Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2329 Cagliari

The blue sky is like washing, and the sea is quiet.A wave of heat hit, the deck was terribly hot, and the cabin was suffocating. This made the well-dressed Cai Zhenguo very impatient, but he didn't want to be bare-chested like those sailors.Envoys stationed abroad, who are unusual officials, represent the country in every word and deed, so they dare not show any disrespect.

"The temperature of the water must be around 20 degrees. Why is it so hot?" A sailor carrying a leather bucket to clean the deck complained to his companion, "I'm almost burnt with oil."

"When I passed by the island of Malta just now, I saw that the smoke column on the island was soaring into the sky and the forest was covered with fire. The weather is really hot." Another sailor was wiping the deck with a towel and said without raising his head: "Go to Cali Yali will have a long vacation in the future, and he can take a good rest at that time. The weather is so tormenting."

Their ship departed from the port of Smyrna, carrying a large amount of raisins, blankets, leather, dried fruits and other goods. It will stop in Cagliari, Sardinia on the way, sell some of the goods, and then replenish some locally. Wheat, transported to its final destination Genoa* for sale.It should be said that they can still make some money on this voyage.Although it is not as lucrative as ocean voyages, it can at least make up for part of the expenses of various commercial stations (information stations), which is enough.

Cai Zhenguo went to Istanbul before, in order to "strengthen" the relationship between the East Bank and Turkey.The so-called strengthening is actually a euphemism for repairing the relationship.In view of the fact that the Turks complained that the East Bank did not respect Turkey enough, this time Cai Zhenguo met the Sultan and the Grand Vizier in person, and his attitude was very polite, which can be said to have given him enough face.However, when it came to key interests, Mr. Cai did not back down a single step. As the saying goes, I will give you face and I will take it away. There is no need to discuss it!Fortunately, the Turks accepted it in the end.

However, they also seem to be a little dissatisfied, because they feel that the cooperation between East Bank and Ottoman is no longer the close state it used to be.They now have Italy, they have the Oirat Khanate, they also have huge influence in the Crimean Khanate, and the Ottoman Empire has declined in importance, which irritates them a bit.Fortunately, everyone is an adult who is aware of things, and will not engage in fearless emotional battles. The Ottoman Empire is facing strong pressure from Austria and Poland, and the people on the east coast also need to win over them to realize their long-term plans in the Black Sea. Still can only continue to cooperate.

Of course, Cai Zhenguo did seriously consider the expansion of the Venetians on the Dalmatian coast.The Ottomans criticized this a lot, but the Venetian desire to expand was really strong.In the end, after much deliberation, they could only let both parties take a step back!Let the Venetians understand that if the Northern Italian coalition captures more Italian states, Venice, one of the two most important confederate countries, will gain greater benefits, and there will be basically no future troubles, at least compared to the worries after capturing the Dalmatian coast It would be less troublesome to be counterattacked by the Ottoman Empire, wouldn't it?

As for Turkey, it is actually very simple.Let them look ahead and know who their biggest enemy is now!The terrain along the Dalmatian coast is complex and there are many islands, which is very suitable for Venetians with relatively strong naval strength.Moreover, they can organize an army of tens of thousands of people. With the assistance of the navy, how many troops do you plan to send to defend the Ottomans?One hundred thousand?I'm afraid it's not enough. 20?Do you want to go elsewhere?It's no good to care about your head and ignore your buttocks!

Therefore, in the end, the Ottoman Turks accepted the reality and planned to cease fire with the Venetians on the current line of actual control between the parties.As for the sovereignty of these places, it will be put on hold for the time being and discussed later.Basically, this is the acquiescence of the Turks to the Venetian occupation of part of the Dalmatian coast that is currently swallowed up. If the Venetians continue to attack if they are not sensible, then His Majesty the Sultan will not be able to hang on, and maybe they will Assemble a large army to attack, and for this reason give up the interests of other places, such as returning the province of Podolia and Western Ukraine to Poland.

The Venetians were reluctant to agree at first.However, after a lot of thinking, Cai Zhenguo decided that he could not "get used to" them, and asked them to stop as soon as they saw it, and shift their energies to the north.The Austrians and the French are the primary enemies they need to pay attention to.As for the Kingdom of Spain, which nominally controls Milan, Parma, Naples, Sicily and other places, there is really no need to worry. Once it decides to tear itself apart from Spain in the future, it will not be difficult to occupy these places with the strength of the Northern Italian coalition forces.Those Spanish garrisons, all fat and big-eared, are good at collecting money, but they are not good at fighting.And what about the local nobles?Maybe some are inclined to the Habsburg royal family, but definitely not many, and there may even be a considerable number of Italians.Before the Genoese people patted their chests and said that they could take Sicily, which they had been operating for decades, in a short period of time. For this reason, they had already recruited troops in Genoa, Corsica and other places, and they were waiting to start.This is the case in Genoa, can't the more influential Venetians do it?How can it be!

The merchant ship anchored directly in the port of Cagliari and stopped. The sailors winked at each other, and then went ashore in batches and disappeared into the streets and alleys.Meanwhile, Cai Zhenguo, the Special Envoy of the East Coast Republic of China to Europe, went ashore under the escort of several entourages, hired a carriage, and then went to a villa on the outskirts of Cagliari Port.

This is one of the strongholds operated by Genoese people here, and it belongs to the famous St. George's firm in the country.The three major islands in the Western Mediterranean, Corsica, Sicily, and Sardinia, the influence of the Genoese is still very large (in order of ranking), among which Corsica is almost the same as direct control of you, Except that there is no garrison, the nobles of the island all rely on the breath of the Genoese, and they also pay a lot of tribute every year; Sicily was a very important food source before the people on the east coast opened up the Black Sea food source for Genoa (otherwise A major source is North Africa), the island is full of grain plantations run by Genoese* people, and businesses are also controlled by them. People from the east coast can't say anything about choices, but it shows how deep their control is.

Control in Sardinia is somewhat problematic.On the whole, the Kingdom of Spain is still very powerful here, because there are many aristocrats who are originally from Spain, and the local colonial officials are relatively capable, helping the Kingdom of Spain to barely maintain the situation. big difference.But so what?According to the plans of the people on the east coast and the Genoese, in the future they will organize a large army to land here, directly use military means to break up the rule of the Spaniards, and force this big island to join the Northern Italian Federation.

Cai Zhenguo discussed with the representatives of St. George's Firm in the villa for two full days, and the main content of the discussion was about the occupation of Sardinia.The Genoese are very confident about this, because the Principality of Tuscany has been won over by them, and will provide direct military assistance at that time to make up for the shortcomings of the Genoese in terms of army strength.Cai Zhenguo expressed his appreciation for this, because he did not want to see the situation where the Venetian family dominated the Northern Italian coalition forces. It is not a bad thing for Florence to stand up to check and balance.

However, Cai Zhenguo also kindly reminded that the Genoese should manage Corsica well and not treat them like a colony.Although there is no obvious excessive taxation, controlling other people's foreign trade itself is a serious exploitative behavior. After a long time, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction with local nobles and businessmen-this trend is already present, Genoa* The reputation of the island of Corsica is not good - the mainland of Genoa is narrow and cramped, with a population of just over 60. If it can be deeply integrated with Corsica, then its strength will usher in a leap forward, and it will truly have the same level as Venice. The capital of human bargaining.

The representative of St. George's Firm still knew the importance, and nodded heavily upon hearing the words.Although Genoa is rich, but the population and land are too small, and the potential is limited after all.If you think about it this way, your eyelids were indeed a bit too shallow in the past. The relationship between Corsica and the Genoese mainland is not harmonious, and the Genoese are more responsible.Now the good prospects of the Northern Italian Federation can be seen by anyone who is not blind. As the saying goes, if you have money, people, territory, and external support, if you take advantage of the chaos to annex more states this time, you will be even richer, have people, and have territory. up.And how to compete for influence in these newly seized lands is a very complicated science, which requires not only the intricate relationships, but also hard power.Venice's economy has recovered quickly over the years, the treasury has a certain surplus, and the country has a population of 300 million, and the strength of the army is not bad. If it really wants to fight, the advantage is still great. The Republic of Genoa needs to prepare early .

Before leaving, Cai Zhenguo also revealed the current physical condition of King Carlos to the Genoese.According to the information they got, King Carlos is currently lying in bed for half a year, in poor health, and has symptoms such as auditory hallucinations and shortness of breath. Sometimes he doesn't even recognize his confidants.She lost all her teeth and lived on drinking human milk. Her body was so emaciated that she could almost be blown down by a gust of wind.Cai Zhenguo told them to step up their preparations and not wait until King Carlos really died. The Genoese naturally had no objection to this and nodded repeatedly.

Cai Zhenguo stayed in Cagliari Port for about ten days.After the crew returned to the team one after another, the merchant ship did not go to the planned next stop, but turned its course and went straight to the port of Ceuta.

(End of this chapter)