In January 1635, a group of Irish independence nobles who had fled from Cork City, Ireland, were received by the King of Spain, and Spain began to frequently draw warships from the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Spain prepared to intervene in Ireland under the pretext of the massacre of Catholics by the English army in Ireland, while England received information from the Dutch in advance.

Based on England's refusal to pay any compensation after the Killarney incident in Ireland, China and the United States have begun to publicly demand delayed government bonds, with more than $5 million in principal and interest. At the same time, Huamei and France rejected the expiration and renewal of the "US-British-French Azores Peace Treaty", and the relationship between the two sides fell again, and a ten-year atmosphere of peace came to an abrupt end.

In February, the hard-liner National Assembly of England resolutely refused to back down, began to send troops to Ireland in large quantities, and introduced a tougher tax bill: high tariffs on all Chinese goods destined for England or the colonies in response to the threat of China and the United States to England. However, this move was also fiercely opposed by the royalist aristocracy with interests, and also caused great controversy among the moderate wing of the Constitutionalists.

The large sailing merchant ship Huamei Chaoyang, which arrived in London, refused to accept the sudden huge tariffs and changed its itinerary to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

In contrast, the Chinese Foreign Office also announced in March that it would impose a special cargo duty on any English vessel entering a Chinese and American territorial port, and in the process, Spain and Portugal followed suit with trade decrees against England that imposed additional taxes on English merchant ships.

The political and economic levels have been set up, and both sides of the confrontation are waiting for the other side to give in at the cost of their own bleeding, but the military follow-up has not stopped.

On April 2, 1635, the Chinese and American naval exercises prepared for several months were launched in the waters near the American concession of Angra de Marshagra in the Azores.

This time, the Chinese Navy dispatched a total of 3 Princess-class large light cruisers, 4 Republic-class light cruisers, 3 Jewel-class light cruisers, as well as the Luban work ship, the Bian Que medical ship, and 2 Gray Whale-class transport ships. The exercise fleet even brought with it a Foreign Legion infantry company stationed in the American Concession in Angra Sansseemo. to simulate a landing battle to destroy a pirate den.

If it had not been notified in advance by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States, the presence of the Chinese and American naval forces in the waters of the Azores would definitely make any European diplomat who has been stationed here for many years think that the Chinese and American navies are about to invade Europe.

Three snow-white Gorgeous Princess-class light cruisers, cruising at low speeds with steam power, sailed within the sight of the people of Angra de Marsíra, Terceira Island. The elegant hull and snow-white livery of the gorgeous Navy princess-class light cruiser like a royal lady immediately aroused the unanimous cheers of the people of Anglosport, many fishing boats dared to approach, the captains took off their hats and waved in salute, and the sailors whistled like flirtatious maidens. The English diplomats, who were peeping at various angles with binoculars on the shore, did not look very good.

After the exercise fleet showed off its might. First of all, it simulated anti-piracy operations against the sea, and the Chinese and American fleets fired a salvo at a distance of several hundred meters, and in dozens of water columns, the small wooden ship that was used as a target ship completely disintegrated into countless fine pieces of wood in the fiery red explosion shock wave and went up to the sky, making the residents of Porterto Sanshero who were watching the exercise from a distance let out a cry of surprise.

Immediately after that, the exercise fleet simulated a landing operation, and the landing boats released from the transport ships fan-shaped a beachfront landing on an isolated island south of Terceira Island, while 10 gorgeous light cruisers launched a majestic barrage of artillery bombardment.

As the shelling continued, smoke and dust from explosions covered the isolated island in sight. It seemed that the entire island had been reduced to powder in the explosion, leaving a group of European diplomats stunned.

……

A few nautical miles away, the Chinese-American exercise fleet is constantly putting on a show, but in the backyard of the US Consulate General. After a period of bragging and farts with Chinese and American Vice Foreign Minister Yan Xiaosong and European Consul General Shi Wenbo, French diplomatic representative Mazarin and his entourage began formal "business talks" -- on the intention to purchase equipment for the remaining $4.5 million military loan.

Although it was an outright political transaction, Yan Xiaosong and Shi Wenbo withdrew from their backyards on the grounds of "non-interference in business practices". Then several executives of the state-owned import and export group, as the European plenipotentiary agent of Sino-US sales, entered the backyard with a large number of materials, and even in order to let customers understand the products more intuitively, the business representatives of the relevant production enterprises who entered the market also carried some samples.

To boost the morale of the French. The new Model 34A rear-loading flintlock pistol with bayonet holder is the first to be launched! Well, that's right, it's a rear-loading smoothbore flintlock pistol. The historical prototype is the 18th-century Ferguson breech-loading flintlock pistol, which easily reaches 6 rounds per minute, the accuracy of hitting is greatly improved, the effective range has increased by 30% to 130 meters, and the comprehensive combat capability is at least 3 times higher than that of the 21B breech-loading flintlock pistol, and the export price is only 140 US dollars! The Kingdom of Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal are said to have preemptively ordered several thousand units months ago.

The live shooting demonstration was carried out without leakage, and Mazarin himself was still in shock, and a French officer was already gasping for breath with his reddened eyes! This is simply the best gift God has given to the Kingdom of France! There's nothing to say, hurry up and get 12,000 sticks!

Hehe, no hurry. The salesman of the North Industries Company at the scene dragged in a compact artillery, a new 8-pounder field cannon. With an effective range of 1,500 yards and the ability to fire a variety of ammunition such as solid shells, flowering shells, and shrapnel shells, the total combat weight is only 470 kilograms, which is much more mobile than the land mobility of a 12-pounder cannon.

In the Swedish Army, which was recognized as a strong armament, a brigade was equipped with only a few small field guns, and now this 8-pounder field gun, which costs only $1,600 per unit, is extremely suitable for the handsome and wealthy of France. The French officer, who was only excited by the 34A rear-loading flintlock pistol, was even more unable to extricate himself, and asked for 72 guns even more than the painting.

Naturally, career officers only set their sights on mass killings, but under the reminder of his assistant, Mazarin himself, who did not know much about military affairs, quickly became interested in a military heavy-tyred trailer used by the Chinese and American armies on display.

At present, the logistics units of the armies of European countries are equipped with a large number of baggage trailers. An army of 10,000 people has as many as 1,000 heavy vehicles of various specifications, not to mention the unit load capacity. Damage to the body, axles and wheels is commonplace, and the maintenance of the model is very troublesome. In order to ensure daily marching and combat, the army must also have many carpenters.

In the early years, the shadow of solid rubber wheels could already be seen on the high-end luxury carriages exported by Huamei to Europe. Resistant to wear and tear and high loads, easy replacement of spare parts, and few repairs, it is favored by the European elite, and each high-end carriage sells for at least 2,000 US dollars. But it was clear that such a flamboyant, expensive thing could not be spoiled by a group of vulgar soldiers with a lot of money. The appearance of the gorgeous heavy military rubber-tyred trailer instantly opened Mazarin's eyes.

This standardized, produced gorgeous heavy military trailer, all flashy things are omitted. The sturdy structure and, to add to its commendability, can carry up to 5,000 pounds (about 2.3 tons) of supplies, almost double that of a trailer commonly used in Europe. The rim and axle are made of many metal parts, and the width and thickness of the solid rubber wheel are larger than the specifications of civilian carriages, which are more pressure-resistant and wear-resistant.

A gorgeous heavy military trailer with two spare wheels, although the price is as high as $800. But compared to the kind of European wooden wheel trailers that fall apart after a few hits and have an average price of at least 45 pounds (equivalent to 450 US dollars), one can top at least three cars, and the maintenance cost performance is even more heaven and earth, how to look at how super cost-effective.

At the behest of Mazarin. The accompanying officials immediately ordered 1,500 vehicles, and they were delivered within six months. The directors of Xinhua Chemical, which produces rubber tyres, and Huamei Wood, which produces car bodies and rims, laughed stupidly: because their production capacity is likely to not be able to keep up.

Subsequently. The 25-type large military canvas tent produced by Yang Wenwen Living Art Group, which can be quickly detached from the component holders, was also highly appreciated by the French diplomatic mission, and the unit price was only 70 US dollars. This kind of goods, which are about to be eliminated by Type 34 military tents, suddenly found new buyers, whether they are new in the warehouse or second-hand goods in active service. A total of more than 2,200 sets of Type 25 military canvas tents were written into the military purchase list.

Not only are all kinds of military peripheral equipment on sale, but even the Merlin Canned Food Company has also joined the ranks of military procurement and sales this time. The modern biscuit process, which only really emerged in the 19th century, was officially launched by Merlin Canned Food Company.

Military compressed biscuits with very low water content, the raw materials are corn flour, sweet potato flour, wheat flour, butter, sugar and salt, low cost, can be eaten directly in water, can be stored at room temperature for at least two years or more, ordinary people only need two to three pieces a day to maintain enough fat calorie intake. The unit price is cheaper than the coarse bread baked on a large scale by European army cooks, and the export price is only $60 per ton, which can be called a low-cost classic military food that can make soldiers "sick and strong to live", and has long been ranked as the most hated thing in the Chinese army and navy, along with canned meat.

It seems to taste good, and I don't feel sick to my stomach if I eat a few more pieces, and it would be better to have some wine...... A few pieces were tried carelessly, and an hour later a French diplomat, who was pushed to the consulate hospital, placed an order from his hospital bed, and the contract for 8,000 tons of compressed biscuits for the military startled the business representative of the Merlin Canned Food Company. If you don't take into account appetite, this amount is enough to feed an army of tens of thousands of people for several years.

Then there was the ordering of saltpeter, sulfur, wrought iron and other war raw materials, and the French still got relatively affordable prices. Although bio-nitrate production has allowed Huamei to finally reduce its dependence on saltpeter imports on a large scale, and the sulfur mining on Butterfly Island and Yueshan Island is also increasing year by year, the domestic related industries are still living a tight life. However, in order to allow the French to concentrate on the war in Europe a year later, the Ministry of Commerce specifically approved the export of saltpeter and sulfur to France.

As for the medical supplies such as battlefield disinfection bandages and medicines that are highly recommended by the Chinese side, the French are not very interested. In addition to the symbolic procurement to supply the royal family, it seems that the whole of Europe lacks understanding of the "maintenance" of soldiers, a war expendable, which makes the business representatives of the state-owned pharmaceutical group grit their teeth with hatred.

All kinds of love and difficult trade-offs made the French choose until after dusk, and finally the 4.5 million military loan line was used up. According to the current establishment of the European army, these arms are enough to arm an elite army of at least 30,000 men, which is absolutely worth the money, and the satisfied Mazarin and others are eager to leave for China immediately to inform Richelieu of this perfect result.

The $4.5 million military loan is on the left hand and the right hand is in the right hand, and the arms export tax collected by the Huamei Department of Commerce alone is as high as $1.3 million, which can be called one of the largest single arms sales since the founding of the People's Republic of China! A considerable part of the products in the order contract will make Huamei's related enterprises work overtime for half a year to a year.

……

The French man's crazy arms purchase activities are still going on, and Yan Xiaosong and Shi Wenbo, who returned to the consulate office to rest, are chatting with coffee cups, and the topic is naturally the latest news "reported" by the Spanish side.

"Yesterday Baron Diego has sent a personal letter from the King of Spain, and they have officially started to move to the English, and the fleet they have put together is probably about to depart." Svenbo sipped his coffee, a playful smile flashing in his eyes, "If they can get the ordered battleships in advance, my old man probably wants to block the English Channel." ”

"This time it's all up to the French to 'cooperate', otherwise once the French make a mistake, they will contain a considerable amount of Spanish troops." Yan Xiaosong also raised a glass with a smile to celebrate, "The new "U.S.-French Xianglin Agreement" has officially come into effect, Maine and the Great Lakes are ours, and in exchange, the whole of Canada belongs to France." We opened up the city's access to the port for trade, but we also had to accept their new colonial trade restriction policy: all import and export trade to the colonies of Quebec had to be handled by the French royal family's merchant ships. This meant that the infiltration of Quebec would be curbed, and the trade in Quebec's goods and raw materials would be completely monopolized in the hands of the French crown. Su Zi would rather be regarded as 'losing power and humiliating the country'. ”

Richelieu was still wary after all, perhaps seeing the bad things in the colony of Virginia, England...... So what do we do next? The King of Spain is waiting for a reply. Shi Wenbo glanced at the drawer, "They want us to provide a batch of logistics supplies, and they want us to participate in the war as much as possible." And the Dutch, except for the Far East, in European affairs, the Dutch have always been very close to the English, this time there is no attitude, I always feel a little strange. ”

"It's no problem to ask for things, continue to talk about the rest, talk about it for as long as you can, anyway, everyone is used to the rhythm of chatting in years." Yan Xiaosong shrugged his shoulders and disagreed with this kind of slow-motion diplomacy of the 17th century, "The Dutch should now be nervous about the Spanish army in the Spanish Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire in the east, and the intelligence in Amsterdam shows that they have been discussing with the French about the next stage of war preparations, and I heard that they are ready to provide the French royal family with a military expenditure of millions of florins free of charge, which is more generous than us." ”

"What about the English? I've been hanging the English out there for the past few months, and now that Spain is at war with them, I'm even more intend to ignore us. In the past two months, the number of English merchant ships entering the port has begun to decrease, and dragging it is not good for us. ”

"Will make them raise their spirits and re-attach importance to us, Virginia is waiting for ...... at any time" Yan Xiaosong said this, deliberately squeezed his eyes, the expression on his face was quite mysterious, "Lao Zheng personally commanded, Liu Yun planned the whole process, this big and small war maniac joined forces, it must not be good for the English." (To be continued......)