"The situation in England is treacherous, and there are many opinions. But one thing is for sure, at the moment Congress is unhappy with James II, and James II is equally unhappy with Congress. There are not only political and economic factors, but also religious factors at work, which have led to the tensions we have today. After asking the secretary to bring a few new bottles of wine, Lin Dingyi said as he poured it: "Please forgive me for my wording, which may not be very polite, but I try to be able to express what I mean accurately." Yes! Religious factors have been a major obstacle to communication between countries over the years, but the actions of Louis XIV have instantly exacerbated this contradiction, reminding more people of the horrors of religious confrontation decades ago. In this case, King James II's Catholic status is glaring. You must know that although England's religious policy is also tolerant, the power of the church is also very large, not to mention that it is also mixed with political factors, which is easier to be used. ”

Several bottles of liquor were brought from the mainland by Lin Dingzhi's trustees, including Xianghe wine from the South African River region, Xiangshan dry red from the Duck Lake Basin, Baijiu from Patagonia, and even a bottle of sake from the River region made by Japanese immigrants.

Of course, this is also because Lin Dingzhi has a stake in the East Coast company, and at the same time, the family runs a more profitable business with Persia and India, and ordinary people are afraid that they can't afford it. In fact, this also shows that after more than 50 years of development, a large number of middle classes have risen in the East Coast Republic, and at the same time, the life of its wealthy has reached a very high level, which is no worse than the old aristocracy of the old continent, and even surpasses it.

"It's a good wine." After raising the wine glass in his hand, Konrad van Boiningen said, "Actually, I understand what you want to express. As a Protestant country that has experienced a revolution, England has always been very wary of Catholics, and the general atmosphere of society is not very Catholic-friendly. To be honest, the United Provinces, which have more than 40% Catholics, are much more tolerant than they are. The religious environment in England was as strong as King Charles I, who did not dare to declare his true beliefs when he was alive. You know, he 'converted' to Catholicism on his deathbed, which scared me a lot, and I'm sure he's been a Catholic from the beginning, just afraid to reveal his identity. But the Duke of York was a special case, and from the beginning he openly declared himself to be a Catholic, and was more sympathetic to Catholicism in word and deed, much to the displeasure of many. Of course, it doesn't matter if that's all there is, the problem is that he wants to wrest more power from the noble council, which is very fatal. ”

Van Boiningen's words are a bit of a heart-to-heart. He himself was a Protestant, but he did not shy away from talking about the religions of Britain and the Netherlands in front of Lin Dingzhi, and he also analyzed in detail the differences in religious policies between the two countries and the tolerance of the people.

Of course, what he said was also very real, and there was no problem at all. According to Lin Dingzhi's understanding over the years, James II has indeed been relatively jumpy. When he served in the army, he loved to be in the limelight, loved to compete for merit, and at the same time did not hide his religious beliefs and preferences at all, which was really high-profile compared to his brother Charles II.

This product did not change his style after becoming king, which aroused the disgust of more and more religious conservatives. Of course, disgust has always been two-sided, and James II also hated those people very much, after all, how the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion got so large-scale, everyone knows it, it's just that you don't like me, a Catholic, to be king.

Moreover, the members of Parliament did not agree to continue to put many taxes, including customs duties, at the disposal of the king, and wanted to get them under the national treasury, and they had the final say on how to use them, which undoubtedly greatly stimulated James II. You know, when his brother Charles II was in power, the bourgeoisie and the enlightened aristocracy of Parliament were very talkative, and they authorized several taxes, including customs duties, to the crown for life, and the proceeds were also at the discretion of the royal family. There is no doubt that these taxes have made the royal family's finances much more prosperous and influential, and there is no longer a need to rely on pawning land to fill the deficit as before, of course, this is also related to the fact that the total tax is much higher than before, which shows that the British import and export trade has really prospered a lot in the past two decades, and can rely on its own financial resources to govern calmly.

But what happened when James II succeeded to the throne? Isn't it a clear distinction for members of Parliament to take back the right to collect these taxes on the pretext that Charles II is dead? James is not as good-tempered as his brother, so skillful, he is a second dumb man who likes to rush and fight, and he may be a good hand at fighting, but political struggle is not his forte, so he went crazy all of a sudden, and his relationship with Congress was extremely cold.

Therefore, although the religious belief of King James II has been raised by many parliamentarians in the United Kingdom, in fact, this is all a cover! What really made him lose his hearts was his aggressive attitude, his momentum of wanting to control the overall situation and elevate the council. No one wants to lose their power, and so does James, and so do the members of Congress! They finally guillotined Charles I through war, limited the power of the king, and now there is a James II, and he is ambitious, and anyone has to be afraid!

"James II was now somewhat isolated in England, surrounded by only a few favored courtiers, and only a part of the army outside remained loyal to him, but it was a question of how long those officers would be loyal to the constant co-optation and corruption of Parliament. After Cromwell's death, wasn't most of the army pulled away by Congress? His son got nothing but to be forced to announce his resignation! James II must have been aware of this, so he now became more and more dependent on the French, and in order to satisfy the appetite of his officers, he could only take money from Louis XIV again and again, but this was to quench his thirst, and the French money was not so easy to take! Especially in England, anyone who gets put on the hat of a general law is going to get in big trouble, and James has a serious problem. Lin Dingzhi put down the wine glass in his hand, sighed softly, and said: "The situation in London is very delicate now, Congress is not satisfied with James II, James II is also dissatisfied with Congress, and the relationship between the two has broken down. ”

"In ancient Chinese history, there have been many times when the monarch was dissatisfied with others, and there is a high probability that the monarch will be replaced in the end. In such a situation in England, it is also a question whether James II's throne can be secured. Lin Dingzhi said again.

"Is there any tangible evidence that James II took money from the French?" Van Boiningen asked abruptly, apparently very concerned about the issue.

In fact, this is also very understandable, if these two countries are mixed together, then it will definitely be a nightmare for the Netherlands, and it is absolutely unacceptable. It is ridiculous that they had also signed a friendship agreement with the French (which was later abolished due to the persecution of the Huguenots), but it turned out that this was actually a delaying tactic by the French, and they suddenly had a hot feeling on their faces. Although Van Boiningen and the Orange family have deep contradictions, this does not mean that they are not patriotic and do not value the interests of the Netherlands.

They had not heard anything about the relationship between James II and Louis XIV, but they were reluctant to admit it due to the lack of solid evidence and partisanship. But the ambassador of the East Coast to Paris openly pointed this out, so this is definitely not groundless, and there must be a slight connection between the two. In this case, many of the Republicans' policies will need to be changed, otherwise they will not be caught by the Orange faction in the future, and they will lose their support in the United Provinces.

"Of course, there will be no tangible evidence, but we have received some information from our friends in France, which should be quite credible. Besides, it is the strangest of James II's current situation that he does not ask for patronage from the French, right? Lin Dingzhi looked at Van Boiningen and said in a strange tone: "Or, Conrad, do you want the text of the agreement between Louis XIV and James II?" No, that's impossible to get, so you can save some snacks. ”

"Of course not, in fact I'm just trying to see how likely it is." Van Boiningen shrugged his shoulders and said with a wry smile: "If there is collusion between London and Paris, then the United Provinces will have to adjust their own policies." I don't think we should ever try to establish close ties with the Kingdom of France anymore, which is foolish and will at the same time push us into a dangerous situation. ”

"But don't you consider the danger of the Prince of Orange's accession to London? This is a very serious matter, and if he is the consul of the United Provinces and the king of England, will you be able to fight him? Lin Dingzhi aggravated it and said, "This must be restricted, this is what you can do." Mobilize domestic supporters, and win over some neutrals, you can do it! Remember the conditions on which Princess Teresa of Spain married Louis XIV? Yes, that's right, Princess Teresa was asked to voluntarily give up her claim to the Spanish throne so that she could get married. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the Spaniards couldn't afford to pay the full dowry (which was actually the war reparations), there would have been no inheritance transfer war. I suggest that you, the other members of the Estates-General, put collective pressure on the Prince of Orange to make a public commitment that, once he assumes the throne of England, he will automatically lose his position in the United Provinces. ”

Lin Dingzhi's words made Fan Bo Yiningen nod slightly. This is not contrary to his principles, and it is not in the interest of the United Provinces, and it may even be beneficial. At the same time, the Prince of Orange is their bitter enemy, and how can they wash away this hatred by despicably killing several Republican parliamentarians and banishing the DeWitt brothers from return? It must be hard to get rid of the evil in their hearts.

"It's really important, and I'll find a way to push it forward." Van Boiningen's face was grim and he said.

After saying this, several Dutchmen looked at each other, and their expressions were a little solemn. There is no doubt that this is a difficult job, and the Prince of Orange will certainly not let go of this great opportunity. The only way to force him to sign this agreement was to contact more people, unite more Dutch businessmen, politicians, and religious figures, and make it clear that if the Prince of Orange became King of England, the United Province would be seriously harmed.

The Prince of Orange has the army in his hands, and this is his greatest advantage. However, Van Boiningen and others believe that if more people know about the military, diplomatic, and trade impact that William III may have on the United Provinces after he became king of England, some officers who are interested in the Netherlands should be shaken by the fact that the Duke of Normandy can be the king of England, but he must give up the French possessions, and William III must do the same!

"Tell me something else, Conrad. Are you interested in investing in the Ottoman Empire? I mean the financial investment, the amount is not too much, 10 million dong is about the same, how about it, are you interested? After seeing that everyone reached an agreement on this issue, Lin Ding's heart was settled, so he turned the topic elsewhere.

"I'm afraid not." Van Boiningen said apologetically: "The finances of the provinces are not very good right now. In particular, the two provinces of the Netherlands and Zeeland, which bear the largest share of the expenditure, have recently been forced to raise a huge amount of more than 30 million dong. Having begun to restore the size of his army, which was believed to be a staggering Rp 100 million in a year's time, William III believed that the French would wage a war of aggression and that they had to be prepared in advance. Many opposed him, especially the plucked geese (referring to the large Amsterdam wholesalers, business owners and bankers who were given donations), but he insisted on restoring the size and combat effectiveness of the army. Oh yes, he gave England a big arms order, didn't give it to you, I'm sorry, we don't win every time in Parliament. The goods produced on the east coast were cheap and of good quality and much better than those of the British, and William III was in this matter to the detriment of Dutch interests. ”

"Well, I understand the focus of your government. So, with the country's finances tight, is there any private capital willing to invest in it? Lin Dingzhi didn't give up and continued to ask.

"Perhaps. Smelling the smell of war, there are quite a few people in Amsterdam who want to take their money out of the country and avoid risks. In addition, the East India Company seems to be interested in easing relations with your country, and if you do not object, I am willing to act as an intermediary to help you pass on the news, and perhaps they can lend a sum of money. But with all due respect, few people are optimistic about the Ottoman Empire's finances, which are on the verge of collapse. It was heard that they had just suffered another great defeat in Transylvania, losing tens of thousands of men and horses, and that the Austrians had an increasing advantage. In this case, lending money to the Ottoman Empire seems to be an unwise thing to do, and the risk is simply too great. It seems to me that they may prefer to lend to your country, because your credit is very good, and your balance of payments is surprisingly good, and you can get a loan at a lower interest rate and then you can re-lend to the Ottomans yourself, and no one will dispute that. Van Boiningen thought for a moment and said.

"That's good news." Lin Dingzhi nodded, expressing his approval of this model, but then he couldn't help but ask the Ottoman Empire a few words of defense: "But seriously, according to the latest news I just got, the Russians, led by a young commander with no experience, went deep into the coast of the Sea of Azov and besieged a fortified city, and there is a great possibility of failure." And if the Russians were defeated, the Ottomans could bring back some of the troops stationed in the north and throw them into the Hungarian and Transylvanian battlefields, and in addition they could force the Duke of Moldavia to continue to attack the Poles and Austrians half-heartedly, which would have a very far-reaching effect. ”

"Perhaps, but you know, bankers don't study this, and they don't take big risks. In fact, what they are most looking for now is the security and stability of their investments, not how high the interest rate or returns, and they have passed that stage, I hope you understand. Van Boiningen immediately explained.

"Well, all the bankers in the world seem to be a virtuous person. But that's not bad, as long as there are more than 10 million rup in funding, then we can do a lot of things. I will send someone to deal with it later, I hope you can help cooperate. The East Coast Republic of China will always be on the side of the Dutch people, and the Orange family cannot represent the Netherlands. Lin Dingzhi finally said.