Chapter 462: Cleaning Up

"Prince, Platenberg is on the city wall..." Wang Gui spurred his horse forward.

Zhu Yong followed his gaze and saw an elderly man with white hair standing on the tower, wearing a white cloak, a steel helmet, and a sword at his waist.

"Form the formation..."

The forty‑thousand troops began to form up in front of the castle.

One hundred rear‑mounted breech‑loading cannons were lined up in a single file, their muzzles aimed at Varga's city wall.

"Fire the cannons..."

The cannonballs struck Varga's city wall.

After several rounds of bombardment, a breach was blown in the wall.

"Longxiang Army, follow me to assault the city."

Zhu Yong squeezed his warhorse's flank and the steed surged forward.

The forty‑thousand troops followed closely behind.

Zhu Yong rushed through the breach, firing Double Hammers to the left and right.

A few white‑robed knights charged forward with long swords; he struck one with each hammer, killing seven or eight.

The army behind him followed his trail into the castle, Flintlock Guns firing in unison, cavalry swords slashing.

Varga's garrison was larger than Pedze's, but not by much. Within less than two hours it collapsed.

Platenberg was dragged down from the tower by a few Longxiang Army soldiers, bound tightly, kneeling on the ground, his blood mixing with the mud.

He lifted his head, looked at Zhu Yong, and said a sentence in Latin.

"He said, 'God will punish you,'" Wang Gui translated.

Zhu Yong stared at the white‑haired old man without speaking.

Let God punish if He wishes.

"Take him down and lock him up."

What was Platenberg shouting as he was being taken away?

Varga has fallen, the Livonia Knights are finished, and the Baltic coast is entirely in Great Ming's hands.

Zhu Yong stood on the city wall, gazing toward the northern horizon.

There, the direction of the Gulf of Finland, the direction of Sweden, the direction of the Nordic countries.

Those lands will be reached sooner or later.

But not now.

Li Wenzhong came up from below the city and handed over a list.

"Prince, the Gold and Silver of Varga have been tallied: about fifty thousand taels of gold, over three hundred thousand taels of silver, slightly less than Marburg's, and this knightly order is impoverished."

Zhu Yong took the list, glanced at it, and handed it back.

The Gold and Silver were melted into silver ingots, and the warhorses were incorporated into the cavalry.

Li Wenzhong replied with a nod and turned away.

Wang Gui came up from the other side.

"Prince, the scholars and Taoists have arrived."

Zhu Yong turned and saw a few dozen people standing outside the city.

There were scholars in blue robes and Taoists in Daoist robes.

The leading scholar, about forty, surnamed Kong, a branch of the Yan Sheng Gong household, personally selected by Grand Prince Zhu Biao, was named Kong Xifan.

The leading Taoist, in his thirties, from Longhu Mountain, was Zhang Zhengchang.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work. This side of Europe has just been taken; the populace is still resistant. We must teach them to read and write, enlighten them. The churches have been cleared and turned into schools; the scholars teach the 'Three Character Classic', the Thousand Character Classic, the Analects, and Mencius."

"The Taoists speak of the natural Way of Heaven, of health cultivation, and avoid those superstitious matters."

Kong Xifan and Zhang Zhengchang responded and led the group down.

Li Wenzhong watched their backs and couldn't help asking, "Prince, will these scholars and Taoists be effective?"

"Whether it works or not, we have to try; one generation may fail, two generations 【may succeed】." Zhu Yong turned his gaze toward the northern horizon.

When news of Varga Castle's fall reached the south, the last remnant of the Teutonic Knights also surrendered in Prussia.

From Portugal to Poland, from Castile to Prussia, more than half of the European continent is already in Great Ming's grasp.

Zhu Yong sat in the great hall of Varga Castle, a full map of Europe spread before him.

The red areas indicated territories already under control, covering more than half of the continent.

The remainder were the Nordic lands, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and southern Italy.

The Grand Duchy of Moscow, on the East European Plain, under Grand Duke Vasilii II, has been expanding these years, annexing many small duchies.

"Prince, there is news from Sweden," Wang Gui entered from outside, his expression somewhat grim.

"King Eric XIII of Sweden has allied with Denmark and Norway, as well as the remnants of Lithuanian forces, mustering about thirty thousand troops and advancing southward."

Zhu Yong's mouth twitched into a faint smile.

Thirty thousand, plus the Grand Duchy of Moscow, makes sixty or seventy thousand without difficulty.

Since leaving Australia a little over a year ago, we've fought the Portuguese, the Castilians, the Aragonese, the French, the Burgundians, the English, the Germans, and the Teutonic Knights.

Adding the Swedes as well makes no difference.

"Give the Command: the whole army will rest in Varga for three days, then march north toward the Gulf of Finland."

The Command was passed down, and the forty‑thousand troops began to rest in Varga.

Some soldiers were cleaning their guns, some feeding the horses, some mending their clothes.

Zhu Qiong Jiong crouched in the corner, wiping his Wolf Fang Club with a rag.

The blood crust on the club's head was now clean, glinting an iron‑gray sheen in the sunlight.

"Father, are the Swedes strong?"

"They're about the same as the Germans."

Zhu Qiongjiong nodded and kept polishing the Wolf Fang Club.

Three days later, the main army continued its northward advance.

The sea of Finland Bay shimmered blue in the sunlight, like a huge sapphire.

A few small boats drifted on the surface, and upon seeing this looming black army, they turned and fled in terror.

Zhu Yong stood at the bow, gazing at the northern horizon.

That was the direction of Helsinki, the direction of Stockholm, the old stronghold of the Northern European nations.

"Prince, the Swedish fleet," Wang Gui pointed into the distance.

On the sea, the silhouettes of dozens of ships appeared, bearing Swedish flags.

"Form the formation..." Zhu Guo swapped his hammer for a sword and pointed ahead.

One hundred twenty steamships began forming a formation in Finland Bay.

The vanguard accelerated, charging toward the Swedish fleet.

The Swedish fleet also spotted this massive armada, but they did not flee; their ships were far slower than the steamships, and could not escape.

"Open fire."

The rear-mounted breech-loading cannons fired together. Flowering shells tore across the sea, smashing into the Swedish fleet.

The shells exploded, the hulls cracked, and seawater poured in.

After several rounds of bombardment, the Swedish fleet scattered.

"Land."

Zhu Yong was the first to rush onto the north bank of Finland Bay.

Behind him, the main army followed his trail, charging into the Swedish formation, guns firing in unison, sabers slashing.

A breach was torn in the Swedish formation.

King Eric XIII's complexion turned ashen.

"Retreat, hurry retreat!"

He turned his horse northward, but after a Hundred Steps he was blocked and could go no further.

"Surrender, I surrender."

Zhu Yong rode his horse forward.

"If only it had been like this earlier."

Behind him, Swedish soldiers knelt on the ground.

Meanwhile, America.

Chang Yuchun stood on the walls of Mexico City, gazing at the southern horizon.

The Maya rainforest, the Aztec plateau, the Chichimec grassland—all had already become Great Ming's territory.

"General, there is news from the south," Lan Yu came up from below the wall.

"The Maya's last city-state has surrendered; the temple was dismantled, the statues smashed, the populace registered, and land is being allocated."

Chang Yuchun nodded.

"Send orders to establish a government in the south, register the Maya, allocate land for farming."

"Yes..."

Lan Yu answered, about to turn, but was called back by Chang Yuchun.

"What about the north? How are the Chichimec?"

"They are still watching, sent an envoy saying they are willing to submit, but wish to retain their tribal leaders."

Chang Yuchun hummed and said, "Retaining tribal leaders? Dream on. The land will be confiscated, property recorded, people registered. If they submit, follow the rules; if not, the main army will go over."

A smile tugged at Lan Yu's mouth corner as she turned and strode away.

Chang Yuchun stood on the wall, looking toward the northern horizon.

North of the Mexico Valley lies the Chichimec grassland. Those nomadic tribes are still watching.

Finland Bay.

Zhu Yong stood on the sandy north bank of Finland Bay, looking at this newly conquered land.

The Swedes are finished.

The Danes fled.

The Norwegians surrendered.

The three Nordic countries were cleaned up in less than a month.

With the Nordics gone, the Moscow Principality became the last country on the European continent not yet subjugated by Great Ming.

Moscow Principality.

Grand Duke Vasilii II stood on the walls of the Kremlin, gazing at the southern horizon.

Scouts continuously delivered battle reports: the Teutonic Order was finished, the Livonian Order was finished, the Swedes were finished, the Danes fled, the Norwegians surrendered.

The Baltic Sea coast was entirely in Great Ming's hands.

"Grand Duke, the Great Ming army has already reached Finland Bay, less than a thousand li from Moscow."

Vasilii II's complexion changed; he had fought his whole life and had never seen such an army.

Those ironclad soldiers could not be killed by arrows, could not be cut by swords, and the cannons could blast city walls from several li away.

"Send envoys to negotiate; they may submit, only asking to keep the throne."

The envoy took Vasilii II's terms to Finland Bay.

After reading the letter, Zhu Yong threw the letter paper onto the desk.

The Moscow Principality surrenders. The land is confiscated, property registered, the throne abolished, the nobles are sent to Yingtian Prefecture for resettlement.

The envoy returned to Moscow with the conditions.

Vasili II read the letter and remained silent for a long time.

The land is confiscated, property registered, the throne abolished, the nobles are sent to Yingtian Prefecture for resettlement.

"Prepare for war."

The Moscow Principality began to gather troops, drawing forces from everywhere.

But all the combat‑ready soldiers had been wiped out; the remaining were only the old, weak, women and children.

Vasili II stood on the walls of the Kremlin, gazing toward the southern horizon.

There lay the direction of Finnish Bay, the direction of the Great Ming army, and the direction of destiny.

Vasili II did not know whether this battle could be won.

But Vasili II knew that the Moscow Principality, from today onward, was finished.