Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1285 Taking advantage of the situation
"Your Excellency is right! Such behavior by the Netherlands is absolutely unacceptable! On behalf of the Kingdom of Portugal, I agree to expel the Dutch from the Far East and bring the culprits to trial!" Baron Pedro expressed his support in a firm tone, his face full of anger, clenching his fist and waving it forcefully, as if he were not only representing the Kingdom of Portugal, but also God, to punish these damned Dutchmen.

Baron Antonio, the Spanish envoy, frowned slightly. As a Spanish nobleman, and especially as the envoy to the Ming Dynasty, although he was a playboy, he still possessed the necessary political acumen.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Portugal had been under Spanish rule for decades before recently regaining its independence and having its own king again. Since then, Portugal has been striving to break free from Spanish influence in Europe, and the marriage of his daughter to Charles II was a shrewd move by the current King João IV of Portugal.

This move may not have seemed like much at the time, but in retrospect it was a brilliant one. With Charles II becoming the true King of England, England and Portugal had effectively become allies under this pivotal point, which was extremely advantageous for Portugal in opening up diplomatic opportunities in Europe.

Although Spain continues to use its influence to suppress Portugal, it must be acknowledged that with British assistance, Portugal is becoming increasingly confident. More importantly, Charles II and the Portuguese princess have a prince, who is essentially the eldest son of the British monarch and queen. Although Charles II did not bestow upon the prince a proper title due to his young age, traditionally, if the prince grows up successfully and does not die young, he will be the first in line to the British throne.

Sir Wilson was the first to jump out and launch a fierce attack on the Netherlands, which was not surprising to everyone. After all, Britain's power in the Far East was very weak. Britain's rise at sea was much later than that of Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. Even after defeating the Spanish Armada in naval battles, Britain's acquisition of overseas colonies was only to establish itself on the New World across the ocean.

As for the Far East, Britain currently controls at most the Indian Ocean region, specifically the Palestinian area, and has only established a foothold there. If Charles II hadn't come to study in the Ming Dynasty and established contact with the Ming imperial family, Britain wouldn't have been able to establish diplomatic relations and set up an embassy with the Ming so quickly.

Therefore, Britain's power in the Far East was very weak, at most comparable to that of Sweden or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and it was impossible for its reach to extend directly to Southeast Asia.

Most of the Southeast Asian region had been divided up by Portugal, the Netherlands, and Spain. Portugal occupied Macau and southern Myanmar, the Netherlands occupied Batavia and Malacca, and Spain controlled central and southern Luzon from Manila. Of these three countries, Portugal was much weaker than before due to the reasons mentioned earlier, while the Netherlands and Spain were the most powerful.

To forcefully enter the Far East under these circumstances, besides establishing friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty, the only other option was to target the colonies occupied by these three countries. However, Portugal was already in decline. With the defeat in the Battle of Malacca, it lost this important sea route, and currently, apart from Macau, Portugal only occupies the area in southern Myanmar.

In essence, Macau was still part of the Ming Dynasty, merely a port allocated by the Ming to Portuguese merchants for temporary residence and trade. Moreover, with the rise of several other trading ports in the Ming Dynasty, Macau's role as an important trading port in the Far East had diminished considerably, and the advantages of Portuguese merchants had disappeared.

Sir Wilson astutely realized this. In his view, the evidence of the Dutch doing this was conclusive, and they had provoked a behemoth like the Ming Dynasty. The fact that the Ming Prime Minister Zhang Xijun had invited them all to the Zongli Yamen to inform them of this matter was clearly a test of the attitudes of various countries, while simultaneously preparing to teach the Dutch a lesson.

If the Ming Dynasty were to take action, it would inevitably wage war against the Dutch, and Batavia and Malacca, the Dutch East India Company's important bases in the Far East, would naturally become targets of military attack. In this situation, if the Dutch were defeated and withdrew from the Far East, losing their colonies, wouldn't Britain then have an opportunity to enter the Far East?
Therefore, at this time, clearly supporting the Ming Dynasty and declaring punishment for the Dutch would only benefit Britain. After the Dutch defeat, Britain could take advantage of the situation. If it could occupy Batavia, that would be even better. At that time, Britain's reach could extend from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific, thus directly confronting countries like Spain.

Furthermore, after the turmoil of the years following Charles I's execution and Cromwell's self-proclamation as Lord Protector, Britain's national strength was inevitably damaged. Britain's influence in Europe is now far less than before, and if it wishes to re-establish its position there, it must do so through diplomatic means, including war.

The Netherlands, known as the "maritime carrier" and a powerful nation in Europe, has always had conflicts with England from religious and political perspectives. Although Charles II fled England to the Netherlands during a coup and stayed there for a time, and his sister Mary married William II, Prince of Orange, their children continued to live in the Netherlands even after Charles II returned to England and ascended the throne, the relationship between the British and Dutch royal families was far from amicable. If it had been, Charles II wouldn't have been forced to wander through Europe, even to the point of being unable to afford food and sleeping in trees at night.

Moreover, although there are many intricate relationships among the various royal families in Europe, kinship has never been a bond that maintains friendship between two countries. It is common for relatives to fight each other. For example, the Hundred Years' War between England and France was caused by the Plantagenet dynasty's struggle for ownership of French territory. In other words, it was the descendants of a family who fought each other over the division of inheritance and the determination of ownership, which ultimately triggered this war that lasted for a hundred years.

The same was true during the First World War. The King of Great Britain, the German Emperor, and the Tsar of Russia were all descendants of Queen Victoria. According to their generational order, they were either cousins ​​or cousins. In fact, the German Emperor Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II looked extremely similar, almost like twins when they stood together.

Given such a relationship, they should have been very close, yet they were the ones who ignited the first world war, the largest war in human history. Ultimately, this war had no winners, only losers.

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany conceded defeat and abdicated, nearly leading to the dismemberment of Germany. Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family were wiped out by revolutionaries, ending the centuries-old empire. Even Britain, the nominal victor, was severely weakened, beginning its decline from its peak. Decades later, after World War II, the British Empire completely lost its former glory and relinquished its status as a top-tier superpower.

British politicians are adept at seizing opportunities, and Sir Wilson, who was appointed minister to the Far East by Charles II, was certainly no ordinary man. Realizing he could use this opportunity to advance his country's interests and weaken potential rivals like the Netherlands, Sir Wilson naturally had to immediately declare his allegiance to the Ming Dynasty.

As for the attitude of Baron Pedro, the Portuguese minister, it's easier to understand. On the one hand, it's due to the current relationship between Portugal and Britain; the two countries are currently in a honeymoon period, practically inseparable. On the other hand, it's due to Portugal's influence in Europe over the years. Since regaining its independence, Portugal has consistently sought recognition of its rightful status from other European nations, yet there hasn't been much diplomatic tension.

Another important point is that Portugal and the Netherlands had a long-standing feud, stemming from the Dutch seizing the Malacca region from Portugal after years of control. With the loss of Malacca, Portugal's power in the Far East was greatly diminished. If Portugal, with its control of Malacca, could previously decide the access of Far Eastern countries to the South China Sea, now it not only lost that privilege but also had to rely on the Dutch.

If Portugal could inflict a heavy blow on the Dutch, it might be able to reclaim the Strait of Malacca, which would be extremely advantageous for Portugal. Moreover, the British had already expressed their support; how could Portugal miss such an opportunity? Therefore, both countries unhesitatingly declared their support for the Ming Dynasty and suggested waging war against the Dutch.

Viscount Philip, the Swedish minister, and Baron Markre of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth exchanged a glance, naturally understanding the real reason for the British and Portuguese attitude.

But what does all this have to do with them? Geographically speaking, these two countries are not adjacent to the Kingdom of the Netherlands; they are quite far apart. Moreover, they have no direct conflict with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, even without conflict, it doesn't mean that these two countries would take this opportunity to undermine the Dutch or add fuel to the fire.

After all, the Dutch were powerful in the Far East. The more the Dutch took from the Far East, the less other countries could have. If the Dutch were expelled, the vacuum left behind would inevitably be filled by other countries, even if they only got a little soup in the end. This would still be a good thing for Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

More importantly, the Dutch had provoked the Ming Empire. Given the Ming Empire's immense power, the Dutch were simply out of their minds to do this. Frankly, even if they remained silent, what difference would it make? Did they think the Ming Empire would easily let the Dutch off the hook? The two envoys, who had lived in the Ming Dynasty for several years, knew all too well the situation. The Ming was not a pushover; the Dutch's self-destructive actions would inevitably provoke a furious retaliation from the Ming. Therefore, supporting the Ming would not only be righteous but would also bring them some benefits—why not?
(End of this chapter)