A Dream of Jinling Chapter 374 The Determined One (11)

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"John, I personally don't see any benefit in working with Chinese. However, since you are so willing to cooperate with China, I don't think you will be satisfied with China coming to us without beating us. There is no point in such cooperation. The Portuguese foreign minister stared at his son-in-law and said in a very questioning tone. John? Farrell, the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom of Portugal, accurately predicted the Chinese military campaign against Mozambique, although it did not help the Kingdom of Portugal, at least the Foreign Secretary was not interested in John? There was some recognition of Farrell's judgment. So he also wanted to hear the point of view of his son-in-law.

"I don't know how many people in China still have high hopes for Brazil, and in my opinion, the best condition for cooperation with the Chinese is that China can help us retake Brazil." John? Farrell replied calmly.

The Foreign Secretary's eyes instinctively widened, and the Foreign Secretary's wife and daughter also looked at the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom of Portugal with great surprise. Brazil was once a Portuguese colony, and during the Napoleonic Wars, Portugal was occupied by France in 1808. As a result, the Bragança dynasty of Portugal fled to the South American colony of Brazil, moving its capital to Rio de Janeiro in 1809 and returning to Portugal in 1821. In 1822, the king's son proclaimed himself king of Brazil and proclaimed the Brazilian Empire.

The day before yesterday, on November 15, 1889, a republican coup d'état in Brazil was successful, and the rule of the second emperor of the Brazilian Empire was overthrown. For the average person, the change was huge and sudden, and it was not a surprise to the upper echelons of Portugal's foreign secretary. It has long been proven that the fall of the imperial government of Brazil was only a matter of time.

As for the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom of Portugal, John? Farrell, who sees it even more differently than the foreign secretary. Even in the living room of the father-in-law's house, even if two of the three listeners were women, John? Farrell still looked firm, and even had a kind of anger that could not be hidden, "Your Excellency, if we want to restore our rule in Brazil, this is probably the best chance, or the only chance. ”

“…… What does this have to do with defecting to China? "The Foreign Secretary of the Kingdom of Portugal has at least a level of understanding of taking advantage of the fire, but he still cannot understand why the Minister of Commerce and Industry insists so persistently on maintaining good relations with China.

John? Farrell couldn't help but sneer, his tone was full of mockery and disdain because of the relationship, "Because the controllers of the economy of the Brazilian Empire are actually British, and the reason why the Brazilian Empire will collapse is not because the current emperor of the Brazilian Empire, Pedro II, had to abolish slavery under the long-term persecution of the British?" Do you remember when Pedro II supported his Princess Isabel in signing the abolitionist decree last year? I've never seen such a ridiculous decision. If he really wanted to leave the crown behind, it would be nice to just announce his abdication. If he really supports the republic, it would be nice to directly amend the constitution and change the national system. Why turn yourself into a loser and make the world laugh? ”

Speaking of which, the Foreign Secretary finally understood his son-in-law-to-be's judgment of the world situation. Since the support of Britain led to the fall of the Brazilian Empire, now Portugal is intervening in the affairs of the Brazilian Empire in the form of blood relatives, first supporting the local puppets, and then trying to find a way to eat Brazil, in addition to not taking into account the strength of Portugal in reality, this is a very good choice.

The Foreign Secretary's mind was even flexible enough to take into account the problems between China and Britain, and although there was a fierce conflict between China and Britain, it was far from the point where the two sides fought each other. So as long as Portugal can cooperate with China, China's powerful navy has the opportunity to escort Portuguese troops to Brazil. And once China defeats the United States and gains access to the Caribbean Sea, China's powerful army will even have the opportunity to sail and join in the crackdown on the Brazilian republicans......

In the midst of all these thoughts, the Portuguese Foreign Minister suddenly felt that there was a bright light in front of him. If Portugal were to retake Brazil, it would even move its capital to Rio de Janeiro, as it did 80 years ago. Brazil, a vast and sparsely populated country, will make the Kingdom of Portugal rich in an instant, or at least have a chance to become rich.

"John, do you support slavery?" The daughter of the Portuguese Foreign Minister said in a voice of surprise, shock and even grief. The two men were stunned for a moment, and then they both looked at the eldest lady. The eldest lady was wearing a beautiful dress, and tears almost welled up in her big eyes.

John? Farrell knew that his fiancée did not receive a full education in Portugal, and she went to school in England after primary school, although she did not get into Oxford and Cambridge, and did graduate from a good British university. That's why she agrees very much with the slogan of "abolishing the slave trade" propagated by the British, and she has this strong sensitivity. Even John? Farrell didn't talk about his personal views on the existence and abolition of slavery, and he felt a lot of things from it.

"Ellie, you know, the British were the main force of the slave trade at sea. The rest of the world did not trade as many slaves as Britain alone. "John? Farrell persuaded.

"I don't care about the British, I don't want you to support slavery, John!" The eldest lady, also named Isabel, spoke firmly. But just a moment after she finished speaking, she immediately added, "And Britain is now a staunch abolitionist, and the past is over!" ”

“…… Passed...... Hehe. But the fact that the British were the biggest slave traders was still there, and the British did not really repent. And their reason for opposing the slave trade is really not kindness or humanitarianism, the reason why the British oppose the slave trade is that they want to weaken the productivity of other countries by opposing other people's slavery system. "John? Farrell was still young, and he couldn't help but reason with his fiancée.

At this moment, the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Secretary's wife both subconsciously shook their heads slightly. It would have been unwise to reason with a young girl, let alone John? Farrell was trying to reverse the idea that a young girl had formed. This is even more in the category of thanklessness.

Sure enough, Miss Isabel's eyebrows rose slightly, and her brows also showed signs of wrinkling. She said without hesitation: "John, in your eyes, is everything a benefit and a transaction?" ”

"Tsk!" John? Farrell was stunned for a moment, and could see that the young minister had no intention of giving in. Farrell said in a serious manner: "Elle, the relationship between the state and the state is not between people. It is very common for people to do all kinds of things simply because of their feelings and preferences. However, countries are simply considering interests, not to mention Britain, a big country that has dominated the world for a hundred years, no matter what their appearance is, if you cut their chests, what you can see is a black heart. Compared with the UK, we Portugal are pure ......"

"Enough! John. I don't want to discuss this with you anymore! Isabel angrily stood up and walked briskly out of the living room. Because the movement was relatively large, I also took a book on the stool. John? Farrell looked at it, and the name on the cover was actually "Black Slave Calling the Sky", and there was also a translation called "Uncle Tom's Cabin". His fiancée uses such books as her daily reading, John? Farrell finally understood why she was so vehemently opposed to slavery.

"John. Isabel is still young, don't be like her. The Foreign Secretary's wife said in a reassuring tone.

John? Farrell hurriedly replied, "Madam, don't worry, I still think she is very cute." A bad person like me actually likes to be around such a pure person. ”

"Haha!" The foreign secretary's wife was amused, and she smiled and said, "John, what the country needs is someone like you who can put the interests of the country in the highest position. Without people like you, there is no hope for our country. ”

Appreciated by his sister and mother-in-law, John? Farrell also showed a calm expression, "Madam, I actually just want us hundreds of Portuguese people to have a lot of land of our own. The Portuguese people were able to get rid of hunger and poverty through guò farming, and all of them had the money to pay the country's taxes easily. And we, the Portuguese government, are able to use these taxes to set up education and factories. Turn Portugal back into a powerful country. That is my hope as Minister of Commerce and Industry. ”

"To become a country like China?" Said the wife of the foreign secretary.

The Foreign Secretary was stunned, he didn't expect his wife to come up with such an analogy. In the upper echelons of Europe, many people saw China as evil heretics, fierce barbarians, and although these Chinese were able to build a navy more powerful than the British Grand Fleet, the Europeans, who felt the strong threat of China, especially the Portuguese, who had lost the ability to be masters in Europe, instinctively regarded China as a barbarian.

"Madame, you are so merciful." John? Farrell said sincerely.

The Foreign Secretary saw that his wife was complimented by such words, and even his eyes turned slightly red, and before the Foreign Secretary could judge his wife's political tendencies, he heard the prospective son-in-law John? Farrell said: "Your Excellency, I would actually like you to support me in the Cabinet meeting. Think about what kind of fame you will leave in the history of Portugal if you could end up doing something so important as Foreign Secretary. I think you might be called the greatest patriot in the history of Portugal. ”

The foreign secretary didn't care about the sycophants of his prospective son-in-law, and he said seriously: "John, this matter is too heavy, and it doesn't take my support to complete it alone." And what does His Majesty the King think in such a moment? Being taken away by the Chinese in Mozambique, His Majesty the King was really very angry. ”

"Your Excellency, tomorrow I would like to invite you to my house. Let's discuss. "John? Farrell didn't answer, but gave a different explanation.

Leaving the House of the Foreign Secretary, John? Farrell went straight to the home of the Minister of Justice. Along the way his car drove fast, and John? Farrell was also looking at his watch. By two o'clock in the afternoon, he finally arrived at his destination. I walked quickly into the house of the Minister of Justice, and the crowd was already waiting.

Portugal has a small population, and although it is also known as various ministers, it is actually very busy. So seeing the officers and officials in the House of the Minister of Justice, John? Farrell wasn't surprised. He even said happily after introducing the foreign secretary's views: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have more and more personnel, and if God blesses us to regain Brazil and rebuild Portugal, Brazil and the United Kingdom of the Algarve, you will be busy." ”

This sparked laughter from some of the ruling class in Portugal, and the Minister of Justice introduced the three newcomers. The first of them, known to many people, was a professor in Lisbon, who had always regarded himself as an intellectual enlightener, and who had done a lot of translation and promotion work.

The professor came up and gave his own opinion, the Secretary of State for Business and Industry, John? For example, although the intellectual class is also very wary and uneasy about China's expansion, the European intellectual class is very appreciative of China's domestic economic policies such as "state ownership of land", "elimination of the feudal land system", "abolition of land rent", "respect for the status of working people", "protection of the legitimate rights and interests of laborers", and so on.

The translator who was speaking was one of them, and he also offered a few jù to support his view, arguing that at least more than 30 percent of the Portuguese intelligentsia considered the land war to be "just", and that 30 percent believed that China's killing of landlords, although unjust, was effective. In the long run, it is good for the country. Even the remaining forty percent who are very dissatisfied with China's policies, in the face of China's growing strength, have to admit that China's policies are probably useful to the Chinese.

So there is now a perception in all European countries, and they are beginning to reflect on whether there was something wrong with the previous colonial policy. Secretary of Commerce and Industry John? Farrell once attended a European conference about the difference between the colonial policy of the Chinese and the colonial policy of Europe. Secretary of Commerce and Industry John? Farrell wasn't interested in anything like that, so he just listened. Now he had some recollection of what it was about.

Many European scholars believe that Europe wants to be able to obtain goods from the colonies that can make a lot of money, so they are content with that. The money was made by those who could afford to go to the colonies to make money, and with the improvement of maritime transportation capacity, the once exclusive trade became worse and worse in the competition, although there were still a few people who made money, but the majority of those who did not make money, so the colonies became a loss-making business.

And China is using colonies to solve the fundamental contradiction of more Chinese and less land, so the more Chinese colonies, the more Chinese people work in the colonies, and then the more types of output of the Chinese colonies. China's vast internal market was able to fully absorb these products, so that each of China's colonies became a source of profit.

The conclusion of the conference was that if European countries were to shake off the mistakes of the past, they would have to change their policies from mere predators to local builders. The attendees were all Europeans, and everyone imagined that if the European colonizers had become pioneers, Spain would probably still be a big country in South America, and Portugal, with its Brazil, would not have starved either.

Looking back, the Secretary of State for Commerce and Industry, John? Farrell suddenly felt that the Secretary of Commerce, John? Farrell must have already converged with the intellectuals in the same direction.

In addition to the intellectual class, the lower classes of the Portuguese were also influenced by China. Those damn Europeans went around propagating China's policy of not collecting agricultural taxes, and the original Portuguese lower class scoffed at it, and they simply did not believe that there would be countries in the world that did not collect taxes from the lower classes, especially the peasants. However, over the years since this rumor arrived in Europe, more and more Portuguese people have come to believe in it, and they hope that Portugal will one day implement such a system.

As for the Secretary of State for Commerce and Industry, John? Farrell knew that the Church in Portugal had been trying for several years to quell the "non-payment of agricultural taxes" claim, but things seemed to be turning against the Church's hopes. And some radical young clergy have turned to this direction of taxation, and have even begun to use the words of the Bible, "It is harder for a rich man to go to heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle."

After the translator finished speaking, the Minister of Justice introduced the other two, one of whom was a radical cleric. The clergyman believed that the demands of the people could be heard, and that Jesus himself, the Son of God, not only did not explicitly oppose the state ownership of land, but rather criticized social injustice. If, according to the Bible, Jesus Himself was not opposed to the establishment of a heaven on earth.

Listened to the radical clergyman, John? Farrell was secretly happy. He could understand the Minister of Justice's choice to bring in such a radical cleric, because some things need to be done by some peripheral personnel, and the radicals are very handy weapons. The Minister of Justice is looking for a substitute for the organization, or at least a knife to take advantage of.

And the last new one to join was a little surprising to everyone, after introduction, this guy was actually a representative of a local landowner in Brazil. "We, the local landlords, hope that you will overthrow the republican chaos and restore the old system in Brazil. As long as you can help us, we will do our best to help the Portuguese army. ”

John? Farrell didn't know what the Minister of Justice meant by putting together a radical priest and a slave manor owner, but with such a manor owner leading the Lu Party, at least the attack on Brazil to suppress the revolution already had a context, and it was waiting to continue.