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Chapter 1058 European Delegation 2
The first question after the meeting made him feel cold in his heart. It was not because he was afraid that he would not be able to determine who the Duchess of Chevreuse's lover was and would displease the emperor, but he really couldn't figure out through what channel the emperor got this information.

Even though the Ming Empire sent hundreds of envoys to Europe in the past ten years, few of them were able to enter the courts of various countries. This kind of news was rarely circulated among the people except in the aristocratic circles. Could it be that the Ming Empire had already found its source of news in the courts of various European countries?
Every time this thought came to my mind, I felt a little scared. You know, 99% of the personnel sent to Europe by the Ming Empire were picked up and transported by merchant ships of the East India Company. If the matter was exposed, no one would be able to escape the guilt.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just asking casually... Does this mean that Mr. Villiers has returned to Europe?" Hong Tao didn't know what Governor Cohen was thinking, but he could understand his current situation.

As the Governor of Batavia, the smoother the relationship with the Ming Dynasty, the more stable his position. But everything has two sides. When the Dutch East India Company almost monopolized 90% of the Asian spice supply, and the Ming Empire personally defeated the Anglo-Spanish joint fleet, his position and that of the company became a bit awkward.

As the ancients said, the protruding rafters rot first. The stronger the Dutch East India Company's monopoly in Asia, the greater the pressure it faced from European countries.

No European king, including the prime minister, would sit idly by and watch such a huge volume of trade. However, they could not enter the Asian market smoothly, and their anger and resentment could only be vented on the Dutch East India Company.

The reasons were very sufficient. Why did the Ming Empire only allow the merchant ships of the East India Company to trade freely in ports in the east and west of the Indian Ocean, but not allow merchant ships from other European countries to cross the Indian Ocean to reach the East Indies, let alone enter the Ming waters?

The answer is obvious. The Dutch East India Company must have reached some kind of shameful agreement with the Ming Empire, which may have included clauses that sold out the interests of European countries.

To put it bluntly, the Dutch East India Company and the Ming Empire colluded to monopolize the spice market and were willing to damage the rights of other countries in order to gain more profits!

No one would care whether this was true or not, as long as they put the blame on the Dutch East India Company. If the Dutch could not give a reasonable explanation, the merchant ships of the East India Company would become hated by everyone in Europe, and might even be banned from entering ports for trading by various countries.

Since we can't go to Asia to make money, then no one else can go. At the same time, it can also be used to attack the trade policy of the Ming Empire and force it to open the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea to European countries.

Should the Ming Empire intervene in the dispute between European countries and the Dutch East India Company at this time? Hong Tao thought not, let's wait and see how things develop. The Dutch didn't come to complain to him, which meant they could still hold on.

When the Dutch can no longer hold on, the Ming Empire will not lend a helping hand, but will drive them out of the Asian waters. This is the first major goal that he has been working hard to achieve for many years.

In the future, trade between Europe and Asia will be divided into two routes, north and south. One is by land, starting from the Western Regions and passing through Central Asia to Persia.

Here it is divided into three lines: North, South and Central. The northern line passes through the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea to Russia and Nordic countries; the central line passes through the Ottoman Empire into the Holy Roman Empire; and the southern line's main target is the Republic of Venice.

Another way was to go by sea, starting from Southeast Asia, Ceylon and the Arabian Peninsula, and send goods to Enniao Port by ship. Merchant ships from Europe could either trade at Enniao Port or enter Asian waters to find sources of goods on their own, but the success rate was not high.

All the goods with trading value have been sent to Enniao Port by sea ships, and the transaction tax rate is relatively low. It is more economical than sailing to the heart of Asia to find the source of goods. Because those Asian ports have to increase the tax rate according to the order of the Ming Empire, which is much higher than Enniao Port.

The intention of doing so is obvious, that is, to coordinate the plan, prevent vicious competition, reduce transaction costs, increase the profit of goods, and prevent Europeans from taking advantage of both sides. The reason why this is not done now is that the Asian countries have not been settled yet, the most important of which are Persia and the Ottoman Empire. Once they are sorted out, there will be only one voice in Asia, the Ming Emperor Jingyang.

Although there are still dozens or even hundreds of countries in Asia, they should get along like one country. In later generations, there are the European Community and the European Union. Hong Tao wants to establish an Asian Community and an Asian Union to make all Asian countries a whole. It is difficult to become the head of the earth, but it is still possible to become the head of a continent. How can you know if it will work if you don't try?

“Yes, Mr. Villiers stayed in Batavia for only four days before returning to England on the company’s merchant ship.

Before leaving, he asked me to tell Your Majesty that the proposal on the ship was very meaningful. After returning to England, he will try his best to persuade Charles I and send a suitable person to inform Your Majesty in person as soon as possible. "

Hearing Villiers' name, Cohen felt a little relieved. Although the Anglo-Spanish fleet suffered a disastrous defeat and both fleet commanders were killed, a deep hatred had been formed.

However, the Ming Emperor was finally magnanimous and generous in dealing with the prisoners, which earned the Dutch East India Company a lot of reputation in front of European countries. Otherwise, the situation would have been more difficult.

"Oh... that's it... Mr. Cohen, please help me tell the Duchess of Chevreuse that if she is not very tired and is interested in the palace, the Queen will invite her to meet in the Imperial Garden tomorrow morning.

As for the others, you know that according to the Ming Dynasty law, no man can enter the harem except me. To make up for it, I will let the Minister of Industry personally accompany the guests to Tongzhou on a rail carriage to visit the Time Workshop. "

Hong Tao did not comment on the Duke of Buckingham's message. He hesitated for a moment, as if there was nothing else to ask. He made some arrangements in the spirit of a good host, and regardless of whether Cohen agreed or not, he stood up and walked towards the back hall.

"...Villiers...Duchess of Chevreuse...If that's true, then the Spaniards will probably be in trouble!" Following the two young eunuchs out of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, Cohen looked back at the courtyard which was not very tall and majestic, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He thought he might have guessed what the Ming emperor was thinking about. The Duchess of Chevreuse might be the envoy sent by the Duke of Buckingham, nominally representing King Louis XIII of France, but actually working for her English lover.

Why did Charles I secretly arrange for the Duchess of Chevreuse when he had the Earl of Strafford whom he trusted? This is the mystery of court politics.

Charles I had more than one favorite, the Duke of Buckingham. There were several others who could influence the king's judgment, such as the Earl of Strafford, the Duke of Hamilton, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Although they were all ministers trusted by the king, their interests were not consistent with each other, and sometimes they were even in conflict. In order to get the king to adopt their suggestions, they often sabotaged each other.

(End of this chapter)