Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1426 The Big Winner ([-])

On January 1666, 1, Li Qing boarded an old ship belonging to the Amsterdam Mercantile Station with a group of entourages, slowly left the anchorage of Tethel Island, and sailed towards the Mediterranean Sea.

A few days later, they stopped briefly in the port of Dover to avoid strong winds.During the stay, the British government sent officials to ask Special Envoy Li Qing whether the East Coast Republic of China could join the British side and start a war against the United Provinces, so that they would give the East Coast side a considerable subsidy and other territorial compensation , such as South Africa, New Netherland, Dutch Guiana or some other small islands in the Caribbean Sea, can be used for discussion.

Li Qing said that the East Coast Republic is peace-loving and has no intention of joining this conflict. However, they are still willing to negotiate with England on the ownership of the South African colony and the right of first refusal to New Netherland.If the British side can persuade the East India Company to cede British South Africa to the East Coast Republic of China, then they are willing to give up the right of first refusal to New Netherland (it didn't cost a penny to get this right anyway), and in addition give The property compensation of local British residents and the East India Company can also be increased from [-] pounds to [-] pounds.

To be honest, the British are really inclined to agree with this opinion now, especially when there are a lot of people in their own country who are willing to see the East India Company make a fool of themselves.Of course, there are more reasons than this. The main reason is that the British believed that even though the South African colonies had made a lot of preparations in advance, they might not be able to last long when they really faced the attack of the powerful Dutch East India Company.That being the case, why not transfer it to the people on the east coast while the South African colony is still in their hands, in exchange for giving up their right of first refusal to the New Netherlands, and at the same time get back tens of thousands of pounds of funds, He Le Why not?As for the loss of the East India Company, it is naturally coordinated within the Kingdom of England, and this problem will not be too big.

Regarding Li Qing's proposal about South Africa, the British said they would discuss it carefully, and if there was a result, they would notify the East Coast side as soon as possible.In the end, they still expressed regret that the East Coast could not stand on the side of the United Kingdom against the United Provinces, but they reiterated the "friendly relationship" with the East Coast Republic and hoped that the trade between the two countries could continue to be maintained, especially in some matters. They do not want to cut off the export of machinery and parts for industrial production.

After staying in the UK for a few days, on January 1th, Li Qing's ship flew the flag of the East Coast Republic of China, slowly left the port of Dover, and sailed towards the port of Cadiz, Spain under the northeasterly wind.Naturally, this unexpected trip to the UK did not achieve any substantial results.In fact, it's quite ridiculous to think about it. The British, who are already so poor that they can't even raise enough naval military expenses (after the victory in the Bergen naval battle last year, did not take the opportunity to expand the victory but were obsessed with robbing Dutch merchant ships and fishing boats, it is already very clear. problem), actually want to use money to buy people from the east bank to fight for them, this is ridiculous!

Historically, the funds promised by the British to support the Bishop of Munster were not in place. In fact, only a small part was given at the beginning, but the Archbishop of Munster still led a total of 2 troops to resolutely attack the United Provinces.As a result, the Dutch resisted weakly and collapsed at any touch, and the sergeants scattered and fled. It was easy for the Münster army to penetrate into the southern United Provinces and the eastern provinces, which once caused panic in The Hague and Amsterdam.

It is a pity that under such an extremely favorable situation, the British have never been able to honor the military expenses to be paid to the Archbishop of Munster due to difficulties in raising funds. As a result, the Munster army mutinied due to arrears of payment, and a large number of soldiers fled.Then 6000 French soldiers, who were regarded as saviors by the Dutch, arrived. The Elector of Brandenburg also planned to declare war on the Bishop of Münster under the bribe of the Dutch. I negotiated peace with the United Provinces: the Dutch did not cede land, and paid a sum of money to help His Excellency the Bishop disband the army, which can be regarded as eliminating the disaster of a local invasion.

However, the French also saw clearly from this incident how weak the army of the United Provinces is, which may have fueled their ambitions, that is, why does such a weak United Province enjoy such huge wealth?However, before extending their claws to the United Provinces, the French first had to annex the Southern Netherlands. Until then, the Dutch were probably safe.

On February 1666, 2, Li Qing’s ship docked at the port of Cadiz, Spain, and he immediately contacted the town officials of the city, requesting a discussion in Cadiz with the powerful officials of the Spanish court who “can make decisions”. Negotiations to formally confirm the relevant terms and details of the East-West secret agreement, and the Spaniards responded quickly, and immediately sent Baron Balboa, an old acquaintance of the people on the east coast, who had previously signed the secret agreement on behalf of Spain.

"Your Excellency the Baron, I thought I would never see you again, but I didn't expect that after King Carlos ascended the throne, you would still come to preside over this matter." In the luxurious business hall of the Adoria family in Genoa, Li Qing jokingly said to Balboa: "Let me introduce myself formally. My name is Li Qing. I am the new plenipotentiary envoy of the East Coast Republic of China to Europe. You can contact me for anything related to the secret agreement between your two countries. I will give you an answer in time, if it is within my purview."

"Negotiating the cession of land with your country, and just to save the future of the Habsburg royal family, this is not a wonderful thing for many people. So, this job, in the end, has to fall on me .” Baron Balboa did not shy away from it at all, and dared to say anything.

What he meant inside and outside the words was actually saying that when Spain was so weak, many nobles were actually a little bit alienated, and they were unwilling to risk offending the French for the Habsburg royal family's rule in Spain.After all, for them, letting Princess Maria Teresa rule is not very different from Prince Carlos' rule, and they can generally maintain their own interests.

Therefore, at this sensitive moment, many aristocrats who like to be wise and protect their lives can stay out of their heads, so as not to be pulled out of the list in the future. After all, the strength of the French army is super strong, and it is not something Spain can resist. In case the French army Did it really hit Madrid?However, the Habsburg family has ruled Spain for several generations, so they naturally have a large number of basic nobles. The king single-handedly promoted him. In short, he was firmly tied to the interests of the Habsburg family, and he was also a natural supporter of Prince Carlos. It's normal.

"Special Envoy Li Qing, although this is the first time I'm meeting you, I think we can get straight to the point without paying attention to the red tape?" Baron Balboa came up with a slightly tired look on his brows and said, "As you know , King Philip passed away due to illness last year, and Prince Carlos lost a big tree that he relied on for shelter. Now many people are turning their attention to him, and many of them are full of malicious people, such as Louis XIV of Paris, and — Leopold I, the traitor from Vienna, the shameless!"

Li Qing laughed secretly when she heard what Balboa said. It seems that the Spaniards have already found out, knowing that the Austrians had indeed signed a secret treaty with the French concerning the partition of Spain, so they were very angry, because this was a betrayal of a person from a close relative. despair!You know, when the fuse of the 30-year war broke out in Bohemia, the Kingdom of Spain stood unswervingly behind its relatives, Austria, and fought for them. As for being forced to marry the princess far away to Paris, cede the land, and pay compensation (in the form of dowry), the price is so painful, but in exchange for the ruthlessness of the Austrian relatives, this political creature is indeed the dirtiest and most shameless s things!

"With regard to the validity of the East-West secret agreement, I don't think it is necessary to reiterate that Minister Mo San of your country and I have signed the secret agreement, so I think we must strictly abide by this agreement and recognize its sacredness. and dignity." Baron Balboa added: "As long as the French launch an attack on our country, please also fulfill the treaty of alliance with your country, dispatch the army and navy to sweep away the French fleet, block their coasts, and seize their land. overseas colonies, cut off their trade lines, in order to force them to submit."

"Very good, Mr. Balboa, I am very glad to hear the official confirmation from the Kingdom of Spain. As long as your country hand over the Mesopotamia region and Trinidad Island to our country as scheduled, our country will perform military duties at that time. Alliance obligations, of course, this is only for the Kingdom of France." Li Qing followed the guidance of the local executive committee and said: "In addition, when our fleet is stationed in your country, please provide food, ammunition and other items properly. Supplies and the sick and wounded should be properly accommodated. In this way, our loyal and brave sailors can better fight against the French.”

"No problem. Your reasonable demands will be met." After a short silence, Baron Balboa said, "This is a moment of life and death for the Kingdom of Spain. Freedom also requires a price. We understand."

"By the way, how is King Carlos' health? I heard people in Amsterdam say that he is often sick, and it doesn't seem very good." Li Qing raised this question that is of great concern to the whole of Europe.

"King Carlos is fine now. You know, it's normal for a child of this age to be sick." Baron Balboa raised his voice and said, "We will take good care of him. He lives in Valladolid now. The royal manor is guarded by the nobles and knights who are most loyal to the royal family, and no one can harm him unless they step over our dead bodies."

"Then I'm relieved." Li Qing nodded and said, "The health of Prince Carlos is the guarantee of peace in Europe."

In fact, what Li Qing said was not an exaggeration.Because once Prince Carlos has troubles and dies unfortunately, the appetite of the French may not be limited to the Southern Netherland, Franche-Comté, Lorraine, Strasbourg and other places, but will It is the whole of Spain, which is naturally not allowed by other European countries, and people from the east coast are no exception.It is conceivable that once this happens, a war that will sweep across Europe will be inevitable. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the health of Prince Carlos is related to the peace of Europe. If he dies, there may be countless Hundreds of thousands or even millions of people were buried with him, and [-] million or even hundreds of millions of East Coast silver dollars were wiped out in the war.

Of course, in such a large-scale war, the East China Republic, which is far away from the old continent, will undoubtedly seize its own huge benefits after the war and become the big winner of this war, which is unmatched by other countries.And even if Prince Carlos lived to the 18th century as in history, and Spain and France only broke out in a small-scale war recently, the people on the east coast who sit firmly on the Diaoyutai will also be the big winners, because they got what the Spaniards promised The land has hit the overseas interests of the French, and they may even obtain their overseas colonies, which is simply not a loss.

"This secret agreement between Lao Shizi and East and West was really signed very well and at the right time. This allows us to intervene in many affairs justifiably. It's almost like someone sent a pillow when we fell asleep." Li Qing was at odds with Baron Balboa. While talking salty, he thought to himself: "Poor Spain, what a disaster, this big country is destined to become a stepping stone for the rise of our East China Republic, ha ha."

After the meeting with Baron Balboa, the special envoy of the Kingdom of Spain, Special Envoy Li Qing is not interested in going to Madrid or Valladolid to meet with powerful figures such as the Queen Mother, Don Juan (a nobleman who holds part of the military power, and the illegitimate son of the former king) .His ship left the port of Cadiz the next day, and then joined a merchant fleet of the United Provinces, heading east along the near-shore current, struggling to catch the changeable crosswind, towards Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire. sailed to the port, and safely arrived at the largest Ottoman port on March 1666, 3.

This trip to the Ottoman Empire is mainly to deal with the commercial affairs of the Black Sea and the White Sea. These are the business connections and networks established by the two generations of diplomats Mo San and Zheng Yong through untold hardships. Li Qing naturally wants to Well maintained, so this came to the Ottoman Empire.Later, he will take a boat into the Black Sea and have a more in-depth discussion with the Great Khan of Crimea on some trade matters. In short, there are a lot of things that need to be busy.

(End of this chapter)