Kangxi, your Qing Dynasty is dead

Chapter 422 Sun King, it’s still fun to grab money! (Please subscribe, please vote)

"Governor Si, Baoshan County and the mouth of the Yangtze River are not easy to fight! I heard that Baoshan is half fortress and half merchant. There are two major river defense fortresses, Wusong and Gaoqiao, at Wusongkou. They are both made of huge rocks and equipped with heavy artillery. Heavy troops!

In addition to the two fortresses of Wusong and Gaoqiao at the mouth of the Yangtze River, there is also the Chongming Fortress, which was built on Chongming Island. This fortress not only houses soldiers, but is also the location of the Chongming Island Naval Academy of the Ming Dynasty. There are one or two thousand military students here all year round. school.They had all worked hard to learn gunnery skills in the school, and the Ming Navy's Crab Fleet was stationed on the island.

This kind of fast crab boat is not very easy to use in the big ocean, but it is said to be particularly useful in places like the Yangtze River Estuary with little wind and shallow water.Can your Dutch and Spanish galleons cope with them? "

When it comes to the coastal defense situation at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, Kangxi actually spoke clearly and clearly. It seems that he has done his homework these days, and the sticky pole department that has gone through many hardships has finally begun to do business.

Spearman, on the other hand, was very confident. During this period, he didn't even bother with the Spice Island in the East Indies. He spent all his energy on how to contain the Ming Dynasty. Of course, he also studied how to destroy the wealthy land on the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty. ——There are successful precedents for this in history!

"Your Majesty, I blame the foreign minister for not making it clear just now. The foreign minister's plan was not to attack Baoshan County from the beginning, but to use Japanese pirate tactics to destroy the rich coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, forcing the Ming Dynasty to disperse their forces, and then concentrate the two About [-] elites landed directly somewhere along the coast of Songjiang Prefecture, avoiding the strong Wusong Fortress and Gaoqiao Fortress, and went straight to Baoshan County! As far as I know, Baoshan County has no city wall protection, and there is no way to stop the [-] elites. attack.

If we can capture Baoshan County, then the most fertile southeast coastal plain in the Ming Dynasty will be completely exposed to the powerful coalition forces!If Li Zhongshan does not withdraw his troops immediately, the coalition forces will loot the entire Jiangnan Plain! "

When it comes to looting the Jiangnan Plain, Spearman is a little excited.When he was in Japan, he had heard more than once how the Japanese pirates looted the southeastern coastal areas of China. It seemed so easy!Even though the Ming Dynasty's military strength is no longer what it used to be, the Ming Dynasty's coastline is too long, and it is impossible to have enough troops to deploy defenses.

The navy of the Ming Dynasty is now no match for the Spanish Armada, so the Spanish Armada can completely protect the Japanese pirate fleet, wait for land at any point along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, and then burn, kill, loot, and commit all kinds of evil, forcing the navy of the Ming Dynasty to come out and die. The Ming army dispersed its troops everywhere.

When the Spanish Armada transports a group of Qing soldiers and Japanese pirates to land at Songjiang Prefecture, wouldn't it be a sure win?
Seeing Spearman's words making his beard and eyebrows fly, Emperor Kangxi turned his head and looked at Zheng Xi, the translator.Zheng Xi immediately smiled and said to Emperor Kangxi: "Your Majesty, it turns out that Mr. Si is holding back his bad intentions. He wants to imitate the Japanese pirates and not do human affairs. He goes to the southeast coast to burn, kill and loot. He also hires Japanese pirates from Japan to do this. , they have hired [-] to [-] people, and are practicing every day in Japan, just waiting to go abroad to rob! Si Er also said that as long as their Japanese pirates do all the bad things, the Ming army defending the Yangtze River Estuary will definitely be exhausted, everywhere Cope with it, now there is an opportunity to raid Baoshan."

This thing is somewhat damaging to one's moral character!
Yang Xiaomi frowned slightly, thinking about persuading Kangxi to learn to be a good person, but before she could say anything, Kangxi had already spoken.

"Okay!" Kangxi smiled and said to Spearman, "When I was in Taiping Valley, I discussed the plan of using Japanese soldiers to attack the coast of the Ming Dynasty with the Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese envoys who came directly from Europe. I passed. That time I was talking to the Spanish ambassador, Pablo Spinola Doria. His strategy was similar to yours. You guys really have the same ideas. By the way, I also signed an alliance treaty with them. Governor Si, do you know about this?"

Spielman shook his head: "Your Majesty, the foreign ministers don't know about this yet, but since the Spanish Armada with the participation of our Dutch navy has arrived in Japan, there must be a battle between the Netherlands, Spain and the Ming Dynasty! "

Then he said to Kangxi sincerely: "The foreign minister will definitely devote all his energy to the common cause of the Emperor, the Netherlands, and Spain - to fight against the Ming Dynasty and France, the two biggest enemies of world peace and order, and he will be able to invite the Emperor. Your Majesty must trust the foreign minister!"

There was already a willingness to serve Kangxi in these words, but it was not stated clearly.

However, there were many Zheng Xi who acted as his translator. He smiled and said to Kangxi: "Your Majesty, this Si Er has been in trouble recently. The East India Company of which he is the governor has seized three of his country's farms that are rich in nutmeg and cloves. A small Nanyang island was accidentally robbed by the French, resulting in heavy losses. I thought that the governor would not be able to continue his job, and might even be sued, so I wanted to find a future with the emperor!"

Kangxi understood, nodded with a smile, and said to Spearman: "Governor Si, the treaties I signed with the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal stipulate that they should send wise ministers to help me make plans. But the Qing Dynasty is too far away from Europe. It's far away, and the advisors sent by the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal won't be able to come for a while. Why don't you become my advisor for the time being?

Governor Si, are you willing? "

Then Zheng Xi quickly turned around and asked Spearman: "Second Master Si, the emperor wants to make you a counselor. Are you willing?"

"Yes, I am willing to serve the Qing Dynasty and the Emperor!" Upon hearing this, Spearman quickly knelt down to Kangxi.

He was originally unwilling, but now he has been forced to do nothing by the "despicable and shameless Sun King". If he doesn't want to become the second best, he has to hug the Qing Emperor's thick legs.

When Kangxi saw Spearman's attitude, he thought to himself: It's true that evil people have their own trials and tribulations. You Dutch people are bad enough, but you were still bullied by the French. This shows how bad Louis XIV was!
"Ah."

France, Palace of Fontainebleau, French King Louis XIV sneezed again. He didn’t know what was going on during this period, but he kept sneezing. He asked the palace doctor to have a look, and the diagnosis was that His Majesty the King’s delicate big penis My nose is allergic to perfume, it is recommended to stop using it!
This is really difficult to handle!

Everyone knows that Louis XIV doesn't like to take a bath. He usually rubs his hand towel half dry, so he is always dirty and smelly. If there is no perfume to cover it up, he, the Sun King, will stink. ?
So Louis XIV could only endure it for a while, and just sneeze when he sneezed. He was a majestic Sun King, so he couldn't stink in front of others, right?
The sneezing problem can be tolerated, but Dutch Consul William III and Spanish Prime Minister Juan Jose were busy cobbling together a grand anti-French and anti-Ming alliance, and openly demanded that French merchant ships not sail without permission from the Dutch India Company and the Spanish Armada. Under such circumstances, it was difficult for the Sun King to accept trade with the Ming Dynasty.

According to the note jointly submitted by the Dutch and Spanish ambassadors, the French fleet that went to Daming last year will be the last French fleet that can freely pass through the Straits of Malacca, Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, and other waterways to enter Southeast Asian waters. .

Starting in 1681, ships from any country trading with the Ming Dynasty through Southeast Asian waters would be placed under Dutch and Spanish supervision.

This is not just a matter of money, but a matter of dignity for the Sun King and France!
In the eyes of the Sun King Louis XIV, France was the most powerful country in the world. Spain, which holds the crown of two continents, the Netherlands, the sea coachman, the Holy Roman Empire, England, and Sweden all stood aside. .France is the big brother in Europe!
A dignified European boss, even if he wants to engage in free trade with the Ming Dynasty, he still has to look at the faces of the Netherlands and Spain. Is this okay?Is this still the boss?What's the matter, were all the years of Heritage War and Franco-Dutch War in vain?

When he thought of the proud expression on William III's handsome and despicable face, Louis XIV had the urge to declare war!

But it was just an impulse. The Franco-Dutch War that had just ended greatly consumed France's financial resources. Although Colbert, a financial expert, helped him continue to fish from the lake and made a lot of livres.But after all, Colbert was not a magician with the Midas touch, and he couldn't make money.

His method of raising military expenditures is nothing more than "suffering the people." Of course, he cannot make the people suffer too much, otherwise they may rebel again - French people like to rebel, especially Parisians.

Therefore, although Louis XIV had a tough mouth and firmly opposed the demands of the Netherlands and Spain, he still ordered that within the next year, the approval of trade permits to the Ming Dynasty would be suspended.

At the same time, he does not plan to send another fleet to visit the Ming Dynasty, which also means that the quasi-alliance between France and the Ming Dynasty can only be temporarily suspended. The French navy is still too weak.Although it can still fight against Britain and the Netherlands in European waters, it is completely incompetent in the Indian Ocean and Pacific waters.

Thinking of this, Louis XIV could only sigh and focus on the latest bastion construction plan submitted by Marquis Vauban - he planned to use bastions to protect the land of France first and make it impossible for the enemy to attack. Come in and start a new expansion war!

At this moment, he suddenly heard a palace guard standing outside his office shouting: "Colbert, little Colbert, please see me!"

Little Colbert is little Baptiste Colbert. The father and son of this Colbert have a very good relationship. They even share the same name, so others can only use "big" and "little" to distinguish them.

Hearing "Little Colbert asks for an audience", Louis XIV was stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly shouted: "Come in quickly! Little Colbert, when did you arrive in France? Did your trip to China go well this time?" There was a rush of footsteps, and two well-dressed men had appeared in front of the French sun. Among the two Colberts, the older one was as expressionless as ever.The little one looked happy, as if he had picked up one hundred thousand livres on the way to the Palace of Fontainebleau!

"My lord, you are rich!"

Faced with Louis XIV's question, little Colbert's answer was indeed inspiring!
Did you really find money?

Louis didn't understand for a moment, and just looked at little Colbert blankly.

"Your Majesty the King," said little Colbert, "did you know? We made an astonishing profit from this voyage. It may be as high as 2 million livres, or even more!"

"22 billion?" Louis couldn't believe it and just turned his attention to old Kolbul.

Old Cobble nodded: "My Majesty, the harvest from this trip to China is indeed unexpectedly rich. But it is hard to say whether there will be a profit of 2 million livres. After all, the silk and porcelain shipped back to France are , sugar, tea, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper have not been sold yet and are now being unloaded at the port."

"Wait a minute." Louis XIV quickly stopped Old Colbert, "You just said that we bought nutmeg, cloves, and pepper from China? Does China also produce these?"

"This," Old Colbert said, "is not currently produced, but in a few years, I'm afraid it will be."

"What do you mean?" Louis XIV became more and more confused as he listened. "Since China currently does not produce nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, where do we buy these things from? Aren't these things monopolized by the Dutch? Are they allowed to do so? Are our ships stocked with goods from the East Indies?”

"Well, actually they still didn't allow it," Old Colbert said, "so General Cotentin, the Chinese naval generals who were traveling with him, and 3000 Qing generals loyal to Fuquan decided to rob the Spice Islands controlled by the Dutch. !”

"What? Rob?" Louis XIV was stunned. "The Cotentin robbed the Dutch Spice Islands? Who agreed with him? Our Kingdom of France is not a pirate country like England! And we are still in the same relationship with the Netherlands. In a state of peace, where is Cotentin? Let him come to see me immediately!"

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid he won't be able to come. He was invited by the Ming Dynasty General to be the general adviser of the navy." Little Colbert said, "Also, can your Majesty forgive his mistakes? Although he has done things that are inconsistent with the honor of a knight. This incident has brought shame to His Majesty, but the harvest of this voyage is really extremely rich. It is estimated that after selling all the goods, there will be a huge profit of up to 2 million livres."

"2 million. Is that really that much?" Louis XIV still couldn't believe it, and asked through gritted teeth.He looked at old Colbert as if he wanted to get his confirmation.

"There should be some. It is conservatively estimated that there are so many! If the sales are good, there may be more." Old Colbert said, "But a considerable part of it is the value of the spices stolen by Major General Cotentin. If Your Majesty feels that glorious France should not rob the Spice Island, so after you return this part of the spices, you will not have so much profit."

"Return?" The Sun King laughed, "How is it possible to return it? That's 2 million livres! It's equivalent to twice our annual fiscal revenue in France! And to whom should I return these 2 million livres? The Dutch East Indian Company? Those spices do not belong to them. They are also robbers and have seized those islands.

So Major General Cotentin just attacked a group of despicable pirates and seized some spices. He is indeed the most outstanding naval admiral in France. What he did fully embodies the chivalry of France and deserves a viscount title and a navy. General rank! "

It seems that Louis XIV still had a misunderstanding. The spices snatched from the Spice Islands were not worth 2 million livres. These 2 million livres were the total net profit from this voyage.

"Your Majesty," Old Colbert reminded again, "we may have to share a portion of the profits with Prince Fozansky. After all, the principal cost of purchasing these goods was Fotansky's 1000 million taels of silver and the proceeds from the sale of the Royal Sun. 50 taels of silver”

"Sold the Royal Sun?" Louis XIV seemed a little reluctant again.

The Royal Sun was his big treasure. He was reluctant to "play" with it. Why was it sold so quickly?Although 50 taels of silver might be a lot, he was still reluctant to give it up.

"Your Majesty," little Colbert said, "the construction period of the Royal Sun is less than 12 months... Now that you have money, just build a few more ships."

Only then did Louis XIV realize that he already had 2 million... It should be a windfall of less than 2 million livres.Isn’t it possible to build a battleship like the Wang Family Sun?

You don’t have to build a bigger one!

"Your Majesty," Old Colbert said at this time, "Admiral Cotentin's sacking of the Spice Islands is likely to further worsen our relations with the Netherlands and Spain. We may need to speed up the construction of battleships and expand the navy... …and to rapidly expand the navy, we should build more affordable third- and fourth-tier warships.

In addition, there was a Ming Dynasty envoy and some businessmen who followed our envoy to Europe.Also arriving with them were some armed covered steamers belonging to the Ming Dynasty Guangdong Trading Company and the Nanyang Trading Company. "

"A Ming envoy came? What do they want?" Louis XIV asked.

"Your Majesty, they want to form an alliance...a true, all-round alliance covering politics, economy, military, and diplomacy. It will be used to fight against the Eleven-Nation Alliance that attempts to defeat us and the Ming Dynasty one by one.

In addition, the Ming Dynasty also wanted to establish a United Kingdom of North America... and rely on this kingdom to open up the trade line from the Pacific to North America to the Atlantic. "

said little Colbert.

"A true alliance?" Louis XIV asked. "Does this mean that we will soon have war with the Netherlands, Spain, and England?"

"It's possible," Colbert said, "unless you are willing to return the spices and compensate for the corresponding losses.

Otherwise, the Dutch will definitely oppose our great France even more actively.The UK and Spain will probably be involved! "

(End of this chapter)