Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1792 Europa Universalis ([-])

After leaving Antwerp, Gao Wengang took the land again, avoiding the fighting area between the French and the Dutch, all the way by car, horseback, and boat, and after a lot of trouble, he entered the province of Zeeland and arrived at Bergen, where soldiers on the east coast once fought. Opzom city.

The city has been devastated by floods for several years and has yet to fully recover.Frank Banning, the mayor, had a good impression of the people on the east coast. Although Yang Liang's army had tricked them when they retreated, he didn't seem to mind. He still remembered the scene of fighting side by side against the French. .

However, Jan Marko van Beresten, a lawyer, sullenly demanded compensation from the soldiers on the east coast, because during the battle in Bergen op Zoom, they looted more than once what should have been shared by all mercenaries. Materials, food and even military pay.Even before the withdrawal, the troops under Major Yang Liang forcibly took away a lot of military supplies that should have been prepared for the Prince of Orange's troops from the garrison. .

Gao Wen was a little embarrassed when he heard it. Fortunately, Mayor Frank Banning was more generous, saying that this is all in the past, and there is no need to hold on to it now.To say that when mercenaries from all walks of life gathered in the Seven Provinces Alliance, the people on the east coast should be regarded as having good military discipline, but the Ministry of War in Zeeland Province went too far. Officials and nobles stole and sold all warehouses (even some to the French), so that the food, military funds, and salaries that should have been allocated to the mercenaries have not been sufficient, and a lot of resentment has accumulated, so that in the end, the people on the east coast directly don't give face and "take it for themselves".

"Don't pay attention to him, the guy with the surname of Van Belesten in his name is just a poor guy, he can't even support his own family now." Frank Banning stepped forward and shook his hand He shook Gao Wengang's hand and said, "He used to earn 600 dong a year, but now he can earn 100 dong, which is God's blessing. There is no way, the war is not over yet, and the local economy has not fully recovered. Now few people are suing. So I sent him to the city government as a judicial officer."

"But even if the economy is difficult, those disgusting Catholic priests can still earn 450 guilders a year." Van Belesten also came up and shook hands with Gao Wengang, and said in a jealous tone: "I just think they are upset, these people Do nothing, and the French don't bother them during the war."

"Even Catholic priests are servants of the Lord. When did this venerable profession be so disgustingly despised? God, we, your lovely servants, are so despised that this There are so many lowly servants in the world who are respected higher than your holy servants, it's too shameful." Hearing what Van Belesten said, Pastor Johannes couldn't sit still, and immediately stepped forward to reprimand .

The smile on Frank Banning's face became even more embarrassing. He first stopped the quarrel between the two, and then decisively changed the subject: "Dear Mr. Special Envoy, it is the most correct choice to go to Bergen op Zoom to The Hague. .As your first stop in the United Provinces, we have received an order to escort you and your entourage to The Hague as soon as possible, where the Prince of Orange will meet you. How about leaving tomorrow?"

"I have no problem." Gao Wengang replied.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries on the street, and then entered a beautiful villa that was used as the city hall.Here, Frank Banning had a sincere conversation with Gao Wengang, which undoubtedly gave him a lot of first-hand information, and it was the first time he heard a lot of news about the progress of the war.Of course, what was more important was that not only the two of them participated in the talks, but also Konrad Van Beuningen, a key member of the republican faction who came from Amsterdam after hearing the news.

"Recently riots broke out in Breda in the east. Farmers outside the city clashed fiercely with militiamen in the city over tax issues. As many as [-] people were arrested. This kind of thing has happened too frequently in recent years It’s so frequent that I’m already numb. Farmers’ fields were soaked by sea water, their cattle and sheep were taken by the French, their houses collapsed, and they suffered such heavy losses. In the end, they still couldn’t get the right to tax exemption. This is really crazy.” Van Boyle Ningen took the cigarette and matches that Gao Wen had just handed over, looked at it steadily, then lit the cigarette, and said in a mocking tone: "Breda is a city belonging to the Orange faction, where the nobles and Officials, in order to provide for the troops fighting on the southern Dutch front, have gone to the point of extreme exaggeration without regard to reality."

Frank Banning felt sympathy after hearing this.Their city of Bergen op Zoom is naturally not a city with a majority of Orange factions, but if it is said to be controlled by the republicans, it is not necessarily true. It can only be said that it is slightly inclined to the republicans. Of course, as the mayor, Frank Banning Now it is for the republicans.

Similar to Bergen op Zoom, there are some cities that clearly support the republicans, such as Leiden, Haarlem, Delft, Rotterdam, Vlissingen, etc., and Breda, Hochschau, etc., which support the Prince of Orange. There are as many cities as London, Utrecht, Enkhuizen, etc., making the United Provinces, as it has shown in history, always in a state of division, and everyone is combined in the form of an alliance.

"After marrying the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, the current William III is really full of ambitions, but the bad news on the battlefield and financial pressure prevent him from continuing to expand the war. He is now tired and knows that if it continues, the outcome of the war will be very difficult. It is predicted that because the French army has just adjusted its troop deployment recently, and launched the largest offensive in a year on the front line of the Southern Netherland, it quickly broke through many defense lines of the United Provinces and the German army, and occupied such areas as Ghent in one fell swoop. A big city. William III was afraid that the ten provinces of the Southern Netherlands would fall, and the United Provinces would lose an important buffer area. Therefore, he did not refuse to hold peace talks with the French, but he obviously had not yet made up his mind. The conditions are always picky, and often do not respond, anyone with a discerning eye knows that he is not reconciled." Van Boyningen continued.

As a stalwart of the republican faction, Van Boyningen's words were highly valued by Gao Wengang.So he has been listening quietly by the side, and sometimes whispers to the assistant what to record.

"I've heard a rumor lately, possibly from the Orangemen, that when the second Duke of Buckingham came from England a few years ago to persuade William to agree to peace, he said, 'Don't you see that you Has the country already failed', and William replied 'I will not watch it fail, because I will die in the last trench left in our country'. Although it is not clear what this rumor is at this time The purpose, but we highly suspect that the Orange faction is in line with William III's steps, on the one hand, to enhance his heroic image, and on the other hand, to show his determination not to talk about peace for the time being." Van Beuningen said: "Now, It is the parliament and the republicans who care about the material resources of the United Province and are promoting the process of peace talks."

"You once again controlled the three-level parliament?" Gao Wengang was a little surprised when he heard that, so he said in a somewhat urgent tone: "Then what about the government? Who has the final say now?"

"Now the government has the upper hand." Speaking of this, Van Boyningen finally had a smile on his face, and he continued: "The war has progressed so far, and the entire Seven Provinces Alliance has paid a huge price. , Material resources, and financial resources have been exhausted to the limit. Too many people realize that the war can no longer continue, and the United Provinces need a breathing space. Therefore, the support we have received has also greatly increased in the past two years. After all, the entire Seven Provinces Alliance is now There is not even a single French soldier in the territory, and many people have begun to think about their future lives after the crisis. This includes not only our traditional supporters such as businessmen and citizens, but also many nobles and peasants—especially those who Farmers who lost a lot in the process of digging seawalls and submerging the country."

Gao Wengang's spirit was lifted by Van Boyningen's words.Originally, he thought that after turning the tide to expel the French and inviting many countries to form an anti-French alliance, the Prince of Orange should be right.But listening to it now, it's really interesting how the republican faction gradually gained momentum, and then revived to control the parliament and greatly affect the government.

Ah, that's right, if it wasn't for being unable to fully control the situation, why did the Prince of Orange use indiscriminate means to murder the DeWitt brothers?If it weren't for being unable to fully control the situation, why would William III rush to marry the second in line to the British throne?You must know that the marriage of the heads of the two largest Protestant military and political groups has a lot of political meaning, and it is said that William III actually likes someone else, and he is very unimpressed with this noble cousin, so it is already ok Take a peek.

"So, what's the situation now? What's the attitude of your government and even your allies towards the peace talks?" Gao Wengang asked step by step what he was eager to know.

"Originally, the three levels of parliament and the government have been inclined to peace talks, because the people's lives are too difficult, but because of the ambiguous attitude of the Prince of Orange—more precisely, they tend not to talk for the time being—they have not been able to make a final decision before. It’s just a decision. Although the envoys of the two sides have contacted many times in Hainault, they have never reached any substantive agreement.” Van Boiningen smoked a cigarette, looked out of the window, and said in a thoughtful tone: “But recently the King of France Louis Fourteen suddenly threw out a trump card, and the French agreed to lower tariffs and allow more Dutch goods to enter, which suddenly set off a huge wave in Amsterdam, causing many original centrists to join the ranks of supporting us.”

In fact, as Van Beuningen said, historically because of the exhaustion of wars, the Dutch did not have much confidence to continue fighting.Then the French suddenly threw out the bait of low tariffs, which immediately broke through the psychological defense of the Dutch, making the middle class of society turn to support peace talks and resume business as soon as possible.At this time, the Prince of Orange, who has always shown his resolute resistance to the law, was a little embarrassed. Many people who originally supported him also weighed in and out, and turned to support the republicans, because listening to them seemed to be enough to fill their stomachs. After 1677, the republicans regained control of the city government of Amsterdam. It can be seen that the ebb and flow of their respective forces.

However, due to various factors, this time and space lasted until the second half of 1678, when the republicans regained power in many cities, and gradually gained advantages in the parliament and the government.Because of the hostility with the Dutch, almost all the diplomatic and commercial organizations on the east coast evacuated. The news is a bit ineffective. Therefore, it is not too late to know the changes in the Netherlands at this time!

"So, is it the right time for Chairman DeWitt to return to the United Provinces?" Gao Wengang was already a little excited at this moment, and his tone of voice was a little hasty: "Can't you try your best? Ask the government to cancel the arrest of Brother DeWitt , or if it can’t be canceled, it’s okay to issue a pardon. In this way, things can be very promising, and the hope of the republicans’ comeback will be much greater.”

"There is no hope of a comeback. After all, that person is still in control of the army and has provoked others, but he can do anything. Also, did you forget? The pardon can only be issued by the United Provinces. Only through the hands of William III can it become legally effective." Van Beuningen said with a wry smile: "So this matter still needs your help, and you can use more methods when you are away. You know, Friesland, Groningen, Shanghai The land nobles and merchants in the provinces of Ijssel and Drenthe, many of them are engaged in ship tools, weapons, and wood processing businesses, and have a lot of business dealings with the East India Company. They are the most important supporters of the Prince of Orange, and they have been dealt with. , things are about the same.”

"It's the East India Company again, damn it! I feel like I've dealt with them too often recently!" Gao Wen just laughed when he heard that, and only heard him say: "If that's the case, then things are a little better. Got it. We could try to contact the East India Company, but I'm really not sure if that will work."

"Maybe it didn't work before, but now it probably does. Believe me, the situation is different." Van Boyningen said firmly.

"Okay, let's trust you for now. By the way, your government has now agreed to peace talks, so what's the opinion of your allies?" Gao Wengang asked again.

"Austria agrees, Spain hesitates because it is likely to lose territory. Also, Brandenburg-Prussia opposes because he has to return areas such as West Pomerania, which he won from Sweden through war. Oh, By the way, most of the princes of the Holy Roman Empire are actually opposed to the armistice, the Kingdom of Denmark also refuses peace talks, and Switzerland has not yet made a clear statement." Van Beuningen replied, clearly indicating the dynamics of the European countries in a few words.

(End of this chapter)