Chapter 665: They are all hooligans
Xiao Peng shook his head after hearing what Abby said. "No, William only came to me to prove the authenticity of Barents' diary. To be honest, even if I really found the 'Smelly Armpit', I don't hope there is a treasure in it. After all, it involves too many things, and that would definitely be troublesome!"
Felix was puzzled and asked, "Why is finding wealth a problem?"
Xiao Peng explained, "Didn't you hear what I said just now? According to Barents, those pirates should be Vikings."
"What's wrong with the Vikings?" Felix was even more confused.
Xiao Peng spread his hands and said, "If we really find a Viking treasure island, I'm afraid the whole of Europe will be in a state of panic."
"What are you fighting for?" Felix asked.
"Of course, they're fighting for ownership of this treasure! Let's not even talk about the five Nordic countries, what about Russia, Britain, France, Germany... Oh my god! Just thinking about it gives me a headache."
Felix was even more confused. "Master, I understand what you mean by the five Nordic countries. They were the Vikings' base, but what does that have to do with Britain, France, Germany, and Russia?"
Abby smiled and said, "I can give you an answer to that question. Felix, have you heard of the Normans?"
"Normans? Normandy?" Felix asked.
Abby nodded. "You can't say you're wrong. Back then, the Vikings plundered southward all the time. At their peak, all of England and France suffered greatly from them. The Vikings even established vast colonies in England! It wasn't until the reign of King Alfred the Great and his grandson Athelstan that the Vikings were driven out of England, and England once again became Saxon territory. France was also having a hard time during this period. Even Paris was besieged by the Vikings for two years and nearly captured. King Charles III of France, unable to withstand the Viking onslaught, granted the area of present-day Normandy to the Norman leader, Loren. The Vikings established the Duchy of Normandy in France, and Loren became the 'Duke of Normandy.' The word 'Norman' also means 'from the north.' Although the Duchy of Normandy owed allegiance to the French king, it was completely independent and autonomous, free to disobey his orders."
"The Duke of Normandy was a Viking?" Felix suddenly realized, "So the British can also be considered descendants of Vikings!"
He actually knew this, as it was written in their history textbooks.
To put it simply, the Vikings who settled in Normandy were integrated into the French lifestyle. They changed from pirates to a life of half farming and half looting, and from loose tribal warriors to the later knight system. They served the monarch in exchange for land, began aristocratic marriages, and other local lifestyles.
In 1066, King Edward of England died childless. Before his death, he designated Harold, a nobleman related to him by marriage, as the new king of England. This infuriated William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who was also related to Edward by marriage. He accused Harold of forging the will, declaring him Edward's true heir, and then led an army to attack England. Ultimately, he killed Harold and became king of England, thus becoming a Viking nation. For the next thousand years, the British royal family would have Viking ancestry.
Why did Britain support pirates so much back then? It's all because of their pirate genes!
The situation in Russia was similar to that in Britain. The "Russ" there were actually a branch of Vikings. They plundered their way to the territory of the Eastern Slavs and founded several countries.
In fact, to be honest, the Vikings at that time had no choice but to attack Europe. From a geographical point of view, they were a nation that could not survive without looting.
Four of the five Nordic countries are located in the Scandinavian Peninsula. (Denmark is considered a Scandinavian country, although most of its territory is on the European continent and not on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Russia is not considered a Scandinavian country, although it has a large territory on the Scandinavian Peninsula.)
The entire Scandinavian Peninsula is roughly the size of Guangxi, Guangdong, and Yunnan provinces combined. However, only a small portion of the land in the southernmost part is accessible to humans. The northern part is entirely permafrost. In winter, satellite images show a vast expanse of white. It's a place where even a poop outdoors freezes before it even hits the ground. Survival in such a place is truly difficult!
In fact, even 150 years ago in human history, the five Nordic countries that are now the envy of others were the poorest and most backward places in Europe. But they are lucky! Gold bricks are falling on their heads every day...
Take Sweden as an example. Today, Sweden is undoubtedly one of the most developed countries in the world. But a hundred years ago, it was a place so poor that even the royal family had to "sell paintings during the day and sell themselves at night."
As a result, Sweden made a comeback during the two world wars by "picking up bargains".
During the World War, Sweden was the first to stand up and say, "We are a neutral country."
In fact, at that time, other countries were too lazy to care about Sweden: who would want such a place where rabbits don't shit? The whole country has nothing to offer except fishing and mining iron ore!
But after World War I they quickly turned around.
Before World War I, Sweden owed a huge debt to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a sum that could not be repaid even if Sweden was sold. As a result, due to the defeat in World War I, the German monetary system completely collapsed and inflation reached 1.7 trillion times!
That's right! 1.7 trillion times! Back then, the German Mark was too hard to wipe your butt with, and no one would pick it up when it was thrown on the street. Stacks of brand new currency were used as building blocks for children!
The Swedes didn't miss this opportunity! "I borrowed your Deutsche Marks, so I must pay them back." The foreign debt, once so unaffordable that they couldn't even afford it, ended up being less than the average Swede's monthly salary. Not only did they pay off their debt, they also seized the opportunity to seize Germany's entire military-industrial complex, vigorously developing it and starting to sell weapons, thus embarking on the road to prosperity.
This trick was later learned by India. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the ruble plummeted, and India directly used rubles to clear its foreign debt to the Soviet Union. I guess Indians at that time would wake up laughing in their dreams.
Of course, you have to pay for what you have done. After the Russians went through the difficult period, they turned around and made trouble for India. The aircraft carrier they "gave" to them alone made back all the small advantages that the Indians had taken back then - the aircraft carrier was given as a gift, and the other equipment was purchased. One aircraft carrier cost the Indians more than 10 billion US dollars, this time in US dollars!
What is etiquette and morality at the national level?
They are all scoundrels!
If there really is such a treasure island, it would be strange if they didn’t shamelessly come and ask for benefits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com