1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 640 Peace talks in Jianye City ([-])

"Your Majesty, why don't our country of Qi take this opportunity to completely weaken the strength of the Dutch?" Pan Qifeng asked cautiously: "With our current favorable situation, as long as the Strait of Malacca is blocked, they will be cut off from India, tin Orland, and even European trade routes, in time, the Dutch East India Company will inevitably decline. Maybe we still have a chance to completely drive them out of the Nanyang region.”

Qi Tian looked at the dozen or so courtiers sitting there, and found that they also had a look of deep approval, probably agreeing with Pan Qifeng's suggestion.If the Dutch were expelled, then in this vast area, the power of Qi State must be dominant. With the growth of military and economic strength, as well as the expansion of population size, the area will be gradually encroached and annexed, and a huge country will be established. Empire, that's not impossible.

"Everyone, at that time, our goal of launching this war was to share the interests of Nanyang with the Dutch, and at the same time establish our Qi State's status as a powerful country in the region, so as to win a long-term and stable environment for peaceful development. Why, now I think, Taking advantage of a little advantage on the battlefield, are you ready to improve the goals we set before the war?"

"Your Majesty, you need to know that there must be some discrepancies between the development of the pre-war plan and the actual situation." Luo Rucheng, the admiral of the Ryukyu Fleet who has recovered from his injuries, said: "We have wiped out the Dutch in Ambon and Kupang. More than [-] warships captured six or seven positions. If the natives are not counted, there are more than [-] Dutch prisoners. It can be said that the strength of the Dutch East India Company has been severely damaged. Haunting the Strait of Malacca, cutting off some of their trade routes. If we insist on fighting for another year or two, we will certainly be able to push the Dutch into desperation. At that time, they have to agree to whatever conditions we ask!"

Several ministers and senior military officers sitting here nodded and agreed.Ten years ago, we were so weak that we spent nearly three years with the Dutch.Today, our strength is far superior to that of the past, and through preemptive strikes, we have also gained the initiative in local battlefields.It should be possible to achieve greater results and obtain better negotiation conditions, even if it is to completely expel the Netherlands, it is not impossible to do it with a little effort.

"It's not difficult to destroy the Dutch East India Company." Qi Tian smiled, and then said: "After all, they are just a colonial company. The resources and manpower for mobilization are very limited. Therefore, it is naturally impossible to counteract the thunderous blow of our whole country and the mobilization of the whole people."

"However, precisely because they are a shareholding colonial company and a non-government organization without government investment, we cannot overly weaken it or even expel it. The country where the East India Company is located, the Netherlands, you may not know , in today's world, it should be regarded as the richest and most business-minded country. Their territory in Europe is very small, estimated to be less than half the size of Java Island, and their population does not exceed 200 million, but their business territory covers All over the world, a world empire that is extremely inconsistent with itself has been established, and it is the only global maritime hegemony in this period."

"Your Majesty, are you worried that if you hurt the East India Company, it will lead to revenge from the Netherlands?" Honglu Temple Minister Jiang Ruliang asked.

"I'm not worried at all about the fact that the Netherlands, a country that is a colonial company in the country, will travel all the way to Nanyang to find a place for it." Qi Tian couldn't help laughing when he heard this question, "Not to mention the distance It is far away, and their logistical supplies are difficult to supply. Even if they really dare to come, they will not be able to take advantage of us. In fact, their country will not go to war for a colonial company.”

"The Dutch have a natural merchant disposition in their bones, which allowed them to quickly accumulate huge wealth in less than 50 years, and rely on their large number of merchant ships to dominate the ocean. It is the rise of business. It is an important factor, but it is also one of the most fatal weaknesses in the future of this country. I am afraid that it is difficult for you to imagine that when this country is at war with an enemy country, their merchants will resell all war supplies to The enemy country is only because the price given by the other party is higher."

"This move is tantamount to treason by the enemy!" Pan Qifeng said in a deep voice: "Thinking about ten years ago, the Shanxi merchants of the Ming Dynasty also did this, hooking up slaves and making them stronger. Everyone of this generation deserves death! If there are such behaviors among the merchants in our country of Qi, the family will be wiped out."

"Businessmen and merchants, in addition to the government's encouragement and support, naturally must be strictly supervised, and the actions of Shanxi merchants and Dutch people are absolutely not allowed." Qi Tian continued: "But today, we are discussing how to deal with the affairs of the Netherlands, so we don't Do other theories."

"Your Majesty, what you just said about the strength and weakness of the Netherlands is that the Netherlands is the least threatening country compared to other Western countries, and it is also easy to communicate with?" Cui Shaochuan, head of the Strategy Department of the Staff Department, asked thoughtfully.

"That's right. If we want to choose a Western partner worthy of cooperation in the future, no country is more suitable than the Netherlands." Qi Tian nodded and said: "The Netherlands focuses on commerce and neglects manufacturing. In addition, the country is small and the population is not large. Although the sea is powerful, But its merchant nature is bound to be hard to fill, and it will monopolize more regions and more commodity trade channels. This will definitely arouse the envy and hatred of other Western countries, disputes will inevitably be avoided, and national strength will also be weakened.”

"However, for us, the Dutch mainland is not an issue. With the size and strength of the East India Company, they can easily transport the goods produced in our country to Southeast Asia, India, Persia and other regions, and even return to Europe. Sales, and as a bridge and link between us and the West. Therefore, we need the business channels of the Dutch, we also need their world-leading maritime transportation capabilities, and we need them to check and balance the Western colonial forces that will come in the future. Therefore , we cannot weaken the East India Company too much, let alone drive it out of the Nanyang region."

In the 17th century, the tiny country of the Interprovincial Republic gradually became a world economic superpower by hosting refugees deported by other European countries.Of course, in order to ensure its own development, there are several other factors that drive the realization of this ambitious goal.

The wars between Spain, England, and France, for example, distracted these countries from the attention of their small neighbor, drained their finances, and temporarily halted Spanish aggression.However, in the process of the rise of the Netherlands as the world's economic hegemony, the most critical thing is the rapid expansion of its economic strength.

In the process, the Dutch excellent religious tolerance policy has promoted the realization of this goal.Given the 17th century, when all of Europe was busy with religious wars, religious persecutions, and religious fanaticism, the Dutch policy of tolerance stood out.This country is almost the only region in Europe that does not have a state religion, and it can be said to be unique.

Holland was a magnet for religious refugees from all over Europe, Protestants from the Spanish Netherlands, Huguenots from France, Lutherans from Germany, Spain and Portugal. Sephardic Jews from Eastern Europe, Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, and Christian Quakers and Puritans from Britain.

当然，还有很多移民来荷兰纯粹是出于经济目的。大约在1570年至1645年，很多欧洲城市因为战争，出现了经济萧条，而阿姆斯特丹的人口反而从3万人上升到20万人；莱顿的人口从一万5000人上升到7万人；鹿特丹从7000人发展到四万5000人。

In short, these immigrants are like a huge engine, allowing the Netherlands to occupy a dominant position in all fields of the world economy in just half a century.

The Netherlands is favored by countless people for its rich labor force, strong business atmosphere, prosperous economy and open society, as well as numerous opportunities for getting rich.Because of the introduction of immigrants and technology, the Netherlands created and controlled a large-scale industrial system almost overnight, from sugar refining to military production, to chemical products, and their proud shipbuilding industry.

With money, efficient ships, and an unrivaled trade network along the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the North Sea, the Dutch quickly became "the transporters of the world, the intermediaries of trade, and the agents and brokers of Europe", almost completely Monopoly of commercial trade in Europe.

However, because of its prosperous business atmosphere and high monopoly commercial profits, domestic capital in the Netherlands is generally reluctant to invest in long-term, low-profit, time-consuming and labor-intensive industrial production fields.

Taking the East India Company as an example, the Dutch could easily sell their spices in Europe for 17 times more than the purchase price of the Spice Islands, and even in India, they could sell their spices for 12-14 times more than the purchase price.

After the Dutch East India Company seized part of the cinnamon producing areas in Ceylon, and blocked and cut off the Portuguese trade route back to Europe, they began to monopolize the pricing power of some cinnamon, and could set the sales price at will.In 1644, they raised its price from 12 stuffers (Dutch currency unit, equivalent to 1/20 of the modern Dutch guilder) to 25 stuffers, and in 1648, to 30 stuffers.Overall, the profits are huge.

This way of making quick money is much easier than working hard to open a factory!
However, this kind of development model of doing business for the whole people and trading the whole country seems to have no stamina when dealing with war.This country was prosperous for a while, and after being "violently beaten" by Britain and France, it quickly declined, and then handed over its maritime hegemony to the British.

And the United Kingdom, which has become stronger, has been out of control since then. With its superior geographical location as an island country and its continuously expanding sea power, it has continued to enclose land all over the world, and finally established a country that covers seven continents and four oceans, including Antarctica. "The Empire on which the sun never sets".

Therefore, in Qi Tian's view, whether it is the Netherlands located in mainland Europe, or the Dutch East India Company that continues to expand in the Southeast Asia region, they are not the real opponents of Qi State in the future. That Anglo-Saxon nation.Although this country has just ended its civil war and established a republic, its overall maritime strength is far inferior to that of the Netherlands at this time.

But he knew that the British would overthrow the opponent's maritime hegemony through three Anglo-Dutch wars, and then seize the entire Canada from France after the "Seven Years' War", marking that Britain has become an undisputed ocean. Overlord until the end of World War II.
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"Dear Wolf, according to your experience in Hanzhou for several years, how willing are they to reach a peace agreement with our East India Company?" Evel Jimenez, the company's senior representative for external affairs, leaned comfortably on a soft chair and asked Rick Wolf, the former East India Company representative in Qi State, with a smile.

"I think Hanzhou has a strong desire to end the war and restore peace with our East India Company." Rick Wolfe poured a cup of tea for Jimenez and handed it to him, "They If you want to expand the scale of the war, or continue the war, then Hanzhou will inevitably deploy more soldiers and warships to continuously attack our trading bases in the East Indies in order to cause us more losses. But as far as I know, except at the beginning of the war, they stopped their offensive after capturing several strongholds in the Spice Islands and the entire Timor Island."

"However, the Hanzhou people sent warships into the Strait of Malacca, seriously threatening our trade routes between India and Ceylon. Even, it cannot be ruled out that they will attack our fleet returning to Europe at the end of December. Jimenez took a sip of tea lightly, and then said: "This kind of behavior does not mean that we want to end the war early."

"But I think that the Hanzhou people's move is to force us to negotiate peace with them." Rick Wolf thought for a while and said: "I remember when I first came to Jianye City and became the representative in Hanzhou, All the people here are deeply hostile to our East India Company, thinking that we are invading them maliciously, wanting to rob them of their wealth, and kill their relatives. Oh, those days, too bad, we were in the very For a long time, I didn’t even dare to go out.”

"However, when we came to Jianye City this time, we didn't feel much hostility from the people here. This shows that their king and government departments did not exaggerate this war, nor did they deliberately blacken our East India Company Oh, Mr. Jimenez, you must never doubt the ideological propaganda and mobilization ability of the Hanzhou people. I think that as long as they are willing, they can even encourage all the people in the country to join the war and occupy their own All the resources and energy are released."

"Wolf, do you think that Hanzhou's war against us this time did not mobilize the whole people, but controlled the scale and intensity of the entire war within a limited range?"

"I think so."

"Then, Hanzhou needs our East India Company." Jimenez nodded, "They don't want to weaken us too much, they must have taken a fancy to our strong commercial channels and sea transportation capabilities."

"Hanzhou can produce many commodities, and at the same time purchase many industrial raw materials. To circulate these commodities and raw materials, they may mostly rely on our commercial channels, especially the market leading to Europe. ... This is our Restoring the foundations of peace."

(End of this chapter)