polish grain and livestock were transported by Dutch merchants to the whole of Europe. However, after Riga came under Swedish control, most of this business moved to the port of Danzig. So at this point in terms of the level of prosperity. Danzig was to surpass Riga.

Distance. A few mud-covered pigs were snorting in the crowd, and the same filthy sailors and dock workers sat beside them, talking and laughing loudly as if no one was around. From time to time, a well-dressed nobleman or a businessman's butler would walk not far from them with his nose covered, and hire these men to load and unload goods.

Several Polish beggars found out about the existence of Gao Mo and the others, and immediately flocked to beg, but Zheng Yong quickly stopped in front of Gao Mo with several retinues wearing army uniforms, and they picked up their sheathed sabers and beat them away with their heads and faces. Gao Mozhi frowned at the whole process. These boys are used to being arrogant in the country, but they didn't expect that it would not be worrying to go so far away in the Baltic Sea.

A Polish man in a grease-stained uniform approached, followed by seven or eight retinues who appeared to be the managers of this dock. Perhaps the beggars that the people on the east coast had just beaten were under his control, so his face was very bad, and he seemed to be coming to look for him. But just when Gao Mo was worried, I saw that the guy was stunned for a moment, and then immediately shouted something to Schneider next to Gao Mo with a smile.

Schneider also responded in Polish, then turned to Gaumore and said, "This is Vallegrewski, in charge of policing in Danzig Port. His uncle held an official position in Krakow, a man with a lot of means. He was also one of the participants in the recruitment of veterans. ”

"Ski? He's a nobleman? Gao Mo asked suspiciously. As far as he knew, the Polish word for "ski" was a suffix added to the name of a place, and was generally used by the nobility - because only the nobility had fiefs. This guy's name is Valle Grevsky, could it be that he is also a nobleman? However, after glancing at Valegrewski's greasy clothes and leather boots with cracked edges, Gaumo denied his own speculation, perhaps this guy was once a nobleman, but he was clearly not.

Sure enough, I saw Schneider shake his head and said in a very low voice: "This guy is not a nobleman for a long time, he got an errand in Danzig on the recommendation of his uncle, and he eats and takes cards on weekdays, and he is an out-and-out villain." If it weren't for the fact that their kings and nobles were in desperate need of our weapons to rearm their armies and thus pay special attention to us, this guy would not be as flattering as he is now, and perhaps a different face. ”

Gomo nodded, motioning for Schneider to come up and negotiate with him, while he looked around at the famous Baltic port. It's a pity that there are all low houses around, the docks are also wooden, there is a lot of garbage floating in the sea, and occasionally you can see some floating livestock carcasses, which makes people feel disgusted to see. The shore of the wharf is also full of mud, and when it rains, it will be potholes, and shoes and trousers will soon stick to the fishy smell of mud, which is completely incomparable with the prosperous, neat and clean port of the East.

Schneider quickly finished talking to Valleglevski, and after shoving a few coins into the Polish scoundrel's hand, he returned to Gaumo: "Those veterans are over there in the storehouse, shall we go now?" After getting Gommour's approval, Schneider quickly led everyone to their destination.

With a tooth-weeping creak, the low wooden door was pushed open. Gaumo was escorted by his entourage into the slightly dimly lit cabin, but he soon frowned. It stinks in the house! The smell of sweat, feet, urine, food and other unpleasant smells are intertwined, and it almost smokes so much that Gao Mo wants to turn around and leave.

The people in the house also spotted the uninvited guests, but after seeing the face of the gold lord Schneider, and a group of people in dark blue uniforms with sabers at their waists, they seemed to understand something. Then a group of Poles, who were resting in the haystacks, gambling on wooden beds, or drinking and talking at the table, immediately stopped their clamor and fixed their eyes on Gaumo, for their benefactor, Mr. Schneider, seemed to be still reporting to the big man.

"Your Excellency the Special Envoy, these Polish veterans have now accepted our employment. According to the agreement, their salary during their stay in Poland is 1 zloty (about 3 yuan) per month; If sent to fight overseas, their salary will be doubled, i.e. 2 zlotys per month, and if the spoils of war are captured in battle, they will ask for a certain share of the reward, the details of which I will show you later. "They also asked us for horse feed, saddles, combat equipment and other supplies, and if they used their own horses or weapons, they hoped that we would give us a certain amount of money." ”

"Yes, these requests are reasonable." Gomo nodded in agreement, although this price was already a lion in the eyes of these Poles, but for the people on the East Coast, it was only the average salary level of the army - and this did not include the overseas war allowance. In general, the price of these Polish mercenaries is quite low, and for 6 yuan a month you can hire a group of soldiers with rich combat experience, what could be more cost-effective.

If you want to be cheaper, you can learn from the Dutch, for example, you can hire some German hillbilly farmers for 9 guilders (3 yuan) or 11 guilders, but the fighting level of these German farmers is not flattering. After all, it takes a process to grow from a recruit to a veteran. Although the last time these Polish veterans took part in a large-scale war was ten years ago, Poland was threatened with war almost every day over the years, with Swedes, Russians, Turks, Cossacks, etc., and they were often hired by some Polish border nobles to participate in these small and sporadic battles, so that their fighting skills did not deteriorate significantly.

"Now, I'll ask you to translate." Gaumo gave Schneider an inmonition, and then said: "Those who have participated in the last two border wars with the Crimean Tatars raise their hands. ”

Schneider began to translate aloud in Polish, and almost everyone raised their hands.

"The hands of those who participated in the Smolensk war continue to be raised, and the rest can be put down."

Only a small percentage of people have lowered their hands, and 90% are still holding their hands high.

"The hands of those who fought in the most recent war with the Swedes continue to be raised, and the rest can be put down."

Some others put their hands down, and about sixty percent of the remaining people still raised their hands in the air.

"The hands of those who participated in the latest war with the Turks continue to be raised, and the rest can be laid down."

This time, there are more people who have put down their hands, and there are less than one who still raise their hands.

Seeing that there were still people raising their hands, Gao Mo and Zheng Yong behind him were a little surprised, the last war with the Turks was the first battle of Huojing more than 20 years ago (1621). In that battle, 46,000 Polish soldiers defeated an army of 100,000 led by the Ottoman Sultan. However, it is not surprising that most Europeans who have made a career out of the military have been soldiers since they were teenagers, and it is normal to have experienced the war of twenty years ago.

After inviting the last part of the group out alone, Gao Mo asked Schneider to question them carefully, and the results obtained by the last were shocking. A significant number of them (about a dozen) even participated in the earlier War for the Moscow Throne in 1617-1618, and their experience in the military was almost thirty years, which is jaw-dropping.

Looking at these down-and-out middle-aged mercenaries in their forties, Gao Mo and Zheng Yong looked at each other, and immediately decided to increase their salaries, promising that after the five-year employment period, the East Coast people would allow them and their families to move to the East Coast if they wished, and give them land. Jokes aside, every veteran is the most valuable asset, and their years of experience in the army have left them a valuable asset: rich combat experience, accurate ability to read the battlefield, calm mentality, and skilled combat skills, which of these are not beyond the reach of recruits? Even within the East Coast Army, where the professional staff system has become so popular, such veterans are invaluable.

"Take them on the boat, send them back to Bordeaux, and then send them back to the mainland as soon as the boat arrives." Gaumore instructed Schneider. (To be continued......)