Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1659 Influence and Change ([-])

The population of Changshun County has now reached almost [-], which is considered a densely populated place in Brazil, and this is the number after a major plague has caused the population to drop sharply, otherwise there will be more. This shows the attractiveness of this piece of land to the population.

Although Changshun County belongs to the Beining area, the geographical barrier prevents them from going to the Brazilian plateau unless the government takes coercive measures.For example, at the beginning of this year, the State Development Bureau established Xiadu (under the jurisdiction of Xiadu Town, Pucheng Township, Juma Township, Wusui Township, and Wuhui Township) and Miyun (under the jurisdiction of Miyun Town, Tonggu Township, Tianfu Township, and Huailai Township), and Yanqing (under the jurisdiction of Yanqing Town, Bancheng Township, Louting Township, and Juyong Township) three counties—the 102nd, 103rd, and 104th in the country respectively At the time of the first county-level administrative unit——although there were repeated mobilizations in Changshun County, very few people were willing to settle in the above-mentioned three counties. Otherwise, no one would really want to go.

Nowadays, except for the new immigrants from the Far East and some second-generation nationals in the old districts, the only people who can fill in there are non-national laborers who have become regular workers. It is no wonder that Xu Yu and Liu Houfei, the first and second leaders of the regional administrative office, have repeatedly made reports, demanding The increase of non-national laborers has come to Beining. There is a serious shortage of labor force, and I don't know how they will solve it.

The wharf commercial area where Ximenxiao is staying is already considered a relatively prosperous area in Changshun County, probably second only to the county seat.The edge of the dock area is surrounded by a row of wooden fences, probably newly added facilities, anyway, Ximen Xiao didn’t have these things when he came last time.

Several gates were opened on the tall wooden fence, and there were some patrolmen at the gates of each gate to maintain order, and to see if there were any foreign sailors planning to sneak into the city.Since the last unprecedented plague broke out, the Changshun County Government, at the behest of the regional administrative office, has compelled all foreign ships coming to trade to undergo quarantine, and sailors can only move within designated areas (that is, the wharf commercial area) , and are not allowed to enter or leave other adjacent areas at will, in order to fear that foreign sailors will bring various diseases that are prevalent in Europe to the east coast.

Of course, this kind of measure cannot be said to be without loopholes, because the east coast fishing boats and merchant marine crews such as Ximen Xiao who often operate overseas can enter and leave the adjacent area at will.But after all, they are natives, so there must be some benefits, although they also have to accept some examinations and inquiries from doctors.

It was almost time for dinner, and many people came to the interior of the restaurant where Ximen Xiao was sitting. Most of them were the "Dutch red hair" that the people on the east coast joked about. They should be temporarily parked in the harbor. Those sailors on the merchant ships of the West India Company.These people are sitting together in twos and threes at the moment, no longer the noisy scene of the past-these sailors, most of whom are from Scotland, Germany or France, have always behaved rudely, especially when they drink a little wine-as if there is something in their hearts Things are normal, which makes Ximen Xiao a little strange.

Therefore, when an Italian waiter brought up his beef patties, grilled lamb chops, paella and a bottle of Xiangshan dry red, he took out a dime from his pocket, stuffed it into the waiter, and asked him Inquired about these Dutch sailors.As a result, he was a little surprised by the news that the "feat" performed by the First Mixed Battalion of the East Coast Army in front of the Gwangenboud Prison in The Hague has been passed on for about half a year, and now it has finally been reported. On the mainland side of the east coast, it immediately made many people with a keen sense of smell feel uneasy, and Ximen Xiao was obviously one of them.

Ximen Xiao made an analogy to this incident. It is probably that a foreign army killed and wounded nearly a hundred patriotic people in the capital on the east bank, and then retreated as if there was no one else around.This kind of thing is obviously unacceptable to the people on the east coast, and at the same time, they want to take revenge. It is clear at a glance what the Dutch will think and do.

Simon Xiao even wondered, would the Dutch mobilize heavy troops to besiege the No. [-] Mixed Battalion that did this?Speaking of which, I still have two friends serving in the battalion, I hope they will not be taken over by the Dutch.And once the battalion was besieged by the Dutch, let alone what would happen, the nature of the matter would be completely different, and it might be so serious that it would affect the relationship between the two countries.

Fortunately, I did not do business with the Dutch!Ximen Xiao is quite fortunate now. Thinking about those factories or small private workshops that have shared the large purchase orders from the Netherlands, this probably means that they really need to seriously consider the possibility of losing business, because you can’t count on the Dutch to be After a slap in the face, continue to give you money obediently, unless the goods you sell are all kinds of war materials they urgently need.

As the people on the east coast are so worried, the Dutch are naturally in a panic, especially the group of Dutch West India companies headed by Cornelis Bickle that Ximen Xiao just met on the pier. representatives and staff.Now they had already sat in another relatively quiet tavern, while slowly tasting the Madeira liqueur imported from Portugal, they lowered their heads and whispered some secret things.

"Things are basically understood. The army of the East Coast people fought in The Hague and killed more than 70 citizens of The Hague, including some spies and eyeliners sent by the Prince of Orange. In addition, several people who are said to have incited Suspicious elements suspected by the public, such as that unfortunate van der Grave, the son of a court president." Cornelis Bickle had a large plate of hand-caught mutton in front of him, and as he ate it, he asked A few confidantes who were sitting at the same table said: "William III of the Orange family was slapped so loudly, so naturally he has to react, otherwise I'm afraid it will be unreasonable Now, I am afraid that because of some attitudes of the government or the Prince of Orange, we will not be able to do business with people on the east coast, this is what I am most worried about."

It is said that the West India Company of the Netherlands has gradually improved its original financial situation due to its booming overseas trade with people on the east coast in recent years, and has repaid some debts, making the Dutch government originally planned to let the rich and powerful East India Company The plan of the Indian Company to save the market with a second injection of capital fell through, and the West India Company is still in the hands of the Zeelanders, not the vampire-like Dutch provincials.

"It's hard to say about this kind of thing. It can only be arranged according to God's will." A middle-aged man wearing a boat-shaped cap and a suit of beautiful clothes said suddenly: "The worst situation is that William III will retaliate and freeze two people." All trade between countries, expelling ambassadors, severing diplomatic relations, and even launching wars, so that we will indeed have no business to do, and we can only leave the east coast, a golden land full of opportunities to make money. Even our company in Hue Some plantations and lumber mills opened in Hong Kong will probably also be confiscated by people on the east coast, and this loss is a bit big."

"The good thing is that nothing happened between the two countries, and then what to do. Then we can continue to do business here, and we can sell slaves, ivory, timber, tobacco and other goods to People from the east coast, then take away their industrial products and ship them to other places for sale, this is the best situation." The middle-aged man continued.

"It's almost impossible! Retaliation must exist!" Cornelis Bickle immediately commented: "I still know a little about William III, and their family members have always been easy to get along with. This time It is obvious that he wanted to put the DeWitt brothers to death, but the intervention of the East Coast people not only made this plan fail, but also greatly swept his face. Then there will inevitably be a series of retaliatory measures in the future, but we are currently I haven’t received the news yet, as long as you wait patiently, you will definitely receive a report on the severance of trade between the two countries.”

Cornelis Bickle's words caused everyone to be a little silent, and at the same time, they were secretly cursing the Orangemen and East Coasters who intensified the conflict.The reason for scolding the Orange faction is because most of the people here are overseas colonial businessmen who tend to be republicans, and they are already dissatisfied with those people; the reason for scolding the people on the East Coast is that the First Mixed Battalion is too decisive to kill them , All of a sudden, the matter got out of hand, so that everyone seemed to be bankrupt, how could this not be annoyed?

"Don't think about it." After a long silence, Cornelis, who was still the most senior, knocked on the table and said with a final word: "Continue to send the clippers between Tobago Island and the east coast, and strive for the fastest speed. This is extremely important for our next decision-making. In addition, recently, some Venetian businessmen came to Hue and Chang Thuan to try to invest. I remember that these people have been operating stably for us. At this time, we can talk to them again, and try to sell some of the plantations to the Italians to avoid risks. By the way, the latest debt owed to the East India Company is about to expire, and the principal and interest will be repaid. Quite a lot, and I just took this money to make up for it. Otherwise, according to the agreement, wouldn’t it be an excuse for the Dutch to forcibly buy shares in our company. The West India Company will always belong to the people of Zeeland Province!"

"Yes, those bastards from Holland Province must not be allowed to take away the company. The last capital injection has already allowed them to take away a lot of shares. This time, nothing can be done to make them cheaper..." Everyone chattered in unison. echoed.

A group of people ate and drank in the tavern until after one o'clock in the afternoon before checking out and leaving. After cursing the fence that prevented them from going to the city to have fun, the group of Zeelanders went straight to the pier, intending to return to their boat.At this time, four 650-ton flute-shaped transport ships suddenly sailed into the harbor. The cabins were full of various goods, and the draft was very deep. It seemed that they were going north for trade, and their destination was unknown.

"In the past two years, a lot of ships like this have been built on the east coast, at least fifteen more, and they may still be under construction. Some of these ships are used to replace old ships that have been decommissioned, and some are newly built for business. , These ships should be the same." Cornelis only glanced at the ships that had just dropped anchor, and someone beside him immediately explained.

"Since so many merchant ships have been newly built, one can imagine how angry people on the east coast will be once the trade contract is frozen." Cornelis Bickle sighed a long time, as if an angry head appeared in his mind. The picture of the black dragon roaring fiercely at the United Province, the people on the east coast may really be desperate to ask for an explanation, so the United Province will be attacked on both sides.

"Have the people on the east coast made any military moves recently?" Cornelis asked suddenly.

"How could we know this?" Several attendants looked at each other, not knowing how to answer.After all, troop mobilization has always been one of the military secrets, how can businessmen like them know?Is it possible to send ships to guard the gates of Zhenhai Port or Hailing Port military base, so that it will be no wonder that they will not be bombarded with scum.As for the transfer of the East Coast Army, it is even more unknown. The only thing the Dutch have figured out now is that the East Coast Army has expanded by four battalions this time, that is, the 9th-12th mixed battalion, which is still fully staffed. , of which at least 1-2 battalions should be dispatched at any time.

"Hehe, indeed, I was wrong." Cornelis Bickle shook his head, smiled self-consciously, and said, "Let's go, get on board and rest for the night, and we will set off tomorrow for the people on the east coast. Loading at the Eastern Port of the capital. I will also meet with Mr. Van Beveninghe, our major event. I think I have an obligation to remind him that once a dispute breaks out between the East Coast Republic and us for various reasons, we must do it well. The defense of the South African colonies must not afford any enemy an opportunity."

Of course, Cornelis knew in his heart that his words were just words, and they probably wouldn't have much effect.After all, if the people on the east coast don't move, they must be fully prepared and plan to completely turn against the United Provinces!Cornelis even speculated that the people on the east coast did not need to invest too much military power. If they sent the newly formed four army mixed battalions to South Africa, they would almost be able to take over the entire Cape Town colony without bloodshed. ——No matter how rotten they are and have no combat experience, they are still hard-trained professional soldiers, far from being able to resist the local Boer militia in Cape Town.

"That's right, the South African colony..." Someone echoed softly: "The people from the East Coast have encircled South Africa, drove out the British, the French, and the Xhosa blacks successively, and established a large and stable colony. They probably early I just want to take the Cape Town colony of the East India Company as my own, and it’s a very good excuse to not keep it all this time, it’s sad to think about it!”

(End of this chapter)