Flanders Hanseatics said that it was a bit related to Hong Tao. About fifteen years ago, he brought Carl, Jiang Zhuyi, silk, sugar, tea, porcelain, clothing, cosmetics, and rum to the Mediterranean, which surprised Europeans. Then he relied on these unique products to take out European pockets. After so many years, even Europeans were pig brains, they should figure out how to do business, which was the cause of Flanders Hanseatics.

Flanders Hanseatics should be read separately. Flanders is a place name, and Hanseatics is an organizational form. This place generally refers to the later northwestern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and southern Netherlands. This area close to the coastline is roughly the territory of the Earl of Nassau and the Duke of Brabant. The south belongs to the Kingdom of France and the north belongs to the Kingdom of Germany.

It faces the Atlantic Ocean, opposite the Kingdom of England, and the North Sea is the North Sea, and the Rhine River system is inland. The Schelder River system can communicate with the Kingdom of Germany and the Kingdom of France, with excellent transportation conditions. It is an important commercial area in Northwest Europe, especially maritime trade with the Nordic region is carried out more frequently.

The Flanders first bought wool from England, and then used the help of a waterwheel to spin wool into wool, and then wool products such as felt, blankets, etc. They used these wool fabrics to exchange for leather, wood, and metal from Nordic countries. These are all scarce materials in Western and Southern Europe.

Originally, their business was not too big, only in Northwest Europe. However, after waving the banknotes in his hand, Jiang Zhuyi made a lot of money on the northern coast of the Mediterranean for a few years, he also brought abundant development funds to eastern France and the northern Italian Peninsula. In addition to funds, Europeans also discovered that the sea trade was so profitable.

However, they only knew that Jiang Zhuyi and Carl's maritime trade materials were transported from the far east, and they didn't know where they were. Even if they knew, there was no big sea boat like Hong Tao. So the Flanders and Nordics, who were already good at sailing, began to think about whether they could build their own ships and compete with Jiang Zhuyi for this big fat piece of meat.

Jiang Zhuyi used various commodities to plunder the wealth of European nobles, and also brought many technologies that Europe did not know. Unless technology is covered tightly, no one can show it, as long as it is used, there is no possibility that it can be hidden from others forever. Carl and Jiang Zhuyi drove their sailboat in the Mediterranean, and regarded Carl Fort as a social place. Who can guarantee that there are no one skilled in sailing or shipbuilding among the people here? Who can guarantee that there are not many craftsmen skilled in smelting, forging, and casting?

I don’t know when the Flanders were secretly imitating Carl’s warships. They basically did not appear in the Mediterranean, and Carl and Jiang Zhuyi’s sphere of influence could not reach the English Channel and the waters further north. No one knew who was doing what.

Many years passed, until one day five years ago, Carl and Jiang Zhuyi suddenly discovered that from outside the Strait of Gibraltar, there were sailing ships that looked very much like their own warships entering the Mediterranean. After careful investigation, I realized that this was a commercial organization called Flanders Hansea. They were selling whale oil from the North Sea to the Venetians and Greeks.

Whale oil! Carl was anxious at the time. This was his unique product. Although it was not as fast as Jiang Zhuyi’s loan shark, it was not a small amount. Every year, a hand crossbow made of whale baleen and whale bones can be sold a lot. Whale meat and whale skin are good things in the Mediterranean market. Whale oil has a greater profit. Why did another competitor suddenly appear in the business of whale products?

Is there any way to stop others from catching whales? No, the whale is not named Fredrich, and the pope has no right to interfere with anyone who wants to kill anyone. But Carl has a way to prevent those ships carrying whale oil from entering the Mediterranean. He sent a ship to block the Strait of Gibraltar, and he prohibited the passage of any ship that looks a bit like his warship.

At that time, Carl was still very restrained and did not fire directly at the ships. Because he had privately inquired about the origin of the Flanders Hanseatic, the information he received made him a little scared.

At this time, Flanders Hanseatic was not only a commercial guild of the Flanders, but also a major alliance business organization including the North German aristocracy, the Danish aristocracy, the French aristocracy, the English aristocracy, even the Scandinavian aristocracy and the Baltic aristocracy. As long as it is a city and region with full sovereignty, you can apply to join this alliance. Then everyone has money to pay, technology to produce technology, materials to produce materials, and everyone has high firewood and fire to work together to do monopoly business. Its routes have already spread across the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and it is said that it has arrived at the Port of Riga.

It would be a little better to fire the ships of this alliance without reason. If they catch up with the ships of England and France, Frederick II has always been inconsistent with these two countries. If they fight, they will fight. If they don’t accept it, they will send ships to compete in the Mediterranean. But if they attack other countries, especially the ships of the princes of North Germany, it will be a little trouble. No matter what, Frederick II is also an imperial emperor crowned by the pope, and the German kingdom also belongs to the empire. Although the nobles there did not listen much to the emperor, they would not listen. You can’t beat others. Isn’t this causing trouble for yourself?

Fortunately, these ships with the banner of Flanders Hanseatic did not conflict with Carl and agreed not to transport whale oil to the Mediterranean in the future. It is estimated that they also tried to enter the Mediterranean to see the effect. When they met such a tough person as Carl and a Carl Fort with such a superior geographical location, they would not be able to gain any advantage.

Carl and Jiang Zhuyi did not take this matter to heart. They thought it was just a small episode, and no one thought it would be a big trouble. This cannot be blamed for both of them being careless. They do not have Hong Tao’s memories of future generations, and they have no idea about Beihai and Nordic. They both think that it is a wild area with cold, poor, backwardness, and barbarians all over the mountains.

As for the kind of ship that looks a bit like his warship, Carl went up and looked at it, and then didn't go to heart. The ship had a bit similar appearance, with only one deck inside, no artillery, and only two masts. It was essentially no difference from the Genoa sailing ship. It was nothing more than the outer keel at the bottom of the ship, which was more suitable for ocean navigation.

Carl and Jiang Zhuyi have been busy filing their own private goods in North America and building their own castle in recent years. No one has thought about this anymore, nor have they ever thought about it and mentioned it to Hong Tao. They probably have forgotten about it themselves.

But since the beginning of this year, the situation suddenly changed a lot. Flanders Hanseatic sailing ships began to transport whale oil to the Mediterranean again, and there were a large fleet of more than ten ships, including several three-masted sailing ships, and Carl's Jiaoshark-class warships were carved from the same mold, with a larger displacement.

Carl was not at Carl Fort at that time, and Jiang Zhuyi didn't understand naval battles very well. He sent two of his own warships to try to intercept them. As a result, the other party fired the fire first. Jiang Zhuyi was so scared that he quickly summoned his warship back, for fear that he would make dumplings with more and less.

Afterwards, the other party sent a ship to send a letter, which was very tough, which roughly means that Carl has no right to prevent their ship from entering the Mediterranean Sea, and Carl doesn't care what they sell. In addition, they unilaterally divided Carl's range of whaling, and did not allow Carl's whaling ship to hunt whales in the waters north of the Strait of Gibraltar. If he doesn't listen to advice, he will encounter one ship and sink one, and their ship will not go to the waters south of the Strait of Gibraltar.

After that, the whaling ship in Carl Fort encountered the other party's whaling ship twice at sea. Without saying a word, everyone ransacked the guys and started fighting. Both times, the whaling ships in Carl Fort relied on their experience in naval battles, with fast firing speed and long shooting distances. This was the third time Hong Tao encountered. If he hadn't happened to pass by with the fleet, it would have been great that the three whaling ships could come back.

"Why didn't Carl tell me? I haven't talked about him for more than half a year. You can find someone to go to Tripoli to call him back." It's been more than half a year since the incident happened, but Hong Tao didn't receive any news, which made him a little annoyed.

"He took the oil fleet from Tripoli to Cape Town at the beginning of the year. It is estimated that he has already arrived in Sun City now. He has rarely returned to Carl Fort in the past two years. Even if he comes back, he will still look at Port Tripoli for a few times. Mia and Philip both live there, so it's not interesting to come back by himself." Jiang Zhuyi was not very confident when she said this, and she glanced at Hong Tao quickly with the corner of her eyes.

"If I were replaced by him, I wouldn't be happy to get together with you, a woman who is outstanding everywhere. You've almost occupied their homes. If they can't even deal with you, just hide. I asked you if you can't afford to offend you. I asked you, can't keep trying, especially don't bother Carl. He is one of my few friends. If you really get angry one day, I can't guarantee that I will look at you." Hong Tao understood that Carl couldn't afford to offend him. He thought about it. He would definitely not be able to plot against Jiang Zhuyi when he was using his brain. He had to take care of his own face.

"You are so cruel. You can say such hurtful words to me. It's a waste of my years of care for you day and night. This is not for you! Didn't you say that this place is very important? His brain is not good at management. I just helped him manage it, and in the end it was not human." Jiang Zhuyi didn't use Hong Tao's words as a joke, and immediately made a very unfair look.
Chapter completed!