Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2039 Beihai ([-])

On January 1689, 1, the day after the glorious surrender of the German mercenaries in Nijmegen, Prince William III of Orange, who had just finished his visit to Westminster Abbey, received the latest news from across the sea in his carriage.

The most important news is undoubtedly the joint statement issued by the three levels of parliament in The Hague.Because the third-level parliament ordered the navy not to leave the port after taking over the power, and at the same time strictly searched the merchant ships traveling to and from the UK, so these news were delayed for several days, and finally sent to London through an armed merchant ship loyal to the Orange family—— this ship The ship was delayed for a few more days to wait for the goods, so the news was not delivered to King William III until more than ten days later. At this time, there were already sporadic rumors about the changes in the Netherlands on the streets of London, which was also drunk.

William III read the news very quickly, and then crumpled the letter into a ball. The expression on his face was distorted for a long time, and finally calmed down gradually.To be honest, what happened in the United Provinces gave him a great shock!Although he expected that with the help of the heretics on the east coast this time, the gang of the three-level council would definitely set off a huge wave in the country, but what he did not expect was that the energy of this huge wave was so huge that even Capsized the ship he left in Holland, which was far beyond his knowledge.

Originally, William III thought that there were still many officers in the army who died from his own family, and the [-] German mercenaries would also play a role in stabilizing the morale of the army at critical moments.After I finished dealing with the matters on the London side, I returned to the United Provinces again, using popularity and various secret hands to reverse the current slightly unfavorable situation.

But who would have imagined that the chairman of the three-level parliament, Van Boyningen, was so decisive. He directly controlled the members of the seven provinces through soft and hard tactics, allowing the resolution to remove himself from the ruling position of the United Provinces to pass, and completely pushed himself into a deeper abyss. .If this is the case, then that’s fine, I still have ways to find opportunities slowly, but under the instigation of the pagans on the east coast, they brought in a lot of mercenaries from Switzerland, the Southern Netherlands and other places, plus the damn The cooperation of the mercenaries on the east coast managed to control the situation in the two provinces of the Netherlands and Zeeland, and then used the resources of these two richest provinces to recruit officials and troops from other provinces, completely securing the victory.

There is no doubt that the republicans cannot play this kind of operation method.Since the DeWitt brothers stepped down and died abroad, the Republicans have lacked hardliners and have always been known as weak.They may be good at economics, trade, and political intrigue, but they have made no achievements in the military field and lack relevant talents, so William III somewhat despised them.

Now the facts slapped him very loudly.The Republicans not only achieved political success, but also achieved great military success through a series of dazzling military mobilizations.They first took control of the army around The Hague (to be honest, it was not difficult), and then took over the Breda fortress, gaining a lot of weapons and ammunition and the support of local soldiers.

Of course, things can still be saved at this point. If William III adjusts his deployment and responds correctly, the situation should be able to be saved.But he should never have left the United Provinces at this time, and went to England to fight for the throne.This behavior, which in many people's eyes is almost "betrayal", was naturally made a big deal by the republicans, which further damaged William III's reputation.If combined with the pamphlets that were widely distributed across the country by the republicans a while ago, and the embezzlement scandal that just broke out not long ago, William III's reputation has really fallen to a historical low.

At this time, the republicans will take advantage of the situation to pursue and fight fiercely, using the righteous name of the central government to clear the way with money, so it is naturally not difficult to recruit a large number of troops for their own use.Moreover, these people are also quite sober, and they sent many envoys to the German region quickly, scattered countless money, promised countless conditions, successfully disintegrated some German princes who originally supported William III, successfully stabilized the external environment, and wiped out the risk of foreign armed intervention.

It can be said that things have come to this point, William III is gone, and the remaining suspense is how long the supporters of the Orange faction can last, and whether a civil war will break out in the Netherlands.If a civil war breaks out, although it will be harmful to the country, it may not be a bad thing for the Prince of Orange himself, because it means that he still has a chance to come back.However, under the strong suggestion of intelligence officials on the east coast, Van Beuningen made a decisive decision and signed more than a dozen orders in one day to mobilize the largest number of troops to surround Nijmegen at the fastest speed.Intelligence officials on the east coast believe that speed is the most important thing in soldiers, and the more decisive and fast they act at this time, the easier it is to minimize the risk of civil war.If they bargain with Friesland, Groningen and other provinces according to their original idea, things will inevitably become out of hand after a long delay.

The final result also proved that the intelligence officials on the east coast did not do a bad job in their analysis.The German mercenaries in Nijmegen chose to compromise under strong pressure, and after the honorable surrender, they dispersed with severance pay.If they were given enough time to allow the Orange faction to raise enough funds and contact more external relations, things might very well be different.

Therefore, William III now hates the people on the east bank to the bone. They destroyed his plan and made him react as if he had swallowed a mouse feces on the festive day when he was about to ascend the throne of England.Although the ruling position of the United Provinces is not as good as the throne of England, it is also one of the most popular thrones in Europe.But now that it is lost, how can this not make William III mad!

William III felt that his anger had become somewhat irrepressible.He almost wants to go back to the United Provinces desperately, and then summon those old ministries who have betrayed him more or less—in his opinion, if they didn’t stand up at the critical moment, and still kept silent, it’s a betrayal—and ask them what they think of!How could the republican faction's nonsense literati seize power!

However, William III was also a rational person. After his furious emotions gradually subsided, he thought ideally about the current situation.There must be a large number of people who support him in the United Province, there is no doubt about it, but they chose to remain silent under the general situation, chose to protect themselves wisely, and did not stand up resolutely to protect the interests of the Orange family.If he returns to the United Provinces under the right circumstances, these people may not jump out and become his wings again.

It's just that this requires an opportunity, and he hasn't found this opportunity yet.Thinking of this, even Prince William III of Orange, who has been through the world for a long time, has to heave a long sigh and wait slowly.

On the same day, Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun of the East Coast Army also wrote a letter to Special Envoy Gao Wengang in the Dutch military camp outside Nijmegen.

The German mercenaries in the city had already received 20 guilders worth of gold and silver urgently raised from nearby districts—it is amazing how much money the Dutch could raise overnight—as the first payment for their demobilization. .It can be seen that these mercenaries from Prussia, Saxony, and the Southern Netherlands are in a good mood. They are all discussing whether to buy some urgent supplies in the Netherlands and bring them back to their hometown in the countryside. atmosphere.

Don't you all have your heads on your trouser belts, and go thousands of miles away from home to become mercenaries, isn't it just for money?Now that the people of the Prince of Orange have cut off their source of funds, the so-called employment agreement before has naturally been voided.Fortunately, the new Dutch government is quite generous, and they are willing to pay them severance pay equivalent to three months of military pay, so that they can return to their hometowns with weapons. This is really the best thing.There are even some German mercenary officers who are asking if the new Dutch government is willing to hire them, and they promise to work for the new government.It's just that the Dutch are still a little jealous of them, and finally declined, which makes many people feel very sorry.

Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun was not interested in these Germans, but the affairs of these people also reminded him how important it is to have an army that can be fully controlled and will not be easily bought by the enemy, especially for the new Dutch government in front of it Even more so.In the letter, Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun suggested to Special Envoy Gao Wengang to take advantage of the opportunity of the Dutch army purge to help the Dutch republican government form a new army completely under their orders.

The officers of the new army should be promoted from soldiers who sympathize with and support the republic. It doesn't matter even if their background is lower. What is needed now is loyalty, and a lower military quality will not affect the overall situation.Unreliable officers were asked to go home to take care of their children, and unstable troops could be dismantled slowly in batches, and then the saved funds were invested in absolutely loyal troops.If you persist in this way for a few years, you should be able to receive miraculous effects and greatly reduce the influence of the Orange family in the army.

Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun believes that this matter is very urgent and must be done as soon as possible.Now William III seems to be harmless, but if the situation changes drastically in the future—for example, in the lowlands of France—he may return to power in the Netherlands, because the people are very awed by his title of anti-French hero and think that he is the only one Can bring the Dutch people out of the quagmire of war, not those republican governments that only get rid of the navy.

When it comes to the republicans and the navy, one has to mention the current trend of the United Provincial Navy.Since the three-level parliament in The Hague issued a joint statement and announced it to the whole country, most of the navy basically accepted the facts and announced that they would accept the leadership of the new government.Especially after William III took away most of the naval ships and officers and soldiers who were loyal to him, the rest were either sympathetic to the republicans or neutral, and the new government took control easily.

The current Dutch navy is only about [-]% from its peak strength, which makes people a little worried.However, considering the Netherlands' deep sailing tradition, strong financial strength, and the status quo of a large talent pool, it should be possible to restore its peak strength.

It is reported that the new Dutch government has now officially invited the East Coast Naval Task Force to leave Bruges and station in several major military ports in the United Provinces in order to better block the North Sea and deal with possible surprise attacks by the British. a little low.The East Coast Navy has agreed to the Dutch invitation in principle, and they will work together with the Dutch Navy for a period of time to closely monitor the movements of the English Navy (including some ships that followed William III to London) to prevent William III from jumping over the wall in a hurry Under counterattack.You must know that now can be said to be the most vulnerable moment for the new government. They need some time to stabilize the floating hearts and establish their own stable ruling order, so there must be no accidents at this time.

"...the United Provinces and our country's economy have a great complementary relationship. The new government of Van Boyningen intends to sign a series of procurement contracts and trade agreements with our country, which is of great significance to the development of our country's industry and commerce. Therefore, at this important juncture, it is especially necessary Pay attention to the counterattack of the reactionary forces of the Prince of Orange, which will shake the overall situation of the United Provinces. I suggest that you can choose [-] smart and capable soldiers from the Portuguese garrison, and choose [-] strong soldiers without bad habits from the existing Dutch army. , to form a modern new army. The equipment and equipment of the new army can be transferred from the Viana do Castelo base nearby. The delusion of the restoration of the reactionary forces." Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun sat at the desk and wrote, and I saw him continue to write: "The naval fleet should continue to stay for more than six months to stabilize the situation in the North Sea and maintain trade freedom. A huge amount of money is required. Military expenses should be solved by the new Dutch government issuing bonds, and at the same time, it can also exercise the navy’s navigation, search, and combat skills, which will be of great benefit to future development.”

After writing the above, Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun thought about it, and finally added some conjectures about the recent situation.He learned through various channels that now the French are ready to move again, and want to take advantage of the great opportunity when the Netherlands and England are in disarray and the situation is favorable, to launch a war of aggression with the main purpose of annexing land, in order to achieve Louis XIV The purpose of pushing France to "natural borders" (the so-called natural borders, that is, the Alps, the Rhine, the sea, etc.).

According to the current route of the French hoarding grain, grass and war supplies, Mr. Mao Chupan judged that the direction of the French troops this time is the Rhine River, which probably has something to do with the repeated urging of the Ottomans.And once the French mobilize troops, the situation in Europe will add more variables.At this time, people on the east coast should stand together with the new government of the United Provinces, which they have just placed a heavy bet on, to solve the internal or external problems they may face and protect their own interests.

Of course, this does not seem to be particularly urgent at the moment, because the French have just started diplomatic preparations before the war, and there is probably still some time before the actual war.

I recommend "Empire of the Setting Sun", which is read by iron and blood. It is really well written, and I feel ashamed.

(End of this chapter)