The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 104 Europa Universalis ([-])

September 1725, 3, Amsterdam.

"Are you serving the people of Qi?" After the waiter who served the food left, Troy Parrott raised his head and looked at the European-faced man opposite him, and asked straight to the point.

"It doesn't matter who we serve." Marbo smiled and extended his hand to indicate to the other party to enjoy the food on the table. "But I know that as a fundraiser for the Irish Resistance Organization, you are traveling around Europe, hoping to get some The sympathy and support of the country and civil society are to help you resist the rule of the English. But in the past ten years, it seems that the effect has not been good, and no one is willing to pay attention to you. And we can help you in this regard. "

"How can you help us?" Troy Parrott stared into the other person's eyes and asked cautiously.

"We can provide you with much-needed muskets and gunpowder, as well as corresponding swords, spears, armor and other close weapons. Even, if necessary, we will also provide you with artillery." Marbo said: "If your If your personnel lack military training, we can also provide you with professional military guidance and help you organize and train soldiers. At the same time, we can also provide you with a large amount of financial support for the Irish resistance forces to purchase the daily supplies you need."

"I know that your country Qi has just declared war on England. Do you want to use us Irish to attack England?" Troy Parrott sneered.

"Even without our existence, wouldn't you resist the English colonial rule?" Marbo asked with a smile.

"..." Troy Parrott listened, his expression stagnated, and he said angrily: "You Qi country wants to fight the English, even if you use your own strength to fight on the battlefield with real swords and guns , don’t treat us Irish as your cannon fodder and push us under the butcher’s knife of the English.”

"It seems that after so many years of enslavement and colonization, your Irish knees have completely softened." Marbo sneered, stood up, took out a few silver coins from his pocket, and placed them on the table, "Since In this case, there is no need for us to continue talking to you. I believe that among the millions of Irish people, there are always a few warriors who are not willing to give in and have the courage to challenge the English. Well, gentlemen, please enjoy this slowly. Let’s have lunch!”

With that said, Marbo called his companions to leave this elegant high-end restaurant.

"Gentlemen, please wait a moment." Seamus Coleman immediately stood up and stretched out a hand to stop the two of Marbo. "Oh, I'm sorry, Troy was too excited just now and what he said was inappropriate. It was rather biased and I would like to apologize to both gentlemen."

Marbo was pulled by Seamus Coleman and sat back at the table, but he stopped talking and looked at the two Irish resistance representatives opposite him with stern eyes.

Since James II, who was supported by the Irish, was defeated by William III at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, James fled back to France, and the Catholics in Ireland began to be completely liquidated.Previously, during the reign of Charles II, many of the rights granted him due to his Catholic sympathies were also lost, and he was double suppressed and restricted politically and economically by the English.

During this period, Catholics in Ireland accounted for approximately 70%, Protestants in England accounted for 10%, and Protestants in Scotland accounted for 20%.But 70% of Catholics only control a pitiful 15% of the land.A small group of English-speaking Protestants owned large amounts of land and brutally exploited the majority of the population, Catholic, Gaelic-speaking Irish farmers.

In terms of foreign trade, Ireland was prohibited from direct trade with European countries and England's colonies, and the wool produced by herders could only be sold to England.Millions of Irish people are living in dire straits, suffering from devastation and economic decline.Even those Irish who converted to Protestantism were viewed with suspicion and wariness by the English authorities.

In order to resist the colonial rule of the English, the Irish launched numerous armed uprisings over the past hundreds of years. However, due to the lack of weapons and equipment and backwardness, they were repeatedly quelled by the English army. What followed was the A new round of crazy revenge and oppression.

In order to compete with the wool textiles from Qi on price and obtain sufficient and cheap production raw materials, England arbitrarily occupied Irish land, converted countless fertile fields into pastures, and artificially created food famine.

In order to fully gain access to the sales market of the colony at its doorstep, England prohibited Ireland from importing any goods from abroad, and did not allow foreign merchants to enter the Irish market. It also purchased wool from the Irish at extremely low prices, but at the same time transferred all its own goods to the Irish market. The industrial products produced were sold to the Irish at extremely high prices, resulting in a very high gap between workers and farmers.

Every winter, countless Irish people freeze to death in the streets because they have no money to buy expensive woolen textiles to keep out the cold.

It can be said that the Irish have suffered from England for a long time!

"According to the regulations of the English, we Irish are not allowed to approach any area within 4 miles of the coast, let alone live in it." Seamus Coleman asked in a deep voice: "In this case, will you all How can the Chinese send in weapons and equipment to support us?”

"Although Ireland is not large in area, England's maritime power may not be able to seal off the entire Ireland seamlessly." Marbo smiled slightly and said confidently: "In a few months, our country Qi will send a large army expedition fleet to launch an attack on England. Under this situation, the English Navy will inevitably relax its control over the Irish Sea. At that time, we will send a small fleet to the coast of Ireland, choose an opportunity to occupy a certain port, and send you corresponding messages. weapons and equipment.”

"Is your support for us Irish people temporary or long-term?" Seamus Coleman asked.

During the hundreds of years of resistance against England, the Spanish, Dutch, and French all supported the Irish in their anti-British struggle to a certain extent.However, after the situation in Europe eased, or after the above-mentioned countries reached a peace agreement with England, the Irish were abandoned without exception, allowing the English to launch crazy revenge and massacre against them.

So, what do you people from Qi think about?
Unload the mill and kill the donkey?
Cross the river and demolish the bridge?

Like toilet paper, throw it away immediately after use?
"We in Qi will spare no effort to support you in Ireland's firm and brave resistance to England's colonial rule until you realize the goal of establishing an independent country." Marbo solemnly said: "In order to ensure that your independent country will no longer be colonized by England. In case of aggression, our Qi State can sign a security treaty with you. In addition, our Qi State can also provide you with long-term economic assistance to help you Irish people completely get rid of their economic dependence on the English."

"Why are you helping us Irish?"

"Because England is our common enemy."

"What if you completely defeated this enemy?"

"Haha..." Marbo smiled softly, leaned forward, and said meaningfully: "In the future, our Qi country may not only have one enemy in Europe. Therefore, we need to support an enemy who can bring us together." The fulcrum of the country’s layout.”

"What if we don't cooperate with you?"

"Then we will look for other reliable partners." Marbo showed an indifferent expression on his face, "England's popularity is not very good throughout Europe. Spain, the United Provinces, France, oh, and the Holy See should all hope that The English are in bad luck. As for you Irish, we will continue to watch you sink into a miserable existence of inferiority."
-
April 4, Rome, Palazzo Muti.

A luxurious carriage drove slowly into the Muti Palace, and the guards standing outside the gate immediately saluted the owner in the carriage. "Your Majesty." A royal attendant walked quickly to the carriage, bent down, gently opened the carriage door, and then respectfully extended his right hand.

"Roy, is the Earl of Rushford back?" James Francis Edward Stuart (aka James III), known as the "Old Tyrant" by the English Whigs, put his hand on the attendant's arm. He got off the carriage very gracefully.

"Your Majesty, Lord Rashford has returned and is talking to Sir Foden in the hall."

James III nodded, then took the hand of Queen Maria Clementina Sobieska and walked towards the palace.

"Your Majesty." Seeing James III enter the hall, Earl Marcus Rashford and Baron Phil Foden, who were conversing, immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and greeted His Majesty the King and the Queen.

"Please come with me." James III first turned around and told the queen to go to her room to rest. Then he led the two palace ministers and walked straight to the study.

"What do the people of Qi say?" James III waved his hand and asked the servant who served tea to leave the room, and then asked impatiently.

"Your Majesty, the people of Qi are willing to support your majesty in returning to England and restoring the throne." Earl Marcus Rashford said with an excited look on his face, "In order to show sincerity, the people of Qi are willing to give us 20 pounds in advance. Used to recruit mercenaries and bribe members of the royal party in the country."

"What conditions do the people of Qi have?"

"The people of Qi hope that after your majesty returns to power, he can negotiate with them amicably on the trade disputes between the two countries and give Qi's goods fair import tariff treatment." Earl Rashford said: "In addition, Qi also hopes that we, England, will be able to negotiate with them in the North Sea, In the Mediterranean and North Atlantic regions, we must severely crack down on the piracy of privateers and maintain the normal navigation order of the ocean. The people of Qi also ask us, England, to respect their legitimate rights and commercial interests in Europe."

"Is there more?" James III blinked and continued to ask.

"People from Qi..." Earl Rashford hesitated for a moment, then said bravely: "People from Qi believe that the Irish issue must be resolved fairly."

"Huh?" James III looked at Earl Rashford in confusion.

"Your Majesty, the people of Qi hope that we, England, will withdraw from Ireland, end their colonial rule, allow the Irish to carry out national self-determination, and establish an independent Irish kingdom." Baron Phil Foden sighed and said softly.

"No!" Upon hearing this, James III stood up immediately with an extremely excited expression, "We in England will never give up on Ireland!"

What a joke, if I give up Ireland, then my title of King of Ireland will become a joke!
In 1541, in order to prevent the Pope from seizing the Irish crown, King Henry VIII of England proclaimed himself King of Ireland and was confirmed by the Irish Parliament.Since then, the Kingdom of Ireland has been established, nominally forming a co-ownership federation with England, managed by the governor sent by the British monarch. The subsequent kings of England also served as the king of Ireland. It has a history of 200 years.If he throws away the Irish King's crown in order to restore his throne, he will be despised by the entire English people.

James III was born in St. James's Palace on June 1688, 6. He was the son of James II (called James VII in Scotland) and his second wife, the Catholic Queen Maria Beatrice d'Este. Automatically received the title of Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and a few other titles.

However, on December 12 of that year, the Dutch ruler William III launched the Glorious Revolution and expelled James II.Queen Maria disguised herself as a laundress and fled to France with baby James.So, since he was a baby, he lived in Paris with his parents.They visited Versailles frequently, and Louis XIV and his court treated them as if they were reigning monarchs.

After the death of his father James II in 1701, James was recognized by Louis XIV as the legal crown prince of England, Ireland and Scotland.Spain, the Papal States, and Modena also recognized him as King James III of England and Ireland and King James VIII of Scotland, while refusing to recognize Mary II, William III, and Queen Anne who reigned successively.

Because James III had been asking the English government for the throne his father had lost, on February 1702, 2, he was deprived of citizenship by London on the grounds of treason, and all his titles were legally abolished.

In March 1708, James III, with the support of France, attempted to lead a mercenary army to land in the Firth of Forth, England.As a result, he and the accompanying French fleet were intercepted by the English Royal Navy fleet, and due to bad weather, he and the accompanying French fleet were unable to land.

In 1713, Queen Anne fell seriously ill and did not have much time left.Some nobles close to the Stuart dynasty contacted James III and tried to persuade him to convert to Protestantism so that he could enter London and regain the throne of England.But James III turned out to be a devout Catholic and refused to convert, thus cutting off his hope of returning to England.

As a result, in August 1714, James III's distant cousin Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover, a German-speaking Protestant, became King of England as the heir to the late Queen Anne, for George A generation.

James III was so angry that he publicly accused, "We have seen a foreign family, a stranger who is alien to our country by blood and does not even speak our language, come to the throne."

As relations between England and France gradually eased, James III had to leave Paris and live with a large number of followers in the territories of the Papal States at that time, first in Avignon, then in Pesaro and Urbino.Pope Clement XI gave James III the Palazzo Muti in Rome to live in, and received a life-long annuity of 8000 papal gold coins per year.

These help enabled James III to establish the Jacobite court in Rome and live in peace and prosperity, but he still worked hard for the restoration of the Stuart dynasty. In 1719, the Jacobites organized an expeditionary force from Spain, successfully landed in Scotland, and briefly occupied Eilean Donan Castle. However, they were quickly defeated by the English army, and the Spanish soldiers they recruited were forced to fight against the government forces. surrender.Three years ago (1722), another bold attempt was made, but it was in vain due to lack of necessary supplies and financial support.

A month ago, after James III heard the news that Qi had declared war on England, his thoughts began to stir again. He immediately sent his court minister, Earl Rashford, to Paris to meet with Qi's envoy to France to test whether the two sides could join forces to overthrow Hanover. The possibility of dynasty.

What Qi proposed was fair treatment in trade, combating privateering and piracy, and respecting Qi's influence in entering the Caribbean. In James III's view, it didn't matter much. If he agreed, it would not harm England's vital interests.But it was absolutely impossible for him to give up Ireland.

You know, hundreds of years ago, when England began to colonize Ireland, a large amount of land was granted to many nobles in the country.During the regicide period, Cromwell deprived the Irish of more than [-]% of their land ownership and reduced it to a fiefdom for the English nobility.

If he abandons Ireland without permission in order to obtain the throne of England and allows them to establish an independent Irish kingdom, he will definitely incur opposition from many nobles in England.Even if he can regain control of London with the help of Qi State, the throne under his butt may not be secure.

Why are the people of Qi so annoying!Why do we have to make trouble with Ireland?

(End of this chapter)