Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 1523 The powerful "Lady Lady"

Alfredo had envisioned many situations after his meeting with the two powerful figures in Dingnan City. It should be said that although the meeting with Gao Mengnan yesterday had unexpected situations, for example, Gao Mengnan used "Book of Changes" to play Tai Chi push hands, Refusing to express his attitude, but generally speaking, Alfredo has not been defenseless.

However, today's meeting with Huang Zhiting was truly beyond Alfredo's expectations.He now found that Huang Zhiting should be a person with a very clear goal and a strong will.Of course, he also thought she might not be doing diplomacy very often.

Not only did this "His Excellency the Countess" get straight to the point when she opened her mouth, she refused to say a single word of diplomatic terms, and her words were full of murderous intent.In Alfredo's feelings, although her lark-like voice was pleasant to the ear, her extremely indifferent language and indifferent attitude of talking about the war made him understand the rumored "His Excellency the Countess"'s record. direct knowledge.

This is a person who is used to bloody war scenes. Perhaps in her eyes, the mountain of corpses and the sea of ​​blood are no different from the calm Chao Phraya River, and neither of them can change her will in the slightest.

And yet her demands were so outrageous, look at them:

"The Kingdom of Portugal handed over the city of Malacca to the Kingdom of Siam free of charge, and no armed personnel belonging to or employed by the country may stay in the city of Malacca. The transfer of defense must be completed within one day, and the entire army must withdraw from the city of Malacca before noon the next day. Warships or merchant ships transported away. Those who fail to leave Malacca within the specified time, the army of the Kingdom of Siam will regard them as disorderly soldiers, and once found, they will be killed."

"All future economic activities such as production and trade in Malacca City will be entrusted by the Kingdom of Siam to Jinghua Company to manage it, so as to ensure its characteristics as a commercial hub.

The defense of the city is the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Siam, and the Kingdom of Portugal has no right to intervene.Without the consent of both the Kingdom of Siam and Jinghua Company, the Kingdom of Portugal is not allowed to enter the city of Malacca with a single soldier or a single gun.

If the commercial vessels of the Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces want to enter the port of Malacca, they must declare and approve according to the requirements of Jinghua Company, and Jinghua Company or its entrusting party will board the ship for inspection, and only after passing the inspection can they enter the port. "

"The Kingdom of Portugal also needs to ensure that it will not interfere with all other activities involving military, government affairs, and economics in the Longya Peninsula (Malay Peninsula). No matter what happens in the future of the Longya Peninsula, it has nothing to do with the Kingdom of Portugal.

If the Kingdom of Portugal has intervention forces in the local area, it must be fully withdrawn within one month after the signing of this treaty, otherwise the Kingdom of Siam will not guarantee the safety of the lives and property of such personnel in the future. "

"After the above conditions are fulfilled, Jinghua Company will guarantee that the normal trade activities of the Kingdom of Portugal in Malacca and Longya Peninsula will not be affected, and will not set up any artificial barriers for trade activities.

The Kingdom of Portugal needs to ensure that its businessmen will not violate the laws of Ming Dynasty and the relevant regulations of Jinghua Company, otherwise the Kingdom of Siam and Jinghua Company have the right to punish them according to the laws of their country and the regulations of the company.Punishment measures include but are not limited to beheading, beheading, tattooing, dispensation, prison, flogging, and fines.

If a person who commits a crime, fails to be captured and absconds in violation of the regulations is convicted by the Kingdom of Siam or convicted by Jinghua Company, the Kingdom of Portugal is obliged to hunt them down.If the Kingdom of Portugal refuses to pursue or the pursuit is ineffective, the Kingdom of Siam does not rule out the possibility of treating it as a serious provocation, and therefore reserves the right to react arbitrarily, including prohibition of trade, and even war. "

"The Kingdom of Portugal must recognize the sovereignty or suzerainty of the Ming Empire over the entire Southeast Asia, East Asia and sea areas, and ensure that its merchant ships will not conduct any activities that violate this sovereignty or suzerainty in these areas and sea areas.

If this provision is violated, the Ming Empire, the Kingdom of Siam, the Kingdom of Bago, the Kingdom of Burma, the Kingdom of Nanzhang, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Kingdom of Luzon, the Annan Metropolitan Commander, and the Taiwan Reclamation Group will reserve the right to respond arbitrarily, including Prohibition of trade, even war. "

"The Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces need to recognize Jinghua Company's indisputable jurisdiction or trusteeship over the relevant waters of the Southeast Asia and the East Ocean, and ensure compliance with all Jinghua Company's regulations in this area.

Without other special authorization from the Ming Empire or Jinghua Company, all warships and troops of the Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces are not allowed to set foot in the above areas and related sea areas.

If the Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces violate this clause, the Ming Empire and Jinghua Company will reserve the right to respond arbitrarily, including prohibition of trade and even war. "

... There are as many as eleven paragraphs and 29 articles in all of these.

I don't know whether he was angry or frightened. Alfredo's hands holding the draft contract trembled a little. He scolded loudly, saying that this kind of clause is simply unreasonable, and he would never sign it.

However, he glanced at the "His Excellency the Countess" whose face was so calm that he was even a little laid-back, especially the coldness in her eyes after seeing the tragic battles of hundreds of thousands of troops, and felt as if he had been poured over Liang Shui didn't dare to do any actions, and didn't dare to say any words.

Not only that, but he also found with some sadness that he dared not offend this seemingly charming "His Excellency the Countess" at all.Of course, this is not because of her beauty, but because of the great power she represents.

The Ming Empire has 160 million troops, and His Excellency Gao Yushi has at least 20 private troops, and these troops are not at all the kind of troops that Portugal faced in Africa, the Arabian Sea region, or India. An army that doesn't know what a firearm is.

Not to mention whether there are other private armies in the Ming Empire (note: this is a misunderstanding, after hearing Pedro's introduction, he thought that the nobles also had their own private armies), the 180 million weaponized army alone led With the pressure coming, Alfredo felt his calves were spinning.

180 million, the population of the Kingdom of Portugal is not much more than this number! [Note: Spain (Castile + Aragon) had a population of only 600 million at that time, while Portugal was weaker than both of them and had a smaller population. ]
India's large and small countries also have a large population, but their military technology is poor, and their will to fight is even more messy. In many cases, if they want to fight, they just go to the countryside to catch a group of people to make up the numbers.

However, this so-called army can sometimes push back the expansion of the Portuguese in India simply by virtue of its superiority in numbers (of course, this is because the Portuguese army is relatively stretched in Europe, and the number of people is always very small), So, can Portugal afford to provoke the Ming Empire, which was disgraced by the Castilian army and navy in the Philippines?

Don't be kidding, there is no need for the "Daming Empire" to do anything in person. Your Excellency Gao Yushi's at least 20 private army and hundreds of warships may be able to rub Portugal's power in Asia to the ground ten times!
What is the essence of so-called diplomacy in this era?
The essence is that if the barrel of the gun is hard, the waist will be hard. If the barrel of the gun cannot be hardened, the waist will only be soft and not hard at all.Not to mention standing upright, I dare not even speak loudly, for fear of being misunderstood and beaten.

Do not believe it?Do not believe look at Spain's attitude towards Portugal.When Philip II had not concurrently served as the king of Portugal, once there was a dispute over the division of the colonies between the two countries, what did Spain do?Philip II and his father, Charles V, were still arguing with Portugal in front of the Pope. In the time of Philip II, this man was too lazy to talk nonsense and went directly to the border, while Portugal could only immediately admit it and knock it down. Teeth and blood swallowed.

Why?Of course, it is because the Spanish Army has absolute strength and absolute certainty that it can beat the Portuguese Army! The Spanish phalanx in the "Spain of the Gods" period, did Portugal dare to go up and lick it?

Spain has been completely defeated in the Far East by His Excellency Gao Yushi and the private army of the "Ming Military Aristocrats". What hope is there for Portugal, which is far less powerful than Spain?
Join forces with the Castilians?Not to mention that there have always been conflicts between Portugal and Castile in terms of overseas expansion, which cannot be eased or even resolved by "Dai Yijun" at all. Is there any resistance together?

Don't forget, the Spaniards are too busy to take care of themselves now.Not only was he deeply trapped in the quagmire of the Netherlands, but there was also an Ottoman Turkey that killed all directions in the Eastern Mediterranean, and now it was at war with the English, and even the religious problems of the French forced Philip II Take the shot... Even if the Spaniard is an octopus, he can't take care of it right now!

To be honest, when he heard the news of Spain's failure in the Philippines, Alfredo's first reaction was not at all sad, but his first reaction was to be overjoyed - the fucking Castilian bastard is finally going to go Out of the Far East of Portugal!

[Note: According to the "Pope's Meridian" and the "Treaty of Tordesillas", not only the Philippines should belong to it, but even China and Japan should belong to it.This became the origin and so-called basis for Portugal's stubborn insistence on its "right to protect and teach" in the East (including China and Japan).However, this thing has been adjusted later, but even after the adjustment, the Pope of the Philippine Islands theoretically allows Portugal to monopolize the expanded colonial area-of course, non-Catholic countries can ignore this. ]
But when the military exercise in Musali began, the Portuguese finally reacted: the Castilians were out of luck, and now it seems to be our turn.

However, even so, the vast majority of Portuguese are still unwilling to join hands with Castile, because even if they join forces to win the war, so what?
The Portuguese may be able to hold their ground for the time being, but Castilla is sure to come back again.When Castile began to expand aggressively in the Far East, Portugal, whose strength was far inferior to theirs, could do it?

The selfishness of Western thinking played a huge role at this time: it doesn’t matter if I lose Malacca, as long as the “Pope’s Meridian” and the “Treaty of Tordesillas” are still valid, I still have a chance to come back in the future.

However, if the damned Castilians come in, they will not leave. According to its current status in Europe, especially its importance to the Holy See under the wave of religious reform, the Holy See will not change the Pope from any country. , will definitely choose to support Spain rather than Portugal.

Then when the time comes...the Far East will really say goodbye to Portugal.

"Your Excellency the Countess." Alfredo tried to calm his breathing, but his voice was still a little trembling: "Any reciprocal treaty should not only impose responsibilities and obligations on one party, and the other party should also have reciprocal obligations." responsibility, which is not reflected in this draft of yours."

"Really? Didn't it say that you are allowed to trade freely in Nanyang and Dongyang, as long as you abide by Jinghua's regulations." Huang Zhiting glanced at him lightly and said, "Or, do you have other requirements?"

"Yes, on behalf of the Governor of Goa - oh, according to the authorization, he has the power to decide our country's challenges and major events in the East - I must say: the Kingdom of Portugal has always attached great importance to the right of the Catholic Church, we think that if you put forward the conditions If it cannot be changed, then at least our country should be given the entire Far Eastern region—including the Great Ming Empire—all guardianship rights.”

"What guardianship right?" Huang Zhiting frowned: "What does that mean?"

Alfredo drew a sign of the cross on his chest, and said with a pious face: "The right of patronage is granted by the Holy See of Rome and undertaken by the secular government to protect the spread of Catholicism in non-Catholic countries. A privilege."

"If you say it, you don't say it." Huang Zhiting said with displeasure, "I'm asking what is the use of this thing, that is, what do we need to do about it?"

"Ah, as far as you are concerned, you, Jinghua, or even the Ming Empire and its vassal governments don't have to do anything, as long as we are allowed to freely preach and set up churches in various parts of the Far East."

Huang Zhiting was a little surprised, but also a little suspicious, she frowned and asked, "That's it?"

Of course, the right of guardianship itself is more than this power. For Portugal itself, several aspects of the "right of guardianship" are more critical. For example, missionaries to East Asia should register with the Portuguese government, and they should take Portuguese merchant ships to Asia. It was recommended by the King of Portugal to the Pope that the local negotiating affairs for missionary affairs should be represented by the Portuguese government, and that the representatives of the King of Portugal should be in front of the representatives of other countries when performing local religious ceremonies. These are typical religious privileges.

Of course, the Portuguese government also has some obligations, such as being responsible for providing missionary allowances and the like.

However, even if Alfredo's special envoy, who was afraid of offending Huang Zhiting, explained it, Huang Zhiting still felt a little baffled.

What is the practical significance of this thing?Aside from the fact that "The bishops of East Asia should be recommended by the King of Portugal to His Majesty the Pope" sounds somewhat useful, aren't the others just so-called privileges?Is this thing worthy of a serious mention?
Obviously, Huang Zhiting didn't know how perverted the persistence of Catholicism in the era of the Iberian Three Kingdoms was. This power, which was almost worthless in Huang Zhiting's eyes, was of great significance to Portugal.

In addition to the so-called honor brought to Portugal by the "guarantee right" itself, once the Ming Empire and its dependent states and territories recognize Portugal's guardianship right, it means that Portugal has won the competition with Spain in this area.

Even if neither of them got an inch of land, it still represented Portugal's great contribution to the cause of Catholicism. Correspondingly, the provisions in the "Pope's Meridian" and the "Treaty of Tordesillas" came into effect, and the Spaniards automatically Lost the right to claim territory in this area - unless it converts, which is impossible.

Huang Zhiting recalled it for a while, and felt that Gao Yushi had always talked about freedom of religious belief, and he didn't seem to reject Catholicism very much, so she was a little moved.But after thinking about it again, I felt that the Portuguese's condition was a little too simple, and there might be some conspiracy involved.

She really didn't understand these missionary issues, and she was afraid that Gao Yushi would be dissatisfied with this decision at that time, so she thought for a long time before asking: "If you add the guardianship right you mentioned to this treaty, you can now sign it on behalf of the Kingdom of Portugal." Is it? Or do you need to go back and ask your governor?"

Alfredo didn't expect Huang Zhiting to give him a little choice, so he couldn't help being overjoyed, and quickly said: "Of course it's best to go back to Goa and ask His Excellency the Governor."

Huang Zhiting immediately said: "Okay, I will give you this chance. You can go back and ask your governor for instructions now, and I will talk about it after I return to Dingnan from the capital next year."

Alfredo breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly expressed his complete agreement.

But Huang Zhiting added: "However, I don't guarantee whether I will change the terms at that time, regardless of whether I change them or not. If you do not agree to sign at that time...you should know what that means."

The corner of Alfredo's mouth twitched, and he nodded stiffly.
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Thanks to book friends "Cao Mianzi", "Chi Yujing Fengchen", "Yan Yunhe" for their monthly support, thank you!
(End of this chapter)