open sea

Chapter 1123 Tribute
On Philip's way to Lisbon, he talked a lot with Li Dan.

About the dowry, about Ming Dynasty, about the West Indies, about the maritime trade after the union of the two countries, and even about Brazil.

When Li Dan proposed to King Philip of Spain the idea of ​​using Brazil as a dowry, Fei Lao Er immediately rejected the proposal almost without thinking.

"No, if I use Brazil as a dowry, my daughter will have no status in the Ming emperor's court, because her dowry is as shabby as a country bumpkin from Valois in France."

King Fei Laoer closed his big chin slightly, raised his finger to Li Dan, stared carefully at all the expressions that flashed on Li Dan's face with a pair of copper bell eyes, and asked solemnly: "Can I trust you? Andre Ditis."

Li Dan didn't make a sound. For a few seconds, his body swayed slightly with the bumps of the carriage, his hand on his mouth moved forward, and he nodded without saying a word.

"Although the land in Brazil is very large, there are no gold mines or silver mines. The value is pitifully small. There is also a long coastline to guard against pirate attacks. If the situation in Portugal is stable in a few years, all the land except the coast will be given to Daming doesn't matter."

"But now, I need that worthless piece of land to exchange for me the loyalty of Portuguese nobles and merchants, and let them know that everything else remains the same except for me as Lord, which is in my interest."

"And what's good for me is good for Daming. We are one in terms of interests. How much money does Daming make from Spain every year? I'm afraid even you can't count it."

Li Dan really wanted to say that Fei Laoer didn't like that piece of land, but Da Ming could, and that land was too good for Da Ming.

But he couldn't say that Philip's meaning was very clear. Firstly, it was beneficial for him to control Portugal, and secondly, Philip was worried that it would become a springboard for Ming to attack east—so he said, it doesn't matter to give all of the coast to Daming.

Li Dan let out a long breath and didn't say anything more about this matter.

He just felt that in the eyes of King Philip of Spain, it seemed that the existence of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the West Indies meant that there was a buffer zone between Mingxi.

In this era, the sea is no longer the boundary between countries.

Although New Spain and the Archipelago may not be able to meet Philip's requirements for them, if Li Dan sees it from his perspective, the Spaniards there have indeed fulfilled this mission very well.

How many ships sail from Daxi Port every month and what cargo is on board, in addition to some more accurate information on merchant ships that call at Havana or San Juan, with a lag of three to five months, when those ships have not yet arrived in Spain, Felipe in Madrid has been able to read the report.

This meant safety to Philip, the double safety of reality and psychology.

"Da Ming has countless merchants and workers who make countless exquisite products, and I am not only the most powerful king in Europe, but also the country with the closest relationship between Europa and Ming..."

Philip's generous speech was only halfway through, and Li Dan on the opposite side hesitated several times, so he waved his hands and said: "Isn't it me? Who else can buy more than 300 yuan from New Spain and Daming Port every year? Ten thousand and a half taels of goods, huh? Can the governor still find a second king?"

Li Dan in the carriage rubbed his hands in front of him, and said in a slow and gentle tone: "Your Highness, according to my brother, General Jiujing, King Navarre intends to send an envoy to Daming after this war is over. Tribute."

Puchi.

King Philip couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.

"Navarre, that hill country bumpkin who doesn't even have a port on the coast, he's not only at war with the Valois bumpkins, he's going to fight me too, and I'll fight him when he wants to inherit the French throne, Habs Fort's invincible army will march into Paris and beat them to pieces."

"I don't know how your emperor will choose, but if it's General Chen of the Dongyang Military Mansion, your adoptive father, he should stand by the owner of the Potosí silver mine, not that bumpkin."

In Philip's words, Li Dan saw his own success—he succeeded in deeply rooting the image of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the bureaucrats in Philip's mind.

And all the negative words corresponding to it, such as greed, despise justice and value profit, etc., were added to his adoptive father, a rebel of the mainstream thinking of the Ming Dynasty, Marshal Chen Mu who held a heavy army and was invincible.

The Emperor Ming is not the only one who is good-faced. As the boss of Europa, His Royal Highness Philip has almost the same problem: "Your General of the Nine Classics joined this war between Navarre and Valois, and I am more inclined to think that the reason is yours. The foster father wants to keep this war going for a little longer...it's better for us all."

"I don't think Navarre's sending two boars to the emperor can win the Emperor Ming's heart. I even plan to send my daughter there. Isn't this enough to express Spain's desire for a long-term alliance with Ming?"

"Da Ming is my most desirable ally. We have fought on the battlefield, and Da Ming is different from us in religion. There are many differences between the two countries, but this kind of simple trade is easier to accept. What Da Ming wants is money. Great Spain also wants money - Valois can form an alliance with the pagan Ottoman, so why can't I get closer to Ming, who is not a pagan?"

Li Dan paused, and said: "Your Highness should know King Ailan. His Restoration Army defeated three times the enemy on the French battlefield with inferior forces, and coordinated the withdrawal of the main Han army from the battlefield."

Philip knew that the same report was sent to Madrid after the battle earlier than it was sent to Li Dan in Daming Port. He spread his hands and said, "They are more like the Ming army than the Han army."

The Han army they mentioned was the army under Yang Ce's command that could do nothing but advance, retreat and turn.

In the eyes of the king, no matter the Baishan Camp, Fusang Camp, Dongyang Army soldiers or Han Army, they were all Ming Army, and they were nothing more than troops from different places of the Ming Army.

In his eyes, the most desirable army is not the Beiyang Banner Army, which is high-spirited, well-trained, and well-armored, and one in ten thousand miles is chosen, but Yang Ce's Han army.

Yang Ce's Han army has all the qualities that Philip thinks of an excellent army... Quick training, saving military expenses, and listening to signals. They are not uniform, but they can still go to the battlefield and have a better record than recruiting civilian husbands.

Isn't this the best army?
As for the National Restoration Army, Philip didn't pay much attention to it. No matter who was given enough military pay, enough armor, and enough training, they could produce that kind of army, which was nothing special compared to their cost.

"Reconstruction Army, I heard that they went to Ireland, which is also a barren land of barbarians. How much can Da Ming trade with them?"

With a polite smile on his face, Li Dan spread his hands and said, "Ailan Kingdom has paid tribute."

(End of this chapter)