On the night of April 5, 1682, heavy rain poured down. Pinshu.com voDt

In the administrative building of the Executive Committee, the first large building on the east bank, **** Liao Xiaoyao drew the curtains and shut out the sound of the dripping rain. In the room, Foreign Affairs Commissar Li Qing was smoking a pipe comfortably, and Erlang's legs were swaying, obviously in a very good mood.

"As soon as this autumn rain fell, it was probably out of control. The water level of the Wujiang, Heihe, and Paraná rivers is about to skyrocket, and the flood control situation in many areas is tense, and I don't know if the flood control facilities we have built over the years can withstand this wave. Liao Xiaoyao sat comfortably on the leather sofa, looked at the bright flame of the gas lamp, and said.

"Are you so worried, my Lordship." Li Qing smiled when he heard this, and said: "When decades of construction are in vain? The original plan to invest 15 million yuan in the construction of water conservancy facilities in the Hejian area over 50 years has been well implemented over the years, right? Well, there has been some financial chaos in the past few years, and investment has decreased, but at least it has been in place before. So what are you worried about, no matter how big the flood is, you won't be afraid! The only thing that may suffer is probably the swamp enclosed in the terrain of the mane hill, and the fish and shrimp raised are afraid that they will have to run away a lot. However, our country originally uses marine fish and shrimp as the main consumer goods, and the loss of these inland swamp fish ponds should not be large, limited to a very small number of areas and a very small number of people, and the insurance company can still compensate for it, rest assured. Li Qing took a comfortable puff of her cigarette and said.

"That's right. Actually, I don't think there's a problem, but I'm afraid that someone will criticize me, and I have the money to develop other people's land (referring to the Pampa plain that still belongs to the Kingdom of Spain), and I don't have the money to clean up my own pond, hehe. Some people are really annoying, and they can't fire guns at meetings. Liao Xiaoyao also smiled, only to hear him say: "Sometimes I really feel very tired to be this family." We are all old, and there are still a few of the more than 500 people who landed together back then, and you and I are both old men in our sixties and seventies, so it's time to give way to the younger ones, and I think they are already in a hurry. ”

"Yes, the next one will be our last. However, I think the only remaining old guys can't even get together 11 executive members, right? Liao Xiaoyao smiled bitterly a few times, then he shook his head, avoided this disappointing topic, and turned his heart to the Portuguese Albuquerque mission: "Let's talk about something else, what do you think about the Portuguese?" Should they accede to their demands? You're an expert in this area, and I'd like to hear your opinion first. ”

The conditions proposed by the Portuguese Mission have been compiled and sent to the members of the Executive Committee for review. Liao Xiaoyao was the ****, and Li Qing, the executive committee member in charge of foreign affairs and foreign trade, personally reported to him. The two finished their meal in the luxuriously decorated small canteen, and then each brought their secretaries to Liao Xiaoyao's office to work overtime to discuss - tomorrow Liao Xiaoyao will personally take a boat to the Pampa Plain to inspect to show the country's firm determination to develop this fertile plain, so it is necessary to talk about it clearly tonight.

The Portuguese put forward this condition, which may seem sudden, but it was actually the result of careful consideration. Personally, I believe that this is not a spur of the moment, but a choice made in their own interests after a long period of painful wandering. Li Qing frowned and said: "This country is actually quite depressed, the congenital conditions are not very good, the coastal areas are rocky, there are not many cities suitable for building ports, and even farming is not very suitable, and the people are quite poor." The area away from the coast is slightly better, and there is finally some flat land where you can grow grain, fruits and vegetables, and graze cattle and sheep, but the area is not very large, so the population that can be fed is not very large. The country's biggest specialty, probably salt, is mainly located in the area of Situbal, in fact, it is the grape production area and winemaking industry in the northern Porto area, as for the other wool, olives, fruits, and grains have to be ranked behind, and the scale is also like that, and a small amount is only exported after meeting the needs of their own people. ”

Therefore, the cramped environment and the infertile land forced the Portuguese to look to the outside world for a long time. They were early participants in the North Sea whaling and New World fishing industries, and they were among the early traders of the pagan communities on the African continent, and they were pioneers of seafaring and the routes of India and China. Speaking of which, throughout the 16th century, the Kingdom of Portugal was a collection of talents, especially the peers of the first Duke of Albuquerque, who can be called the golden generation of the Kingdom of Portugal. Li Qing continued: "It's just that the country also has a gas number, the Kingdom of Portugal has gathered a group of heroes, exhausted the country's hundreds of years of accumulated qi, and then the talent is cut off, coupled with the rise of other countries, this status cannot be maintained, and weakness is inevitable." ”

"Don't talk about those mysterious things, talk about something serious, the secretary class is all recorded next to it." Liao Xiaoyao pointed to the two staff members of the secretary class who were sitting silently by the window, and said.

"Haha, okay, don't talk about that. This man is old, believe in this, alas. Li Qing took a puff of his cigarette and said: "Actually, it's still what I just said, this country has poor congenital conditions and weak strength. The Spaniards were the first to do it, forcibly annexing the country, then the Dutch East India Company, and even for a while, the English did something to them, and it would be too good if Portugal was not weakened. Well, it seems that we did it twenty or thirty years ago and dealt a heavy blow to the Portuguese. If I were Prince Pedro, the regent of Portugal, I am afraid that I would be so anxious that I couldn't sleep, after all, I still have some ancestral inheritance in my hands, which is the end of the disaster. ”

"So, the Portuguese came to seek allies out of anxiety?" Liao Xiaoyao asked: "But the direct trigger of this incident should be the fall of Trincomalee, the last stronghold on Ceylon, and it is a problem in the East." ”

"Of course, my President, Ceylon was the immediate trigger, but the sense of distress in the Kingdom of Portugal has long played a crucial role. Of course, the Portuguese's suggestion that we could have up to two battalions of men and horses in Viana do not intend to put their hopes on us for the security of their homeland. In fact, this is impossible, two battalions cannot stop the number of foreign troops in the tens of thousands, and the guarantee of their native security, the most important thing is from the Kingdom of England, you see their policies for many years, they have always given huge concessions to England. Li Qing analyzed: "Of course, this is not to say that we can't play a role in the security of their homeland, there are still facts." With our influence on the Kingdom of Spain, the presence of these two battalions of troops was itself an attitude, and the Spaniards would have to think twice if they wanted to invade Portugal, not to mention that after several defeats in the Spanish-Portuguese Wars and great financial difficulties, the Spaniards had long been powerless about it. Basically, the Portuguese are pinning their hopes on our team Spain to exert influence to ensure their land security, while the Kingdom of England guarantees their sea security, in fact, things are not very complicated, to put it bluntly. ”

"Hehe, the Portuguese have a good plan, and they actually thought of hiring two thugs. However, we seem to be at a loss, not only to influence the Spaniards not to act rashly (although they are no longer capable of doing so), but also to protect the interests of their overseas colonies, which is still not as comfortable as the British. They integrated Portugal's overseas trade into their own system, and the protection of Portugal's overseas trade routes was also protecting their own commercial interests, and they also took so many benefits of Portugal, which is very admirable. Liao Xiaoyao asked a secretary to make a pot of tea for himself, and said while drinking: "And the Portuguese are also smart, knowing that it is not enough to impress us by opening the market and helping to set up an Indian trading post, and at the same time, the Dutch are pressing very hard, so they directly allow us to garrison the north." This bait is so sweet that we have to swallow it! ”

"Chairman Liao, you're right, I think so too." Li Qing sat up straight from the sofa, restrained some smiles on her face, and said seriously: "Actually, it has been more than 50 years since our country has developed, and the accumulation of various items has reached a great point, which can already support our country to pursue a more active and aggressive foreign policy in the international arena to safeguard our country's interests." The Kingdom of Portugal has a special geographical location, with access to the Gulf of Skai and the North Sea to the north, the West Sea to the east, and the Moors of North Africa to the south, and we have gained a foothold here, although it seems only symbolic at the moment (because of the limited garrison), but if we think of a way, it will always become an important base for us to intervene in the European continent in the future. ”

"Hehe, the aggressive expansion of foreign policy is now very popular among the younger generation in China. These people, who grew up in the era of rapid growth of our country, have not experienced the hardships and hardships of the early days, and have a strong optimism about the future. In a way, this is not a bad thing, because the country will need this kind of enterprising attitude to further open up space for decades to come. As the founder of the country, it is enough for us to do this, and in the future, this red flag will be handed over to our children and grandchildren. Liao Xiaoyao put down the teacup and said: "I've been talking with Lao Li for so long today, and I basically know it, this time the matter of the Portuguese mission, you have to worry more about it later, I will go to the Pampa Plain tomorrow to cheer up, and the things here will be handled by you." Albuquerque's suggestion, I don't think there is any big problem in principle, you can agree to it, but the details may need to be discussed and polished again. Later, the state will still make corresponding plans. Of course, as the basis for all our colonial or trade activities in India, the strength of the Second Fleet of the Navy should be strengthened, and this cannot be overlooked, and I will instruct the relevant departments to draw up a budget. ”

Hearing Liao Xiaoyao say this, Li Qing immediately understood his intentions, so he nodded slightly, indicating that he knew what to do. The next step is basically to grind foreign work with the Portuguese Albuquerque mission, and strive to earn a little more benefits, but the general direction of cooperation will basically not change, which I believe the Portuguese will soon understand. On the whole, the Portuguese had a good time to meet a moment of commercial and political influence on the east coast, and they sold it for a decent price, and both sides were very happy.

On the afternoon of April 7, 1682, Li Qing, who had prepared materials for a day, led many attachés to start a new round of consultations with the Portuguese Albuquerque mission. At the same time, the Admiralty also received an extra-budgetary fund of 100,000 yuan, and clearly pointed out that it would be used in the second fleet of the second fleet on New Huaxia Island to overhaul and extend the life of some ships with a long service life.

In addition, they were told that they would step up the development of a plan for the procurement of ships and personnel for the Second Fleet, and that next year the government would invest in the Second Fleet to strengthen the absolute control of the Republic of China on the east coast of China over the Indian Ocean, and asked them to make preparations accordingly. This sudden news undoubtedly surprised and delighted the navy, the army was jealous and hateful, and the domestic people's livelihood departments were gritting their teeth.

Of course, the Army did not fail to receive a "consolation prize". They learned from various sources that in the future there would be a military camp for the people of the East Coast in the vicinity of Viana do Castelo in the Kingdom of Portugal, where up to two battalions of troops could be stationed. In addition, the Kingdom of Portugal promised to send troops at critical moments – in the form of a cover-up operation, in which the Kingdom of Portugal first disbanded a part of its army and then hired it at the expense of the East Coasters, up to 3,000 men – to help the East Bank government intervene in certain areas, such as the situation in the Ukrainian steppes, in times of emergency.

Some people may think that 3,000 Portuguese soldiers are a ball, but a little more is a little more, and the people on the east coast currently only have a small escort force in Haji Port in the Black Sea, and with the "3,000 people credit line" provided by the Portuguese, the troops should be much more abundant. Combined with the cavalry recruited in the Crimean Khanate, they should not have a problem forming a mixed infantry and cavalry force. Of course, this force could not deal with the regular armies of Russia and Poland, but it was still able to play a great role in dealing with the attacks of small Cossacks, and this was actually enough.

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