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Chapter 1260: Straight to the Point 2
"...We do know the news, and the content is basically similar to what Your Highness said. From my personal perspective, isn't this a good thing for you and your republic?"

Descartes was caught off guard by the question. He put the teacup he had just picked up back down, exchanged a glance with Mason and Helmont, and then asked back tentatively.

"When the news reached Europe, it immediately caused an uproar. In the past few months, I have hardly heard anything else, all of which were the concerns of the monarchs of various countries about the expansion speed of the Ming Empire. If things continue like this, in a few years, the Ming Empire's navy may appear in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

This is not an exaggeration. At the beginning of the year, the Ming army was still besieging Damascus and severely humiliating the Ottoman Empire. A few months later, they appeared on the east coast of the Pacific and beat the Spaniards in the same way.

Honestly, I'm personally very happy with this result. If the Spanish had to divert more attention to the New World, the reconquest of the Southern Netherlands would have been easier to win.

Unfortunately, I could not make such a simple judgment. Some people in the Republic did not agree. At their urging, I had to go to Paris, where I had several days of dialogue with Philip IV and Ferdinand III. In the end, they convinced me and I made this long journey.

Mr. René, Mr. Marin, and John, you are all distinguished guests of the Ming Dynasty and can often see His Majesty the Emperor. Is it possible for you to know something about the attitude in this regard? Can you tell me something? "

The Prince of Orange's answer was still so straightforward. He first explained his attitude, and his gloating was evident. Then he explained his own difficulties and purpose. He was really not willing, but was forced. Finally, he put forward specific requests, hoping to understand the attitude of the Ming Emperor from the side.

Why would they make such a request? Judging from their identities, Descartes, Mersenne and Helmont were not from the Ming Empire, but were invited to stay as guests. No matter how enthusiastic the host was, he would not tell his guests much about such a sensitive national event.

But if you think about it carefully, it is reasonable to ask this question. It is true that he is a guest, but he can attend the welcoming ceremony with the Minister of Rites, and go a step further than the formal procedures of the Ministry of Rites. It is hard to say that it is just a friendship between fellow villagers. There is a high probability that there are other purposes behind it.

"I originally wanted to bring it up when we visited the academy, but since His Royal Highness asked, it doesn't matter if I tell him in advance. Just as His Royal Highness guessed, we didn't come here on our own initiative. If we hadn't been informed through special channels, things like our visit wouldn't have been reported until a few days later.

The special channel I'm talking about is the Emperor of the Ming Empire. A few days ago, His Majesty gave a lecture at the university where we work, titled National Security Strategy. Your Highness should read the specific content yourself. This is the note I took at the time. Professor Helmont and I translated it into Latin. "

Before the window paper was broken, Descartes always felt that there was something stuck in his heart, and he wanted to vomit but didn't know how to vomit, which made him very uncomfortable. Now that the prince had made things clear, he felt much more comfortable. Without further ado, he took out a few folded papers from his pocket and placed his hands on the side of the prince.

"...Please, Cornelis." The Prince of Orange read very quickly. After reading a page, he handed it to the short balding man beside him. There was no sign of anything unusual on his face.

"This is ridiculous. No one can occupy the entire Pacific Ocean. The New World belongs to Europe and has been for hundreds of years!"

Mayor Cornelis is the complete opposite. When he has nothing to do, he has a gloomy face all day long. He always likes to hide in the corner and stare at people hard, as if he wants to get into other people's heads.

With his bald head and hooked nose, he looked a bit like the legendary goblin. But when things got tough, he immediately turned from a gloomy goblin into a hot-tempered dwarf with a loud voice and plenty of energy. "Mr. Cornelis, His Majesty the Emperor believes that the legal owners of America are the local indigenous people, who had lived there for tens of thousands of years before Europeans discovered the New World.

Legally speaking, this statement is more in line with the actual situation. The Spanish and Portuguese defeated the indigenous people, seized the American continent, and claimed to be the owner. Later, the French, English, Danes, and Dutch landed one after another and also claimed sovereignty.

Now the Ming Empire is also joining, and its nature is no different from that of the European countries before. There is no reason to say that people who arrived after a certain point in time have no right to own a piece of land in the New World. "

Cornelis had a bad temper, and Mason was also very irritable, so they immediately fought back. Moreover, they deliberately used European laws and customs as the standard, and their words were very well-founded. It was hard to imagine that this man was still a priest. It was obvious that God was not very strict in selecting when recruiting.

"Gentlemen, as shareholders of the West India Company, we have been competing with the Spanish for control of trade points and routes. We are very happy about the attack on the Spanish fleet.

But the Ming Empire is different. If it controls the Pacific Ocean, it will definitely land on the coast. Compared with the aging Spain, the Ming Empire is more threatening to the development of the West India Company. This is very important and must be considered. It is also the reason why His Royal Highness has to accept the commission of various countries to come here. "

Seeing that the two hot-tempered people were about to start a quarrel, Speaker Peter, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. He skipped the issue of the ownership of the American continent and expressed his position only from the perspective of the company's interests.

“This is exactly the original intention of His Majesty the Emperor in proposing a new order. Currently, only the Dutch Republic has the closest commercial ties with the Ming Empire and has benefited greatly from it. Mr. Cornelis should be most aware of this.

If the Netherlands chooses to support this plan, it should be able to gain more profits based on its original business share. Is there anything wrong with that?

If the Netherlands stood against the Ming Empire, it would be the first to lose its hard-earned commercial profits, including the Spice Islands. Governor Coen should have the most say on this point. "

Speaking of business issues, Professor Helmont had to say something. As a typical Dutchman, he never figured out why the Dutch Republic wanted to get involved in this matter.

Wouldn't it be better to just stand aside and watch the fun as before? Let others fight as they please, and we will continue to do business and make money. Currently, the biggest profits for the Netherlands are the East India Company and the Asian routes, and they are the only ones who have the most, with basically no competition.

If the Netherlands lost its exclusive access to food because it was afraid of being isolated, it would be a huge blow to the Netherlands, but the European countries would not lose anything because they would not get to eat it anyway.

(End of this chapter)