Who would have thought that the explosion was so powerful that it collapsed the roof of the cave in one fell swoop, a large depression appeared in the ground, and the entrance was sealed with stones, and all the people inside were silenced. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

"Let them save themselves first, just give one day, if they dig it out, it will be considered luck, and if they can't dig it out, it will be unlucky. Put all the nobles on the ship, and I have nothing to say to them, let them send their own messengers home to report the letters, and the ransom will be delivered to the Renaya Bank. Hong Tao put the responsibility for more than 2,000 people buried alive on the heads of those dukes and earls, if it wasn't for their desperate refusal to surrender, this tragedy would not have happened.

There were not only musketeers below, but also more than a thousand people from the vicinity, all of whom had come to the castle to escape the fighting, and they were all boiled in one pot. However, they did not have much manpower, and the soldiers had to guard more than 2,000 prisoners. Compared with their own safety, others can only be put in the second place, whether it is life or death, let them communicate with God.

After the soldiers had searched the castle completely and made sure that there were no hidden caves, Hong Tao rode into the city. It's miserable, the places that have been ravaged by the fire and explosions are miserable, especially the civilians, whose casualties are no less than the soldiers. But whether it is Han Chinese, Southeast Asians, people from the Indian Peninsula, Arabs, Africans, Indians or Europeans, when facing war, they basically have the same attitude, that is, they are dazed, numb, and indifferent.

They don't know why they're fighting, they don't know who will win, and they don't know what will happen in the next moment. Faced with the death of their loved ones, neighbors, and friends, they just silently watched the killers from the sidelines. It's like a wildebeest on the African savannah, instinctively choosing to run away when faced with a lion, and can't raise the slightest emotion of resistance, even if his number is hundreds of times that of a lion.

"First send these people to the ship in batches, and load as many as you can, and you can reach the Leeward Islands. By the way, identify them again, and pick out those who have craftsmanship. You go and take charge of this matter with Count Karl, and I will allocate you three armed cargo ships and one hundred and fifty army soldiers, plus these usable ships in the harbor, and the fleet will be withdrawn tomorrow morning. ”

Hong Tao didn't enter the castle, and he didn't see much in the courtyard. Winning is winning, but the work is not over, these people, except for the craftsmen, have to be transported to the canal construction site to be slaves, Luo Youde must be short of people, regardless of men, women and children, they are all pulled together, all of them are gathered in the supply depot of the Leeward Islands first, and then let Carl's oil fleet be sent to Sun City. At this time, Karl will be able to come forward, and these people will remain in the Americas forever, and not many will come back, or not many will live. It is estimated that 80 percent of the necessary craftsmen will have to die on the canal site.

After arranging these tasks, Hong Tao returned to the battleship with fifty army men without stopping, and he had other things to do, such as moving the ammunition and supplies from the armed cargo ship to the battleship, and then sleeping well. The battle here is over, but the Flemish Hanseatic is not yet completely settled, and they have a large shipyard and foundry at the mouth of the Travo River, from which seventy percent of the battleships and all the cannons are made.

This is a place that Hongtao has never visited, it is at the western end of the Baltic Sea, just over ten kilometers from Lübeck and less than sixty kilometers from the free city of Hamburg. What is the situation of the local river and what is the situation of the Baltic Sea channel, Hong Tao has to ask those prisoners, but it cannot be nobles, they have too many eyes and are not easy to be blinded. However, there is good news, the Flemish Hanseatic is almost in full swing this time, most of the naval forces have moved south, and the Baltic homeland is empty.

This may seem extreme, but it's understandable in the current situation. No one would have thought that the main force heading south would be defeated until they encountered the Hongtao fleet, and from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, there would be no sea power that could compete with the Flemish Hanseatic navy. It's the same in the Mediterranean, Karl, Friedrich II, Venetians, Arabs.

If it weren't for the fact that the composition of the Flanders Hanseatic was too complex and the distribution of interests was too difficult to balance, it is estimated that it would have swept across the Mediterranean Sea two years ago, and it would not have waited for Hong Tao to find out, let alone give Hong Tao the opportunity to build new warships and new cannons.

But now that Hong Tao knows, he definitely can't give them a chance to make a comeback. The Baltic cannot reach its own whip and cannot expand its sphere of influence in a short period of time, but it can still be done with a surprise attack by fleet. Burning down their shipyards, foundries, and corresponding facilities, and then arresting all their craftsmen and workers, basically stopped their development towards the sea.

They have been in business for seven or eight years to make up these things, and this part of Northern Europe is still very poor, and if they want to make a set, not to mention where the technicians come from, after losing the convenience of the maritime trade monopoly, all kinds of materials will be enough for them to save for a few more years. Even if they are all saved, it will be no fun, after Jiang Zhuyi and Carl have passed through this matter, they will pay more attention to the north, and those swallows of Cixi will also fly over, as long as they find the signs, the fleet of the Spring Alliance will patronize it, and it is a big deal to burn it again.

"It's a miracle, it's a big life...... It's hard to say, I don't know what fate awaits them. At about four o'clock in the afternoon, a war horse suddenly ran from the direction of the castle, bringing news to Hong Tao that the prisoners of war had actually dug the entrance to the underground cave by digging by shoulder, and there were still many living people inside.

It is said that Hong Tao should be happy that these poor people are saved, but he is not happy, and even a little worried. If these people die like this, it is considered happiness, because if they live, they will be transported to the Americas to dig canals. The consequences of undertaking such a major project in the tropics, without a perfect logistical support and medical system, can be imagined. But no matter what future generations say about themselves, this canal has to be dug, and these people must also go, even if they are scolded by the whole Europe and the world for 10,000 years, Hong Tao will not change his mind.

"You're going north? Are you familiar with that over there? The next morning, Carl came to Hong Tao's flagship. He had just returned from Karl Fort with his sailors, and after meeting, he didn't ask Hong Tao much how he took down the castle, this question was not a problem in his opinion, and he was concerned that Hong Tao would continue north to Lübeck with seven Virginia-class and one Salmon-class. No one has ever been to the sea over there, and the unknown is dangerous.

"Don't worry, I'm the god of the sea, and there's no sea area I haven't been to. Actually, I'm more worried about what happens on your side, and when the captives are sent to the Leeward Islands, you can go and pretend to be a good person. Take those nobles to Karl Fort in your name and sign a guarantee according to the rules of your nobles, give them the treatment they deserve, and wait for their families to pay the ransom. No matter what they think in their hearts or what they say, you must be sure that you did not participate in this war, and it is completely my revenge. And it was not a dispute between the Eastern and Christendom, it was only a commercial conflict, a struggle for the right to trade at sea. I suggest that you go and discuss with William and Jiang Zhuyi, and let them help you deal with this matter. Anyway, this matter was caused by the two of you, and it makes sense to wipe your ass clean by yourself with your own shit. ”

Hong Tao is not worried about war, although he has not been to the Baltic himself, he knows a little, at least no less than the people on the Baltic coast, and this is enough. But how to deal with the post-war problems was the big problem, and the Flemish Hanseatic was defeated by itself, which was tantamount to cutting off a very important financial route for the families of several kings, several dukes, and a dozen counts, to which was added an even more annoying church. If the aftermath is not handled well, then this war may really spread into a big war, and it will not end in a short time.

Although he could support Friedrich II in his desire to completely drive out the power of the Church and confront the whole of Europe, it was not the best option. These years have been a critical period for the countries of the Spring Alliance to develop and take shape quickly, and if most of the resources are invested in this war, it will inevitably affect the speed of development in the Americas.

Don't forget, there's also the Golden River Empire, a maritime power on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. If those little cubs are stopped by themselves and cannot go north to control the Great Song Dynasty, they will inevitably turn their attention to the south, west and east, and once they discover the no-man's land of America, then the Spring Alliance will have to fight on two fronts.

The naval strength of the Golden River Empire is not comparable to that of the Flemish Hanseatic Empire, and once they go all out into war mode, the battleships will be built as fast as dumplings, and the landing force will have to use tens of thousands as units. Wanting to defeat the Mongol Empire and the Flemish Hanseatic Empire to stop the large and well-trained Jinhe Empire's Royal Navy, Hong Tao thought that he did not have the strength for the time being. The weapon advantage is still there, but it is not omnipotent, and it depends on who the opponent is. I really can't stop them, and I don't want to stop them, but I don't want them to get involved in North and Central America too soon.

In order to avoid this dilemma, post-war negotiations are still very important. Karl and Jiang Zhuyi were responsible, and Friedrich II could not stay out of the matter. We must do our best, even to scare and coax, to dispel this possible war, even if it can be delayed for a few more years, it will be a good result.

(To be continued.) )