For nearly two months, beginning in late May 1637, with the emptiness of coastal defense after the departure of the navy, the activity of the ships of the English Partnership Company near the coast of the east coast became more and more frequent, reaching a climax in mid-July. As a result, the trade of Colonia City had to be temporarily closed, which announced the disappearance of the last source of revenue on the eastern coast.

In order to address this passive situation, the Ministry of Trade and the War Department jointly organized an operation to open an overland trade route, which was intended to open up two major lines of communication from the towns on the east coast to Buenos Aires and Asunción, in order to restore trade, which was currently under the threat of piracy.

At a time when the East Coast is in a hurry, the British are not having a good time at the moment. The traditional struggle between the king and the parliament, beginning with Charles I's father, James I, escalated, and the tension between the two sides became more acute as the king sought to crusade against the Scottish Presbyterians. The atmosphere between the new big bourgeois merchants, the enlightened and conservative aristocracy, and the church in England was becoming increasingly tense, and some pessimists even believed that war would break out between the two sides sooner or later.

The attention of the colonial trading companies, which were a major force in parliament, was gradually drawn to the growing tensions in the country, and who cared about the eastern coast, which was more than 10,000 nautical miles away? Moreover, in order to block and stifle the sea lines of communication of the people on the east coast, the alliance of companies led by the East India Company has invested no less than 50,000 pounds of money, and it has also paid a lot of price in the sinking of several ships and the casualties of hundreds of sailors.

Even if the investment is enough, as long as it can squeeze the textiles of the East Coast people out of the European and New World markets, even an additional 50,000 pounds will be worth it. For a large market worth hundreds of thousands of pounds that the two sides are competing for. This upfront investment is not expensive. But the British have a lot of calculations. But I didn't count the dark horse that came out of the lowlands - the Dutch.

Yes. That's right! Taking advantage of the market vacuum left by the withdrawal of East Coast textiles from Europe and the New World, the Dutch seized these markets in the first time by virtue of their textile technology and developed domestic transportation capacity, and firmly blocked the British goods from the door.

The British, who were not human inside and outside, were suddenly very depressed, and they jointly contributed their own money and efforts to fight the people on the east coast, but it was the Dutch who benefited the most. Coupled with the fact that an incident had erupted in the country at this time, which had heightened tensions between the parliament and the king, the East India Company had the intention of withdrawing from the east coast.

Of course. How to get out is also a technical job. At least for the time being, the British still have an absolute advantage at sea, completely cutting off the lifeline on which the East Coasters depend, and the East India Company can rely on this advantage to extract enough benefits from the East Coasters to make up for its own losses a little.

After the government of the East Coasters had once again expressed its sincerity in the peace talks through the Portuguese, the British East India Company finally "reluctantly" agreed to this "excessive" demand, and they sent two representatives to St. Vicente, a place where negotiations were made with the East Coasters.

On the balcony, two British envoys were chatting casually.

"Cheney, Mr. Hampton of Buckinghamshire, was convicted by the Treasury Court, and seven of the twelve judges succumbed to pressure from the King that it was perfectly lawful for the King to levy the ship tax." It's still early. Senator Russell from the Board of Directors of the East India Company. Smith took a cup of coffee and chatted with his companion as he drank it.

"It's ridiculous!" Businessman Adventure Company Big Businessman Cheney. Coward scoffed. Then he said, "Mr. Hampton's defense lawyer, Oliver. Mr. John claimed that he himself had been intimidated by unknown persons before appearing in court, but no one paid attention to him. Some of the twelve judges were close associates of Lord Coventry, the King's Seal, some were henchmen of the Earl of Manchester, the King's lackey, and the remaining honest gentlemen were powerless to make changes. It's terrible that old traditions are being ruthlessly trampled on. ”

"The king has been collecting a ship tax for three years in a row, and he is trying to turn this temporary tax into a regular tax. Moreover, last year's taxation was no longer confined to the coastal counties, and even inland subjects had to pay the ship tax, which was a serious violation of the Magna Carta of Liberty and an ancient tradition. The king's appetite is getting bigger and bigger, and his behavior is getting more and more unscrupulous, and we must limit him through parliament. "Russell. Smith, a member of the House of Commons, was a staunch parliamentarian who had been advocating for the limitation of royal power.

"Since three years ago, the king has so far collected hundreds of thousands of pounds in ship taxes, but the royal family's debt continues unabated, with debts exceeding £300,000 in London alone. Extravagance, extortion, contempt for tradition, and the king openly expressed his envy for the absolute power of the French and Spanish monarchs, even attempting to form a large standing army. It is no wonder that the gentlemen of the company have to get out of the quagmire of the East Coast, throwing £200 a day into the quagmire and gaining nothing. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to tolerate this kind of loss-making business. "What's more, the dastardly Dutch are still watching our jokes behind our backs, and the fleets of the East Coasters have never been wiped out by us, and everything is terrible." ”

"The gentlemen of the Board of Directors of the Company agreed that it was time to put an end to the boring game with the East Coasters. The king is raising his own army, which is dangerous. To ensure that freedom is not trampled upon, we must invest our limited funds where it matters most. Otherwise, we will all live miserably every day like the knights and barons who were wantonly extorted by the king and saddled with huge debts. "Speaking of the miserable situation of those little nobles who are in debt, both of them have a close relationship.

"Two gentlemen, the negotiating envoys of the East Coast have arrived." Blanco. Almeida walked softly onto the balcony and said to the two Englishmen.

"Ah, Blanco, you don't have to be so reserved. Are the people from the East Coast coming, so let them come, the balcony is fresh air, and it is a good place to negotiate. "Russell. Smith raised the coffee in his hand and said with a smile.

Blanco nodded, then turned and walked out. A few moments later, two East Coast negotiators walked in.

Gaumo and Whitesven arrived in San Vicente this morning. Blocked by sea, the two of them, escorted by two platoons of cavalry, rode their horses over the Gérard Mountains to São Vicente in southern Brazil.

The road is long and dangerous, but it is worth all the hard work in order to end the war as soon as possible and solve the country's economic woes. The two of them set off from Dongfang Port on August 1, and after a long-distance horseback ride that lasted for half a month, the skin and flesh of the crotch were worn out layer after layer of the saddle, and they felt a little looped when they first got off the horse. Moreover, due to the urgency to get on the fire, the corners of Gao Mo's mouth even had two blisters.

When the two dusty East Coast delegates walked into the room, the Englishman did not even get up to show proper courtesy. Only Blanco kindly beckoned them to sit down on the balcony as well, and even brought them both a pot of tea from the Far East.

Blanco gave a brief introduction to both sides and then left, and the two sides quickly got to business.

"Mr. Smith, we have come here with great sincerity in this peace talks, and I hope that you will be cautious about your words and deeds, and will not put forward some untimely conditions, which will make us doubt your sincerity." As the main negotiator, Gao Mo took the lead in speaking to the British.

"The winner has the right to make sound proposals." Smith raised his head reservedly, looked at Golmo with green eyes, and said, "Then, let's get straight to the point." We may make appropriate concessions to our April demands, i.e. the amount of compensation may be reduced to £100,000, and parts of the New World may be ceded to you East Coasters as we see fit. However, you must share the latest textile technology with us, which is non-negotiable, so please consider it carefully. ”

"Sorry, I am not authorized to negotiate any textile technology transfer agreement. We do not think there is any possibility of negotiation on this point. Gao Mo refused. Just kidding, let you British master the latest textile machinery and technology, with your large number of workers, strong financial strength and extensive connections, how can we East Coast people mix?

"East Coasters, don't be so quick to refuse. In fact, if we wished, you would have been locked down in the South Atlantic, so that you would not earn a penny. If you're willing to share your skills with us, I don't think it's impossible to lower your payouts. Well, my conditions are already very forgiving, think carefully, East Coasters, and stop trying to provoke our endurance. "Russell. Smith said in a tone that seemed to be accentuated, but it was still clear from his words that they had made some concessions.

Their conditions are unacceptable, though. Spinning machines, looms, and cotton ginners are the most closely kept secret techniques on the East Coast, and no one has the right to trade them.

Gao Mo and Bai Siwen glanced at each other, and they both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, but the latest textile technology is a core secret of our country, and we cannot accept the consequences of it spreading out. Moreover, the amount of 100,000 pounds is also excessive. We are willing to make some humanitarian reparations for the protracted war between the two sides, but not in the amount of £10,000. We are sorry that 100,000 pounds is unacceptable to us. ”

"So, can I consider this negotiation over? We have not reached any positive agreements on both sides, and the war will continue? "Cheney, who hasn't spoken. Coward spoke.

"I'm sorry! We did come with sincerity......" Gao Mo said, looking into each other's eyes. (To be continued......)