The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 103 Europa Universalis ([-])

July 1725, 3, London.

Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford, First Chancellor of the Exchequer (Prime Minister) of the Kingdom of England and Leader of the House of Commons, took the heavy declaration of war from Viscount Charles Townsend, the Northern Secretary in charge of foreign policy, and then opened it gently, Read the contents carefully.

"Our Daqi Empire has been in existence for more than eighty years and has been deeply benevolent and benevolent. Anyone from afar who comes to Hanzhou will be treated with kindness. ... For more than ten years, your country has relied on our benevolence and has been determined to follow it, and it has benefited greatly. The tyrants bully our sea merchants, ships, and vassal states, ravage my people, and extort my property. ... The empire is accommodating a little, but they bear the brunt of their ferocity, and it gets worse day by day, reaching every corner. ... The empire is gentle and submissive to those far away, It’s over! However, the other country is ungrateful and behaves arrogantly. They privately raid our ships, destroy our merchant ships, and hurt our people. ... Therefore, the Empire has officially declared war on the Kingdom of England, announcing it to China and foreign countries."

"Huh..." Robert Walpole let out a long breath, then closed the declaration of war, placed it on the desk, and looked up at Charles Townsend, "What else did the Minister of Qi say?"

"Minister of Qi?..." Charles Townsend shook his head slightly and said with a wry smile: "He expressed his deep regret for the war between Britain and Qi."

"Um?……"

"Other than that, he didn't say much." Charles Townsend said: "According to the news from the Qi Legation, they have rented a Dutch merchant ship in advance and are preparing to close the legation early tomorrow morning. All personnel will depart London for Amsterdam."

"Then this war is inevitable after all."

"Lord Walpole, is there any room for redemption?"

"Yes, it is impossible for us to give the people of Qi what they want." Robert Walpole nodded with a smile and said: "It is impossible for the people of Qi to agree to the demands we have made. This war is finally over. It’s arrived.”

"Lord Walpole, although the situation has reached this point, I still have reservations about the cabinet's decision to issue a large number of privateering licenses." Charles Townsend said seriously: "We should not provoke the people of Qi so much, even though they The military strength they have in the Atlantic Ocean is relatively weak, but they can dispatch a large number of warships from their homeland and other regions into the Atlantic at any time to launch a counterattack against us, and this will not weaken their control over the Indian Ocean Rim."

"Lord Townsend, do you think that if the privateering incident had not occurred, Qi would have stopped all war preparations?"

"No." Charles Townsend shook his head and said: "Even if there were no privateers attacking Qing merchant ships, Qi would still find other excuses to launch a war against our Kingdom of England and force us to surrender. However, if there were no privateers, The ship incident will at least give us enough preparation time to deal with Qi's war. To be honest, I don't think we are fully prepared for war now."

"Lord Townsend, the Kingdom's Embassy in Qi sends countless reports about the internal affairs of Qi every year, covering their politics, military, economy, culture, science and technology, and even basic people's livelihood and sentiments." Robert Walpole put his pipe Li Liang, took a deep breath, and then continued: "From these numerous reports, I came to an unacceptable conclusion. As every day, every month, and every year goes by, the Qi State Their strength is constantly expanding at a speed that is visible to the naked eye, and the gap with our Kingdom of England will become wider and wider. Although the scale of their warships has become the largest in the world, their number is still increasing slowly; they once The relatively small army is constantly expanding due to regional conflicts one after another. There are also their industrial manufacturing, steel, textiles, machinery, hardware... almost all categories of products we can imagine, they have extremely Terrifying production capabilities. Regardless of any comparison, Qi has an overwhelming advantage over us."

"That……"

"For us in England, time is ruthless, especially hopeless waiting. With every day of delay, Qi's war preparations will become more complete, and the accumulated strength will become stronger, and the blow to us will be stronger. It will become more fierce." Robert Walpole waved his hand to stop Charles Townsend from interrupting, "The generals of the Royal Navy also suggested that if war is really inevitable, then we must do a good job on both sides. With full preparations, we will introduce the war to our established steps and established battlefields as much as possible. We issue a large number of privateering licenses to attack and intercept Qi merchant ships in the Atlantic waters, just to anger them, provoke them, and make them angry. They lost their minds and launched a retaliatory attack on us. I hope that the people of Qi will be blinded by anger and launch indiscriminate interceptions and attacks on any ship sailing freely in the Atlantic Ocean, thereby arousing protests from all European countries. Our private The raiding ships couldn't tell the difference between the Qi people and the Qing people, so they accidentally attacked the Qing merchant ships. So, could the Qi people distinguish among the many merchant ships in the upper reaches of the Atlantic Ocean which belonged to England, which belonged to Spain, and which belonged to France? "

"Other countries can fly identity flags on the bows of ships, so that they can avoid being accidentally attacked by Qi people in wartime."

"What if our merchant ships and warships in England also fly the flags of other countries?"

"Lord Walpole, this behavior is not..."

"Yes, this is not a gentlemanly behavior. However, war has always been cruel and despicable to a certain extent. Both the enemy and us will do whatever they can during the war, just to win the final victory." Robert Walpole was pacing in the room, with a look of excitement on his face, "The London Translation Office once translated an ancient Eastern war theory called "The Art of War". There is such a passage describing the conspiracy of war. : Fighting with troops is an ever-changing and unexpected art. It requires the use of various methods to deceive the enemy. When the enemy is not prepared, suddenly launch an attack and take action when the enemy is not expecting it. Using all kinds of means is the best choice for military strategists. The secret of victory is to be able to adapt to changes and use it flexibly, and not to be rigid and rigid."

"In the Atlantic Ocean, we have a convenient location. Whether it is materials, personnel, or even the loss of ships, we can get replenishment nearby. In contrast, Qi State, they need to cross the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, traveling tens of thousands of miles, which is time-consuming It takes four to five months to reach Europe with difficulty. Moreover, with only a few sporadic maritime supply points, can the Qi people support a war that lasts for months or even years? As long as we can find ways to annihilate Qi’s number one The incoming expedition fleet will definitely dampen their spirit. By then, European public opinion and wind direction will inevitably be unfavorable to Qi. Humph, I don’t believe it anymore. Qi will continue to send out second troops after suffering heavy losses. The third batch of expedition fleet?"

"What if, in the course of this war, it is we, England, who suffer heavy losses?"

"The generals of the Royal Navy are confident enough to repel the Qi navy coming from afar. Because, according to the navy's deduction, Qi will send no more than fifty warships to the Atlantic Ocean. After full mobilization, our Royal Navy The navy can gather more than 150 combat ships, and the strength ratio between the enemy and ourselves is more than three to one."

"However, once a war breaks out, our overseas trade in England will inevitably suffer heavy losses."

"Could it be that Qi's overseas trade will not suffer losses?"

"Lord Walpole, I have to remind you that although the people of Qi have many commercial interests in the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Americas, the trade volume in these areas only accounts for a very small proportion of Qi's overall foreign trade share. "As long as we do not threaten the Indian Ocean, the East Indies, and the Western Pacific, the Qi people will not suffer major losses in trade interests." "In this case, then we will send Royal Navy ships to the Indian Ocean and the East Indies. "

"Oh, God!" Charles Townsend looked at Walpole in disbelief, "You are letting the Royal Navy die!"

"In war, there are always sacrifices." Robert Walpole said expressionlessly: "We need to let the people of Qi understand that the war they provoke will not only hurt us, the people of England, but also themselves. "
-
May 3, Madrid, Spain.

In the sleepy streets of Madrid, a diplomatic carriage with the logo of Qi State was driving towards the Privy Council. Tang Qigao, the Minister of Qi State in Spain, closed his eyes slightly and fell into deep meditation.

In the past year, the Spanish throne has undergone three changes, which once made the entire political situation in Madrid treacherous, making it difficult to see the direction of the situation in Spain.

In January of last year (1724), Philip V suddenly and controversially passed the throne to his eldest son, Louis I, who was only 17 years old.According to news from the court, because French King Louis XV was suspected of being seriously ill, Philip V hoped to inherit the throne of France, so he hurriedly passed the throne to his eldest son.

Unfortunately, Louis I died in Madrid due to smallpox in August of that year after reigning for only 7 months, leaving no heirs.Philip V's second son Fernando was still young, so Philip V was forced to re-assume the throne.At the same time, news came from France that Louis XV was only "slightly ill" and had recovered under the careful treatment of the palace doctors. The Supreme Court declared that the king had come of age and ended his regency.

During the reign of Philip V, the country began to gradually recover from the slump of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty in its final years.Although Spain's population began to increase, the tax system was outdated and backward, and industry and agriculture were in decline, causing the national treasury to run deficits all year round.Troops and officials often went without pay for months, relying on silver shipped back from the New World to make ends meet.

A few years ago, Philip V, at the instigation of his second wife, Elizabeth Farnese of Parma, sent troops to occupy Sardinia and Sicily, triggering the Italian War (also known as the Quadruple Alliance War).The four countries of Britain, the Netherlands, France and Austria gathered tens of thousands of troops on land and sea to attack Spain. Spain lost consecutive battles and finally had to give up Italy completely.

After this battle, Spain was not only severely weakened and once again burdened with a heavy debt burden, but also made Spain's geopolitical situation extremely bad in the entire European region.

The French relatives of the Bourbon dynasty, who were originally sympathizers and supported each other, also turned against them with swords and guns, and gathered heavy troops to threaten the security of northern Spain.The reason for this is that Louis XIV left a will before his death. Once the sick Louis XV died, Louis' grandson, King Philip V of Spain, would inherit the French throne.

In order to seize the throne, the French regent, the Duke of Orleans, once prompted the Paris High Court to annul Louis XIV's will.After Philip V sent troops to capture Sardinia and Sicily, he even formed an alliance with France's long-standing enemy, Britain, and formed a four-nation alliance with the Netherlands and Austria to start a war against Spain, forcing Philip V to give up his claim to the French throne and recognize the Duke of Orleans as the Heir to Louis XV.

Philip V, who was still unwilling to be reconciled, often viciously cursed the Duke of Orleans, who was of his own race, with gnashing hatred, saying that he had betrayed the great Sun King and made a mess of the once glorious France.However, due to lack of strength, poor Philip V could only endure it. His manic depression became more and more serious. He was depressed and unhappy in the palace all day long, and the Spanish crown on his head also felt more and more... heavy.

"The English are interested in negotiating with us a solution for Gibraltar." Duke Giulio Alberoni, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, chatted for a moment with the arriving Qi Minister Tang Qigao, and then seemed to mention England inadvertently.

"Oh?" When Tang Qigao heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and then he quickly calmed down and asked with a smile: "Is Your Excellency the Duke prepared to engage in meaningless negotiations on the English proposal?"

"Mr. Minister, how can we negotiate with England to resolve the issue of Gibraltar to be a meaningless negotiation?" Giulio Alberoni said solemnly: "The English proposal is very sincere. They are prepared to Push for the return of Gibraltar to the Kingdom of Spain within five years.”

"Since the English are so sincere, why don't they return Gibraltar to your country immediately?"

"The issue of Gibraltar is very complicated." Giulio Alberoni picked up a cup of coffee on the table, took a sip, and then said slowly: "Since the English have proposed to return the place to Spain within five years, Kingdom, that means that they will sign a long-term peace agreement with our country to jointly maintain the security and stability of the European region."

Well, we, Spain, want to sign a peace agreement with England to jointly maintain security and stability in Europe?
What does this mean?Are you, Spain, preparing to defect to England, form a military alliance, and jointly attack our country?

"Duke Alberoni, there have been many interesting diplomatic stories in our ancient Chinese history." Tang Qigao looked at Giulio Alberoni and said eloquently: "One of the stories is about England. The empty promise to return Gibraltar to your Kingdom of Spain is very similar... It was more than 900 years ago, during the Chinese Warring States period when the princes were competing for hegemony. The relationship will lead to a territory of six hundred miles..."

Giulio Alberoni listened carefully as Tang Qigao told him the story about Zhang Yi's bullying of Chu during the Warring States Period. These historical facts full of oriental wisdom seemed to contain rich philosophy and ancient experience and lessons, and also showed the oriental civilization. of twists and turns and conspiracies.

"Therefore, Your Excellency, Duke Alberoni, the false promises made by certain diplomatic envoys will ultimately harm the important interests of the Kingdom of Spain, and will also make you extremely passive in international diplomatic activities." Tang Qigao said seriously: " We in Qi State are very unwilling to see that kind of tragic thing happen in your country, where you sacrifice China, the West, and Guizhou in exchange for gains, and it makes life miserable."

The interpreter next to him was stunned for a long time when he heard the verses from "The Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period, King Huai of Chu" spoken by Tang Qigao. For a moment, he didn't know what appropriate language to use to translate its meaning to Giulio Alberoni. .

"Your Majesty, Duke of Alberoni, if your Kingdom of Spain intends to seize Gibraltar by force, we, Qi State, will give you our full support. Even if your country makes a request, we, Qi State, will send navy and army troops to cooperate with your Kingdom of Spain in regaining Gibraltar." A piece of land that was forcibly occupied by England. Oh, and there is also the island of Menorca that was occupied by England. I believe that the territorial integrity of your country should be fully respected and should not be arbitrarily invaded by other countries."

(End of this chapter)