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Chapter 455 The Lost Lamb

"Your Majesty the Grand Duke, as the master, I am very sorry that I cannot allow you to be a guest in the palace. In my country, most people know nothing about Europe and Spain, and they are full of distrust and even hostility in their hearts. I want to change this. Everything takes time, and what we lack most right now should be time.

In fact, it is not a bad choice to negotiate here. Under the gaze of the holy elephant, we make a solemn commitment to our future actions. In addition to the secular legal effect, there should also be more sacred force constraints. "

On the last day of July, Albrecht VII, who had just visited the royal private chicken farm, met the Ming Emperor in the chapel. The two sides sat opposite each other on the temporary tables and chairs placed under the steps of the altar, and had their first conversation. conversations.

It was the emperor who spoke first. The impression given to the grand duke was that he was very talkative, his Latin accent was a bit weird, and his grammar was closer to the church. However, his expression was very confident and contagious, and he spoke openly and without paying too much attention to details. It was a bit like Nordic character.

"Dear Your Majesty the Emperor, I want to..."

For the Grand Duke, who was visiting a foreign country for the first time and had basically no understanding of the local culture, the emperor's opening remarks were a bit too abrupt. Although it is understandable, it is a bit difficult to accept. The main reason is that the pace is too fast, the style is too straight, and the necessary communication is lacking.

"No, Your Excellency, what we need now is not thinking. If we only stay in the imagination stage, there is no need to travel across the ocean to meet. What we need is to do, to truly negotiate according to our respective needs. In my opinion , this is the greatest respect for you and the King of Spain.

Please see, this is an Oriental sea chart that combines the sea charts of your country and the Daming Sea. In this sea area, there are not only Spanish and Portuguese trading posts, but also Dutch strongholds.

Batavia, in particular, controlled the Spice Islands through which nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon were continuously transported back to Europe by Dutch merchant ships. Portuguese and Spanish merchant ships were able to purchase higher-priced similar goods in Goa and Colombo, and trade volume and profits were squeezed.

I heard that the Dutch are organizing local people to plant spices on a large scale. Once the scale is established, the Portuguese and Spanish merchant ships will not have any goods that can sell well in Europe except silk, tea, sugar and porcelain from the Ming Dynasty.

The most troublesome thing is not the reduction in profits, but the nutrition of competitors. As we all know, France, Britain, and the Netherlands have all extended their tentacles to the Americas.

For now, Spain is still the overlord of the Americas, but over time, when these countries use profits from the East to grow stronger, build more ships, and hire more troops, the situation in the Americas will change.

There is a proverb here that two fists are difficult to defeat with four hands. If you want to maintain the dominance of the Americas, the East will also be one of the battlefields. Only by containing the throats of competitors here can you have a chance. "

Facing the somewhat hesitant Albrecht VII, Hong Tao not only did not restrain himself, but even became more aggressive. Without giving him a chance to speak, he waved his hand after a rude interruption, and a young eunuch immediately spread the roll of maps and instructions on the table, handed him a small cigar, and started teaching directly.

Looking at the emperor with a weird accent and dancing, the Grand Duke's first feeling was that he was suffering from mental illness. But the several ports outlined on the map and the routes represented by intermittent lines overturned this speculation. Even if it's really a mental illness, it's a mental illness worth listening to. In particular, the description of how to choose and focus on the interests of the Americas and the East is very consistent with the current status of European countries. This is very difficult for an emperor of an Eastern empire thousands of miles away to do.

"...Planting spices?" However, after hearing too many big principles, he became greasy. In the emperor's speech, what impressed Albrecht VII the most was not the grand strategy and the overall pattern, but a small problem.

"Yes, spices can be cultivated artificially. Not only will the yield be increased, but the quality can also be controlled."

Hong Tao was not disappointed with the Grand Duke's reaction. The speech just now is like a set of bomb hooks with several kinds of bait hanging on it. It doesn’t matter which one the fish choose to bite, as long as they eat it, it’s a good job!

"...How did His Majesty know?" To be honest, after hearing this very affirmative answer, even though it was not confirmed, Albrecht VII felt a little heavy in his heart.

Compared with fine silk, porcelain, sugar and tea, spices that were indispensable on European palace tables were more profitable and had huge sales. Nobles could buy one less new piece of clothing, but not one less meal, and every meal could not lack spices from the East Indies.

"Not only do I know that the Dutch are planting spices on a large scale in a planned way, but I also know that British merchant ships have arrived here. And the Spanish and Portuguese merchants doing business here were expelled by the local government!" Hong Tao did not answer the Grand Duke's question directly. , but stretched out his index finger and pointed heavily on the Japanese island of Shikoku.

In memory, the British established the East India Company in Hirado in 1613. The reason was that a British sailor who had lived in Japan for many years gained the trust of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Regardless of whether British merchant ships arrived in Japan at this moment, let's just say this. At least it is true that Catholic Portuguese and Spanish merchants are being expelled by the Tokugawa shogunate, and this matter has reached Hao Jingao.

Hong Tao has basically reached the top level in terms of provoking discord. Mixing the real and the fake and throwing them together sometimes has better results. Anyway, there were no telegraphs, telephone calls, or the Internet, so it would take at least several months to verify the authenticity.

"...Why is Your Majesty willing to ally with Spain despite being enemies with the Netherlands and Britain?" Albrecht VII had already heard about this situation on the way here. He didn't think much about it at first, but the emperor mentioned it like this. , and immediately felt that it had a lot to do with the arrival of British merchant ships.

But facing the sincere Emperor Ming, he still had a problem that he didn't understand. There is no love without reason in the world, and there is no hatred without reason. Why does God prefer Spain and find such a great empire as an ally from thousands of miles away?

"I don't like people without faith. The British and Dutch value money too much and are stingy profiteers. Although the Catholicism practiced by Spain and Portugal is also very mysterious to me, after becoming friends with several missionaries, I I’d rather learn more about it.”

This question was so good and so timely. Ever since he learned that the envoy sent by the King of Spain was a devout Catholic, Hong Tao had dug a big hole in his faith for him. Pious, right? Well, let's talk about religion. When did you look at me like a lost lamb? When did it end?

(End of this chapter)