February 24, 1726, Crete.

Two merchant ships belonging to the Dutch Mediterranean United Company slowly sailed out of the port of Chania (present-day Chania, Crete, Greece), and then raised their sails to round the circular peninsula to the north, then turned west and returned to Rotterdam across the Mediterranean.

Founded fifty years ago, the United Mediterranean Company could not be compared with the famous East India Company in Europe in terms of fame and scale, but it grew at an extremely rapid pace. From a small trading company with less than five ships and an annual trade volume of less than 200,000 guilders, it has now grown into a business giant with a fleet of more than 40 ships and an annual trade volume of more than 12 million guilders.

The company's rapid growth was also due to the growing prosperity of the Red Sea-Mediterranean trade that had been opened up by the Domonzi people a decade earlier.

Every year, the Qi people transport a huge amount of sugar, tea, porcelain, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, and a wide variety of industrial manufactured products to the port of Suez by sea, and then rely on a high-standard asphalt road to Cairo day and night, and finally transport it to the port of Damietta on the southern shore of the Mediterranean River through the Nile.

The merchant ships of the United Mediterranean Company were loaded with these commodities and sold directly to the countries and regions bordering the Mediterranean, or through the Strait of Gibraltar, transported to France, England, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, North Germany, Livonia, Russia and other places.

Naturally, the two merchant ships came from the port of Damietta and stopped in Crete, where they purchased a sought-after shipment of olive oil from the Ottomans to be shipped back to the Netherlands for sale.

It stands to reason that the ship was loaded with sugar, cotton cloth, tea and manufactured goods of the Qi Kingdom, and when it was sold at such a high profit, there was no need to delay sailing to Crete to buy the less valuable olive oil.

However, since last year, several oil-producing countries in the Mediterranean have suffered a rare drought and the widespread failure of olive crops, causing olive oil production to plummet, causing the price of the oil, known as "liquid gold", to soar. Today, buying a batch of olive oil from the Ottomans, who were blocked by European trade, and returning it to the Netherlands, is four to five times more profitable.

Moreover, it is much more cost-effective to have dozens of barrels of olive oil as ballast for ships than those grains that are not very valuable.

Yes, the Dutch refused the Ottomans' request to carry food and ordnance to Istanbul, and although the freight price offered was not low, they feared that they would be troubled by the Venetians at sea and get into unnecessary trouble.

A few months ago, the Qi state, annoyed by the frequent interception and raids of their merchant ships by the Venetians, declared war directly on the Adriatic state. As a close ally of Qi, the Ottoman Empire was also overjoyed by this, and declared war on the Republic of Venice.

It is also ridiculous to say that the Ottomans and the Venetians have been fighting for life and death for hundreds of years, and they have never declared war on each other so solemnly.

Most of their performances were for the people of Qi to see, and they had the same hatred for the enemy. The two countries have been friendly for decades and have had in-depth military exchanges, but they have never fought side by side like this, and the target is still the common enemy of both sides.

"Actually, I sincerely hope that the war that is currently going on will last a little longer and spread a little more widely." Van der Vor, Senior Commercial Counsellor of the United Mediterranean Company, held a pipe in his mouth, looked at Crete that was gradually moving away, and said in a leisurely tone: "This war has allowed the company's operating performance to achieve unprecedented growth, and the profits achieved have reached new heights. ”

"Yes, since last June, the prices of sugar, tobacco, Brazilian mahogany, and various other commodities from the Americas have been soaring every month. Exports from Brazil, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas and other regions have fallen by more than half compared to the first half of the year. Captain of the Haidel, Versma, nodded and said: "As the war progresses, I think the blockade of the sea transport between England and Portugal will become tighter and tighter, which will further push up the prices of all kinds of goods." ”

"That's right, without two of our competitors, England and Portugal, our inter-provincial businessmen suddenly got better. It is said that the West India Company was planning to purchase more merchant ships and hire more crews, and that it would take the opportunity to expand its share of trade in the Americas and prepare to make a big profit. Van der Iver said with a smile: "Compared with the rising prices of goods from South America, the price of goods shipped from Qi does not seem to have changed much, and it also gives more preferential treatment to our inter-provincial merchants, which also allows us to make more profits than before." ”

"This war is not only good for our foreign trade!" Captain Velsma continued, "Because of the war, England's exports of woolen products to the countries of Europe have shown a great downward trend. This has also given us a rare respite for the woolen industry in the province, and many factory owners have received a large number of orders for goods. In addition, the shipbuilding, timber processing, flax manufacturing, hardware processing, and financial industries in our union province have also become extremely prosperous because of this war. As you said earlier, almost everyone wants this war to last longer and be more widespread. ”

"Hahaha......" Van der Van Der Vor laughed, "if the English and the Qi people knew that we were all looking forward to this war never stopping, they would vomit blood in frustration." ”

"Mr. de Wall, I think that in addition to our United Provinces wanting to see the jokes of the English, there are many more European countries that are also very happy to see the English unlucky. You know, over the past few decades, we are not the only countries that have been counted by England. Well, at least the French and Spaniards will definitely be in this war, and they can't help but fall into the trap of England, even if they take advantage of the fire, it is not impossible. ”

"Perhaps, this war will have a profound impact on the geopolitics of our entire Europe, and the people of Qi will also become a powerful driving force to influence the situation in Europe. In this situation......"

"Doodoo ......"

"A large number of ships were spotted in the northeast direction of the ships! …… The distance is about 1.5 leagues (1 leagues equals about 5.5 kilometers)! ”

The lookout above the mast suddenly signaled an alarm, and while waving the signal flag continuously, he poked his head out and roared loudly.

"It's all galese armed galleys!" Captain Wilsma held his binoculars and looked northeast, and on the clear sea, the sails were heavily shadowed, and about thirty or so galese armed galleys were lined up in several columns, scattered across the vast ocean, and two of them came out of the queue and sailed swiftly in the direction of their merchant ships, "It should be...... Venetian! ”

"What? Are they going to attack Crete? Van der Van de Vor was amazed, "The Ottomans have five or six thousand soldiers stationed on the island, so they can't be so reckless, right?" ”

"I wonder if the Venetians will target us as well." Captain Velsma looked at the two Gallese armed galleys that were getting closer and closer, and a solemn look appeared on his face, "We should be prepared for emergencies in case something unexpected happens. ”

After speaking, he ordered one of the crew members to send a signal to the nearby "Entle", signaling the other party to change course, separate from the "Haider" where he was located, and maintain the necessary safety distance.

If you are really unfortunate enough to be attacked by the Venetians, someone will have to flee back to the United Province to report it!

More than an hour later, the two small galese armed galleys intercepted the "Haider", but after some negotiations, after confirming that they were merchant ships belonging to the United Provincial Republic, they did not linger too much, let alone board the ship for inspection, but only said apologetically "I am disturbed" and left directly.

After converging the main fleet, the opposing side turned around at the position near the coast of Crete and headed towards the southeast sea, intending to bypass Crete.

"Where are the Venetians going?" Van der Van de Van looked at the Venetian fleet that was gradually disappearing from view, a little confused.

"They're not going to Egypt, are they?" Captain Velsma's expression moved, and an unbelievable expression appeared on his face.

——

Alexandria was founded in 332 BC after its founder, Alexander the Great, as the seat of the governor of the Egyptian province of the Macedonian Empire. After the death of Alexander the Great, the Egyptian governor Ptolemy who remained there established the Ptolemaic dynasty and was crowned Ptolemy I. Alexandria became the capital of the Kingdom of Egypt and soon became the largest city in ancient Greek culture, second only to Rome in size and wealth.

During the Roman Empire, Alexander, given his control over one of the most important granaries of the empire, was included by Octavian as a city under the direct administration of the emperor, becoming the most prosperous port in the Mediterranean.

However, by this period, with the opening of the Age of Discovery and the shift of world trade routes, Alexandria had long since lost its former prosperity, its status was declining, and the canal connecting the Nile River had been abandoned for hundreds of years, and it had been completely reduced to a small fishing port.

However, the arrival of the Qi people reactivated the Red Sea-Mediterranean trade, making the whole of Egypt a meeting point connecting the East and the West, and rejuvenated. However, the Qi people used the port of Damietta as their main trade transit center, and built a large-scale infrastructure for it, and in less than a decade, the port became the largest cargo distribution center and shipping center in Egypt, and the limelight went straight to Cairo.

Although Alexandria also shared in the dividends of Mediterranean trade, both in terms of population size and simple port facilities, the port still looked lonely and dilapidated because of the poor local management methods and poor transportation network, and the number of merchant ships passing through it was pitiful.

However, in the early morning of March 4, dozens of ships suddenly gathered outside Alexandria, filling the entire harbor. The guns of these ships were opened on both sides, revealing the black muzzles of a door, pointing far away to the harbor. Several merchant ships that had just left the port were all stopped, and the wolf-like British soldiers boarded the ships and announced that all ships and personnel would be temporarily taken prisoner by the British army.

Then, a small boat staggered into the harbor and docked under the watchful eyes of dock officials and soldiers. An English naval officer announced to Alexander Pasha and the garrison commander that the Kingdom of Great Britain would take over the entire port and city, and demanded that all men abandon resistance and surrender to the British.

He then threatened that if Alexander's officials and garrison refused to surrender and instead insisted on resisting, everyone would be destroyed by artillery fire, along with the city.

When the local officials and garrison generals of Alexandria heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other.

Isn't the Kingdom of England at war with the Kingdom of Qi? How can you suddenly go to Egypt and claim to occupy this port?

What do you mean?

Although the Qi people monopolized the local economy of Egypt and also had a strong influence in the region, millions of Egyptians almost relied on the Qi people for food, but this is the territory of the Ottoman Empire after all, you England are killing us violently, are you going to invade our Ottoman Empire?

Many local officials and garrison generals couldn't help but look at the dozen or so Qi people present.

Hey, most of the people are here for you, give me a charter!

Kong Yuanju, the shopkeeper of the Ottoman Trading Company of Qi in Alexandria, looked at the officials and officers with embarrassed faces, and then looked at the English fleet with masts outside the port, and his face was also uncertain.

"Arif, tell me the truth, with the strength in your hands, can you hold it?" Kong Yuanju swallowed a mouthful of water, his eyes fixed on the Mamluk officer in front of him.

"I can't hold it." The commander of Alexander's garrison, Sheriz Arif, shook his head and said: "We have very few artillery, and our army is only three hundred men, so we can't withstand the attack of the English at all. ”

"If you can't keep it, you have to keep it!" Kong Yuanju gritted his teeth and said: "You lead the troops to resist the landing of the English as much as possible, and we will immediately return to the city, call on all the merchants and shopkeepers to come up with some money and recruit some armed volunteers to support you and try to repel the English." ”

"Mr. Kong, this is too difficult." Sheriz Arif had a look of embarrassment on his face, "The artillery in the harbor batteries is more than a hundred years old, and it is doubtful whether its power can threaten the warships of England, even if it can be fired. Moreover, there are no corresponding defenses in the port, and in the face of the bombardment of enemy naval artillery, all of us will become powder! ”

"Then you can't run away without a fight, right?" Kong Yuanju said, signaling Alexander Pasha Amre Nassar, and hurriedly gave the garrison commander an order to defend to the death.

Damn, he asks for bribes and favors on weekdays, and each one is more positive than the other. When the enemy comes to the door, but you don't think about "being diligent in the king's affairs", and do your duty to defend the land for your Ottoman Empire, look at your appearance, it is obvious that you will flee from the battle and run away.

Amr Nasar Pasha was alerted by Kong Yuanju, and at first he was stunned, and then immediately understood, and immediately ordered Arif to lead his men to resist the landing of the English with all their might, and when he returned to the city, he would mobilize and recruit the people to come to his aid.

After the order was given, the crowd rushed back to the city, leaving Arif and a group of garrison officers dumbfounded, and soon they were heard shouting and complaining.

However, when everyone returned to the city, they did not call up armed volunteers, but ran back to their mansions, began to hastily pack their bags, pack their bags, and then put on their wagons, and quickly fled south while the people of the city were still at a loss.

At 10 a.m., with a few cannon shots, Alexandria was quickly captured by the British, thus gaining an excellent foothold.

(End of chapter)