"No entry?"

When the Chinese envoys came to Spain, they were met with a merciless rejection for the first time.

Prince Charles smiled and said: "This is normal, Philip IV is known as the 'King of the Earth'. His most humiliating thing, apart from losing the Thirty Years' War, was the independence of the Netherlands and Portugal. He recognized the independence of the Netherlands because the Netherlands was strong in its own right. As for Portugal, Philip IV did not recognize it, and he always considered himself to be King of Portugal at the same time. ”

Picking up the clairing mirror, Charles observed the situation in the port and said: "And you, on the other hand, have signed a treaty with João IV and openly support the independence of Portugal. As the king of the earth, Philip IV was disgraced, how could he allow Chinese ships to dock? Also, the Philippines is the treasure of Philip IV, but China seized Luzon by force, which is cutting flesh on him. Spain's main European fleet, if it were not at war with the Ottomans, would have been pulled back and directly at war with China! ”

Zhang Ruifeng was a little surprised: "His Royal Highness the prince is very familiar with the situation in various countries? ”

"What's the use of familiarity? I don't even have a knight by my side. Prince Charles grinned, showing no signs of frustration.

This thing is smart, witty, humorous, bohemian, superb riding, heartless, and actually very suitable for being a ranger. As for being king, he is too out of tune.

Since it was impossible to dock in Spain, the fleet had to continue sailing, intending to visit England and France first.

Zhang Ruifeng asked, "Your Royal Highness, can you tell us about the current situation in Europe?" ”

"France is in a civil war, known as the Fronde War," Charles said. At the end of the Thirty Years' War, Cardinal and Prime Minister of France, Mazarin, borrowed money from merchants to finance his military expenses, and gave taxes to merchants as a means of repayment. Since the merchant has the right to tax, he still does not collect the tax to death? The local provinces were squeezed out, and the French government and merchants set their sights on Paris. Coinciding with the great victory of Prince Condé, the Queen Mother and the Prime Minister took advantage of the victory in the foreign war to capture the leaders of the resistance movement. The people of Paris were outraged, and at last an uprising broke out. Prince Condé led his army back to Paris to quell the rebellion, which resulted in a civil war. ”

Such a big thing, I didn't even hear about it in Portugal.

Zhang Ruifeng was shocked by this: "The king went to war and borrowed money from merchants, and because he couldn't pay back the money, he let the merchants tax and deduct themselves? ”

"It's stupid, but it's true," Charles laughed, "Prime Minister Mazarin's own brother, a big businessman, made a lot of money from it." ”

Zhang Ruifeng feels that European countries are curious, and the appointment and dismissal of officials and the collection of taxes are all important weapons of the country. No matter how corrupt the Ming Dynasty is, it will not directly throw the country's tax collection power to merchants as a means of loan repayment.

This kind of tax can only be carried out in a package tax system, a certain area, a certain type of tax, how much money can be deducted, and then let the businessman collect it casually.

When a businessman encounters such a good thing, how can he give up?

The government said that the tax could be discounted by 100,000 taels of silver, and believe it or not, the merchant could collect 1 million taels. 100,000 taels were handed over to the government to repay the loan, and the remaining 900,000 taels were all their own.

Of course, this kind of thing also exists in China.

First, it appeared in the Yuan Dynasty, and the whole country was engaged in the package tax system.

The second is to appear in the Qing Dynasty. Opium was really not banned, so the Qing government legalized opium, which could not only develop the local opium industry, but also reduce the outflow of silver, and increase government taxes. After the legalization of opium, the Qing government found that it could not afford to collect the tax, so it contracted the opium tax to the merchants, so that it could be collected in full.

Zhang Ruifeng asked: "There is such a big mess, hasn't French Prime Minister Mazarin stepped down yet?" ”

"In order to appease the anger of the people, Mazarin has been exiled," Charles laughed, "and the Queen Mother wanted to keep him, which led to the failure of Prince Condé's plan to become prime minister." Not only that, but Mazarin also arrested the Prince of Condé, declaring that the Prince of Condé intended to rebel. ”

Zhang Ruifeng asked, "So, how did this prime minister get exiled?" ”

"After the arrest of Prince Condé, his cronies rioted in the localities, and the church and the nobility united against the French crown," Charles said. The rebels also joined forces with the Spanish army and marched all the way into France, a civil war that brought the Queen Mother to her knees. Prince Condé was released, and Prime Minister Mazarin was exiled. However, it's not over yet. ”

Zhang Ruifeng became more and more curious and said, "Please speak." ”

Charles said: "The situation has been settled, and the Queen Mother of France suddenly made a fool and summoned the exiled Mazarin. Enraged, Prince Condé once again united with Spain to attack France. The people of Paris also spontaneously revolted, even driving out King Louis XIV of France. Mazarin resigned as prime minister in fright, and the people of Paris calmed their anger and welcomed the king back. Prince Condé's rebellion was suppressed and he is now in exile abroad. ”

Zhang Ruifeng sighed: "This French king is really a blessing! ”

Why is it a blessing that the country has two civil wars and is a mess?

Because Mazarin was a powerful minister, and the Prince of Condé was a local powerhouse. After two civil wars, Louis XIV, the young king, was able to break free from both the power and the locality. Once in power, the dictatorship of Louis XIV will reach the peak of successive French kings.

Charles looked at Zhang Ruifeng in surprise, he just briefly described the situation, this Chinese official can actually see through the overall situation.

As for French Prime Minister Mazarin, he will return to Paris to be a demon. In the end, the two brothers begged for a hammer and were hung by the angry people of Paris.

The Parisian people's tradition of uprising has a long history.

In the past few years alone, there have been several uprisings one after another, saying that if you drive the king away, you will drive out the king.

Charles continued: "Britain and the Netherlands, are at war. As British, I want Britain to win. But personally, I hope Cromwell loses. ”

"Who does His Royal Highness think will win?" Zhang Ruifeng asked.

Charles said: "Britain will definitely win, there's no doubt about it. ”

"Why?" Zhang Ruifeng asked, "Hasn't the Dutch Navy always been strong?" ”

Charles sneered contemptuously: "The Netherlands is ruled by a group of merchants, how can merchants be trusted?" ”

"Britain will definitely win for three reasons:"

"First, the whole of England, from the aristocracy to the merchants, to the commoners, was extremely angry with the Dutch. All the Britons can unite and fight. ”

"Second, the Netherlands sold the capital ships to the British for profit, and the purchase fee was also borrowed by Dutch merchants. The Dutch Navy, having already suffered heavy losses, could only recruit merchant ships to fight. And those merchant ships are not willing to fight at all. ”

"Third, before the start of the war, the British Navy strictly rectified military discipline. The Dutch navy, as well as the Dutch merchant ships, had extremely loose military discipline, and it was likely that they would not obey orders when fighting. ”

The envoy fleet came to France, and when it docked at the port of grace (Le Havre), news of the Anglo-Dutch war came.

Well...... Both Britain and the Netherlands said they had won.

The British claimed victory when they killed the Dutch Commander-in-Chief and sank 11 Dutch ships.

The Dutch claimed victory because they had inflicted heavy damage on 35 British warships and lifted the British naval blockade of the Netherlands.

More detailed information came, which completely verified Charles's statement.

At the time of the war, the British navy was highly disciplined.

As for the Dutch Navy, many requisitioned merchant ships, the captains did not listen to orders at all. As a result, the number of ships was superior, but it was impossible to launch a siege on the British Navy, and the ship of the Dutch naval commander was exposed. The naval battle had just begun, and the commander of the Dutch navy saw God.

In other theaters, the ships of the Dutch East India Company continued to do their own business in Asia. The ships of the British East India Company, however, were all recalled to the mainland and scattered to various seas, attacking Dutch ships when they saw them, even the Dutch fishing boats.

It is really unreliable for businessmen to govern the country, and they still think about profits in the decisive battle of the navy.

Grace Harbor.

As soon as the Chinese envoys got off the ship, a large number of businessmen surrounded them, and the businessmen spontaneously organized themselves to welcome them.

A leader of the Chamber of Commerce stepped forward and asked very excitedly, "Mr. Chinese Envoy, have you brought spices, tea, silk, porcelain, and tobacco on your ship?" ”

Zhang Ruifeng smiled and nodded: "I brought some of these goods." ”

The merchant said excitedly, "Mr. Emissary, you can sell the goods to our Chamber of Commerce." At last year's market price, we can raise the price by another 30%! ”

Prince Charles, who has now become Zhang Ruifeng's adviser, reminded: "Don't promise him, the auction can only sell for a high price." Dutch ports were blockaded by the British for several months, and Dutch merchant ships were attacked everywhere. British merchant ships also did not do business, and all participated in the war. Now, goods from the East are hard to buy even if you have money. These merchants are going crazy, and the whole of Europe is short of Asian goods. ”

Zhang Ruifeng smiled: "Thank you for the reminder, I will let people prepare for the auction." Then he pointed to the mouth of the river and asked, "Can you reach Paris through this river?" ”

Prince Charles said: "This river is the Seine, which leads directly to Paris." ”

The auction was being organized, and in the evening, Zhang Ruifeng called a meeting of everyone.

Zhang Ruifeng sighed and said: "This British prince in distress is not an ordinary person. Military, Political, Commercial ...... He knows everything, has a big picture vision, and is well versed in the situation in European countries. When I chatted with him, I found out that he could also work as a carpenter and a coppersmith. If this person can return to China to seize power, I am afraid that he will be a wise monarch again. ”

"No," Cai Yuncheng said, "This prince is a fool, and he comments on the current situation with a playful tone. Some of him looked at no one, as if everyone but himself was a fool. If such a person is a king, if he is not diligent in his administration and loves the people, he will bring disaster to the country and the people. Because he is too clever and wise enough to refuse advice, and not to listen to the advice of the contrary. ”

Lu Tianxiang said: "The queen of England has revealed her intention and wants to follow us to China. She dared to think that she wanted to ask His Majesty to send a large army to help restore her son to the throne. ”

Fan Chao said: "Leave this matter to Your Majesty to decide, and we will bring people back to China." ”