The Franco-Dutch War, which took place in the late summer of 1666, became known in later history as the "War of the Lightnings". Because the occurrence, progress and end of this war can be described as lightning fast!

From the beginning of the war to the end of the war, it was less than 20 days in total!

For 17th-century Europe, where a bastion would have to fight for months, such a speed was nothing short of a miracle!

And it was not only the speed with which the war was going but also the outcome of the war that was miraculous – the most unexpected thing happened just as the whole of Europe was waiting for the news of the fall or rise of the Netherlands. The two sworn enemies on the battlefield, the United Republic of France and the Netherlands, have actually become allies!

The 20-day "blitzkrieg" was ended by the Franco-Dutch Treaty...... This can no longer be described as a miracle, it is simply a miracle! When the contents of this treaty spread throughout Europe, believers were a little skeptical that God himself had intervened in the war and sent winged angels to fight with Louis XIV and John. Morality. Witt said hello?

Otherwise, how could Louis XIV choose to stop his army when it was about to march into Amsterdam, and give the United Republic of the Netherlands a coveted covenant?

That's right! Louis XIV's covenant to the Dutch was what they had ever dreamed of! Because this covenant forever guarantees the security of the Netherlands in the United Republic of the United Provinces...... Moreover, the French army is also willing to join forces with the Dutch navy to fight the world!

Don't underestimate the role of the French Army, because the Army is the hard wound of the Netherlands!

Now the Netherlands has the largest number of merchant ships in the world, and can organize a very large naval fleet, but there is no way to send a sufficient number of expeditionary forces to the East to fight the Celestial Empire.

In this case, as long as the Dutch navy suffered a temporary setback, the Ming Empire could quickly commit to the army to expand the gains of the war - not only the fleet, but also the ports, islands, and fortresses located in strategic locations.

For example, after the Battle of Malacca, the land forces of the Ming Dynasty quickly followed suit, sweeping away the Dutch power in the Malacca Peninsula and Sumatra.

Even if the Dutch were able to send an expeditionary fleet, there would be no way to find a port to accommodate them on the Malacca Peninsula and the island of Sumatra.

The Dutch strongholds on the islands of Java and Spice were also held hostage by the Celestial Empire......

Suffice it to say, neither the Netherlands nor Britain would be enough to confront the rising Celestial Empire on the seas of the East.

Therefore, the alliance proposed by Louis XIV was something that the Grand Council of the Netherlands could not refuse, and did not dare to refuse!

If I really refuse, I don't know if the Netherlands can still exist.

Of course, behind the decent alliance treaty, there is also a not-so-decent peace treaty...... The Dutch still had to pay something to get the pact they coveted. For example, a large "ransom" was paid, which was actually an indemnity, and nominally the 20,000 Dutch army officers and soldiers captured by Prince Condé.

Another example is the surrender of a series of forts in the western Netherlands, including the fortress of Maastricht, which will be occupied by the French before the French occupy the whole of the Spanish Netherlands, from where Prince Condé's 70,000-strong army will attack the Spanish army in the Spanish Netherlands from behind! After the French occupation of the whole of the Spanish Netherlands, it will be completely demolished!

For example, the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands must follow France in declaring war on Spain, and at the same time send a fleet to blockade Spanish ports and protect France's maritime trade routes, mainly with the Ming Empire!

That's right! The trade between France and the Ming must continue!

Although Louis XIV raised the banner of the "Ming threat theory", trade still had to continue!

Because the confrontation, or rather rivalry, between the French-led Christian civilization and the civilization of the Celestial Empire, will exist for a long time - the distance between the two sides is simply too far relative to the means of transportation of the 17th century.

Therefore, neither has the strength to send a large-scale expeditionary force to the opponent's homeland, and there is no possibility of destroying the opponent's civilization.

Therefore, the confrontation and competition between the two sides will only exist at the periphery of the civilization circle, not the collision of the core.

In such a situation, it is very unwise to suspend trade, go to the door of mutual relations, and never get along with each other.

And...... The position of France in Europe could not be compared with that of the Celestial Empire in the East.

Even if Louis XIV wanted to break off his contacts, other countries would ignore his ban.

As for the Celestial Empire...... Now that he is soaring in the clouds, how can he care about the howl of France, the head wolf of Europe?

Moreover, France's position as the head wolf existed only in Louis XIV's grand plans, and was not recognized by the entire Christian civilization.

Therefore, the emperor of the Celestial Empire, Zhu Cihong, would not have hurriedly closed the door of Malacca at all - in fact, in the eyes of the emperor of the Celestial Empire, this kind of confrontation and competition on the edge of civilization was not a bad thing for the Celestial Empire.

The enemy is sometimes the driving force behind the progress of the world empire!

Closing the gates, halting exchanges, and ignoring the presence of the enemy will make the world empire lazy and sluggish, losing its direction.

However, the leading figures of the Ming Empire in Europe were not as calm as Emperor Zhu in Yingtianfu in September 1666.

Through their network, a copy of the Treaty of the Franco-Netherlands League was sent to the Ming embassy in the town of Versailles. At this moment, it was placed in front of Li Shaoyou, Huang Jiang, Jia Bus, Ren Zhen, Wei Qingmu and Huang Shan, who had just returned from Turin—they each had a copy and were studying it word by word!

"It seems...... The head office of Shenou Union Bank has to move its nest! ”

The first to speak was Huang Jiang, who presided over the Shenou Union Bank, who had been in Europe all these years, controlling the lucrative exchange business, and was also a creditor of France and England!

"Where do you want to go?" Li Shaoyou asked.

"Let's go to London!" Huang Jiang pondered, "Britain doesn't look like it's going to be with France for the time being....... Britain is an island country in the end, and the security of the mainland is still guaranteed, and it is not easy for France to control Britain. ”

Jabbs shook his head and said: "I think there will be a war between Britain and France sooner or later, if Shenou Bank goes to the UK, then in the future war between Britain and France, Daming will be equal to choosing a side!" And Shenou Union Bank is a business after all...... As long as this deal is still to be made, it cannot be withdrawn from the European continent. ”

"Where else can I go without going to the UK?" Huang Jiang asked, "You can't stay in France all the time, right?" Who knows what this Louis XIV will do? ”

"To Holland!" "Go to Amsterdam...... Amsterdam is the place where European finance converges, and we have already placed the headquarters of the bank there! ”

"But people already regard us as enemies!" Huang Jiang shook his head, he had no experience lurking in the enemy camp.

Jabbs laughed: "Then I have to go to the Netherlands...... The Netherlands has hostages in the hands of our Daming, the East India Company is the hostage, and the Netherlands has made a lot of profits in exchange trading, so those merchants will be stupid and don't make money by putting the silver? ”

Wei Qingmu nodded: "I think it's okay...... Silver is always earned! And moving to the UK is clearly afraid of France, what are we afraid of? France has only more than 200,000 troops (France still has some old-style army), and we have a million troops in the Ming Dynasty! ”

"Well, let's do it first!" Huang Jiang nodded, the business in Europe is too profitable, and he is reluctant to leave!

He looked at Li Shaoyou again: "Squire, do you want to ask for a decree?" ”

Li Shaoyou frowned and said, "The purpose is definitely to be invited...... But we also have to come up with an opinion, how much does the imperial court know about things here in Europe? Don't all listen to us? I mean, we won't have an open fight with France and the Netherlands for the time being, but the fight can almost begin! It's time to figure out how to stir up the big picture in Europe, and not let Louis XIV get too proud! ”