1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 955 Visiting the European Fleet ([-])

Lisbon, Portugal, June 1679, 6.

A group of Portuguese officials and senior military officers who came to the port to welcome the Qi State Mission looked at the several Qi State warships riddled with bullets and the smoke had not yet cleared. Apart from being astonished, they also had mixed feelings in their hearts.

The people of Qi blatantly attacked the Kingdom of Spain, and even dealt a heavy blow to their navy at the door of Spain!
It took them several months to cross tens of thousands of sea miles to Europe, how dare they be so tough (reckless)?

This move, such a feat, really stunned the cautious Portuguese.But deep down in everyone's hearts, they sincerely cheered for the feat of the people of Qi.

The Spaniards are out of luck again!
100 years ago (1578), the tragic Portuguese King Sebastian I died in battle during an expedition to Africa.Because of his young age, the poor king was not married, and he didn't even have an illegitimate child, which was necessary for European nobles at that time.

This makes the Portuguese have a headache. Where can I find a new king?

Seeing problems in neighboring countries, Spain, as a good neighbor, expressed very enthusiastically, don't you have no king?Would you like me to give you one, buy one and get one free, and Spain will also give you one by the way!
At that time, the mother of King Philip II of Spain was a Portuguese princess. According to European traditions and legal principles, she also had the right to inherit the Portuguese throne.But when the Portuguese heard it, it didn't seem like a good thing!

Is not the King of Spain still your King?So a group of nobles struggled for a long time and decided to make the previous regent, the original king's uncle Cardinal Enrique, the king.But this old man (he was already 66 years old at the time) was still a cardinal and could not marry, even if he wanted a son, he had problems.

First of all, he is old and his physical condition does not allow it. Secondly, religious restrictions prevent him from doing it even if he wants to. all?
Sure enough, two years later (1580), the 68-year-old Cardinal Enrique died in office. His death left the Portuguese throne vacant.

Afterwards, Spain became a little impatient, and if you don't want to give you a king, then don't blame us for getting mad and simply force it.After some mild fighting, Portugal reluctantly made Philip II king of Portugal.

In 1640, the Portuguese, who could not bear the rule of the Spaniards, staged riots in Lisbon, Braga, and Evora, expelled the Spanish governor, announced the restoration of Portugal, and elected João, Duke of Braganza, as the governor of Portugal. king.

Then, after another 28 years of arduous struggle, British forces were also introduced into Portugal. Finally, in 1668, a peace treaty was signed with Spain, which forced it to fully recognize the independence of Portugal, keeping its borders and territories unchanged, thus ending Spain legally. The king's 60-year rule over Portugal.

But the weak Portugal still lives in the shadow of the Spaniards, lest it will be attacked by the other side and annexed.For this reason, the Portuguese royal family and court ministers adopted the method of hugging their thighs, actively moved closer to the British, and signed the "Anglo-Portuguese Alliance" treaty with them, so as to maintain Portugal's rare "independence".

Since then, Portugal has become a small follower of the United Kingdom. When the elder brother said to fight, he would fight there. He gained a lot of benefits from following the United Kingdom, and his national security was fully guaranteed.Dancing with the strong is the national path that Portugal has chosen for itself, and it is also the way for a small country to survive. Judging from the past few decades, Portugal is undoubtedly successful.

The Portuguese are no strangers to Qi. From India, Mozambique, Angola, and Brazil, there are local colonial officials and businessmen who more or less mentioned this country in various reports and business information exchanges. The southern New World countries can produce a large number of industrial products, exquisite clocks and instruments, soft mid-to-high-end cotton cloth, high-quality steel, as well as tea, silk and porcelain resold from the East, all of which are sought after by European businessmen.

In addition, Qi State also established a general representative office in Europe in Amsterdam, and sent envoys to the United Provinces, France, and the United Kingdom, and has exchanges and contacts with officials and people in various European countries to varying degrees.

This regional power, which almost controls the entire Indian Ocean, has shown an aggressive posture since its birth more than 40 years ago, and has continued to expand to the East Indies, India, Persia, Arabia, and Africa on a large scale. The surrounding areas of the Indian Ocean are surrounded by their sphere of influence, which seems to be the de facto Indian Ocean empire.

Now, they have extended their tentacles to Europe in order to further expand their influence.The development achievements made by the Qi State made the Portuguese jealous and jealous.

Because, as early as more than 100 years ago, we Portuguese were the most important players in the Indian Ocean.By 1530, the Portuguese successfully attacked the old shipping route through controlling a series of strongholds along the Indian Ocean coast, making the entire situation in the Indian Ocean almost in their hands.But in the end, due to their own lack of strength, they failed to achieve their ideal goals and completely established their hegemony in the Indian Ocean.

But now, the Qi people seem to have done it.From South Africa, to East Africa, to the Red Sea, to Persia, India, Malacca, plus the vast Hanzhou continent, the people of Qi embrace the entire Indian Ocean tightly in their arms and become their "inner lake" where they can gallop freely. Grab countless wealth from it.

Relying on this, Qi State has become a well-deserved world power in this period.The visit of their mission was naturally highly valued by the Portuguese, and the regent Prince Pedro held a grand welcome ceremony for the mission in the palace.

In the next three days, the two sides reached a series of cooperation agreements on politics, economy, military, cultural exchanges, and overseas colonies.As the earliest traditional partner, Qi State will continue to maintain the security of Portuguese India and Portuguese East Africa, and promote the flow of trade in these areas.

The Portuguese agreed to give Qi’s American territories more extensive trading rights in Brazil, and provided them with a large amount of strategic materials such as grain, sugar, gunpowder, and firmly supported Qi’s armed confrontation with Spain in the Americas.

However, out of caution, the Portuguese tactfully rejected Qi's proposal to establish some kind of military alliance against Spain.

What a joke, if you establish a military alliance with the Qi State and launch a military operation against Spain, your Qi State is tens of thousands of miles away. Once the war is unfavorable, or the fight cannot continue, you just pull away and leave, why don't you just send us Portugal? People stay alone to face the rampaging Spaniards!

Although, you just beat them twice in the Spanish coastal area, and arrogantly bombarded several Spanish coastal towns, showing your super sea combat power.

But to be honest, our Portugal is small and weak, and we really dare not follow your Qi country to get involved in the war with Spain rashly.

Well, let's just be a spectator quietly. It would be best for you Qi to mobilize all resources to fight a war with Spain that lasts for several years, or even more than ten years, and greatly consume the strength of our neighbor, lest they always Think about our territory.
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June 6, Madrid.

King Carlos II of Spain was ill again. In the gorgeous and spectacular Alhambra Palace, the prime minister, archbishop, court ministers, and countless nobles watched the court doctors coming in and out very nervously. Everyone is praying to God, hoping that His Majesty the young king can recover as soon as possible.

You must know that although His Majesty the King has reached his full age, he has not yet given birth to any heirs, even illegitimate children without any status.

In order to improve the tense relationship with France, the Spanish royal family has initially reached an agreement with the French royal family. Carlos II will marry Marie Louise de Orleans, the niece of King Louis XIV of France, as queen this year.

If something happens to His Majesty the king, it will be a huge political disaster for the whole of Spain.Not only is there a major variable in the marriage with France, but it will also create an extremely serious problem-succession to the Spanish throne.

When Carlos II was born, his four eldest brothers had all died, making him the sole heir to the Spanish throne.His Majesty the King has suffered from various genetic diseases since he was a child, and his physique is very weak. Every time he gets sick, the whole of Spain will be nervous.

When His Majesty the King was 14 years old, the Queen Mother had stuffed him with many women, but nothing came of it.As a result, the question of the succession of the royal family has always been a sword of Damos hanging in the hearts of all Spanish upper-class nobles and court ministers.

The royal family is likely to be at risk of extinction!
"Your Majesty is awake." A senior court physician walked up to Don Juan Jose, Prime Minister of the kingdom, and said softly.

"How is Your Majesty doing now?" Don Juan José couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.

"Your Majesty's condition is still unstable, and his body is extremely weak. He needs to rest for a long time, and..." the imperial doctor looked up at the Prime Minister. Stimulate."

"..." Don Juan José couldn't help laughing bitterly after hearing this.

More than ten days ago, His Majesty heard that the Royal Navy suffered consecutive defeats in the waters near the Balearic Islands and Almeria, and that several coastal towns were bombarded by the Qi fleet. fainted on the throne.

It is heard that the Qi fleet has left the coast of Spain and headed north, possibly to France or the United Provinces, to obtain corresponding supplies and repair their damaged ships.

Who would have thought that the Royal Navy, with twice the strength of Qi's fleet, not only failed to annihilate or severely damage its ships that broke into the Mediterranean Sea, but was beaten up and embarrassed by others.

The kingdom's navy that dominated the world a hundred years ago has lost its glory, and it has gradually become a thing of the past!
"My lord, Your Majesty has just issued an order for the governor of New Spain to send all of the more than 100 sailors and immigrants captured on the Pacific coast of Mexico to the mainland." The royal doctor continued to say.

"Huh?" Don Juan José was stunned when he heard the words, "Send those Qi people to the mainland?...What does Your Majesty mean?"

In July last year, the West India Affairs Office received a report from the Governor of New Mexico, saying that a stranded Qi ship had been captured on a deserted island off the Pacific coast of Mexico.Then, after a tough battle, the more than 100 Qi sailors and immigrants who were on board were also captured.

At that time, Don Juan Jose did not take this report to heart, but only warned the Governor of New Mexico through the West Indian Affairs Council to vigorously rectify the cruise power along the Pacific coast to prevent such incidents from happening again and ensure the safety of the American territories of the Kingdom of Spain. .

As for the captured Qi people, let the local colonial government handle it by themselves.Thinking about it, they will definitely be thrown into the Saucito silver mine in Mexico and spend the rest of their lives in misery.

Why, His Majesty the King will suddenly think of those captured Qi people?

"Your Majesty said that all the Qi people will be hanged in the port of Spain in response to the unprovoked provocation of the Qi people."

"It took so much trouble?" Jose was dumbfounded, "We can definitely execute those Qi people in America."

"My lord, this is His Majesty's order..." the court doctor reminded softly.

"Well, I got it." Jose could only helplessly respond to His Majesty's paranoid decision, "Did Your Majesty say that the captured Qi ship should also be sent back to Spain?"

"..." The court physician thought for a while, then shook his head, and said, "Your Majesty only mentioned those captured Qi people... A stranded and damaged ship is not particularly important. Will care about that."

"Later, I will instruct the West India Affairs Council to convey His Majesty's order to the Governor of New Spain." Jose nodded and said, "At this time, may I enter His Majesty's bedroom and visit him once or twice?"

"Your Majesty the Prime Minister." The court physician said in embarrassment, "Your Majesty has ordered that no one will be seen at this time."

"...Alright." Jose nodded, then sighed, turned and walked outside the palace.

"Your Majesty Prime Minister." Alex Balder, the senator of the West Indian Affairs Council, followed closely behind, "Your Majesty wants to vent the anger in his heart by publicly executing the captured Qi people, but in this way, it will be very difficult. It is possible to further intensify the conflict between us and Qi. Do we really need to follow His Majesty's instructions and handle this matter?"

"Do you still think there is room for maneuver between us and that New World country?" Jose said worriedly: "Since His Majesty issued an order to insist on attacking the Qi fleet entering the Mediterranean Sea, our Kingdom of Spain has in fact been in conflict with them." We are in a state of war... What's more, in the past few years, our American territories and the people of Qi have already fought over territorial disputes, and several large-scale armed conflicts broke out during this period....Our Kingdom of Spain has fallen into a crisis again. A new war."

"Then shall we send an expeditionary force to the American territories?" Senator Alex Bald said with a sad face: "The Viceroyalty of Peru has already lost several games in a row in front of the people of Qi. The relaxed colonial army and armed militia may not be able to defeat the people of Qi."

"Yes, we must form a powerful expeditionary force to go to the American continent to completely defeat and expel the Qi people." Jose said solemnly: "This is related to the dignity and glory of the Kingdom of Spain, and we must use this to deter All the countries and evil powers that covet the possessions of America. Our Kingdom of Spain, despite all the difficulties we face, is still strong and can effectively defend all our sacred territories and overseas possessions!"

(End of this chapter)