Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2029

In early August 1688, when King Louis XIV of France summoned Lin Dingzhi, the ambassador of the East Coast, at the Palace of Versailles, a large number of warships were undergoing intensive repairs at the Henghai Port of the Cape Verde Islands in the East.

The Portuguese task force set out from Huaiyuan Island, traveled eastward along the ocean circulation, and finally arrived at the Eastern Cape Verde Islands, where it joined forces with the Cape Verde Squadron of the First Fleet commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu.

The Cape Verde Islands were divided into two after the last East-Portuguese War. People on the east coast occupied Jianchang Island (San Antang Island), Henghai Island (San Vicente Island), Nankang Island (St. Gula Island), Salt Island (Sal Island), Hoangsha Island (Saint Lucia Island) and two uninhabited small islands between Hoangsha Island and Namkang Island (can only be used for drying salt), total Seven islands, located roughly in the northwestern part of the archipelago.The Portuguese gained the remaining eight islands, including the largest, Santiago.

Because of the influence of the Sahara Desert climate, the Cape Verde Islands generally have less rainfall and are very dry.The area of ​​cultivated land is mainly concentrated on Jianchang Island and Santiago Island, accounting for about 10% of the entire archipelago. Fogo Island, which has the most precipitation (495mm/year), has less cultivated land due to terrain and soil quality, and is mostly used for grazing goats.

The capital of Cape Verde in the east is Henghai Island. Because there is a large-scale high-quality shallow coal mine on the island, people from the east coast set up a mining bureau here, which governs Henghai Coal Mine (coal mining, coal washing), The products produced by Henghai honeycomb coal factory and Henghai brick kiln factory (burning bricks with coal powder) are not only supplied to the island, but also exported to nearby areas in small quantities.However, due to the lack of water resources, the scale of these enterprises is not very large, but it is sufficient at this stage.

The Eastern Cape Verde Islands has now also established a county, named Henghai County, which has jurisdiction over five townships, Henghai Town, Jianchang Township, Nankang Township, Yan Township, and Huangsha Township, with more than 6000 residents. More than two-thirds of them are immigrants from Huai'an Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty (the rest are non-citizens and exiled prisoners), so Huai'an dialect is the common language of the whole island.

The economy of Henghai County is dominated by coal mining, salt drying, agriculture, and fishery. The coal mining industry is mainly concentrated on Henghai Island, while Jianchang Island is dominated by grain cultivation, mainly dry farming such as wheat, sorghum, and peanuts. Save precious water resources.Sun-cured salt industry is another major industry in the Cape Verde Islands. It has squeezed out a lot of market share in the domestic Patagonian lake salt. The reason is that people generally think that Cape Verdean salt has a better taste and a longer shelf life when used to marinate fish. Long, so sales are very good.

In addition, there are some mountain animal husbandry and fishing industries in the Eastern Cape Verde Islands, which provide valuable fresh meat to the island residents and passing ships, but the scale is not very large.There are no large fishing grounds nearby, and the vegetation on the island is relatively dry. It is normal that the fishery and animal husbandry cannot develop.

All in all, if it wasn't for the extremely important geographical location, I believe that the people on the east coast would not have the slightest interest in this kind of colony. The conditions are really bad!Moreover, this is only the case when some water storage facilities have been invested in the construction of some water storage facilities for many years. If the conditions are to be further improved, the central government is bound to invest at least 30 yuan in infrastructure construction, so that the entire archipelago The population and productivity will reach a new level.

Of course, then again, the geographical location of the Cape Verde Islands is really very good.As long as ships returning to Europe from the Caribbean pass nearby, merchant ships returning from the east will also dock here. If submarine cables are built in the future, this will also be a key node, so people on the east coast will not use them anyway. Discarded.

And not only will they not discard it, but now the people on the east coast have also focused their attention on the other eight large and small islands that are still in the hands of the Portuguese, that is, they have also developed a strong interest in the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands Its swallowed whole.Especially Santiago Island has a large area, a lot of arable land, and relatively more water sources. The island produces wheat and various fruits, and also raises a large number of cattle, sheep, horses and donkeys. It is a very important agricultural base. It is really not reconciled not to come here .

It is reported that the Ministry of the Navy is currently active, and wants the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come forward and negotiate with the Kingdom of Portugal on the purchase of the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands.In order to alleviate the resistance of this land acquisition activity, they also suggested that the Praia Port and Henghai Port on Santiago Island can be permanently allowed to allow Portuguese merchant ships to dock and replenish freely, so as to facilitate the completion of negotiations in this regard as soon as possible.

The local Ministry of Foreign Affairs has initially approved the idea of ​​​​the navy, and made a basic negotiation outline, which was submitted to the Executive Committee for review by the big guys.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that it is possible to acquire the remaining eight islands only by paying about 50 yuan in cash to the Portuguese. Of course, this requires the military to use some small tricks.

"The Cape Verde Islands are too dry. During the Portuguese rule, the only forest on the island was cut down, and it was destroyed. Now the forest has been cut down, and we have restored it for many years. A small piece of tree has fallen, and all the materials needed to repair the ship have to import oak from the North American Free State, which is really deceitful.” Because of the reason for crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the East Coast Fleet was repaired and maintained in Henghai Port this time, which cost more than The main reason for the 5 yuan in cash is that the ship materials here are all imported North American oak, and the price is high, which makes the commander-in-chief of the fleet, Colonel Moreel, a little dissatisfied.

"Commander, there is no way around this. The Cape Verde Islands are too short of water. The only forest on the island is very important in conserving water and soil and improving the climate. It cannot be easily moved. There is nothing suitable for shipbuilding on the nearby coast. Timber, not to mention that there is also a local policy to import more products from the Free State, isn’t there no way?” said Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu, who has served in the Cape Verde Islands for many years.

"The economy of this island is not bad. The living standard of the residents is generally higher than that of Huaiyuan Island. The incidence of various infectious diseases is also lower. It's really good. Except for the lack of water, which is more troublesome. , I think everything is fine, there is no problem. With such a large archipelago, it is not a big problem to feed more than 6000 people now, and even more than 1 people can be supported." Lieutenant Colonel Ding Zhen, commander of the Caribbean Squadron He also stood beside him, waving a cattail fan, and said with a smile.

"The strength is limited, and the upper limit in the future may not be as good as Huaiyuan Island. The flaw of water shortage will only become more serious and fatal in the future. Now the domestic industry and agriculture are developing rapidly. Everyone can see that as long as you rely on Only industry can get rich, and industry actually needs a lot of water. At this point, Huaiyuan Island has a huge advantage-well, maybe there is a little too much water there, but that doesn't matter-the Cape Verde Islands are It’s no good, so the future development model is destined to be mainly commercial. Fortunately, the geographical location here is very good, and the people on the whole island are more than enough than the people on the island, so they can live on.” Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu spread his hands , said helplessly: "Moreover, half of the Cape Verde Islands are still in the hands of the Portuguese. Only when this part is in their hands can the Cape Verde Islands truly develop. I don't know the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Are those people strong enough, can they snatch the food from the tiger's mouth, and snatch this part from the Portuguese."

It is said that the current king of the Kingdom of Portugal is Pedro II, that is, Prince Pedro who had dealt with the people on the east coast, the younger brother of King Alfonso, who has only been on the throne for five years.Of course, before taking the throne, Prince Pedro had actually mastered the great affairs of the Kingdom of Portugal, and King Alfonso VI was imprisoned by him until his death.

The fundamental reason why Pedro is so "perverted" is that his elder brother is a disabled person because of close relatives, unable to perform husband and wife affairs and have children. This is destined to be the crown of Portugal sooner or later. .What's more, he also seduced his sister-in-law, Maria from the French Bourbon family (and married her after she ascended the throne), and got the support of many nobles. Therefore, it is normal for him to imprison the king many years in advance, and he will be regent .

Pedro II's policy was to ally England and the East Coast at the same time.The reason for the alliance with England is to consider the security of the homeland and a small number of commercial interests, and the reason for the alliance with the East Coast is to consider the survival and trade of overseas colonies.People on the east coast expressed their appreciation for Pedro II's candid attitude in consolidating the relationship between the two countries. European countries exert influence, although the scale of this base is not very large at present.

Therefore, considering the current situation between the two countries, the people on the east coast still have some confidence in taking over the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands through negotiation and pressure.Isn't it just money, just give it!What?Portugal doesn't want to sell?nonexistent!The friendship between the two countries is so "solid", and the interests are so closely linked, it only takes a little "work" to negotiate this land sale!

"Okay, don't talk about these things, let's think about what to do next. You all talk about your ideas, and I'll listen." Seeing the two subordinates talking about the Cape Verde Islands, Colonel Moreel quickly interrupted.

"This time, the extra special military expenditure in the local area allows us to send a large fleet to Europe. There are actually two tasks. The first is to visit a number of friendly cities, to promote the country's prestige, to enhance the influence, and to provide diplomats with future in Europe. Activities provide the foundation. This task is actually relatively easy to complete, and it is more necessary. Our country’s main fleet has not appeared in Europe for a long time, and its influence has faded a little. People born in the last 30 years have no perceptual understanding of this. If this promotion If Guowei's visit is successful, it will greatly increase the influence of our country, and it will be of great benefit to diplomacy and business, especially for those countries with developed maritime trade. Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu, commander of the Cape Verde Squadron of the First Fleet, said: "The second task is more difficult and very sensitive. If something goes wrong, it will lead to armed conflicts and even wars between countries. higher requirements."

"The matter of interfering with the Anglo-Dutch merger is indeed troublesome, but it is also really important." Lieutenant Colonel Ding Zhen, commander of the Caribbean Sub-Fleet, also interjected at this time: "The combination of industrial capital and commercial capital, the support of a large number of Protestant handicraftsmen and scholars Immigration is a great supplement to the Kingdom of England, and it is also very detrimental to our plans to influence and control England in the future, so we must intervene. But how to operate, I think we still have to think about it in the long run. But Commander, the top priority now, should we Find a way to get a port that is relatively close to England and the United Provinces? The port must be large enough to provide daily supplies for more than [-] naval officers and soldiers, and there must also be enough maintenance ships, artillery and other equipment Well, we also need to have a certain ammunition manufacturing foundation. Battles at sea consume a lot of ammunition, so this must also be considered. In this way, the choice is actually relatively narrow, and the Southern Netherlands does not have such a large-scale Calais and Dunkirk in northern France are suitable, but I just don’t know if they will agree. If not, then the only way is to import ammunition from Lisbon and transport it to the berth of the Grand Fleet. That adds a lot of variables.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ding Zhen's words are true.War is not a game, and the large fleet cannot be received by any port. It must not only have a certain degree of protection (coastal defense fortresses and forts are necessary), but also have sufficient maintenance and supply capabilities (the vicinity must be densely populated, agricultural and The related shipbuilding industry is very developed), and it must be able to provide weapons and ammunition (must have a certain scale of military manufacturing industry), the conditions are relatively harsh.Otherwise, why do you think that when the French vigorously developed their navy, why did they spend a lot of money to build the naval fortress of Dunkirk, making it the home port of the Western fleet?Why is their Eastern Fleet still stationed in Toulon Naval Port?There is a reason for this.

If the fleet of the people on the east coast wants to find a suitable foothold, in fact, Lisbon is undoubtedly the most convenient place, and Viana do Castelo can barely do it, but its ability to repair ships and provide supplies is definitely not as good as Lisbon, because it is still on a large scale. The expansion is not yet completed, and the related industrial chain has not been expanded to the point where it can accommodate large fleets.

The problem with Lisbon, however, is that it is too far from the likely location.If something happens, people from the east bank may not be able to arrive in time, which would be very embarrassing!Therefore, it is best to get a foothold in the Southern Netherlands or France, which is the most ideal.French people may not be impossible, but they are more sensitive. People on the east coast don't want people to put themselves in the camp of France for the time being, so counting and counting, it is the last time in the Southern Netherlands, and the place is also It is basically impossible to get away from Bruges and Antwerp, because only these two are large ports and have certain maintenance and supply capabilities. The disadvantage is that there is no related military manufacturing industry.

But this does not seem to be impossible to make up for. The People's Congress of the East Bank can stockpile a large amount of weapons and ammunition there in advance to prepare for consumption during war.Or simply, as Ding Zhen said just now, Lisbon's military manufacturing industry is quite good, and it can be purchased there, and then transported by fleet to the Southern Netherlands to supplement consumption.

As for whether the Spaniards agree with the East Coast fleet to enter the Southern Netherlands, it is indeed a problem, but it should not be too difficult.In this country, the influence of the people on the east coast is still relatively deep, and their money bags are right under the eyes of the people on the east coast, and they can send troops to attack their colonial ports and cities at any time, causing the financial collapse of the Spanish royal family on the Iberian Peninsula.Therefore, as long as the various requests made by the people on the east coast are not particularly excessive, generally speaking, the Spaniards will not refuse, nor do they dare to refuse.Therefore, when the East Coast Fleet asked to be stationed in Antwerp or Bruges, it was difficult for the Spanish royal family to really refuse. In the end, they could only obediently agree. Although this must be contrary to their original intentions, so what?

"Don't worry about it so much." Mo Lie eel waved his hand and said, "It's better to hurry up and finish repairing the fleet, bring enough water and ammunition, and then find a good weather to set off for Portugal. We are crossing the Atlantic Ocean. I have already lost a water supply ship, a liaison ship, and a light cruiser in the process, and I don't want any more non-combat losses. After arriving in Portugal, I immediately tried to find a way to hire local merchant ships to Prepare for emergencies. Well, if you have any financial difficulties, you can first consult with the embassy in Lisbon, this is a state matter, I believe they will understand the general situation."

As the commander of the task force, Colonel Morie Eel had said so, so Ding Zhen and Zhou Yu naturally had no objections.Therefore, after discussing the issue of sea navigation, the two left the pier and went separately to prepare the fleet and purchase supplies. They were very busy for a while.

1688年8月12日，葡萄牙特遣舰队完成出航前的一切准备工作，开始依次出港，在横海岛外海洋面上集结。4艘战列舰、22艘护卫炮舰、30艘轻巡洋舰、3艘弹药补给船、2艘食水补给船、1艘快速联络船、1艘运煤船、1艘医疗船、1艘运兵船、1艘工程船，总计56艘战斗舰只、10艘辅助舰只组成了一个庞大的船团，顺着洋流向北，一路直趋葡萄牙。

There is no doubt that this is a large-scale fleet, and it is also the most powerful fleet sent overseas in the history of the East Coast Republic. Almost all the elite of the national navy is gathered here.It is conceivable that when this unexpected naval fleet arrives in Europe, what kind of sensation it will cause, and what kind of panic it will cause European countries to experience!England and the United Provinces will be the first to bear the brunt, and the impact of the Kingdom of France will not be small. Spain, Portugal, and Northern Italy will also strengthen their policy of cooperation with the East Coast. I believe that the influence of the East Coast Republic of China will also be at this moment. reached the peak of history.

(End of this chapter)