1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 957 Visiting the European Fleet ([-])

July 1679, 8, London.

"Poor Earl Danby has been thrown into the Tower of London." Samuel Pepys, Lord of the Admiralty of England, held a teacup full of ancient oriental charm, and lightly sipped a sip. circulation.

"Yes, poor Earl Danby, he is a complete scapegoat." Lord Chancellor of England (and Speaker of the House of Lords), Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, smiled wryly, and said sympathetically: "His Majesty is forced to MPs ruthlessly dumped him."

Earl Thomas Osborne Danby served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer of England in 1673. He was appreciated by King Charles II for stabilizing the finances that were on the verge of collapse during the war and became his chief minister. In 1674, he was named Earl of Danby.The king's favorite did not forget to reciprocate. He tried his best to strengthen the king's power, limit the power of the parliament, use bribery and favor to establish a palace party (later developed into the Tory party) in the parliament, and cheer for Charles II.

However, he negotiated secretly with King Louis XIV of France several times, obtaining a large subsidy from him to provide to Charles II in exchange for Britain's participation in the war against the Netherlands.The matter was suddenly revealed and made public in early July, so he was impeached by Parliament. After a month's trial, he was convicted of treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

In fact, in the two Anglo-Dutch wars, Britain did not gain tangible benefits. On the contrary, France benefited from it, gaining large tracts of land and business interests. Its national power soared and surpassed the Netherlands, becoming the strongest hegemony in Europe.

The British, who felt that they were being used by the French, suddenly had a strong anti-French sentiment, and strongly demanded that the king withdraw from the war and restore the former peace with the Netherlands.

As early as 1676, because the English House of Commons refused to pass any new appropriation bills, Charles II, the "Merry King" who was spending money like water, had to seek financial assistance from his French cousin again.Louis XIV also generously agreed to his request, agreeing to pay him an annual allowance to maintain the dignity that the English royal family should have.

In return, Charles II, at the request of France, should refrain from entering into agreements with other belligerents without the consent of both parties.

However, in the second year (1677), under constant pressure from the House of Commons and the persuasion of many Protestant aristocrats, Charles II was forced to agree that Princess Mary, the second successor to the throne, married William III, the governor of the province. , It seems to indicate that Britain is about to withdraw from this war that has lasted for several years.

However, in order to prove their strength, the French still insisted on launching a massive land war against the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Thailand and part of Flanders were also firmly occupied by the French army, and in March 1678 they occupied Ghent and Ypres in the Southern Netherlands, which made the Dutch lose their armor and armor, and continued to lose their troops and land.

Charles II is definitely a devout Catholic, or more like a French monarch.Both the upper and lower houses of the English Parliament successively issued joint statements, calling on the king to form an alliance with the opponents of Louis XIV to ease the uneasiness that permeated the country, but Charles II still did not want to change course and continued to stand on the side of the French. here.

In March 1678, seeing that France had gained a significant advantage on the battlefield, Charles II turned to Louis XIV to make new demands, hoping that France would pay him 3 million livres (more than 600 kilograms) every year for three consecutive years. gold).In return, he would use his influence with Holland to try to push for a decent truce between the warring parties.

However, what Charles II did not expect was that his French cousin Louis XIV and the United Provinces directly threw off England, and suddenly negotiated a separate peace in August, leaving him no room for double-sidedness.

Hastily participated in a big war, during which he fought with the Dutch navy, but at the end, the British didn't get anything.From 1678 to 1679, France and its ally Sweden signed treaties with the Netherlands, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and Denmark respectively, ending the war that lasted more than six years.

The Netherlands regained all the land, and France also reduced its tariffs to the Netherlands; Spain ceded France-Comté and Valenciennes, Cambrai and other places on the northeastern border to France; The possession of Raiburg.All of the above, all reflect the initial establishment of French hegemony in Europe in the era of Louis XIV.

What about us in England?

"Your Majesty has abandoned the Earl of Danby, just as Europe has abandoned us England, and it is full of deep sorrow." Samuel Pepys said with self-deprecation: "Across the entire continent of Europe, the Kingdom of France is like a radiant lamp. The bright lights cast by the sun have attracted everyone's attention. And we, England, will still live on this hazy, rainy and cold island, looking helplessly at the bustling and noisy continent of Europe."

"Dear Pepys, I feel a bit of frustration and sadness from your words." Ashley Cooper looked at each other with a smile, "But in fact, our situation in England is not that bad. At least, Under your leadership, the Royal Navy has taken on a new lease of life. You have created an excellent tradition of order, discipline and quality of service in the Navy, modeled on the model of the Qi State Navy, and introduced the concept of professional training and examination for naval officers, which is popular throughout Europe. Region is an amazing innovation."

"Although our naval strength has improved in recent years, it does not have an overwhelming advantage over the Kingdom of France and the United Provinces." Samuel Pepys shook his head and said: "The United Provinces Tens of thousands of merchant fleets are still able to maintain their dominance over the sea. With the support of Louis XIV's raging ambitions, the Kingdom of France has invested regardless of cost, and the navy has developed extremely rapidly. They have surpassed our Royal Navy."

"Mr. Pepys, are you missing one of the most important maritime powers?" Ashley Cooper reminded: "A regional power that controls the Indian Ocean and also monopolizes Eastern trade."

"Mr. Cooper, are you referring to the State of Qi?" Samuel Pepys gently put the teacup on the small table with a trace of solemnity on his face, "As the builder and planner of the Royal Navy, How can I ignore the existence of the Qi State? After decades of continuous maritime expansion, coupled with excellent geographical advantages, they have completely controlled the situation around the Indian Ocean. More than a month ago, they even relied on A small visiting fleet dealt a heavy blow to the Spanish Navy, and the ratio of losses between the two sides shocked everyone."

"The first stop of Qi State's mission to Europe was to the Ottoman Empire, without any scruples about the strong reactions from the European countries—especially the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Federation and other major powers. It is said that in exchange for Qi State, Ottoman provided They not only mortgaged their vast territory in the Arab region to Qi, but also gave the people of Qi the exclusive trade rights and port use rights of Tunisia, Algeria and other places on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It can be said that by virtue of this, Qi The forces of the Chinese have successfully squeezed into the Mediterranean Sea and will soon become an important force affecting the situation in Europe."

"I don't think Qi will have any influence on the evolution of the situation in Europe, because it is, after all, a New World country very far away from Europe." Ashley Cooper disagreed, "Half a month ago, King Louis XIV of France held a grand welcome ceremony for the delegation of the Qi State in the luxurious and luxurious Palace of Versailles, but it is said that no agreement was reached between them. The proud and arrogant King of France should have rejected the Qi people's proposal to become A suggestion for a comprehensive strategic partnership. If Qi still wants to intervene in the situation on the European continent with the United Provinces whose influence is declining day by day, it may be difficult to do anything. The French-Dutch war that just ended fully proved that At this point, Qi State cannot reverse any situation at all."

"Mr. Justice, during the Franco-Dutch War, although the State of Qi did not make any direct interventions, many of us have overlooked a very important key point." Samuel Pepys said with a smile: "That is the largest trading company under the United Provinces, um, it may also be the largest trading company in the world today, the Dutch East India Company."

"The company's annual trade volume reached a terrifying 500 million guilders, and its profit exceeded 3000 million guilders. During the war, it provided the entire United Provinces with a steady stream of money and supplies, as well as a large number of armed merchant ships and The sailors have strongly supported the determination of the Dutch people to resist. And the reason why this trading company can do this is the shadow of the people of Qi behind it."

"In the entire Far East, Qi State is the largest trading partner of the Dutch East India Company. Cotton cloth, clocks and instruments, steel hardware, canned food, whale oil, porcelain, silk, as well as tea and coffee are all filled in the European continent. The company is resold to the European region through the hands of Qi State, earning huge trade profits from it. During the war, the Dutch East India Company took all the defense and waterway security maintenance of the entire Far East under the protection of Qi State, so that it was able to protect its many The armed merchant ships were transferred back to the European mainland, and France and England fought one after another at sea, ensuring the safety of their western coast."

"When you say that, I suddenly thought of the British East India Company in England." Ashley Cooper said solemnly: "The people of Qi seem to have been maliciously targeting this authorized company for more than 20 years. The colonial company of the Far East Trade not only had two serious armed conflicts with it, but also suppressed and restricted it in various ways by virtue of its convenient geographical advantages. Three years ago, the Qi Navy warship sank the company on the west coast of India A merchant ship under its banner caused the tragic death of more than 60 sailors, which also aroused violent public opinion in the country. To be honest, people in Qi really hate people for acting like this."

"My feeling is that the people of Qi are not only targeting the British East India Company." Samuel Pepys' face was a little gloomy, "The people of Qi are targeting our entire England, and they are likely to be deeply hostile towards us. .”

"……why?"

"England is a maritime country completely independent of the European continent. No matter how the situation in Europe evolves, we can rely on this superior geographical advantage to watch the fire from the other side and choose the most appropriate time to intervene, thereby exerting our influence. power." Samuel Pepys said: "Coincidentally, Qi dominates the entire Hanzhou continent, and its geographical situation is exactly the same as that of our England. Therefore, they are likely to regard our England as a potential China's strategic competitors are trying to suppress and restrict us in various ways, so as to realize their goal of dominating the ocean in the future."

"Then... how should we deal with it?"

"Across Europe, not all countries have close commercial ties with Qi like the United Provinces." Samuel Pepys said: "Moreover, because of overseas colonies, religious beliefs, and other issues, some The country is repaying Qi with strong hostility. Among these countries that are hostile to Qi, the Kingdom of Spain is a very worthy helper for us to win over and use."
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A few years ago, although Britain joined the French side and broke out the third naval war with the Netherlands, this did not affect the economic development of the United Kingdom. On the contrary, it promoted the development of British industry and commerce to a certain extent.

The Anglo-Dutch naval battle that ended in 1674 allowed England to gain a certain degree of sea control in the English Channel, which greatly increased the total amount of goods exported by England.Afterwards, excise taxes on staple foods such as beer, food, tea, and coffee rose significantly, indicating a sharp rise in consumption.The increase in fiscal revenue also had another major impact, and the royal family's income also began to increase rapidly.

The "middle class" in England is addicted to importing a large amount of "luxury goods", while the busy working poor buy knitted stockings, pottery, iron pans and the like.

The early years of the Stuart dynasty and Cromwell's successful colonization of North America and the West Indies had now borne fruit, with England's total foreign trade soaring.By the end of last year (1678), the British already owned [-]% of the Dutch merchant fleet. Their ships were loaded with sugar, tobacco, cotton and other commodities, and they were shipped to the London docks, and then entered the huge trading markets.

As early as five years ago, a public carriage system had been opened between London and the main towns, modeled on the southern New World country - Qi.It was reported that "every town within twenty miles of London was packed with carriages."The public carriages spread all over the country, which greatly promoted the flow of materials and people in England, making the country more united while slowly accelerating the pace of development.

"Ask him if we can leave the port now." Jin Jingping, the chief mate of the supply ship "Shengping" of the Qi State Visiting Europe Fleet, took the paperwork from a port tax officer and turned to the interpreter hired beside him.

"Yes, all your formalities have been completed, and you can leave the port at any time." The tax officer looked at the ship with the Qi flag on the left side of the pier with a straight face, and said in a stiff tone.

I really don't understand, these Qi people from the Hanzhou mainland traveled across the ocean and spent several months to come to Europe. As a result, in England, we didn't buy any special products, but sold a boatload of worthless ones coal.

Could it be that in their country of Qi, these black coals are so scarce and so valuable that they want to transport them back to Hanzhou at any cost?
Or, the Qi people have discovered other important special substances from coal, from which they can refine precious metals like gold and silver?
"Perhaps, the people of Qi moved some kind of coal-burning machine to the ship, just like the various steam pumping equipment in those mines, so they made a special trip to England to buy a large amount of coal." A lieutenant commander of the Royal Navy After hearing the port tax officer's complaints, he jokingly said, "Well, maybe that kind of machine can replace traditional sails and drive ships to sail freely on the sea."

"How is it possible!?" The tax official looked surprised, "If a ship is full of goods and weighs hundreds of thousands of pounds, what kind of machine can drive it?...Oh, God, it must be God trace!"

"It is said that in the country of Qi, they invented a steam locomotive more than ten years ago. After laying rails on the ground, it is enough to tow 10,000+ pounds, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds of cargo." The Royal Navy lieutenant officer seriously He said: "So, the people of Qi may have actually moved this steam-driven equipment to the ship. Wow, if all this is true, it will be enough to change all the war patterns at sea in the future. That is for our Royal Navy It will be a huge crisis and disaster."

(End of this chapter)