2015-07-01
【Aiden in English】
Conquering land seems like managing your money. You gain a few countries through bloody and costly battles and reap great rewards of land and more goods. But how far do you invest in a country, or in this case, 316 square km/196 sq. miles of barren land? The archipelago of Malta is not rich in resources at all. You might even have difficulty locating it on the map. However, its history is written in huge fonts that date back as far as 7,000 years. In the rise of an empire, more land, no matter what, is optimistic. Malta, as we all believe, was an exception. Many substantial conquests stood in their way, including those of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, the Knights of Saint John, Arabs, French, and British, over several millennia. The Byzantine Empire was a powerful force in this region for approximately 400 years. The Knights of St. John proved the most formidable among all the colonists since 1530. The natives of Malta had accepted the Knights, allowing them to stay for a while. The Turks were invading at the time, and the year was 1565. The Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent attacked the ancient capital of Mdina at the time. The Turks brought 35,000 top-notch warriors, while 541 Knights of St. John, led by their Grand Master Lavalette and several thousand brave but untrained local volunteers, made a rag-tag wanna-be club. To make things worse, a famous Ottoman tactic was to preach a religion that involved making everyone not afraid to die. In addition, the Turks had a distinct hand-to-hand combat style, and their troops all underwent 3-5 years of military training. Indeed, veterans of many wars often went up against the newcomers. The Turkish equipment was also of much higher quality. You might think the deal wasn't until a few surprises. The Great Siege of Malta lasted about four months of savage combat, which back then sounded pretty different from today, where a nuclear bomb just about settles all the land issues, because there isn't any land left! Finally, the Ottoman army escaped in disgrace, considering that the war was over because most of their soldiers were dead. About 150 knights remained, tenacious in their resolve, but what surprised the Turks was the presence of another figure. The Ottomans suffered a total loss of 30,000 men, depleting their force to a bare minimum. The Turkish army fled later, considering they were too weak to defend the island against any other force, large or small. Around two centuries later, the ruler shifted to the French. Napoleon Bonaparte wrote history by pulling off a remarkable streak of conquests when he captured it on his way to Egypt in 1798. He conquered Malta in exactly 1 day, looting much of the gold and silver. Yep, 24 hours were all it took to take over land that once stood up to the mighty Knights of St. John. The soldiers had surrendered, and not a single shot was fired. What comes around and goes around, though. The Maltese sought help to fight against a powerful, dominant force, and the British were the perfect ones to turn to, given their significant and influential role. They've got it. Check who wants to have a colonial experience. They've got it, too. Check who has a stupid, stubborn, and burning hatred for all people who are known as the following letters: F-R-E-N-C-H. The Maltese were poisoning all enemy water supplies. When the British reinforcements arrived and surrounded the fortresses, the French were poisoned and starving. Therefore, the French got a taste of their poison and left without firing a single shot 12 years later. There, we have a perfect grocery checklist. So, the beasts of Britain were on their way for the next 164 years, taking the mercy little time. Malta was involved in both WWI and WWII as the navy dockyards. Surprisingly, the Maltese people got their well-deserved independence from Britain in 1964. They can finally stop saying, "I'm Turkish" or "I'm British," and now they are proud of being Maltese. Good things do come in small packages. 【紅霞譯】
統治疆域好比管理財富，靠屠殺掠奪去蠶食別國利益，為的是擴張勢力範圍以滿足私慾，但接下來的問題是如何促進國家發展，比方說眼前這片316平方公里即196平方英里不毛之地。
馬耳他群島自然資源貧瘠，你甚至很難一下子在地圖上找到它，不過這些絲毫抹殺不掉其7,000年悠久歷史，對於一個新興上升的帝國而言國土越大聲譽越好，但大家一致認為，馬耳他卻需另當別論。幾千年來，馬耳他相繼淪陷於腓尼基、古希臘、迦太基、古羅馬、拜占庭“東羅馬”、奧斯曼“強大”、聖約翰“神慈”騎士團、法蘭西、英國等人手中，其中一度被拜占庭帝國統治長達四百年之久；在所有殖民時期，1530年以來聖約翰騎士團領導下的馬耳他被視為實力鼎盛的殖民地，聖約翰騎士團廣為當地人所接納。
1565年突厥人入侵馬耳他，蘇萊曼“和平者”大帝希望依靠武力攻克古都姆迪納“默城”，541名聖約翰騎士和數以千計從未受過訓練的平民百姓自願在大教長山谷人的率領下英勇抵抗35,000名突厥正規軍，但事情壞就壞在奧斯曼派來的精兵強將篤信宗教，在戰場上表現得視死如歸，他們不僅擁有3～5年軍校訓練基礎，而且發揚肉搏戰民族傳統，天不怕地不怕，毫無疑問這是一場久經沙場的老兵與初出茅廬的新手之間的殊死較量。突厥部隊裝備精良，至此你肯定覺得他們必勝無疑，不過切莫妄下結論；經過浴血奮戰，歷時四個月的“馬耳他大圍攻”終於宣告結束，按照當時情形四個月相當漫長，哪像如今扔顆原子彈瞬間解決問題，差不多全部燒成灰燼！總之奧斯曼死傷慘重，以至於潰不成軍，最後釀成奇恥大辱；約有150聖約翰騎士團成員頑強地活了下來，而敵對一方死亡人數超出人們想象，總計30,000名突厥士兵斷送了性命，大大削弱了戰鬥力，奧斯曼軍隊不得不倉皇逃竄，無力再經受任何挑戰。
大約過了兩個世紀，殖民統治階級改朝換代，這回變成法蘭西人。1798年拿破崙一世在進軍埃及途中不費吹灰之力一舉拿下馬耳他，歐洲歷史就此重新改寫，雖然他僅在那裡逗留了一天，但卻掠奪了足夠的金銀財寶。是啊，他在廿四小時之內目睹敵方投降，毋需浪費一顆槍子便推翻了顯赫一時的聖約翰騎士團，只是事情來得快去得也快，馬耳他人四處尋求幫助，而英國海軍艦隊實力雄厚，不久便成為馬耳他的座上客，趁機完成了殖民擴張，那些自視聰明、不把別人放在眼裡、招惹天下人憎惡的法—蘭—西—人全部被驅逐出境，原來馬耳他人暗中給敵人水源投入毒藥，使法國佬因中毒飢餓致死，親口嘗到自己埋下的惡果，想不到在統治了12年之後同樣沒有放一槍開一炮，馬耳他人以其人之道還治其人之身。等到以上所有事項進行完畢，英國冠冕堂皇地開始了對馬耳他實施長達164年的殖民政策。 作為軍用碼頭，馬耳他參與了第一次和第二次世界大戰；1964年馬耳他人得以擺脫英國統治，直到那時才敢拒說“我是突厥人”或者“我是英國人”，命運之神終於降臨，他們從今往後將以馬耳他人為榮。好事多磨難。
Today in History(歷史上的今天):
2015: Mdina, the Medieval Capital of Malta(馬耳他姆迪納·中世紀古都) 2015: Valletta, the II-Belt of Malta(馬耳他瓦萊塔·灣谷城) 2014 World Cup—the USA vs. Belgium(美國對比利時世界盃足球賽)  Collegiate Church of Saint Lawrence in Birgu vs Grand Harbour
(舊都比爾古“勝利城”聖勞倫斯“桂冠”學院教堂與大港 07-01-2015)  Vittoriosa Waterfront
(維托里奧薩/比爾古“勝利城”海濱)  Oratory of St. Joseph @ Birgu
(比爾古·聖若瑟“後繼施禮者”禮拜堂)  Collegiate Church of Saint Lawrence @ Birgu
(比爾古·聖勞倫斯大教堂)  Senglea Viewed from Grand Harbour
(從大港近觀無敵城)
 Republic Street (共和國街 07-01-2015)
 Royal Opera House Ruins (皇家歌劇院遺址 07-01-2015)
Auberge de Castille (總理辦公室 07-01-2015)
Upper Barrakka Gardens (巴拉卡“讚美”上花園 07-01-2015)  Ħaġar Qim @ Qrendi
(奎倫迪“好天氣”村——哈加爾·奇姆“巨石"寺廟)  Details of A Chamber Door @ Ħaġar Qim
(巨石寺廟·崇拜室門細節)
 Megalithic Temple (巨石廟 07-01-2015)
Lunch (午餐 07-01-2015) 
Our Lady of Victories Church (勝利聖母教堂 07-01-2015) 
Monument to Christ the King @ Floriana (弗洛里亞納“花城”·基督國王紀念碑)  Porte des Bombes @ Floriana (弗洛里亞納·炸彈門)
 War Memorial @ Floriana (弗洛里亞納·戰爭紀念方尖碑)
 Monument to the Independence of Malta
(馬耳他獨立紀念碑)
 Roman Catholicism as the State Religion
(羅馬天主教為國教)
 George's Basilica @ Rabat
(拉巴特“防禦工事鎮”·聖喬治“農夫”大教堂) 
City Gate (城門)  Maltese Architecture (馬耳他本地建築)
 Stone Mansion (石質別墅)
 Dingli Cliffs (丁利“小山谷”懸崖)
 Maltese Field Farmland (馬耳他梯形農田)
 Fish Village (漁村)
Luzzu (馬耳他民間漁船)  Figs (無花果花)
Moon on Lunar May 16 (農曆五月十六) Crosslinks(相關博文)
Malta(出遊馬耳他) Europe(歐洲掠影) 6th Grade(初中一年級)
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