Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2022 South Russia Talks

In mid-June 1688, at the Iron Mansion in London, Cai Zhenguo, the ambassador of the East Coast Republic of China to London, had just sent away Sir Temple, a member of the British Parliament.

Temple is more interesting.When he was young, he served as an envoy in The Hague. He is proficient in English, French, and Dutch. He has published books in the above three languages ​​and has extremely unique insights into law, trade, and diplomacy.What's even more rare is that this person not only has a good relationship with the late King Charles II, but also gets along well with the enlightened aristocrats and merchants in the Congress (or he was originally from a knight family, and he became rich in middle age, so he is naturally a member of the Congress. man) is a natural lubricant between the royal family and Parliament, so even though he is now very old, he still puts out his strength from time to time to serve the interests of England.

The old man Temple came to the Iron Mansion today to discuss with the people on the east coast about the export of steam engines.Lord Temple upholds the will of the king, and at the same time has the backing of the parliament - the royal family and the parliament are rarely united in the introduction of advanced technology - he formally made a request to the East Coast Republic of China, importing from 7.5 horsepower to There are a total of more than ten types of steam engines ranging from 300 horsepower (with transmission system).For this reason, they are willing to purchase 50% more than the domestic sales price on the east coast. At the same time, they will also pay high employment costs to the engineers who come to install and debug. The market for some domestic products will be further opened to the east coast.

Cai Zhenguo felt a little surprised when he heard the request from the British, but at the same time felt it was reasonable.In recent years, the situation in Europe has been unstable, and a lot of capital, technology and talents have fled, especially Protestants from the United Provinces and France. Most of these people are businessmen, craftsmen, scholars and bankers. The injection of new vitality has further expanded the scale of the country's productivity, which is already a European factory. The various commodities produced are sold in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and parts of the Mediterranean region. The country's rising momentum is very obvious.

There is no doubt that England is at the forefront of Europe in the use of new production systems and the introduction of new production lines. This is determined by the nature of their country and the characteristics (relative) of high industrialization. It is not surprising at all.Therefore, after seeing a large number of steam engines and ancillary equipment exported from France from the east coast, the British were also moved. They wanted to imitate the calabash and import a batch of steam engine equipment from the east coast people. On the one hand, it can improve the country's overall industry. At the same time, it can also play a role in promoting the research and development of steam engines in their country.

However, Cai Zhenguo also learned that the type of steam engine that the British wanted to import was quite different from that of the French. Generally speaking, it was more advanced and of better quality.Back then, when people from the east coast decided to export steam engine equipment to France in exchange for the market, it took a lot of effort. The reason is that those equipments in the east coast are all equipment that is about to be eliminated or has already been eliminated, and the overall performance is very backward.Cai Zhenguo also communicated with the country and learned that Heishan Industrial Company had contracted the project. For this reason, they used an old-fashioned steam engine production workshop that had been abandoned and was about to be dismantled, and transferred a large group of apprentices. Under the leadership of the production of these steam engines and some of the accompanying mechanical equipment.

In other words, the equipment exported to France is an old model that has been discontinued in the east coast, and it is not much better than the most advanced steam engine in England. It is on the same level.Moreover, the manufacture of these steam engines is mainly made of cheap iron, and steel is not used much. This shows that the people on the east coast are cautious about the diffusion of technology-the syphilis patients in the factory. Officials are proof of that.

Compared with the equipment exported to France, the appetite of the British this time is really not small, because most of the requirements are the steam engine equipment currently in use on the east coast.Although the models are not very advanced, many of them were developed in the 50s. The reason why they are still in use today is that replacement also requires cost, but in any case, these steam engines cannot be produced in the UK at this time, or the cost of production is high. Gao Gao can only be used as a toy, so Cai Zhenguo was surprised by the appetite of the British.

At the same time, he is also wary of the ambitions of the British, and feels that the country's aggressiveness is a bit too strong, which is not good.Ambassador Cai has received information from the head of intelligence at the embassy, ​​and learned that the British are testing a marine steam engine propulsion system in Portsmouth and Liverpool.They don't know where to get a marine propulsion system made by the East Coasters (perhaps obtained from a decommissioned or sunken ship of the East Coasters), and then research and imitate it, intending to combine it with the steam engine Connect and create your own marine steam propulsion system.

Objectively speaking, whether it is the English, the Dutch, or the French, they all have a strong desire to acquire the motor sailing technology of the people on the east coast.The only difference is that the French are currently at a relatively low level of technology, and the steam engine equipment that has been eliminated on the east coast is sufficient to meet their needs, but the British have been investing in this area for many years and have already accumulated a certain amount of technology, so their eyes are naturally different. Again, it's no surprise that they're eyeing the better devices.

Of course, they may also have learned from some channels that this kind of equipment on the east bank is about to enter a large-scale decommissioning and replacement period, so they want to take advantage of this east wind to come and buy some to improve their technical level.But as everyone knows, such equipment that is about to be decommissioned on the east coast will be sold half-sold and half-sold to Xinhua Island, Australia, the Far East and the Pacific Island Colonies in the future. It is really unlikely that they will be sold to foreign countries, so their This kind of hope is just hope, and it is difficult to realize.

Therefore, regarding Sir Temple's request, Cai Zhenguo only politely stated that he would consult domestic opinions. In fact, he had already concluded that this request would be difficult to realize, and the relationship between the East Coast and England had not yet reached this point.Of course, people on the east coast are not afraid of England because they are so wary of England. In fact, according to the report of the National Intelligence Agency, the members of the Executive Committee believe that the layout of the east coast in the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean has been completed. The "chain" firmly controls these sea areas in its own hands.Under such circumstances, why should England, which cannot monopolize India and occupy the commercial interests of the Yangtze River Basin in China, fight with the East Bank?They can't even get past Cape Town, what else is there to talk about!

Now England has basically transferred a considerable part of its energy to the management of the North American and Caribbean colonies.The population of those places not only far exceeds the same period in history, but also is very impressive in terms of trade activity.Taking the British North American colonies as an example, the trade volume between them and England has reached more than 100 million pounds, exceeding the total trade volume of the British Caribbean Islands, which is amazing.

But there is no doubt that such a trade volume is still not enough compared to monopolizing India's trade.Moreover, the North American colony is a wasteland with few and fierce natives, so the wealth that can be created is relatively limited, and most of them need to be created by immigrants from England. It is completely different from India, which has a population of nearly 1.5 million.Therefore, in England without India, its upper limit is predictable, and people on the east coast do not need to worry too much.The reason why the people on the east coast impose technical restrictions on it is not because of fear, but because of subconscious suppression.I believe that when the situation changes in the future, if a powerful country with a tendency to unify the countries appears in the European continent (such as Napoleon France and Germany in World War II), then I believe they will provide assistance to England as soon as possible and quickly arm it as the east coast. An important pawn to interfere in the European situation, but it is obviously not the time yet.

In addition to importing machinery and equipment from the East Coast, Sir Temple also talked about a Russian mission that had just arrived in London after all the troubles.The mission set out by land, arrived in the Baltic Sea, returned to London on a British ship, and then stayed in a hotel arranged by the British.According to Sir Temple, their purpose was to come to discuss with the people on the east coast to see if there is any possibility of reconciliation between the two countries in Ukraine.The Russians already knew that the East Bank had been deeply involved in their siege of Azov. They not only provided a large amount of weapons and equipment to the Crimean Khanate, which was the main thug, but also brought in a large amount of loans to the Ottoman Turkish Empire. (in the way of minting dinar currency).They knew that if they wanted to completely solve the Ukrainian issue and drink horses in the Black Sea, the people on the east coast were already an insurmountable obstacle, so they sent a mission to London, intending to make early contact with the people on the east coast to find out what they were doing.

Lord Temple said that the Kingdom of England only acted as an introducer and did not represent any of their positions.Due to the continuous expansion of their trade with Russia over the years, their commercial interests have become very entangled. Therefore, it is understandable for them to act as a peacemaker between the East Coast and Russia and arrange a meeting.

Cai Zhenguo was vague about whether to meet with the Russians, and did not make a clear statement, because in fact he did not have any authorization from Gao Wengang, the special envoy of the East Coast to Europe, and it was impossible to talk to them.If you are struggling to death, you are just acting as a microphone, saying that you will report the news.Of course, he also got some useful information from Sir Temple, that is, after the failure of more than [-] Russian troops to conquer the port of Azov in the south, quite fierce conflicts broke out in Moscow, and the regent Princess Sophia was a little bit out of control The situation was criticized by many people at the All-Russian Noble Duma Conference, and it was really embarrassing.

Those old Russian nobles became increasingly displeased with Sophia's overshadowed face, and made a fuss about her lover Golitsyn, which once aroused great repercussions.Although the matter finally ended with Princess Sophia's victory, she also consumed too much political resources in the action to quell the turmoil. She had to promote some noble children who opposed him into the core circle of power in order to divide and disintegrate the Duma meetings, but these ultimately further shaken her political base, which was embarrassing anyway.

Sir Temple told Cai Zhenguo that these Russian missions belonged to Princess Sophia, and their request was to ask the people on the east bank to withdraw from the South Russian region and cut off aid to the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. For this reason, they can open Russia Give the east bank a large market, so that its merchants can freely come to do business and make money.

To be honest, Cai Zhenguo just wanted to laugh when he heard such a condition.The Russian market is indeed not bad, not too small, but the problem is that the business environment there is very bad. This is a well-known fact, so no one can guarantee how much money you can make if you are an outsider and plunge into commercial activities.

What's more, can the commercial interests of the Russian market be compared to the interests of the people on the east coast in the Black Sea region?At present, it seems that it is not an order of magnitude, right?So Cai Zhenguo just wanted to laugh when he heard this. This Russian is really cute and stupid. He obviously doesn’t have enough bargaining chips, but he looks like a coaxer. If he asks for this or that, he can only end up being ridiculed and ridiculed. get nothing.

They also don't think about it, Russia is such a big land power country, how can the people on the east coast make you feel better and not contain you? Drinking horses in the Black Sea, I'm afraid it can only be achieved in a dream!Moreover, the Russians may not know that the people on the east bank have secretly contacted the Oirat Mongols who have been nomadic in the lower reaches of the Volga for hundreds of years, planning to help them establish a kingdom of yellow races in the North Caucasus.If this is known, there is no need to talk about this wave of Russian envoys. It would be better to go back to prepare for the war. The people on the east coast did not give them a way to survive, and wanted to completely cut off their expansion efforts in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

Therefore, considering these factors, Cai Zhenguo actually felt that he no longer needed to meet these Russian envoys in person.Just send your deputy to talk about it casually, and find out the bottom line of these Russians.As for him himself, it seems that it is better to put more energy on England and the United Provinces. You must know that the situation here is already quite delicate. The relationship between King James II and the Congress is already on fire. The third king may take over England at any time. This is the highlight of this year's diplomacy, not to talk nonsense with the Russians.

(End of this chapter)