ps: Do not subscribe to this chapter for now, the previous chapters have been fixed to chapter 561.
In the first year of Jianlong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Later Zhou Dynasty, was crowned emperor at Chenqiao Post Station, establishing the Song Dynasty on the backs of the orphans and widows of the Chai family. Meanwhile, Mieszko I, the founding father of Poland, also established a unified Polish state in Europe.
After its founding, the Great Song experienced a period of glory. Before Zhao Er, the famous "High Liang River Chariot God," performed his donkey-riding drift, the Liao Dynasty had already prepared to surrender. The Liao Emperor had always believed that he should be surnamed Liu and be a descendant of the notorious Liu Bang, thus considering surrender to Zhao Er, an emperor of the same Central Plains faction, not shameful.
Poland also had a period of strength after its establishment, even becoming the strongest Slavic state on the Eastern European Plain at one point. Mieszko I first unified Greater Poland and Kuyavia, then defeated the Vileyat state of West Pomerania, and at the Battle of Cedynia, defeated the German lord Hodo I who was vying for the territory, unifying Pomerania. Later, he defeated the Bohemian prince Boleslaus II and occupied Silesia.
Perhaps around 960 AD was not a good time to establish a nation. The Great Song slid down the abyss towards becoming the "Great Give," and the Polish brothers soon followed suit.
In the 11th century, Poland began to suffer from internal strife, with feudal lords carving up the territory and acting independently. By the 13th century, the Mongols launched their Western Campaign, their forces pointing directly at the Eastern European Plain. At that time, the Mongol cavalry was at its peak, and wherever they went, they were irresistible. Except for breaking their reins at the Battle of Fish Town, they basically swept away all other opponents.
As one of the Central and Eastern European nations, Poland naturally could not escape, and was ravaged by the Mongol iron hooves. Especially in the Battle of Legnica, Duke Henry II of Poland personally led an army of over ten thousand to fight against a detachment of eight thousand Mongol cavalry. As a result, Poland was brutally swept away, not only suffering a crushing defeat but also losing its commander, Henry II, who died in battle.
While Poland was at the mercy of the Mongols to the east, it was also not faring well to the west. The Teutonic Knights in neighboring Prussia had always coveted Polish land and population, even occupying the northeastern regions of Poland for a time. The key point was that this Teutonic Knights was invited by the Poles themselves.
Originally, the Teutonic Knights were just a group of wandering warriors in Europe, without their own territory and nowhere to settle. It was not until the early 13th century that the Poles, being at a disadvantage in their struggle with Prussia, invited the Teutonic Knights to be their enforcers, offering them the region of Prussia as their territory in return.
Therefore, after helping Poland defeat the Prussians, the Teutonic Knights did not leave, but instead rooted themselves in Prussia, establishing a state regime there and becoming neighbors with Poland. This was the precursor to Prussia and later Germany. The Teutonic Knights, born as mercenaries, lived a life of constant danger and were quite formidable in combat. Being neighbors with such a group, Poland naturally suffered losses, with large tracts of land occupied by the Teutonic Knights.
Throughout almost the entire 13th century, Poland was in a period of internal and external troubles, with declining strength and lost territories. By the early 14th century, the territory actually controlled by Poland was less than one-third of what it was at its founding, and its population was less than half of the original.
Fortunately, at this time, Poland produced a wise ruler, Casimir, who, with his outstanding leadership abilities, reunified Poland. Subsequently, Poland's national strength rapidly increased, and it soon returned to the ranks of European powers, especially after forming an alliance with Lithuania in the late 14th century, reaching a new level.
In 1410 AD, the allied forces of Poland and Lithuania fought a decisive battle with their sworn enemy, the Teutonic Knights. Ultimately, the Teutonic Knights suffered a great defeat. Poland not only recovered its lost territories but also established an absolute advantage over the Teutonic Knights, maintaining its suppression of the Teutonic Knights for about half a century, eventually leading to the Teutonic Knights' submission and becoming a Polish vassal in 1466.
In 1569 AD, Poland and Lithuania officially merged through the Union of Lublin, forming the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Its territory extended from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea, and included Eastern European countries such as "Bear Two" (Ukraine) and Belarus, with a total area exceeding one million square kilometers.
At this time, Poland had become one of the most powerful countries in Europe. Not only could the Teutonic Knights only be beaten in front of Poland, but they could also contend with hegemonic powers like "Bear One" (Russia), the Ottoman Empire, and Sweden.
For example, in the Polish-Muscovite War in the early 17th century, Poland, by its own power, defeated the combined forces of Russia and Sweden, and eventually occupied Moscow, the capital of "Bear One," which also laid the groundwork for the future centuries-long grievances between Poland and "Bear One."
Unfortunately, Poland's resurgence was like a final burst of energy. Years of foreign expansion greatly depleted Poland's national strength. From the mid-17th century onwards, Poland first lost more than half of "Bear Two" to Russia in the east. Later, it was invaded by the Kingdom of Sweden, and its domestic wealth was plundered. By the 18th century, Poland had declined to a second-rate power. It was not only unable to contend for hegemony in Europe but even struggled to protect its own small territory.
In August 1772 (the 37th year of Qianlong's reign), Prussia, Austria, and Russia reached an agreement in St. Petersburg to make Poland a "protected state" of the three powers, using about one-third of Poland's territory and population as tribute for protection.
At this time, the Polish brothers were already on the verge of national demise.
Only when Emperor Zhu raised his army and overthrew the Great Qing, and fought several battles with the "Sand Goose" (Russia) in Eastern Siberia and Central Siberia, forcibly reclaiming "Great Ming Beishan Administrative Circuit" and "Great Ming Yanran Administrative Circuit," could the Polish brothers seize the opportunity to stage a comeback, taking advantage of the weakness of the "Sand Goose" after being severely beaten by the Great Ming to recover some lost territories.
Looking back at Poland's thousand-year journey, it was undoubtedly full of hardship, either being beaten or on the way to being beaten. Although there were periods of glorious dominance, they rarely lasted long.
In most of its history, Poland played the role of a weakling. Germany, the Mongols, Russia, and Sweden, various powerful forces took turns or attacked together, beating Poland black and blue, leaving it with no power to retaliate.
"European footcloth" was indeed a fitting description.
The main reason why Poland was always beaten was its geographical location. The Polish brothers were located in the core area of conflict and entanglement of various European powers. Whether marching east or west, the Polish brothers were the inevitable stepping stones for major powers. Moreover, Poland's terrain was mostly plains, with no natural defenses, providing invaders with very favorable conditions.
Of course, the most crucial factor was that Poland's neighbors were all formidable opponents. Whether it was Germany, Austria, Sweden, the Ottoman Empire, or "Big Bear" (Russia), any one of them was enough for the Polish brothers to contend with.
The so-called periods of Polish prosperity in history mostly occurred in the gaps between the rise of these major powers. Once they successfully rose, the Polish brothers could only stand at attention and accept their fate.
For example, the Teutonic Knights, mentioned earlier, although once reduced to Polish vassals and dealt with by the Polish brothers, by the 18th century, the rising Kingdom of Prussia became the main force in the partition of Poland.
Another example is that Poland once thrashed "Big Bear" and even occupied Moscow, but this was not because the Polish brothers were so strong, but because "Big Bear" was in a weak period at that time. The Tsarist court was controlled by Poland, and there were many conflicts with local forces, making it unable to pay attention to external disputes.
Later, when "Big Bear" resolved its internal issues and had time, it easily dealt with the Polish brothers. At that time, Poland was not even the main opponent of "Big Bear"; their primary focus was on Sweden and the Ottoman Empire.
In simple terms, Poland was like the State of Han during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, caught in the cracks between major powers, a typical land of four directions, and its surrounding neighbors were all powerful and not to be trifled with. Even if it was beaten, it could only accept its fate.
Of course, not all countries caught in the cracks are always beaten. If a country can assess the situation and maneuver reasonably among its neighbors, it can not only avoid being beaten but also play both sides and gain many benefits. However, creating such a situation requires outstanding strategic vision and diplomatic talent, which the Polish brothers clearly lacked.
Take Poland during the Second World War as an example. Its division and demise by the "Mao Xiong" (Soviet Union) and Nazi Germany were closely related to its own poor strategic maneuvers.
The Polish brothers first took advantage of Germany's defeat and the cession of territories to regain a large amount of lost land from Germany. This included the "Polish Corridor" between East Prussia and West Prussia, leading to the Baltic Sea. The loss of the "Polish Corridor" split Germany in two, making East Prussia an exclave of Germany.
This action made the Germans very uncomfortable, as they always wanted to regain the "Polish Corridor" to connect Germany. This territorial issue became the fuse for Germany's invasion of Poland in the future.
After retaliating against Germany, Poland immediately launched the Polish-Soviet War, attacking the newly established "Mao Xiong." Although the entire war was almost a fifty-fifty draw, the resulting tense relations between the two countries laid the groundwork for the Soviet Union's future invasion of Poland.
It is clear that Poland's retaliatory actions against "Mao Xiong" and Nazi Germany were undoubtedly digging its own grave.
One must know that Poland is a country caught in the cracks, and as such, the most important thing it should do is to maintain good relations with its neighbors. To put it bluntly, it should prioritize "serving the greater powers" and surviving in the cracks is the best way.
However, Poland stubbornly insisted on its own way, disregarding the geopolitical situation and only thinking of revenge. As a result, it offended both of its neighbors, leaving it with no one to speak up for it when it was attacked. If Poland had clung to either Nazi Germany or "Mao Xiong," it would not have been jointly partitioned by Nazi Germany and "Mao Xiong."
Of course, even after offending both Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland still had a chance, as its biggest backer at the time was Britain and France. Logically, if Britain and France had intervened in time when Germany attacked Poland, Poland might have had a chance of survival. However, Britain and France merely stood by and watched, offering Poland the greatest spiritual support but no troops.
The reason why Britain and France remained inactive was not only their weak government and appeasement policy but also their distrust of Poland.
After World War I, Britain and France imposed many restrictions to prevent Germany from becoming strong again. Among these, they supported countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia in Central Europe, forming a chain of restraints to prevent German eastward expansion. Germany was well aware that if it wanted to rise again, the first step was to break the shackles imposed by Britain and France. Therefore, they chose to target Czechoslovakia.
When Germany annexed Czechoslovakia, Poland, which was closely linked, not only did not help but also took advantage of the situation to attack the neighboring country with Germany. This action not only accelerated the demise of Czechoslovakia but also lost the trust of Britain, France, and other countries.
Of course, for Germany and "Mao Xiong," Poland's actions undoubtedly strengthened their resolve to act. After all, this fellow was too unpredictable, constantly jumping around, who knew if it would suddenly stab them in the back in the future?
Ultimately, Poland, in a very "isolated" international environment, achieved the feat of being partitioned and annexed for the second time.
Such a god-like Polish brother... If they had only verbally supported the manor owners of "Sand Goose," it would have been fine. After all, the manor owners of "Sand Goose" were busy fighting with their slaves, and no one would have paid attention to the Polish brothers for the time being.
The key was that the Polish brothers were not content with just shouting slogans, but instead took concrete action. They gathered a large number of cavalry and openly ran to the doorstep of "Sand Goose," shouting slogans like "If you useless manor owners can't handle it, let me do it!" while attacking the slaves of "Sand Goose."
The Polish brothers attacked the "Sand Goose" slaves who were shouting slogans like "Who says we have nothing, we want to be the masters of the world!"
Heaven knows, even Emperor Zhu was reluctant to provoke those slaves who shouted slogans like "Hurry up and make that furnace burn red," but his Polish brothers dared to provoke them!
Think about it, during the Second World War, the "nothing to lose" slaves of "Sand Goose" sang "Katyusha" and successfully pushed back Nazi Germany outside Moscow. Although Moscow was in winter at the time, and the "Sand Goose" army had the boost of the "Red Bear" mode, it was enough to show how formidable the slaves of "Sand Goose" were!
Of course, if they had only provoked the slaves of "Sand Goose," it would have been fine. After all, the slaves of "Sand Goose" were still locked in a fierce struggle with the manor owners. The key was that the Polish brothers felt that the sky was clear and the rain had stopped, and they were also capable – this guy then...
If it were just a matter between the art students and the Polish brothers, Emperor Zhu would not have been troubled because of "Sand Goose."
If it were just a matter between the art students and the Polish brothers, Emperor Zhu would not have been troubled because of "Sand Goose."