The Rise of the European Emperor

Chapter 163: To seize the Baltic Sea region's trade share



Marin used 60 Kirk sailboats snatched from Denmark to form a shipping company called "Germany United". After the establishment was completed, Draka, who was responsible for the trade of Indian routes, was appointed as the general manager of Deutsche United Shipping.

After the company was founded, it first set its sights on the Baltic Sea trade market. Trade in the Baltic region is extremely profitable. Although there is only one Denmark apart from Western Europe, the two sides are like two completely different worlds, and the price levels are completely different.

Originally, the Baltic region, a lucrative market, was divided equally by two powerful rivals, the Hanse League and the Kalmar League in Denmark.

However, because of the intervention of Marin, the balance between the two sides was broken. The once powerful Kalmar League, the naval fleet was wiped out, and most of the merchant ships were also robbed. Only a small number of merchant ships docked in the Norwegian region survived because they were far from the war zone.

Now, the Øresund strait, the main transportation route connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, has been jointly controlled by the fleets of Lubeck and Hamburg. Even the taxes for crossing the road were taken care of by the two fleets.

In addition, in order to combat Danish maritime power and prevent its resurgence, the two fleets prohibited the passage of Danish merchant ships and only allowed fishing vessels to pass.

In this way, Denmark is totally lost in the Baltic market ...

You know, the former Kalmar League was so powerful that Lübeck and Denmark singled out, and they must have lost. Even if Lübeck and Hamburg are united, if Marin's fleet is not joined, it will be lost.

Therefore, after the Danish maritime forces were eliminated, almost half of the Baltic Sea market share was vacated ...

Now, Lubeck and Hamburg are using hundreds of merchant ships seized from Denmark to recruit sailors, intending to grab the market share left by Denmark.

However, things are not that simple. First of all, the two Hanseatic cities of Lubeck and Hamburg, because they are only cities, so the population is limited. Basically, the two cities that could be pulled into the Hanseatic League were pulled in.

Therefore, even if they are each divided into hundreds of merchant ships, it is not easy to fill those merchant ships with sailors. They must go to other places to recruit people ...

In fact, the distribution of the Hamburg City to the various chambers of commerce that seized the merchant ship put their black hands to Dieter Marchen, who nominally surrendered to Marin ...

Because, Dietmarschen has a population of more than 20,000, most of them are Frisians, and the proportion of fishermen is very high. Recruiting sailors from here, that's right.

As for Marin himself, he did not have enough control over the Dietmarschen area. Why? Because the Dietmarchen region is autonomous. Even though Marin promulgated the "Sailor Priority Act" which was very beneficial to him, but because Marin could not apply for taxation in Dietmar according to the agreement, this bill was invalid for Dietmarsh. Recruiting sailors in the Dietmarschen area, Marin has no advantage over Hamburg.

Fortunately, the sailors under his command are enough. However, in order to prevent the Frisian fishermen from the coast of the Old Kingdom of Oldenburg and the west coast of the Principality of Schleswig from being dug, although Marin does not currently have enough boats, he has widely publicized the Frisian fishermen in these two places "Sailor's Priority Act", and repeated publicity.

The propaganda staff under Ma Lin told the fishermen that they would not enjoy any benefits as a sailor for a merchant ship of foreign power. And as a sailor for Marin's navy, or a merchant ship under Marin, the family can enjoy many benefits ...

After propaganda, the family of fishermen who can make up young and strong sailors naturally chose to work for Marin's navy and merchant ships. However, due to the limited number of merchant ships, they cannot be recruited for the time being.

To this end, Malinte "invented" the "appointment registration" method, that is, those young fishermen who are willing to work for themselves, first register as their own sailors. Although they could not be recruited immediately due to lack of ships, Marin gave the treatment enjoyed by some officially serving sailors. For example, a portion of table salt can be pre-paid for salted fish ...

When Marin has a boat, they are formally recruited as sailors or sailors, and their families will enjoy full treatment, including full advance payment of salt (not unlimited advance payment, but a reasonable amount based on normal demand) And loans to buy big fishing boats. There is also tax benefits.

After the big move was released, the Hamburgers found that it was extremely difficult to send people to recruit sailors on the west coast of the Principality of Schleswig. After inquiries, they all said they would be more willing to serve their lord Marin and wait for his old man's call ...

The Hamburgers had no choice but to recruit elsewhere. Anyway, the Germans of this age lacked everything but the poor ghosts who dared to fight ...

As for the Lubecks, the situation is much better. Because Lübeck belongs to the overlord of the Baltic region, and there is no conflict with the North Sea. Even if sailors are recruited, Lübeck recruits sailors in the Baltic coast of Germany. For example, the coast of the eastern part of the Principality of Holstein, the coast of the Principality of Mecklenburg, and the coast of Pomerania.

However, it will take time to recruit enough sailors for hundreds of ships ...

Marin is different. The entire East Frisian fishermen, those young, have basically received simple training from a sailor school. The sailors recruited in the Friesland area were able to fill the vacancy of the 60 ships. If there are more ships, you have to go to the Jever region, the coast of Oldenburg and the western coast of the Principality of Schleswig.

Therefore, although Marin started late. However, because there were few ships and the sailors were well prepared, they could immediately be thrown into the battle for trade in the Baltic region.

Moreover, because of the small number of ships, Lübeck and Hamburg, which have thousands of merchant ships, do not regard Marin as an opponent.

Therefore, when Marin's merchant ship passed the Øresund Strait, it was not embarrassed. Even, the transit tax is not necessary. Because, Marin and they are allies.

The two parties agreed again that there are 60 merchant ships under Marin's name that are tax-exempt, which is exactly the same as the number of merchant ships of "Deutsche Union Shipping".

In fact, before this, under Marin, there were more than a dozen Kirk sailing ships running trade routes in the Baltic region. Because before, Marin owned the route of Konigsberg, Teutonic State, and accounted for a large share in the salt trade of the Teutonic State.

The salt trade is the most profitable trade project in the Baltic Sea region, and all three are talking about it.

Originally, the salt trade of the Teutonic Kingdom and the merchant ships of Marin were all flying the Teutonic flag. But now, the situation is different. Because the Øresund strait was controlled by Lübeck and Hamburg.

At this time, it is still necessary to pay taxes to fly the Teutonic flag. While flying Marin's own banner, it can be exempted from inspection and tax ...

Therefore, Marin decisively changed the salt-carrying ship to Koenigsberg, Teutonic State, to fly his own flag. In this way, a lot of transit tax can be saved. You know, whether it is Denmark, or now Lübeck and Hamburg, it is clear that the profit of the salt ship is high. Therefore, when it comes to salt transport ships, taxation is also very hard.

However, because Marin is an ally of the two, he hangs his flag and can be exempted from inspection, but saves trouble.

Moreover, what Lübeck and Hamburg did not know was that before that, when Marin passed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he and Grand Duke Alexander quietly signed a super salt trade order with a profit of up to 800,000 coins per year.

Now, Marin sent the ship in the past, just to fulfill the original trade agreement.

That is to say, without knowing Lübeck and Hamburg, Marin had already won a huge share of nearly half of the salt market of two big countries, Lithuania and Poland.

Now, for what purpose is Lübeck and Hamburg desperately recruiting sailors to equip the hundreds of merchant ships snatched from Denmark? Isn't it just to compete for the vacant Lithuanian and Polish markets after the demise of Danish maritime power?

But they did not know that the cunning little brother of Marin had quietly snatched nearly half of the most valuable salt trade before the war was over.

Moreover, Lithuania and Poland have always been hostile to the Hanseatic League because of the relationship of the Teutonic Knights, an ally of the Hanseatic League. This is why the Danes could easily share the world with the Hanseatic League in the Baltic trade. Mainly, in the Baltic region, the two most powerful countries are Lithuania and Poland ...

Of course, since the annexation of Novgorod by the Grand Duchy of Moscow, they have not been the strongest two, but have become the Big Three ...

In this battle for the invisible trade market, Marin is already at the forefront. However, he did not dare to speak out. Because, if it is public, he will certainly be unanimously jealous of everyone.

After all, anyone with a super-large salt trade order with a profit of 800,000 gold coins per year will be impressed.

Fortunately, he cooperated with the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King Alexander of Poland, and the secret work was easier to do. Moreover, the Hanseatic League has always been hostile to Lithuania and Poland. Even if Lübeck and Hamburg find it difficult to open up markets in both countries, there will be little doubt. Because they are used to being hostile by Lithuania and Poland. It ’s normal for the enemy to refuse to buy them ...

As for those less profitable salted fish, bacon, food, alcohol, woolen wool, fur, livestock, grass ash, wood, linen, resin, beeswax, and various metal products, Marin does not plan to **** it. Too.

Because the profits of those trade projects are much lower than the salt trade. Looking at the boom, in fact, the profits of several ships of goods are not equal to the profits of half of the ships.

Moreover, Lubeck and Hamburg, each of them grabbed hundreds of Danish merchant ships, also have to let people have the opportunity to display it?

Moreover, Marin also needs the support of the two politically. Therefore, apart from engaging in a low-key salt trade, Marin does not intend to **** trading projects with lower profits.

Of course, those trade projects are said to have low profits, which is compared with the salt trade in the Baltic region. Compared with local trade in Western Europe, profits are still quite high.

But ~ www.wuxiaspot.com ~ For safety reasons, Marin wrote a secret letter to Alexander, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, to let him release the news, saying that he can obtain the source of salt from the Black Sea region in the south ...

Part of the territory of the Ukrainian region of Lithuania is on the Black Sea. The release of such news will make people guess whether Lithuanians have a relationship with the Mediterranean overlord Venice? Possibly, the salt in their hands was supplied by Venetian merchants?

In this way, Marin can pick himself out perfectly. Even if the Hanseatic League fails to win the share of salt in Lithuania and Poland, it will not doubt itself. After all, they can probe into the "inside story"-that Duke Alexander and the Venetian have a relationship ...

But this kind of news can't be verified. Because the relationship between the Hanseatic League and Venice is not harmonious. Moreover, one overlord in the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Europe, and one overlord in the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the north of Europe. Between the Overlord and the Overlord, they generally look at each other discomfort ... It ’s okay not to fight each other ...

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