The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 607 An unbreakable alliance?
There are still many smart people in this world. After the Chengde Pilgrimage Conference ended.

The French envoy hurried back to report the good news. The annual income was about 3.5 million silver dollars, which was equivalent to 26 million livres, which was still very good.

Although it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the 1.7 billion livres debt owed by the French government, it can at least last for a while longer.

William Pitt the Younger of England also hurried back. He had to quickly prepare to reorganize the British East India Company and plunder India.

Of course, the most important thing is to continue to expand the navy.

William Pitt Jr. looked at the Dutch envoy, Commodore Lawrence Peter van der Spiegel, and said:

"Everything the United Provinces had in the East is over. You can never return to the East.

The Seris Dayu Empire has become invincible militarily.

This is not to say that they will not be defeated, but defeating them several times on a small, medium, or even large scale will be useless.

Because no matter how large-scale the defeat is, it will only force the Seres people to return to the mainland to lick their wounds.

Then ten or twenty years later, they will go south again. Such a close distance and such a huge size have already determined the fate of Nanyang.

This was best known to the officials, soldiers, and native whites of the United Provinces in Batavia, who had all lost hope in the United Provinces.

The Dutch envoy, Brigadier General Spiegel, nodded. Before coming to Chengde, he had tried to contact the Dutch who were currently serving in Seres.

For example, Vice Admiral Van Ginsburg, Vice Admiral Peter Melville, and Governor Andy Holdyke.

The last two of the three had never seen the people he sent, and they had even changed their names to Chinese ones, intending to become Seres.

Only the former received his envoy, but this reception was almost the same as no reception, because Lieutenant General Van Ginsberg had already given up his military post in the Seris Empire.

Thanks to his contribution in the Battle of Trincomalee, he received a generous severance pay and was about to return to his hometown in Hanover to retire.

After that, Brigadier General Spiegel, who was unwilling to give up, contacted more than 20 officials and officers from the Dutch East India Company.

Almost without exception, no one wanted to have too much contact with him. The difference was that some people still met him, while others avoided him.

Many of these Dutch people even have relatives in Europe, and they have chosen this basically ruthless approach, which is enough to prove how much they are pessimistic about the United Provinces Republic in their hearts, and they don't even want to have any connection with it.

“Mr. Prime Minister, today’s Batavia is tomorrow’s India, and the Seres’ desire for land is endless.

Moreover, they have already colonized India and tasted the benefits, so they will not give up this rich land."

A shocking little-known fact is that at that time, a large part of Europe still considered India to be part of China, or in other words, they believed that India was a colony of ancient Serbia.

The evidence is the large number of stronghold ruins left along the coast of India when Zheng He sailed to the West.

Since India is the birthplace of Buddhism, Zheng He's team was very interested in building temples when they arrived in the Buddha's hometown.

It is estimated that from the Yongle period to the early Xuande period, Zheng He's treasure fleet built at least seventy large Chinese-style temples on the coastline of the Indian mainland during its heyday, and monks from China also arrived and stayed with the fleet.

And since there are temples, they cannot just stand alone on the coast, so trading bases are often built around the temples. A temple is a small piece of land.

Well, actually, it’s not wrong to say that Serbia colonized India, because what Zheng He’s treasure fleet did in India back then is similar to what European colonists are doing in India today.

Except for not ruling and massacring the locals on a large scale, they supported agents, built temples, established colonization outposts and stationed troops there, monopolized trade, and recruited the locals to work like slaves.

It’s a pity that although Zhu Laosi faced a great opportunity, he did not lay a solid foundation for the great voyages of discovery.

The good sage grandson Zhu Zhanji was a fool who had become stupid after studying Confucianism. In the end, he failed to form a stable profit-making mechanism. As the national strength declined, he had to give up.

When Europeans began to colonize India, they discovered a large number of architectural ruins with a strong Serian style along the coast of the Indian Ocean. The locals also told them that Serian kings (referring to stronghold officials) had ruled these places a long time ago.

So these guys thought that India was part of Serbia, or that Serbia had colonized India for a long time.

Well, according to their Western operating model, Europeans quickly felt that they had discovered the truth.

So when he heard the Dutch envoy Brigadier General Spiegel say that Serbia had colonized India, William Pitt the Younger did not refute it at all, because that was what he believed.

This is also the reason why he did not think that Brigadier General Spiegel was completely trying to sow discord, because according to the European way of thinking, after Seris became strong, it would definitely come to take back their colonies.

"I finally understand what it felt like for us Anglo-Saxons, Gauls, and Castilians to face the Roman Empire.

Such a monster country, or monster civilization, should not exist."

As William Pitt Jr. spoke, he rubbed his face fiercely with his hands, not caring about his aristocratic image at all. It was obvious that he was under great psychological pressure.

After a while, William Pitt Jr. asked, "Does the Federal Republic Congress have any plans for the future?"

Although Spiegel held the rank of commodore, he was actually primarily a politician, which was also the norm among the European upper class, so he immediately understood why William Pitt the Younger asked this question.

Because although the United Netherlands (Netherlands) claims to be a republic, it cannot escape the shackles of thousands of years of monarchy.

The Republic has no king, but has a permanent regent who is the Prince of Orange.

The person who truly holds power in the republic is the Grand Chancellor of the Federal Republic.

This high position, which was similar to a nominal monarch, was basically held by the Grand Chancellor of the Dutch County, the most powerful country in the United Provinces. Therefore, later generations generally used "Holland" to refer to the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

But the Netherlands was only the most powerful of the seven provinces that made up the country, not all of the seven provinces. Therefore, no matter how powerful the County of Holland was, there were still people who were dissatisfied.

These disgruntled people joined forces with the Prince of Orange, who was also marginalized and felt he should be the King of the Netherlands.

A royalist faction was formed in the country whose slogan was to expand the power of the Prince of Orange and support the royal power, but in fact they wanted to get a bigger piece of the pie.

In contrast to them were the republicans led by the County of the Netherlands.

As the Netherlands' biggest rival during the Sea Coachman era, the English naturally supported the royalists and the Prince of Orange.

Not only because the United Provinces is in power now, but also because the grandfather of William V, Prince of Orange, was the adopted son of William III, who came from the Netherlands to become king of England.

At the same time, William V's mother was Princess Anne, the aunt of the current King George III of England, and William V himself married George III's cousin, Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia.

Simply put, William V, the ruler of the United Provinces, was, on his paternal side, a cousin of the current King George III of England.

At the same time, after he married George III's cousin William, he became George III's cousin-in-law on his mother's side.

Belongs to my aunt's son, married to my aunt's daughter.

Precisely because of this relationship, the line of the Prince of Orange has always been a weapon for England to influence and involve the United Provinces.

The four Anglo-Dutch Wars in history are very worthy of their name, because this was not a war between England and the United Provinces, but actually a war between the Kingdom of England and the County of the Netherlands.

During the battle, the other six provinces or counties that belonged to the United Provinces Republic with the County of the Netherlands not only did not help much, but also secretly informed the English and hindered them.

In this way, it is not difficult to understand the famous joke in history that the capitalists of the United Provinces lent money to the English so that the English could win the Anglo-Dutch War.

The Chinese Empire had to arrange for students to live and study there to understand this complex relationship, but for the parties involved, the lines were very clear.

William Pitt the Younger seemed to be asking whether the Parliament of the United Provinces had any plans, but in fact he was asking whether the royalists in the United Provinces had any plans.

The reason why he asked this was because the Brigadier General Spiegel in front of him was not from the County of Holland, but from the County of Zeeland, a typical royalist.

On such an important occasion, the task of spying on Seris was not given to the Dutch, but to the Zeelanders, which represents something that has happened within the United Provinces Republic.

"The Duke has received approval from quite a number of people, while Grand Chancellor Bleiswijk has been widely questioned." Dutch envoy Spiegel said slowly.

The duke he was referring to was Louis Ernest, Duke of Brunswick, commander of the Dutch Army. He was the spokesperson for William V, Prince of Orange, and the leader of the royalists.

The Duke of Brunswick has received widespread approval, while the current Grand Chancellor, Bleiswijk, is being questioned. This is the most obvious feature of the power balance within the United Provinces Republic.

"Then Mr. Spiegel's report on his mission will be a very important basis for policy adjustments, right?" William Pitt Jr.'s eyes lit up.

"Yes, this is thanks to your destruction during the war." Spiegel said with a very constipated expression on his face. For a moment, he himself didn't know whether his words were sincere or a bit sarcastic.

Because the position of Duke of Brunswick, commander of the Federal Republic Army, was actually a nominal position, or it was very watered down.

The United Provinces Republic does not have much of an army, and the line infantry capable of land combat are basically registered under the name of the navy, namely the Marine Corps.

In the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War in 1781, England destroyed the navy controlled by the County of the Netherlands. Many line infantrymen lost their warships and were forced to return home. The Duke of Brunswick took the opportunity to recruit them in the name of the army commander.

As a result, the navy of the United Provinces was on the verge of collapse, but the army had expanded several times more than before. The County of Holland, which had always relied on the navy to control the republic, was suddenly threatened by the military force of the Duke of Brunswick, who had an army.

This was so bizarre that even William Pitt was speechless. However, he knew the importance of Spiegel's report on Seris's military strength, so he lowered his voice and said:
"If the Prince of Orange could become the King of the Netherlands again, I think he would not be stingy with the title."

Spiegel swallowed hard. After a long while, he resisted the temptation with great fortitude and asked in a low voice, "What does the Kingdom of England want? Seris is so powerful. Do we have a future?"

William Pitt the Younger was even more satisfied. His ideal collaborator was just such a cautious and intelligent person. If someone said "yes, yes" as soon as he heard the title of knight, he would not dare to cooperate with him.

Because stupidity can really kill people.

"Yes!" William Pitt the Younger said firmly, "Although Seres's fiscal revenue is more than twice that of England, its territory is too vast, and there are too many places to spend money.

Even the two expenses of deploying troops in the northwest and paying salaries to officials and nobles alone were a huge burden on the country.

At the same time, as a very traditional land power, the Seris Dayu Empire was destined to maintain a strong army and retain the ability to quell rebellions in the vast empire at any time.

So the funds they put into the navy are extremely limited!" William Pitt Jr. stretched out four fingers and shook them in front of Spiegel.

"It's only 40% of England's, and its naval strength is far inferior to Europe's. If England and the Netherlands could unite, this advantage would be even greater."

Spiegel thought for a moment and looked at William Pitt the Younger in disbelief. "You English, are you still unwilling to give up India?"

What can England do by strengthening its navy? It’s all for India.

Because even the nearby Seris Empire still had to use sea transportation to bring the benefits gained from India back to its country, and the land route might not be enough.

Therefore, as long as England continues to maintain its maritime advantage, Serbia will not be able to seize the benefits of India with peace of mind. At that time, England will have enough bargaining chips whether in negotiations or otherwise.

"It's not that we don't want to, but that we can't. We must have India!"

William Pitt the Younger was still very clear-headed. He knew that if he lost New England and then India, the kingdom would become a second-rate country.

Moreover, the kingdom had supported the British India Company for so many years, and it was time to cut some of its losses to make ends meet.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I admit that this plan is attractive, but the Prince of Orange cannot become King of the Netherlands.

Because the Southern Netherlands is in the hands of the Habsburgs, they will never allow the Prince of Orange to become King of the Netherlands, and France will not allow it either."

After the War of the Spanish Succession, the Southern Netherlands (roughly equivalent to Belgium) was ceded by the Kingdom of Spain to the Habsburgs and became part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Even the County of Holland and the County of Zeeland in the United Provinces were legally part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Due to geographical reasons, France would never allow William V, who was close to England, to become King of the Netherlands.

William Pitt the Younger smiled cunningly, "We can bring in Grand Duke Mokar I of Transylvania and his wife Maria Elizabeth, Duchess of Parma.

Let us persuade the Southern Netherlands to become the King of Belgium!"

"Joseph II was carrying out his self-proclaimed progressive reforms, but this was damaging the foundations of the Habsburg family, and even the title of Holy Roman Emperor was undermining it.

The reason why the situation has not gotten out of control yet is that Mokar I, who is trying to stop him, has the support of the Hungarians, who are very important people within the Holy Roman Empire.

Although Mokar I is only the Grand Duke of Transylvania, his prestige is now almost equal to that of the King of Hungary."

Mokar I is naturally Mo Zibu's third brother, Mo Zirong, Prince Lu of the Seris Dayu Empire.

Karl was his Christian name when he converted to Catholicism. Europeans called him Mokar in accordance with the custom of Serbs and Hungarians of putting the surname first. Some also jokingly called him Grand Duke M I or Grand Duke of Serbs.

"That's brilliant!" Spiegel couldn't help but praise, "Joseph II would definitely be willing to let Mokar I leave Vienna for a while.

Because if Shinra loses this leader who is blocking his reforms, he can push forward the reforms more quickly."

William Pitt the Younger also smiled. "As long as Archduke Morcar I becomes King of Belgium, his Kingdom of Belgium will stand between the Netherlands and France. He will definitely not allow the French army to attack the United Provinces.

Because a considerable number of the lower class people in Belgium speak French and consider themselves Gauls.

As long as the French army enters the United Provinces, Belgium will be in great danger and his throne will be unstable."

"But," Spiegel said hesitantly, "This is too obvious. Mokar I will definitely be able to see that this is a trap.

We just want him to serve as a wall in Belgium, and at the same time, set a trap to destroy the relationship between France and Serbia.

I'm worried that Mokar I might not be fooled!"

"Hahahaha!" Little William Pitt finally laughed happily, "How could this be a trap?
Belgium (Austrian Netherlands) is a wealthy land. If anyone can become the King of Belgium, he can get a net income of at least more than 150,000 pounds a year. No one can refuse such a huge sum of money.

Moreover, Theresa Elizabeth, Duchess of Parma, had always wanted to find her only son a piece of land that wasn't in a poor place like Transylvania, so she wouldn't refuse this opportunity.

"So what does England want?" Brigadier General Spiegel asked finally. This question will be the most crucial one.

Because the people of the United Provinces would never accept George III as their king.

"The Navy!" William Pitt Jr. replied gravely. "The Navy of the United Provinces, all your overseas colonies, and an unbreakable alliance."

"Hiss!" Brigadier General Spiegel gasped. "The Dutch only took most of the benefits, but you English won't let us get any of them at all!"

"After the signing of the treaty, all goods from the Upper Netherlands can be sold in England's colonies, and you will be allowed to freely colonize England's colonies.

You can also get the benefits of England's management of India, except that the warships and shipping routes are controlled by England. "

Little William Pitt was like a strange uncle tempting a little girl to see the goldfish. "After all these years of development, the Upper Netherlands is no longer the lowland that could be flooded by seawater at any time. Your agriculture is developing very well.

Besides, the Grand Chancellor of the County of Holland will not grant you a title. In the Republic, you will get nothing except the opportunity to go out to sea and earn some money. You can't even become a noble."

The fact that the Netherlands became the Coachman of the Sea in history was actually forced upon them.

This broken land is flooded by seawater all year round, and is full of saline-alkali land. The output from farming is not enough to eat, and people will starve to death if they don't go out to sea to make a living.

The situation is similar to that of Fujian, a place not contested by military strategists in China. The Dutch can also be regarded as the Fujianese of Europe.

However, after so many years of expansion, the Netherlands built a large number of dams and managed the saline-alkali land on the coastal plains. Although it did not reach the level of Europe's vegetable basket in later generations, it had initially met the conditions for large-scale agricultural development.

Therefore, these nobles could go ashore and become large landowners, leaving all overseas lands to the English and forming an alliance.

But we can only say that the conditions are in place. If we really want to unite, we still have to overcome many obstacles.

But William Pitt the Younger dared to think about it. Historically, he even wanted to take back New England.

"How can our interests be guaranteed? This is equivalent to all of us putting our heads under the guns of you English people." Brigadier General Spiegel didn't know what to say.

"Let William Frederick come to London. Princess Elizabeth and Princess Mary are about the same age as him and they will definitely get along well.

I will also persuade Parliament to recognize the future right of William Frederick and his descendants to the throne of England."

William Frederick is the son of William V, Prince of Orange, the current permanent ruler of the United Provinces.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Mary were daughters of King George III of England.

This right of inheritance does not mean that William Frederick can inherit on an equal footing with the children of George III, but that he can be included in the ranking of the succession rights of the English royal family.

If George III's line died out, the descendants of William Frederick would be eligible to inherit the throne of England.

It is feasible to a certain extent. This was Brigadier General Spiegel's first instinct.

Anyway, if he were William V, Duke of Brunswick and Prince of Orange, he would definitely consider it seriously.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, when I return, I will report what I saw in Seris truthfully. I will also convey your opinions truthfully to the Duke of Brunswick and His Royal Highness King William V.

As for the rest, it is not my place to decide, I can only say that, as a person, I agree with it."

When William Pitt Jr. heard Brigadier General Spiegel say this, he knew he was interested.

Because as long as we tell the truth, we can convey Seris's strength to everyone in the Federal Republic without exaggeration.

Then the top leaders of the United Provinces would know that after losing the Dutch East India Company for nothing, there was no possibility of revenge or taking it back.

They could either suffer the consequences of the Netherlands' fall from the ranks of great powers to the dust, or consider cooperating with England.

No, it is not as simple as falling from the ranks of powerful countries. A revolution might even break out.

After losing the Dutch East India Company and its industries, the finances of the United Provinces were even worse than those of the Kingdom of France and were in fact bankrupt.

They don't have much choice.

However, the two people who seem to be perfect here have overlooked another problem.

That is, the Holy Roman Empire has a complete set of Dutch legal claims. If Mo Zirong really becomes the King of Belgium in the Lower Netherlands, how will the United Provinces of the Upper Netherlands deal with it?
(End of this chapter)