Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1319

The 17th century was a time of great controversy. Every country tried every means to expand its overseas colonies, and tried its best to maintain the commercial interests brought by the colonies. For this reason, it did not hesitate to resort to force and war.However, among the numerous wars, only a handful involved the relationship between Britain and Portugal. This seems to confirm from a certain angle the friendly bilateral relations between the two countries and the success of the policy of the Kingdom of Portugal holding its thighs.

Mr. Morris Thompson has come to Lisbon for the first time.Before I came to this country to discuss trade issues, it is actually the same when I come here now, but compared with the previous Portuguese who were always a little proud or reserved, the current Portuguese, from the court nobles to the market merchants, all show A mood of apprehension, which no doubt did untold good to such an English merchant as Mr. Thompson.

To put it simply, the current Kingdom of Portugal is gradually being incorporated into England’s trade system. The symbolic event was Lisbon’s announcement to lower the import tariffs on British goods a while ago. The reason for the urgent need for allies, of course, is more likely that England sent [-] experienced soldiers to Portugal to help them fight.In short, the current Kingdom of Portugal is too friendly to British commercial capital, so friendly that it even turns a blind eye to the low-priced Barbados cane sugar entering the market.

Thompson came to Lisbon this time, first to investigate trade issues, that is, to examine the feasibility of importing from Portugal wool, raw silk, meat, dyes, medicines, wine, oils, fruits, spices and other commodities that England urgently needs. Send a message to the Portuguese court that the Kingdom of Portugal should have the determination to continue the war, and the English will be their backing—however, before departure, the gentlemen of the parliament also specially urged not to make promises to the Portuguese Any monetary or material assistance, and this is also the opinion of the court.His Majesty Charles sent [-] army officers and soldiers to be borne by the Portuguese. Of course, there is no problem, but if he wants to help the Portuguese with his own money, even relatives cannot do this unless there are sufficient interests. .

Mr. Thompson is the backbone of the parliament, and he naturally understands this spirit. It just so happens that he is also going to Portugal to deal with business issues, so he temporarily acted as a double envoy of the king and the parliament, intending to have some discussions with the Portuguese. Give them some encouragement—well, spiritual encouragement. The Portuguese are not giving enough benefits now, and the pressure from the people on the east coast is not necessarily a bad thing for England.

Furthermore, from the perspective of the powerful East India Company, it is definitely not a wise choice to directly intervene in the war between the East Coast and Portugal at this stage.The merchants of the East India Company have always been a group of bullying people. If the enemy is weak and can be bullied, then they will pounce on it like tigers and wolves; if the enemy is powerful, then they will do business honestly. The people on the east coast are such an object that the East India Company needs to respect and fear. They don't want their ships to disappear for no reason when they pass by Xinhua Island and the coastal waters of South Africa.

"England does not plan to provide further assistance to Portugal for the time being, unless they offer very attractive conditions. Isn't the French also thinking about this? Maybe they are even worse, because they don't only provide financial and financial assistance every year during the war with Spain. The officer gave Portugal, the past two years have been completely verbal, only relying on the residual influence of the past to make Portugal follow in their footsteps, how is this possible? The cowardly French suffered a loss in Xinhua Island, What a foolish idea to try to cause trouble for the East Coasters here in Portugal," thought Mr Maurice Thompson before going to court to meet the Duke of Mallor.

He is undoubtedly disgusted with the French, especially their increasingly restless king. Continental Europe does not need such a strong monarch. The same is true of the Habsburg family and the Bourbon family, because This clearly threatens England's commercial interests.

Closer to home.England and Portugal want to reach a mutually beneficial trade, which is now a certainty between the officials of the two countries.Portugal opened its doors to British industrial products and overseas commodities, and Britain also opened its doors to Portuguese wool, agricultural products, wine, oils, fruits and some Indian commodities. There is no doubt that Britain has gained a lot from this trade Fortunately, Portugal is at a disadvantage, but what can be done about it?The Portuguese have long had this awareness. They have placed themselves in a subordinate position between the two countries in exchange for political and military asylum. This is usually the way for small countries to survive-although the Kingdom of Portugal did not It is not a small country.

Of course, it is not people who are not full of mercantilist ideas, and accuse Portugal of trade with unnecessary luxury items, such as olive oil, wine, Indian wonders, raw silk, porcelain, tea, spices, etc.But Mr. Thompson is not that kind of pedant. In his opinion, England, which is gradually becoming rich because of the "Navigation Act", will inevitably become richer in the lives of its people. This is just and completely unnecessary. or scared.

So long as opulence is common--so long as a few are in abject poverty, and the lower classes enjoy it--so long as farming, labor, and manufacturing in the meantime are properly sustained; Men are not as thrifty as they ought to be, but still pay taxes of every kind, give government assistance of every kind, and furnish all that is necessary for their defense, and in such countries—such as England and the United Provinces— —A bit of excessive spending and extravagance is not so much the cause and precursor of future poverty as the symbol and function of great existing wealth.

Mr. Thompson and the Duke of Mallor finally met in the palace gardens, and they each abandoned their entourage for a completely private conversation.Mr. Thompson first conveyed the greetings of Charles II and his wife to the Duke of Mallor, and then naturally talked about the two ongoing wars of the Portuguese. There was nothing to talk about with Spain. Experienced officers and non-commissioned officers, even if they rely on some weapons sent by people from the east coast, it is difficult to take advantage of the battlefield, especially when the United Kingdom sent some non-commissioned officers and troops over.

The real headache for the Portuguese is the pagans on the east coast who are eyeing.These people are ferocious and evil, with tyrannical force. Just like the Ottoman Turkey back then, they have formed a huge advantage over the Kingdom of Portugal. The situation on the battlefield today also appropriately reflects the comparison of military and economic strength between the two sides.

"The Kingdom of Portugal should persevere. People on the east coast have already spent a lot of manpower and material resources on this war. They cannot delay it indefinitely. Didn't they also agree to participate in the peace talks under the mediation presided over by the Doria family?" Morris Mr. Thompson said of course, "What are you losing now? Macau? Mozambique? Angola? Cape Verde? Brazil? No, don't worry, none of this is fatal. War until they agree to reasonable truce terms. Your country is not satisfied with the 'crazy' terms proposed by the East Coasters at the moment, is it?"

"When can England join the war?" The Duke of Mallor was a little moved by Thompson's words, but what he was most concerned about was whether the English could stand in the same trench as Portugal, especially its powerful and prestigious navy. The Kingdom needs these navies to defend the sea frontier, so as not to lose face under the coastal attacks of the East Coasters.

"Not yet." Mr. Thompson shrugged and said with regret: "I'm sorry, but this is an order from the parliament and the king before I set off. Most of the ships of the English Navy need to be repaired and maintained, and they cannot be dispatched in the short term. There are still some in the army, but is your country sure you need us to send to help you fight?"

England has just cleared the faction of the officer corps headed by Major General Lambert. The royal party and the bourgeois parliamentary elements are celebrating, and they are preparing to cut down the army that has not been very obedient. While reducing military expenditures, they can also sleep more peacefully Some.At this time, if the Kingdom of Portugal is willing to receive a considerable part of the British Army officers and soldiers and pay for them, then neither Charles II nor the members of the parliament will mind this at all.

The young Duke Mallor fell silent.What Portugal needs now is a navy, not an army, because they don't have much threat on land anymore. The Spaniards have been beaten to pieces, and the coastal raids of the people on the east coast are also scabies. Now the terrible navy is not strong enough. !The shipyards at the mouth of the Tejo River have rushed to build several new warships in recent years, and the armed merchant ships ordered in England and the United Provinces are about to arrive, but even so, the Portuguese still have no determination and confidence in the open sea. A decisive battle with the East Coast Navy - they really can't bear the consequences of another disastrous defeat. The two naval battles on Mozambique Island and Cadiz have severely hit the backbone of the Portuguese Navy, making them dare not face the people on the East Coast. It is easy to say victory, and the pessimistic faction in the navy seems to have increased many times overnight, which made Duke Mallor and others very speechless.

Now, we can only hope that after the overhaul and refurbishment of the English navy, they will be able to go to sea and stand on the Portuguese side as their strong backing.Don't expect them to really fight a bloody battle with the pagan navy on the east coast, as long as they can deter some of their escort warships coming to Europe with their strength and reputation, and protect the safety of the Portuguese sea.As for the lost overseas colonies, it is impossible for the navy of the people on the east coast to squat there all day long, so when the time is right, it is not impossible for the country to send a fleet to carry the army to recover them.

Now, the only question is whether England is willing to stand up for Portugal!This question is very critical, because all the next plans of the Kingdom of Portugal (maybe "delusion" or maybe) are based on this premise. In fact, it is unsustainable, and it is unwise and uneconomical to insist on not compromising. It is better to agree to part of the conditions of the people on the east coast and quickly conclude a peace agreement with them.

And if the English intend to go to sea to deal with the people on the east coast after their navy is ready, then the Kingdom of Portugal can safely send out the navy that has recovered a little bit, and take advantage of the opportunity that the people on the east coast have no time to take care of to recover some of the lost overseas colonies Even if the war is protracted for this reason, Lisbon has never succumbed to the war with the Dutch for so many years. Today, facing the disgusting heretics, naturally there is no reason to shrink back.

It's just that this Maurice Thompson always falters at critical moments, refusing to answer whether the English navy will fight for Portugal's interests.He didn't even make an offer to the Portuguese court represented by the Duke of Mallor, ie what it would cost them to join his side, which is always frustrating.

However, let's wait and see if there is any change in the situation.Paris and London have to send people to take a look, and their courts—especially Charles II—have to go around more. The Kingdom of Portugal has promised England so many benefits, and they can’t let them send [-] troops to settle the matter. dismissed.

Thinking of this, Duke Mallor has basically made up his mind. The conditions for the peace negotiations of the people on the east coast are too harsh, and he cannot bear this responsibility.It's better to let Palermo take a break first and see how the situation changes. There is no need to rush to negotiate now.In addition, a few ships of supplies will be sent to Brazil in the past two days. San Salvador Bay cannot go there. We have to be careful to find a small port on the east coast that the navy can't take care of. Long-term combat-although there have not been many wars in Bahia, Pernambuco and other places.

The opinion of the Portuguese court soon spread to the negotiating venue in the port of Palermo. On November 1662, 11, after learning that Prince Pedro had requested a temporary adjournment, the East Coast Plenipotentiary Envoy Zheng who had just concluded the fifth round of peace talks Yong smiled coldly, and immediately packed his luggage, left Palermo port with his entourage, and went to Florence Merchant Station to inspect the work.

Stupid Portuguese, sooner or later he will pay the price for his actions today, just wait and see!

(End of this chapter)