Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1917 Influence ([-])

"The battle of the Ottoman Empire in Vienna has shaken the foundation of the country to be honest." In the meeting of the Executive Committee's administrative building, Liao Xiaoyao, chairman of the East Bank Executive Committee, said while smoking a pipe: "A 20 army once After being chased to the north, the army was defeated. Even if there were no casualties or disintegration, the morale of the army would be disintegrated, and the negative impact in the future would be astonishing. An army that is already terrified is not to be feared. If the Ottomans want to reorganize, it will take a long time and a very high price, and it may not be successful."

Liao Xiaoyao said so, not caring that Leonardo Morosini, the new ambassador of the Republic of Venice, was sitting opposite him.Perhaps because of his military background, Chairman Liao's perspective on issues is different from that of ordinary civil servants. He first thinks from a strategic and military perspective.

In his opinion, the Ottoman Empire lost a lot in the Battle of Vienna, not only the army, but also prestige, military spirit, morale and many other complicated things.As we all know, the Ottoman Empire was a country with complex ethnic groups, and the richest Greek and Rumilian regions in the country were full of Christian lords.These people, for more than 100 years, have been frightened by the powerful force of the Ottoman Turks and have not dared to make mistakes. They have always obeyed the rule of the Ottomans. very heavy.It would be a lie to say that they have no dissatisfaction with this heavy exploitation, even the Ottomans themselves do not believe it.

In the past, because of the strong national power of the Ottoman Empire and the prestige accumulated over the years, the Christian lords in these places did not dare to make mistakes.Even the occasional rebellions in some marginal areas can be subdued quickly. Of course, there are factors of strength in this, but also the psychological impact is indispensable.

Now, the powerful tiger skin of the Ottoman Turkish Empire has been punctured!The Austrians, who had been challenging the Ottoman Empire in the past few years, won a big victory under the city of Vienna. After the news was sent back to the Balkans, many Christian lords who had been suppressed in the early years suddenly started to move and had some new ideas.And their idea, as the Austrian army gradually advanced, began to become more realistic-in the past half a year, the rebellion in the Balkans has been one after another, as evidenced by it, especially after the capture of Belgrade, the important city of the Ottoman Empire. reached the top.

Liao Xiaoyao felt that the most important thing for the Ottoman Empire now was to stabilize the front line as soon as possible, stop the decline, and prevent people's hearts from continuing to be turbulent.Otherwise, over time, internal changes will inevitably occur, and they will be unfavorable to the Ottoman Empire.Fortunately, it seems that the situation has improved a little bit. The latest news that people on the east bank got is that the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV ordered the execution of the vizier Mustafa who was responsible for the defeat, and re-dispatched elite troops to Serbia. Take back the city of Belgrade.At the same time, here and there, there were many envoys from the Imperial Sultans, who either wooed promises or used the threat of force to ensure that wealthy Greece, Rumelia and other regions remained in their hands - all of which eventually, of course, Whether it can be effective or not depends on the situation on the battlefield, and that is decisive.

"Austria and Poland are said to have formed an alliance to jointly deal with the great enemy of the Ottoman Empire. It's good that you Venetians didn't join in. It shows that you are also very clear-headed." Liao Xiaoyao suddenly turned his attention to Leon again. Nado Morosini, I just heard him say: "There is an old saying on our east coast, that is, 'To draw chestnuts from the fire, the wise man will not do it'. The Austrians recruited you to join the group, because they want to use your naval power, and at the same time, they can also flank you on land. Containing part of the Turkish military force, so I do everything possible to pull your country into their anti-Turkish alliance. But is this really a good thing for your country? At a time when the strength of the Ottoman Empire is weakening, it seems inappropriate to continue to beat the dogs in the water The time is right. The rise of the Kingdom of Austria in recent years has been quite obvious, and the decline of the Ottoman Empire is also quite obvious. How should your country choose? In fact, you don’t need us to teach you?”

"Maintaining the independence of Italy is the eternal goal you should pursue. The Kingdom of Austria is not a very rich country, and they have no access to the sea. Their ambitions for Italy can be seen by anyone with a little international vision. You have to guard against them." Liao Xiaoyao finally said.

In fact, what he said was a little exaggerated, because according to the current signs, the Kingdom of Austria has not shown a strong desire for the so-called seaport before this, and the coveting of the Italian land is just an idea. put into action too.Therefore, Liao Xiaoyao's words are actually suspected of inciting and smearing, but so what?Do you Austrians dare to pat your chest and say that you have never been tempted by Italy?Are you really that sure you can get access to the sea from the Ottomans?

Therefore, these words may not have much effect on others, but to Venetians, they would rather believe what they have or not!What's more, because the money is not enough, in the middle of last year, the Habsburg family in Vienna sent people to northern Italy to beat the autumn wind, asking for a lot of money and supplies half hard and half soft, to help the military supplies—— To be honest, although the Kingdom of Austria is not barren, such a country has been fighting head-on with big countries like France and Ottomans for many years, which consumes a lot of money for the country, although many states in the German region have always been helping Austria, but after all, it is not directly under their own territory, and their income is limited after all, so their finances are still relatively tight, so that after this fight with Ottoman Turkey, they have to go to the Italians for alms, and there is really no way up.

"I will convey the words of Chairman Liao to the Consul Council of our country. I believe that all gentlemen will have a complete understanding." Leonardo Morosini thanked politely After talking about Liao Xiaoyao, he changed the topic and talked about business: "Before I set off for your country, my country's consul meeting asked me to bring a business cooperation plan to your country, which was about the business cooperation in New China. The establishment of plantations on the island and the agency of your country's products in the Eastern Mediterranean..."

"Oh, that plan. My secretarial class has already translated it, but I haven't had time to read it yet. I'm just here to emphasize to you and your country's council of consuls that what we promise you is absolutely not There will be a shortage, and the right to act as a commodity agency will definitely not be stingy. There is no problem with the plantation. Many people in the Italian peninsula have already opened plantations in China's Xinhua Island and have made good profits. Genoa*Africa Company In the past few years, Hedelta Company has become an increasingly important player in the tropical specialty commodity market. I think your country is fully aware of this. In a word, we welcome the government of the Republic of Venice or private businessmen to go to Xinhua Island Make investment and be willing to provide convenience for it.” After hearing what Leonardo said, Liao Xiaoyao immediately replied: “However, because of the distance, if your country wants to open a plantation on Xinhua Island, the Ottoman Empire seems to be It is an unavoidable obstacle, which may require your country to maintain a relatively good relationship with them first."

The meaning of Liao Xiaoyao's words has actually been quite clear. From the Apennine Peninsula to the Western Indian Ocean, the fastest and most convenient passage is undoubtedly the Red Sea, which can save more than half of the time.The specific route is to start from Italy first, arrive at the port on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, and then pass through the Suez Railway maintained and operated by the people on the east coast (a wooden-clad iron road traveled by horse-drawn railcars), pass through the narrow isthmus, and arrive at the port also invested by the east coast. Construction, the Red Sea port of Suez jointly managed and operated by East and Austria.At this point, you can change to a big ship and go to Xinhua Island. The coast is almost a smooth journey.

At present, this is how Genoa Africa Company and Delta Company are doing. They recruit personnel and purchase materials in Italy, which is relatively overpopulated, and then transport them to Egypt by ship, and then transfer them to the Red Sea by railway to go to New China.However, most of them transport tropical products from Xinhuaxia Island to Europe (mainly cane sugar, pepper, and occasionally some sisal, coffee or other commodities), but most of them take the Indian Ocean-Atlantic route. Even if they return to the Mediterranean around the Cape of Good Hope, only one A small part was transshipped to Italy via the Suez Railway.On the one hand, this may be because it may not be much cheaper to go to Egypt in the transportation of bulk goods. In addition, it is also related to the fact that people on the east coast restrict foreign goods from entering Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, and Persia through the Red Sea. They want to monopolize this market. .

Genoa, Tuscany, Lucca, Milan and other states currently maintain a relatively good relationship with the Ottoman Empire. Under the coordination of the people on the east coast, they only need to pay a certain toll ( Compared with the unpredictable trans-ocean sea transportation, it is quite cost-effective), people and goods can be transported to the side of the Indian Ocean according to the designated route, even draft animals, tools, forage, food, water and other necessities can be Purchasing in Egypt further saves costs.

If the Venetians want to replicate this model, it is impossible not to reconcile with the Ottomans, so Liao Xiaoyao mentioned the issue of reconciliation.Leonardo Morosini was born in a family of consuls, which is naturally clear, and this is actually an important reason why the Consul Council of the Republic of Venice finally ordered to stop the march and refused to join the anti-Turkish alliance led by Austria ——In history, the Venetians joined this alliance, and sent navy and army to attack the Ottoman Empire, and seized large tracts of land in Dalmatia, Greece and other regions, which greatly eviled the Ottoman Empire.But in this time and space, because of the unremitting efforts of the people on the east coast, the Venetians considered again and again, and finally stopped in the coastal waters of Greece after gaining a little sweetness. The relationship between Wei and Austria.

Of course, there is no opposition in Venice. Some consuls hate the Ottoman Empire. After all, the Crete War, which lasted for 20 years, has just ended. The memory of the war is still fresh (the Ottoman Empire, which lost 40 soldiers and civilians, was also seriously injured in this war), and the refusal to reconcile with the Turks was clearly reflected in the consul meeting: After debating with the main combat faction for a long time, they finally had to compromise with each other. Although the main peace faction still gained the upper hand in the end, they still failed to stop the initial dispatch of troops.

"Dear Chairman Liao, I think if the Turks are willing, our country's Consul Council will not refuse peace talks now. Moreover, we have stopped advancing troops. There is a certain tacit understanding between the Turks and us. They have seen Our sincerity for ceasefire." After thinking for a while, Leonardo Morosini said slowly: "The military pressure they are now facing is very heavy, and they are eager to draw troops from Dalmatia and other places to go north. , so I think the two sides have a basis for peace talks."

"It's good to have a basis for peace talks. It's better that you temporarily stopped your military operations. I guess you originally launched troops in Dalmatia and Greece at the same time. You have a big plan, right? Maybe you also have to march into Athens Is it an extravagant hope?" Liao Xiaoyao commented: "I advise you to give up those unrealistic hopes for the time being. Although the Ottoman Empire lost a lot of troops last year, it is not so much to reorganize an army of 20 to 30. Difficult things (though certainly not too good at fighting), how many troops can you dispatch? 3 to 5 people are at the top, even if some Catholic volunteers full of religious enthusiasm join your ranks, there will not be too many, let alone What's more, your financial situation cannot support large-scale military operations for a long time. Therefore, reconciliation with the Ottoman Empire is a very good proposal, which is very beneficial to the long-term development of the future."

In fact, what Liao Xiaoyao said was also true.Historically, the Venetians took advantage of the great opportunity of the Ottoman Empire’s defeat and sent troops to occupy many fortresses and towns in the adjacent Dalmatia region, and landed on the Greek peninsula. They once occupied the famous city of Athens, which shocked the entire Ottoman Empire. .As a last resort, the Ottoman Empire began to frantically deploy troops from various places to reinforce Greece in order to stabilize the southern front that was about to collapse. This objectively greatly helped the Austrian troops fighting in Hungary, Serbia and other places.

Finally, after a bitter battle with many casualties on both sides, the Venetians were expelled from Athens, the southern front stabilized, and both sides stopped fighting.The Venetians gained little of value in this costly and deadly campaign, and it was a financial disaster.The only winner is the Kingdom of Austria, which is advancing in Hungary, and the Habsburg family is getting closer and closer to the Hungarian throne.

Therefore, if the people on the east coast really contributed to the peace between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire, then this is not only good news for the people in Dalmatia, Greece and other see-saw areas, but also for the two countries themselves. It is also a great thing.From then on, the Ottomans can concentrate on dealing with the more vicious Austrians, and the situation will definitely be much better.In a way, that's pretty much the thing that changed the course of history -- at least in part.

"You are right, Chairman Liao, the only ones who have benefited from the long-term war against the Ottoman Empire are the Austrians. But I would like to point out carefully that because there are still a large number of opposition groups in our country, and their power and the energy of their supporters It is also very large, so if the Turks cannot pay enough for the truce, I think there may be a long way to go before a real truce," Leonardo said.

The meaning of what he said was that he wanted to keep some of the Ottoman territories that he had already occupied. After all, he couldn't do nothing for nothing, and he wouldn't be able to explain it to the people. Liao Xiaoyao understood this.Therefore, after thinking about it carefully, he finally nodded, saying that both parties can write their respective intentions into diplomatic documents and send them back to Europe, and then each of the three parties will send some representatives to sit down and discuss in detail, Leonardo also agrees adopted this approach.

Back home, there are more things to do.Yesterday, the child had a fever and a cold again, 39.5 degrees, and vomited after drinking milk. I have been tossing for a long time, and the update is delayed until now, sorry.

(End of this chapter)