Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 143 Navy and Pirates ([-])

In early February, the First Fleet docked at the Dutch-controlled port of Recife.

The Brazilian port had been in Dutch hands for several years, and the Portuguese had been unable to reclaim it.In fact, they can no longer take back Recife, San Salvador and other places at this moment. What they consider is whether they can keep the remaining Brazilian territory.Under the arms trade blood transfusion of the East Coast Republic of China for many years, the Portuguese and their mercenaries still failed to improve, and were frequently defeated by the Dutch.

Of course, compared to history, their decline is not so obvious.At least at this time they still maintain a certain armed force, and the losses of the Dutch are far greater than in history.The war had been going on for many years, and by this point both the Dutch West India Company and the Portuguese and Brazilian colonial authorities were exhausted.

At present, the front lines of both sides are in a semi-ceasefire state.While the Brazilians rearmed their arms and licked their wounds, they waited for changes in the international situation; while the Dutch transported many farmers from the country and began to operate the occupied northeastern region of Brazil in order to form their own foundation as soon as possible.

In view of the "inappropriate" position of the East Coast Republic of China in the Brazilian War, the Dutch naturally would not give the East Coast people too good looks.However, having made a lot of enemies, they were not so brainless as to provoke a New World country, which would not benefit them at all, so naturally there would be no problem for the First Fleet to dock for supplies.After replenishment, the fleet took a short rest for a day, and then set sail northward again.This time they will go straight to the Canary Islands before reaching Bordeaux.

In late March, the First Fleet, which had sailed at sea for several months, arrived in Bordeaux again after going through all kinds of difficulties. After the captain of the "Butterfly" submitted the customs documents, the entire fleet was allowed to enter the port and berth.However, the situation of this port call is different from the past after all.

Customs officials in Bordeaux actually imposed a duty of 300 francs after inspecting the goods shipped by the First Fleet. This was the first time for a ship from the East Coast Republic of China.As we all know, due to the care of Baron Loris and the big shots, the ships on the east coast have never been taxed by any tax officials in Bordeaux. Does this tax collection indicate a change in the attitude of the big shots in Bordeaux?Regarding this, Mo Ming who came with the boat was a little uncertain.

However, things don't seem to be that complicated.After getting the news, Xu Xin rushed to the pier quickly, and he explained the reason for the taxation in detail to everyone.Very simple, France and Spain are at war, and France needs to raise military expenses.

The Thirty Years War last year, with the successive defeats of Denmark and Sweden, the Protestant alliance, the Austrian Habsburg dynasty has basically stabilized the situation.Faced with this situation, France and the United Kingdom, which had been sitting behind the scenes to reap the benefits of fishing, suddenly couldn't sit still.Especially France, which believes in Catholicism, took the initiative to jump out for its own national interests, personally declared war on Spain and Austria, and was determined to continue the war.

Faced with the huge military expenditure pressure brought about by the war, the famous Cardinal Richelieu had to announce the levy of a war tax, and divided the tax revenue share of the 32 provinces and regions across the country in detail.Among them, Île-de-France, Picardy, Champagne, Gascogne, Languedoc, and Provence, which are rich provinces and regions, naturally bear most of them.And this is why Bordeaux customs officials are now "serious".

After learning the truth, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to unload the goods with the assistance of the Pasquale family's hired workers. Thirty thousand pieces of East Coast white cotton cloth were immediately sent to their warehouse.And as many as 600 tons of potatoes have become the envy of the major grain merchants in the city.

As Austria entered French territory from the southeast, the whole of southern France was in turmoil.Especially when the Spanish army assembled in Roussillon began to move around, Montpellier and Toulouse were like enemies, and even Bordeaux, which was farther away, was affected to varying degrees.Vagabond beggars on the street, poor tenant farmers in the countryside, bankrupt workers, and handicraftsmen flooded into the army like a tide. Army suppliers are begging all over the world to buy various military supplies, and among them, food is definitely a very important part. kind.

This time, the Ministry of Trade sent a number of entourages to Bordeaux as Xu Xin's assistants. Before that, the East Coast Republic of China had bought some of the houses near and opposite the original commercial station, and now they are undergoing renovations, planning to build a building here. A medium-sized warehouse for storing all kinds of goods. 600 tons of potatoes were stored in the store in batches. I believe Xu Xin will find a good buyer for this batch of goods in the next few days.

"The war won't affect here, right?" Mo Ming led a group of new agents from the General Intelligence Bureau into the business station, and immediately called for Inspector Sun Heiqi to inquire.

"No." Sun Heiqi replied succinctly, "The French built dense castles in southern France in order to resist the invasion of the revolutionary forces in the Iberian Peninsula. If the Spaniards want to make a breakthrough here, Basically impossible."

"Oh, are you so sure?" Mo Ming raised her eyebrows and asked.

"There are several reasons." Sun Heiqi replied calmly, obviously doing a lot of homework in advance, "First, the Spanish financial support will not last long. After so many years of war, they have long since The gold and silver collected in the New World has been squandered, and it is now on the verge of financial collapse. Second, the elite Spanish Flemish army is fighting in the southern Netherlands and northern France. The strength of other troops is limited. Even if they join hands with the Austrians, they cannot It may not be possible to get cheap in the south of France. Third, the castles in the south of France are dense and located on the plains, which is conducive to the French cavalry charge. large-scale warfare."

"So, can the business here continue?" Mo Ming was a little surprised. Sun Heiqi, who was born as a sergeant in the guard, can be said to be extremely vulgar and poorly educated, but at this time he can give The fact that he gave such a logical and reasonable answer shows that he also put in a lot of hard work in the investigation.

"It can go on." Sun Heiqi replied with certainty, "Ludwig hasn't been back to Bordeaux for a long time, and now he spends most of his time in Lyon and Marseille. It seems that he has encountered a lot of trouble in business."

"It's good to let him improve his memory." Mo Ming sneered contemptuously, "We haven't finished our account with him, and we will settle it with him when the time comes."

"Recently, the pace of church immigration to Quebec is getting faster and faster. It is conservatively estimated that they have sent more than 1500 immigrants to Quebec in the past six months. Send more immigrants. Moreover, with the outbreak of the war between Spain and France, the wave of unemployed workers that once plagued us has been resolved invisibly, which is also a surprise." Sun Heiqi continued to report With the situation.

"Well, not bad." Mo Ming praised, "Knowing all kinds of information at any time is the basic quality of an intelligence officer, Inspector Sun, you have done a good job during this time."

"The station master has won the award, and the humble job must continue to work hard." Sun Heiqi said with a sneer.

"Hehe, I have the final say on whether you can do it or not." Mo Ming stood up from her seat, and then said to Sun Heiqi: "This time there are some new guys from the bureau, you should settle them down first. In the next few days You may make some preparations, and then go to the Haute-Gallon and Languedoc with me, and Provence if you have the opportunity. Well, I call this a staff trip."

"Yes, I obey." Sun Heiqi nodded yes.

On March 3, the First Fleet, which had rested in Bordeaux for a few days, set sail in the morning sun. After the five warships drew a beautiful white wave outside the mouth of the Gironde, they turned due west and headed for the New World.

The fleet commanded by Lieutenant Commander Lu Ming didn't seem to have a clear goal. They planned to go to Massachusetts to try their luck first.If not, continue south and wander around the Chesapeake Bay area to see if the Englishmen have a little memory.

Last year, the privateer fleet plundered several British merchant ships loaded with tobacco and furs in a row. It was considered a small fortune, but I don't know if I will have such luck this year.After all, the British are not fools, and they will definitely take strict precautions.Of course, if it doesn't work, just go south to the Caribbean Sea and harass the Spaniards.

All in all, it's a seemingly utterly aimless scheme.Of course, the truth is not far from it. The navy has always hoped to plunder the wealthy Caribbean region, but the Executive Committee and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have always insisted that they work hard to harass the British colonies in North America.

In desperation, they can only give up the opportunity to eat fat and gnaw the bones of the British.

At the same time, the British fleet that had just completed the transaction from Cartagena also left this big city on the Spanish mainland under the command of William Clifford, turned to the north, and prepared to leave the warm Caribbean Sea. Headed toward Jamestown, Virginia.Before that, perhaps they would make a trip to St. Augustine in East Florida to trade furs and cotton with Spanish smugglers there.

The transaction in Cartagena was relatively smooth, and the woolen cloth and cotton cloth brought in were basically sold at a good price.In addition, the sales of agricultural tools and metal products in the country are relatively good, and the captains and cargo owners have withdrawn a lot of funds.As long as the remaining wool and cotton cloth were sold in St. Augustine, they would go straight to Virginia, buy local tobacco and furs, and then return to Portsmouth.

(End of this chapter)