In the eyes of British businessmen, Spain was the number one enemy.

France had not yet gained a foothold in India, and there was not much population in Canada, and what British merchants needed was a market.

Spain has almost the whole of Latin America and the richest Central America, which has been developed for hundreds of years, has a large population, and the Spanish handicraft industry is weak, which is a good market.

Isn't it still selling in China, and still in the Spanish colonies?

However, after the previous War of the Spanish Succession was fought and the Anglo-Spanish Treaty was signed, Britain was forbidden to smuggle into the Spanish colonies.

To ensure the validity of the treaty, the Spanish fleet could board and inspect British merchant ships to determine if they were smugglers.

Obviously, the Spaniards are not stupid to say that they are going fishing, and of course they will not believe it.

Jenkins, who is holding his ear, was cut off in this context.

This matter could not have caused any turmoil in the first place, but capital can control public opinion and hype the focus.

Defeating Spain and seizing sea power in the Atlantic Ocean was the dream of every British merchant.

As for France...... There were only six battleships left in the harbor that could still be moved, the small peasants had a high standard of living and were reluctant to go overseas, and the policy in the colonies was to copy the native ones, which made non-Catholics prefer to run to the British colonies, making the colonies sparse and incapable of spending...... For all kinds of reasons, it is useless to fight, and the goods cannot be sold, so what is the purpose of fighting?

For the king's Hanover, to shed the blood of the British? Spend British money?

Soon, public opinion in London fermented, and the cries for war against Spain for Jenkins' ears rushed open the doors of the House of Commons.

Spain is a global empire with territories in the Americas, in Southeast Asia.

Naturally, the war in the Americas will be fought, and the war in Southeast Asia will also be fought, and if we want to fight a war in Southeast Asia, we will definitely hope to improve relations with China.

Although Britain and the Netherlands were allied, Britain will not forget the Ambon massacre, let alone the humiliation of the Dutch in driving Britain away from Southeast Asia.

In the event of a war to the west, if the Philippines were to be fought, the Netherlands would not allow the British to dock in Dutch ports for resupply.

Because then, it will drag the Netherlands into the water.

Moreover, the British were not stupid, and certainly not the Dutch, who did not want Britain to replace Spanish rule in the Philippines if they could ensure their monopoly on Southeast Asia, and even less to give British support in the war against Spain: at least, it was impossible to give British support in Southeast Asia.

Sending a fleet to Southeast Asia at this time was a terrible task.

Merchant ships are fine, and small ships are fine, but warships of the fifth rank and above have to go so far with the determination of sixty percent mortality.

When you go to Asia, where to replenish and go around, there is only one China left.

If it could negotiate a port supply in China, the East India Company would be confident that it would help the Royal Navy seize the Philippines and gain a foothold in Southeast Asia that had been driven out by the Dutch a hundred years earlier.

Otherwise, it was only in the Americas, which was the business area of the West India Company, and the East India Company was of little interest.

Whether it was in response to the French visit to China or for the supply of supplies for the Anglo-Spanish War, two decisions were made soon after George II's return to London.

Send a mission to China to explain the possible slander of France, and at the same time hope to use Chinese ports to dock for supplies in the future Anglo-Spanish war.

Presented credentials to Spain, demanding that the King of Spain apologize for Jenkins' ears and apologize to England.

The envoys to Spain soon departed.

The envoys to China are also busy buying gifts, and the time is limited, and they must leave by March to catch the monsoon, otherwise they may not be able to reach Asia this year.

…………

At the same time, Russia, Petersburg.

In order to Westernize, Peter the Great moved the capital here away from Moscow, which was ruled by the old aristocracy, which was the victory of the Westernization party.

Peter II, a little hairy child, was manipulated by the old aristocracy and moved from Petersburg back to Moscow, where the old aristocracy was deeply rooted, which was the victory of the old party.

Empress Anna tossed around again and moved the capital back to Petersburg.

This time it was not the victory of the Westernizing Party, but the emergence of another political force in Russia: the German Party.

This move of the capital was a defeat for both the Westernization Party and the Old Conservative Party.

During his reign, more than 20,000 people were raided and exiled to Siberia; Duke Dolgoruki, a friend of Peter II's severed sleeve, was torn apart.

In order to prevent Princess Elisabeth, the spiritual leader of the Westernization Party and the only surviving son of Peter the Great at this time, the Old Guard Party brought back Anna, who was in low succession line, from Germany in order to control it.

At the beginning of his reign, there were three chapters of the covenant.

No war shall be declared without the permission of the Privy Council; No marriage shall be allowed without the permission of the Privy Council; No heir may be appointed without the permission of the Privy Council.

Anna agreed very happily, as soon as she married the Duchess of Courland, how did she become a tsar?

The old party thought that this person was not deeply rooted, and that he spoke German better than Russian in Courland all the year round, and that he would be easy to control.

However, on the day of her accession to the throne, Anna brought the German forces and the already dissatisfied Westernization Party to a Roman tradition.

The Privy Council was dissolved, the old nobles died to death, killed to kill, exiled to exile; The Westernizing Party also found that this was not what they wanted.

What they want is the Westernization of Russia, not to embrace modernization at the cost of losing Russia, let alone to make a group of Germans rule Russia.

During his lifetime, Peter the Great formed two Praetorian Guards.

A regiment of Semenovskoye, which is similar to Yulinwei.

A regiment of the Guards, a regiment of the Priobrazinskoye, this is the Brocade Guard.

Preobrazhenskoye Guards Regiment can capture, kill, interrogate, and even prison.

Therefore, it is obvious that the new emperor ascended the throne, and in order to balance the Jinyi Guard, he had to set up the East Factory and the West Factory.

This is as true in China as it is in Russia.

In the Ming Dynasty, the East Factory and the West Factory were eunuchs, because they did not have a basic plate among the civil and military generals, and could only rely on imperial power.

Russia does not have a tradition of eunuchs interfering in politics, but there are Germans. They also did not have a basic base among the civilian and military generals in Russia, and could only rely on imperial power.

So the Izmailovo Guards Regiment was formed, which was full of German officers.

He also set up a secret criminal investigation affairs yamen, seized the power of the "brocade guard" Preobrazhenskoye Guards, first beheaded and then played, the imperial power was granted, and first according to the standard of 1,000 killings and 20,000 exiles.

After the Duke of Dolgoruky was torn apart, he was even more frightened, and the conversation changed color.

This chaotic political situation in Russia has also frightened many high-ranking talents.

In the Academy of Sciences, Bernoulli slipped ahead of time, and Euler was already hesitating whether to go to Prussia or Dashun, even if Princess Elizabeth tried her best to stay.

At this moment, the atmosphere of the Hermitage is different from usual.

Usually, there would be a lot of court jesters performing comical farces, and the empress of the country landlords would laugh loudly.

But today, the atmosphere is a little dreary.

Bad news followed.

Dashun's ship arrived in Sweden, returned the Swedish captives, and went to meet the Swedish king, did he conclude some kind of deal against Russia?

The French envoy visited Beijing, the two sides signed a secret treaty, and the French provided Dashun with a new type of firearm. This firearm could have rifling, but it had the speed of a smoothbore gun, at least, as the Russian envoy returning from the capital to St. Petersburg described it.

Dashun's attitude on the issue of demarcation of the northwest boundary suddenly hardened, demanding that Russia dismantle several fortresses on the Irtysh River.

The news from China is enough to make people worry, and the news about France brought by the secret criminal investigation affairs yamen is also very bad.

The French envoys in Russia have recently been in frequent contact with the secluded Princess Elisabeth, and although the other side has been evading them, it is clear that the French are likely to be in collusion with the remnants of the Westernization Party in Russia.

For France, Germany was the enemy.

Prussia is not Germany, and Austria is not Germany; But Prussia is Germany, and Austria is Germany.

Whoever is strong is Germany.

The Russian-Austrian alliance is now extremely solid, and France is bent on breaking it up, because Austria seems to be stronger at this time.

Anna is half German, Russia is the country in power of the German party, the French obviously want a more Russian monarch to come to power, especially the ultimate goal of the Westernization party is to go west, and it will inevitably conflict with Germany, which is a foreign policy in line with Russia's interests. Of course, it was also in line with France's foreign policy, which was to flank Germany, whether it was Prussia or Austria.

It is unclear whether the French are in touch with Princess Elizabeth.

It can be reminiscent of this diplomacy between France and Dashun, as well as the subsequent return of Swedish prisoners and the sudden toughness of Dashun on the issue of border demarcation in Central Asia, all tell a possibility: the encirclement network against Russia with guns from France, men from Sweden, and troops from Ottomans and China is slowly forming. The French also tried to find suitable people to support them within Russia.

There was no shortage of talented people in Russia, and in the face of this situation, the Empress had already been advised.

Preemptive, last-strike.

Now there is still a war with Turkey, although the Turks cannot defeat the Russian army, but they are violently attacking Austria, and the current situation is slightly advantageous for Russia.

Dashun's attitude is unclear, and it is unlikely that a war of too large scale will break out in the bitter cold land of Siberia, which can be resolved through diplomatic mediation.

The French only have the strength in their mouths, to fight Russia, to step on the corpses of Austria first.

Well, the weakest is Sweden, and it is better to strike preemptively, taking advantage of the fact that this anti-Russian alliance against Russia has not yet been formed.

Diplomatically, he asked the French to act as a guarantee, quickly conclude a peace treaty with Turkey, and start a war against Sweden before Sweden was ready, so as to solve the worries.

Then a delegation of the highest rank, led to Beijing by Count Andrei Ivanovich Osterman, a close confidant of Empress Anna and a key figure in Anna's seizure of power, and the first minister of the cabinet, led to Beijing.

He was given the power of plenipotentiary in the northwestern demarcation, sacrificing certain interests, demolishing several fortresses on the Irtysh River and drawing a buffer zone.

It's a clever strategy, but it's ...... Most people are against it.

After fighting with Turkey for so long and dying so many people, at this time, peace talks, even if Azov can be taken back, but the power to enter and exit the Black Sea will definitely be vetoed by the Turks.

Then that's pointless.

It's better to wait and see, although the Holy Roman Empire is now at a disadvantage......

But in the event of any accident and the defeat of Turkey in one of the battles, wouldn't it be possible to sign a peace treaty that would be extremely beneficial to Russia? Who can say what happens on the battlefield? The Turks can fight, but what if the HRE can win a battle?

This battle of the Three Romans should be looked at again.

Now peace talks, is it a timely stop loss? Or undefeated?

After spending so much money and dying so many people, after all, I still hope for more results, maybe the HRE will give the force, as long as that side wins, this side can sign the treaty that Russia dreams of and seize the entrance to the Black Sea.

The problem facing Russia now is that it does not have an accurate and sober strategy.

They also fought in the east, in the south, in the north, and in the west. Which side should Russia push in?