The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 123 Sweden’s plan

December 12, Königsberg.

Vice Admiral Hawke Duffy, commander of the Royal Navy's North Sea Task Force, stood on the side of the ship, holding a telescope to observe the movements in the harbor. The biting sea breeze had turned his nose and ears red from the cold, but he seemed Without realizing it, his expression looked extremely solemn.

"General, our envoy is back." An adjutant walked behind Lieutenant General Hawke Duffy and said softly.

"Oh, how do the Prussians reply?" Hawke Duffy put down his telescope 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 request?" Hawke Duffy couldn't help but frowned, "Are they preparing to side with the Qi people?"

"General, I suggest shelling the port of Königsberg immediately to give the Prussians some color!"

"However?"

"Then?" The adjutant was stunned for a moment, then said: "Then, we blockade all the ports in Prussia, and also blockade the entire Baltic Sea, prohibiting them from receiving any supplies and goods, in order to force them to surrender."

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

"The Prussian navy is nothing to mention, we can easily defeat them. In addition, we can also unite Austria, Poland, and Saxony to threaten Prussia itself."

"Do you think we still have the strength to launch a war against Prussia when we are dealing with the threat of the Qi expedition fleet?" Hawke Duffy shook his head and said: "It is impossible for us to allocate part of our limited naval power. Into the Baltic Sea. Austria and Poland certainly would not have started a war against Prussia if we had not come down."

"Then we just watch the Qi merchant ships hiding in the port of Königsberg and do nothing?"

"Obviously, the merchant ships of the Qi people, while we were pursuing them all the way, did not hide in the depths of the ocean, but deliberately sailed into Königsberg, just to let us conflict with Prussia, thus establishing a new enemy for us in England. ." Lieutenant General Hawke Duffy said softly: "At present, we have not defeated the Qi people, so we cannot open up more battlefields to disperse our limited combat power."

"General, what should we do now?"

"There are many steam warships in the Qi expedition fleet, which are particularly dependent on material supplies, especially coal and fresh water. The two Qi merchant ships that hid in the harbor in the morning may be their supply transport ships, preparing for their The fleet is purchasing much-needed coal and other combat supplies. In this case, we might as well stay outside the harbor and capture them when they come out. Maybe we can learn the approximate location of their main fleet."

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

"To deal with just two merchant ships, why do we need the entire fleet to stay here?" Hawke Duffy smiled and said: "We only need to leave a few battleships here. As for our main fleet, we will continue... "

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Before he finished speaking, a rumbling sound of cannons suddenly came from behind the fleet, causing everyone to look at each other in despair.

Hawke Duffy quickly walked to the left side of the ship, held up his binoculars and looked in the direction of the sound of the cannon.

"General, four Qi warships were discovered in the waters six miles northwest of the fleet. Our cruise warships have engaged in firefights with the enemy."

"General, rearguard fleet commander Rear Admiral Hammond has led his battleships to meet them."

"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 vanguard fleet and order them to leave two warships to continue monitoring Königsberg. The remaining ships will turn northwest with the central guard fleet to attack the incoming Qi warships."

"As ordered, General."

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

"As ordered, General."

"Send a signal to Rear Admiral Hammond of the rearguard fleet. Don't underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. Wait for the centerguard fleet and vanguard fleet to merge before attacking."

"As ordered, General."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Just as the fleet was preparing to turn northwest to fight the incoming Qi warships, suddenly several more gunshots were heard from the direction of the port, which clearly indicated that a battle was taking place.

"General, that Qi merchant ship wants to sneak out of the port..."

A few minutes later, an officer reported to Hawke Duffy with an ugly face: "However, there is also a Swedish merchant ship accompanying the Qi merchant ship out of the port..."

"Did our vanguard fleet fire on the Swedish merchant ship?" Hawke Duffy immediately felt a bad feeling in his heart.

"Yes, General." The officer nodded and said, "According to information from the front, the Qi ship almost left the port close to the Swedish merchant ship, which may have caused an accidental attack."

"..." Hawke Duffy sighed slightly, and then ordered helplessly: "Send a signal to the vanguard fleet and not attack Swedish merchant ships to avoid causing complications."

"...As you command, General."

"Damn Qi people!" Hawke Duffy cursed in a low voice, then turned around and left the command room.
-
In the sea not far from the outlet of the Göta River, dozens of small islands are scattered, like a sparse fence, guarding Gothenburg.More than ten years ago, the Kingdom of Sweden built forts and military camps on several small islands in order to prevent the English and Danish navies from invading Gothenburg.

After the war, the army gradually withdrew from these islands, but the ancillary facilities above were not dismantled. Instead, they were used as a temporary resting place for fishermen engaged in fishing operations in nearby waters.

Five months ago, a large number of people were suddenly stationed on the islands of Honno and Earle in the north of the archipelago, including diplomats and soldiers from Qi, as well as officials from the Kingdom of Sweden, but most of them were buildings that were recruited here. Worker.Under the guidance of engineering and technical personnel hired by Qi State, workers began to carry out large-scale construction on the two islands to build fortresses and docks.

Forts, military camps, medical clinics, warehouses, berths, docks, and fortresses were built at a rapid speed with thousands of workers working day and night.Afterwards, merchant ships continued to transport countless gunpowder, coal, grain, wine, sugar, tea and other materials to the island and stored them in hastily built warehouses.

In early October, a Qi fleet quietly sailed into two small islands and unloaded two thousand fully armed soldiers.

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

However, well-informed businessmen naturally understood the reason. The two small islands were sold to Qi by the Kingdom of Sweden a few months ago and became one of the other country's overseas territories in Europe.Before you see it, the flag of Qi has been raised on the island to declare its sovereignty.As for garrisoning troops and building forts and fortresses, it is of course to protect their territory.

On December 12, at 20 pm, Hannes Merton rushed to the deck along with more than 1 captured crew members in the cabin, preparing to disembark and disembark.A cold sea breeze blew by, making him shiver involuntarily.Looking around, there are many sails nearby, and many ships are anchored in the harbor, waiting for the berths at the pier to be vacated.The two islands are less than 100 meters apart, forming a natural bay to keep out the rough waves.

There are many buildings on the island, and there are also many people. In such a cold weather, they are still busy. Some are carrying goods, some are cleaning houses, and some are handling fish. There are also some soldiers who seem to be practicing in the distance. .

It seems that this is another secret base secretly established by the Qi people.Based on the voyage and the climate here, there is a high probability that it has not left Europe.I just don’t know, where is this place?

"What are you waiting for?...Get off the ship quickly, don't waste time!" Hannes Merton was looking at the surrounding scene, and a scolding came from his ears, and then he was pushed hard by the impatient sailor.His weak body and many days of sailing made his legs and feet weak. He immediately staggered and fell to the ground.

Dennis Bol, who was accompanying him, quickly stepped forward to help him up, and then the two of them supported each other and walked towards the gangway.

There were hundreds of soldiers on the pier, wrapped in heavy gray woolen coats, lined up in two rows, holding muskets, and eyeing the prisoners who were disembarking one after another.

"Hannes, these soldiers don't seem to have oriental faces." Dennis Bol whispered as he walked: "Are they mercenaries from Qi?"

"They are the Indian servants of the Qi State." Hannes Merton said: "These soldiers are natives recruited from India by the Qi State to fight for them in all directions."

"Oh, a group similar to German mercenaries."

"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 their...cannon fodder troops."

"How much do you know?"

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

"Where are we?"

"It should be somewhere in the archipelago in the north."

"north?"

"Yes, the weather is so cold, it can only be in the north. ...Norway, Denmark, or Sweden."

"..."

"My guess is, Sweden."

"why?"

"Among the northern countries, only Sweden has tense relations with England, and there has been a war."

"Oh, God! So, in this war, the Swedes sided with the Qi people?"

"...Well, maybe so." Hannes Merton shook his head.

"In this case, can we in England defeat Qi?"

"I don't know. No matter who wins this war in the end, I hope it ends soon."
-
December 12, Stockholm.

King Carl XII of Sweden gently placed the report in his hand on the desk, then stood up and walked to a map on the wall, silently looking at the situation around the Baltic Sea.

Although Russia in the east organized an army of more than [-] people to enter the Caucasus Mountains and fight with the Qibo Allied Forces in Armenia, the vigilant Russians still stationed more than [-] elite shooting troops in Vyborg. There are also more than [-] Guards stationed nearby to prevent the Swedish Kingdom from taking the opportunity to make a sneak attack.

Several countries on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, including Poland, Prussia, Hanover, and Saxony, are still playing tricks of military intimidation against each other, trying to deter each other from acting rashly with frequent military mobilizations.

Denmark in the west is gradually restoring their naval strength and seems to want to completely control the Oresund Strait to ensure the absolute security of Copenhagen.They even continued to claim sovereignty over Scania (today's southern Sweden) and sought to bring it under the control of the Kingdom of Denmark again.

What is even more alarming is that the alliance treaty signed between Denmark and England eight years ago is still valid, and the Port of Sitshals is used as a military base for the English Navy, with a squadron stationed all year round.Now, as an excuse to attack Qi's naval expeditionary fleet, England stationed dozens of warships in the port.

In order to prevent Denmark and England from raiding 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 know, in the Scanian War, Denmark fought hard for three years, but in the end, it gained nothing. Several of the Scanian provinces it captured were returned to Sweden, which made it always resentful. .

There is a saying: "What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiation table." But the outcome of the Scanian War seemed inconsistent with this sentence, because Sweden lost a large amount of territory on the battlefield. Restored one by one at the negotiating table.

However, we cannot forget that Sweden would have lost this war. Several victories such as Halmstad, Lund, and Landskrona did not further worsen the situation in Scania and other provinces. , but failed to reverse Sweden's collapse at sea and in North Germany.The fact that he was able to escape a disaster that time was largely due to Louis XIV's generosity and care, rather than relying on himself.Next time, Sweden may not be so lucky.

In fact, at that time, Sweden was simply unable to continue fighting the war. Its economy was heavily in debt, its politics were corrupt and inefficient, and it was even more unable to maintain a huge empire.If government expenditures are reduced and the financial situation is improved, military strength will inevitably be weakened; if the empire around the Baltic Sea is continued, the finances will become even more unsustainable and difficult to support.

To this end, Sweden tried to ease relations with Denmark. The two parties proposed some form of understanding in a secret clause: that is, within ten years, either party must inform the other party of agreements signed with third parties, and such agreements shall not Target the other party.This understanding can be reached thanks to the efforts of Swedish Minister of State Johann Jullenschena.Subsequently, the marriage of Karl XI to the Danish royal family also reflected the improving trend in relations between the two countries.Objectively speaking, it would be beneficial to both countries to exclude the penetration of third-party forces into the Baltic Sea and maintain cooperation between the two Scandinavian countries (Norway at this time belonged to the Kingdom of Denmark).

However, after the death of Jullensiena in 1680, Sweden's foreign policy changed.In the Great Northern War more than ten years ago, the two countries once again met each other at war.

Needless to say, after so many years of war, the Kingdom of Sweden had in fact declined.In terms of military affairs, the worst performance is undoubtedly the navy.Regardless of the backward equipment, during the Great Northern War, Sweden could not find a suitable commander. Several consecutive fleet commanders had no naval command experience.When such a navy faced the newly rising Russian navy, the fleet was defeated in every battle, which indirectly led to the loss of all Sweden's territories on the east coast of the Baltic Sea.

The proud King Karl XII was filled with humiliation and unwillingness deep in his heart for the failure of the Great Northern War.He needs revenge, needs to lead the Kingdom of Sweden back to its feet, and needs to restore its former dominance of the Baltic Sea.

In order to achieve these goals, he needs an opportunity, an opportunity to completely wash away his shame.

"Your Majesty, do we need to declare war on the Kingdom of England?" Minister of State Ada Khadiyalich took a step forward and asked softly.

"No, let's not declare war on England for the time being." Karl XII shook his head.

"Your Majesty, the English bombarded our merchant ships in Königsberg, and also joined forces with the Danish navy to swim in the Oresund Strait, threatening several provinces in Scania."

"The English sent warships just to deal with the Qi people. I think their actions do not constitute a threat to our coastal areas, let alone threaten Denmark to launch a landing war against us." King Karl XII smiled slightly, "At present, England The people of Qi had too much time to deal with the threat from Qi's navy, so how could they still have the energy to launch a war against us? In the attack on the Königsberg merchant ship, it was probably the Qi people who deliberately led the English navy to attack our merchant ship, just to pull us away completely. Get to their side.”

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

"Because we are indeed going to fight a new war." Karl XII waved his right hand and slammed it on the map. The location was clearly the east coast of the Baltic Sea. "I heard that the Russians are worrying about whether the Persian war is in a stalemate. We are hesitant to increase our troops. So we might as well put on a show for them so that their Tsarina and her Councilors can make up their mind and fall into this trap.”

(End of this chapter)