I'm really not doing business

Chapter 892 Patterned Jacquard Machine

Zhu Yijun was busy in the Northern Court, but when he went on the southern tour, he only had to deal with nine memorials a day, which seemed a bit too idle for him. On the seventh day of June, the emperor suddenly asked Zhang Hong to call his adopted son Zhang Jin to the Mochou Lake Palace.

After Zhang Jin met the emperor, he learned that His Majesty wanted to visit the Nanjing Weaving Bureau. Zhang Jin warmly expressed his grand welcome to His Majesty.

Zhang Jin had already made preparations. He cleaned the weaving bureau thoroughly inside and out. He even cleaned the toilet three times, flushed it with water more than ten times, and lit incense.

Your Majesty farms himself, and pays close attention to the Xishan Coal Bureau and the Woolen Cloth Government Factory. Even the Chonggu Progress Award is awarded at the Xishan Coal Bureau and the Woolen Cloth Government Factory. Since the Emperor is touring the south, how could he not visit the Weaving Bureau?
Zhang Jin made full preparations for the inspection.

Zhu Yuanzhang built the Nanjing Imperial Palace and built the Da Gong Fang next to the Xi'an Gate of the palace. As the name suggests, they are the residences of meritorious officials. The first house on Xi'anmenwai Street is the residence of Xu Da, King of Zhongshan, and next to the Da Gong Fang is the Nanjing Weaving Bureau.

The emperor's procession set out from the Mochou Lake Palace and arrived at the Nanjing Weaving Bureau in half an hour.

"Is this all the territory of the Weaving Bureau? The last time I came here, it wasn't this big." Zhu Yijun got off the car and pointed where he could see. He realized that he had underestimated the scale of the Nanjing Weaving Bureau.

"Your Majesty, the Nanjing Weaving Bureau originally occupied only 1200 mu, but after several expansions, it now covers mu." Zhang Hong quickly replied, "Now there are looms and male and female weavers. The number of people around the Weaving Bureau who rely on weaving and cotton spinning for their livelihood exceeds ."

When Your Majesty made his last southern tour, the Nanjing Weaving Bureau had not yet undergone its largest expansion, so you were shocked by its huge scale.

“The national treasury and the private treasury only take 30% of the profits in total, and silk weaving itself is a huge profit, so this money is used to purchase nearby land for expansion of production.” Zhang Hong explained why the Weaving Bureau was so rich that it could purchase such luxurious land in the central area of ​​Nanjing.

Because the court took too little.

At the beginning, due to its limited scale, the court took little profit. Later, the Weaving Bureau repeatedly asked to hand over the profits, but the emperor did not allow it, because the interest chain had been formed. If one more cent of silver was paid to the court, one hundred silvers would be less in distribution to others.

The meat-eaters in the Weaving Bureau will not let themselves suffer losses.

This money is public money, and we cannot keep it for small amounts, so we can only expand production.

"Eight hundred acres were actually enough. The additional four hundred acres were originally intended to build the Nanjing Palace. However, Your Majesty forbade the construction of the Nanjing Palace on the grounds that the Mochou Lake Palace had already been built and there was no need to build more. As a result, the four hundred acres were used to build official residences, schools, and gardens." Zhang Hong explained again why there were four hundred extra acres.

Zhang Jin wanted to curry favor with the emperor by building a large and luxurious palace for him. He even had the blueprints drawn up, with tall city walls, four city gates, Chengyun Hall, Circular Hall and Cunxin Hall, east and west court halls, barracks for the imperial guards, and so on. It was basically a scaled-down version of the Beiya Imperial Palace.

Zhang Jin requested the emperor's permission three times, but was rejected each time. Finally, he built the current official residence for the male and female weavers to live in.

"I only come here once every few years, so it is most appropriate to build official residences for the craftsmen. I think it is a good thing." Zhu Yijun thought Zhang Jin did a good job.

There is no point in building a temporary palace. The Nanjing Imperial Palace covers an area of ​​1500 acres, acres more than the Beijing Imperial Palace. It is now abandoned. The three main halls collapsed during the Tianshun period and have never been repaired.

Now outside the Xuanwu Gate of the Nanjing Imperial Palace is the Nanjing Coal Yard. All the coal shipped south will be piled up at the coal yard for distribution.

"Your Majesty, your servants, greet you. Long live Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty." When Zhang Jin saw the emperor coming over, as an eunuch in charge of weaving, he immediately brought the general manager, acting manager, co-manager, weaving doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, and deputy weaving official of the Ministry of Revenue to meet the emperor.

"No need to be polite, just go in and take a look." Zhu Yijun smiled and waved his hand. Just as he was about to enter, he stopped and asked with narrowed eyes, "Zhang Jin, is that the tax inspection office over there?"

At the end of the street, Zhu Yijun saw the huge sign of the Tax Inspection Office.

Zhang Jin bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, this is the Taxation Bureau. It was built in the 16th year of the Wanli reign and moved here. It was supposed to be the barracks of the imperial palace."

"Very good." Zhu Yijun could hear that Zhang Jin was obsessed with building a temporary palace, but unfortunately he met a frugal emperor.

Zhang Jin led His Majesty into the weaving bureau. There was a huge lying stone at the entrance with the words "One who does this is only faithful" written on it.

"Now the two institutes of Nanjing Weaving Bureau produce 12 pieces of silk every year, including various kinds of silk such as damask and satin, with a profit of 36.3 silvers per piece, and a total profit of 1200 million silvers. Each piece of silk is priced at silvers, and last year's sales amounted to more than million silvers." Zhang Jin reported some figures with great pride.

The silk sold to the West and the Mongol Empire, that is, exported, was priced at 52.8 silver pieces per piece. However, not all the silk was sold to the West. Only about pieces of silk were exported. The remaining pieces, more than pieces, were sold to the court at a very low price. The court used them for official uniforms, rewards, global trade, etc. In addition, taxes had to be paid.

So after deducting all costs, the final profit was 12 silver per horse.

The Nanjing Weaving Bureau has two courtyards. The one outside Da Gong Fang is the main courtyard, where all silk weaving is done. The other side, outside Jinchuan Gate, is mainly for the initial processing of raw silk and the dock, where raw silk is loaded onto ships for shipment to the capital or Songjiang Prefecture.

"Your Majesty, this year, our Weaving Bureau built the first mechanical workshop. Please move forward." Zhang Jin proudly invited His Majesty to move forward and take a look at the entire mechanical workshop.

Zhu Yijun walked a few dozen steps and saw three chimneys spewing white smoke, which was particularly eye-catching under the clear June sky. The roar of the steam engine was getting closer and closer, and he could feel the subtle vibration coming from under his feet.

"Your Majesty, be careful with your steps." Zhang Jin carefully reminded that there were steps under his feet.

Zhang Hong immediately took out a rattan hat. One had to wear a rattan hat when entering the workshop. This was the rule of the official factory. In addition to the rattan hat, there were also special cotton earplugs. The workshop was a little noisy.

Zhu Yijun did not seek special treatment. Instead, he took the rattan hat, put it on his head, and put on earplugs. Soon, all the ministers accompanying him wore rattan hats, except for the imperial guards. The imperial guards wore round helmets, which were much sturdier than rattan hats.

Two eunuchs pushed open the door of the workshop, and a wave of heat mixed with the smell of oil hit us in the face. The smell of oil was the lubricating oil. As soon as the door of the workshop was opened, it immediately became noisy.

This huge mechanical workshop has twelve Shengping No. 6 iron horses, which are arranged in the middle of the factory like steel giants. The crankshafts and connecting rods rise and fall regularly, driving the criss-crossing transmission shafts on the ceiling to rotate hummingly.

Wang Chonggu's expression remained calm. He had seen many mechanical workshops in the Yongsheng and Yongding woolen cloth official factories. They were all built under his leadership. Only these ministers who had never seen the world would show such shocked expressions.

When it comes to the mechanical workshop, Wang Chonggu could easily sneer at the civil and military officials in the court and call them a bunch of bumpkins.

The intermediate horsepower of Shengping No. 150 is as high as 1500 horsepower. These twelve Shengping No. iron horses can match the work of craftsmen weaving silk day and night. The rows of looms make neat clicking sounds driven by the transmission shafts.

The shuttle, made of fine steel, was driven by steam and moved so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible. Plain white silk poured out from the end of the machine like running water.

Zhu Yijun reached out and touched the freshly woven silk. The warm touch reminded him of the sunrise he felt at Mochou Lake yesterday, like the warmth of sunlight passing through his fingers.

"What a great stuff! No wonder it's so popular among people." Zhu Yijun said sincerely. He had seen the mechanical workshop more than once, but he was shocked by the scene every time.

Zhang Jin led the emperor to another factory building. This factory building was very tall. When Zhu Yijun walked in, he was a little shocked. There were a total of eighteen looms, which were making clicking sounds driven by the drive shafts.

Thousands of silk threads hang from the top of the eighteen three-story behemoths, like an inverted colorful waterfall.

Dozens of wooden boxes are lined up on the side of the machine, and each box is neatly stacked with perforated cardboard. The most amazing thing is that these cardboards are being automatically read by the mechanical device, making a rhythmic "click" sound!

"What is this?" Zhu Yijun asked loudly.

"The perforated card is the latest jacquard machine built by the Nanjing Weaving Institute. It uses paper tape to drill holes to control the insertion of the thimble, replacing the warp points on the 'pattern'. Each card controls the rise and fall of the warp. Eight hundred silk threads are all driven by iron horses, and patterns can be woven directly." Zhang Jin told His Majesty.

The patterned jacquard machine is the latest invention of the craftsmen in the weaving institute, who have improved the original large and small jacquard machines by using patterned plates instead of pattern books to weave patterns accurately.

"Amazing! The craftsmen of our Ming Dynasty are truly ingenious!" Zhu Yijun said sincerely.

The workshop was not a place for talking, so Zhang Jin did not explain further. Instead, he waved his hand, and eighteen patterned jacquard machines began to work, with more than thirty weavers shuttling around the jacquard machines.

Soon, a round dragon flag one piece long and two feet wide was woven, and the patterns on the eighteen jacquard machines were different.

The dragon flag may seem simple, but it takes ten embroiderers three days to embroider one side, while the patterned jacquard machine can complete it in less than a quarter of an hour.

Except for the round dragon flag, the rest of the patterns are equally complex.

Zhu Yijun stayed in the jacquard machine workshop for a full half hour, watching the weaving of silk and cotton cloth with intricate patterns, before he reluctantly left the workshop.

"Your Majesty, this is Wang Quansong, the great craftsman who invented the punched card jacquard machine." After Your Majesty took off his earplugs and rattan hat, Zhang Jin asked a eunuch to bring in a short craftsman. He was only five feet tall, a little hunched, and about forty or fifty years old.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty." Wang Quansong quickly performed the salute. The chief craftsman was a sixth-rank official, and there were a total of twelve chief craftsmen in the weaving bureau of Songjiang Prefecture.

"No need to be polite, this jacquard machine is really amazing. I have seen it with my own eyes. It is simply magical." Zhu Yijun praised the jacquard machine. This thing is not rare in later generations. In fact, it is an early computer punch card.

The Ming Dynasty craftsmen, led by Wang Quansong, actually used jacquard machines to achieve the most primitive "programming".

"In fact, it was Dr. Huang Zifu, a doctor from the Academy of Gewu, who helped me improve it, that made it so powerful. At first, the patterned jacquard machine could only weave 30 stitches and had little production value. It was Dr. Huang who helped me improve it to 600 stitches. Later, I and the craftsmen worked together to increase it to the current 900 stitches." Wang Quansong hurriedly explained that this was not his own achievement.

This patterned jacquard machine was improved on the basis of the jacquard machine. It was a collective invention and transformation of the craftsmen of Nanjing Weaving Institute. Wang Quansong dared not take all the credit for it.

Doctor Huang Zifu was recommended to the Academy of Gewu by Grand Marshal Tan Lun. At first, he was a skilled craftsman among the people. He had a beautiful tea-serving lady. Tan Lun's son was amazed and got to know Huang Zifu.

Huang Zifu is also the general manager of the Iron Horse project and holds two Chonggu Progress Awards.

Wang Quansong introduced that Zhu Yijun learned that his inspiration mainly came from a small object invented by the Gewuyuan - the music box.

The eight tones of the music box are gourd, earth, leather, wood, stone, gold, silk and bamboo. The sound tube rotates at a constant speed, and when the protrusion passes through the sound bar of the sound board, it will pluck the reed and make a sound.

However, the music box developed by the Gewuyuan used perforated paper as the music score and a hand-cranked fan to produce sound. The music could be made more complex and varied. The music box with perforated paper music score could play a whole piece of music.

Perforated paper music scores can record syllables, but can they record patterns?
The patterned jacquard machine was born under this inspiration. It took a total of five years from the inspiration to the invention of the patterned jacquard machine with practical value.

Zhang Jin was very interested in this thing, and he gave Wang Quansong 70,000 silver coins in installments over five years. Wang Quansong really did not take this silver in vain. In addition to the patterned jacquard machine, he also made many improvements to the jacquard machine, greatly improving the production efficiency.

"This year's Chonggu Progress Award has been announced. Next year, the Nanjing Weaving Bureau will report the invention of the patterned jacquard machine." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Wang Cifu?"

"I think it's a good idea!" Wang Chonggu certainly had no objection.

The president of the Chonggu Progress Award is the emperor, and the vice president and the person who paid for it are all Wang Chonggu. The president and vice president think that this invention can be awarded the pattern plate jacquard machine, even if there is a new creative invention, it can be awarded in parallel. There is really no shortage of money, but there is a shortage of wild and imaginative ideas.

A eunuch looked a little anxious. He came to find Zhang Jin, but couldn't get close to him. Zhang Jin obviously noticed this and his expression changed immediately. After apologizing to the emperor, he hurried forward to ask questions. After hearing what the eunuch said, his face turned as pale as death.

"I deserve to die." Zhang Jin, who had been so proud just now, returned to the emperor's presence and knelt down tremblingly to plead guilty.

"What happened?" Zhu Yijun frowned. Even if the fire dragon burned the warehouse to settle the accounts and burned all the silk to be delivered to Taixi, Zhu Yijun could forgive Zhang Jin for the sake of the patterned jacquard machine.

Wang Quansong is certainly talented, but if Zhang Jin hadn't pushed aside everyone's opinions, how could Wang Quansong have the money to do these things?

The Nanjing Weaving Bureau was indeed dominated by Zhang Jin, but there were also weaving doctors and deputy doctors of the Ministry of Revenue who were keeping an eye on it.

"Someone committed suicide by hitting her head against a pillar in front of the Nanjing Weaving Bureau. She was a weaver who was laid off in March this year." Zhang Jin did not cover up the truth but answered the question honestly.

Your Majesty is here, and we can’t hide it even if we cover it up.

"Why are they being eliminated?" Zhu Yijun asked in surprise, "Is it because the mechanical workshop has started production and the old and weak weavers have been eliminated?"

If this is the case, Zhang Jin is indeed guilty of the crime of death. The Weaving Bureau actually employs many idle people with nepotism. The Weaving Bureau also suffers from the problems of bloat and rigidity that are common in state-owned factories.

All the state-owned factories in the Ming Dynasty had a system of resident craftsmen. Craftsmen would not be dismissed easily. Approval from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel was required, which was a major commotion. State-owned factories would also be cleared out, but it was mainly the lazy people and those convicted of crimes who were driven out.

"This weaver concealed her brothel origin and was persuaded to leave after being discovered by the Weaving Bureau." Zhang Jin said helplessly.

In the fifth year of the Wanli reign, a weaver from a brothel came to the Yongsheng Woolen Factory. After joining the factory, she and her nanny specialized in defrauding marriages. Wang Menglin, the son of the former Minister of Justice Wang Zhigao, was still a juren at the time, and he sued these weavers on behalf of the victims. (Chapter 250)

Wang Chonggu stipulated in June of the fifth year of Wanli that, regardless of the former, those born in brothels would no longer be allowed to work in state-owned factories. It has been twelve years since then.

"No need to be polite." Zhu Yijun motioned Zhang Jin to get up. Since the layoff was reasonable and legal, there was no guilt.

"Wang Ci Fu, is there no room for maneuver in this case? This is already the fourth weaver who committed suicide in the Nan Ya Weaving Bureau." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu and asked. Including this one, this is already the fourth weaver who committed suicide.

The regulations were just issued in the fifth year of Wanli. There was a brothel girl who had just gathered enough money to redeem herself. After redeeming herself, she went directly to the Weaving Bureau. She was only one day away from having a new life and becoming a weaver in the bureau.

In the end, the woman was hanged in front of the weaving bureau.

"Your Majesty, I have overstepped my authority. I am afraid this matter cannot be changed." Without even a moment's hesitation, Wang Chonggu told His Majesty that this matter was not up for discussion and there was no need to ask any more questions. If it could be changed, it would have been changed that year.

At that time, several women who came from brothels used their identities as weavers to commit large-scale frauds. The craftsmen in the government factories were talking about them, and even women from decent families were despised.

It is already difficult for a weaver to get married if she is out in public, and these black sheep's acts of marriage fraud have caused all the weavers to be criticized.

In addition, the craftsmen wanted to improve their social status, and rejecting prostitution and prostitution was a collective will to maintain their social status.

Moreover, many craftsmen will participate in the selection of the Beijing Garrison Navy when they reach a certain age. If the craftsmen are not strictly controlled, the source of soldiers for the Beijing Garrison and the Navy will also decline.

Wang Chonggu explained these factors to Your Majesty back then. Now the threshold for state-owned factories will only be higher, not lower.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and nodded, then said helplessly: "Okay then, I won't go over to check it out. Zhang Jin, just clean it up."

As the Minister of Justice, Wang Chonggu was worried that something even worse would happen, that is, the marriage fraud would turn into outright robbery.

By then, the Ming Dynasty law will support it, and there will be no price for making mistakes. If marriage fraud fails, then accuse the defendant of rape. If the defendant is stubborn and unrepentant, this will completely undermine the cornerstone of the existence of the state-owned factory.

He opposed it. If Your Majesty insisted on changing your ways, then the treacherous minister Wang Chonggu would still firmly oppose it.

Your Majesty can let anyone who can do it, since Wang Chonggu can't do it anyway.

Zhu Yijun walked around the entire Nanjing Weaving Bureau, and especially went to the Women's Weaving School. Seeing that the children of the craftsmen were all studying there, he left the Nanjing Weaving Bureau through the side door with great satisfaction.

"Zhang Jin, you did a great job. Wang Ci Fu said that it cannot be changed, so you did nothing wrong. Just do it as usual. Remember to report the patterned jacquard machine. We will select the winners of the Progress Award next year." Zhu Yijun reiterated his attitude before leaving.

Zhang Jin does not need to change the rules of the official factory for his own inspection. Since the rules have been set, they must be followed.

When Zhu Yijun returned to the Mochou Lake Palace, the Imperial Guards had already thoroughly investigated the background of the weaver girl who had died by hitting her head against the pillar.

The place where the weaver girl died was across a street from the Nanjing Weaving Bureau. The emperor inspected the area and ordered a street clearing, and no unauthorized people were allowed to approach. The weaver girl initially wanted to go through the barrier to report to the emperor, but the imperial guards wouldn't let her. On their way to report, the weaver girl made up her mind and bumped into a pillar of the archway, killing herself.

Because she has no other choice.

"Her identity was exposed because she bought too much rouge and powder, and people pointed fingers at her. The Weaving Bureau conducted a careful investigation and discovered that she had concealed her background." Zhu Yijun then knew why she was exposed.

In addition to rouge and powder, she also likes to buy various gold, silver and jade jewelry to dress herself up.

There is too much worldly air.

Feng Bao placed the case file in front of His Majesty and said, "When she was working at the weaving bureau, she borrowed a total of 300 silver coins from the bank and bought a lot of jewelry and clothes. After she left the weaving bureau, she sold all her jewelry, but it was still not enough to pay back the money."

"If she can't return to the weaving bureau, she won't be able to repay the old with the new. When she heard that His Majesty was going to review it, she took the risk."

The case was not complicated at all and the situation was simple and clear. Without her identity as the Weaver Girl, she was nothing. Even the money houses were unwilling to lend her money. She was stopped from filing a complaint with the emperor and she simply ran over and died under the archway.

"Archive it." Zhu Yijun did not give any further instructions. He initially thought that it was a deliberate arrangement by powerful tyrants to embarrass him as the emperor.

Look at how you, the emperor, have issued reckless orders, which have forced people to death!
But this is not the case. Unless some powerful people want to flatter him as the emperor, there is no need to pay too much attention to it.

The fourth murder in front of the Nanjing Weaving Bureau can only be blamed on the group of black sheep who committed marriage fraud in the fifth year of Wanli.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from the Netherlands, Ian Maren, has been waiting for nearly an hour." Feng Bao reminded His Majesty that there was a foreign envoy to meet him.

"Announce." Zhu Yijun looked at the time. It was not yet time to meet the envoy. It was because Ain came early.

What the Ming Emperor didn't know was that Ian had not slept well since he set foot on the land of Songjiang Prefecture's New Port and learned that the Emperor had allowed the Dutch to buy a five-masted ocean-going ship.

He had been waiting for an audience with the emperor, and he was a little impatient, so he arrived at the palace in advance to wait.

"Your Majesty the generous, wealthy and wise Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the envoy from afar sincerely pays homage to Your Majesty. I bring greetings from the parliament and thank you for your help. The salt of the Ming Dynasty is fine and has no impurities. It helped the Dutch people survive the most difficult time." Ian Maren knelt as soon as he entered the door and thanked the emperor for his support with a long aria.

Salt is the lifeline of the Northern Alliance (Netherlands). Originally, it was supplied by overseas colonies, but after being cut off by Spain, all the salt in the Netherlands came from the Southern Alliance (Belgium).

If the Ming Emperor's global trade fleet had not arrived at the port, the only option left would have been temporary surrender.

"I plan to approve five five-masted ocean-going ships for you. I am extremely angry about Felipe's tariff policy." Zhu Yijun did not hide his intentions and stated it directly.

"I have sensed your Majesty's anger, but we are not capable of accepting your goodwill. Please understand that the Spaniards are still the most powerful country in the West. Even after the great defeat, they still defeated the English navy." Ain Malen gave a very unexpected answer.

The Ming Dynasty showed goodwill, but the envoys from the Netherlands did not dare to accept it.

"Your vow to oppose the bill is like a thorn in Felipe's side," Zhu Yijun asked in some surprise.

The oath of allegiance has been published publicly. Now, the Dutch people dare not buy the five-masted ocean-going ships of the Ming Dynasty. What a logic.

"His Highness Felipe blamed the English. If we accept Your Majesty's kindness, then... His Highness Felipe will have sufficient reasons to launch an expedition to the Netherlands." Ainmaren, the son of the miller, had to explain the reasons in detail.

The reason for Philip II's expedition against England was to avenge the Queen of Scotland because the Queen of England killed the Queen of Scotland. The fundamental purpose was to force the Northern Alliance to surrender through the expedition.

As a result, the Spanish Invincible Armada was completely destroyed except for the five-masted transatlantic ship from the East, and there was little hope of regaining the Netherlands, which became the fundamental reason for the collapse of the gold bond narrative.

As for the Northern Alliance, they would rather Spain be mired in the quagmire of the Anglo-Spanish War so that they could survive in the cracks, rather than angering Philip II and letting him directly attack the Netherlands.

"If that's the case, my good intentions will bring more suffering to the Dutch." Zhu Yijun understood the envoy's words. He smiled and said, "I don't know whether the court secretaries have read the oath bill, but Felipe must have read it carefully."

Felipe obviously did not want to continue to intensify the Dutch people's will to resist, but instead took action against the English who provoked the Dutch.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your tolerance and understanding." Ainmaren expressed his sincere gratitude again.

Sometimes, small countries do not even have the power to reject goodwill. The Ming Dynasty is too far away, so far that it takes a year to reach it by boat. It is so far away that when the Ming Dynasty is destroyed, the Ming Dynasty may not be able to get the news.

"But I am still very angry about Felipe's tariff policy." Zhu Yijun expressed his attitude. He did not use salt to force the Dutch to accept his goodwill. The situation was not yet that bad.

"Your Majesty, you can let Portugal sell the gold bonds in retaliation for Felipe's behavior. For many reasons, Portugal holds a large number of Felipe's gold bonds. As long as Your Majesty orders Portugal to sell the gold bonds, the gold bonds will collapse." Ainmalen diverted the trouble to Portugal, causing it to offend Spain.

Anyway, Portugal refused to allow Spain to annex it, which had already completely offended Spain, so it didn't care about this anymore.

The person who knows you best is your enemy. Obviously, Ainmaren knew clearly where Felipe's weak spot was. Even if the Dutch got ten five-masted ocean-going ships, they would not be a match for Spain.

But once Portugal starts selling gold bonds, the situation in Spain will be heading for complete collapse.

(End of this chapter)