Harry Potter’s Morning Light

   Chapter 2261 The Winter Banquet of the Sea God (3)

  The winter in the North Sea is always covered with fog, and sometimes it is blown to land by the west wind, making cities like Amsterdam known as "fog capital", visibility is less than 10 meters, and even street lights are blurry.

  The North Sea was originally a bay in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, where the Rhine River once flowed. As the glaciers cut during the ice age, the mountains were washed away, leaving a shallow basin between England and the mainland. Compared with the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea is relatively shallow, and the seabed sediments are mainly glacial gravel, sand and powder. Sand, due to the influence of currents and waves, is re-carried.

The tides of the North Sea are complex. The tidal difference in the open sea is only 1 meter, while some parts of the coast of England are 7 meters high. The combination of large waves and storm tides will cause more serious damage to the coast, sometimes splashing more than ten meters. Big waves.

   But compared to the Netherlands, England still has many excellent ports, such as Liverpool. Economically, the northerners of the Netherlands are far ahead of the southerners. Thanks to the coastal defenses, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague have become international famous ports, established their own sea caravans, and they can also travel along the Rhine with trade with Germany. The southern Netherlands relies on mountains, lacks mineral resources, and has not established its own commercial fleet. 80% of its raw materials come from France, and its economy is relatively backward.

The Netherlands originally belonged to the Middle Franks. After the death of the king, his descendants began to compete for the inheritance. The country was divided and the princes fought. Until 1384, the Duchy of Burgundy occupied all the land. After the death of Charles the Bold, the duchy was divided between France and the Holy Roman Empire. , and then the Lowlands alternated between the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and France.

   As early as the 17th century, the Dutchman Levin Hooke discovered bacteria, protozoa and red blood cells in blood through his improved microscope. The Dutch love cleanliness very much. During the period when the Dutch Republic ruled Belgium, this habit was also passed on to the Belgians. The streets of Belgium are much cleaner than Paris. But bacteriology was not yet formed at this time, but public health in European cities had already begun to develop.

In 1665, there was a great plague in London. Charles II of the Stuart Dynasty ran away with all the palace servants, ministers and rich people, leaving only a few city hall officials, pharmacists and doctors to fight the plague with the people. , to keep the city functioning. Most of the plague is believed to have come from the Netherlands, because not long ago, Amsterdam also had a plague that killed 50,000 people.

   Because of the plague, hygiene habits in the UK have changed. People wash themselves by bathing instead of using spices as in the past. They used to have a bathroom in every room in the hotel they stayed in Calais.

It just so happened that during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, in addition to the legend that Charles II was on his way back home, the α2 star Canis Retriever, which represents the "Emperor's Heart", was particularly shining, and Charles II also worked with Louis XIV. When attacking the Netherlands, it was William III who was in charge of resisting the incoming army at that time. After the Glorious Revolution in England, he was invited to wear the British crown with Mary II, and William III who refused the protection of wizards' legislation and recognized the safety of wizards.

His father William II died of smallpox in 1650, his posthumous son William III was born eight days after his death, and the wife of the Prince, Marie Henrietta Stuart, became a widow at the age of 20. The Dutch parliament took this opportunity to launch a coup d'etat , Since then, it has entered a 22-year period of non-government, and the little king has been monitored and controlled since he was a child.

   By the end of 1671, the Netherlands received the exact news that the British and French alliances were going to attack, so William III set off to patrol the various fortresses in the cold, except for the people who cheered him, he saw more of the fortresses in disrepair.

   He wrote a proposal to the Central Council, but this proposal was not taken seriously, as they were still arguing over the appointment of the command. In 1672, when the Anglo-French army was under pressure, the United Provinces Republic put William III back in power, that is, "pro-government". The first thing he had to do was "pro-conquer".

  In 1670, William III left the Netherlands for England in the name of debt collection, hoping that his uncle Charles II would support him to become the king of the Netherlands. However, after the meeting, Charles II concealed his secret contract with Louis XIV, and took his nephew to various venues and casinos to see the entertainment kingdom established in London after his return. Soon William III was full of contempt for this uncle, He also gave up his plan to rely on his uncle to support the Fuxing family. Like all teenagers, he planned to regain power by his own strength.

   In the 16th century, Spain attacked and defeated France and the Ottoman Empire many times, expanded a large number of colonies, and established the first empire on which the sun never sets. However, the over-expansion of armaments led Spain to declare the country bankrupt three times in a row. There was no credit system in Europe at that time. In short, the Spanish treasury was empty, and the Netherlands was flooded with trade, so the Spaniards launched an attack on the Netherlands.

  The king not only levied heavy taxes on the Netherlands, but also forced the Dutch to buy government bonds, which he did not want to pay back. At this time, the Inquisition came in handy.

About 50,000 Protestants were executed. At the same time, a large-scale witch hunt broke out. Sometimes a person may not be a wizard, but the magistrates took a fancy to the jewelry and sculptures he made, and asked the craftsmen to sell them at a low price. People who disobeyed were burned to death in the name of blasphemy. Faced with this situation, the seventeen provinces of the Netherlands signed an agreement in Ghent in 1576 to launch the Dutch Revolution. When facing the common enemy, the Spaniards, the differences between the north and the south became less serious.

   Yet the storm of the revolution intensified and out of control, and the Protestants in the north turned the knife on all Catholics, even the Dutch in the south. To the Dutch people in the south, the Spaniards just wanted money for higher taxes, while the northerners wanted their land. On balance, the Southern Netherlands simply formed the "Arras League" after 10 years of signing the contract. and, became the Spanish Netherlands.

The northerners, deeply religiously persecuted and economically plundered, continued their struggle against Spain with no room for manoeuvre. The siege of Ostend was a heavy blow to the Netherlands, although other victories made up for the losses, which both the Netherlands and Spain needed. Taking a breather, an agreement was finally signed in London in 1609 for a twelve-year truce.

   After the Thirty Years War broke out, the Netherlands joined Gustav's camp and attacked the Spanish Netherlands.

The foundation was laid by Frederick Henry, known as William the Silent, and the contract was signed by William II, the father of William III who died of smallpox in 1650.

  The wealth created by the harbour is far greater than the sum of the inland territories combined, the UK attaches more importance to the blue territory than the mainland, and the Dover Strait has been a busy trade route since ancient times. At this time, the strength of the British navy greatly increased, and the first Anglo-Dutch War broke out when the British took the lead in shelling Dutch merchant ships in the Dover Strait.

The speaker at the time was John de Witt, and the ruler of England was Cromwell. Compared with the resolution by force, the speaker decided to go through diplomatic means. The two sides signed the "Peace of Westminster" in 1654. , the Netherlands recognized Britain as having equal rights to trade with itself in the East Indies.

The Second Anglo-Dutch War took place during the Restoration. When Charles II came to the throne in 1660, William III and his mother also attended the ceremony. William III's mother was infected with smallpox here. John de Witte did not at this time" deal with" the fatherless orphan, and William III also contracted tuberculosis.

   He taught William III to play tennis and exercise, so that William III became strong, so at the age of 22, William III was able to "conquer himself".

  The Second Anglo-Dutch War, the Black Death broke out in Amsterdam and London, but the war continued to be fought, and people would return to the light before they died, until the Great Fire of London broke out.

The navy has been building giant ships since then, and even if Bonaparte had Rana do throw boulders into the river, it's a question of how long it will stay there. They are washed away. But inland rivers are indeed not conducive to warships that use broadside artillery naval warfare tactics, but they are very suitable for the destroyer "Vigilance" that sent the Duke of Bedford family to a banquet last time. It also has copper rams.

  Charles II died without heirs in 1685 and was succeeded by his younger brother James II. He only ruled for three years before the Glorious Revolution broke out, and then William III of Orange was invited by Parliament to become king.

   From 1620 to 1720, a financial revolution broke out in Britain and a credit system was established. What is a credit system? The power of the government bows its head under the laws of the economy, and accepts the evaluation of the business experience and rules accumulated by the lenders, that is, the merchants over the centuries, that is to say, the government regards itself as a merchant, accepts the bank's loan system process, and allows the bank to review it. Assets and assessing the ability to repay the loan, this is credit.

  Louis XVI can borrow money because he is the king. If he declares the country bankrupt like the king of Spain, then France's credit does not know where it will fall, and it will be very difficult to borrow money from the world. The Dutch in the 18th century were the most well-funded lenders and the most experienced appraisers, and after the Glorious Revolution, the Xu-king cabinet could also institutionally make the regime bow its head and accept credit evaluations from businessmen. It came naturally.

   Even when William III was 22 years old, the Netherlands almost fell to the country, and Charles II sent someone to persuade him to surrender. William III's answer was "I will die in the last trench of the Republic".

   William Pitt Jr. said that the vitality and even the foundation of this nation are built on the basis of national debt.

   Britain also owed huge debts during the War of Independence. It issued 3 million public bonds, but subscribed for 5 million, all because Britain never defaulted on its debts.

It was the public debt that caused the Netherlands to break out the 80-year war, and it was the public debt that gave the Netherlands a sigh of relief for the United Kingdom, and even made it rise to a certain extent. Austria lost the war. Its debt repayment, which is in line with the rules of the international game, also makes the Belgians very happy.

   Another name for heaven in English is heaven, which is only one letter away from haven, which represents the port, and the pronunciation is very similar.

Vlissingen belongs to the Netherlands. The road from Vlissingen to Antwerp is located on the right bank of the Scheldt River. This side is less affected by the tides of the North Sea, and it is easy to build good berths, but it is best to use the inner depression. This way the ship is less affected.

In a world of zero growth, people are essentially playing zero-sum games. Basically, they take a gamble and run away. The bottom layer finds ways to take advantage of it. The Italian bankers of war are examples, and a world of positive growth must be based on "integrity" and "credit".

   It can be understood that Bonaparte did not intend to play the game of public debt in front of the Dutch. He was like Columbus going to the New World and told the bankers of his plan. This is equivalent to "buying tickets", you can enter the zoo after buying tickets, and you can also "buy tickets" to do business in Belgium.

  Leclerc died, leaving behind orphans and widows. Polina didn't know how to operate the canal business. The Charon Canal Company could not compete with Lyon in France, but they could go along the Rhine to the inland rivers of Belgium and the Netherlands.

  The United Kingdom guarded the West Indies, the sea port of the United States, not only to show off their power, but also to capture Irish and British sailors on American merchant ships to supplement their troops.

It is better to eat when there are less people, and to work when there are more people. It is impossible for all men in England to serve in the army. Someone must be engaged in industrial production. During World War II, Dunkirk will withdraw the army from the European continent at all costs, otherwise Britain will have to rely on Boy Scouts. come to guard.

  It takes time for children to grow into adults, which is what everyone needs.

However, the United Kingdom will not withdraw from Malta. Napoleon's expedition to Santo Domingo is the Rhine Front. They almost wiped out the army. In 1802, the conscription plan was cancelled. If the Dutch garrison was withdrawn, the Rhine Front could be supplemented or transferred to Santo Domingo, of course, no one wants to go to the latter. Even the Swiss mercenaries mutiny when they hear that they are going there.

   Compared with tropical rain forests and rebels, what is more terrifying is yellow fever. These small things that can only be seen under a microscope are extremely deadly.

   Napoleon encountered the Black Death during his expedition to Egypt. Except for himself, everyone else was released after being quarantined in Marseille for a period of time. Humans sometimes learn from experience. Quarantine is the best way to deal with the Black Death.

   He is also someone who has experienced that kind of despair, so will he still raise money here to send those young people stationed in the Netherlands to Santo Domingo?

   She hoped otherwise. She resisted by self-destruction. Even if she won the frontal battle, she would lose it due to endless guerrilla attacks after the war.

The ancient Greeks likened the country to a ship. In the democratic system, the first mate, the second mate, and the sailors all wanted to be captains. They thought that when the sea was stormy, they would work together to overcome difficulties because they would be afraid of dying in the sea. But when the ship entered the port, But it will be disintegrated by the power struggle among the crew.

Odysseus is still a person. After a lightning strike, the crew members all fell into the sea. He still remembered to find his companions, but it was written at the beginning of "Odyssey" that these blasphemers would bring disaster to themselves. The gods deprived them of the chance to return.

If neither Agamemnon nor the army came back, Troy was besieged for 10 years, during which no one suspected that Odysseus was dead, Agamemnon went back, and after a comparison, those nobles discovered Odysseus Probably dead.

   Agamemnon did not end well either, he was murdered by his wife and her lover.

   Actually, Odysseus could have gone back earlier, if he hadn't listened to what Circe said, he would have sailed the ship in the direction she pointed. She is the goddess of witches and lives in seclusion on the island of Aea, because she poisoned her husband King Sarmatia, and is the aunt of Princess Medea. Circe kindly invited his crew to have a feast on the island, but she put a potion in the food, which turned the crew into piglets after eating the food.

   One of the crewmen escaped and immediately reported the situation to Odysseus. Hermes, a fellow messenger, suggested that Odysseus use the herb Moly to resist Circe's magic.

   I can't believe what the witch said.

   said Georgiana Heart.

   At the last state dinner, the British thought that Bonaparte looked like a raunchy captain, so:

   "Drive carefully, Captain," she said to his back before continuing to entertain the guests.

  Otherwise, the entire ship will die, and some people will even scramble to steer in the name of correcting the course and avoiding hitting the rocks, even if the ship is about to capsize in the storm.

   (end of this chapter)