Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1625 The Last Effort

Several flute-shaped transport ships flying the flag of the east coast alternately sailed into the port of Vlissingen at the mouth of the Scheldt River, the most prosperous commercial port and fishing port under the rule of Zeeland Province.Marco of the Tripp family came to the pier in person, picked up a second lieutenant officer from the east coast who got off the merchant ship, and then drove to the outskirts of the city.

From the wharf to somewhere on the outskirts of Vlissingen, a short wooden iron-clad track no more than three kilometers long was laid in the Netherlands. There are about seven or eight horse-drawn railcars imported from the east bank running.Marco Tripp proudly introduced to Wu Yiqun, a military officer on the east bank, that this is a small horse-drawn carriage track invested and built by his family. It is very fast and stable, and has a considerable load or passenger capacity. Attention residents of Lysingen.

In the end, Marco Tripp even emphasized that in the absence of such horse-drawn rail cars in Amsterdam, this line in Flissingen is the only one in the entire seven-provincial alliance. The pride of the citizens of En, and also the pride of the province of Zeeland, they finally surpassed the Dutch in one place.

The destination arrived soon, which was a farm on the banks of the Scheldt in the eastern suburbs of Vlissingen.The farm has a large area, and the surrounding woods and fields can accommodate a large number of people. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Marco Tripp brought Second Lieutenant Wu Yiqun here. It is obvious that this place can be used as an army Temporary station after landing.

And Wu Yiqun followed the merchant ship to arrive here earlier this time to find an initial landing point for the troops who arrived later. The Dutch gave this manor on the outskirts of Vlissingen, which can accommodate more than 1000 people. Wu Yiqun carefully After turning around, I feel more satisfied.It is enough to have food and shelter, what else should we pay attention to when we are fighting abroad?

"This manor was originally a local farm, which planted indigo, and belonged to a family in Vlissingen who have been doing business for generations." After getting off the carriage, Marco Tripp explained to the young Wu Yiqun: "The dye was later The market went up and down, and the family also lost a lot of money on other investments, so they had to sell the manor, and it ended up in our family's hands after a few hands. By the way, there is no longer any dye here, from England The indigo belonging to the North American colonies flooded into the United Provinces like a tide. It is no longer profitable to grow this economic crop, so it is better to open the import. Ah, I forgot to say that the high-grade blue and cyan dyes from your country also lead to the local indigo One of the reasons for the shrinking acreage is that the value of commodities from your country is higher and the impact is less.”

Wu Yiqun nodded when he heard the words. The original indigo fields of this manor had disappeared, replaced by large expanses of rye fields. Of course, this would have been harvested, leaving only empty farmland.Little Tripp promised him that they could safely set up camp in this field and conduct daily training. It seems that they have given up on next year's planting and harvesting. In the Netherlands, where food needs to be imported, this is not a problem An income that can be ignored at will.However, considering the unclear relationship between this family and the United Provincial Government, the Republican Party, and Speaker DeWitt, it is not difficult to understand that they will definitely get compensation from other places.

Of course, as a business family that knows how to bet on both ends, the Tripp family has a close relationship with the Orange faction.A cousin of Marco Tripp, whose daughter married Louis Tripp, who had been active in Amsterdam and The Hague to install William III as governor of the United Provinces, son of Gilles Falkaner .Historically, after the de Witt brothers were killed by an instigated mob in 1672 and the Orange faction came to power, Louis Tripp was appointed magistrate, and in 1674 he was further appointed as the key city of Amsterdam. Long, it can be seen that this family is very powerful.

"After your troops arrive here, you can set up a temporary camp here, and then wait for further deployment. Well, it is an order from the Army Department of Zeeland Province. Once war breaks out, you may need to go further up the Scheldt River Movement, guard against the enemy coming from the direction of Antwerp." Marco Tripp said with a serious face.After he finished speaking, perhaps because he was worried that Wu Yiqun's Dutch was not good enough, he spoke again at a slower speed to ensure that he understood.

"Antwerp? Are you worried that the French will enter from the southern Netherlands?" Second Lieutenant Wu Yiqun nodded and said, "Understood, according to our East Coast dialect, it means taking precautions before they happen. It is indeed possible for the enemy to enter from here. Because the distance is the closest, the most convenient, and the products along the way are also very rich, it is easy to obtain sufficient supplies whether you are robbing or buying. We will follow the order, after all, you are the employer, the upper reaches of the Scheldt, Antwerp, I will go there for a staff trip in the next few days, and I hope you can send someone to cooperate."

"No problem." Marco Tripp nodded, and then asked: "So, when will your troops arrive? I'm serious, it's better to be soon, I heard that the French are already funding The Archbishop of Münster and the Archbishop of Cologne asked them to hire troops and hoard supplies in Germany to prepare for war. Although no one has officially declared war on us yet, anyone with normal thinking and judgment can foresee this There will inevitably be a war, and although our envoys are still making their final diplomatic efforts in Paris, most people are not optimistic about the outcome."

"So this is the most direct reason why there are more and more calls for the Prince of Orange to come out to preside over the overall situation?" Wu Yiqun took off his white gloves, and while observing the scenery around the manor, he said casually: "He is just A young man in his 20s, even if he is born wise, what can he do without experience? Of course, there are a large number of military nobles and land nobles around him and his family. Rich, although not necessarily accurate and advanced, but at least stronger than the militias in various provinces and cities.”

Before departure, Wu Yiqun read some dossiers about the Dutch armed forces.In the description of the Dutch land armed forces, he almost laughed out loud. He was deeply impressed by the "toughness" of the Dutch militia. At the same time, he also deeply realized that the Netherlands alone cannot resist it. The French army - at the beginning they couldn't even stop the [-] mercenaries of the Bishop of Münster, let alone the more than [-] experienced French army. The corruption of the Dutch militia and the weak combat effectiveness can be seen One spot.

Therefore, in his opinion, it is better for the Orange family to come out of the mountains than not to go out. Although the effect may be limited, at least it can improve the morale of the Dutch army and civilians spiritually. This is something that Speaker DeWitt cannot give.Who made my ancestors more awesome, so that a 20-year-old kid even wore a halo and became the great savior of the Dutch, full of the kind of joy of "XX can't come out, but what happened to the world".

Marco Tripp wisely did not answer the topic about the Prince of Orange. After instructing the butler in the manor a few more words, he hurriedly bid farewell to Wu Yiqun and returned to the city of Vlissingen.About a week after Little Tripp left, Li Qing, the East Coast Plenipotentiary Envoy to Europe who received the news in Amsterdam, also arrived in Vlissingen in a carriage, and talked with Wu Yiqun, who was temporarily in charge of all affairs of the farm barracks. .

"The plan made before is a bit out of date and needs to be changed." Li Qing said as soon as she came, "I originally wanted to wait until France officially declared war on the United Provinces before letting your army come from Cape Verde, but the more I think The more you feel that it is not suitable, you should hurry up and come here." Li Qing took a bench and sat under an old elm tree outside the farm, looked at a group of young army officers or non-commissioned officers including Wu Yiqun, and said: "The French War may start at any time, and their naval strength should not be underestimated now, and the British are now ambiguous, and they may also vote for France. At that time, even if Druiter and others can defeat the British and French combined fleet at sea , but it is not a matter of a while, and it is very likely that we will not be able to obtain complete sea control, which is a threat to our fleet of military supplies and personnel. Therefore, we must act first before the war between the two countries begins, so as not to The future is full of twists and turns."

Li Qing is a senior veteran, with a high position and authority, and what he said is far beyond what Wu Yiqun and other small officers can refute, so they can only obsessively, nod and say yes, saying that they will immediately send two capable personnel to take the fast liaison ship Go to the Cape Verde Islands, inform the main force that is still stranded there, and pack up and go to the United Provinces as soon as possible.

Li Qing looked better after hearing what they said, and then continued to tell them: "The ship is anchored in Amsterdam at the merchant station, and it happens that there are no other tasks right now. Hurry up, I predict that war is the most likely It will start after the spring of next year (1673), and our time is actually running out."

In fact, it is also reasonable for Li Qing to predict the time when the war will break out.Before March next year, the sea conditions on the entire North Sea will not be ideal, with violent storms and huge waves raging.In such weather, it is not suitable for large-scale naval battles.And to fight against the Netherlands, the sea is also an extremely important battlefield, so Li Qing boldly judged that Britain and France will not launch a substantial attack on the Netherlands before March next year. It may be possible to declare war, but it is not so early to start a big fight. Therefore, this meeting is actually an excellent gap period for people from the east coast to transport soldiers, equipment, and military supplies.

After explaining the matter here, Li Qing hurried back to Amsterdam, where he still had a lot of business to deal with.About a month after he left, Konrad Van Beuningen, the special envoy of the United Provinces to Paris, also returned to The Hague indignantly, and clearly told Speaker de Witt, prepare for war, and the final peace effort has failed.

According to Van Boiningen, the courtiers of King Louis XIV of France hinted at him obliquely, demanding: 1. The United Provinces cede many cities including Nijmegen on the other side of the Rhine to France; 2. Give the Kingdom of France a huge amount of "" 3. The United Provinces are not allowed to garrison troops on any major traffic routes in the country, and all ports are open to ships of the Kingdom of France; 4. French ships are exempted from all customs duties, and can transport and sell any goods without restriction; 5. 6. Establish a Catholic church in every city in the United Provinces; 7. The United Provinces send a mission to Paris every year and present a gold medal to King Louis XIV. Since Louis XIV" and so on nourishing the sun; [-]. All the treatment given to the King of England and the princes of Germany before the United Provinces must also be given to France...

Naturally, the Dutch could not agree to such harsh conditions that were almost insulting.In particular, Van Boyningen, who was on a mission to France, bluntly suggested that the three-level parliament should abandon all illusions and completely break with the French until they gave up their attempt to annex the United Provinces.And on this point, both the republicans and the Orange faction members have reached a consensus after receiving this unprecedented insult and ridicule - the last ray of peace between the United Provinces and France has also been shattered All that's left is war!

In early February 1673, a fast liaison ship departing from Amsterdam arrived at Henghai Port in the Eastern Cape Verde Islands, and conveyed the latest request of Special Envoy Li Qing to Major Yang Liang, the commanding officer.After Yang Liang verified the authenticity of the order, he immediately ordered the infantry battalions of the Baoguo Army, the infantry battalion of the Zhongguo Army, the two infantry battalions of the Black Eight Banners and the third main force to be stationed on the three islands of Henghai, Jianchang, and Nankang. The mixed battalion was mobilized, and the whole army began to pack up their bags, equipment, and military supplies, and then collected some food and grass on the island, and boarded three troop carriers and two large clipper cargo ships in batches. The merchant ship docked for supplies asked them to squeeze out some space to transport equipment for them.

But even so, Major Yang found that he still couldn't transport it all at once.There is no way, we can only divide into two batches, let the third mixed battalion and the infantry battalion of the Zhongguo * Army board the ship and go to the United Provinces first.As for the remaining National Defense Army and the two Black Eight Banners Infantry Battalions, let the left-behind personnel find their own way, or wait for their ships to return to the voyage before transporting—no way, who did not expect the situation to change so quickly, who Did you know that Li Qing suddenly wanted everyone to gather?

Along with these ships were two water supply ships, a coal ship and a repair ship.A fleet of eleven ships arrived at the port of Vlissingen in the province of Zeeland on April 1673, 4 after more than two months of voyage through heavy waves.And this time happened to be the day after the French envoy went to The Hague to declare war!

(End of this chapter)