Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1055 Chaos and Business ([-])

In December 1654, Zheng Yong stood by the pier at the mouth of the Venta River, watching two old ships belonging to the Riga Merchant Station slowly dock.The ship was filled with a large number of guns, artillery, sabers, armor, military water bottles, ammunition kits, hemostatic bandages, military boots, saddles, spurs and other military supplies, with a total value of up to 12 yuan - part of which was from Courland Grand Duke Jacob ordered, and the other part was ordered by Dutch merchants doing business in Danzig.

"Dear Your Excellency, 7500 muskets and 60 cannons are not a small number, and the Duchy of Courland cannot arm an army of tens of thousands. So, these arms should have been sold to Poland?" Zheng Yong from the top hat said with a smile: "Of course I don't mean anything else. Business is business. Since Your Excellency the Duke has bought this batch of arms, he naturally has the right to dispose of them. I'm just curious."

"Of course it was sold to the Poles." Grand Duke Jacob said in German, "There is nothing to hide about this. I also know that your country does not have any prejudice against Poland, does it? Of course, thanks to your last visit Reminder, I also plan to keep some of the weapons and form a standing army of 2500. I think this standing army may play some role at critical moments. Although the cost of maintaining them is relatively high, today when the war has broken out , which is not unacceptable.”

The war between Poland and Russia has broken out for half a year, and now a lot of news has spread to the Baltic Sea. In May 1654, because of Russia's annexation of Ukraine, Alexei Mikhailovich, the second tsar of the Romanov dynasty, led an army of 5 troops and entered Lithuania in three ways. The Polish-Russian War officially broke out.At present, a large number of Russian troops have successively captured Nevel, Smolensk, Polotsk and other places, and Lithuania, which is almost undefended (the main force goes south to Ukraine), has little resistance under the rapid advance of the Russian army; , Another 4 Russian troops entered Ukraine on the southern front and occupied the famous city of Kiev. The Polish army was almost completely defeated by surprise. At present, they have begun to actively contact the Crimean Khan and the pro-Polish Cossacks , intending to gather troops for a counterattack.

"It's a pity that the Poles are not used to changing their inherent and backward warfare habits. Their current main arm is still cavalry. These cavalry wear armor that has gradually been abandoned in the West, are equipped with spears, and wield heavy swords. Relying on a group charge to settle the battle. It is true that the Poles have honed their riding skills to the point of fire and innocence in the confrontation with the Tatars for many years, but what? We already know the facts The Ukrainian Cossacks defeated the Poles in many battles by relying on infantry and artillery, and the Swedes also defeated them by relying on infantry. If the Poles still rely on cavalry to fight, then another failure is inevitable." Zheng Yong said to the Poles The tactics are obviously not very optimistic. The officers and non-commissioned officers of the army field tour group who have arrived in Archangel from the country also gave the same answer. Tactics, not to mention facing the Swedes with first-class combat capabilities, even facing the weaker Russians (Russia has 30 troops, but most of them have never received professional military training), they cannot take victory lightly.

"This is not something I should care about." Grand Duke Jacob shook his head, and then said: "I only care about whether my country will be affected. Special Envoy Zheng, you told me a few days ago that the Tsar has promised that once Entering Livonia will not invade my country. Now I want to confirm again, is this true?"

"Yes, Morozov, the mentor of His Majesty the Tsar, has assured me that His Majesty Alexei is determined to recognize the neutrality of the Principality of Courland for the sake of the large amount of arms sold by our government, provided that your country is in Moscow. When the army enters the vicinity, a certain amount of supplies will be provided." Zheng Yong immediately assured after hearing this, "I am absolutely sure of the authenticity of this matter, so I think the invaders that your Excellency should be most worried about are not the Muscovites, but the vicious wolves from the north. Swede."

Grand Duke Jacob was a little silent.In fact, he has been worried recently that Zheng Yong, the special envoy of the people on the east coast, has no ambitions for Courland, on the contrary, he has been trying to help their small country. Grand Duke Jacob knows this very well. It is also more grateful.So at this moment when Zheng Yong reminded him of the invasion from Sweden, he immediately woke up. The only thing he needs to figure out now is whether the Swedes will join the war or not?

"Maybe the Swedes will join the war, maybe not, but you are right, I should have prepared earlier. The establishment of a standing army is the first thing, and the establishment of a larger ocean-going fleet is the second thing. The three things are to continue to complete the transfer of property and personnel, and New Courland will be our last refuge." Grand Duke Jacob must have considered this issue a long time ago, so his thinking is still clear: "New Courland Lanzhou is extremely humid and hot, full of diseases, and the natives on the Congo River are also extremely fierce. We still have to rely more on your country for our development on that land. About this, the 20 Kurlanders will always remember it in their hearts, and the people on the east bank Always a good friend of the Courlandians..."

"Our country needs allies in the Baltic Sea area, and your country also needs help in Southwest Africa. It's just helping each other. There is nothing special to thank. Grand Duke, you are too polite." Zheng Yong saluted slightly, and then said with a smile: " In the future, we should further strengthen the economic and trade ties between the two countries. Your country’s development in the Congo River Basin has provided us with a lot of resources. Tropical giant trees, slaves, and tobacco are all commodities that our country urgently needs. Last year, the total economic and trade volume between the two countries was It is already close to 50 yuan, and it will continue to hit a new high this year, and I hope it can continue to be maintained, which will be of great benefit to both of us.”

"In addition, Your Excellency the Duke has a lot of contacts in the Livonia region, so you should be able to find opportunities in this war, such as the refugees caused by the war." Zheng Yong continued, "If I remember correctly, your country is in At the beginning of 1653, the second colonial town of New Courland, the Knights Fortress, was established near the mouth of the Congo River, so your country must need a large number of new immigrants to colonize the local area. It may not have been easy before, but now it is It's not too difficult. The Principality of Lithuania has a large population. At this time, a large number of people were displaced due to the war-you know, the military discipline of the Muscovites has never been very good-Your Excellency the Duke can organize a large number of people to guide these refugees into the country. It is undoubtedly crucial for your country to consolidate its overseas colonies within the territory of Courland, and then arrange them to colonize New Courland in a unified manner. Moreover, at certain critical moments, there can be multiple back roads, isn’t it?”

It is undeniable that Zheng Yong's words made Grand Duke Jacob seriously consider the feasibility of this matter.Now that the Russian army is advancing rapidly in the Principality of Lithuania, the small Polish army stationed there cannot resist the enemy at all, and the local nobles are unable to make effective resistance due to the scattered situation, so the vast Lithuania suddenly fell into endless chaos. , towns and villages in many places were brutally ravaged by the rude Russian army, and a large number of farmers fled with their families, just like the peasants who fled in northern Germany during the Thirty Years War.These fleeing peasants (even merchants and minor nobles) may have been a burden to the Polish local nobles at that time, but in the eyes of those with a heart, this may not be a resource—and it is still a very precious one. resources.

"Yes, there are too few civilized people in Jakobshaven and the Knights Fortress (the combined number does not exceed 3000), and I have always wanted to strengthen the power there, but you also know that Courland is a small country with a small population. Therefore, in a sense, the chaos in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has indeed provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our colonial cause. It is just that we want to guide and settle Then transport a large number of Lithuanian refugees to New Courland, the cost of which is not a small amount. You also know that my country is not very rich at present, and she has spent most of the funds on expanding handicraft workshops, building ocean-going ships, Building a commercial network and endless colonial undertakings, so..." Grand Duke Jacob paused at this point, and then turned his gaze to Zheng Yong without hesitation.

"Your Excellency the Duke is a friend of the people on the east coast. It is not a big problem for us to provide appropriate help to friends. I can personally provide a certain amount of funds to Your Excellency the Duke to support the collection and resettlement of refugees and rent ships. It’s just that there are prerequisites for all of this...” Zheng Yong smiled slightly when he heard the words, and already had a vague idea in his heart.

"New Courland is not a mature colony with a solid foundation. She is far from being able to absorb too many people. Therefore, for the sake of the Lord, please accept some poor Lithuanian refugees. Otherwise, they are really too big. It's tragic. Of course, my officials will take care of the matters concerning the resettlement of refugees and the rental of ships." Grand Duke Jacob was really very kind, and he gave a plan to share the fat with the people on the east coast in a few words. The plan is so high-sounding.Anyway, according to what he meant, the people on the east bank only need to pay part of the money, and the Kurlanders are responsible for gathering and resettling the refugees, and then they will also come forward to rent boats (if you go to the people on the east coast, you may not be able to rent enough boats, Even if you rent it, the price is scary), and the people on the east coast only need to send a boat to New Courland to pick up the refugees they deserve. It's really a good deal!

(End of this chapter)