The Rise of the European Emperor

Marin used 60 Kirk sailboats seized from Denmark to form a shipping company called "Deutsche Union". After the formation was completed, Draka, who was responsible for the trade of the Indian route, was appointed as the general manager of Deutsche United Shipping Company.

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

Originally, the lucrative market in the Baltic region was divided equally between the Hanseatic League and the Danish Kalmar League.

However, because of Marin's intervention, the balance of the two sides was broken. The once powerful Kalmar Alliance, the navy fleet was wiped out, and most of the merchant ships were robbed. Only a small number of merchant ships docked in the Norwegian area survived because they were far from the war zone.

Now, the Oresund Strait, which used to connect the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, has been jointly controlled by the fleets of Lübeck and Hamburg. Even the passing tax was paid for by the two fleets.

Moreover, in order to combat Denmark's maritime power and prevent its resurgence, the two fleets prohibited the passage of Danish merchant ships, and only allowed the passage of fishing boats.

In this way, Denmark has completely lost the Baltic market...

You must know that the former Kalmar Alliance was so powerful that Lübeck and Denmark would definitely lose. Even if Lübeck and Hamburg unite, it would be a loss without the addition of Marin's fleet.

Therefore, after the Danish maritime power was eliminated, almost half of the market share in the Baltic Sea region was vacated...

Now, Lübeck 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 so simple. First of all, the two Hanseatic cities of Lübeck and Hamburg are only cities, so the population is limited. Basically, the two cities that can be drawn into the Hanseatic League,

All were pulled in.

Therefore, even if they were allocated hundreds of merchant ships, it would not be easy to fill those merchant ships with sailors. They had to go to other places to recruit manpower...

In fact, the various chambers of commerce that were assigned to seize the merchant ships in Hamburg stretched their black hands to Dietmarschen, who nominally surrendered to Marin...

Because Dittmarshen has a population of more than 20,000 people, most of which are Frisian, and a high proportion of fishermen. Recruit sailors from here, that's right.

As for Marin himself, he has insufficient control over the Dittmarschen area. why? Because the Dittmarschen region is autonomous. Even though Marin promulgated the Sailors First Act, which is very beneficial to him, because Marin, according to the agreement, cannot claim taxes in Dittmar, this Act is invalid for the Dittmarschen area. Recruiting sailors in the Dittmarschen area, Marin has no advantage over Hamburg.

Fortunately, the sailors under his command are sufficient. However, in order to prevent the Frisian fishermen on the coast of Oldenburg and the west coast of the Principality of Schleswig from being poached, although Marin currently does not have enough boats, he is widely promoted among the Frisian fishermen in these two places. The Sailors First Act was passed, and it was repeatedly promoted.

Marin's propagandists told the fishermen that there was nothing to gain from being a sailor for a foreign power's merchant ship. And being a sailor for Marin's navy, or a merchant ship under Marin's command, the family can enjoy a lot of benefits...

After propaganda, the fishermen's families who could spare young and strong sailors in their families 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, Malin specially "invented" the method of "registration by appointment", that is, let those young fishermen who are willing to work for themselves register as their own sailors first. Although they could not be recruited immediately due to the lack of ships, Marin gave the treatment enjoyed by some sailors who were on official service. For example, a part of table salt can be advanced in advance and used for salted fish...

When Marin has a boat, they are officially recruited as sailors or sailors, and their families will enjoy all the benefits, including a full advance of salt (not unlimited advance, but a reasonable amount declared according to normal needs), And loans to buy big fishing boats. Also, there are tax benefits.

This big move was released, and the Hamburgers found that it became extremely difficult to send people to the west coast of the Principality of Schleswig to recruit sailors. When I inquired, they all said that they were more willing to serve their lord Marin and wait for his old man's call...

Hamburgers have no choice but to go elsewhere to recruit people. Anyway, Germany in this era lacks everything, that is, there is no shortage of poor ghosts who dare to fight for their lives...

As for the Lübeck people, things are much better. Because Lübeck belongs to the overlord of the Baltic Sea region, and there is no conflict with the North Sea. Even recruiting sailors, Lübeck recruited sailors on the Baltic coast of Germany. For example, the coast of the eastern region of the Principality of Holstein, and 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...

On the other hand, Marin is different. The fishermen of the whole East Frisian, those young ones, have basically received simple training in the sailor's school. Friesland can recruit sailors, just enough to fill the vacancy of the 60 ships. If there were more ships, they would have to go to the Jevel region, the coast of Oldenburg, and the western coast of Schleswig.

So, although Marin started late. However, because of the small number of ships and the well-prepared sailors, they could immediately throw themselves into the trade war in the Baltic Sea region.

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

Thus, when Marin's merchant ships passed through the Oresund, they were not troubled. You don't even have to pay transit tax. Because, Marin and they are allies.

The two parties once again agreed that 60 of the merchant ships under the name of Marin can be exempted from tax, which is exactly the same as the number of merchant ships of the "Deutsche United Shipping Company".

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

The salt trade is the most profitable trade item in the Baltic Sea region, and the three companies are drooling about it.

Originally, the Teutonic state's salt trade and Marin's merchant ships all flew the Teutonic flag. But now, the situation is different. Because, the Oresund is controlled by Lübeck and Hamburg.

At this time, flying the flag of the Teutonic state still has to pay taxes. And flying Marin's own flag can be exempted from inspection and tax...

Therefore, Marin decisively changed the salt ship to Königsberg, the Teutonic state, to fly his own flag. This way, you can save a lot of transit tax. You know, whether it is Denmark, or now Lübeck and Hamburg, it is clear that the profits of salt ships are skyrocketing. Therefore, when it comes to salt ships, the taxation is also very harsh.

But now, because he is an ally of the two, Marin hangs his own flag and can be exempted from inspection, which 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 agreement with a profit of up to 800,000 gold coins per year.

Now, Marin sent a ship over there, just to fulfill the original trade agreement.

That is to say, without the knowledge of Lübeck and Hamburg, Marin has long taken a huge share of nearly half of the salt market in Lithuania and Poland.

And now, Lübeck and Hamburg are desperately recruiting sailors and equipping the hundreds of merchant ships they looted from Denmark, for what? Isn't it just to compete for the vacant markets of Lithuania and Poland after the demise of Denmark's maritime power?

But they didn't know that Marin's sly little brother, before the war was over, quietly snatched nearly half of the most valuable salt trade.

Moreover, Lithuania and Poland, because of the Teutonic Knights, allies of the Hanseatic League, have always been hostile to the Hanseatic League. This is also the reason why the Danes were able to easily share the world with the Hanseatic League in trade in the Baltic Sea region. Mainly, in the Baltic Sea region, the two most powerful countries are Lithuania and Poland...

Of course, since the Grand Duchy of Moscow annexed Novgorod, they are not the strongest two, but become the Big Three...

In this invisible battle for the trade market, Marin has taken the lead. However, he did not dare to speak up. Because if it were made public, he would definitely be unanimously envied by everyone.

After all, anyone would be jealous of a super salt trade order with a profit of 800,000 gold coins per year.

Fortunately, his partner is the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King Alexander of Poland, and his work in secrecy is also relatively easy to do. Moreover, the Hanseatic League has always been hostile to Lithuania and Poland. Even if Lübeck and Hamburg find it difficult to develop their markets, there is little doubt. Because they are used to being hostile to Lithuania and Poland. It's normal for the enemy to refuse to buy their stuff...

As for the less profitable trade items of salted fish, salted meat, grain, wine, woolen wool, fur, livestock, plant ash, wood, flax, resin, beeswax, and various metal products, Marin does not intend to snatch them. .

Because, those trade items, the profit is much lower than the salt trade, looking at the booming, in fact, the profit of a few shipments of goods is not equal to the profit of half of the salt.

Moreover, Lübeck and Hamburg, who have each grabbed hundreds of Danish merchant ships, have to give them a chance to show off, right?

Moreover, Marin needs the support of the two politically. Therefore, apart from engaging in the salt trade in a low-key manner, Marin does not intend to snatch those less profitable trade projects with the two.

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

However, for the sake of safety, Marin still wrote a secret letter to Alexander, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, asking him to release the news that he could obtain the source of salt from the Black Sea area in the south...

Part of Lithuania's territory in Ukraine is on the Black Sea. The release of such news will make people speculate - are the Lithuanians connected to Venice, the Mediterranean hegemon? Maybe the salt in their hands was supplied by Venetian merchants?

This allows Marin to pick himself out perfectly. Even if the Hanseatic League failed to capture the salt share of Lithuania and Poland, it would not doubt itself. After all, they can inquire into the "insider"-the Archduke Alexander has a relationship with the Venetians...

And this kind of news is impossible to verify. Because the relationship between the Hanseatic League and Venice was not harmonious. Moreover, one is the overlord in the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Europe, and the other is the overlord in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the north of Europe. Between Tubawang and Tubawang, it is generally not pleasing to look at each other... It's good not to fight each other...

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