Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 669 Difficult Negotiations ([-])

Valladolid, February 1648, 2.

The exhausting second official secret negotiation has been going on for more than two hours. Mo San sat on the chair with a blank expression on his face, looking at the secretary Balboa who was also expressionless opposite him, thinking about how to speak. say.

"Time is the best ally of our government." Mo San cleared his throat and said, "Our strength is growing every year and even every month. Since 1633, the number of our army has increased fivefold, and the number of our navy has increased by five times. The number has increased almost tenfold, we now have tens of thousands of trained fighters ready to mobilize, and our army has more cannons than you have in all of Spain combined. We are launching a brand new main force every year Warships, I think your country’s naval department should have heard of this.”

Balboa was silent.In fact, he didn't know what to say. He knew that the other party was talking nonsense, but he couldn't refute it, because the embarrassing thing was that the Kingdom of Spain had never had an assessment of the war potential of the Republic of the East Coast.How many warships they have, how many ports, how many shipyards, how many repair yards, their usual training level, etc. They don’t know anything. Balboa’s self-esteem makes him think that the Spanish Kingdom’s navy is stronger than the people on the east coast, but Maybe our advantage is not so clear anymore?

"The power of the Kingdom of Spain is beyond your imagination, people from the east coast." Clerk Balboa interrupted Mo San's meaningless show off, and then said: "The compensation is 400 million pesos, which is already the minimum. .If you wish, you will also receive a demand draft worth [-] pesos from the Amsterdam Exchange Bank (the largest bank in the Netherlands) as a token of our gratitude."

The two sides no longer know how many times they have discussed the issue of war reparations.Speaking of the present, Mo San is also very clear that the Spaniards are asking for money now. If the domestic side still clings to the principle of not paying compensation, this war may continue for many years.Although people on the east coast are not afraid of war, early peace is still beneficial if the price is right. At least the Ministry of Finance does not need to issue a large amount of paper money in the country to pay for the war.

Mo San has also heard the news of soaring domestic prices.There was a lot of currency on the market all of a sudden—the banknotes printed and issued for purchasing materials and paying soldiers’ salaries, cash returned from looting, pensions and retirement benefits for war dead and wounded, etc. The amount of currency increased, but the supply of materials decreased. Now, the actual purchasing power of the currency has declined, inflation has exploded, and prices have risen sharply. These are the side effects of the war.

Although the government has also taken many measures to stabilize prices, such as: public auction of a large number of spoils-mainly artworks, jewelry, high-grade furs, etc., selling a large number of war bonus cattle to ordinary farmers, and increasing blood sucking from the colonies-the main measures It is to increase the amount of materials sent by the colonies to the local area, guide domestic funds to invest in industries-such as agricultural machinery rental companies, agricultural machinery repair companies, private fishing, etc., organize a large amount of capital (mainly veterans and businessmen) to go to Xinhua Island to develop plantations, etc. measure.

These measures have effectively diverted funds, prevented the water in this small pool on the east bank from drowning people, and also promoted the prosperity of the domestic market to a certain extent.However, emergency measures are emergency measures after all, and the prices of some commodities that are closely related to the lives of ordinary people have risen irresistibly, and some have increased considerably.Although the minimum wage standard for workers has also been raised in the country, this is just drinking poison to quench thirst. The measures to treat both symptoms and root causes are to quickly end the war, then develop production, and enrich the commodity market; and the end of the war will also reduce the cost of most goods imported from the east coast. This will help reduce domestic inflationary pressures.

"Compensation is absolutely impossible." Mo San said, but then changed his tone and said: "But if your country proposes to sell the area east of the Uruguay River and the area around the Port of Blanca to our country, I think our government should be cautious. Consider. But this price is very inappropriate. I think the land purchase fee of 50 pesos is reasonable. Because La Plata is a desolate place at all, it is not worth so much money. If you want, then this one is now An agreement can be reached.”

It is not that the country did not give Mo San the authorization on the issue of compensation.The civil officials really wanted to end the war as soon as possible. At the beginning, they even planned to allow Mo San to pay 200-250 million yuan in compensation—that is, the annual fiscal revenue of the whole country.However, the military forces quickly intervened to disrupt this matter. In the end, the upper limit of compensation was set at 50 yuan, and the title became land purchase fees.

400 million pesos is equivalent to more than 333 million yuan, but Mo San's authorization is only 50 yuan, which is impossible to repay.

"I don't care what your name is. In short, we need to receive a fee of 400 million pesos. As for the 50 pesos you said, can I think you are joking?" Balboa stood up from his chair and raised his voice.There were only the two of them in the empty room, so their voices could reverberate inside for a long time.

"Do you know what 400 million pesos means?" Mo San lit a pipe for himself, then chuckled, and said, "We can use this money to arm more soldiers, build more warships, and then If you want to call Potosi, Lima, and Panama, do we need to negotiate with you when we have the money?"

Balboa was a little annoyed: "Okay, people from the east coast, as you said, but 50 pesos is too little. Your Majesty will not easily change his decision just for hundreds of thousands of pesos. There is no mention of the ownership of the Port of Blanca. As far as I know, there is an excellent fishing ground near this port, and the annual fishing income is extremely amazing. In other words, the value of this port is very high. You want to put this The port is also taken away, so I am only willing to pay a few hundred thousand pesos, is this reasonable? 370 million, really cannot be less.”

Mo San hesitated.It can be seen that the Spaniards did negotiate with a certain degree of sincerity this time, otherwise the core issue of war reparations would not have been involved.But what he can decide is really only the upper limit of 50 yuan. On this, there is really little room for negotiation between the two parties. It can be seen that the Spaniards are relatively short of money, but why are the people on the east coast not poor?

However, maybe I can include some other interests into this negotiation, and then appropriately relax the upper limit of compensation, so that there will be conflicts of other interests, and maybe the mainland will be able to agree to what I have made in terms of war compensation. backed down.

"Mr. Balboa, I fully understand your feelings, but please also correctly understand the situation on the battlefield today. It is absolutely impossible for 370 million to be accepted. I don't want to explain more about this. Of course, if your country agrees to some If we put forward additional conditions, I have a way to persuade our government to increase the cost of some land purchases. If you are willing, I will propose these additional conditions now, and then we will negotiate one by one; if not, then this negotiation will come to an end Well, the differences between us are too great, and there is no possibility of bridging them in the short term." Mo San looked into Balboa's eyes and said calmly.

"I would like to hear your opinion, please speak."

"That's good." Mo San exhaled a smoke ring, and then said: "First, your country should allow our country to adopt a flexible payment method, that is, part of the land purchase fee can be paid for by commodities such as cotton cloth, steel bars, and grain. Payment in installments is accepted; second, the area east of the Parana River and west of the Uruguay River is set as a buffer zone between the two sides, and your country is not allowed to garrison or build fortresses, and at the same time, Buenos Aires is demilitarized; third, your country Our country shall not sell the territory adjoining our country to a third country, nor shall it grant any concession to any third country or its citizens without the consent of our government to build roads, dig canals, extract mineral deposits or establish industrial enterprises in these areas At the same time, these lands are not allowed to be used by citizens of third countries; fourth, open the Pacific coastal ports for our civilian ships to dock for supplies, and at the same time allow our fishing boats to fish along the coasts of Peru and Chile; fifth, stop oppressing the Araucan people , to recognize the independence of the Kingdom of Araucania, whose territory includes..."

"That's enough, Mr. Mo, no one dares to agree to your request." Balboa rudely interrupted Mo San's words, and he said with a pale face: "The first one is okay, if you confirm If the ratio of cash to goods is good, then it is not impossible to negotiate; the second article is too much, no one will allow a city like Buenos Aires to be undefended; the third and fourth articles are simply in the Nonsense, especially the fourth article, open the ports of Peru and Chile, my God, this is the back garden exclusive to the Spaniards, and outsiders will never be allowed to enter; the fifth article about the Araucan people is even more whimsical, This is the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Spain, and outsiders will not be allowed to interfere violently."

"I'm just making a suggestion." Mo San took his last puff of cigarette, stood up, took his coat and put it on before saying, "You can forward my suggestion to His Majesty the King of your country, and then Let's see what His Majesty said. Anyway, what I mean is that I have conveyed it. If your country disagrees, then the land purchase fee of 50 pesos is the upper limit, and there is no room for negotiation. Maybe your country thinks that most of the gold and silver in America last year It was successfully transported back to the country, and the most difficult days have passed, but I think this may not be true. Now the French continue to increase their troops in the southern Netherlands, and at the same time hoard a large amount of war materials in the northeastern part of the country through offshore routes. Provinces, it seems that there is going to be a big war. To be honest, I am very pessimistic about the prospect of war in your country, and I can't imagine how bleak the Kingdom of Spain will be once the rich Southern Netherlands is captured by the French. Unbelievable situation. Well, I think I have to go back, of course if you have new ideas you can always come to me, I live in Valladolid. Farewell, wise Mr. Balboa."

(End of this chapter)