The circumstances of the founding of Prussia were quite special. First of all, there was no country called Prussia in history. There was only one place named Prussia. The people living there were all primitive Baltic peoples who believed in Nordic gods.
Why did the Prussian region later become the Kingdom of Prussia? This is about what happened during the Crusades. As we all know, the Crusades were the Holy See deceiving all the kingdoms and believers in Europe to join the expedition to the East to seize territory.
By controlling the Middle East, not only does it own the religious holy city of Jerusalem, but it also controls the two major granaries of Mesopotamia and the Nile River Basin.
Even by controlling this area, Europe could open up ancient trade routes to India and China. The geographical importance of the Middle East is evident.
However, the Holy See deceived the European kingdoms into fighting, and he himself could not completely stand by and watch, not to mention that the territory he conquered had to be managed by his own people, and he could not let outsiders eat the meat in the end.
Therefore, the Holy See organized three major knights at the end of the First Eastern Crusade, composed of the most devout monks and Holy See knights. All of them joined the expedition. These are the famous Knights Hospitallers, Knights Templar and the Knights Templar in history. Teutonic Knights, ancestors of Prussia.
The establishment of the Knights is for war. To put it bluntly, they are mercenaries of the Holy See. They have faith in their hearts and swords in their hands. They also have the financial support of countless parishioners behind them. Since then, the three major Knights have become one of the most important institutions in the European Middle Ages. The mark of the times.
The war with pagans was not limited to the Middle East. In Northern Europe in the 13th century, there were actually many remnants of ancient civilizations struggling to survive under the pressure of Christianity.
Just like the original Prussian indigenous people, they inevitably had countless conflicts while coexisting with Christianity. Among them, the conflict with the King of Poland was the most serious, because this group of indigenous people actually attacked the territory of the King of Poland's son.
The furious King of Poland not only sent troops to conquer these tough indigenous people, but also sent people to ask for help from the head of the Teutonic Knights, preparing to spend money to hire these professional soldiers to help them vent their anger and revenge.
At that time, the Teutonic Knights had no war to fight. Every one of them was so poor that they immediately asked the Pope for instructions when they saw someone hiring them. The pagans are attacking Christians, we must suppress them!
In this way, the Teutonic Knights entered Northern Europe and began a two-hundred-year campaign on the land of Prussia. This is not a war in the ordinary sense. In two hundred years, the Teutonic Knights changed the beliefs of the indigenous people in this land and even changed their language.
Since then, the Teutonic Knights have settled here, and finally declared themselves secular and became a kingdom within the German National Federation.
It can be seen that the national character of the Prussians actually has a lot to do with their history. As descendants of one of the three major papal knights, they are resolute and courageous and full of aristocratic temperament. They are also very stubborn and lack flexibility.
Kevin is a typical descendant of the Prussian Junker aristocracy. He is not afraid of war and is full of the spirit of sacrifice and dedication. However, it is absolutely impossible for someone like him to participate in privateering operations on the ocean.
"Okay, I know I can no longer convince you. Now I ask to get off the ship and give me a small boat. I will go to the Marshall Islands under the cover of night. I want to return to my country..."
Kevin gave up his position as deputy captain and chose to return to Prussia alone. I can't change your decision, but I have the right not to participate.
Xiang Ying and others did not expect Kevin to be so stubborn. For a moment, everyone looked at each other at a loss. The journey of the Zhiyuan back to China was not simple. The maintenance, debugging, parameter collection of the entire battleship... all kinds of work required Kevin. The leader has already traveled less than a quarter of the way through a long journey, how can he give up the challenge?
Everyone's persuasion is useless. The stubborn Kevin only accepts one dead truth. I can't stop you from privately plundering the sea, but I can be responsible for myself. Why not if I don't participate?
In the end, Xiang Ying really had no choice but to say, "Mr. Kevin, come with me and I will show you something. If you still insist on this decision after reading it, I will send you back to China..."
The two came to the captain's room of the Zhiyuan, and Xiang Ying even locked the door. Opening the safe, Xiang Ying took out a document from the bottom and placed it in front of Kevin.
"Originally, these documents cannot be made public, but we are on the vast ocean and we are not afraid of you leaking the secrets. I hope that after reading it, you will understand how critical the German nation is..."
The document records a memorandum of secret talks between Xiao Letian and Prime Minister Bimarck after the Austro-Prussian War. This was a highly confidential meeting. Kevin's eyes grew brighter as he looked, and the anger on his face showed.
"Yes, this is all true... After the Austro-Prussian War, Napoleon III once arrogantly requested the Prime Minister of Bismarck for land ownership west of the Rhine..."
"The French want all the land west of the Rhine in Bavaria and Hesse, and the excuse is very shameless. They actually said it was a gift of thanks for remaining neutral in the Austro-Prussian War!"
"Mr. Kevin, the Austro-Prussian War was ultimately a struggle for family leadership within the German nation. In Chinese terms, it was a fight between two brothers in a big family for inheritance rights. Regardless of victory or defeat, it was a family matter of the German nation... They What right does France have to interfere? It even wants to divide the German land, which is intolerable!"
With a bang, Kevin slammed his fist on the table. "Why? Why don't we know about this kind of thing? It's been two years, why doesn't everyone in Prussia know about it?"
Kevin will never doubt the authenticity of the documents. Although these young Chinese people are a bit unscrupulous, they will never use such important information to deceive others.
"Why? Because Prime Minister Bismarck has taken away all the pressure, because he knows that Prussia needs to work hard to make preparations if it wants to challenge France..."
"France's national strategy towards Germany is very clear. If they want to ensure their status as the number one army power in Europe, they must interfere with Germany's path to unification. Today they are seeking land west of the Rhine, but tomorrow they can reach east of the Rhine!"
"The competition for strength between countries always changes slowly in the process of ebb and flow. There must be a battle between Prussia and France. The entire Prussian high-level has long had this awareness... If you think it doesn't matter if the land is ceded to France, then When I said nothing, I will send you back to China now..."
"That's enough!" Kevin was so angry that his whole face turned ferocious. "If this is how you provoke the generals, then you have succeeded... If you want to keep me, there is only one condition. We will only attack French ships, not other countries." Is it okay to move like this?”
"No problem, everything is as you wish!" Xiang Ying gave him a military salute with a smile and a row of dazzling eyes with big white teeth.
...
