Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1330 Promoting Peace by Fighting ([-])

On January 1663, 1, San Salvador suffered heavy rain.

Harrison stood calmly in front of the stone window sill, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, quietly watching this famous city in the southern New World.The stones on the streets and buildings have been eroded over the years, and they have become extremely smooth. There are a large number of religious-style buildings in the city, showing the dedication and devotion of the Iberians to Catholicism; they operate sugar-related industries. The streets and alleys are filled with shops and workshops, some open and some closed; passers-by with umbrellas hurried through the streets, and a few free Indians and blacks got drunk and were using unknown Language curses something...

A flash of lightning flashed across the sky, and then several muffled thunder came one after another. Harrison left the window and sat opposite a long table. "I didn't venture to San Salvador to listen to nonsense," he said.

Blanco de Sousa Almeida sat across from him, and smiled lightly when he heard this. It seemed that the war started by the people on the east coast in the name of his theft of technology did not burden him with much burden. An unbearable burden, at least he can still laugh this time, which shows that the situation is not bad.

"Mr. Harrison, England is now the main hope of the Kingdom of Portugal. Of course I won't ask you to talk about unimportant things." Just listen to him say.

"Then you'd better hurry up and say that the people on the east coast have tightly blocked the El Salvador Bay, and other ports have sent ships to patrol from time to time. I took a great risk. Those crazy people, only God knows if they will be here." The sea is shooting at you." Harrison, who represented Maurice Thompson, Edward Thomson, Thomas Stone and other business people who came to Brazil, said after taking a sip of rich and sweet coffee.

"Brazil's business has been destroyed, and now we need your help." Blanco looked at Harrison and said, "And this is what Governor Silva himself meant."

Harrison took a fixed look, then sighed, and said, "Not many English merchant ship owners are willing to carry goods to Brazil for sale, because the people on the east coast have blocked the coast too severely. Last time I bought the goods, This time it has been changed to expulsion, and I suspect next time they will shoot directly. Or, away from the coastline and people's sight, they have already done so, because ships have already disappeared in that area."

Since the end of the first Anglo-Dutch war, England's shipping industry and commerce have begun to develop rapidly. For example, in the sugar market that was once squeezed out by the Dutch West India Company, domestic sugar has begun to rise rapidly. In history, in 1655 London merchants imported more than 5200 tons of sugar from Barbados (sold at a price of about £18), and by 1663 this figure had exceeded 9000 tons.This is only the output of a place in Barbados, not to mention the island of Jamaica, which has also started sugar cultivation and refining after being seized by the British. British merchants have now almost become a pivotal role in the international sugar market. Relatively developed shipping industry and controlled large market.

The same is true for sucrose, and so is tobacco. In the last ten years, the British tobacco market in London was more than twice that of sucrose. Some of it was used for its own use, and some of it was exported (tobacco re-exported to Amsterdam was worth [-] pounds a year). Outside the Chesapeake region (tobacco in this area is mainly shipped to Hamburg for sale), the second largest production area is also in the Caribbean: St. Kitts, Barbados, etc. (Tobacco in the Caribbean is mainly sold to the United Provinces).

However, considering the weakening trend of the tobacco market in recent years, the shareholders of Morris Stone Tucker are also looking for a new way out. Investing in the domestic manufacturing industry in England is a way, and it is already doing it, and What they value more is to continue to develop ocean-going commerce and extend their hands to the sugar market, which is rising irresistibly, and this is the main reason why Harrison came to San Salvador on behalf of the above-mentioned people. They Come and see if there is an opportunity to invest in Brazil.

If there is, then you might as well join in and take advantage of the great opportunity of the Kingdom of Portugal being beaten down by the pagans on the east coast to grab more privileges and commercial interests; The original North American trade - Maurice Stone Tucker Company imported wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish from the "bread colony" in the central region and exported them to the West Indies, and then Tobacco was imported from there back to London, at great profit.As for furs, timber, asphalt, tar, turpentine, masts, flax, salted fish, and other commodities in New England, as well as special products such as rice, indigo, and cotton produced in the lower south, the company is still unable to intervene on a large scale, and they should be handed over to other English businessmen. Take care of it.

After listening to Harrison's words, Blanco thought that if Brazil didn't give some benefits this time, it would be difficult for England to end. According to Lisbon's latest instructions, the Brazilian market can be released to British businessmen at an appropriate time. Anyway, these guys are right Cane Sugar is generally obsessed, thinking about expanding the scale of the plantation.But how can Barbados, St. Kitts, and Jamaica compare with Pernambuco and Bahia? The land here is so vast, the climate is so suitable, and the facilities are complete. If you give enough benefits, don’t believe it The British will not be moved.They only need to attract the attention of these businessmen. Their energy is actually great. Although it cannot be said that they can completely control the direction of the UK, it is not a problem to exert a large-scale influence.

Therefore, Blanco immediately said: "His Majesty Alfonso has officially authorized Governor Silva to issue licensed merchant certificates in Recife and San Salvador, allowing some friendly English merchants to participate in Brazilian sugar, tobacco, cotton, dyes, etc. The sale of goods. Our sincerity is very high, Mr. Harrison, I hope that your country will see this and seriously consider it. Containing the heretics on the east coast requires everyone's joint efforts, and Brazil is God's gift to him The fertile land of our people cannot just be eroded away by pagans."

The meaning of the Portuguese is already obvious. They allow English businessmen who they think are "friendly" to come to Brazil to take a share. As for the standard of "friendliness", it depends on how you understand it. The kingdom provided Portugal with asylum so that they could get out of the quagmire of war with the east coast without too much loss, which should be the meaning of the title. As for the others, the Portuguese may not be very interested for the time being.

Blanco has already put forward conditions, but he has no idea, because he doesn't know what the British think, so he can only nervously wait for Harrison's reply to see if they, members of Congress, have the ability Push this thing.Anyway, in the name of King Alfonso, Duke Mallor asked Britain to send troops to help, but Charles II did not give any response. This should be regarded as a veiled refusal, and this road is basically impossible.

Harrison was a little silent after hearing this.As Mr. Maurice Thompson's loyal servant, Harrison knew that the current England is actually in some chaos. Action, although the last Anglo-Dutch war was fought by that guy Cromwell, it actually brought benefits to all classes in the UK, so Charles II, who had just ascended the throne not long ago, was eager to do something The Netherlands, while improving its prestige, can also achieve many benefits.But the gentlemen of Congress seem not to want to do this yet. They are hesitant about going to war, because the cost is absolutely astronomical, so they want to wait and see again. In short, they are not in step with the king, at least not for the time being. .

Therefore, now Blanco proposes that Britain send troops to help Portugal. There is no doubt that this will drag England into a protracted naval battle. There was no response.However, the conditions that the Portuguese will give are indeed relatively generous, and the people on the east coast have indeed grown into a problem—they have shown an increasingly aggressive attitude in the Caribbean Sea, which has aroused criticism from all parties—to suppress They are a matter of time.The only question now is whether England will enter the field so quickly to fight naked with the East Coasters, and whether the benefits paid by the Portuguese are worth it. This is the core of the problem.

"Mr. Almeida, you gentlemen in Congress are very concerned about the sea power that suppressed the heretics on the east coast, because their domineering style in the Caribbean has angered a large number of people who have business interests there. But the timing is really important. , It doesn't seem to be a good time now, you need to persevere." After a long silence, Harrison finally said to Blanco.

"It's these clichés again." Blanco felt a great disappointment in his heart.To be honest, although he didn't have much hope beforehand, Blanco was still very disappointed. If even the English are willing to fight at this time, then who else can save the Kingdom of Portugal?

"But we can persuade the king to send some troops to Brazil to help you fight, the premise is that English merchants participate in the sale of Brazilian sugar." Harrison added after a while, maybe this is his real bargaining chip .After all, the United Kingdom has just passed a resolution to drastically reduce the unreliable army to about 5000 people in order to reduce expenses.As for those who were laid off, who cares, anyway, they were all troops who had succumbed to the Republican officers. His Majesty the King didn't like them at all, and it was normal to let them fend for themselves.However, since the marriage between the Kingdom of Portugal and England, things seem to have turned around. Since England has sent the first group of [-] officers and soldiers to Portugal to help it fight against Spain, then it will send another few thousand officers and soldiers across the ocean to come to Portugal. Isn't it a good thing for Brazil to help them fight against the people on the east coast?

Anyway, the reduced English Army is at a time when they are short of food and clothing, and they are helpless. Sending them to Bahia and Pernambuco is not a bad thing for them, is it?What's more, merchants can also use this to intervene in the lucrative Brazilian sugar sales, which is also of great benefit to England-the Kingdom of England is now relying more and more on colonies and overseas trade. Imported commodities accounted for 100% of the total amount of imported commodities in the UK, and the processing and re-export of these commodities brought huge wealth to the UK. All of this made the emerging bourgeois parliamentarians in the UK enthusiastic about overseas trade.The Brazilian colony of the Kingdom of Portugal is a hen that lays golden eggs. Its Indian and Far East trade system, which has been in operation for more than [-] years, is also very attractive to the English. If these benefits are ultimately enjoyed by England, then this will give London What wealth have you gentlemen brought?

The Portuguese have handed over Mumbai and the strategic port of Tangier before, and now they have given the right to sell some Brazilian sugar. Can they sell some benefits in the Far East in the future?After all, they have a wealth of local network resources, and the supply and marketing network has been in operation for many years. If the English can be involved, it will definitely save a lot of trouble.And the above are actually the real reasons why England does not want to intervene in this war but is always hesitant. Without him, the interests are tempting!

However, England is sensible after all. They will not take the risk of offending the east coast for these immediate interests. Although merchant ships on the east coast pass through the Strait of Dover every year, it seems easy to fight, but once a full-scale war starts Therefore, the trade of the East India Company in India and China, and the trade of other companies and merchants in the Caribbean Sea, may be fatally threatened by the East Coast Navy.England can't make up their minds for the time being, because their primary enemy is always the United Provinces, and their biggest import and export markets are always in France, Germany, Ottomans and the Nordic regions. country launched an all-out war.Therefore, tempting the English with the right to sell part of Brazil's sucrose this time is destined not to get the response the Portuguese expected. At best, they can get some army support.

On January 1663, 1, just as the negotiations between Blanco and Harrison ended in vain—strictly speaking, an agreement on "army for sugar" was reached—the latest news came from the outside world: The Army of the East Coast Republic of China made a large-scale landing in the coastal waters south of San Salvador, and then plundered the manors in the countryside. Blanco and Harrison were speechless about this, and Governor Silva of San Salvador is now attacking the English soldiers. The arrival is also more and more looking forward to.

(End of this chapter)