The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 135 Changes in the European Situation
  September 1726, 5, Amsterdam.

On the European continent, if there is any country that is the most important and influential, it is definitely the Kingdom of France. The country has the largest population in Europe, with more than [-] million people. They also have the most powerful army in Europe. Although after the death of Louis XIV, due to financial crises, the number of the army was reduced, the size of their standing army is more than [-], the largest in Europe. .

It is strange to say that the general representative of Qi in Europe is not located in such an important country, but has always used Amsterdam in the United Provinces as its permanent office location.

However, considering the long-term traditional friendly relations between Qi and the United Provinces and the close economic and trade ties between the two sides, the importance of this behavior is well explained.

Yes, the United Provinces are Qi's largest trading partner in Europe. The total direct and indirect (mainly Mediterranean re-export trade) between the two parties exceeds 4.5 million yuan - well, it is equivalent to about [-] million Dutch guilders. This also makes the United Provinces a Europe's most important oriental commodity transit company has a positive role in promoting its domestic trade, finance and transportation industries, benefiting nearly half a million related practitioners in the country.

Some people say that the economy is the best lubricant of politics and the strong glue between them. Due to the very close economic exchanges between the two countries, the two sides have maintained a relatively deep cooperation in politics, military, culture and science and technology.

In the Qi-British War that broke out last year, although the United Provinces maintained their due neutrality on the surface, in fact, they leaned towards Qi in all aspects.

Important ports such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Hollen secretly provided supplies for the Qi expedition fleet, and were strongholds in the Dutch Gold Coast (today's Ghana) and the Dutch Slave Coast (today's coastal areas such as Ghana, Benin, Togo, and Nigeria). , fortresses, and the Chinese naval fleet were also opened free of charge.

Dutch businessmen would often take the initiative to provide intelligence about England to the people of Qi, so that they could launch more targeted and continuous attacks on England's maritime power.

What's more, some merchants and shipowners in the Netherlands would calmly buy the English merchant ships and goods plundered by Qi at low prices, and then slightly change their appearance to become their legal property, effectively sharing the funds spent by Qi on overseas campaigns. .

The above-mentioned behaviors are nothing more than a disguised support for the Qi Navy. The English minister to the United Provinces protested several times about this, but they were ignored by the Dutch.

We didn't take the opportunity to secretly attack you in England. It's already considered that we are more peace-loving!
  "The English do not seem to have shown due sincerity in peace talks. They are simply unwilling to pay any price and want to end the war easily."

After the servant walked out of the room, Yan Qiuhui, Qi's minister to the United Provinces, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then said softly: "They asked the Dutch to take the message. As long as our Qi State stops the war, they will We will seriously discuss with us the issue of import and export tariffs on goods. As for the elimination of quotas on tea, coffee, palm oil, and industrial products such as cotton, hardware, and tools, we can also consider reducing them as appropriate."

"Haha..." Pan Guangfeng smiled softly and said nonchalantly: "In the nearly one year of war, although the English suffered repeated losses at sea, they did not suffer a devastating blow. There was a bit of luck in their hearts. . They hope that our Qi State Expeditionary Division is tired of veterans and cannot last long. Under the circumstances of huge consumption, we can give up when we can, and then have a ceasefire and peace talks with them. But I am afraid they do not understand that this war, If England is not defeated and all European countries are not frightened, how can we withdraw our troops? This battle is a battle for Qi to establish its prestige in Europe. If we fail to win, we will call it a defeat."

Pan Guangfeng is the grandson of Pan Qifeng, the first prime minister of Qi State. He served as a political aide to Emperor Taiping for eight years, and then successively served as a doctor in the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, minister to the United Provinces, and minister to France. Three years ago, he He was promoted to General Representative in Europe and held the title of Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He represented His Majesty the Emperor and the Cabinet to handle European foreign affairs with full authority. He had a high and powerful position.

As a highly qualified diplomat, Pan Guangfeng is naturally well versed in His Majesty and the Cabinet's foreign policy on European affairs, which is to make Qi a decisive force in influencing the situation in Europe.

The war against Britain was not only due to long-standing economic conflicts and colonial conflicts between the two sides, but the deeper reason was to use this war to defeat England's unruly character and turn this European "shit stick" In the hands of Qi Guo.

After the Hundred Years' War between England and France, England withdrew from the European continent. From then on, it no longer sought territory on the European continent, and began to focus on "stirring up shit" - oh, no, it should be trying its best to undermine the rise and growth of European countries and prevent the emergence of a unified power in Europe.

England does not want the unification of the European continent, naturally for economic interests, because a unified European power will compete with England's overseas trade and destroy England's trade lifeline. Moreover, the more divided Europe is, the less likely it will be to form a unified internal market. England's gradually rising industrial products will not encounter strong trade barriers and can be easily sold to European countries.

Continental development is something that needs to be done. The key is how to save money and achieve results. In this regard, England also slowly figured out some tricks during the war with Spain. When Louis XIV regained power in Europe, England joined forces with him to weaken the Habsburg dynasty. However, the French contributed their strength, punching Spain and kicking HRE, while England cheered and cheered from the sidelines.

Later, they saw the Netherlands encircling the world, prospering overseas trade, and making a lot of money. At the same time, they also established maritime hegemony, which aroused the envy, jealousy, and hatred of the English, so they initiated three Anglo-Dutch wars. , trying to take over the Dutchman's money bag instead.

After King Carlos II of Spain died, the French couldn't wait to jump out and try to seize Spain and establish European hegemony. The English, together with many European partners, began to attack France to prevent it from dominating the continent. Oh, by the way, this time our Qi State also personally ended up participating in this huge and long war, and officially intervened in European affairs. Relying on its special geographical advantages, England has been exerting its influence on the European countries, dividing and disintegrating them, and carrying out corresponding checks and balances. While it is hiding on the island to reap the benefits, it even has the opportunity to explore the world and establish large overseas territories in the Americas and the Caribbean. colonial territory.

Similar geographical features, the same checks and balances strategy, and the same maritime strategy made Qi particularly dissatisfied with England, and looked for opportunities to attack it.

Global trouble, oh, no, global checks and balances and maintaining global maritime hegemony can only be implemented by one country. This country can only be Qi, and it must be Qi that ultimately benefits.

Who are you England, with your little arms and legs, can you hold the shit stirrer in your hand?

"If the English come to visit us again in the future, they can ignore them if they don't make substantial concessions." Pan Guangfeng said: "What we, the Qi State, want to obtain, cannot be achieved with words. We can only rely on the strength of our Qi State Navy. Only with naval guns can the English realize their strength and status again. Calculating the time, the navy's support fleet should also arrive. By then, our navy's main fleet will have an upright fight with the English navy and give them the heaviest punishment. Strike. Only then can we diplomats be able to offer our terms to the English with composure."

"Understood." Yan Qiuhui nodded, and then a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Actually, the Dutch don't want the war between us and England to end so soon. They want to use our strength to minimize the strength of the English. We Perhaps no one expected that the Dutch had gained considerable commercial benefits through this war. Their East India Company, West India Company, United Mediterranean Company, West African Commercial Company and many other overseas trading companies, the trade volume and profits increased last year. Both achieved growth of more than 30%.”

"The Netherlands itself does not create much wealth. Their main wealth comes from trade and the financial hegemony derived from it. Although it is extremely easy to make money, they have also developed into a prosperous and wealthy country. But what they have gained Everything is just a castle in the air, unable to withstand any wind and rain. Since the War of Spanish Succession, not only their army has been abolished, but even the navy they relied on has declined and is no longer as powerful as it once was. But look at the Netherlands again What kind of neighbors are around? France is eyeing the enemy, Prussia is poor and capable, the Holy Roman Empire is malicious, and the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway is dissatisfied. Even Sweden, their go-to thug at the time, is drifting away from them. . Not to mention, England on the other side of the strait is always trying to seize their commercial market and seize their financial status. In the future, once a large-scale war breaks out in Europe again, if the Dutch are in the wrong position, they will inevitably Falling into a situation of no return.”

"Yes, the Dutch are obsessed with making money. The people are greedy for pleasure. They can live a good life by relying on their advantageous business status and generous financial interest. They are now content with the status quo and have lost the desire of their ancestors to escape from it. The fighting desire and enterprising spirit possessed by the Spanish colonial rule." Yan Qiuhui nodded in agreement: "In addition, the Netherlands itself does not have rich resources, nor does it have a vast land or a large population, but it has only seized the dividends of the great development of world trade. , relying on the maritime industry to become famous for a while. Nowadays, the rise of European countries, especially the increasing strength of England and France, has gradually made them fall behind in the fierce competition. Of course, in the past few decades, the Dutch have been involved in Too many wars have consumed all their years of accumulation and destroyed their energy and energy. It is also sad to say that the once powerful European countries have fallen to this. In just a few decades, their prosperity has also flourished. "Yan, his death was so sudden, it makes people sigh!"

"Emperor Taizu once said that this period is a time of great global competition. If a country or a nation does not want to make progress, it will eventually be annihilated by the turbulent tide of the times, or it will become a pawn of the great powers competing for hegemony, at the mercy of others. Either he will be conquered or colonized by the force of a powerful country and become a humble and pitiful slave who will never be able to stand up." Pan Guangfeng gently turned the globe placed on the table with a bit of excitement in his expression.

"It is foreseeable that in the next few hundred years, competition between countries and battles between nations will eventually evolve into fierce collisions between civilizations. Our Chinese civilization originated from farming culture. Our ancestors, We have always ensured our own harvest through hard work, increased crop yields through the construction of water conservancy projects, and protected our nation’s homeland through the construction of cities.”

“Therefore, our Chinese civilization is a typical endogenous civilization and an open civilization. In addition to being inclusive, inclusive, and constantly absorbing the achievements of civilizations from all over the world, it is more about self-reliance, self-improvement, and continuous exploration of its own potential. This is our continuous Bloodline is the only way to continue to pass on. Now, our country, Da Qi, is at its peak, has a prosperous economy, and has sharp military armor. We should lead the civilizations of all Xia, defeat and overwhelm other civilizations in the world, and make our Chinese civilization stand on top of the world."

"Pan Shangshu's words are shocking and enlightening!" Yan Qiuhui nodded and said: "This attack on England is an opportunity for Qi to further intervene in European affairs and exert the influence of Chinese civilization. If If we can conquer England after the war and put a bit on it, it will have positive strategic significance for our country to check and balance the entire European continent and control the North Atlantic waters."

"Even if we conquer England, we can only remotely control the European continent in a short period of time. We do not yet have the strength to completely change the geopolitics of Europe." Pan Guangfeng sighed and said: "Compared to other countries in Europe, France's strength is still It is too powerful. At present, the Holy Ra and several German states alone cannot prevent it from further expansion. When the Austrians are inextricably fighting with the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans and are unable to care about anything else, the French begin to try to get involved in the Principality of Lorraine. and the Southern Netherlands. At the same time, they have not forgotten to reach out to Italy and continue to exert their French influence. Although the Sun King is no longer around, the French's expansion ambitions remain undiminished!"

"Yes, the Austrians and the Ottomans are locked in a bitter battle in the Balkans. Prussia is at war with Saxony, Hannover and Poland. Denmark is also nervous about its military mobilization against Sweden. Savoy, located in northern Italy, is constrained by the gap in strength. They could only secretly accumulate strength and choose to remain dormant. Although Spain had some strength, it was short of financial resources, weak in military and civilians, and it was also a Bourbon relative of France. At this time, it was even trapped in the Gibraltar dispute with England. The Netherlands People, even if they don't say it, have been shadowed by the French for a long time. If no one takes the lead in organizing, they will not dare to make irresponsible remarks on the actions of the French. At this time, if the French stir up trouble, look around, Really no one can control it.”

"Therefore, our war with England must end as soon as possible." Pan Guangfeng shook his head and said: "If the impact of this war allows the French to take advantage of the situation and achieve the goal of dominating Europe that Louis XIV failed to accomplish, Then we are just working in vain, making wedding clothes for others."

"Speaking of France, I suddenly remembered something." Yan Qiuhui stroked his forehead and said with a smile: "Half a month ago, the Moroccans sent a mission to Marseille and went to Paris to meet Louis XV."

"What do Moroccans do in France?" Pan Guangfeng asked in surprise.

"It is said that their sultan wanted to marry a French princess for his grandson."

"Are the Moroccans crazy? Decades ago, their sultan also asked France to marry a princess. For this, he was extremely humiliated and ridiculed by Louis XIV and his court ministers. Why, they have to come from Are you looking for trouble?...No, their move must be due to some changes in the domestic political situation!"

(End of this chapter)