Chapter 609 Auction (Part 1)

Chapter 609 Auction (Part 1)

Tranquiba, which means "the place where the waves sing", was a colony acquired by a captain of the Danish East India Company in 1620 after he conquered the local princely state.

Historically, this small colony brought huge profits to the Kingdom of Denmark. In fact, Denmark once had even greater ideals.

But with Christian IV's defeat at the hands of Wallenstein, Denmark's imperial dream was shattered.

Before participating in the Thirty Years' War, Denmark united Norway and was known as the "Nordic Netherlands" with extremely developed industry and commerce. It abolished the privileges of the Hanseatic League and established a powerful sailing fleet. After defeating Sweden, it established Nordic hegemony and went on an expedition to India to establish colonies.

However, just when Denmark's power reached its peak, Britain, France, and the Netherlands began to lobby Christian IV to participate in the Thirty Years' War and strive for hegemony in Europe.

This unscrupulous king was convinced of the weakness of the Holy Roman Empire, and he did not want to be just the overlord of Northern Europe. He also wanted to be the overlord of Northern Germany.

After receiving the supplies promised by Britain, France, and the Netherlands, they led the army into the quagmire-like German region.

The result was naturally a severe drain on national strength, and what was even more frightening was the brutal and bloody nature of the Thirty Years' War, which almost wiped out a generation of Danish people.

The Austrian army led by Wallenstein repeatedly ravaged Danish territory, and the powerful fleet that relied on it for survival was also burned.

Almost all the former German vassals were liberated, turning the capital into a border battlefield. From then on, Denmark's heart was always exposed to the sharp knife of Germany.

The loss of the Sonder Strait has caused Denmark to lose the basis for its dominance in Northern Europe. The rapid decline of Denmark's national power, coupled with the backstabbing of its allies, forced it to withdraw from the war and fully cope with Sweden's challenge.

As a result, a strong man fell from the sky in Sweden, and Gustav II turned out to destroy Denmark's last military spirit.

In fact, Denmark, which was at its peak at that time and was able to dominate Northern Europe, was not without talents, but by coincidence, it met the two most capable fighters in the entire Thirty Years' War.

This is equivalent to Shi Wengong meeting Lu Junyi and Full BUFF Wu Song. Is Shi Wengong powerful? Must be awesome? But the last two are monsters.

Devastated successively by Wallenstein and Gustavus II, two geniuses who could be written into the world's military history, Denmark has been in decline ever since, and now it can no longer even hold on to its ancestral heritage.

Tranquiba was a Danish colony, but it was already surrounded by British colonies. It was only a matter of time before it was lost.

It's just that the British offer is a bit outrageous. They plan to pay for the purchase by exempting part of the interest.

In fact, the value of this interest is approximately between 80,000 and 100,000 Danish kroner, and the exchange ratio of Danish krone to British pounds is 19:1.

After the transaction was successful, the Danish castles, churches, docks, farmland, and slaves on the land of Tranquiba were all owned by the British.

The value of these things far exceeds the amount paid by the British. This is simply half sale and half free.

But at that time, Denmark could not find other buyers, and even the French did not dare to take the offer. After all, in terms of strength in Asia, even the great powers together were not enough to compete with the United Kingdom.

However, due to historical changes, Austria, the Netherlands, and France all showed interest in the Danish colonies at this time.

Austria needed a transit station in India. Although Franz was prospering in the British Indian colonies through bribery, buying, and supporting agents at this time, no one could guarantee that this situation would continue. After all, whether it is a lion or an elephant, there will always be a day when they wake up.

Moreover, after being disgusted by the British for so long, it is time to fight back. India, as a taboo of the British Empire, is also its most painful point.

In fact, the Sikh War at this time was not a long-planned war as they thought, but a war promoted by Franz.

The purpose of this is not only to weaken Britain, but also to make it have no time to take care of other things. After all, Franz does not want to do such a thing as pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth, unless the tiger is too stunned to think of a counterattack.

In addition to Caroline's assistance, the Netherlands' national strength has been greatly enhanced after annexing the Flemish region and joining the German Customs Union.

At least the king's power and influence reached unprecedented heights, and the alliance with Austria greatly strengthened the Netherlands' ties with Southeast Asia.

Under these stimulations, the "Merchant King" was eager to take back the power of the Dutch East India Company so as to restore the former glory of the sea coachman.

In addition to wanting to expand their territory in Southeast Asia, the French were also fed up with the exploitation and extortion of the British.

Of course, the most important thing besides this is that Louis Philippe wants to join in the fun. Yes, he wanted to know what Austria wanted to do and get a piece of the pie more than expanding his territory in Southeast Asia and getting rid of the British.

In fact, in order to prevent the French from making a comeback, the British restricted the former very tightly in Southeast Asia. Of course, the same goes for other countries, including Austria.

After all, no overlord is willing to give up its interests. In essence, Britain still hopes to dominate the Far East and the Indian subcontinent.

During this period in history, it was indeed difficult for Western powers to reach out to these places, but there were new changes at this time.

First, Austria conquered Chenla with a few hundred people, and then the Dutch and Spanish mainlands were strengthened and then strengthened their colonization of Southeast Asia.

Then Louis Philippe's expanded ambitions strengthened France's power in Southeast Asia.

On the other hand, Britain has suffered frequent setbacks in international affairs, and its invincible pressure has been greatly reduced.

Diplomatically, although Europe is still divided, many relatively stable small groups have formed, which has further reduced Britain's influence.

Military losses were equally fatal. Whether it was the sinking of the fleet in the Near East crisis, the tragedy of being annihilated by "pirates" on the island of Kalimantan, or the war of attrition in southern Brazil at this time, the British army's vigor was greatly reduced. .

(The above are all war plots mentioned in the previous article, so I won’t go into details here.)

The minds of the powerful powers became active, especially with the Austrian Empire taking the lead. The Netherlands and France were naturally willing to follow and take a share of the pie.

However, this situation angered British Prime Minister Robert Peel. He did not expect the Austrian revenge to come so quickly.

Of course, it is not difficult to scare the latter away, as long as the troops on the Indian subcontinent are moved near the Danish colonies.

But as a result, the 45,000-strong army that had just been assembled would be dispersed again, and the 60,000-strong Sikh army was already ready.

Will retreating at this time cause the other party to pursue you like a hungry wolf? In that case, Britain would face the danger of being attacked from both sides in the Indian subcontinent.

Robert Peel didn't want to take the risk because Britain's hegemony was already riddled with holes, so he decided to use money to solve the problem.