Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2032 Flissingen's plan

On November 1688, 11, a small fleet led by the three-deck battleship "Executive Committee" sailed into Vlissingen, an important commercial port in Zeeland Province, with a high profile.

Vlissingen is an important port for importing goods on the east coast, where a large number of sea trade merchants gather, and has always been an important support force for the republicans.Moreover, Zeeland Province is also the stronghold of the West India Company. From big businessmen to ordinary citizens, many of them are shareholders of the West India Company.Although the company has been injected twice by the East India Company due to financial difficulties, taking up a large part of the shares, the East India Company's current attitude towards the East Bank is also inclined to be friendly (they have just given a loan recently. people to lend to the Ottomans), not to mention these small shareholders who have gained real benefits on the east coast.

Therefore, when the "Executive Committee" arrived at the port of Vlissingen with two escort gunboats, four light cruisers and an ammunition supply ship, they received a fairly warm welcome from the locals.The two Dutch warships in the harbor also came out to greet them, firing gun salutes with the people on the east coast, and the scene was very harmonious for a time.

However, when the ships on the east coast berthed and the officers and soldiers went ashore, they still encountered some Dutch who showed hostility.Yes, even in Vlissingen, a city where capitalist business is very developed and republicans have been operating for many years, there are still a certain number of people who tend to be Orangemen.Most of them are old-school aristocrats and conservatives. They are not particularly interested in overseas trade, are particularly hostile to France, and are not very friendly to pagans. In short, the Three Views are very at odds with the East Coast.

But these people's opinions don't really matter, and no one cares what they think.After the naval officers on the east coast came ashore, they had lunch with some Dutch militia leaders and naval officers in the port of Vlissingen and did some goodwill activities.In particular, they donated 3.3 guilders (approximately [-] yuan) to the orphanage, which won the favor of the Dutch citizens, and covered this action that was originally a propaganda of force with a cloak of warmth.

Of course, the propaganda of force is still real. The three-deck battleship "Executive Committee" surpasses any warship currently in service in the Dutch Navy in terms of tonnage, firepower and mobility.In the United Provinces, where the maritime consciousness is very strong and overseas trade is extremely developed, the "convincing power" of this kind of warship is more effective than anything else!Many Dutch people who did not update the inherent information in their minds in time had always thought that the Dutch navy was the only one in the world, but after seeing the small but very elite fleet of the East Coasters, they were also a little silent, and at the same time they thought more about it. The future of the United Provinces navy and overseas trade.

"Recently, we have found some interesting things." Former United Provinces ambassador to the East Coast and current Zeeland Provincial Councilor Hieronymus van Beveninghe sat across from the Commander of the East Coast Fleet and Captain Morie Eel , smiled and said: "William III allocated a lot of funds from the treasury in order to 'entertain' his German friends. There are complaints. In addition, some funds used to build roads, forts, docks and seawalls are also considered to have been embezzled. This is what we found out after a lot of effort. The Lange family has been disbanded, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. But we have reason to suspect that the money was used by them to hire foreign mercenaries, mainly Prussians, Saxons and Walloons in the South Netherlands. These troops will Brought secretly to England by William III to support him on the throne."

"Misappropriation of funds? What kind of harm can this cause to William III? Is it enough to shake his rule?" Morie asked immediately after hearing this with interest.

"You can make him a big fool, but you can't get him out of office for the time being. You know, their family has taken root in the army since the last century. Although many soldiers oppose him because of coveting the throne of England, they are loyal. He still has a lot of people, and most of them are concentrated in the northern provinces. Amsterdam is also controlled by an army that is completely loyal to him. In the southern provinces where the situation is somewhat unstable, more than 2 coalition troops from Germany have recently stationed. Completely under the orders of William III. These people had a lot of trouble with the local Dutch native army, and the relationship was not harmonious, and many people regarded them as invaders." Van Beverninghe said: "I mean, William III recently What he has done in the past year has been disappointing. Many people don't understand why he wants to be the king of England when he is already in power for the United Provinces. Is that position so attractive to him? These undoubtedly breed dissatisfaction among too many people. No one believes that if he succeeds in taking the throne of England, there will be a level of peace between the two countries, after all, your throne is in London, not The Hague, isn't it?"

Mo Lieel was a little disapproving after hearing this.Misappropriating people's livelihood construction funds to engage in mercenaries for personal gain, this kind of news is of course a big scandal, it will reduce the popularity that is already not as good as before, and more people in the military system will be shaken and dissatisfied with it.But the question is, who is going to organize them against William III?It is a pity that the republicans have reached an agreement with some military officers and are in a state of cooperation, but it is far from enough!So what if William III's reputation was damaged?If you don't overthrow him, will he leave by himself?Now it is necessary to continue to create public opinion to expose William III's old background, but it also needs to master some powerful weapons. This is the biggest shortcoming of the republicans!

Moreel had studied the history of the Netherlands and knew that the Orange family started out by opposing Spain and France. They had run the army for many generations and their power was deeply rooted.Even after the death of William II, the republicans mixed a lot of sand in the army, which only reduced the family's control, not to mention that they reorganized the army during the Franco-Dutch War, and their control was greatly enhanced .What really had a fatal impact on the influence of the Orange family in the army was actually William III's intention to become king of England, which made him no longer morally able to regard himself as the protector of the Netherlands. After all, the protector would not betray the interests of the Netherlands. of.

In addition to the army, the Orange family has also focused on infiltrating the navy in recent years, eliminating the phenomenon that the republican family dominated the navy in the era of the DeWitt brothers.In the current United Provincial Navy, the influence of the Orange family is still very strong, at least they can control a considerable part of the ships for their own use, and the republicans have fallen into a disadvantage.

Therefore, Mo Lieel now feels that the republicans are a little bit out of focus.You are actually right to blackmail the material, because it can win some general momentum for you, but isn't it more important at this time how to turn this general trend into a winning trend?Morley felt that he should remind these guys, shouldn't he learn from William III and rely on foreign armed forces as a backing, so as to take the lead in the cruel power struggle in the future?

"Heronymus, please allow me to interrupt, but I really want to know, how many troops can you influence at present? I mean, once there is a conflict with the Orange faction, how many troops will firmly Standing on your side, how many people will remain neutral?" Mo Lieel immediately interrupted after hearing Van Beverninghe's long-winded speech: "This is very important, please answer me after thinking carefully."

"I estimate that there are more than 1 people. I'm not sure, but we have contacted many officers. They are very dissatisfied with William III and said that they will not go with them to England. Many people in the navy were recruited by them because Many large wholesalers in Amsterdam were bewitched by William III, thinking that once he came to London, he would bring them unimaginable benefits, which influenced the choice of many navies. As for how many there are, it is really hard to say.” Xi After thinking about it for a long time, Ronniemus Van Beveninghe said with a blushing face, "Actually, I haven't paid much attention to this aspect. It's been what Conrad sent people to do."

Mo Lie's head got dizzy when he heard it.These trash republicans are full of "possibles" and "maybes", which are pure guesses, directly giving people an unreliable impression.They also said that many military officers did not support William III's entry into London, but this does not mean that they will support you republicans!He said that he could control more than 1 troops, but Morie felt very suspicious, because people's hearts are very complicated and can change at any time, and it may not be certain that they will defect to the Orange family one day.

"Heronymus, now I officially suggest that you should immediately hire a group of troops as the core armed forces that can be directly commanded. With these people, you can use this as the core to influence and coerce more Dutch local troops, Then fight against the Orange family. To put it bluntly, if you don’t have an army you can absolutely trust, those generals who have contacted you and expressed support may be drawn back at any time. You see Well, William III knew that he hired troops from Germany and was stationed in Nijmegen, echoing his troops in the Netherlands and Groningen, wouldn't you learn from them?" Morieel looked at Van Beverninghe and said : "Aren't you interested in the [-]th Mixed Battalion before? Let me tell you clearly now, yes, yes, you can hire them now. This time I brought a group of left-behind personnel from the [-]th Mixed Battalion to Flissing Well, I have almost understood the affairs on the Black Sea side. The main force of the [-]th Mixed Battalion may return at any time. I will let someone inform the Viana do Castelo side. As soon as I arrive, I will immediately set off northward and arrive at Vlissingen. How about it? "

"I have no objection. It was Conrad's idea to hire the [-]th Mixed Battalion. He believed that the [-]st Mixed Battalion saved Speaker De Witt in The Hague and was our unbreakable ally. The [-]th Mixed Battalion was also a military exploit Fantastic troops, I think they can also do a good job," Van Beveninghe replied.

"Very good." Mo Lieel nodded, and said, "It's not enough just to have the seventh mixed battalion. In fact, we will recruit [-] mercenaries in Portugal (actually, the group that went to the Black Sea earlier). The cost It will be paid by you, they have fought against the Russians, have rich combat experience, and can be trusted. Of course, if you are willing to pay more, there are still a lot of Cossack prisoners of war over there, which can also be used.”

"Go get ready, sir, time is precious." Morley finally said: "We will return to Bruges in a few days, and then organize a fleet to patrol the Strait of Dover to see if anything happens."

Watching the World Cup delayed the codeword. . . . . .

(End of this chapter)