So, King Henry IV of England, under the pressure of Parliament, began to prepare for a "small lesson" to the Ming fleet, and he ordered the conscription of nobles and knights from all over England, and at the same time strengthened the defense of the coastline to prepare for this coming war.

At the same time, Henry Lancaster, Prince of Wales (i.e. Henry V), who had just put down Percy's rebellion on the front, and his 5,000 British troops were also called back to London.

Henry Lancaster, as the son of the usurper Henry IV, was adopted by his father's enemy, Richard II, the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty, when his father was expelled and exiled and was still chanting "Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi Mo bullying the poor youth".

In the first year of the Ming Dynasty, at the same time as Zhu Di on the other side of the world, Henry IV Dragon King returned to the throne and became king, and Henry Lancaster was immediately named the Prince of Wales, and at the same time led the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Aquitaine, which is the standard for every future king, and at the same time proves the ambition of the Lancaster family. To put it simply, he became the prince of Britain.

However, little Henry has been very worried about his life all these years, because he may not know when he, the prince, will run away again with a bucket and go into exile in France. His half-father, Richard II, was imprisoned in a gloomy castle by his own father, Henry IV, and could rise again at any time, and Henry IV was also facing a series of revolts at home.

Overall, however, Henry Jr. survived his teenage years, receiving higher education and court etiquette, and he frequently followed Henry IV to battle, including in the Welsh Rebellion, where he defeated the rebels led by Thomas Bossy.

This later generation of famous generals in Western Europe is about the same as Zhu Zhanji's template, but he is better militarily.

Henry Lancaster is now very brave and good at fighting, and in the counterinsurgency battle just now, his cheek was scratched by an arrow and left a long terrible blood mark, but he still commanded it, which also boosted the morale of the British army, and successfully defeated Sir Percy, an old minister who started a rebellion in Cheshire.

At this time, in the splendid halls of the London court, the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

Henry Lancaster's brow was puzzled as he entered, while his father, King Henry IV, sat on a high throne with a gloomy face and an elusive glint in his eyes.

"Father, why did you suddenly summon me back?" After Henry Lancaster saluted, he asked straight to the point.

Henry IV took a deep breath, his gaze through the dome of the temple, as if he saw the distant horizon and the mighty Ming fleet.

He spoke slowly, in a low and powerful voice: "My child, you should know that our country is facing a major challenge. ”

Henry Lancaster nodded and said, "Yes, I heard about the Ming fleet. ”

"But I don't understand, why are we at war with them? Didn't they come to trade with us? ”

The young and inquisitive crown prince was puzzled by his father's decision to suddenly go to war with the Ming fleet.

Henry Lancaster said bluntly: "The Ming fleet is powerful and rich, and their arrival may bring us more trade opportunities and wealth." ”

Henry IV looked at his son's puzzled eyes and sighed deeply.

He was well aware that the question involved the internal political and economic interests of Great Britain, and it was really difficult for a young man to understand, but as the heir to the throne, it was necessary for Henry Lancaster to know the truth about these things.

"My child, do you know the Hanseatic merchants?" Henry IV asked slowly.

Henry Lancaster replied, "Of course, they have been trading with us for a long time. ”

The Hanseatic League is a commercial and political alliance formed between the cities of northern Germany, headquartered in Lübeck, with more than 100 cities such as Hamburg, Cologne, and Bremen joining, with independent armed forces and treasury and a large navy, and has a supreme parliament and the Supreme Court, which has the right to conduct diplomacy, declare war, make peace, and conclude treaties with foreign countries.

At its peak, the Hanseatic League was strong enough to impose an economic blockade on any king and continental prince, and even went to war to protect its economic interests.

Therefore, the Hanseatic League was not a pure chamber of commerce at all, it could almost be regarded as an independent political and economic entity, and the power of the member cities was controlled by the urban aristocracy and large merchants, and its strength was even stronger than that of many countries.

The Hanseatic League's strength was most important because of its monopoly on trade, the Hanseatic League monopolized the intermediary trade between Eastern Europe, Northern Europe and Western Europe, and their main commodities included wool from England, beer from Hamburg, fish from Norway, copper and iron from Sweden, and hides and furs from Russia. The Hanseatic League also established trading posts along the coast from London in the west to Novgorod in the east.

Of course, the Hanseatic merchants also dealt in oriental products such as spices and silk through Italian merchants.

It can be said that more than half of the maritime trade in Europe was in the hands of Hanseatic merchants, while the remaining half was in the hands of Mediterranean landowners such as Italians and Greeks.

At this time, King Henry IV of England had even less financial power in his hands than the shogun.

It is true that the shogun needed to borrow money from big businessmen such as Totomi in order to fight the war, but they had the power to raise taxes, and the current British king's financial power was pitiful, and without the consent of the Parliament, the tax of a single gold coin could not be increased.

Therefore, in order to spend money on the army, the English king had to negotiate with the parliament and then constantly compromise, and at the same time constantly borrowed money from Hanseatic merchants.

In order to quell the rebellion, there was even a matter of selling royal furniture and tableware to raise military expenses, which shows how embarrassed the British king's finances were.

The reality was that there were often cases where Parliament did not approve tax increases, and the English king was too creditworthy to borrow money, and in the face of this situation, Henry IV was forced to sell his commercial interests.

"Need money urgently? Come, come, stake your crown on me. ”

- This is a very apt phrase for a Hanseatic merchant.

Well, in fact, in the past, in order to redeem the king, when the Hanseatic League was matched, the crown of the British king was really mortgaged.

These members of the Hanseatic League, who had long been doing business with the British, had extended their tentacles into the British Parliament, and sometimes even influenced politics. Because the local nobles and businessmen in Britain, as middlemen, have long been involved with these channel dealers, the British Parliament will be half-pushed and half-coerced by the Hanseatic League.

The hustle and bustle of the world is all for profit, that's all.

"Yes, they are our trading partners, but their hands have been stretched too far."

A flash of anger flashed in Henry IV's eyes, and he said: "They not only control almost all of our import and export trade, but also manipulate our politics behind the scenes, and some nobles, including some members of the council, are corrupted by their money and become their puppets. ”

Henry Lancaster could not help but be shocked when he heard this, he could not imagine that a foreign merchant could control the highest decision-making body in Britain.

His eyes widened in shock: "How is this possible?" ”

"How could it be?"

Henry IV asked rhetorically: "The wealth and influence of the Hanseatic merchants are far greater than you think. ”

Henry Lancaster asked, "So, what does this have to do with the Ming fleet?" ”

"Of course it is, my son."

"The arrival of the Ming fleet threatens the trade interests of the Hanseatic merchants throughout Europe, so they lobbied the parliament and demanded that we go to war."

Henry IV explained: "The Italians and Greeks had no strength of their own, and monopolized the trade routes of the Mediterranean by virtue of their geographical location, while the Hanseatic merchants had two sources of income, one of which was the transfer of goods from the East from the Italians and Greeks; The second is to monopolize trade by controlling the Baltic Sea and even the entire North Sea. ”

Henry Lancaster understood in an instant when he heard this.

The goods in the East were added layer by layer by the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Byzantine Empire, which were second-and third-way dealers along the way, and entered the European market through the Italians and Greeks, and if the Ming fleet could reach Europe directly, it meant that these middlemen could not make much difference, and the Hanseatic League was the last middleman in it.

At the same time, the commercial monopoly of the Hanseatic League relied on the naval force that could easily defeat the navy of any country, and the size of the Ming fleet was obviously a high tension for the Hanseatic League.

"The nobles who were bound to the interests of the Hanseatic merchants, in order to protect their own economic interests, began to lobby the parliament to go to war with the Ming fleet. To put it bluntly, they hoped to protect their trade monopoly by driving the Ming fleet out of Britain and even the entire North Sea through war. ”

Henry Lancaster asked incomprehensibly: "But our fleet is not strong, it is difficult for us to defeat the strong with the weak, do we really want to go to war with the Ming fleet?" ”

"We can only give the fleet a funeral."

Henry IV's words startled Henry Lancaster.

Henry Lancaster was silent for a moment, digesting his father's words, trying to make sense of this complex and brutal reality.

The Hanseatic League didn't know how much money it spent and how many connections it used, just to let the British fleet go to war with the Ming fleet first, and then test the strength of the Ming fleet and dampen their sharpness.

In other words, the Hanseatic League did not expect any results from the British fleet, which was not very powerful, but only created a good condition for its own personal fate next, or rather, the Hanseatic League was already assembling their alliance fleet that could destroy a country. They are buying time for the assembly and training of the coalition fleet.

Henry Lancaster finally understood his father's plight, and he realized that the war was not a simple conflict between Britain and the Ming Dynasty, but a contest of complex political and economic interests behind it.

He felt helpless for a while, but he also knew that as the heir to the throne, he had a responsibility to deal with these matters.

"What do you need me to do?"

"My body is so weak."

Henry IV put his hand out of his sleeve, and Henry Lancaster was shocked to find that his father's little finger had already fallen off from his hand, and there was only a bare patch, which was a symptom of leprosy.

"My son, if our fleet fails, please take my place in commanding the army to defend London and stop the invasion of England by the Ming army."

——————

When the Ming fleet commanded by Zheng He and the British fleet commanded by the Earl of Worcester met in the English Channel, the atmosphere on the sea was tense to the extreme.

The treasure ships of the Ming fleet are majestic, the huge hulls are like floating castles, the towering masts are hung with bright flags, hunting in the sea breeze, these treasure ships of 1,500 and 2,000 are far more tonnage than any warship of the British fleet, and their decks can even accommodate hundreds of soldiers and dozens of guns.

In contrast, the battleships of the British fleet appeared small and nimble, and at the same time they lacked sufficient artillery. At this time, Europe did not have too advanced artillery at all, and even fewer could be shipped, which put them at a great disadvantage in the upcoming naval battle before it began.

The British did not know this, though.

They only knew that although the enemy was very strong, they had already occupied a favorable position on the upper hand, and they only needed to bravely rush over and rush to the position of receiving the side of the battle, and they would have a considerable chance of victory.

Zheng He, who had been in Spain before, planned to continue trading along the coastline through the English Channel this time, so he did not know the origin of these enemies, but seeing that the other party had already taken the initiative to rush up at sea, it was clear that it was premeditated, and there was no chance of diplomatic mediation at all.

Looking at these stunned two stunned people, Zheng He frowned.

- Don't they know that times have changed?

With Zheng He's order, the artillery of the Ming fleet began to roar.

These steel-cast guns were extremely long-range and powerful, and the shells they fired cut through the air in arcs, and then there was no shortage of unlucky shells that landed accurately on the battleships of the British fleet. The wooden hull of the British battleship shook violently under the bombardment of cannonballs, sawdust and debris flew everywhere, and a small battleship that looked like a merchant ship was even directly smashed and sunk.

The soldiers of the British fleet were caught off guard by this sudden and heavy artillery fire, and many of them were killed or wounded before they even had time to prepare for it.

The commanders of the British fleet tried to organize an effective counterattack, but their battleships looked so vulnerable and vulnerable to the guns of the Ming fleet.

Finally, the British fleet, risking huge casualties, advanced into the range of the longbow.

But before the British could use their proud longbow and arrow rain, the musketeers of the Ming fleet began to attack them with muskets, and the Ming army's shells rained down on the deck of the British battleship, causing huge casualties to the British soldiers.

Some brave British soldiers attempted hand-to-hand combat by throwing hooks and approaching the Ming treasure ship, but they were quickly repelled by the Ming soldiers with spears and swords.

When night fell, the English Channel shimmered in the embers of battle, and the broken, smoking British warships struggled to float in the waves, many of which were lined with dead and wounded soldiers on the decks, their blood staining the planks red and blending with the water.

The British fleet suffered heavy losses under the fierce attack of the Ming fleet, many warships were sunk or captured, and a large number of soldiers were killed, wounded or captured, while the Ming fleet won the naval battle with its huge treasure ships and sharp artillery.

The commander of the British fleet, Earl Worcester, knew that there was no way to recover the defeat, and they had to give the order to retreat.

However, retreat is not an easy thing for this fleet that has suffered heavy losses, some warships have lost the power of the sails because of serious damage, and can only rely on the towing of other warships or their own desperate paddles to move, but at this time, these remaining warships are too late to run by themselves, how many can drag friendly ships?

At the same time, the pursuers of the Ming fleet were also constantly approaching, which made these frightened birds feel tremendous pressure.

In the process of retreating, the British fleet was constantly bombarded by the guns of the Ming fleet, and every shell made them tremble, and every explosion made them feel one step closer to death. Some British soldiers even chose to jump into the sea to escape in fear and despair, but the icy waters and ferocious waves soon consumed their lives.

After a night of difficult retreat, the British fleet finally escaped from the pursuit range of the Ming fleet and returned to the port of Portsmouth.

This naval battle was a heavy blow to the British, and the Ming fleet showed its great strength with this victory.

But it didn't end there.

After interrogating the prisoners, the Ming army was furious at the despicable sneak attack of the British, and when he heard that the British originally planned to teach the Ming fleet a "small lesson", Zheng He decided to also give the British a little "little Ming shock".

——————

The Royal Palace, London.

The atmosphere in the London court was unusually tense, and the commander of the British fleet, the Earl of Worcester, returned from defeat, his face pale, and his eyes full of horror and uneasiness.

The Earl of Worcester hurried into the main hall, knelt before King Henry IV of England, and told the king the news of the defeat with a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, our fleet ...... It's all gone. ”

The Earl of Worcester's voice was low and weak, as if every word had taken a great deal of his strength, and he tried to express some meaning in a vague tone: "The strength of the Ming fleet is too strong, their artillery and tactics are completely superior to ours, and our warships are as vulnerable as paper paste under their attack. Even if I retreated to Portsmouth Harbour, I was still destroyed by the Ming army, and I tried my best, but I really couldn't resist their attack. ”

Henry IV's face instantly turned pale, and his eyes flashed with anger, which was not anger at the defeat of the British fleet, and he had expected it.

Henry IV stood up sharply, his hands clenched into fists, as if to shatter the bad news before him, but in reality, he wanted to kill all the vile Hanseatic merchants.

The little fleet money that Britain had worked so hard to accumulate was in vain under the coercion of this group of foreign merchants and bugs who controlled the Parliament.

As the King of England, how could he not be angry at the current deformed political landscape in Britain?

But soon, the forbearant Henry IV gave up the impossible idea of "killing all the Hanseatic merchants".

"So what is the situation of the Ming fleet now? How much did they lose? Henry IV tried to make his voice sound calmer.

"I don't know, I just know them...... It's already landed. ”

The Earl of Worcester said hesitantly: "The Ming army, which is marching in the direction of London, is also quite large, numbering several thousand men, and is so well equipped that we may not be able to compete with it at all. ”

Well, the Earl of Worcester's phrase "thousands of people" is not surprising, as I said before, if the current world is divided according to the actual combat records, it can probably rank the combat effectiveness and army size of each country.

The Ming > the Timurid Khanate > the Ottoman Turkish Empire > the Crusaders formed by the European states.

To tell the truth, in these European countries, the scale of the war is really not as good as the Japanese "village fight" that was ridiculed by the Ming Dynasty.

Japan now has a population of 10 million, how many are there in the UK? After the plague, there were only about two million to three million people.

Intuitively speaking, the total population of Britain is not as large as the number of military households in the Ming Dynasty.

Take a recorded example, after Henry V restarted the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the total army invested was more than 10,000 people, including the mercenaries who were shaken off their bottoms, when the British army landed in Normandy and first captured Hafleur, and then crossed the Somme River to Calais to march, and the 30,000 French troops who "came from the country" encountered in Agencourt, Henry V defeated the strong with the weak, so he became famous and was known as a famous European general.

And in the Ming Dynasty at the same time, not to mention 10,000 people, it is 30,000 people, and whether you can be a partial general is a question.

However, the Battle of Agencourt, with a total of 40,000 men on both sides, was already one of the largest battles in the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France.

Of course, the scale is small, but the quality is still online, and the scale of the military system is really not objective, the size of the armies of European countries is actually limited by the knightly system, which is completely different from the nature of Annan's conscription of civilians and militias to gather an army of 200,000.

But in any case, the current British army has a total of several thousand people, and the landing force of the Ming Dynasty is already quite terrifying in their opinion.

Hearing this news, an exclamation suddenly sounded in the palace, and the ministers exchanged heads and discussions, and fear spread rapidly in the air.

Henry IV felt a wave of vertigo, but he knew that he could not fall at this time, and he had to remain calm and make a decision.

Henry IV took a deep breath and forced himself to compose, and then he turned to his son Henry Lancaster, who was standing aside.

"You heard the Count."

His voice was firm and decisive: "Now, I order you to lead seven thousand men to meet the Ming army, and I grant you the authority to command all the nobles and knights. ”

Hearing this, Henry Lancaster straightened up, and his eyes flashed with determination.

"Yes, Father."

He did not hesitate to accept the order: "I will do everything in my power to defend our country and our people." ”

Henry IV looked at his son's back, and a mixed emotion welled up in his heart, he knew what this war meant for England, which was constantly in civil strife, and he also knew how dangerous it was for his son to face the powerful Ming army.

But he had no choice.

The 7,000 British army included both the British Janissary and a considerable number of nobles and their knights.

Under the leadership of Henry Lancaster, these nobles, who had been prepared by the king's orders, quickly assembled and set out on a journey to meet the Ming army.

——————

Greenwich, located in the southeast of London, is a once-peaceful land that has now become the battlefield of a decisive battle between the two armies.

The British and Ming armies confronted each other here, and both sides were in good standby.

Henry Lancaster stood in front of the British army, dressed in ornate knightly armor, and the sun shone on his iron armor, reflecting a blinding light.

The Prince of Wales has a determined gaze and a serious expression, ready for any challenge.

Behind him, seven thousand British troops lined up in a neat formation, a significant proportion of them heavily armed cavalry, armed with spears and shields, and the sound of armor clashing was like a prelude to war.

The advantage of the British army was that of their knights, who were in heavy armor and almost invulnerable, and their horses, who were also in iron armor, charged unstoppably.

Henry Lancaster knew that because the Ming army came by sea, there were not many war horses loaded with the ship, and the Ming army that landed was only a few hundred horsemen, so if you want to win this battle, well-trained knights are the key, as long as you can break through the Ming army's line, the victory of strangling the enemy's infantry is just around the corner.

However, the Ming army on the opposite side was clearly not an easy opponent to deal with.

Zhu Youjiao, the king of Runan County, who rushed to sea with Zheng He after visiting relatives in Kaifeng, stood in front of the Ming army, and under his command, the infantry, cavalry and firearms units of the Ming army performed their duties in an orderly manner.

In addition to the two dense infantry phalanxes pressing the left and right flanks, the Ming army also set up a hollow phalanx in the middle that the British army could not understand.

But if you don't understand it, the British don't have a good choice.

Let him have all the bells and whistles, and I will go on a rampage.

The battle finally began, and the knights of the British army took the lead in the charge, and these iron cans rushed towards the Ming line like a torrent of steel. The sound of horses' hooves was deafening, as if even the earth was trembling, and the sound of armor colliding with each other in the run was even more heart-wrenching.

The knights were armed with mounted spears and aimed at their targets as they had done in training, but many of them were so nervous that their muscles strained like springs.

However, not long after they were activated, the firearms units of the Ming army opened fire.

The artillery behind the Ming army began to fire, and the flowering shells poured down on the British army like a storm, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, and for a while, the battlefield was filled with firelight and gunsmoke.

Many of the English knights were hit, and the armor that had once made them proud was now as vulnerable as papier-mâché.

The blood of the English knights stained the green meadows of Greenwich, and groans of pain echoed across the battlefield.

Despite this, these British knights, who had been trained as the main force on the battlefield since childhood, did not flinch, and they still charged bravely, trying to break through the seemingly extremely fragile defense line of the Ming army with their long cavalry spears.

However, the musketeers of the Ming army did not give them this opportunity, because the left and right flanks were protected by a phalanx mixed with light and heavy infantry, and the forces in the hollow phalanx of the Ming army were mainly concentrated in the front, forming a continuous "three-stage attack".

This tactic, which had been used since Mu Ying, made the Ming army's firepower more dense and continuous, enough to form a non-stop fire net, so that the British knights could not find a breakthrough.

The Ming musketeers calmly reloaded their ammunition and adjusted the angle of their shots, their movements skillful and swift, each volley making the British charge more difficult.

The battle entered a white-hot stage, although the charge of the British knights was fierce, but under the continuous blow of the Ming army's firearms, their formation began to appear chaotic, some knights were injured and fell from their horses, while their companions had to bypass these obstacles to continue the charge, which greatly slowed down the British army's charge.

The British knights faced the cross-era weapons and tactics of the Ming army, and there was no essential difference between them and the Mongol cavalry led by Monk Gelinqin in the Battle of Bali Bridge, both of which were slaughtered.

At the same time, a small number of cavalry of the Ming army also began to launch a counterattack, and they took advantage of the gap between the British charges to quickly cross the battlefield and launch attacks on the flanks and rear of the British army.

The British began to find themselves bogged down, their charge was blocked by the Ming firearms and infantry lines, and their rear was attacked by the Ming cavalry, in this case, the morale of the British army began to waver, and some soldiers began to develop feelings of fear and retreat.

Henry Lancaster looked at the situation on the battlefield with helplessness and despair.

The future European generation is well aware that this battle is irretrievable.

Although the knights of the British army were brave and fearless, they were so powerless in the face of the Ming army's firearms and infantry and cavalry.

At this moment, another volley of firearms from the Ming army fired, and the shells and firearms projectiles cut through the British formation like the sickles of death.

The English knights fell, their blood staining the ground, and heart-wrenching cries echoed across the battlefield of Greenwich.

The pride and self-confidence of the knights were completely shattered by the firearms of the Ming army, and these knights watched the large-scale collapse of the Ming army begin with devilish eyes.

The defeat was like a mountain.

Henry Lancaster took a deep breath and ordered the entire army to retreat in order to avoid greater losses.

The British fled in a hurry under the pursuit of the Ming army, and fled all the way back to London before the Ming army stopped the pursuit.

——————

"It's a big deal, the foreigner's warship has sailed into the Thames!"

The news spread like wildfire among the citizens of London.

With the attack of the Ming army on both sides of the waterway, the originally prosperous and peaceful city suddenly fell into chaos and panic, and the crowd on the street surged and discussed, and everyone's face was full of panic and uneasiness.

King Henry IV of England was also in an unprecedented predicament at this moment, he stood in front of the window, his eyes solemnly looked at the direction of the Thames in the distance, the huge Ming warships, like monsters, across the river, their guns aimed at London.

Henry IV was well aware that his kingdom was facing an unprecedented crisis.

Under these circumstances, Henry IV had to make a difficult decision after consulting with the Parliament, and he ordered negotiations with the Ming army to try to resolve the crisis by peaceful means.

Objectively speaking, Zheng He had no intention of destroying Britain, and the forces in his hands could not completely rule Britain, and with the elongation of the battle line and the shortage of supplies, it was very likely that he would fall into a quagmire if he continued to fight.

Therefore, Zheng He chose to negotiate with the British.

Under strong military pressure from the Ming army, King Henry IV of England was forced to sign a humiliating alliance under the city.

- "Mingying London Contract".

The main contents of the contract included: ceding the port of Portsmouth, compensating the Ming army for huge military expenses, opening six coastal ports that established demilitarized zones for free trade, and asking the Ming to set up a branch office and an official factory in the port, and the British king had no right to judge the Ming people in any case, and could only hand them over to the Ming embassy for processing.

This pact was undoubtedly a huge blow and an unparalleled humiliation for Britain.

Not only did they recognize the strength and invincibility of the Ming army, but they were also forced to accept a series of harsh conditions and restrictions.

At the same time, the Ming army also received the right to freedom of navigation on the Thames and the right to garrison troops on British soil.

When the news broke, the hearts of the citizens of London became even heavier and more indignant, and they could not accept that their king would sign such a humiliating pact to surrender the dignity of England.

However, in the face of the powerful military power of the Ming army, they could not do anything but bear this pain in silence.

King Henry IV, who was himself a usurper, also felt deep remorse and helplessness.

Obviously, this contract will forever nail him to the pillar of shame in history, and become a stain that he can never erase.

Well, with the stone to pay tribute to the yes.

However, Henry IV also understood that in the current situation this was the only option that could avoid greater losses.

He hoped that the "Mingying London Compact" could be exchanged for a moment of peace, and that it would give the Lancastrian dynasty a respite for the future.

——————

In the solemn and ancient Hanseatic Council Hall in Lübeck, representatives of the Hanseatic League and the Teutonic Knights gathered for a joint meeting to discuss how to deal with the looming threat of the Ming army.

The Hanseatic League can be associated with the Teutonic Knights, and it has to start with the history of the Teutonic Knights.

During the Third Crusade, the Teutonic Knights formed a mutual aid society composed of German merchants from Lübeck, Bremen and other places to provide treatment for the German Crusaders, and they formed a medical institution to take care of their own soldiers, calling themselves "the Knights Hospitaller of St. Mary of Germany" in Jerusalem.

Later, the Teutonic Knights were officially established in Acre, and their full name was the Knights of Our Lady of the German Brethren in Jerusalem.

The following year, the Order was recognized by the Holy See, and their emblem was a black cross on a white background, and the rules were the same as those of the Knights Hospitaller, and they were called the Three Knights along with the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar.

Later, after some twists and turns, the Teutonic Knights conquered Prussia and finally established the Teutonic Knights State in Prussia.

During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the territory of the Teutonic Knights had covered the entire eastern and southern shores of the Baltic Sea, becoming the hegemon of Northeast Europe, and most of the cities within its territory were the main economies of the Hanseatic League.

To put it bluntly, the Hanseatic League held the money bag, and the Teutonic Knights held the knife handle.

Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Ulrich von Junkingen, the leader of the Teutonic Order, looked at the merchants' somewhat flustered expressions, and knew that everyone present was worried about the strength of the Ming army in the course of its attack on England. But Rong Jingen also understands that what is needed at this time is courage, not panic.

He broke the silence with a firm and confident voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Grand Master Junggingen began to state his opinion: "There is no doubt about the naval strength of the Hanseatic League, and we have the advantage of terrain, so we need not fear the Ming army at sea. ”

Rong Jingen paused, looked around, and saw that everyone's faces began to show a little approval, and he continued: "And don't forget, the knights of our Teutonic Knights are the most powerful warriors in the world, they are brave and fearless, well-trained, far superior to those British, as long as the Ming army dares to land, the Teutonic Knights will definitely call him back!" ”

Rong Jingen's words fell, and a whisper sounded in the council hall, some nodded in agreement, and some frowned in thought, but no one said anything to refute them, and they all knew that although the Grand Master's words were a little overconfident, they were not unreasonable.

After all, the naval strength of the Hanseatic League was indeed strong, and the combat effectiveness of the Teutonic Knights was also recognized by the world.

"So."

Rong Jingen concluded: "We can't sit back and wait for the Ming army to land, that will only give them the initiative, I think we should concentrate our naval forces, strike decisively, and disrupt their deployment by taking the initiative to make them pay a heavy price at sea." ”

At this time, a weak voice sounded: "Or, negotiate first, right?" ”

But the proposal was quickly rejected.

The Ming fleet came to Europe to trade, and this time it was softened, and there will be a steady stream of ships coming in the future, digging the roots of the Hanseatic League, which lived by monopolizing trade, and there is no need to talk about it.

The Hanseatic League, which has the strongest navy in Europe, can be dissolved on the spot if it doesn't fight and see the results and let the Ming take the commercial interests they rely on for their livelihood.

However, the process of naval warfare between the two sides was rather lackluster.

It is no coincidence that the Hanseatic navy assembled in the Baltic Sea, and then in the North Sea off Jutland in Denmark, it is no coincidence that the powerful navy of the Hanseatic League and the Ming fleet under the command of Zheng He met in this area, because it was the only place to enter the Baltic Sea from the North Sea.

The Hanseatic navy had a large number of warships, numbering in the thousands, and they were densely covered with seas.

In contrast, the number of warships in the Ming fleet was small, only two hundred, but many of them were giant ships of the Jumbo class, and the hulls of 1,500 and 2,000 treasure ships were tall and wide, as if they were floating hills, and dense artillery was installed on the ship, each of which was quite frightening.

As a cannon burst through the sky, a naval battle broke out.

The Hanseatic Navy, relying on its numerical superiority, launched an ant-like attack on the Ming fleet.

On the Ming warships, there was a salvo of artillery, and the shells smashed into the Hanseatic warships like raindrops, and the sea was suddenly filled with gunsmoke.

In this fierce naval battle, both sides showed amazing courage and contributed to the largest and highest level of naval battle of this era.

The battleships on the sea collided with each other with a deafening loud noise, and the shouts of the sailors mingled with the roar of the artillery, which together formed a magnificent symphony of war.

After a long and fierce battle, both sides paid a considerable price.

Although the navy of the Hanseatic League was numerous, it was a little powerless in the face of the powerful artillery of the Ming fleet, and one after another the battleships were sunk, and the sailors jumped into the sea to escape.

The Ming army also suffered damage to more than 20 warships.

However, in this desperate struggle, the Ming fleet gradually gained the upper hand, and with their huge hulls and powerful artillery, they cornered the navy of the Hanseatic League.

Eventually, the Hanseatic navy was defeated by the onslaught of the Ming fleet, and their proud navy was a patchwork of all, and the catastrophe came to fly, and the entire Jutland Sea was reduced to a sea of burning ships.

The Hanseatic merchants were overwhelmed by the Ming fleet, and after being attacked in several ports, the commercial trade network tended to collapse, and finally had to go to the negotiating table.

It's just that they don't have many chips in their hands right now.

Soon, the Hanseatic League signed a new trade contract with the Ming Dynasty, fully opening all Hanseatic ports to free trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, there are a lot of those clauses.

"In that hazy era, the behemoth from the East swept like a storm on the sea, sweeping unscrupulously across every sea, from the English Channel to the Baltic Sea. These Oriental giants, with their towering hulls and fearsome cannons, demonstrated an unprecedented supremacy at sea.

And we, as aborigines, can only watch with humiliating gaze as these Orientals flaunt their pretensions at our doorstep, a shock and horror that can hardly be described in words as if to announce to us the arrival of a new era, an era dominated by them. ”

(End of chapter)