Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1384 The Treaty of Versailles ([-])

In the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, France ceded Fort York on Hudson Bay to England.

It was the mouth of the northern waterway and the most critical base of the fur trade, because in this era North America could only rely on river boats to transport fur.

Whoever controls the estuary controls the output terminal of the fur trade.In history, the Hudson’s Bay Company, also known as HBC, won the key estuary and lived until the 21st century. It sponsored the Olympics, went public, and even almost bought Macy’s. It can be described as a model “colonial era and The family background accumulated from primitive accumulation is very thick" instruction manual.

The French navy has been pulling their hips all the time, and there is no other way, but as Liu Yu said, colonization is a stuck position, stuck in the mouth of the sea, and stuck in the Sanchakou.Since it is impossible to get into the sea, we have to go deep into the inland to get to the Sanchakou.

Therefore, starting from 1713, the Sea of ​​the Sunset and the Bay of the Sunset have become "legends" of practical significance and economic value for France.

Just like the "legend" that "sailing westward can reach India" when the east-west trade channel was blocked after the rise of Turkey.

But, now...

De la Virendry told the members of Dashun's expedition team what he was going to do now.

"I am now gathering Indian soldiers to retake Fort York in Hudson Bay. That is, the mouth of this water system."

"This is not an ocean, it's a huge lake. From here you can go to Lake Superior, and from there you can jump to another river and enter Hudson Bay."

After a little explanation, the people in Dashun can easily understand what the French are doing.

In short, the war is almost over.

Now, the French army in the east is busy attacking the British fortress and occupying the pass.

The Hudson Bay trading post in the north is not in the French regular army plan, because the French government hopes to bring Fort York into its own rule through negotiations.

But de la Villandry, five fathers and sons, have been in business for decades in this generation. Of course, they know France's trade policy and have very strict controls.

However, France also allows the existence of private companies.

The father and son of de la Virendry and others all have French military ranks.But this French military rank is not much different from the fifth-rank general issued by the chieftain in Dashun.

They have no regular army in their hands.

If you have the ability, you can get money, you can use native Indians, or French mixed blood like Acadians, you will pull up the team.

After pulling it up, the benefits of fighting it down will naturally not be lost to you, and it can be counted as shares.

It will also recognize your semi-dominance here and your priority in some areas of trade.

De la Virendry, is a short lieutenant.

The military rank is indeed issued by the French government.

Regular army, one does not.

Guns, one is not given, and I raise funds and buy it myself.

Today, the war is coming to an end, this is a recognized fact.Obviously, France and Dashun have no interest in occupying the thirteen states.

On the one hand, Dashun is definitely not interested.

On the other hand, the French themselves have a bit of criticism in their hearts. Can France manage Protestants?
Of course, this refers to the core area of ​​the thirteen prefectures. The key river mouths, Sanchakou, and passes outside the core area still have to be fought hard.Those small settlements should be expelled if they can be expelled, and occupied if they can be occupied.

Therefore, seeing that the war, at least the war in North America, was basically over, de la Virendry, and his brothers, naturally discussed and took back the trading post.

In this way, after the war, their family can gain a dominant position in the North American fur trade, and even become a French nobleman, or at least rank among the upper class.

After figuring out the truth inside, the people in Dashun felt more at ease.

As long as the lower reaches of the river are in the hands of the French, half of the heart is put first.

Now that I know that this river does not flow directly to the southeast, but is only used as a waterway for fur trade, the other half of my heart is relieved.

This is of course a good thing for Dashun.

The greater the interests of the French fur dealers, the more they will organize land reclamation from east to west, because land reclamation and fur trade are conflicting, and they can only choose one of the two.

Moreover, the stronger the power of fur dealers, the stronger the voice of fur dealers and ginseng trade groups, the less likely it is to open up wasteland to the west.

In other words, the more time is left for Dashun.

Of course, there are also fur companies in Dashun, such as Jinghai Company.

But on the one hand, these companies in Dashun are nothing compared to the will of the imperial court.To hinder land reclamation, it's okay to do small tricks, and it's okay to deceive the upper and lower.

But in general, they have no room to deceive, because Liu Yu is very aware of the value of reclamation on the west coast of North America, and has been planning this matter, and it is impossible for them to deceive in general.

On the other hand, Dashun still takes the gold mine as a breakthrough point. Whale Sea Company has already begun to transform as early as the gold mining period in the Yukon River.

Finally, there is the fur trade of Whale Sea Company. They really have little interest in ruminants in the grassland.For those who reclaim wasteland, grasslands and dry meadows are more suitable land for reclaiming wasteland than forests.The interests of these two sides are actually divergent.

In view of this, when the expedition team from Dashun answered the questions of "Sunset Sea" and "Sunset Bay", they answered them very cleverly.

Saying that no such gulf exists, nor does there exist a river with direct access to the Pacific Ocean that would facilitate trade.

They certainly wouldn't say they were looking for gold on the West Coast, only that they were "pure" explorers.

De la Virendry was quite convinced of this.

Because it is impossible for the French to understand how urgent it is to "reclaim wasteland".Because it is impossible for the French to put themselves in their shoes and understand how acute the contradictions of the Dashun people have become.

So, in the eyes of the French, or in the eyes of Villandry, across the ocean, to farm?Obviously impossible.

So, either looking for fur, or looking for ginseng.

However, at that time, his father relied on ginseng and fur to grow his family, and his westward exploration was to find the Sunset Sea on the one hand.

On the other hand, they are also looking for new ginseng production areas, especially with the help of the ginseng pickers sent by Dashun back then, they are looking for this kind of trade with super high trade value and one of the few trades that can pry silver out of Dashun's mouth. Taste.

However, he certainly knew that it was impossible for ginseng to grow in grasslands.Therefore, since Dashun said that the grasslands are mountains and the coast is opposite the mountains, ginseng on the west coast is probably out of the question.

The ginseng trade that Liu Yu "had evil intentions" in the past has finally achieved great results at this time.

Just like the ginseng mink fur Dongzhu, which was a trade product of Donglu in the past, except for the Dongzhu, in fact, the growth area of ​​ginseng and the origin of fur basically coincide.

The French have made a lot of money in the ginseng trade these years, so they are looking for ginseng everywhere.

The French explorers represented by the father and son of de la Villandry, in fact, have gradually shifted their focus to the south, rather than the west, over the years.

Especially after Dashun joined the war and Hudson Bay was bound to be controlled by France, the meaning of "Sunset Sea" dropped greatly.

Then, fur and ginseng cannot grow in grasslands.

On the contrary, the origin of American ginseng is basically around the Great Lakes region of North America, going south to the Ozark Plateau and connecting to the Appalachian Mountains.

This also means that the strategy of dividing North America and using France as a buffer to contain the thirteen states in North America has been basically achieved with the "help" of French explorers represented by de la Villendry.

Going south along the Great Lakes, then to the Ozark Plateau, and then to the Appalachian Mountains, it is basically equivalent to enveloping the thirteen states.

France's interest groups in North America will hold on to this huge interest after the war and will never let go.

This also means that Dashun can actually reach an agreement with France on the division of colonies and demarcations: with the ginseng growing area as the boundary, Dashun should have grasslands, and France should have forests and plateaus.

With the help of the French ginseng mink fur Dongzhu interest group, as well as the naturalized attitude with French characteristics, as well as the super-ethnic concept of the "black French" that is actually present in France at this time, it helps Dashun to withstand the ten times. The "good frontier family" of the three states expanded westward.

Moreover, France can and can only choose to continue to cooperate with Dashun.

One sells ginseng.

Second, France alone cannot withstand the huge population advantage of the thirteen states.

In the bureau here, every link is indispensable.

Whether it's the ginseng pickers who came here, Dashun's initiative to expand the ginseng trade with France, or French explorers like Villandry, if any link is missing, it will lead to problems.

Now, obviously, since the issue of "Sunset Sea" has become a "pure pursuit of knowledge" for French explorers, this is a very favorable situation for Dashun.

In a sense, in North America, France has become the "tributary" or vassal of Dashun in North America.

Dashun paid for ginseng and mink fur Dongzhu, and provided military expenses for the French "Dragon and Tiger Generals" in North America, so that they could stand up to the real enemy.

Dashun is quite familiar with this set.

Moreover, it is obvious that in the age of muskets, it is impossible to mess up.

(End of this chapter)