Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2452 Bishop of Lleida

On June 1702, 6, the "Winter Solstice" anchored in the port of Valletta on the island of Malta.

Although only a escort gunboat, it is still strong enough on the small neutral island of Malta, whether it is the enemy's shore artillery - well, decades old grandpa artillery - or from other countries. No ship can compete with it.

Of course, the people on the east coast did not want to occupy the island of Malta, at least not at present.The Knights of the Hospitallers who control the island of Malta uphold a neutral attitude and treat ships from all sides impartially and equally (except for those in Turkey). Whatever you do.

After the "Winter Solstice" left the port of Ajaccio, it went straight to the coast of North Africa. Sheng Dehong will make a surprise attack on Tunisia and Tripoli, and strengthen contact with the local warlords.The stop at the island of Malta this time was just to buy some ship materials to repair the ship.

Interestingly, they encountered a merchant ship from France in the port of Valletta.The ship set off from the Adriatic Sea and was about to return to Marseille. In addition to a large number of goods from the Balkan Peninsula, there was also a person who was a special envoy on board, that is, Bishop Lleida, the former Spanish ambassador to Vienna.

Because the two countries declared war on each other, Bishop Lerida ceased to serve as ambassador for more than a month. However, he did not return to China immediately. Instead, he secretly went to Northern Italy to visit some old friends.After learning that the Principality of Milan and other places would indeed never return to the embrace of Spain, he could only sigh and leave sadly, returning to Spain via the island of Malta. Unexpectedly, he met Sheng Dehong, the East Coast Plenipotentiary Envoy to Europe in the port of Valletta.

Sheng Dehong arrived a day earlier than the bishop, and he was staying at the house of a friend of the Knights Hospitaller.After Bishop Lleida heard about it, he immediately came to ask for a meeting, and Sheng Dehong agreed.

"Your Excellency, Spain has gained a wise monarch, and we are gratified." Sitting in the back garden of his friend's house, Sheng Dehong smiled and said to Lleida who was wearing a priest's robe.

I don't know if it's too sensitive or what, Bishop Lerida felt that Sheng Dehong's words were full of teasing and irony.He suddenly remembered a joke that had been widely circulated in Madrid: In a certain war, the ministers reported to King Carlos II that Mons was occupied by the French army. It was only after being reminded that Mons was a city in the Southern Netherlands under his rule, which made people very speechless.And before the attendant reminded him, he even thought that Mons was a city of the British, making a big joke.

Of course, Carlos II made a lot of jokes, and many of them were circulated in the courts of various countries, some of which were true, and some of them were rumors.The reason is that the British and the Dutch especially like to ridicule the Spanish royal family, which they don't like, and they don't hesitate to spread rumors about it.On the contrary, the French, who also have a lot of hatred for Spain, don't like to spread rumors very much. Although Louis XIV is aggressive, he doesn't bother to use indiscriminate means to satisfy himself.

"Yes, His Majesty Philip V is very smart and good at uniting the majority of people. He is very suitable for Spain." Bishop Lleida replied.

His words also meant something, because Philip V's performance so far has been very decent, and most people are very satisfied. This may be inseparable from his grandfather's teachings.Louis XIV wrote many little notes to the Duke of Anjou before he went to Madrid to take the throne.The little notes were written hastily, very casually, and touched on a lot of topics, but I have to say that they were all good words.for example--

"Love the Spaniards, but don't give favor to those who love flattery. Use those who dare to offend your dignity in the interest of the country and make you feel uncomfortable. Those who dare to take such great risks are your true friends. "

"When people talk to you about the affairs of state, listen carefully. Listen a lot at first, but make no decisions. As you become more knowledgeable, remember that things are for you to decide. But no matter how experienced you are, do All views and reasons stated by the Privy Council must be heard before a decision is made."

"Give thanks to the late king and to all those who claim your succession. Put your trust in Cardinal Portocarrero and give him your thanks, for he has worked so hard for you during this time. Give the Marquis de Argout (French ambassador at Madrid) complete confidence, he is a good man, capable and honest, he will put himself in your place and give you useful advice."

"Let all the French in Spain be more law-abiding than the Spaniards, and be stricter with them. Treat your own servants (brought from France) well, but do not indulge them, let alone trust them too much. If they are disobedient, dismiss them immediately, and never support them against or harm the Spaniards."

"Do not have anything to do with the widow of Carlos II except for essential contacts and contacts. Find a way to get her out of Madrid, but not your country. No matter where she is or what she is doing They must be closely monitored, she is strictly prohibited from participating in state affairs, and they must maintain a high level of vigilance for those who often contact her."

"When you see something strange about the Spaniards, don't be disgusted, let alone ridiculed. Every country has its own customs and habits, and you will quickly become familiar with the strangest things you see."

"As far as possible, don't give your favor and trust to those who expect it with money. Give generously but more modestly. Don't accept gifts from others, unless they are of little value. If you return him with a gift of greater value some days, the king cannot owe favors."

"Always remember that you are a proud Frenchman. After you can fully ensure that your children inherit your throne and govern Spain on behalf of our family, you will go to inspect your kingdom. Especially Naples, Sicily, Catalonia and Aragon, look at the situation on the ground and be aware of it."

Now it seems that Philip V has firmly remembered his grandfather's words. He behaves well, is intelligent and humble, and at the same time is very generous. The Spaniard who has endured the stupid king for more than 30 years almost burst into tears, which can be regarded as a normal point The king is gone!Moreover, this king completely regarded himself as a Spaniard, and even put several French officials (Philip V's entourage) who were drunk and rioting in Madrid into prison, which made people applaud.

Now, all of Spain is cheering for the new king.The news of the independence of Milan, Parma, Mantua and other places was considered to be suppressed, submerged in these festive atmospheres.Bishop Lleida was also delighted for Philip V. France is the most powerful country in Europe, and Spain's alliance with it really couldn't be better.As for the opposition from Austria, the Netherlands, and England, he didn't take it seriously, because he had heard that the Ottomans were about to launch an offensive on the Eastern Front, striving to capture Transylvania, Hungary and other places.In the face of the enemy's "jihad", it is hard to say that the Austrians will not be pinned down, which gave Spain and France an excellent opportunity to establish a victory in World War I!

"I don't know if Your Excellency the Bishop sees me, what advice do you have?" Sheng Dehong asked directly without going around in circles.

"Mr. Special Envoy, why do you support the Northern Italian Federation?" Bishop Lleida sat upright and asked seriously: "If your country needs land or allies, Spain may be a better choice."

"Hehe. The Italian people have the right to decide their own destiny. Whether it is Milan or Savoy, the matter is best left to them to resolve. Any interference from external forces is not advisable. I can only say so much, Your Excellency the Bishop." Sheng Dehong didn't express his true thoughts, but said casually.

In fact, this is also normal.You can't just say bluntly, we think everyone here is rubbish, we want to subdue you all, and let us establish and lead a new global order, right?This is too arrogant, and it will make the diplomatic work on the east coast a lot passive.

"No! Italians should obey their monarchs instead of deciding their own destiny. God did not authorize them to do so." Bishop Lleida still said seriously, "The monarchs of Milan, Parma and other places are His Majesty Philip V, They became independent without authorization and joined an unknown federation. They completely betrayed the interests of the king and will be punished. Special envoy Sheng, I only hope that your country will not get involved in this kind of thing, otherwise it will completely lose Paris and Madrid. Friendly."

Sheng Dehong smiled and said: "The East Coast Republic of China has always cherished the friendship with other countries, whether it is Spain or Northern Italy. We advocate freedom of trade, national self-determination, and Northern Italians have the right to decide their own destiny. That's all for now , I hope His Excellency Bishop can understand."

Having said that, there is no need to continue.Obviously, the Kingdom of Spain does not want to give up its own interests in Italy.At present, the independence of Milan and other places is already very dissatisfied, not to mention that the Northern Italian coalition forces will go south to attack Sardinia, Sicily and Naples in the future. Wouldn't that kill them?In this matter, the East Bank is completely unable to satisfy Spain's demands. On the contrary, they will support the Italians in their war of national unity.The interests of the two sides are completely different, and there is really no need to talk about it.

On June 6, the escort gunship "Winter Solstice" left the port of Valletta and headed for Tunisia.As the situation on the European continent became increasingly tense, these North African warlords were also ready to move, wanting to reap some benefits.They all patted their chests and promised to protect the commercial interests of the people on the east coast and not harm the east coast and its allies, so you might as well do business with them.Anyway, it's a rag, if you don't need it in the future, just throw it away.

On June 6, when Sheng Dehong finished his visit to Tunisia and planned to go to Tripoli, a fast liaison ship of the navy brought the latest news: Louis XIV sent the Duke of Burgundy to Chambery to meet his father-in-law ( Duke of Savoy), and successfully persuaded this country to join the French side. At the same time, the Anti-French Alliance also began to take the initiative to attack in the direction of the Southern Netherlands, and a large-scale battle with a scale of about 14 people officially kicked off.

(End of this chapter)