The weather gradually became hotter, just like the war on the Baltic Sea coast.

To be honest, Europeans are now in a state of hysteria. From the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, there are wars everywhere. England, France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Russia, the Ottomans and other major countries are in a state of peace. Either you hit me or I hit you, fighting and killing everywhere, it seems that the heads are like leeks in the field, and they will grow one after another after cutting.

However, France can be cut, Russia can be cut, Os can be cut, but Sweden can't be cut! There are three million people in the country, only one million Swedes, two to three hundred thousand Finns, four to five hundred thousand Livonians, and one million Germans. The composition of this nation is so complex that it is almost only comparable to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which later generations have eaten too much territory. And almost exactly the same as Austro-Hungarians, the Swedish kingdom at this time was also internal and external troubles, and the ethnic incongruence was that a lot of energy was consumed internally and could not do their best to the outside world.

In fact, the national consciousness in this era is not as strong as that of later generations. If Swedish King Charles Twelve were willing to calm down and clarify the internal situation by peeling off the threads and reducing ethnic conflicts, this kingdom spanning the north and south sides of the Baltic Sea might not be able to revive and become an important force in the Nordic area.

It’s a pity that this guy is really a rough man. He doesn’t love money, women, pomp, and even more so. He doesn’t like to govern the country. He is only keen on fighting wars. He is a war madman who lives a simple Puritan life. When he raided the Russian army in the Battle of Narva, this man led the way and personally led the troops to charge. In the fierce battle, three war horses were shot dead under him. If it were someone else, he might have been scared long ago. But what did this man do? He was not afraid at all, but joked that "it seems that the Russians want me to practice riding", which shows that.

The young king lingered in the barracks all day long, practicing horse riding, shooting, fighting and swordsmanship. What is a woman? No, no, "The army is my woman", this is Charles XII's original words, which shows how high the Spartan king has reached. However, although it is not likable to his wife - perhaps not just because of his personality, he has started to bald at the age of eighteen, which may be an important reason - but the soldiers admire him very much, calling him the "Last Viking" and willing to fight for him, or even die!

The book Charles XII loves to read the Bible, and the one he doesn't like to read the most is all kinds of government documents. He is really a headache, especially because there are probably some ministers who are scheming around the bush, but he is too lazy to spend time on it, so he usually entrusts his servants and adjutants to help deal with it. Many people suspect that these young and handsome servants are the king's lovers. Yes, yes, it's lovers, because people suspect that Charles XII is homosexual.

But no matter how he doesn't like to deal with official duties, he still has to make decisions on some very sensitive matters, such as the East Coast people demanded the acquisition of Gdansk Free City as a naval base. No one dared to take charge of this matter, and only the king could bear the responsibility, so he was finally sent to him and asked him to make a decision.

Charlie Twelve had known about the East Coast people who fell in love with Gdansk for a long time. He even expressed his "no objection". However, the East Coast people didn't know what they were operating, and they didn't continue to ask him for advice for advice for a long time (giving benefits), so that our King almost forgot about this. As a result, now they suddenly came to the door again. It seems that their private operations should be of some clue, so the benefits they gave themselves should be fulfilled, right?

The benefits are actually not many. Twenty thousand flintlock rifles, one hundred artillery and some other military supplies are worth only over 200,000 yuan. If the East Coast people produced it themselves (this is inevitable), then it might be worth only more than 100,000 yuan. The benefits of more than 100,000 yuan can be exchanged for a powerful king nodding in this matter. What is more cost-effective than this? You know, the previous Swedish king gave him independence and accused him of using it to the Poles as a port. It is simply too conscientious to get a benefit of more than 100,000 yuan?

But then again, you have always been a poor man in Sweden, okay? Otherwise, you would not be kept by the Dutch and serve their interests. Besides, the value of the military capital of 200,000 yuan is not measured by money. You are fighting now! Even if you have money to buy muskets and cannons, you have to queue up to pick up the goods in the British arsenal, right? The batch of supplies given by the East Coast people are directly given to you from the warehouse, and the spot goods can be used immediately, which is quite valuable.

Of course, Charlie Twelve also understood this truth, and he knew better that the East Coast Republic would not offend him at this time. Therefore, after only five minutes of looking at it, he signed the document and expressed his approval of the transaction. Yes, this is the transaction. As a party to the people of Gdansk Free City, the transaction was not allowed to participate. It was that simple!

"I heard that the Third-level Parliament of the United Provincial Committee has agreed to this matter?" After putting down the gold pen imported from the East Coast, Charlie Twelve sat on a chair and asked.

There is a reason why he asked this. The Free City of Gdansk was used as a port for the Poles, and the Dutch were the centralized coordination of the Dutch and finally succeeded. Therefore, it is reasonable that the Dutch should be involved in this matter. In fact, Charles Twelve had heard the news a while ago that the East Coast people had settled the third-level parliament, and the Dutch would not set obstacles on this matter, although they had never wanted to see the East Coast people expand their power in the Baltic Sea before.

"Yes, Speaker Hironimus van Bevrenhe clearly agreed to the East Coast people to obtain the Free City of Gdansk, but the specific method remains to be discussed. He tends to use the method of lending, and then the East Coast government will give the Kingdom of Poland a compensation to make up for their losses." The attendant lieutenant replied.

"What kind of compensation can make up for the loss of the only port of the country? No, the Poles will not agree!" Charles XII sneered and said, "But it's okay to let the Poles suffer. They are our enemies now. Is there any other news?"

"The guy from Berlin expressed his objection. He did not want the pagans to occupy the free city of Gdansk and to reduce the people of Christ to second-class citizens." said the adjutant.

"A reason for being high-sounding." Charles XII stood up, pulled out the sword beside him, and said while admiring: "Frederick has become brave enough to oppose the things that the Dutch and the East Coast people have decided. If I remember well, they had a very close relationship with the East Coast people a few years ago. The East Coast people also had the intention to support them, but they had a good time now?"

"It's not a fall. But they have always wanted to connect Prussia and Brandenburg, and the city of Gdansk Liberty was taken away by the East Coast people, which is a blow to their national strategy."

"The delusional strategy." Charlie Twelve said disdainfully: "Gdansk is just a city. What they want more is Pomerania, right? These lunatics will sooner or later be attacked by me. Now that the East Coast people help to share the firepower, it may be a good thing. We can concentrate on doing more important things."

Indeed, the Swedish army had good combat effectiveness, but its national strength was limited and could not make enemies everywhere. This Great Northern War, Denmark, Saxony, Poland, and Russia besieged Sweden from the west, south and east, which put it in an extremely dangerous state. To be honest, if it weren't for the support of the United Provinces in finance, diplomacy and naval, if these countries had not launched together as agreed, if Charles Twelve had resolute and decisive and formulated a strategy of west first and then east, Sweden would have been really difficult this time.

Now Sweden has defeated Denmark and defeated the Russians once - but it was only defeated. After the defeat of the Battle of Poltava, the Russians quickly adjusted. Tsar Peter I was full of desire for occupying Karelia, Inglia and regaining the Baltic estuary that Ivan III once controlled. They would never withdraw from the war, absolutely not!

The Swedes really made progress was the Polish direction. They had defeated the Poles twice before, not only annihilated tens of thousands of Saxon soldiers, but also caused more casualties to the Poles, so many nobles began to oppose their king August. Charles Twelve planned to continue their efforts and support a puppet who sympathized with Sweden in Poland and completely control the country in their own hands. In this way, Sweden's external environment will be greatly improved.

It is precisely because of this reason that Sweden invested its main resources on the Polish battlefield, allowing the Russians to attack in Finland and Livonia. Charles XII stayed in Narva and Dopat's regular field troops, and there were only more than 6,000 people in Finland, and only four or five thousand people in Finland. With these people and local militia, it is indeed difficult to resist the more than 100,000 troops after Peter I was rectified. He had just purchased 200 small and medium-sized artillery from the East Coast people and fifty large artillery from the English (such guns, Russia needs approval on the export control list), and the arsenal in Tula also produced more than 100 small artillery. Tens of thousands of people from the Cossacks in East Ukraine joined the army, and their strength increased instead of reducing but increasing than before the war.

At present, Peter's troops have made great progress in the Gulf of Finland. This was personally commanded by him. The Navy and Army had a total of more than 40,000 people, well-equipped and highly morale (the main force of the Russian army was still commanded by Sheremetev to fight on the Western Front). Yes, you read that right, it was the Navy and Army! In fact, Peter I formally formed the Baltic Fleet last year. The fleet had more than 30 light small sailboats. The technical backbone was urgently drawn by the Little Star Shipyard, a joint venture between the North and the Russian Federation, and was built on the shore of Lake Lagado. Peter I acted as the supervisor, so the quality of the ship was still very good.

After the Baltic Fleet was formed, the first battle defeated the Swedish warships that were originally active on the lake. The ships were old and bulky, but their firepower was still poor. Several were sunk by the Russians. Almost all of the remaining fled into the Neva River and never dared to fight again. The Swedish Navy, which could not even defeat Denmark for decades, was in sharp contrast with the army's strong combat power.

After the Baltic Fleet won, the Russians obtained the "sea control" of Lake Ladoga. Peter ordered the formation of a number of mixed troops of sailors, infantry and artillery, relying on the action of brisk ships to fight, and raid the Swedish military camps, towns and villages in the Lake Lagado area. It should be said that Peter I's tired enemy strategy was a great success. The Swedes were already weak in this area and now faced threats everywhere, and they were suddenly unable to withstand it. According to the latest news, Peter I received more than 10,000 reinforcements, and he had led a total of 50,000 troops to the entrance of Lake Lagado to flow into the Neva River, intending to siege the Swedish military fortress Fort Not.

At the time of the Fort, Peter's army could advance along the water and land, and arrive in the Gulf of Finland. This was the dream of the Russians for thousands of years. Peter did not want any accidents. For this reason, anyone who came to him to negotiate terms with him at this time would agree to the conditions that were beneficial to the war. For example, the East Coast people asked him to agree to the management of the Gdansk Free City on the East Coast.

Peter I had no idea about Gdansk for the time being. After hearing that the East Coast people could sell a large number of military supplies such as muskets, cannons, military telescopes, engineer shovels, etc., he immediately agreed! In addition, Peter agreed to the safety of the East Coast people's proposal to properly protect the Russian Eastern Capital (mainly the Little Star Shipyard, the Arkhangelsk Gun Factory, and the St. Nicholas Wood Processing Factory). Finally, the East Coast people also said that they would soon open a bank in the Gdansk Free City, and that they would deposit 100,000 yuan gold coupons for Peter I. Although the money was not much, it was the private property of the Romanov family, but Peter naturally understood the national financial funds.

After dealing with the Dutch, Swedes and Russians, most of the matter in Gdansk Free City has been successful. The only three remaining companies are Poland, Prussia and England who oppose it. Prussia theoretically is not qualified to intervene in this matter, and this country is easy to settle, which is not worth worrying. England is just shouting, worried that commercial interests will be eroded by the East Coast capital, but they are currently involved in the Spanish War of the Succession of the throne, and the main force of the navy is fighting against the French, and may not have the energy to really interfere with the situation in the Baltic Sea.

The most difficult thing is that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which is actually at stake, is afraid of losing its estuary. Since then, the country's foreign trade has been controlled by foreign capital. Therefore, whether it is August, the Saxony Elector who was beaten by the Swedes to step down, or Stanislaw Lesinsky, who Charles XII hopes to push it up, they all strongly oppose the East Coast people taking away Gdansk. Especially the latter, with the help of Charles XII, he even threatened to lead his troops to the Gdansk Free City as soon as possible and control it under Poland. However, he did not notice the attitude of the Swedish father, and he would suffer in the future.
Chapter completed!