The Marquis de Castillo had long been looking forward to the arrival of the Cyris Mission, which had been agreed the year before, in order to "regulate" the trade between the two sides. However, how to reduce it depends on the detailed communication with the Seris people, and the legal goods that need to be declared and the smuggled goods that do not need to be declared are classified and processed.

Calvis, the envoy of the kingdom and assistant to the Minister of West Indian Affairs, said puzzledly: "The Seris Mission? Why should they deal directly with you, Your Highness? New Spain had no diplomatic powers, and they could communicate directly with the Kingdom through the Lisbon Legation......"

Castillo also disguised the fact that he was actually talking to the other party about the smuggling trade with a puzzled expression.

Calvis said resolutely: "I am the representative of the West India Affairs Committee, and I must also be present if the Seris want to talk about anything." ”

Castillo nodded humbly, and then he rejoiced at Calves' decision.

Acapulco is eight or nine hundred miles south of Mexico City, and the clerk received a message from Kuaima that Cai Xin and others had arrived in Mexico City on April 2.

The journey from Acapulco to Mexico City was long and arduous, and Cai Xin and the others had long since exhausted their curiosity, and after the grand welcome ceremony, he talked directly to the governor about business.

Cai Xin opened his mouth to demand that New Spain and Anglo-Chinese achieve comprehensive free trade, Castillo coughed awkwardly, Calves took over the topic, and the matter became an informal negotiation between Anglo-Chinese and Spain.

Calvis accused the Anglo-Chinese of violating international diplomatic practice and bypassing the royal government to directly deal with the colonies, which was an unjust act of grossly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and attempting to divide Spain.

Cai Xin thought that this guy was a clerk, but when he introduced himself as a representative of the West India Affairs Committee of the Kingdom of Spain and an assistant to the Minister of West Indian Affairs, he was overjoyed. Originally, he only reached a tacit agreement with New Spain first, and then took the kingdom route through the Lisbon Mansion, and now there are representatives of the kingdom here. The two routes are one.

Cai Xin suppressed his joy and coldly condemned the Kingdom of Spain for sending a military advisory group to assist the Manchu puppet regime in an attempt to subvert the empire's shameless crimes, and the officers of the advisory group were all from New Spain. Of course, he had to come to New Spain for controversy.

Emperor Yongzheng of the Manchu Qing Dynasty hired a Spanish military advisory group five or six years ago, and Cai Xin just used this matter to suppress the arrogance of the other party.

Calvis sensibly avoided the matter, turned to Cai Xin's request, and rejected it outright. Full free trade? The four viceroyalties of Spanish America had to trade with the kingdom through designated ports and routes, and you Seris actually had to trade freely with New Spain alone, dreaming.

Cai Xin sneered and said that's good. Our two countries have to sign a formal treaty on the Luzon issue to confirm the rights and interests of both sides.

This hit the soft underbelly of the Kingdom of Spain, although Philip V pinched his nose and signed the Luzon Memo Agreement, but it was not a formal treaty after all, and the Kingdom of Spain still claimed sovereignty over Luzon. This was originally a procrastination move by the Spaniards who were unwilling to admit defeat and did not want to lose face, but after more than ten years, the Chinese in Luzon have accounted for more than 60% of the local population. Although it was still a trusteeship of the company, it was only covered with a layer of skin, and the rule of Yinghua in Luzon was indestructible.

Previously, the Anglo-Chinese were not too concerned with formalizing Luzon's status as an international treaty. Let's take possession of the interior first. And now that Anglo-Chinese are going to take this step, it means overturning the previous agreement on the trade of galleons. For a decade or so, the galleon trade was nominally Spain's domestic trade, not Spain's international trade with the Anglo-Chinese, and once the trade was corrected, the Spanish crown would lose a large amount of royalty revenue.

Calvis searched for a way to fight back, and suddenly remembered an old story that the governor had told him, so he turned to denounce the Cyris for encroaching on New Spain and establishing a colonial base in Upper California. …,

The play meat is coming......

This is the real purpose of Cai Xin's visit to New Spain: to make Spain recognize the Anglo-Chinese sovereignty over Puzhou and accept the fact that Anglo-Chinese have set foot in the pattern of hegemony in the Americas.

It is true that the competition between countries is a comparison of strength. But it doesn't mean that everything has to be fought first, and the cost is too high. Especially in the intricate pattern of global hegemony, we should use strength as the backing, weigh the interests and disadvantages, and distinguish priorities. Reaching a compromise and adjusting the interests of all parties is in line with the code of conduct of modern countries, and the ostensible form of this compromise is an international treaty.

The task of the army is to show the strength of the country, analyze the situation, find out the bottom line acceptable to both sides, and at the same time squeeze the other side as much as possible to fight for the interests of the country, which is the task of people like Cai Xin.

Puzhou is located in a terra nullius area, and Spain calls it Upper California, which is a hidden danger that must be addressed. The Anglo-Chinese Central Committee originally disagreed with Spain's claim to rule, feeling that since Spain did not exercise effective rule in the region, that kind of claim was just lip service, and even if the Spaniards were not convinced, they would fight again.

However, the people in the general office who were familiar with the legal principles of European colonization knew that if Spain did not give up the legal rule of the region, there would always be chaos in the future. Later, Li Shi, who knew it for 300 years, knew this even better, this kind of thing cannot be done entirely by force, otherwise the United States would not need to spend money to buy Alaska.

Calvis took the initiative to talk about Puzhou, which showed that the Spaniards did not yet understand the Anglo-Chinese determination to set foot in the Americas, so they easily took the lead in the negotiations.

Cai Xin said leisurely: "We are negotiating with the Britons to buy the land......

Calves said angrily: "That land is the territory of the Kingdom of Spain!" This is internationally recognized! ”

Cai Xin shrugged: "At such a time, the Walpole government may insist on their point of view, and the land of America north of Mexico is dedicated to Queen Elizabeth by Sir Drake." ”

Calvis was stunned, and suddenly realized that the young Seris envoy in front of him was not the sage of Seris who he imagined to be buried in books and did not know the affairs of the world, but he knew the history of Europe and the current situation well.

In the early years of the Age of Discovery, explorers from various countries "discovered" North America, and the British pirate Francis Drake used his adventures to win Britain's ownership of North America "from sea to sea". Although this ownership was only claimed, and the situation changed so that everyone no longer took it seriously, and the Spanish ownership in Alta California was more valid, Drake's claim did not mean that it was completely invalid. This is the same as the succession of European royal families, even if they are the last in line, they only have the right of inheritance in theory. The essence is basically impossible to realize, and everyone dare not take it too lightly. In the past few hundred years, the continuous wars in Europa have not revolved around the succession to the thrones of various countries.

At the moment, Britain's relationship with Spain is a slight easing of tensions. But the main tone is still tense. For Calves and even the vice-governor of the king, Castillo, the rampant smuggling of the British in the West Indies was an offensive provocation. Although Walpole, the first Chancellor of the Exchequer and head of government of Britain, was a non-warlike man, he could cooperate with the Seris to transfer Drake's claim to the Serisians, who would trouble Spain, and this level of behavior did not go beyond the realm of "elegance" for the British gentleman.

Calvis has been remarked by Cai Xin. Realizing the determination of the Seris to infiltrate the Americas, the discovery was so striking that Calvis sweated and was speechless.

Governor Castillo had to express his position, and of course he was really angry: "That's Alta California in Spain!" It's part of New Spain since it was discovered! Cai Xin's response was very direct and tough: "Luzon was also once part of New Spain......

Castillo looked at Calves, who was still in a daze, and quickly said: "This means war!" ”

Cai Xin laughed: "Since our two countries have not signed a formal treaty on the ownership of Luzon, it means that ...... The war in Luzon was not over. ”

His answer was actually directed at Calves, who was nothing more than a governor. Stay for a few years and leave, having little say in what happens to the territory of New Spain. The kingdom said that he would fight him, and it was the fault of the general, not his governor, who lost. The kingdom said that he had no right to oppose it. Calves, on the other hand, represents the kingdom, and Calves' reaction is valuable.

Calvis groaned in pain, regretting that he should not have come forward so recklessly to negotiate with Syris, a diplomat with formal diplomatic powers.

But Calvis was not overwhelmed by Cai Xin's war intimidation, and he cheered up: "Your country should not push people too much, our Spain occupies half the world, and there are too many cards to play." Alta California ...... As long as we transfer that wasteland to France, France will be willing to pay the price, including joining forces with Spain against you Seris. The resurgent Seris is a strong man. But I believe that in this day and age, Spain and France ...... There is no such thing as a force that can confront us at the same time. ”

Non-existent? The British and the Dutch are ignored by you?

This is off topic, Cai Xin didn't say it, he shook his head and said: "We are joining forces with France to carve up Tianzhu...... Oh, India. I also believe that France will weigh the pros and cons and make a rational choice. ”

France and Seris join forces in India!?

Calvis was stunned again, he quickly used his brain, and in a moment confirmed that Cai Xin's words had a certain degree of truth. France and Britain had been fighting over the east coast of India, and Seris, who had driven the two powers out of Burma, had apparently taken an interest in India.

More cards? How is it that we Yinghua? The Western company is still looking at the West Continent, which is what you call Africa, to see what kind of oil and water can be fished there, and if you join forces with grapes to make a good game of chess in Africa, maybe Portugal will be happy to stab you in the back......

Cai Xin sneered while idly watching Calves, who continued to sweat, and waited for him to say, "I have no right to make a decision on this matter, please wait for me to tell the kingdom." ”

This is already on Calves' lips, and this means that Spain can only deal with it passively. If he fails to reach a further consensus with Seris, and when he brings the news back, the Royal Government will work out a response, and perhaps the British or French government will already be handed over.

Thinking of Caldillo, who was forced to jump on his feet, of the decaying kingdom and the empty treasury, and of the fact that his trip to the Americas was not only fruitless, but might also be belittled for the Seris affair, Calvis suddenly felt that it was time for him to change his thinking.

Seeing that his face softened, Cai Xin said again: "Your Excellency just said that you will transfer that land to the French, since you can transfer it, why can't you transfer it to us Seris?" ”

Buying Upper California is what Cai Xin really wants, but this deal naturally cannot be mentioned at the beginning, and can only be proposed as a win-win option when the two sides show their respective big cards and are still difficult to get along.

Of course, this is not a win-win proposal for Spain, after all, land is a long-term meal ticket, land can grow crops, can gather people, can find minerals, and will not be easily sold until the mountains and rivers are exhausted.

A flash of joy flashed across Calvis's face, although he was not a professional diplomat, he understood that this was the true intention of the Seris, and for him, returning home with the advice of the Seris was enough for him. ..., then the most important question is, how much are the Seris willing to pay?

Cai Xin raised a finger, Calvis and Castillo frowned, one? One hundred thousand pesos? Joke! Even a million pesos is too cheap.

Cai Xin said unhurriedly: "The total amount of trade between our Seris and New Spain in a year. ”

The people of Seris are clever and greedy! Casdillo and Calves understood, and the young diplomat went back to the original topic and asked New Spain to open up for trade!

Seeing that the two of them subconsciously shook their heads, wanting to veto this direction, Cai Xin smiled and said: "For us Seris, it doesn't matter if we open trade or not, as long as we can sell as many goods as possible." If my map is correct, the East Coast of America is a British colony, right? ”

The two of them couldn't keep up with their train of thought, and after a moment of silence, Calvis took a cool breath: "You mean......" Caldillo was more direct: "Let's smuggle to the British colonies!?" ”

Cai Xin blinked and said, "Isn't it good?" ”

Good! Of course!

Britain used all its resources to turn the country into a maritime trade hub and processing factory, and then transshipped the goods to the colonies for sale, and the American colonies were Britain's hunting grounds. Not only did the Seris have the same old three things, such as silk, tea, and porcelain, but now they have a lot of new goods such as steel and cotton cloth, and if New Spain acts as a transit merchant, the attack on Britain's North American colonies with Cyris goods is almost equivalent to cutting Britain's arteries.

The two cards looked at each other in a blur, and almost saw the scene of countless merchants and workshops throwing themselves into the river by the Thames, the House of Commons in London in mourning, King George II vomiting blood and lying in bed, and Walpole shouting and beating like a rat crossing the street.

After a long time, Castillo repeated his previous words in a deep tone: "It means war ......"

Yes, war! This is to push the Britons into a corner, those far-island barbarians will not sit still, they will attack wildly, the thought of the British navy, the two Spaniards secretly shuddered.

Cai Xin repeated what Calvis had just said: "Seris and Spain, plus France, can fight against our combined forces at the same time, which does not exist in this era. ”

Seeing that the two of them were thinking again, Cai Xin said secretly, and a bloody flatbread was thrown out...... (To be continued......)