Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1766 Trip to France and Harvest ([-])

May 1678, 5, Saint-Germain, sunny.On the lawn in front of the Palace of Versailles, flowing water murmured.

This is not just a metaphor, but a real scene. King Louis XIV of France spent a lot of money and countless manpower to build a large harp that is half in the water and half in the air, and the supporting water system. And the latter is maintained by a series of water stations and artificial canals - spending such a huge price just to allow oneself to listen to the music produced by the flowing water in your leisure time, Louis XIV's luxury does not seem to be just rumor.

In addition, today's banquet is also very extravagant, and the cost is not much. After all, the hundreds of nobles and ten times the number of service staff are not fake. What about expenses?Looking at the sumptuous and exquisite dishes at the banquet, Li Qing, the East Coast Plenipotentiary Envoy to Europe, could only sneer inwardly. It really is a wealthy family that smells like wine and meat. Are the southern provinces still suffering from famine?None, nonexistent, nobles don't care!

The few attendants who followed Li Qing to the meeting also saw such a scene. After comparing what they saw and heard along the way, they strengthened their belief in the East Bank and the cause they fought for. It is justice, and it would be sad to be with these drunken French nobles.

Cinnamon and pepper from Ceylon, ginger from India, nutmeg and cloves from the East Indies, sugar and tobacco from the Caribbean can be seen everywhere at the banquet.Considering that the Kingdom of France is in a state of war and the import and export trade has encountered greater difficulties than before, Louis XIV will definitely need to spend much higher prices than before to buy these things, which is really enjoyed at any time.

Thinking about the fact that the three meals a day of the former Ming emperor were very simple, and the daily expenses were not exaggerated. When the country’s economy was in trouble, he would pretend to save money. Compared with Louis XIV and the equally extravagant Spanish court, the financial expenditure was really controlled properly. The model within the scope is not a level at all.

Of course, there were many other curiosities at the banquet, such as all kinds of precious stones from India, Ceylon and Persia, all kinds of wool vests, perfumes and cotton fabrics from Kashmir, exquisite carpets and tapestries from Persia and Turkey, Porcelain and brocades were shipped from China, and of course many silk products were imported from the East Coast.Coupled with all kinds of beautiful gadgets made by skilled craftsmen in Paris, famous paintings and sculptures collected, in short, the total value of all accessories and luxury goods accumulated in the Palace of Versailles is likely to exceed 2700 million livres, close to [-] million East Coast Silver Dollar.

Such a huge wealth, what to do is not good!If it is used to fight, the custody can push back a large number of German troops headed by Charles V, and gain a firm foothold on the east bank of the Rhine.It's just that it's impossible to think about it. People like Louis XIV would rather stand still than give up their own enjoyment.

Of course, if you consider that there are actually no good successors in France now—it can be seen that the large-scale Chateau Vaule-Vicam has not yet been sold—so much wealth may not be realized, so it is even more unnecessary If it is sold, it is better to stay in the palace, and save Louis XIV to spend money on this in the future.

At the banquet, Louis XIV mainly introduced Li Qing, who was full of hair, and Lin Dingzhi, the ambassador to France on the East Coast, who was with him.Compared with the last meeting with Lin Dingzhi at the Palace of Versailles, this time the scale was larger, the ceremony was more grand, the status of the guests was higher, and the words and expressions were more solemn, which showed the enthusiasm of the war-ridden French court for the East China Republic.

Li Qing and Lin Dingzhi are the well-deserved protagonists of the banquet this time—speaking of it, this is the first time, I didn’t expect that the proud French would have this day—in the face of waves of French nobles or already Married aristocratic women, the facial muscles of the two of them became a little stiff.

Especially those aristocrats, who kept bringing the topic up to business, either making insinuations or directly asking about the feasibility of trade with the East Coast.Li and Lin understand these people, because except for a few first-class nobles, most of the French nobles are actually not particularly wealthy, and life in Paris is not easy, and they urgently need to make some money from trade to maintain their decent lives .Speaking of the poverty of the French nobles, this pot is actually the back of the Capet family who won the Hundred Years' War and unified the whole of France. In that war, many French nobles went bankrupt and had to rely on the Capet family. The mystery of the highly centralized power of the Kingdom of France today.

Li Qing and Lin Dingzhi made appointments with some of the nobles who are indeed powerful or have business traditions. As for the others, they just set up close and familiar people. I'm sorry, they don't have so much energy. Talk one by one, and time is not allowed, because their monarch, the Sun King Louis XIV, still has a secret talk with the envoy from the east coast.

The secret meeting time was set after the banquet, and the location was in the art collection room of Louis XIV. The Minister of State of the Kingdom of France, Loire, accompanied him, and Louis XIV's knights stood guard outside the door to ensure that no idlers would approach And affect the conversation between the two sides, because it is likely to be related to the future trend of the situation, so we have to be cautious.

As soon as the two parties were seated, Louis XIV threw a bombshell, asking people on the east coast if they were interested in buying Santo Domingo Island, which is still under the control of the French, which really shocked Li Qing.

Santo Domingo, the Hispaniola Island of the Spaniards, was originally divided into half by France and half by Spain, divided into east and west sides.In the last inheritance transfer war, thanks to the help of the East Coast Navy and Army, the Kingdom of Spain acquired the entire island and restored it to its heyday when the Santo Domingo Tribunal District was first built.Of course, in exchange, the French obtained ownership of the Free City of Strasbourg and several surrounding towns that nominally belonged to Spain (actually in a state of autonomy) as compensation, which was not a big deal.

In this war, the French organized a fleet from La Rochelle, carried part of the army, and arrived at the port of Guadeloupe across the sea.During this process, neither the Spaniards nor the Dutch discovered it, because it is impossible for their ships to squat at the gates of several French islands all day long, which is unrealistic.

Subsequently, the French chose a night with good weather to sail, and first landed on the western half of the island (where a large number of former French white colonists lived), and then easily captured several major islands, including the Cape de France. town.The next thing is simple. The Spanish army's poor combat effectiveness is not seen by the French at all. They almost collapsed and lost the original Spanish Santo Domingo. It was not even half a month before and after. , is also speechless.

However, it is easy to occupy, and then it is more difficult to defend.The Spanish Windward Fleet, which has reacted, no longer cares about French colonial islands like Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Lucia. Five or six ships in better condition are based on Tortuga Island-worthy It should be mentioned that this famous "Pirate Island" has returned to the hands of pirates since it was severely swept by the East Coast army last time. This time it is controlled by the East Coast pirate leader, the "Tiger Shark" Captain Somo - enforced a strict blockade of Santo Domingo, ensuring that the French on the island would not receive adequate supplies.

Later, under the repeated request of the Spaniards, the Dutch West India Company would also send armed merchant ships without missions to wander around Santo Domingo Island from time to time, intercepting French ships that might appear, and attacking the hundreds of French troops on the island. Soldiers execute blockade tactics.

It is not that the Spaniards have tried to mobilize the army to land on the island.It's a pity that their weak colonial army completely annihilated the French, and they didn't even cause too many casualties. They were also drunk.The sailors of the Dutch West India Company who were watching at that time were stunned, and then sighed that it was no wonder that Port Bello in New Spain was looted by hundreds of English pirates in the middle of last year. The combat effectiveness of this Spanish colonial army is really touching. It's light even if it doesn't hang on the wall.

However, the Spaniards' blockade tactics still played a certain role in the end. Although the French ships risked their lives to rescue supplies on the island several times, after being sunk by the Windward Fleet and sinking two ships, they no longer dared to do so. , directly gave up the follow-up supply to the more than 500 French army on Santo Domingo Island, and let them persevere by themselves.

This time, King Louis XIV of France actually sold Santo Domingo to Li Qing. It seems that he knew in his heart that Santo Domingo could not be kept in the end when the navy could not gain an advantage. A little thoughtless, of course, this is also in line with the character of Louis XIV who is very happy.The French now clearly intend to sell the island while it is still in their hands, even if the selling price is the first, so as not to lose everything in the future.

In Li Qing's heart, it was inevitable that she complained about the French. She felt that these guys really had a tradition of selling land. In later generations, Napoleon sold the entire Louisiana colony at the price of cabbage, expanding the size of the United States by one-third. , It is simply the most bloody business in history.It is more than 100 years earlier than the later Napoleon, but the first thing the French think of when they have no money is to sell land, although Santo Domingo Island may not be sold for a few dollars.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, out of respect for the Kingdom of Spain, we don't plan to buy Hispaniola Island, which violates our principles." Li Qing naturally rejected the whimsical idea of ​​the French.

"You have always carefully maintained the relationship with all parties, but many times it is inevitable that some people will be offended, isn't it? I know your national strategy and you want to rise, but you think that only by being an individual Can good people rise up? The Spaniards are not worthy of sympathy!" Louis XIV was obviously a little angry that the people on the east coast did not cooperate with his move to sell the island, but he didn't have much to do, so he looked at Li Qing , and said: "Then, is it okay to resume your country's trade routes to Saint Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Christopher Island?"

"As long as a 'fair' tax rate must be given to my country's textiles, hardware products, soda ash, munitions, dyes, medicines and tropical specialties, everything will be fine." Li Qing replied.At the beginning, the French still gave the goods on the east coast a reasonable tariff rate (the average level of countries such as Britain, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands), but later, as the tariff rates of other countries rose, the goods on the east coast also rose. In the end, it greatly affected the sales and made people troubled.Then, just as the Spaniards put pressure on the east coast, asking them to cut off trade with the French colonial islands, the local trade sector went downhill. crucial to the French) trade.

"You are always eyeing these petty profits. You can come to the port of Le Havre to trade. This port is one of the several trading ports directly under the direct control of the Finance Director. It is also close to Paris. There are no taxpayers and customs supervision. , I can give you a lower tariff rate." Louis XIV who said this felt a little ridiculous, he spent at least two hours studying maps in his room all day long, thinking about the future in his heart all the time. A certain piece of land or a certain city is under his rule, and money is just a tool for him, a powerful tool to satisfy his desire for pleasure and expansion.

A while ago, Minister of State Loire even told him that he was very sure that as long as the Kingdom of France promised to reduce the import and export tariffs of the United Provinces and at the same time ensure that they were in a relatively safe position, then this country would probably send its current allies Spain, Austria, Brandenburg-Prussia and other countries were sold out, that is, the Kingdom of France got a lot of German land and part of the coveted Southern Netherlands.

After hearing the news, Louis XIV laughed for a long time, thinking that his enemies were such a group of idiots, this time he harvested a lot of land because of a little profit.Then after a few years, after I have finished my recuperation, it will be easy to start another war and continue to expand the country in three directions.

Originally, he thought that the people on the east coast would be different, but after several contacts, he found that they were just "idiots" who only recognized money in their eyes. Here you go!Based on this understanding, he decided to throw out a bigger bait to see if there was a way to pull this small and powerful country with a superior geographical location onto the French chariot, so he just asked: "Are you interested in communicating with France?" The great golden lily royal family formed an alliance? I know you want Peru and even New Spain, there is no problem! This world is ruled by the strong, and the Kingdom of Spain is not qualified to be your ally, but France does!"

(End of this chapter)