Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1999 The Hague Trip ([-])

"The situation in England is turbulent, and there are different opinions. But one thing is certain is that the current Parliament is very dissatisfied with James II, and James II is also very dissatisfied with Parliament. This involves not only political and economic factors, but also religious factors. Factors are at work, and then created this tense situation.” After asking the secretary to bring a few new bottles of wine, Lin Dingzhi ordered them to be poured and said: “Please forgive my wording, it may not be polite, but I try my best to be able to Exactly express what I mean. Yes, that’s right! Religious factors have been the main communication barrier between countries these years, but what Louis XIV did intensified this contradiction in an instant, and more people recalled The horror of religious confrontation decades ago. In this case, King James II's Catholic identity is very glaring. You must know that although England's religious policy is considered tolerant, the power of the church is also very large What's more, it is also mixed with political factors, so it is easier to be used by others."

Several bottles of wine were brought from the mainland by Lin Dingzhi's trustees, including Xianghe wine from the middle of the river in South Africa, Xiangshan dry red from the Duck Lake basin, and white wine from Patagonia. There is a bottle of sake produced in the Hejian area and brewed by Japanese immigrants: Shenhe Rushen Daiginjo. The rich collection is really enviable.

Of course, this is why Lin Dingzhi owns shares in the East Coast Company, and at the same time, the family runs risky businesses with Persia and India, which is more profitable. Ordinary people may not be able to afford it.This actually shows that after more than 50 years of development, a large number of middle classes have emerged in the East Coast Republic. There is still more than that.

"This wine is very good." After Yao raised the wine glass in his hand, Conrad Van Beuningen said: "Actually, I understand what you want to express. As a Protestant country that has experienced a revolution, the English have never They are all very wary of Catholics, and the general atmosphere of society is not very friendly to Catholics. To be honest, at this point, the United Provinces, which has more than 40% Catholics, are much more tolerant than them. How about the religious environment in England? Well, better than King Charles I, who didn't dare to announce his true beliefs while he was alive. You know, he 'converted' to Catholicism on his deathbed, which shocked me a lot, and I can guarantee that he was from the beginning. I am a Catholic, but I dare not reveal my identity. But the Duke of York is a special case. He has publicly stated that he is a Catholic from the beginning, and he is more sympathetic to Catholicism in words and actions, which has caused dissatisfaction among many people. Of course, it doesn’t matter if it’s just these things, the problem is that he wants to win more power from the noble council, which is very serious.”

What Van Beuningen said was a bit confiding.He is a Protestant himself, but he does not shy away from talking about the religions of Britain and the Netherlands in front of Lin Dingzhi. He also makes a detailed analysis of the religious policy differences between the two countries and the tolerance of the people. He is not secretive or embarrassed at all. The attitude is indeed very frank.

Of course, what he said was also very real, and there was no problem at all.According to Lin Dingzhi's understanding over the years, James II has indeed been jumping a lot.When he was serving in the army, he liked to show off and strive for merit. At the same time, he did not hide his religious beliefs and preferences at all. Compared with his brother Charles II, he was really much more high-profile.

This guy still didn't change his style after becoming king, which aroused the disgust of more and more religious conservatives.Of course, hatred has always been two-sided. James II also hated those people very much. After all, how did the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion get so large? Everyone knows it well. It’s nothing more than you don’t like me, a Catholic. Come be king.

Moreover, the members of the Congress do not agree to continue to let many taxes, including customs duties, be controlled by the king. If they want to get them under the national finances, they have the final say on how to use them. This undoubtedly greatly stimulated James II.You know, when his elder brother Charles II was in power, the bourgeoisie and enlightened aristocrats in Congress were very talkative. They authorized several types of taxes, including customs duties, to the royal family for life, and the income was also freely controlled by the royal family. .Undoubtedly, these taxes have greatly enriched the royal family's finances, and their influence has also increased a lot, and they no longer have to rely on pawning land to fill the shortfall as before-of course, this is also due to the fact that the total amount of taxes is much higher than before. Inside, this shows that the UK's import and export trade has really prospered a lot in the past 20 years-it can govern with its own financial resources.

But what happened when James II came to the throne?Members of Congress want to take back the right to levy these taxes on the pretext that Charles II is dead. Isn't this a clear distinction?James is not as good-tempered and cunning as his brother. He is just a fool who likes to rush and fight. He may be good at war, but he is not good at politics, so he suddenly lost his temper. The relationship with Congress Cold to the extreme.

Therefore, although the issue of the religious belief of King James II has been raised by many MPs in the UK, it is actually a cover!What really made him lose people's hearts was his aggressive attitude, his aura of wanting to control the overall situation and evade the parliament.No one is willing to lose the power in their hands, so is James, and so are members of Congress!They finally sent Charles I to the guillotine through the war, limiting the king's power, and now a James II popped up, who is still ambitious, and everyone has to be afraid!

"James II is now somewhat isolated in England, surrounded by only a few favorites, and only a part of the army outside is still loyal to him, but how long those officers can be loyal under the constant wooing and corruption of Congress is a problem. After Renwell's death, didn't most of the army be pulled away by Congress? His son got nothing but was forced to announce his resignation! James II must have realized this, so he is now more and more sympathetic to the French The more you rely on, in order to fill the appetite of the officers under you, you can only take money from Louis XIV again and again, but this is drinking poison to quench your thirst, and the money of the French is not so easy to get! Especially in England, anyone who is wearing a pass Anyone with a French hat will get into big trouble, and James has a serious problem." Lin Dingzhi put down the wine glass in his hand, sighed slightly, and said: "The situation in London is very delicate now, Congress is not satisfied with James II , James II is also dissatisfied with Congress, and the relationship between the two has broken down."

"In ancient Chinese history, there have been many times when the monarch was dissatisfied by others, and there is a high probability that the monarch will be replaced in the end. In England's situation, whether James II's throne can be stabilized is also a question." Lin Dingzhi said again.

"Is there any real evidence that James II took money from the French?" Van Boyning asked abruptly, obviously he was very concerned about this issue.

In fact, this is also very understandable. If these two countries get mixed up, it will definitely be a nightmare for the Netherlands, and it is absolutely unacceptable.It's ridiculous that they signed a friendship agreement with France before (it was later abolished because of the persecution of the Huguenots), but it turned out that this was the French's plan to slow down, and there was a burning feeling on their faces.Although Van Boyningen and the Orange family have deep conflicts, this does not mean that they are not patriotic and do not value the interests of the Netherlands. Get the support of many people.

It was not that they hadn’t heard about the relationship between James II and Louis XIV at all before, but they had been lacking solid evidence, coupled with party disputes, so they were unwilling to admit this.But now that the ambassador of the people from the East Coast to Paris pointed this out openly, then this is definitely not groundless, and there must be such a slight connection between the two.In this case, many policies of the republicans need to be changed. Otherwise, I am afraid that they will be caught by the Orange faction in the future, and they will lose their support in the United Provinces.

"Of course there will be no real evidence, but we have received some information from our friends in France, which should be quite credible. Besides, James II's current situation, he does not seek sponsorship from the French That's the strangest one, right?" Lin Dingzhi looked at Van Beuningen and said in a strange tone: "Or, Conrad, do you want the text of the agreement between Louis XIV and James II? No, That’s impossible to get, save yourself some trouble.”

"Of course not. In fact, I just want to confirm how likely it is." Van Boyningen shrugged and said with a wry smile: "If there is a collusion between London and Paris, then the United Provinces will have to adjust themselves." policy. I think we should stop trying to establish close ties with the Kingdom of France, which is stupid and puts us in a dangerous position."

"But don't you consider the danger of the Prince of Orange entering London? This is a very serious matter. Once he is the governor of the United Provinces and the king of England, will you still be able to fight against him? "Lin Dingzhi aggravated it, and said: "This must be restricted. This is what you can do. Mobilize domestic supporters and win over some neutrals. You can do it! I still remember the Spanish Princess Teresa Is there a condition for marrying Louis XIV? Yes, that’s right, Princess Teresa is required to voluntarily give up her claim to the Spanish throne so that she can get married. To be honest, if it weren’t for the Spanish not being able to pay the full dowry (actually If it is war reparations), there will be no subsequent inheritance transfer war. I suggest that you share other members of the three-level parliament and put collective pressure on the Prince of Orange to make a public promise that once he takes the throne of England, Then you automatically lose your position as governor of the United Provinces."

What Lin Dingzhi said made Van Boyningen nod slightly.It was not contrary to his principles, nor to the interests of the United Provinces, and perhaps even to their advantage.At the same time, the Prince of Orange was their sworn enemy. They despicably killed several republican congressmen and exiled the DeWitt brothers without returning. How can this kind of hatred be washed away?It must be necessary to give them a hard blow to relieve the anger in their hearts.

"This matter is really important, and I will find a way to push it forward." Van Boyningen said with a serious face.

After saying this, several Dutch people looked at each other with serious expressions.There is no doubt that this is a difficult job, and the Prince of Orange will certainly not let go of this great opportunity.If you want to force him to sign this agreement, you can only contact more people and unite more Dutch businessmen, politicians and religious figures, so that everyone can understand that once Prince Orange becomes the king of England, then the United Provinces will be seriously injured.

Prince Orange has the army in his hands, which is his greatest advantage.However, van Boyningen and others believe that if more people know that William III may have an impact on the military, diplomacy and trade of the United Provinces after becoming King of England, some military officers who are interested in the Netherlands should be shaken— —The Duke of Normandy can be King of England, but he must give up the territory of France, and William III must do the same!

"Tell me something else, Conrad. Are you interested in investing in the Ottoman Empire? I mean financial investment. The amount doesn't need to be too much, 1000 million dong is about the same. How about it? Are you interested?" See After everyone reached a consensus on this issue, Lin Dingzhi made up his mind, so he turned the topic elsewhere.

"I'm afraid not." Van Boyningen said apologetically: "The finances of the provinces are not very ample now. Especially the provinces of the Netherlands and Zeeland, which have assumed the largest share of expenditure, have recently been forced to raise a huge sum of more than 3000 million guilders. William III began to restore the size of the army that had been reduced. It is believed that military expenditures will reach a staggering [-] million guilders in one year. He believes that the French will launch a war of aggression and must be prepared in advance. Many people against him, especially the plucked geese (referring to the big Amsterdam wholesalers, business owners and bankers who were donated), but he insisted on restoring the size and combat effectiveness of the Army. Oh yes, He placed a large arms order with England and didn't give it to you, I'm sorry we don't win every time in Parliament. Goods from the east coast are cheap and good, much better than those British ones, and William III is here It harms the interests of the Netherlands."

"Okay, I understand the focus of your government. Then, the country's finances are tight, is there any private capital willing to invest in this?" Lin Dingzhi continued to ask without giving up.

"Maybe. Because of the smell of war, some people in Amsterdam want to send funds out of the country to avoid risks. In addition, the East India Company seems to be interested in easing relations with your country. If you have no objection, I would like to be a middleman , to help you spread the news, maybe they can take out a loan. But please forgive me, almost no one is optimistic about the financial collapse of the Ottoman Empire. I heard that they just lost another big defeat in Transylvania Once, tens of thousands of troops were lost, and the Austrians became more and more dominant. In this case, it seems unwise to lend to the Ottoman Empire. The risk is too great. In my opinion, they may Would prefer to lend to your country because your credit is very good and the balance of payments is amazingly good, you can get a loan at a lower interest rate and then you can re-loan to the Ottomans yourself, no one will dispute this ” said Van Beuningen after thinking for a while.

"It's good news." Lin Dingzhi nodded, expressing his approval of this model, but then he couldn't help but ask the Ottoman Empire a few words of defense: "But to be honest, according to the latest news I just got, Russia In the case of insufficient preparation, led by an inexperienced and immature commander, they went deep into the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov and besieged a strong city. Some troops stationed in the north were transferred back and put into the battlefields of Hungary and Transylvania. In addition, it could force the Duke of Moldavia to stop being half-hearted and start sending troops to attack the Poles and Austrians. This has a very far-reaching impact .”

"Maybe so, but you know, bankers don't study what's in it, and they don't take big risks. In fact, what they are most pursuing now is the safety and stability of investment, not high interest rates. Or return, they have already passed that stage, I hope you understand." Van Beuningen immediately explained after hearing the words.

"Well, all the bankers in the world seem to be virtuous. But this is not bad. As long as there is a source of funds of more than 1000 million dong, then we can do a lot of things. I will send someone to deal with it later, I hope you Help me cooperate. The East Coast Republic of China will always be on the side of the Dutch people, and the Orange family cannot represent the Netherlands." Lin Dingzhi finally said.

(End of this chapter)