The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 365 Choice
November 11, Saint-Domingo.

Viscount José Calderón Borrallo, the governor-general of Spanish Saint-Domingo and president of the Court of Public Prosecutions, stood on the balcony, watched the carriage carrying the envoys from Qi State gradually go away, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Regarding the Qi people's suggestion to establish a military offensive and defensive alliance and seize the French territory of Saint Domingo, not to mention that a small governor like him had no right to agree to these conditions, even if the Governor of New Spain, Count Redondo, was present, he would probably not dare to easily sign this military cooperation agreement with the Qi people.

At this time, our Kingdom of Spain and France were serious allies, and the armies of the two countries were also jointly fighting against the Austrian counterattack in Italy. How could we rashly turn against the French in order to defend the Barahona territory of Qi (i.e. Ruian)?
Of course, your Qi State is also the most steadfast defender of our interests and the most important partner in the Americas and the Caribbean. Therefore, we cannot accept the request of the French and join forces with them to attack you Qi people.

That’s right, before the envoy from Qi came to visit, Cape French (now Cape Haitien) also sent an envoy to lobby the Spaniards to join them in launching an attack on Barahona.

In order to persuade Spain to send troops, the French even promised to leave the wealthy port of Barahona intact to the Spaniards.

Although the Qi people only operated in the area for less than ten years, they seemed to have the ability to turn stone into gold and transformed this once remote fishing port into the most dynamic and promising trading port on Santo Domingo Island. They also built the second largest sugar factory on the island, making a fortune every day.

It can be said that the Port of Barahona has accumulated countless wealth. If it can be completely occupied and absorbed and integrated, it will inevitably rapidly enhance the strength of the Spaniards.

Ran and egg.

Do the Spaniards dare to attack the Qi people?

Over the past decade or so, rich gold mines were discovered in several Qi colonial territories, including Xuanzhou (now California, U.S. and Baja California, Mexico) and Pengzhou (now Warm and Washington, Canada), which immediately triggered a wave of immigration to the region and caused the population on the west coast of North America to grow rapidly. Countless towns and villages were established, and Huining (now Victoria, Vancouver Island), Huaiyuan (now San Francisco), and Yijing (now Portland) also developed into major commercial ports with a population of over 10,000.

Data from five years ago showed that the population of the Xuanzhou Viceroyalty of Qi, which was close to Mexico, had exceeded 170,000, and the total population of the entire west coast of North America might have reached 250,000.

Now, five years later, the gold rush is still going strong. One Qi expedition team after another claims to have discovered numerous gold mines on the east side of the Eastern Kunlun Mountains (today's Rocky Mountains), attracting countless immigrants from all over the world to flock in. Even the residents of Spanish Mexico couldn't help but join in the gold rush.

At this rate, the population of the Qi American territories is likely to double rapidly in the next three to five years, approaching or reaching half a million people.

In the New World, a large enough population means great power.

This made neighboring Mexico feel an inexplicable pressure from all sides, worrying that as the strength of the Qi people grew rapidly, it would pose a substantial military threat to it.

Although the Qi people did not deploy a large-scale army on the west coast of North America, and the number of naval ships deployed was enough to make the Spanish "reassured", this still did not eliminate the concerns of the Mexican colonial authorities.

Because the people of Qi are really good at fighting.

In the First Chisinian War (1679-1684) and the Second Chisinian War (also known as the War of the Spanish Succession), the Chisinians launched a series of raids on coastal ports and towns in Mexico, Panama, Peru, Chile, etc. from the Pacific direction with only a small number of regular land forces, assisted by a large number of colonial armed militias. They defeated the Spanish and once captured Panama City, cutting off the north-south connection of the Spanish territories in America and cutting off the treasure ship transportation line of the Kingdom of Spain (although the output of the Potosí silver mine in Peru was declining, it was still one of the most important precious metal producing areas in the Kingdom of Spain).

Today, Qi's colonial territories on the west coast of North America are even stronger than before, and they have also deployed corresponding military forces in the Caribbean. If the Qi-Siberian War breaks out again, won't the entire Spanish American territory be attacked from both sides?

Not to mention the extremely difficult Qing Kingdom, whose military size and combat effectiveness were far beyond the ability of the loose colonial troops in the Viceroyalty of Peru to deal with.

Oh, by the way, with the opening of the Panama Isthmus Railway two years ago, the Qi people have grasped the "lifeline" of Spain.

They have indirectly controlled the entire Isthmus of Panama by forming a railway company guard, expanding ports on both sides of the isthmus, setting up trade outposts, and establishing the Qi-affiliated Haizhou Governorate on the Pacific side.

Once a rift arose between the two countries, the Qi people could easily cut off the land connection between the north and south of Spanish America again.

You know, the completion of this railway not only greatly facilitated the travel of people in Spanish America, but also accelerated the efficiency of material flow between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Silver mined and refined in Peru and Chile could be transported from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side in a very short time, instead of having to be carried by pack horses and Indian slaves on their shoulders or hands, which was a time-consuming and laborious journey across the harsh environment of the Isthmus of Panama.

Therefore, leaving other things aside, just to maintain the normal operation of the Panama Isthmus Railway, the Spaniards would never dare to offend the Qi people.

So, when faced with the dispute between France and Zimbabwe, we Spaniards would be wise to choose neutrality, stay out of it, and resolutely not get involved in the conflict between them.

It would be best if this conflict could weaken the strength of the two families to the greatest extent.

The people of Qi were defeated. Although they will not withdraw from the Caribbean, they will inevitably rely more on us Spaniards in many affairs.

If the French are defeated, their strength will certainly be greatly reduced, and they will most likely not come to our Spanish islands of Saint Domingo and Trinidad again. Maybe, we can take back the Lesser Andres Islands they occupy while the French are weak.

"General." Colonel Juan Carlos Navarro, the sheriff of Santo Domingo, knocked on the door and entered with a solemn expression. "The abolition order announced by the Qi people is true. We have just confirmed this news from the Qi merchant ship that arrived at the port. In the Barahona area controlled by Qi, all black slaves are declared free men. They will receive the necessary labor remuneration from the plantations, factories and families they serve, and any form of corporal punishment will be prohibited."

"Oh, abolition? The people of Qi are really a bit whimsical! What if those freed blacks are unwilling to work?" Viscount Borallo disagreed with the abolition movement declared by the people of Qi.

What a joke, if there were no black slave laborers in the New World, would they have to transport immigrants from their respective countries thousands of miles away to do the work?

In terms of cost-effectiveness, those immigrants are no match for the black slave laborers!
In the Spanish colony of Saint Domingo, each black slave could produce an average of 8 to 15 kilograms of raw sugar per year, which was enough to earn back almost a quarter of the slave's own cost. After four years of continuous work, the entire cost of a slave could be fully recovered. For the rest of his life (the average lifespan of a black slave was - years), every bit of profit he created was pure profit for the plantation owner.

Let me ask you, in the face of such huge benefits, which fool would be willing to release the slaves he bought and make them free men?
If those black slaves became free men, could the plantation owners continue to whip them to work?

To put it bluntly, the Qi people's move was mostly aimed at French Saint-Domingue, trying to incite the black slaves there to rise up against the oppression and exploitation of the French plantation owners. They purely wanted to cause trouble for the French and thus gain more buffer time for themselves.

At the same time, this also proves that in the face of the sharp contradictions and conflicts between the two sides, the people of Qi are no longer forbearing and are beginning to prepare for a counterattack.

Oh, the naval exchange between the two countries in the Mediterranean did not cause a war between Zimbabwe and France, and the armed confrontation on the Acadian border did not lead to further escalation of the situation. Could it be that a war would be triggered on this small island of Saint Domingo because of an accident?
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On November 1735, 11, a large-scale execution was taking place on the beach in Kingston, British Jamaica. Under more than 19 makeshift gallows, exhausted black slaves were held two by two by the militia. They did not struggle at all, as if they believed that the impending death was the best relief for them.

"...Merciful God! Please grant all the deceased the grace to free themselves from the shackles of death as soon as possible, and allow them to enter the peaceful and bright heaven, so that they can enjoy the happiness of eternal life because of your mercy... Amen!" The priest loudly prayed the last prayer for these executed black slaves.

"Execute!" When the Governor of Jamaica, Walter Turedford, waved his hand expressionlessly, the sheriff standing next to him immediately gave a loud order.

“Wow!…”

As more than thirty black slaves were put on the noose, the executioner at the side pulled the rope and hung the "prisoners" up fiercely, causing the onlookers to let out a low cry of surprise.

These executed black slaves were sent back by the Maroons in the mountains more than ten days ago. According to the agreement reached between the Jamaican colonial authorities and them two years ago, the other party was obliged to return the newly escaped black slaves to the plantation owners in exchange for the colonial government's recognition of the limited autonomy of the territories they occupied.

In theory, the fugitive slaves who were sent back were the legal property of the plantation owners. After being punished, they should be driven back to the plantations to continue working.

However, these more than 30 black slaves brutally killed three white people during their escape, including the plantation owner and his poor child.

Therefore, when these fugitive slaves were sent back to Kingston, the colonial authorities immediately gave them a "fair" trial. They were all eventually convicted of murder and hanged as a warning to others.

"Governor, what do you think of the Qi people's suggestion?" Jim Zolner, the owner of the largest sugarcane plantation in the Kingston area, rode a horse and walked side by side with Governor Turedford.

"Compared to the French, the Qi people are in a weak position on Saint Domingo Island." Governor Turedford glanced at the dozen or so plantation owners following behind him and said slowly, "So, they want to pull us over to help share the French military threat. In this situation, I think we should remain neutral for the time being and wait for a suitable opportunity, then agree to the Qi people's request and launch a military strike against the French. On this issue, I have reason to believe that the London Parliament will definitely make the same decision."

"But, Governor, you may have overlooked an important issue." Jim Zorner looked at the other plantation owners after hearing this, and then said solemnly: "Although the Qi people's military strength in the Caribbean is relatively weak, after being fully mobilized, they will definitely organize a powerful fleet to kill and defeat the French in one fell swoop. Yes, in the Anglo-Qi War eight years ago, they have fully proved this point, that is, the Qi people have the ability and strength to launch an expedition. If we choose to wait and choose to join the war after the Qi people have severely damaged the French, then our Kingdom of England will get nothing. The Qi people will seize French Saint-Domingue, occupy Guadeloupe, and even capture the entire Lesser Antilles. By then, we can only watch the Qi people swallow up one rich sugar island after another and become the largest sugar industry leader in the entire Caribbean region!"

If you want to get the most benefits, you have to act early.

Otherwise, you won’t even have a sip of soup in the end.

As the most powerful political force in the Kingdom of England, the sugar interest groups in the West Indies had actually long been dissatisfied with the French.

The French sugarcane plantation owners were always trying to steal their business by selling the large amounts of sugar they produced to the North American colonies at extremely low prices. This was tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth, and they took away a large chunk of the profits that should have belonged to them.

According to rough statistics, French Saint-Domingue produces about 60 million pounds of raw sugar and white sugar each year, of which more than % are sold to the "troublemakers" in North America.

How does the saying go, taking someone's money is like killing their parents.

I've been wanting to fuck you for a long time!

Now, the people of Qi and the French are at odds and are about to come to blows. We in England naturally cannot just stand by and watch. We must quickly join them and take advantage of the opportunity to destroy the French sugar industry, so as to save the increasingly difficult English sugar industry.

Although the London Parliament passed the Sugar Act aimed at protecting their West Indian sugar interest groups, the effect did not seem to be very good. Those "troublesome people" in North America were not subject to customs control at all. They were all happily engaged in smuggling business and continued to import French-produced sugar into the North American territory.

In addition, whether in British Jamaica or British Barbados, after decades of cultivation and development, the soil fertility of numerous sugarcane plantations has declined sharply (in order to save costs, plantation owners are simply unwilling to carry out the necessary maintenance and upkeep of the land), resulting in a decreasing sugarcane yield, which undoubtedly further weakened the competitiveness of England's sugar industry.

If we could get more sugar islands from the French, we would have enough land reserves to carry out large-scale crop rotation to increase sugarcane production and thereby increase plantation income.

Therefore, a month ago, when the Qi people from Port Ryan came to Kingston to visit the Governor of Jamaica, Tow Redford, they proposed that the two sides establish some form of military alliance and agree to jointly launch an attack on the French Caribbean colonial territories.

The people of Qi promised that once the French were defeated, they would only take French Saint-Domingue, and all French territories in the Lesser Antilles would belong to England.

By then, the Qi people will fully respect the commercial interests of the British West India Sugar Union and strictly control the export of sugar produced in Saint-Domingo to the North American continent.

However, Governor Turedford, appointed by the London Parliament, remained noncommittal about the Qi people's proposal and never gave a positive response. It seemed that he did not want to form a military alliance with the Qi people immediately so as not to affect the relationship between Britain and France.

However, the Jamaican sugarcane plantation owners and sugar factory owners, who were an important part of the West Indies sugar interest groups, were very interested in the Qi proposal. It could even be said that the olive branch thrown by the Qi was exactly what they wanted.

Previously, they had tried to encourage Parliament to start a war against France through off-campus activities and lobbying in order to destroy the French sugar industry.

However, after the Anglo-Saxon War, England's naval strength was severely weakened and has not yet recovered. Coupled with the high domestic debt, it really cannot afford to be involved in another war.

Therefore, under the continued pressure from sugar interest groups, Parliament came up with a compromise strategy, namely the promulgation of the Sugar Act, which slightly satisfied their political demands.

However, two years after the implementation of the Act, the business of the West Indian sugar interest group does not seem to have improved much. That group of lawless North American "troublemakers" perfectly circumvented the restrictions of the Sugar Act through smuggling, and the French are still poaching their customers.

In that case, don’t blame us for getting mad!

Today, while the Governor-General was presiding over a public execution, Jamaican sugar plantation owners led by Zorn gathered in Kingston, ready to force the Governor-General to make a statement and reach a preliminary consensus on joining forces with Qi to attack France.

Then, everyone joined together to send a collective petition to the London Assembly.

We're going to fuck the French!
(End of this chapter)