The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 222: Negotiating a Trade with the Spanish
Duan Yucai's fleet was repaired in Algiers in North Africa, and he arranged for a steamship from Algiers to rush to Spain to inform the Spaniards that the envoy of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was coming to visit.

The delegation bound for the United States parted ways with Duan Yucai here and headed directly to North America through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Duan Yucai stayed in Algiers for seven days before setting off again for Spain, eventually docking at the eastern Spanish port of Valencia.

The delegation headed by Duan Yucai rode in a Spanish carriage to Madrid inland to meet the King of Spain.

The old King Carlos III of Spain died at the end of last year.

The new king, Carlos IV, has succeeded to the throne, but the formal coronation ceremony has not yet been held, but this does not affect his power.

The several collaborations between Ming Dynasty and Spain can be considered victories and were beneficial to Spain.

The North American War recovered several colonies. Although the North African Campaign did not directly gain colonies, it eradicated pirates in the Mediterranean.

Also eliminated at the same time were the pirates of the Caribbean.

The King of Spain and his ministers, as well as merchants and nobles throughout the kingdom, no longer had to worry about being kidnapped and having to pay high ransoms.

Now people in Spain have a very good impression of the Ming people.

When Carlos IV heard that the envoy of the Ming Emperor had arrived, he was very happy and held a grand welcoming ceremony in the palace together with his queen and ministers.

During the polite greeting session, Duan Yucai briefly talked about the news of the Ming Dynasty:
"Last year, we defeated the Qing people who occupied the northern lands of Ming Dynasty and recovered our old capital.

"We have also reconquered these Tatars in the wider sense, and they have renewed their oath of allegiance to our Emperor.

"The land and population they originally controlled have been reintegrated into the Ming Dynasty.

"We are now sharing this good news with all friendly countries."

After Duan Yucai said these words, the interpreter next to him translated them into Spanish, and cheers immediately rang out all around.

The modern Spanish state was established on the basis of "recovering lost territory", so they could empathize with what Duan Yucai said.

The King of Spain raised his glass:

"On behalf of Spain, I congratulate the Ming Dynasty on its recovery of its homeland. Let us toast to the Ming Dynasty's victory again!"

The nobles and officials present were all very excited and toasted together.

After drinking the glass of wine, the king also asked Duan Yucai about his purpose.

Duan Yucai continued with the previous topic:

"Our Emperor, after consulting the exploration records left by the Qing imperial family, learned that they had discovered what may be the tallest trees in the world in California on the west coast of North America.

“We, the people of Shenzhou Daming, are accustomed to using trees to build palaces and houses. The height and size of the trees directly determine how big a palace we can build.

"Our Emperor is going to use this kind of tree from California to rebuild our Forbidden City.

“At the same time, the palace built with trees needs to be repaired frequently, and similar trees will always be needed in the future. Simply purchasing wood once is not enough.

“But the area where these trees grow is mostly within New Spain, in the most remote areas of the northwest corner.

“His Majesty the Emperor wants to purchase this piece of land and designate it as a special forest farm for the Ming imperial family, specifically for the construction and renovation of future palaces for the Ming imperial family.

"At the same time, we must also prevent it from being arbitrarily cut down and destroyed by ordinary people in the future."

Today's European nobles know the Ming Dynasty much better than they did in the same period in history. They all know that the Ming Dynasty royal family and nobles pursued pure wooden palaces and houses.

So there is no need to question whether the Ming people are just making up excuses.

Maria Luisa, the Queen of King Carlos IV of Spain, asked casually:
"Oh, there are the tallest trees in the world? How tall are they?"

Duan Yucai casually introduced:

“According to the archive records we have seen, many of those trees are over 110 meters tall.

"This height is unprecedented and we haven't found it anywhere else in the world."

Maria was startled:
"One hundred and ten meters! That's as high as the towers of Seville Cathedral and Toledo Cathedral!
“If we use these trees as pillars for the palace, can we directly build a building over a hundred meters high?

"I also heard that the construction speed of the Ming Dynasty's palace was very fast and it would only take a few years to complete?"

Duan Yucai said without comment:
"Theoretically, it is possible to build a palace that is 100 meters high. If we want to complete it as quickly as possible, it can indeed be completed within ten years."

Queen Maria seemed very surprised:

"It's incredible...why aren't European palaces and churches made of wood?"

A bishop nearby explained to the queen:
"In fact, in the early Middle Ages, European palaces and churches were also built with wood, and later many church roofs were made of wood."

Queen Maria asked curiously:
"Then why not use it now?"

The Bishop went on to explain:
“Because for a long time, there were many robbers and pirates in Europe, and their main target of looting was the church.

“Because the church has the wealth that believers offer to the Lord…

“If the church is made of wood, even if the robbers cannot break into the church, they can just burn it down.

"Later, rocks were increasingly used to build bases and walls, both to protect against attacks by bandits and pirates and to protect against destructive fires.

“The palace of the nobles… The nobles lived in rock castles in the early days, which also served as a defense against serf rebellions, bandits, and enemy raids.

"Later, pirates and robbers were gradually brought under control, but habits that had been formed were difficult to change.

“Moreover, churches and palaces built of rock are indeed more solid and do not need to be damaged as easily as wooden palaces.

"There is also limestone material in Europe that is more convenient to mine..."

Queen Maria still didn't understand:

"Then why could the people of the Ming Dynasty always use wooden palaces? Were there no robbers and pirates in the Ming Dynasty? It seems that there were indeed no robbers and pirates?
"After the Ming people arrived in the Mediterranean, the first thing they did was to eliminate the Barbary pirates."

The bishop continued to explain to the queen:
“The palaces of the Ming imperial family and the houses of the nobles were all within the city walls, the main function of which was to defend against robbers.

"At the same time, there was a lack of rocks in the Central Plains, the Ming dynasty's homeland, so they used rammed earth to build the walls in the early days, and later switched to using bricks wrapped around the rammed earth."

Queen Maria seemed to understand:

On the other side, King Carlos IV of Spain was asking the Prime Minister (Secretary of State), Count José Monino Redondo of Bahia Blanca:

"Your Excellency, what is the specific situation in California?"

The Prime Minister reflected on what he knew:

“Your Majesty, everyone thought it was an island before, but later found out it was a valley on the mainland.

“The valley is surrounded by tall and steep mountains, and is separated from the core area of ​​New Spain by hundreds or thousands of kilometers of desert.

“There were only some ferocious Indians in the area, and there was basically no way to actually rule, and it was almost impossible to generate any tax revenue.

"If the Ming people can pay enough, we can get something really useful. This remote colony can be traded.

"But we can't talk to the Ming people right now. We should discuss and determine the price ourselves, and then formally discuss the deal with the Ming people."

Carlos IV nodded slightly after listening to this, turned to Duan Yucai in front of him, and said with a smile:

“I will seriously consider the invitation from the Ming Emperor, but it will take time to determine how we should trade.

"It's banquet time now, let's not discuss these serious matters for now..."

Duan Yucai also knew that the other party would definitely communicate internally, so he smiled and bowed as a matter of course:
"I'm waiting for news from you."

Then the two sides began to talk about things that did not involve direct transactions.

Queen Maria of Spain once again took the initiative to interrupt:

"By the way, Minister, how is the construction of the canal in Egypt going? When will it be open to navigation?"

There was no need to conceal this kind of news, so Duan Yucai told the truth directly:

“The project has reached the final stage and can actually be opened to navigation at any time.

“But our Crown Prince wants the river to be as deep as possible, so we are still digging.

"By the end of this year at the latest, it will be officially open to navigation, and all ships from around the world will be able to pass through."

The king and queen, the nobles, and the ministers were all shocked:
"It's almost through? Isn't this too fast?"

"Impossible? It only took more than two years, right?"

"How come it's so fast? We thought it would take several years..."

Duan Yucai said as a matter of course:

"This is the normal construction speed. It's just a 170-kilometer canal. We have thousands of kilometers of canals in the Ming Dynasty."

Most of the nobles didn't know what was going on, but after listening to Duan Yucai's words, they were all amazed.

The queen had other associations:
"More than 170 kilometers? It can be opened in less than three years?
“Then the narrowest part of our colonies in America, the Isthmus of Panama, is only about 60 kilometers, right?
"Doesn't that mean it only takes a year to dig? Why haven't we dug this canal yet?"

King Carlos IV of Spain didn't quite understand either, and asked the Prime Minister next to him again:
"Yes, why? Does Your Excellency know?"

The Spanish Prime Minister was actually a little confused and suspected that Duan Yucai was bragging.

How could a canal be built so quickly?

The Spanish Prime Minister tried hard to think and sort out the information that might be useful in his mind:
“This…may be because Panama is a tropical rainforest, and it is extremely humid and rainy, so the workers simply cannot work normally.

“The climate in the Isthmus of Suez is similar to that around the Mediterranean, so you can work most of the year.

“Also, Panama is much higher than the Isthmus of Suez.

“Even if the Isthmus of Panama is narrower, more soil would be needed to dig the canal than at Suez.

"Finally, we in Spain do not have the experience of managing hundreds of thousands of laborers like the Ming Dynasty...

"We can't find that many workers in Panama."

The king, queen and others reluctantly accepted this analysis.

Then Queen Maria had another idea:

"Is there a chance that Panama can dig a canal? Can we ask the Ming people to help me?"

Duan Yucai thought for a moment and said:
"There should be a chance. The craftsmen and workers of the Ming Dynasty can indeed be hired. If Spain is interested, we can discuss it separately." The queen said excitedly:

"Okay, then we'll arrange a meeting later..."

After the welcome banquet, Duan Yucai waited for another five days.

The King of Spain and his ministers finally reached an agreement and summoned the delegation headed by Duan Yucai into the palace to begin formal negotiations.

The King of Spain arranged the Prime Minister of Spain as the main representative in the negotiations, and the Queen of Spain arranged Manuel de Godoy as an auxiliary representative.

The two sides met in a conference room in the Spanish Royal Palace. After a simple greeting, they went straight to the point.

The Spanish Prime Minister immediately asked the Ming Dynasty to provide the production technology of new rifles used in North Africa, as well as the manufacturing technology of steam engines and steam sailboats.

Two years ago, Spain cooperated with the Ming Dynasty in the North African war and was deeply impressed by the bolt-action rifles used by the Ming expeditionary force.

Knowing that kind of weapon has an overwhelming advantage over the armies of other countries.

Duan Yucai refused without hesitation:
"These are the most advanced military secret technologies and cannot be traded.

“As far as I know, California should be an insignificant place for Spain, right?

“There are thousands of kilometers of desert between the New Spanish colonies, but these places are still virgin forests.

“The northern part of this area is actually right next to the core area of ​​Ming Dynasty on the west coast of North America.

"If Spain doesn't need the extra money, we can exchange it for colonies.

"The Nicaraguan colony, which now belongs to the Ming Dynasty, is located right next to New Spain and is surrounded by Spanish colonies.

“We traded Nicaragua for California and the desert behind it.

"In the future, we can use the Rocky Mountains as the boundary in the east, and the hundreds of kilometers of desert in the south as the boundary.

"This is beneficial to both of us. Exchanging colonies that are closer to each other with each other can reduce potential conflicts."

In the eyes of people of that era, this exchange plan was indeed a good one, as it smoothed out the jagged borders.

Duan Yucai felt that the other party would not be able to say anything about the terms of this exchange. At most, they would grind their teeth on the details, and then it would be almost settled.

However, the Spanish obviously have other ideas. The Spanish Prime Minister said quite seriously:

“California is indeed something that can be traded for the Spanish, but it is also of sufficient value.

“Especially now that Ming has a demand for this place, we don’t actually have much demand for Nicaragua.

"If this is the exchange, Ming needs to add another bargaining chip.

"Our King and Queen believe that the Ming Dynasty should help Spain build the Panama Canal."

Duan Yucai was speechless.

I have said before that the Ming Dynasty could take on the job of digging the canal, but I didn't expect the other party to directly offer it as a bargaining chip, and even prepare to include it as an additional condition.

“The value of California is roughly equivalent to that of Nicaragua.

"The canal construction project is extremely expensive, and it is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to help for no reason.

“I also have no authorization to discuss the canal directly.

"If Spain wants Ming to help build a canal, it can send someone to accompany me to Ming for further negotiations."

The Spanish Prime Minister immediately followed up with an explanation:

"The Ming Dynasty has colonies on both the east and west sides of North America, and digging the Panama Canal is also very beneficial to the Ming Dynasty.

"So the Panama Canal project can't actually be considered as Ming helping Spain, but rather a collaboration that is beneficial to both of us."

Duan Yucai certainly knew this, but it was best not to admit it during the negotiations, as that would be equivalent to giving up some of his bargaining chips.

The Spanish wanted to build a canal, but they didn't have the ability to do so, so they hoped for help from the Ming Dynasty.

This matter must be discussed separately as much as possible, with additional conditions and costs:

"The east coast of North America is the independent Kingdom of America, and the west coast of North America is a province of the Ming Dynasty.

“There is basically no communication between the two, so it doesn’t matter whether they are connected or not.

"If the Ming Dynasty recognizes America, it will take the Suez Canal and the Atlantic Ocean.

“To go to the west coast of North America, you’ll take the Pacific Ocean.

“So the Ming Dynasty had no actual need to build the Panama Canal.

“And as I said earlier, the canal issue should be discussed separately, so for now we’re only discussing California and Nicaragua.

“The exchange of the two is inherently fair and beneficial to the friendship between Ming and Spain.

“Our Emperor said that we must get those trees at all costs.

"I hope Spain will give up."

The Spanish Prime Minister realized that Duan Yucai was issuing a warning.

The content of "no matter what" may well include the use of force.

The Ming Dynasty is now indeed sincere and willing to exchange for a suitable place.

If Spain really makes trouble, the Ming Dynasty will most likely wait until the friendly alliance agreement expires and then start to rob it.

The Ming Dynasty had steam sailing ships and those terrifyingly powerful new rifles, which the Spanish army could not resist at all.

It should be said that no country in the world can withstand the attack of such troops.

Before last year, the Qing Dynasty, which was still considered one of the world's powers, was completely conquered by the Ming Dynasty in just one year.

Considering this perspective, the Ming Dynasty's willingness to offer conditions for a deal is already a sign of sincerity and goodwill.

While the Prime Minister was considering, Godoy, the Queen's representative, spoke up:

“Don’t be nervous, Your Excellency. Our King and Queen are willing to trade, but they really want to build the Panama Canal.

"Because I have seen the Ming Dynasty's ability in building the Suez Canal, I am a little more urgent.

“Our Queen also hopes that the Ming Dynasty can arrange craftsmen to build a Ming-style city and wooden palace in Spain.

"Your Excellency, you can propose conditions in exchange for building a canal, and there is a high probability that the conditions will be approved by His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"Let's first confirm the opinions of our King and Queen, and then go to Ming to discuss this matter."

The Spanish Prime Minister couldn't help but frown when he heard these words.

Godoy, a young man in his early twenties, revealed his true colors, allowing Daming to see directly what he desperately wanted.

If we continue the discussion further, we will be at a disadvantage.

Duan Yucai thought about it and directly asked the lion:
"The plains west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, the desert basins west of the mountains, and the California region are all completely connected.

“These places are also wastelands. Neither the original French nor you later built on a large scale in the vast inland areas.

“At the same time, during the process of digging the canal, Spain needs to organize enough laborers on its own to cooperate with the requirements and instructions of the Ming craftsmen.

"The Ming Dynasty is only responsible for the planning and implementation of the project. If the workers provided by Spain do not cooperate with the work, the responsibility does not lie with the Ming Dynasty."

Duan Yucai knew that Zhu Jianxuan was interested in the Great Plains of North America and hoped to completely control North America. As long as he could take over all of North America, building a canal should not be a problem.

The Spanish Prime Minister directly refused:

"This is obviously impossible. The value of the plains west of the Mississippi River far exceeds anything we have proposed so far."

Duan Yucai waved his hand directly:
"For the Ming Dynasty, digging a canal of more than 60 kilometers is not a big project.

“But, as for you, even if you sell the lands I mentioned, the funds you get will not be enough for you to complete the canal.

"Using land that is meaningless to you in exchange for Ming's help in completing the canal construction is a very beneficial deal for both of us.

“If you can’t accept that, let’s just talk about the California deal, Nicaragua for California and the Great Basin desert.

"Regarding the canal and other matters, the King of Spain can arrange for another envoy to go to Ming Dynasty to discuss them."

The Spanish Prime Minister was very helpless:

"Okay... We need to confirm the King and Queen's intentions again..."

After the first day of negotiations, the Spanish Prime Minister and Godoy went to report to the King and Queen.

After listening to this, the king was a little confused. He was not sure about the value of these trading projects, whether they were equal or worthwhile.

Queen Maria asked the Prime Minister somewhat unhappily:
"Mr. Secretary of State, how many colonies do we have in the Louisiana Territory? Have any gold or silver mines been discovered?"

The Prime Minister replied somewhat bewilderedly:
"I don't know how many colonies there are, but no gold or silver mines have been discovered..."

Queen Maria immediately asked back:
"Then why can't we exchange?
"Trade a piece of wasteland where only wild men and wild cattle live, a desert basin in the middle of a mountain range, for the Panama Canal and a Ming-style palace!
“Isn’t this a pretty good deal?
"Didn't the ministers of the Ming Dynasty say that even if we sell this land, can the money we get be enough to build the canal?
"You can go to the European continent and ask who can help us build this canal?"

The Prime Minister tried to defend himself:

“We can try to build it ourselves, we can recruit craftsmen from the European continent, people who are willing to explore, plan and construct.

"Even if this piece of land is traded, it should be exchanged for other land, not for the cost of a project like canal construction."

The king finally found an opportunity to interject:

"What can we exchange for?"

The Prime Minister immediately said:
"Like North Africa and Morocco?"

Queen Maria immediately sneered:
“The Minister of State knows that North Africa and Morocco are valuable enough, doesn’t the Minister of State of the Ming Dynasty know this?
"Why didn't you directly propose such a condition at that time? Did you know that the Ming Dynasty would not accept it?"

The Prime Minister shut up with a straight face.

The king himself has no opinion, while the queen has too many ideas.

(End of this chapter)