Faced with the prospect of good cooperation and great benefits, Philip IV finally put aside his grievances with Portugal and really began to consider the question of an alliance between the three countries.

He pondered for a while, with a solemn face, and said sincerely: "Your Majesty the Emperor, I am very optimistic about the prospects of cooperation between the three countries, and I am also willing to set up several companies to explore and create wealth with your country and Portugal." However, now I must first solve the problem of the Netherlands, I have sent all the navies and the army that can be mobilized to Dunkirk, and if we cannot win this battle, the situation will be extremely unfavorable to us, so I hope that you will give me the support I can to help me win this crucial battle. ”

Zhu Cijiong looked at the map and asked solemnly, "What is His Majesty's strategic intention this time?" ”

Philip IV shook his head and sighed: "I originally wanted to advance by land and sea, destroy all the rebels in the Netherlands in one fell swoop, and recapture the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands, but the countries of the anti-Habsburg alliance have sent reinforcements to the Netherlands one after another, and it is no longer possible to capture the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands. ”

Zhu Cijiong did not give advice immediately, but continued to ask: "Then what is the problem you are facing now?" ”

Philip IV pointed to Dunkirk on the map and said: "The main problem now is that Dunkirk may not be able to hold it, if France sends troops from the direction of Calais to attack the Netherlands on both sides, Dunkirk will be dangerous, if Dunkirk is occupied by them, the Armada will not be able to block the Strait of Dover and the English Channel without the nearest supply base." ”

At this time, João IV, who had never had a chance to speak, finally spoke, and he said sincerely: "We Portugal are willing to support 20,000 troops to help you garrison Dunkirk." ”

Portugal originally formed an army to prevent Spain's counterattack, and now that Spain has agreed to form an alliance, there is no need to keep so many troops stationed in the country, but can also be drawn out to help Spain deal with the anti-Habsburg alliance.

When Philip IV heard this, he immediately showed a surprised expression, and the 40,000-strong army defended Dunkirk, and as long as France and the Netherlands did not attack with all their strength, they could not be defeated. Will France dare to attack with all its might? There are still 80,000 or 90,000 Spanish troops on the border between Spain and France, and if France sends troops to attack Dunkirk with all its might, then his homeland will be in danger, so with the support of the Portuguese 20,000 army, Dunkirk should be foolproof.

Zhu Cijiong doesn't think like this at all, the art of war talks about the right time and place, and the time is unpredictable now, so let's not talk about this, the people and the two sides seem to be similar, and there is nothing to say about this, the most important thing is that the location is favorable, go to the sea to find someone's combined fleet for a decisive battle, no matter how you look at it, it's a bit unreliable, people can choose a favorable terrain to fight, you can't find the north, and what to talk about defeating the other party!

It is true that this is true in history, is Spain's Armada strong? Very strong! However, the five expeditions to Britain all ended in failure, the timing was wrong, every time they encountered a storm at sea, in fact, the geographical advantage is also a reason, because even if their invincible fleet was blown by the sea storm, the implementation force is still much stronger than the British, but, you go to other people's sea areas to fight others, is it useful to have strong strength? If you are not familiar with the terrain and do not know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, no matter how strong your strength is, it is fake!

The Spanish Armada has suffered such losses many times, and it seems that this Philip IV has not learned his lesson and told others that the time and place are favorable? This seems to be a lot of difficulty.

Zhu Cijiong thought for a while, and simply said bluntly: "Your Majesty, offended, have you ever thought about what if the other party leads your invincible fleet to a narrow waterway and then attacks you with fire, or if the other party leads you to fight near the fort, can you win?" Besides, the storm at sea is unpredictable now, and the Invincible Armada is so aimlessly searching on the sea, what if it encounters another storm at sea? ”

When Philip IV heard this, his face changed, he knew what Zhu Cijiong was referring to, the failure of the Spanish Armada to attack Britain five times did leave a big shadow in his heart, although it didn't happen when he was king, but if it was like those few times this time, then he wouldn't lose!

Thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Your Majesty the Emperor, is there any way for you to find their combined fleet?" ”

This product, I still want to find someone, and I won't let people come to you!

Zhu Cijiong pointed to Calais on the map and asked, "How many French troops are there here now?" ”

Philip IV shook his head and said, "No, France knows that we are going to fight the Netherlands, what are we doing here?" ”

Zhu Cijiong pointed to the British city of Dover across the Strait of Dover and asked, "How many British troops are there here?" ”

Philip IV still shook his head and said: "No, the British also know that I am going to fight the Netherlands, they just need to keep the Netherlands, there is no point in sending troops to garrison these places." ”

When Zhu Cijiong heard this, he shook his head, these people, have they ever learned the art of war, they don't talk about any strategy in fighting, they don't even know how to fight for such an important strategic place!

But this is fine, it is easy to make them squirt blood, Zhu Cijiong directly pointed to Dunkirk on the map and said: "Da Ming will assist you in building twelve three-story fortresses, and support you with 3,600 artillery pieces to equip the fortresses." In the first phase, four forts were built at Dunkirk, each with 5,000 soldiers, to block the enemy forces in the Dutch direction; In the second phase, four forts were built in Calais, each with 5,000 soldiers, to block the enemy forces in the direction of France; In the third phase, four forts were built in Dover, each of which was garrisoned by 5,000 soldiers, so that the British would also lose the advantage of nearby supplies, and then the Armada would come and cruise back and forth between the three forts, blocking the Strait of Dover and not allowing any ships to pass, you say, will they be angry and organize a coalition to attack? ”

Philip IV nodded, and said worriedly: "This can force them to attack, but Calais and Dover are now French and British, and if they go directly to occupy them, won't they force them to go to war in an all-out way?" ”

Zhu Cijiong said domineeringly: "An all-out war is an all-out war, haven't they always secretly joined forces to fight you, and made it clear what is the difference between fighting and fighting in the shadows?" Are you scared? ”

These words directly aroused the arrogance of Philip IV, and he said proudly: "What am I afraid of, it's just that I can't draw the army for the time being, and the three fortress groups need 60,000 people, and now it's only 40,000." ”

Zhu Cijiong took the opportunity to remind: "Don't you still have more than 10,000 horses in Luzon, when I go to take over Luzon, won't you have more than 10,000 people, and a few thousand more people are enough, can't you have thousands of people?" ”

When Philip IV heard this, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "Okay, then do it, what's wrong with occupying their two cities, just fight, it's not that I haven't fought with them!" ”

Zhu Cijiong followed and said fiercely: "When I take over Luzon, I will use Luzon as a base to launch an attack on Batavia, and we, with them, will start an all-out war!" ”

Philip IV immediately chimed in loudly: "Okay, all-out war!" ”