The Great Bandit in Kangxi Year

Chapter 184 Jianghe Covenant
It was still the girly Wang Shirong. Although Jiang Tao didn't know how to judge people by their appearance, he felt very uncomfortable, and said with a straight face, "Shang Zhixin, that kid, have you thought about it?"

In fact, Jiang Tao understood that if Shang Zhixin sincerely surrendered, Wu Sangui's retreat would be unstable, and Wu Sangui would station heavy troops in Guangxi.

It can be said that Guangdong is still very important, but Jiang Tao still put on a look of indifference.

"This?" Wang Shirong secretly had a headache. Shang Zhixin begged himself many times, wanting to keep his military power, but Wang Shirong knew in his heart that no matter how eloquent he was, it would be difficult to convince all the big men present. In fact, his purpose was obvious. I just want to take this opportunity to climb up the big tree of King Huaxing. Who told Wu Sangui not to use himself more, and Shang Zhixin's shoulders are narrow. Need something."

"What?"

"Gold medal for avoiding death and [-] palace guards!"

Hearing Wang Shirong's request, Huang Zongxi snorted, and angrily reprimanded: "Shang Zhixin is one of the top traitors. It is a great gift for the prince to surrender. It is really unreasonable. My prince, please send troops to attack Guangdong immediately."

Jiang Tao nodded with a dark face, and said angrily: "Give Jiang Dazhuang an order to capture Guangdong within three months!"

"My lord is wise!" Wang Shirong praised with a smile.

"Huh!" Jiang Tao looked at Wang Shirong in surprise, not expecting him to speak like this.

"In fact, Shang Zhixin was caught in the middle, and life was very difficult, but Wu Sangui is about to become emperor. According to reliable information, the old thief wants to attack Shang Zhixin. If the prince attacks Guangdong at this time, he will definitely slap Wu Sangui severely. , Ha ha, the best policy is to make peace, the prince is brilliant!"

Wang Shirong smiled to himself like an outsider.

"Okay!" This is already a blatant refuge, how could Jiang Tao not know, he suddenly turned into a smiling face: "You are a celebrity from Shaanxi and Gansu, what do you think of the overall situation of the world?"

Wei Donglai and others looked at Wang Shirong playfully, what's the use of flattery?
Wang Shirong was overjoyed in his heart, and he talked eloquently: "My lord, now there are three dragons in China, and Wu Sangui is the weakest and the most unpopular. It only takes two years for my lord to conquer Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou, and the entire south, and then rest and recuperate for three years. The Northern Expedition in one fell swoop, the world can be settled, and the Tartars can be destroyed."

"It's been too long!" Jiang Tao didn't agree with his idea, but this is indeed a safe method, but now he has other ideas, and this person is well-deserved. He even inquired about this person a while ago. The Renmin University of China is famous. It is said that he sings long songs and sings, wafts wine and writes papers;All four people are shocked when they talk together; a thousand words are written in an instant.

Everywhere he went, he was full of praise from the streets and alleys, and there were many young men and widows who followed him.This is not a big deal, but the character is even worse. There is no loyalty, filial piety and shame in his heart. Jiang Tao suddenly hesitated, and said lightly: "Hehe, if this king calms down the world, how should I treat the Mongolian ministries?"

"The prince can graze war horses around Shengjing in the Qing Dynasty, and buy horses from various Mongolian tribes to form a cavalry force of more than 20 people. "Wang Shirong said confidently without even thinking about it.

"Well!" Jiang Tao nodded. Although this strategy is not perfect, it can still attack the Mongolian forces. In summary, it is nothing more than a carrot and a stick, so he said seriously: "Wang mingshi will stay in Huaxing College for a while, and the moon will ring." One hundred taels, two guards."

Wang Shirong was mixed in his heart, full of emotions, and saluted, and then retreated a little disappointed, and now he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

"My lord, why keep such a person?" Huang Zongxi sighed.

"Hehe, some places need this kind of talent!" Jiang Tao did not explain much, and summoned the Dutch envoy.

After a while, two people came in, both of whom were blond and white. After being introduced, they learned that the younger one was Duke Willem Deck, younger brother of the Supreme Consul of the Netherlands, William III.

The other person, about 40 years old, with a shrewd look, is Earl Van Damme of the Netherlands.

It seems that the Netherlands attaches great importance to this matter. Jiang Tao has a clue in his mind, and deliberately said with a stern face: "Your country is very unkind, and even sold muskets to the Manchu Tartars. What does this mean?"

William Deckard snorted and looked amazing, while Van Damme laughed and said, "Misunderstanding, it must be a misunderstanding. We are here to do business, and we will never participate in your country's war. Tartar, the Earl also doesn't like it."

If the Dutch side doesn't admit it, it's hard to tell. Jiang Tao just wanted to show them off. It seems that Van Damme is the one talking about it. In order to take the initiative in the negotiation, he looked angry. Slowly said: "The two guests can go around for a while, the king still has important matters, let's talk about it the next day."

Suddenly William Deckard and Van Damme were dumbfounded. They have been waiting for three days, should they still wait?

They looked at each other, and Van Damme stood up, bowed and said, "The Earl has come with the blessing and great sincerity of King William III. Let's talk about business as soon as possible, okay?"

Seeing that they didn't dare to be presumptuous, the war with Britain and France must be very pessimistic, Jiang Tao secretly smiled in his heart, but he didn't want to insist on embarrassing, after all, it is still beneficial to Daming to form an alliance with the Netherlands for the time being.

Now Southeast Asia is still the most powerful Dutch. Jiang Tao has no energy to intervene in Southeast Asian affairs, and if he wants to send people to Europe to study, he must pass through Malacca. The Dutch are famous sea robbers.

In fact, the Netherlands did not fail in the three Anglo-Dutch wars, but the defeat was due to the trade blockade of Britain and France. Besides, the Netherlands is a small country with only a few million people, and its foundation is not as deep as that of France and the United Kingdom.

Jiang Tao remembered that in September 1688, a huge fleet unanchored from the port of Amsterdam and set sail. These ships carried the supreme consul of the Netherlands, William III, and 9 Dutch soldiers.William III's trip was invited by the British Parliament to protect the "religious freedom and property" of British citizens.Because of this, at the end of the 17th century, the speed of development in the Netherlands slowed down and gradually lost its hegemony over the world.Whether in terms of time or space, William III's departure from the Netherlands to England has become a very symbolic transfer of the world center stage.

In other words, Britain and France are Jiang Tao's strong enemies.

However, the Dutch shipbuilding industry is the most developed in the world. It can build 250 large and small warships at the same time, and it has well-established universities and scientific research centers.

This is also where Jiang Tao takes a fancy to the Netherlands.

After three consecutive days of negotiation, Jiang Tao formally negotiated with Van Damme and signed a formal contract, the "Jianghe Covenant", mainly for cooperation in trade, culture and technology.

as follows:

Ming only traded with the Netherlands in porcelain, silk and tea, and Jakarta and Malacca in Southeast Asia allowed Ming to conduct legal trade.

However, if there is friction between the two parties, both parties need to exercise restraint and carry out high-level negotiations. The Netherlands is not allowed to sell arms to the Manchu Qing, let alone occupy China’s territory. Team.

Among them, Ming ordered three first-class battleships and a large amount of horses, grain, cattle and sheep from the Netherlands, and sent [-] craftsmen, [-] scholars, and [-] naval officers to the Netherlands.

These first-class battleships were built according to Jiang Tao's requirements, and the materials used were the best.All are high-quality oak harvested from the Baltic coast.Moreover, it is the latest first-class battleship, and it is a Galen-type battleship. The bottom of the ship is covered with copper skin to increase the speed of the warship.

Moreover, Jiang Tao's manpower followed the construction process of the warship. The Dutch government guaranteed that all the people Jiang Tao sent would learn the skills, and arranged for [-] soldiers to study in the Dutch Naval Academy. They were self-confident in life.

After three years, the Netherlands will be responsible for escorting all the personnel and warships back to China. Otherwise, if there is one less person, Ming will pay one thousand silver less. If there are more than a hundred people, Ming will stop all trade with the Netherlands.

Marquis Van Damme was overjoyed, and agreed to Jiang Tao's unreasonable demands one by one. The cattle, sheep, war horses, and grain were exchanged for silk, which was a huge profit. Cattle, sheep, and grain could be levied in various colonies, almost without capital. Business, silk, etc. are exclusive trades, and the huge trade is beyond the imagination of the other party.

As for the shipbuilding technology, he is not afraid of divulging it. After all, as long as the Netherlands has funds, it can build more powerful battleships. This pirate can compete with the Dutch Far East Fleet.

But the only thing he was worried about was the casualties of personnel. The vast sea was full of dangers. He was really not sure, but he still bit the bullet and agreed.

Seeing Van Damme's high spirits, Jiang Tao secretly hated him. This old bald man actually killed Lao Tzu, and a first-class battleship cost 150 million taels of silver. Yes, mainly the safety of the dispatched craftsmen and sailors is the most important thing.

Finally, it was decided that the battleships were named by Jiang Tao as first-class battleships Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Jiangning. The battleship weighed 104 tons, had three gun decks, 750 artillery pieces, a crew of more than 3000 people, and a displacement of 77 tons. about.Dimensions: 7 meters long (full length, including bowsprit), draft: 10 meters, speed: 30 knots, including 32 28-pounder guns on the lower deck, 24 44-pounder guns on the middle deck, and 12 2-pounder guns on the upper deck , two 68-pound short-range mortars in the forecastle.

After half a month of preparation, for the navy, Jiang Tao, led by Gong Kaijun and Jiang Wushang, selected [-] marines to go to the Netherlands, and handed over the marines to Commander Gan Zhi.

In addition, 15 excellent young shipwrights and 400 boatmen were selected from various shipyards, and [-] people were selected from the scientific research institute of Huaxing College, and [-] [-]-year-old boys were selected from Huaxing College, including Mei Wending, Xu Zhengming, and Huang Lvzhuang. Waiting for outstanding talents.

Jiang Tao knew that if they made a mistake, it would be a great loss to the empire, so he sent [-] elite soldiers to accompany them to take care of their safety, thinking: "Anyway, the money for the battleship hasn't been paid yet, so the Dutch shouldn't dare to mess around. "

Before leaving, Jiang Tao repeatedly asked Jiang Wushang and others to translate foreign books, kidnap or buy high-level technical personnel, and purchase a batch of advanced experimental equipment...

Duke William Dyke and Marquis Van Damme took Jiang Tao's hope away, and the large fleet of hundreds of ships gradually moved away. Jiang Tao immediately changed his expression, and said viciously: "I will deal with you in three years!"

This time, due to the fact that the war in the Netherlands has not subsided, he did not bring any ammunition. In fact, Jiang Tao really did not like the Dutch-style rifles. It is beneficial to Daming.

As for why he bought grain, cattle and sheep on a large scale, it was all to solve the problem of trade surplus. He sold a large amount of porcelain, silk, etc., and what the common people got was only silver.

However, with the inflow of cattle, sheep, and grain, the common people buy it with silver, and Jiang Tao can recover part of the silver, which not only promotes the circulation of goods in the country, but also reduces the high grain price, and improves military and civilian life. Living a peaceful life with plenty of food and clothing, no one would think of rebelling.

Moreover, buffaloes can plow fields, improve the efficiency of agricultural production, and liberate part of the labor force to provide support for the empire's large industries.

In fact, Jiang Tao knew that the exclusive trade of the Netherlands would do the most harm to the Netherlands, and the Netherlands would become the target of public criticism, so he was not worried that the Netherlands would continue to be a sea coachman.

Jiang Tao didn't know that he had harmed the common people in Southeast Asian countries. For profit, the Netherlands plundered and bought cattle, sheep, and food in Southeast Asian countries, and killed and starved countless indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia. Among them, Indonesia was even more miserable. , starved to death in the millions.

(End of this chapter)