Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.

Christian VIII was amazed at the astonishing offers he heard, and at first he wanted to sell the colonies to survive the financial crisis.

After all, the value of these distant lands from Denmark was waning and threatened by the British for a long time, and it was better to sell them than to live in fear.

But the British's bid was so low that it was nothing short of a robbery. However, if there was no bid, Christian VIII would have to agree to the loss-making deal.

Then the helpful Franz suggested to him that a public auction could be used to curb the British from bargaining.

Christian VIII thought about it again and again, and felt that it was the buyer who offended the British anyway, so he couldn't count it on his own head, so he started the auction.

Auctioning off colonies was not common, so he deliberately chose Frankfurt as a neutral city.

Soon the Danish colony in India rose from a starting price of 100,000 DKK to 700,000 DKK, and the Habsburgs naturally offered the bid.

As for the reason, there is no need at all, after all, this family that can run away to colonize deserts and glaciers, it is completely reasonable to colonize India.

But Robert Peel didn't want to care about that, he just wanted to ensure the legacy of the British Empire. Charles Canning, who was at the auction site, was a staunch anti-Austrian activist who could not make Austria gain a little.

So the British bid 1 million Danish kroner, and before Christian VIII on the stage could get excited, Austria raised the price to 1.5 million.

Charles Canning could only reluctantly raise the price to 1.6 million, followed by 1.7 million, 1.8 million, and 1.9 million.

When the price was finally raised to three million Danish kroner (£157,900), Charles Canning was already sweating profusely, because the rotten land was not worth that much.

Robert Peel allocated £200,000 to Canning in order to prevent the Austrians and the French from maliciously raising prices.

It should have been more than enough, but now the Austrian side has no intention of stopping at all. Especially after Canning saw that it was a half-grown child (Franz) who was attending the auction, he was even more depressed.

Because when this kind of rich young man is up, it is possible to raise the price to 10 million. At the same time, Canning has also heard a lot of rumors about Franz, he doesn't know if they are true or not, but he is pampered.

To be honest, Canning really hates to participate in the same auction with this spoiled "rich young master", and he is also disgusted by Louis Philippe, the "Yali King", and William II, the "Merchant King".

"3.1 million!"

"Britain bid three million and one million! Does anyone else increase the price? ”

The venue was filled with whispers.

"Three million 1 million! Once! ”

There was silence in the room.

"Three million 1 million! Twice! ”

Canning let out a sigh of relief, and it seemed that he had finally made it through.

Before he could catch his breath, Franz held up the sign again.

"Three two hundred and twenty thousand! The Austrian Empire bid three and two hundred thousand. ”

Canning then looked over, and he could clearly see the mocking smile on the other man's face, as if it were just a game.

The price continued to soar and soon reached four million, at which point Canning finally discovered a problem, whether it was Louis Philippe, the "Merchant King", William II, or Franz, who had been making trouble, they all seemed to be colluding and only bidding with him.

At this point, the price had exceeded the price of the Congressional appropriation, and it was impossible for Canning to pay for the auction out of his own pocket, but he did not want the British competitors to have a good time.

In the end, the price was raised to five million Danish kroner (about £263,100), as the continued surge in prices would also not do any good for the UK.

Because when it comes to hatred of the British, the Danes can definitely be at the top of the list. The sinking of the fleet, the burning of the city, the massacre carried out in the capital, these are the things that the Danes could forget.

If one day they can rise, the first to take revenge is the British, even if they can't rise, whoever fights the British and the Danes are willing to help.

Although Denmark is only an island country, it was once the hegemon of Northern Europe and even invaded Great Britain. This makes Britain dare not despise it, not to mention why the latter is not an island country?

Canning didn't have the guts to speak as harshly as Palmerston, so he had to leave in embarrassment.

Christian VIII was very pleased with the results of the auction, and although he had to pay a 10% commission to the German Confederation, it was still a good deal to sell it to England for 100,000 DKK.

However, the most profitable are Austria, France, and the Netherlands, in fact, Canning's guess is right. Austria, France, and the Netherlands have long been in collusion, and it is better to compete with the British than to fight alone.

In addition to the Danish colonies in India in Transkyuba, Tamil Nadu, there are also in Kolkata, Serampo, and the Nicobar Islands.

These three colonies have their own characteristics, and they can just meet the different needs of the three countries, Austria and France are both powerful countries, so they prefer land on land.

Serampo was close to Calcutta, the largest opium distribution center in the 19th century, and it was only natural that the French wanted a piece of the opium trade.

The Nicobar Islands, on the other hand, are located far away from the British, so they are safe and the Dutch are experienced in ruling small islands.

As for Trankuiba's strategic proximity to the Pauk Strait, it has a relatively complete infrastructure and a relatively stable ruling base after two hundred years of Danish operation.

There is also the advantage of being close enough to Sri Lanka.

In order to win the British Austria, France, and the Netherlands, they prepared a total of 10 million Danish kroner, but in fact only half of it was used, so it was a small victory.

According to the previously agreed distribution principle, the Netherlands would have to pay half of the cost, which is 2.5 million, because the Nicobar Islands are the most advantageous region, but also because the Netherlands is the weakest of the three countries.

Austria and France each contributed 1.25 million Danish kroner (about 657,800 florins), which is not a large number for Austria and France, and it is not even enough to pay for the two crises of Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine.

But it was necessary at this time for everyone to share in the benefits, for neither Austria, France, nor the Netherlands could bear the wrath of the British.

However, the alliance of the three powers, coupled with the approaching Sikh War, made the British dare not act rashly.

The reason why the British dared to do something to the Sikhs was because after the death of Ranjit Singh, the originally powerful Sikh Empire staged many times of father-son filial piety, brotherhood and brotherhood, and even a battle of illegitimate children.

In the end, the wife of a side branch was regent on behalf of the young son, and the power of the state was effectively controlled by the army.

This emperor is not only not very orthodox, but also because he is too young to be in charge of politics, his relatives interfere in politics, there are many internal factions, and the local army is autocratic, so this is the weakest time for the Sikh Empire.

Naturally, the British would not let go of this opportunity to unify the Indian subcontinent in one fell swoop, and what they did not know was that there was still a pair of eyes in the north staring at them

(End of chapter)