The Rise of the European Emperor

In this era, until World War II, there was a strange phenomenon - once the military imbalance between hostile countries, it is easy to break out of war. In order to avoid war, once one side starts an arms race between rival countries, the enemy side will be forced to follow. Unless, you want to be beaten.

The First World War began with the arms race of dreadnoughts, and finally broke out. In the Second World War, because Germany was equipped with a large number of aircraft and tanks, its strength crushed France, which gave Santoku the courage to provoke a war.

In fact, the arms race in standing arms is endless and cannot bring peace. The real peace period, which is also the longest peace period in human history, was actually brought about by nuclear weapons, which can also be called "nuclear peace". Because there is no certainty that they can completely resist each other's nuclear weapons, the two major groups of the United States and the Soviet Union dare not act rashly. Even if the Soviet Union disintegrates, because Russia has a powerful nuclear arsenal, the old and the United States, which have an overall dominance in economy and conventional weapons, will not dare to act rashly. The same is true of peace in Huaxia, which was brought about by nuclear weapons, that is, Dongfeng Express. As for the J-20 and the aircraft carrier, they are actually just a comprehensive display of the country's comprehensive strength, and their effect on peace is far less than that of Dongfeng Express.

However, before the advent of the nuclear age, in this world, whoever has the superior military and technological strength will be able to overwhelm the opponent. Just like the Opium War, the United Kingdom relied on dimensionality reduction to strike, pressing the Manchu Qing to the ground and rubbing it back and forth. Don't talk about ** and system, so ** in the late Ming Dynasty, didn't you follow up the artillery and musket technology in time? On the other hand, in the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the firearm technology of the late Ming Dynasty was used, and it was strange that they were not rubbed by others.

No matter how nonsense the Manchu left behind, it cannot change the fact that the firearms technology did not progress in the Qing Dynasty for 200 years. And the civil servants in the late Ming Dynasty, although they were not good things, they still believed in firearms and cannons. Later history also proved that the eyesight of these civil servants was not bad. Later, Huaxia was particularly superstitious about artillery, and also suffered from "fear of insufficient firepower". This move was also particularly effective in settling the war in South Vietnam. South Vietnam withstood the various technological blows of the old and the United States, but it still could not resist the crazy tactics of artillery washing the ground. Tropical rainforests are also not omnipotent, unable to withstand overwhelming shells.

That is to say, the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty did not know the tactics of artillery. If there were the tactics of the Ottomans' iron-chained artillery vehicles, they would not have to worry about the Manchu cavalry. Of course, the Ming Dynasty was not destroyed by the Manchu Eight Banners, but by Li Zicheng. Or, the plague that perished in the capital.

The Manchu Qing probably also knew this, so they were very worried and had been preparing to escape back to the Northeast. In order to stabilize their rule, the Manchus did not hesitate to educate the people. But the problem is, you fool the people, and you even fool your own people. Then the whole country became idiots. However, the Ming Dynasty, which was hacked by them, actively introduced firearms and knew how to imitate them. For example, Wang Hun mentioned earlier, after seeing the Portuguese cannon, he immediately arranged for someone to copy it. He was very enlightened and actively learned foreign advanced technology. The beak gun and Lumi gun were also actively imitated in the Ming Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, there appeared the theism of the great scholar Wa Ren, "Take loyalty as the armor and etiquette as the scull". Feelings, and ah Q are of the same faction, thinking that the spiritual victory method can win.

Of course, Marin isn't actually a powder. Moreover, Marin felt that at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was really not worth saving. However, all things are afraid of comparison. Compared with the late Qing Dynasty, I found that the officials in the late Ming Dynasty were very capable, at least not as brainless as Japanese...

God knows that there are so many people on TV in later generations who support the Qing Dynasty. Probably, it is because the demise of the Qing Dynasty was too peaceful. Yuan Datou didn't do things authentically and didn't clean the capital. Therefore, the old and young people exchanged the gold and silver jewelry and antiques that their ancestors plundered for money, and then used them to beautify their mentally retarded ancestors.

Malin felt that if the cultural relics auctioned in the 19th century in Hong Kong were comprehensively investigated to see who secretly took the cultural relics from before Qianlong out of the country for auction, it is estimated that the capital would shoot thousands of survivors.

And these people are precisely the sponsors of the pigtail drama in later generations.

...

Marin shook his head and stopped thinking about those useless things. In all matters, the artillery trade is indeed a good industry right now. And it's not just Lithuania, Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Moscow that need it.

Because of the hostile relationship, in fact, the Teutonic state also needs it!

Don't look at the Teutonic countries coexisting peacefully with Poland and Lithuania under the mediation of Marin. But in fact, how can the hatred accumulated by the two sides for a long time be easily dissipated?

Although there is no conflict between the two sides on the surface, there are constant small actions in private. For example, the Teutonic State took the initiative to help the Grand Duchy of Moscow purchase weapons and armor, and supported the Grand Duchy of Moscow to attack Lithuania. In any case, both sides wish the other was unlucky.

And if Lithuania and Poland are equipped with artillery, I am afraid that the Teutonic countries will follow up for safety, and they will also be equipped with artillery. Marin feels that this is also a way of making money.

At that time, as long as the iron mold is activated and a batch of artillery is cast, it can be directly supplied to the Teutonic Kingdom. Hmm... In this way, it makes sense for the Teutons to buy more artillery pieces and sell them to the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

And the Teutonic civilian leader Jules is his own uncle, and Poland and Lithuania have nothing to say about the artillery trade with the Teutonic state. As for a part of the artillery that fell into the hands of the Muscovites, it was a corruption incident within the Teutonic state. At that time, if you just find someone to take the blame, it will be considered as an explanation for Poland and Lithuania... Privately resell weapons, this is the usual operation of European officers in this era, and there is no need to make a fuss...

...

In addition to the Teutonic Kingdom, there is actually a big customer, that is - His Majesty the Emperor who just sold 150 artillery pieces!

His Majesty the Emperor sold 150 artillery pieces at a high price for money. And Austria itself does not have much artillery, 150 artillery pieces, almost is most of Austria's inventory.

Therefore, at the moment, His Majesty the Emperor actually lacks artillery. After all, the battle against the Swiss Resistance was about to begin, and it would be impossible without artillery.

However, relying on their own gunsmiths to cast guns, it takes several months to dry a clay mold, which is really too late. Therefore, Marin decided to offer some help to the emperor on his own initiative...

"What? Marin wants to provide me with artillery?" The emperor was very surprised when he received Marin's letter.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the Grand Duke heard that His Majesty had just released a batch of artillery pieces, and felt that Austria might lack artillery in the next battle against Switzerland. The main artillery of His Majesty's craftsmen may be too late. Therefore, our Grand Duke is willing to provide His Majesty with ready-made artillery pieces. , and... artillery tactics..." The unfortunate Johnny, the foreign minister of the North Sea Kingdom, happened to be returning from Venice. He received a letter from a carrier pigeon on the way, and diverted to Innsbruck to discuss business with the emperor.

"Artillery tactics?" The emperor was a little confused. Could it be that I don't understand tactics? But thinking that Marin often creates some tactics, he listened patiently...

"Actually, this was not created by the Grand Duke, but was used by the Turks, and the effect is very good..." Johnny gave His Majesty the Emperor a popular science about the details of the "Battle of Dabiq Steppe", and introduced the classic of artillery beating cavalry tactics.

His Majesty the Emperor would not use such a classic tactic in fighting the Swiss. But to fight the French... The French, like the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt, are known for their cavalry. So, this tactic is very effective and targeted.

Maximilian I was obviously also knowledgeable. After listening to Johnny's description, he immediately adopted this tactic and instructed the carpenters under his command to make carts that could carry artillery and chains to connect the carts.

The price of artillery offered by Marin to His Majesty the Emperor is equivalent to 1.5 times the price of copper, which is much cheaper than the market price of about 2 times the price of copper, which is equivalent to the cost price.

However, the cost of the Beihai iron die-casting gun method is very low. In addition, many copper ingots come from the Ming Dynasty and India, and the cost is also very low. So, still very profitable.

Also, most importantly, His Majesty the Emperor will pay in gold and silver! This is what Marin needs most. After all, if there is not enough gold and silver, there is not enough money, which affects the circulation of commodities.

What? You mean printing paper money? This step is too big, and it is easy to pull eggs! Moreover, it is difficult for ordinary people to accept paper money. In the early days of paper money, in order to reassure the common people, they could be exchanged for gold and silver at any time. So, things are back to square one - still need enough gold and silver...

Therefore, Marin is currently fighting to promote copper coins. When copper coins become popular, think about paper money. In addition, Marin also began to let paper craftsmen research watermarking technology. This is mainly for anti-counterfeiting, because the biggest problem with banknotes is counterfeiting. Without sufficiently advanced anti-counterfeiting technology, printing banknotes is a disaster. No matter how beautifully you do it, you can't escape the evil hands. Because Europe has no shortage of master carvers. It is not difficult for people to imitate your banknotes and engrave the ticket version. Even later, there were many painters in Europe who made a living by drawing paper money, and the paper money they drew could almost be fake...

In the final analysis, no matter whether it is copper coins or paper money, it cannot replace the role of gold and silver at present. Therefore, exchanging copper cannons for gold and silver is a very good business. Under the premise of being able to get cheap copper ingots and have low-cost, high-speed iron mold casting technology, artillery trading is definitely a very good business.

Moreover, if His Majesty the Emperor used the artillery chain tactics to win against France, the impact would be much greater than that of Eastern Europe. At the moment, Eastern Europe is still a "wild land" and is not well known to people in most parts of Europe. But Austria is not the same as France, which is a European power. In the battle of the two powers, one side defeated the other side with the artillery chain tactics, and the sensation will be great.

Therefore, Marin has planned to acquire a batch of copper materials in advance. When the war between Austria and France was over, they began to sell artillery and make a lot of money. Those German princes, they must not be willing to be crushed by His Majesty the Emperor's technology. In order to prevent His Majesty the Emperor from unifying Germany, they must buy artillery at any cost to ensure their own safety.

At that time, it will be a lot of profit...

Why is this damn arms race so fragrant...