"In other words, the local executive committee has set the tone for the peace talks, but the specific details still need to be further discussed?" Sitting in the bedroom of the Valladolid manor, Mo San asked a young naval non-commissioned officer.

"Exactly, sir." The sergeant replied succinctly: "The mainland has officially granted you full powers, this is the unanimous opinion of the members of the Executive Committee, please translate and read the diplomatic letter for details." ”

"Okay, I see." Mo San smiled mildly at the sergeant, and then said, "So, are you going back to Messina now?" ”

"Yes, sir. I will wait there for the return of the fleet. The sergeant said.

This is the third year in a row that the centralized convoy system has been implemented on the east coast, and this time the navy has concentrated a number of capital ships, forming a large fleet of more than 40 ships (10 of which are flute transports delivered to the Ottoman Empire) to trade in Europe. Leading the team was Captain Li Yi, who had now arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean and entered the waters of the Ottoman Empire.

When the convoy on the east coast passed through the Strait of Gibraltar this year, the few Spanish warships remaining in Europe did not carry out an attack, and the east coast did not try to search for or intercept the Spanish ships again. This is definitely good news for Mo San, because it shows that there is a lot of sincerity in peace talks between both sides.

"Well, you can leave for France in the carriage of the Doria family in a moment, and then find a way to take the boat to Messina, and I will send someone to arrange this for you, sergeant." Mo San stood up and shook the sergeant's hand. Then he said, "Say hello to your father for me." I haven't seen him in years. Be sure to ask him for a drink when you go back. ”

After sending off the liaison officer sent by the navy, Mo San walked into the room, personally began to translate the diplomatic secret letter, and then carefully reviewed it. On the whole, the local executive committee was satisfied with the terms he had negotiated with the Spaniards some time earlier, and thus gave him greater powers in the next phase of the negotiations, almost limited, and full powers. However, there were also some things in this diplomatic letter that puzzled him, such as the request of the Executive Committee to fight for the interests of the East Bank Republic in Patagonia as much as possible, and at the very least, to fight for some sun-kissed land in Southern Patagonia (what the East Bank is doing now is secretly immigrating, and there is no light in sight). These include road construction rights, forest harvesting rights, grazing rights, and so on.

To be honest, Mo San was annoyed by these new additions, as it would obviously cause his negotiations with the Spaniards to be tortuous. The Spaniards are not fools, they know the importance of Southern Patagonia, otherwise of course they would not have colonized Punta Arenas. Now that diplomatic letters from the mainland are focused on fighting for rights and interests here, one can imagine how difficult the negotiations will be.

Of course, Mo San didn't know that this request was entirely due to the dirty guidance of the local military department and the civilian system, but as a diplomatic envoy with professional qualifications, he quickly adjusted his mentality, and then boarded the carriage to negotiate with Spain.

Not surprisingly, Balboa, the Spanish negotiator, reacted violently: "I am amazed at the appetite of your government. Is it true that the vast grasslands east of the Uruguay River are still not enough for you? Patagonia is such a vast land that you want to eat, and besides, it's still a desert. All I can say is that your appetite is so good, but don't you know that you don't have a good pair of teeth? ”

"We're not rotten teeth, honorable Registrar Balboa." Mo San said slowly: "As you said, Patagonia is a desert with little value, and you don't have any interests there. The disappearance of the settlement of Punta Arenas was decades ago, so what do you have that you can't give up? Besides, we have been granted fishing rights in the south-eastern Pacific, so the construction of a road across the southern cone in Patagonia, or even a sheltered port along the Strait of Magellan, are all legitimate rights, aren't they? ”

After 1584, the Spaniards tried to colonize the area twice, but both times failed - because of poor management, bad weather, and lack of food. The reason why they are building such an isolated settlement, thousands of kilometres away from their core area of domination, is mainly due to security concerns.

In those days, corsair ships from the Netherlands, England and France constantly crossed the Strait of Magellan and then entered the Pacific Ocean to attack the Spanish offshore convoys. The Spaniards were frustrated with the attempt to establish a settlement in the area of Punta Arenas to monitor the strait, and they also hoped that they would be able to send regular fleets to patrol the area after the settlement was expanded, but they failed. Now that the East Coasters are bringing up the old story, it is bound to touch their sensitive nerves, which has brought a little uncertainty to the negotiations.

To Mo San's surprise, the difference between standing up and refuting whatever conditions he put forward in the past was that this time Balboa didn't say anything, just sat there thinking about something, and only asked in a low voice after a long time: "It's November now, and your navy has already been dispatched, right?" ”

"What navy?" Mo San was a little stunned for a while.

"Your navy is already outside the port of Callao, just like last year." Balboa let out a long sigh, and then said, "Say all the conditions at once, and I will do my best to solve them within my authority." As for what is beyond my competence, I will report it to His Majesty the King for decision. In a word...... Hurry up and end this damn war! ”

Looking at Balboa's already somewhat impatient expression, Mo San was relieved that there was no longer an obstacle to the principle of a peace agreement with the Spaniards. He can even get some more benefits on the basis of the original agreement, as long as the people on the east coast contribute more money (in fact, it is materials), it will be eight or nine ten, and the things that can be solved with money are still called things? . However, Spain is not unprincipled to retreat, they have their own bottom line, if the east coast people cross the line, it will cause them to rebound, therefore, how to grasp the scale of this needs to be explored by Mo San himself.

Over the next week, Mo San and the Spaniards engaged in a series of secret negotiations on a peace agreement between the two sides. Catalyzed by the French Civil War and the joint intervention of Britain, the Netherlands, and Genoa, the two sides finally reached an agreement on November 25, which included the following points:

1. The Republic of the East Bank of China shall purchase all the land east of the Uruguay River at a consideration of 500,000 yuan (about 600,000 pesos), all of which shall be paid in a lump sum, together with a detailed delivery map.

2. The list and quantity of Spanish property (mainly guns, armor and other military materials, as well as some textiles, steel bars, soda ash, etc.) issued by the Republic of China for temporary custody during the war can be found in the attached table.

3. The Free City of Araucan is independent and under the protection of the Republic of East China, and its diplomatic, military, and internal affairs are all directed by the East Bank.

4. The Kingdom of Spain was to build a fortress east of the Paraná River, garrisoned by five hundred men, and given free passage of the Uruguay River.

5. The port of Blanca and its surroundings shall be the territory of the Republic of China on the east coast of China, but Spanish civilian vessels shall be allowed to dock for supplies, and Spanish fishing vessels shall also be allowed to fish in the nearby waters. In compensation, the Republic of East China will be granted fishing rights in the southern waters of Chile (no further north than Chiloe Island) for a fee to be negotiated between the two parties. In addition, please refer to the attached table for the standards of civilian vessels and fishing vessels.

6. The Kingdom of Spain shall open up the right to build roads on the banks of the Gallegos River to the Republic of East China on the east bank of China, and the rights and interests of the territory, agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and mines within one mile on both sides of the road shall belong to the Republic of East Bank of China. As compensation, after the end of the war, the Republic of East China was obliged to send troops to help the Kingdom of Spain to suppress the Crantis who had revolted in the region of La Plata. In addition, please refer to the attached map for the route of the road, but the Republic of East Coast of China can continue to make minor modifications after the route is finalized according to the actual situation.

7. The Kingdom of Spain sells the right to harvest forests in the area of Southern Patagonia (including Tierra del Fuego) for a period of 10 years to the Republic of the East Coast of China for 500,000 pesos as a whole. This payment will be made directly to the Spanish Crown in the form of a cargo set, a list of which is detailed in the attached table.

8. Ships of the Republic of East China may freely pass through the Strait of Magellan, but they should report to Buenos Aires before the passage of Guò, and the Republic of East China shall have the obligation to eliminate pirates in the Strait of Magellan in order to ensure the safety of navigation in this waterway.

This agreement is not very satisfactory for both parties, but how can things in the world be perfect? Thus, with the Spaniards anxious to get out of the way to face the French, and the East coasters anxious to end the protracted war and consolidate their national capital, coupled with the intervention of the Anglo-Dutch and Thermal powers (Genoa and the Netherlands were even willing to provide Spain with a certain amount of loans to tide over a possible financial crisis), peace was quickly concluded between the two sides.

On 3 December, after the approval of King Philip IV of Spain, the negotiators of the belligerent countries formally signed the peace treaty, and Britain, the Netherlands, and the Republic of China were also given a copy of the peace treaty as witnesses, and the three countries were obliged to supervise the implementation of the treaty by both sides. Since the peace treaty was signed in Valladolid, it became known as the Peace of Valladolid, and it was also considered part of the Peace of Westphalia in the broad sense.

At this point, the war, which lasted for more than two years, was basically over in legal terms. The East Coast Republic of China, which was born out of nowhere, has won the attention of the whole of Europe by virtue of its commendable actions in this war, and it can be regarded as the initial entry onto the international diplomatic stage, and it has begun to be qualified to have equal dialogues with those old European countries. And before that, they were not even qualified to talk to people.

Of course, the war between the two sides will continue until the peace treaty is formally submitted to the Executive Committee of the Republic of China and the commanders on the front line are ordered to cease the fighting. (To be continued......)