Amsterdam, 26 May 1726.

On the European continent, if there is one country that is the most important and influential, it is definitely the Kingdom of France. The country has the largest population in Europe, with more than 20 million people. They also had the most powerful army in Europe, and although the number of troops was cut due to financial crisis after the death of Louis XIV, the standing army was also more than 100,000 men, the largest in Europe.

It is also strange to say that the residence of the general representative of Qi in Europe is not located in such an important country, but has always used Amsterdam in the United Province as its permanent office.

However, considering the long-standing and traditional friendly relations between Qi and the United Provinces, as well as the close economic and trade ties between the two sides, the significance of this gesture is well explained.

Yes, the United Provinces are the largest trading partner of Qi in Europe, with a total direct and indirect (mainly Mediterranean entrepot trade) of more than 60 million yuan – well, about 450 million guilders, which also makes the United Provinces the most important transshipment of oriental goods in Europe, which has a positive effect on its domestic trade, finance and transportation industries, and has benefited nearly 500,000 related practitioners in its country.

Some people say that the economy is the best lubricant for politics, and it is also a strong glue between each other. Due to the very close economic exchanges between the two countries, the two sides have maintained a relatively in-depth cooperation in politics, military, culture, and science and technology.

In the Qi-British War that broke out last year, although the United Province maintained its due neutrality on the surface, in fact, it was inclined to Qi in all aspects.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Horen and other important ports secretly provided supplies for the Qi expeditionary fleet, and the strongholds and fortresses of the Dutch Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) and the Dutch Slave Coast (present-day Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria and other coastal areas) were also open to the Qi naval fleet free of charge.

Dutch merchants would also often take the initiative to provide information about England to the Qi people, so that they could launch a more targeted and sustained attack on England's maritime power.

What's more, some Dutch merchants and shipowners would buy the English merchant ships and goods plundered by Qi at a low price, and then make a slight change of appearance and become their legal property, effectively sharing the funds spent by Qi on overseas wars.

All of the above-mentioned acts are tantamount to a disguised support for the navy of the Qi country. The English Minister to the United Provinces protested several times, but the Dutch ignored them.

We didn't take the opportunity to secretly attack you England, we are already more peace-loving!

"The English do not seem to have shown the sincerity they should have in the peace talks, and they simply did not want to pay any price and wanted to end the war easily."

After the servant walked out of the room, Yan Qiuhui, the minister of Qi in the United Province, picked up the teacups on several cases, took a sip of them, and then said softly: "They asked the Dutch to bring a message, as long as our Qi country stops the war behavior, they will solemnly discuss the issue of import and export tariffs on goods with us." As for the abolition of quotas for tea, coffee, palm oil, and manufactured goods such as cotton, hardware, and tools, it is also possible to consider reducing them as appropriate. ”

"Hehe......" Pan Guangfeng smiled lightly and said disappreciatively: "In the nearly a year of war, although the English suffered many losses at sea, they did not suffer a devastating blow, and they were somewhat lucky in their hearts. They pinned their hopes on the fatigue of the veterans of our expeditionary division of the Qi State and the fact that it could not last, and that they would accept it if they could see it in the face of huge consumption, and then make peace talks with them. But they probably don't understand that if this war has not subdued England and deterred the countries of Europe, how can they collect troops? This battle is a battle for our Qi country to establish its prestige in Europe, and if it is not won, it will be defeated. ”

Pan Guangfeng is the grandson of Pan Qifeng, the first prime minister of the Qi State, who served as a political attendant at the side of Emperor Taiping for eight years, and then successively served as the European Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister to the United Provinces, and the Minister of France.

As a highly qualified diplomat, Pan Guangfeng is naturally well versed in the foreign policy of His Majesty and the Cabinet on European affairs, that is, to make Qi a decisive force in shaping the situation in Europe.

The war against Britain was not only the long-standing economic contradictions and colonial conflicts between the two sides, but also the deeper reason was to use this war to defeat England's unruly character and hold this European "-stirring stick" in the hands of Qi.

After the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France, England withdrew from the European continent and no longer sought territory on the European continent, and began to focus on "stirring up" - oh no, it should be trying to undermine the rise and growth of the countries of the European continent, so that there will be no unified power on the European continent.

England did not want to unify the European continent, naturally for the sake of economic interests, because a unified European power would compete with England's overseas trade and destroy England's trade lifeline. Moreover, the more Europe is divided, the less a unified internal market will be formed, and England's gradually rising industrial products will not encounter strong trade barriers and can be easily sold to European countries.

It is necessary to engage in the European continent, and the key point is how to save money and achieve results. In this regard, England was also a time of war against Spain, slowly finding a little way. When Louis XIV was on the rise of the continent, England joined forces with him to weaken the Habsburgs, but the French came out of their way, punching Spain and kicking Shinra, while England cheered and cheered.

Later, seeing that the Netherlands were all over the world, making overseas trade prosperous, making a lot of money, and at the same time establishing maritime supremacy, which aroused the envy and jealousy of the English, they provoked three Anglo-Dutch wars successively, trying to replace them and bring the Dutch's money bags over.

After the Spanish king Carlos II hung up, the French couldn't wait to jump out, trying to seize Spain and establish European hegemony, the English and many European friends began to besiege France to prevent it from dominating the European continent. Oh, by the way, this time our Qi country also personally ended up participating in this vast and long war, and officially intervened in European affairs.

With its special geographical advantages, England has always been on the European continent, dividing and disintegrating, and carrying out corresponding checks and balances, while hiding on the island to reap the benefits of fishermen, and even has the opportunity to travel around the world and establish large overseas colonial territories in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Similar geographical characteristics, the same counterbalance strategy, and the same maritime strategy, which made Qi particularly unpleasant to England, looking for opportunities to cut it.

Global, oh no, global checks and balances and maintaining global maritime hegemony can only be carried out by one country, and this country can only be Qi country, and it must be Qi country that will benefit in the end.

What are you England, with small arms and legs, and can you hold the-stirring stick in your hand?

"In the future, the English will come to the door again, and if there is no substantial concession, they can ignore it." Pan Guangfeng said: "What our Qi country wants to get, we can't talk about it by lip service. Only with the naval guns of our Qi navy can the English regain their awareness of their strength and status. Calculating the time, it is time for the Navy's support fleet to come, and at that time, the main fleet of our Navy and the English Navy will fight in a dignified manner, and deal them the heaviest blow. In this way, we, the diplomats, will be able to calmly offer our terms to the English. ”

"Understood." Yan Qiuhui nodded, and then a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Actually, the Dutch don't want the war between us and England to end so soon. They wanted to use our strength to weaken the English to the maximum. None of us could have imagined that the Dutch had gained considerable commercial benefits through the war, and that their overseas trading companies, such as the East India Company, the West India Company, the United Mediterranean Company, and the West African Commercial Company, had achieved an increase of more than 30 per cent in trade volume and profits in the previous year. ”

"The Netherlands don't generate much wealth on their own, and their main wealth comes from trade and the financial hegemony that derives from it. Although it was easy to make money, it developed into a prosperous and wealthy country. But all they have gained is nothing more than a castle in the air, and they cannot withstand any wind and rain. Since the War of the Spanish Succession, not only did their army have been abolished, but even their navy, on which they had relied on it, had declined and lost its former glory. But what kind of neighbors are there around the Netherlands? France, Prussia, the Holy Roman Empire, and the disgruntled Kingdom of Denmark and Norway, even their former rival, Sweden, have drifted away from it. Not to mention that England, on the other side of the Channel, was constantly trying to seize their commercial market and seize the financial position they possessed. In the future, if a large-scale war breaks out again in Europe, if the Dutch are in the wrong position, they will inevitably fall into a situation from which they will never recover. ”

"Yes, the Dutch are all about making money, and the people are greedy for pleasure, and they can live a good life by virtue of their advantageous business position and good financial interest. They are now content with the status quo, and have lost the fighting spirit and enterprising spirit that their ancestors had when they were free from Spanish colonial rule. Yan Qiuhui nodded and agreed: "In addition, the Netherlands itself does not have rich resources, nor does it have a vast territory and a large population, but it has only seized the dividends of the great development of world trade and has prospered for a while by virtue of the shipping industry. Nowadays, the rise of continental countries, especially England and France, has made them fall behind in the fierce competition. Of course, in the last few decades, the Dutch have been involved in too many wars, draining their years of accumulation and destroying their spirits. Speaking of which, it is also emotional, the former European power has fallen to this. In just a few decades, its rise has also been vigorous, and its death has also been sudden, which makes people sigh! ”

"Emperor Taizu once said that during this period, it was a time of global competition, and if a country or a nation did not want to forge ahead, it would eventually be annihilated by the surging tide of the times, and it would either become a pawn of the great powers competing for hegemony and be at the mercy of others, or it would be conquered or colonized by the armed forces of a powerful country, and become a lowly and pitiful slave, and would never be able to turn over." Pan Guangfeng gently rotated the globe on the desk, with a bit of excitement in his expression.

"It is foreseeable that in the next few hundred years, the competition between countries and the struggle between nations will eventually evolve into a fierce collision between civilizations. Our Chinese civilization originates from the agricultural culture, and our ancestors have always ensured their own harvest through hard work, increased crop yields through water conservancy, and protected our national homeland by building cities. ”

In addition to inclusiveness, inclusiveness, and continuous absorption of the achievements of civilizations around the world, our Chinese civilization is more self-reliant, self-improvement, and constantly exploring our own potential, which is the only way for us to extend our bloodline and continue to inherit. Today, our Great Qi country is at its peak, its economy is prosperous, and its armor is sharp, and it is responsible for leading the Zhuxia civilization to defeat and overwhelm other civilizations in the world, so that our Chinese civilization stands on the top of the world. ”

"Pan Shangshu's words are deafening and enlightening!" Yan Qiuhui bowed his head and said: "This knock on England is an opportunity for Qi to further intervene in European affairs, so as to exert the influence of our Chinese civilization. If England can be subdued after the war and put a horse's chew on it, it will be of positive strategic significance for our Qi country to balance the entire European continent and control the waters of the North Atlantic. ”

"Even if we subdue England, we will only be able to remotely control the European continent in a short period of time, and we do not yet have the strength to completely change the geopolitics of Europe." Pan Guangfeng sighed and said: "Compared with other countries in the European continent, France's strength is still too strong, and at present, HRE and a few German states alone cannot stop its further expansion. While the Austrians were at war with the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, the French began to try to encroach on the Duchy of Lorraine and the South Netherlands. At the same time, they did not forget to extend their hand to Italy and continue to exert their French influence. Although the Sun King is no longer there, the expansion ambitions of the French are still undiminished! ”

"Yes, the Austrians and the Ottomans were in a bitter war in the Balkans, Prussia was in tension with Saxony, Hanover, and Poland, Denmark was also nervous about the military mobilization of Sweden, Savoy in northern Italy was limited by the disparity in strength, and could only secretly accumulate strength and choose to lie dormant, Spain, although it had some strength, was financially scarce, the army was weak, and it was also a Bourbon relative of France, and at this time it was even more mired in the Gibraltar dispute with England. The Dutch, not to mention, have long been cast in the shadow of the French, and if there is no one to lead the organization, they will not dare to say anything about the actions of the French. At this time, if the French provoke trouble and look around, there is really no one to control it. ”

"Therefore, our war with England must end as soon as possible." Pan Guangfeng shook his head and said: "If the French take advantage of the situation because of the impact of this war, and then achieve the goal of dominating Europe that Louis XIV failed to accomplish, then we will be busy and make wedding clothes for others." ”

"When it comes to France, one thing suddenly comes to mind." Yan Qiuhui stroked his forehead and said with a smile: "Half a month ago, the Moroccans sent a mission to Marseille and went to Paris to meet Louis XV. ”

"What do Moroccans do in France?" Pan Guangfeng asked in surprise.

"It is said that it was their Sultan who wanted to marry a French princess for his grandson."

"Are Moroccans crazy? Decades earlier, they had also asked France to marry a princess, for which they were humiliated and ridiculed by Louis XIV and his courtiers. What's the matter, it's boring to be self-pleased? …… No, their move must be some change in the domestic political situation! ”

(End of chapter)