Seville is the oldest city in Spain and the only inland port city in Spain. From the 8th century AD, the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by the Arabs, and by the 11th century AD, a group of Moors founded the kingdom of Duli in Seville. It was not until the 13th century that King Fernando III of Castile recovered Seville and made it the capital of the Kingdom of Cartile, which continued until the unification of the Kingdom of Spain.

After Columbus discovered the American continent, Seville had the famous "House of the Indies Trade", which monopolized Spanish overseas trade, and with a staggering number of precious metals and New World specialties pouring in, Seville's golden heyday arrived.

In 1561, the Spanish royal family moved to Madrid, but Seville continued to serve as the capital of the Kingdom of Spain, both nominally and substantively. One historian has commented: "The kings of Spain ruled Seville by guò decree, but Seville led the entire Spanish Empire.

For a long time, Seville used the wealth of its own city as a benchmark for the rise and fall of the entire Spanish Kingdom, and its history can be said to be the history of the Spanish Kingdom.

Monday, January 6, 1625.

The westerly winds of the Atlantic Ocean still blow the sky over the Gulf of Cádiz, and every Qiē is shrouded in the cold of winter, but the earth is not still in this winter, and Seville, the uncrowned capital of the Kingdom of Spain, is unusually noisy and lively at this time.

The "Iberian Diplomatic Mission" from the United States of America of China finally arrived at the first stop of the trip to the Kingdom of Spain on the clippers of the Prisoner Bull.

Unlike the last time I carefully landed on the European continent. The diplomatic mission between China and the United States was a big fanfare, and a 50-member military band became the vanguard of the mission's honor guard. The National Military Band, which is part of the Army Command, is one of the most smelly huā bottles in the country, with dark blue uniforms adorned with snow-white tassels and shiny metal badges, and members who are almost all about the same height. The female guard of honor at the head deftly wields her staff, followed by 32 drummers in four rows, and then 18 musicians of all kinds. The March of Elisabeth, which had been beaten up at certain festivals in the country, once again reverberated over the streets of Seville.

Colorful flags and fresh huā were waving, and countless people of Seville were piled up on the side of the street. Looking at the diplomatic corps of the Republic of China and the American Republic of China from the other side of the Atlantic, which has long been famous in Spain, I feel both novel and inexplicable at such a neat and beautiful military music and honor guard drumming.

The military guard of honour led two beautiful carriages and a team of horses slowly towards the former Royal Palace of Seville, accompanied by Portuguese nobles such as Theodosio, Duke of Bragança from Lisbon.

"It's amazing—ah, Lord Duke, our first meeting will be in Seville. When this diplomatic visit is over, I will travel to Lisbon again to raise a glass with you. Other than that. In an oriental phrase, although we have never met, we feel like we have known each other for a long time, and I believe that I will become your best friend like Minister Su. ”

Shi Wenbo, who served as the diplomatic envoy of the Chinese American Republic, sat awkwardly on horseback at this time, but still held his head high. He also waved frequently to the cheering Spaniards around him. And his wife, Anna, honestly sat in the carriage behind the horse team with the children.

"But this old friend in front of you now has to greet you as a 'Spaniard' all the time." The Duke of Bragança glanced at some of the Spanish officials in the horse team with a bitter smile on his face.

"Truth and justice take time to get out there, and I've always been resistant to Spanish, for example." Svenbo casually muttered about his unfamiliar Spanish, and the Duke of Bragança smiled knowingly.

The mission finally arrived at the Royal Palace of Seville. Trumpets sounded, and local Spanish officials poured out to greet the guests with what they thought was the biggest line-up possible.

"Oh my friend, what a great moment Mr. Shi is celebrated throughout the Kingdom of Spain."

In recent years, Fernando, the top administrator of Lisbon, Spain, has also made a special trip from Lisbon to take charge of the reception of the diplomatic missions of China and the United States. With a bright smile, Fernando directly gave Shi Wenbo a bear hug when he got off the horse.

If you want to say who has the most relationship with Swavenbo in the Spanish Kingdom today, I am afraid it must be Fernando, and even Svenbeau's father-in-law, the Marquis de Santa Cruz, may not be as enthusiastic as him. Served as the direct coordinator of the Atlantic trade between the Kingdom of Spain and the United States of China. Fernando can be said to have eaten the sweetness of his outstanding political achievements, and he has won the trust of the Spanish royal family. It is said that he was about to be transferred to the New World as Governor of Mexico in New Spain.

"God forbid, you look like a god, Shi." The Marquis of Santa Cruz beside Fernando still looks like an old-fashioned admiral with his head held high, but the gaze in his eyes is much more sincere and gentle than Fernando's.

"Of course, Anna has always cared for me, and maybe you can have a good conversation with your grandson tonight, who has always wondered what the greatest grandfather we have been talking about is like, but it may not be until he actually learns Spanish."

Swainbo blinked mischievously, and the Marquis de Santa Cruz finally smiled too, and then looked at the carriage behind him, it was obvious that he hadn't seen his daughter for a long time, especially his grandson, who hadn't looked at him since he was born.

When Anna, Swainberg's wife and the only daughter of the Marquis de Santa Cruz of Spain, stepped out of the carriage with her son in her arms, almost all the Spaniards at the scene let out a shocking cheer.

"God testify, I think of you all the time, my father," said Anna, a young woman who was only 19 years old, holding her son, and after performing the proper etiquette in a reserved manner, she suddenly threw herself into the old man's arms.

"He really looks like you, a very beautiful little dot, and he will be a qualified heir to the Marquis de Santa Cruz family in the future" Glancing at the grandson of the Marquis de Santa Cruz, who has a vast majority of European elements, the Marquis of Santa Cruz's old face was full of laughter. The tone of his voice was extremely proud, and the Spanish aristocratic officials of Zhou were even more flattering.

Shi Wenbo's face twitched slightly, as if he was very slanderous about his father-in-law's preconceived public statement, and daring to love himself was like being in trouble.

Regardless of the sour mentality of the Portuguese aristocracy who served as a foil on the scene, the Spaniards completely regarded themselves as the sole masters of the Iberian Peninsula and rightfully became the hosts of the Sino-American diplomatic corps.

At noon, the Royal Palace in Seville hosted a grand welcome banquet for Svenbo. The 20-year-old King Philip IV of Spain, who was fooled to death by a bunch of favored courtiers in the court. He also lived a luxurious and boring life in the royal palace of Madrid, and among the Spanish nobles present, Philip IV's younger brother, Duke Carlos, was the most noble. The second is Albert, Marquis of Santa Cruz, and the third is Viscount Fernando, who Swenbo is most familiar with.

Duke Carlos, who was not yet 17 years old, looked sick and barely uttered a complete sentence before he was helped into the back hall, and if history had not changed much, the poor child would have lived only to be 25 years old. Of course. These can not be regarded as the attitude of Spain to despise this diplomacy, a wave of "pro-American" Spanish aristocrats led by Viscount Fernando, coupled with the existence of the powerful Marquis de Santa Cruz, Swenbo's status as a "half" Spanish nobleman was sought after by all kinds of banquets.

But none of this is in Svenbo's interest, and throughout the banquet, Swenbo speaks half-baked Spanish. All the attention was given to Princess Maria, the sister of Philip IV. Even if the youngest wife Anna can't interfere with Swenbo's normal "diplomatic etiquette" due to etiquette, Swenbo's behavior in the 21st century that is obviously a "hooligan who does not aim to get married" still makes Anna secretly grit her teeth.

Shi Wenbo, who was carrying the pickle girl's equipment, took out a pair of precious pearl necklaces from the Ming Empire in the East from his suit pocket like a trick, which immediately aroused Princess Maria's favor, and the various Chinese and American gifts carried by the mission made the simple princess who had already enjoyed the luxurious life of Chinese and American squint.

It is estimated that no one knows why the history books are so devoted to their hospitality, and even a large number of gifts that should have been transferred to the king of Spain are stuffed into the name of Princess Maria. From the aristocratic point of view. This is probably the "love and respect" that any young nobleman should show for the members of the royal family.

Swenbo knew that Princess Maria, who had just turned 18, would marry Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III in a few years......

At night, after most of the day of excitement and "beautiful encounters", Swenbo sat in a secret study with Viscount Fernando and the Marquis of Santa Cruz. The two Spanish aristocrats stared blankly at the map and an unfolded letter spread out on their desks, while Svenbeau walked slowly around the room with a cigar in his mouth.

“… This information was obtained through secret channels in our country, and although the means were not very bright, it helped to consolidate the unbreakable traditional friendship between the United States and Spain. And personally, my dislike for the English and the French has grown," said Sven with a look of disgust. Frederick of the Palatinate ruled England, and the hostility between England and your country has become public. It is clearly not in my country's interest, as it will inevitably affect the neutral trade agreement that we have just signed with England, and of course, my personal feelings.

"England and the French will eventually pay the price for their ambitions, but you have absurdly carved up the east coast of the New World of North America with these two bandit states, which is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life, well, including Guadeloupe, which you're about to occupy," the Marquis de Santa Cruz glared at him, not revealing any information from Swain.

"Oh, that's a second thing that needs to be carefully communicated with allies. England and France colluded to shamelessly make our country's restaurant concessions in North America, in fact, didn't it hurt the interests of the Kingdom of Spain? The colonization of the Ingles in the northwest of Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, two years ago, is a great threat to the trade interests of the United States and the West in South America, the Caribbean, and the East, so we must have a safe space to defend our Atlantic interests," Swainberg waved his arm again, and his expression of righteous indignation reappeared, "And I don't think Guadeloupe will have any negative impact on the relationship between the two countries in the hands of my country." I believe that in the past two years, His Excellency the Marquis has clearly seen a good situation. That is: the navy of the American Republic of China appeared in the Caribbean, and the cooperation with the navy of the Kingdom of Spain greatly reduced the piracy of England, France, and the Netherlands, and our trade prosperity was enough to make any European country envious, and the wealth lost by the Kingdom of Spain in the Caribbean and the Atlantic routes in previous years was reduced by at least half. ”

Squinting at Swenbo's cheeky face, the Marquis of Santa Cruz also had to agree with the truth of what this son-in-law said. The American fleet does have a "definite" reputation as a deterrent in the Caribbean, even if the actual results of expelling pirates from other countries are not outstanding. But the Caribbean has really been a lot quieter in the past two years.

The Spanish navy is still strong on the surface, but it is so strong in the vast Atlantic and European waters. It's so insignificant. The main force of the Spanish fleet under the Marquis of Santa Cruz was cast in the Mediterranean to resist the powerful Ottoman navy and the brave Muslim pirates.

In the Atlantic, the colonization of the Caribbean, the French, and the Dutch left the Kingdom of Spain helpless and helpless to cope with the colonization of the Caribbean and South American Guiana. The royal family's profligacy for a long time has led to extreme financial embarrassment. It also weakened and weakened the control of the Kingdom of Spain in the Caribbean.

Will the threat of the current relationship to prevent the expansion of the American Republic of China in the Caribbean solve the ambitions of England, France, and the Netherlands? The answer is obviously negative, not to mention that at present, the entire army and navy of the Kingdom of Spain have been dragged into the European continent.

Perhaps this glorious kingdom of Spain is really going downhill, and the Marquis of Santa Cruz suddenly feels a little powerless.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly cooled, and Viscount Fernando, the top Spanish official in Lisbon, remained silent like a humanoid statue, while Svenbo leisurely raised his wine glass and drank it as if no one was around.

"Your Excellency the Marquis. Maybe we need to build a 'relatively strong and mutually beneficial, long-term relationship' with the Americans, and we need to maintain this good Atlantic trade. In fact, we can no longer guarantee control of the Lesser Antilles, where the Caribbean barbarians have exhausted the Kingdom of Spain for hundreds of years, and it is not a bad thing to leave it to the Americans rather than allowing England, France, or other countries to encroach on it with impunity. ”

Svenbeau had already left, and Fernando cautiously expressed his opinion to the Marquis de Santa Cruz, commander-in-chief of the Spanish Kingdom's home fleet and the general representative of the Kingdom of Spain in this diplomatic meeting.

"It seems that it is a wise choice that His Majesty the King is about to appoint His Excellency the Viscount as Viceroy of New Spain. We are making trade-offs. At least until the problems of the European continent and the Mediterranean are resolved. The Marquis of Santa Cruz stared at this fat man he hated in his heart, and nodded slightly, "But I don't want the Kingdom of Spain and His Majesty the King to lose more because of this."

"Remember a year ago? The cunning king of England wanted us to intervene and restore Frederick's Palatinate fiefdom to the Holy Roman Empire, but they did not accept the terms of conversion to Catholicism... Frederick is now in England, and the English have blatantly expressed their ambitions, and this is where we must pay attention. The Americans, having signed peace agreements with England and France, continue to use their so-called neutrality to gain the benefit of all parties, but the potential conflict between the three countries in North America and the Atlantic is not something that this peace agreement can hide...... The Americans obviously want our support, so . We must also make them pay the same terms......" Fernando smiled confidently as he heard the words of the Marquis de Santa Cruz. Since it cannot be avoided, it is the only way to recognize the rights and interests of the Americans in the Lesser Antilles...... Well, this would allow them to share the threat of the English, French and Dutch for us. ”

"What do we need? They will not choose to get involved in the war on the continent, they will also need to maintain the trade relations between England, France and the Netherlands, and we cannot push them into the arms of those Protestant bandits. The Marquis of Santa Cruz couldn't help but nod slightly.

"The Kingdom of Spain shall have the capacity to manufacture American flintlock rifles and cannons, guarantee the exclusive right of trade with the Kingdom of Spain throughout the Lesser Antilles, guarantee that at any time, in the event of an invasion of New Spain by a third country, it must enter into an unconditional military alliance with Spain to fight together, guarantee the monopoly of the Kingdom of Spain on slaves in New Spain, guarantee a series of enormous quid pro quo from Fernando's mouth, Even the Marquis of Santa Cruz, an old man who had been immersed in the political circles of the Spanish Kingdom for many years, couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

"Your Excellency, Marquis, we cannot prevent the Americans from profiting from both Europe and the New World, but we must keep New Spain, which is the fundamental interest of the kingdom, and I believe that the Americans will know this, compared to the diplomatic agreements they signed with England and France, our demands are not excessive."

"Well, they do prefer to judge things with the minds of merchants, hoping that His Majesty the King will understand our position." After thinking about it carefully, the Marquis of Santa Cruz finally nodded.

The next day's "family dinner" surprised Svenbeau, because the Marquis of Santa Cruz Albert's offer of some conditions "conducive to the long-term relationship between the two countries" sounded so crazy, he did not expect that a Guadeloupe would bring such a complex relationship into Spain.

No matter how much Shi Wenbo feels good about himself, he doesn't dare to assert himself. Soon, a message was sent from the Prisoner Bull to the Porto de la Rather Heroísmo in the Azores, which was docked in the port of Seville. With such a bunch of Spanish diplomatic conditions, it is impossible to get a final reply in a short time, and Shi Wenbo also leisurely accompanied his wife and his father-in-law and his family on a tour of the mountains and rivers after sending the telegram. To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for the recommendation and monthly pass."

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