12 December, Königsberg.

Vice Admiral Hawk Duffy, commander of the Royal Navy's North Sea Task Force, stood on the side of the board, holding a telescope to observe the movements in the harbor, his nose and ears were already red from the cold sea breeze, but he seemed to be unaware of it, and his expression was unusually solemn.

"General, our messenger has returned." An adjutant walked up behind Lieutenant General Hawk Duffy and whispered.

"Oh, how did the Prussians reply?" Hawk Duffy lowered his binoculars and turned around to ask.

"General, the Prussians......" the young adjutant said with a hint of anger on his face, "the Prussians rejected our request. ”

"The Prussians rejected our demands?" Hawk Duffy's brows couldn't help frowning, "Are they going to stand on the side of the Qi people?" ”

"General, I propose to immediately shell the port of Königsberg and give the Prussians a little color!"

"And yet?"

"And then?" The adjutant was stunned for a moment, then said: "Then we will blockade all the ports of Prussia, and we will also blockade the entire Baltic Sea, forbidding them to obtain any import of goods and goods, and thus force them to submit." ”

"What if the Prussians, instead of giving in, declare war on us England?"

"The navy of the Prussians is not mentionable, we can easily defeat them. In addition, we can unite Austria, Poland, and Saxony to threaten Prussia proper. ”

"Do you think we still have the strength to wage war against Prussia while we deal with the threat of the Qi Expeditionary Fleet?" Hawk Duffy shook his head and said, "It is impossible for us to divide part of our limited naval forces and enter the Baltic Sea. Austria and Poland would certainly not have provoked a war against Prussia if we had not come to an end. ”

"Then we watched the merchant ships of Qi take refuge in the port of Königsberg, but did nothing?"

"It is obvious that the merchant ships of the Qi people did not hide in the depths of the ocean while we pursued them all the way, but deliberately sailed into Königsberg in order to bring us into conflict with Prussia, so as to establish a new enemy for our England." Lieutenant General Hawk Duffy said softly: "In the current situation that we have not defeated the Qi people, we cannot open up more battlefields to disperse our limited combat forces. ”

"General, what do we do now?"

"There are many steam warships in the Qi expeditionary fleet, and they are particularly dependent on material supplies, especially coal and fresh water. The two Qi merchant ships that had taken refuge in the harbor in the morning, perhaps their supply carriers, were preparing to procure much-needed coal and other war supplies for their fleet. In that case, we might as well stay outside the harbor and capture them while they come out. Perhaps they will be able to find out the approximate location of their main fleet. ”

"General......" The adjutant hesitated for a moment, and then asked cautiously: "If those two Qi merchant ships don't come out, then won't our entire fleet be dragged here?" ”

"Against just two merchant ships, why do you need the whole fleet to stay here?" Hawk Duffy smiled and said, "We only need to leave a few warships here." As for our main fleet, it continues to ......"

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ……”

Before the words fell, there was a sudden rumbling cannon sound from the rear of the fleet, causing everyone to look at each other.

Hawk Duffy walked briskly to the left side of the ship, holding up his binoculars and looking in the direction of the gunfire.

"General, six miles northwest of the fleet, four Qi warships have been discovered. Our cruise warships have already engaged in an exchange of fire with the enemy. ”

"General, Rear Admiral Hammond, commander of the rearguard fleet, has led his ships to meet him."

"What's going on in the port of Königsberg?"

"Report to the general, there is no movement in Königsberg for the time being."

"Send a signal to the Guards Fleet, ordering them to leave two battleships to continue to monitor Königsberg, and the remaining ships will turn northwest with the Central Guard Fleet to attack the incoming Qi warships."

"Yes, General."

"Order the Trent and Buswell to start the steam engines and prepare to engage the enemy."

"Yes, General."

"Send a signal to Rear Admiral Hammond of the Rear Guard Fleet, don't take the enemy lightly, wait for the Central Guard Fleet and the Forward Fleet to converge before attacking."

"Yes, General."

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ……”

Just as the fleet was about to turn to the northwest to meet the incoming Qi warships, suddenly a few cannon shots came from the direction of the port, and it was obvious that there was also a battle.

"General, that Qi merchant ship wants to secretly leave the port ......."

A few minutes later, an officer reported to Hawk Duffy with an ugly face: "However, there is also a Swedish merchant ship that has left the port with the merchant ship of Qi State......"

"Our avant-garde fleet opened fire on Swedish merchant ships?" Hawk Duffy immediately felt a bad feeling in his heart.

"Yes, General." The officer nodded and said, "According to the information from the front, the Qi ship almost left the port with the Swedish merchant ship, which may have caused a mistake." ”

"......" Hawk Duffy sighed slightly, and then reluctantly ordered: "Send a signal to the avant-garde fleet not to attack Swedish merchant ships, so as not to cause trouble." ”

“…… Yes, General. ”

"Damn the people of the Qi Kingdom!" Hawk Duffy cursed lowly, then turned and walked out of the command room.

——

Not far from the mouth of the Jota River, there are dozens of small islands, like a sparse fence guarding Gothenburg. More than a decade ago, the Kingdom of Sweden built forts and barracks on several small islands to prevent the English and Danish navies from invading Gothenburg.

After the end of the war, the army withdrew from the islands, but the ancillary facilities were not dismantled, but were used as a temporary respite for fishermen fishing in the nearby waters.

Five months ago, the islands of Hono and Ökele, on the northern edge of the archipelago, were suddenly stationed in large numbers, including diplomats and soldiers from the Qi Kingdom, officials from the Kingdom of Sweden, but more often construction workers who had been conscripted here. Under the guidance of engineers and technicians hired by the Qi state, the workers began to build forts and docks on the two small islands.

Forts, barracks, infirmaries, warehouses, berths, docks, and forts were built at a rapid pace under the construction of thousands of workers day and night. Subsequently, merchant ships brought countless supplies such as gunpowder, coal, grain, wine, sugar, and tea to the island, and stored them in hastily built warehouses.

At the beginning of October, a Qi fleet quietly sailed into the two small islands and unloaded 2,000 heavily armed soldiers.

The Swedish officials and garrison troops in Gothenburg turned a blind eye to this situation and allowed a foreign army to enter the territory of the Kingdom of Sweden.

However, well-informed merchants naturally understood the reason, and the two small islands had been sold to Qi by the Kingdom of Sweden a few months earlier, and became an overseas territory of the other party in Europe. You don't see, the flag of Qi has been raised on the island to declare sovereignty. As for stationing troops, building batteries and fortresses, of course, to defend their territory.

On 20 December, at 1 p.m., Hannes Merton rushed to the deck with more than 100 captured crew members in the cabin to disembark. A cold sea breeze blew, and he couldn't help but feel a stir.

Looking around, there are many ships anchored in the harbor, waiting for the berths to vacate at the dock. The two small islands are less than four or five hundred meters apart, forming a natural headland that keeps the waves out.

There are many buildings on the island, and there are many people, who are still busy in this cold weather, some carrying goods, some tidying up houses, some handling fish, and some soldiers seem to be doing drills in the distance.

It seems that this is a secret base secretly established by the Qi people. Depending on the voyage and the climate here, it is likely that you have not left Europe yet. I just don't know, where the hell is this?

"What are you rubbing? …… Hurry up and get off the boat, don't lose time! Hannes Merton was surveying his surroundings when a scolding sounded in his ear, and he was jerked by the impatient sailor. His weak body, coupled with the fact that his legs and feet were already limp after many days of sailing, he immediately staggered and fell to the ground.

Dennis Pol, who was accompanying him, hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, and then the two of them hugged each other and walked towards the gangway.

On the dock were hundreds of soldiers, wrapped in heavy gray woolen coats, lined up in two columns, armed with muskets, staring at the captives who disembarked in turn.

"Hannes, these soldiers don't seem to be the faces of the East." Dennis Pol whispered as he walked, "Could it be the mercenaries of the Qi Kingdom?" ”

"They are the Indian servant soldiers of the Qi State." Hannes Merton said: "These soldiers were all natives recruited from India by the Qi people to fight for them. “

"Oh, a group of mercenaries who resemble a group."

"No, they are completely different from German mercenaries." Hannes Merton shook his head and said, "These soldiers are completely controlled by the Qi people and belong to them...... Cannon fodder troops. ”

"How much do you know?"

"I also learned about these things after talking to sailors who had been to the East."

"Where are we?"

"It should be somewhere in the northern archipelago."

"North?"

"Yes, it's so cold, it can only be in the north. …… Norway, Denmark, or Sweden. ”

“……”

"I guess it's Sweden."

"Why?"

"Of the few countries in the north, only Sweden has tense relations with us in England, and there have been wars."

"Oh God! So, in this war, are the Swedes on the side of the Qi people? ”

“…… Well, maybe. Hannes Merton shook his head.

"In this case, can we England defeat the Qi State?"

"I don't know. Whoever wins this war in the end, I hope it ends soon. ”

——

December 22, Stockholm.

King Carl XII of Sweden gently placed the report in his hand on the table, then got up and walked to a map by the wall, and watched the situation around the Baltic Sea in silence.

Although Russia in the east organized an army of more than 30,000 men to fight in the Caucasus mountains and engage the Zipper coalition army in Armenia, the vigilant Russians still stationed more than 10,000 elite archers in Vyborg, and more than 1,800 guards near Petersburg to prevent their Kingdom of Sweden from taking advantage of the opportunity to sneak attack.

Poland, Prussia, Hanover, and Saxony on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea are still playing the trick of military intimidation against each other, trying to deter each other from acting rashly with frequent military movements.

Denmark to the west is gradually regaining their naval strength and seems to want to take complete control of the Øresund Strait to ensure absolute security in Copenhagen. They did not even relinquish their claim to the Scannia region (present-day southern Sweden) and sought to bring it back under the Danish kingdom.

Even more alarming is the fact that the treaty of alliance between Denmark and England signed eight years ago is still in force, and the port of Seatshals is also used as a military base for the English navy, with a permanent detachment stationed all year round. Now, under the pretext of attacking the expeditionary fleet of the Qi Navy, England has stationed dozens of warships in the port.

In order to prevent a Danish and English raid on Scania, Karl XII specially strengthened the defenses of Helsingborg and Malmö, and sent more troops to the area to deter these two potential enemies.

The Peace of Lund signed between Sweden and Denmark in 1679 did not guarantee peace between the two countries. You must know that in the Scanian War, Denmark fought hard for three years, but in the end it gained nothing, and several Scanian provinces seized were returned to Sweden, which made it always haunted.

There is a saying: "What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiating table." But the outcome of the Scanian War does not seem to be true, because it was at the negotiating table that Sweden recovered a great deal of the territory it had lost on the battlefield.

However, we must not forget that Sweden would have lost the war, and several victories at Halmstad, Lund, and Lanskrona did not further aggravate the situation in the provinces of Scania, but failed to reverse the collapse of Sweden at sea and in North Germany. That time he was able to get away with a catastrophe in large part because of Louis XIV's generosity and care, rather than relying on himself. Next time, Sweden may not have such good luck.

In fact, at that time, Sweden was simply unable to continue the war, and its economy was heavily indebted, politically corrupt and inefficient, and it was even more incapable of maintaining a huge empire. If government spending is cut and the fiscal situation is improved, the military will inevitably be weakened. If the Baltic Empire is maintained, the finances will be even more difficult to make ends meet.

To this end, Sweden has tried to ease relations with Denmark, and the two sides have put forward some form of understanding in a secret clause: that for ten years, either party must inform the other of the agreement with a third party, and such an agreement should not be directed against the other. This understanding was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Minister of State of Sweden, Johan Jülenscheiner. Subsequently, the marriage between Karl XI and the Danish royal family was also a reflection of the trend of improving relations between the two countries. Objectively speaking, it would be beneficial for both countries to exclude the penetration of third parties into the Baltic Sea and to maintain cooperation between the two Scandinavian countries (Norway at this time belonged to the Kingdom of Denmark).

However, after the death of Jürenschena in 1680, Sweden's foreign policy took a turn. In the Great Northern War more than ten years ago, the two countries once again met each other.

Needless to say, after so many years of war, the Kingdom of Sweden has de facto declined. In military terms, the worst performance is undoubtedly the Navy. Regardless of the backwardness of equipment, in the Great Northern War, Sweden could not find a suitable commander, and several successive fleet commanders had no experience in naval command. Such a navy was also defeated in every battle in the face of the newly rising Russian navy, which indirectly led to the loss of Sweden's territory on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.

The proud Karl XII was full of humiliation and unwillingness to lose the Great Northern War. He needs revenge, he needs to lead the kingdom of Sweden back to life, he needs to restore the former hegemony of the Baltic Sea.

And in order to achieve these goals, he needs a chance, a chance to wash away the shame once and for all.

"Your Majesty, do we need to declare war on the Kingdom of England?" Secretary of State Aida Hadzialich stepped forward and asked softly.

"No, let's not declare war on England for a while." Karl XII shook his head.

"Your Majesty, the English shelled our merchant ships in Königsberg, and also joined the Danish navy in the Øresund Strait, threatening several provinces of Scania."

"The English sent warships just to deal with the Qi people. I do not think that their actions constitute a threat to our coastal areas, still less will they coerce Denmark into launching a landing war against us. Karl XII smiled slightly, "At present, the English are still too busy to deal with the threat of the Qi navy, how can they have the strength to wage a war against us?" Most of the attacks on merchant ships in Königsberg were deliberately caused by the Qi people to provoke the English Navy to attack our merchant ships, in order to completely draw us to their side. ”

"Then why did Your Majesty issue a war mobilization order in the country?"

"Because, we do have to fight a new war." Karl XII waved his right hand and slammed it on the map, which was clearly the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, "I heard that the Russians are hesitating whether to increase their troops in the stalemate of the Persian war. Therefore, we might as well put on a show for them, so that their tsaresses and privy councillors can make up their minds and step into this trap. ”

(End of chapter)