Chapter 367 Stake
Join forces to deal with the Dutch? This is undoubtedly the most heartwarming sentence Enrique has heard since he started contacting the Haihan people.
As a powerful empire that once divided the earth with Spain, Portugal has a deep fear of the rising star Netherlands. Although the Dutch entered Asia nearly a hundred years later than the Portuguese, they were not slow at all. As of now, the Dutch already own the East Indies, Taiwan, the Coromandel in the Bay of Bengal, and India in the Far East. Malabar and many other colonies have achieved results no less than Portugal, and have even surpassed Spain, another old empire.
What made the Portuguese most uneasy was the two colonies of Batavia and Taiwan under Dutch control. Batavia has cut off other Western countries' main waterways to the sea east of Java, while Taiwan's position controls the waterways to the most prosperous Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands. This is enough to allow other countries to Competitors are jealous.
If possible, Portugal would have already started to expel the Netherlands from the Far East, but the Netherlands has a powerful East India Company that cannot be easily offended.
The Dutch East India Company was a joint trading company established by the merger of fourteen maritime trading companies, and was authorized by the Dutch National Parliament to enjoy a trade monopoly in the vast area between the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and the Strait of Magellan in South America. Of course, this company is not just engaged in shipping business. It has great authority. Not only can it organize mercenaries and issue currency on its own, it can also sign formal treaties with other countries and has the power to implement colonial rule overseas.
The development of the East India Company is a history of forceful expansion of borders. Starting from the establishment of the company's new headquarters in Batavia by Governor Cohen in 1619, the East India Company continued to use force to occupy and seize colonies. In the original history, the biggest victim of the Netherlands' entry into the Far East was Portugal. In nearly half a century, Portugal was successively robbed by the Netherlands of colonies such as Galle, Managara, Colombo, etc. in Sri Lanka. By 1659 In 1998, the Portuguese strongholds along the Indian coast were almost completely robbed by the Dutch. In fact, there is no need to wait until a few decades later, the Portuguese have now fully felt the pressure brought by the Dutch.
However, it is not easy to expel the Dutch by force. In the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company had 150 merchant ships, 40 warships, more than 50,000 employees and more than 10,000 private armed forces. Not to mention Portugal, even Spain, a traditional maritime power, is very afraid of it. In fact, after the Dutch established a stronghold in Taiwan, they tried every means to block the exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and Manila, and monopolized the foreign trade of Japan, Korea and northern China. This made the Spanish very dissatisfied, but the two sides fought many times. The East India Company was not driven out of the Far East, but became more powerful.
If you want to expel the East India Company, it is far from enough for the Portuguese to rely on their own strength. Not to mention that Portugal lacks unified deployment and command in various colonies in the Far East. Even if it can integrate resources, it will be difficult to withstand the Dutch. maritime armed forces. If they bring in Spain, a force that is both friend and enemy, they will have a better chance of winning, but the Portuguese are not willing to humbly go to Manila to plead with those arrogant Spanish nobles. In addition to rolling their eyes and ridiculing, they are very likely to Spain needs to bear the military expenses for sending troops to fight.
In comparison, the Haihan people seem to be much easier to deal with. Although Enrique can always feel a condescending sense of superiority from the other party's speech and behavior, at least this is a group of gentlemen who can sit down and exchange opinions on an equal footing, rather than like Spain. Shameless people like nobles who only make all kinds of harsh demands. Of course, the most important point is that the Haihan people have fully proved their strength in the military field through their performance on the battlefield. If he was originally doubtful about the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Militia, after watching the live-fire demonstration just now, Enrique could already conclude without hesitation that if the East India Company's armed forces encountered the enemy on land, If the Haihan militia is defeated, the result waiting for them will probably not be any better than that of the South Vietnamese peasant army.
Enrique calmly limited the scope of the battlefield to land for the time being, because he had also noticed that Haihan's warships were not many in Port Victory. There were only about ten ships in total, which was far less than that of the Netherlands. people. So far, Haihan's navy seems to have not encountered a real opponent in actual combat-the South Vietnamese navy that has been wiped out is definitely not qualified. Even in the eyes of a layman like Enrique, the South Vietnamese navy is The division also seemed too amateurish, with not even a few decent warships.
The Haihan people want to compete with the Dutch at sea. Enrique thinks that it is not the best time now. He pondered for a while before answering: "Mr. Yan, please forgive me, the Dutch are not Annan people. They The ability to fight at sea is not much worse than the ability to do business. If you have heard of the Dutch East India Company, you will know what I mean."
Yan Chujie nodded and said: "We know very well about the situation of the East India Company, maybe we know more than you. Please rest assured that we do not intend to face off against the Dutch on a frontal battlefield now."
Enrique was slightly surprised by Yan Chujie's answer. The Dutch East India Company had officially entered the Far East for less than ten years, and the Haihan people had only settled in Qiongzhou Island for more than a year. How did they learn about the East India Company's information? Could it be that they have dealt with the Dutch before?
Just when Enrique was in doubt, Yan Chujie added another note: "Not only is the Dutch East India Company, we also know the situation of the English East India Company very well! If the information we have is correct, in recent years The British have stolen a lot of your limelight in India, right?”
Enrique was shocked when he heard this. Portugal was suppressed by the British East India Company in India. This information was not available to ordinary people. Even in Macau, only the upper class knew the inside story.
The British East India Company was established at the end of 1600, two years earlier than the Dutch East India Company. However, due to various reasons, the development progress of this company, which was personally granted a royal charter by Queen Elizabeth I, in Asia was not very satisfactory, especially compared with the Dutch who entered this region at the same time. It can be described as not wanting to make progress.
However, in terms of fighting the Portuguese, the British East India Company was not far behind. As early as 1612, the East India Company defeated the Portuguese in an armed conflict and won the support of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir—— This man was the ruler of 70% of the Indian subcontinent at that time and was a local snake in the true sense. Jahangir gave the British very generous treatment. In addition to the right to settle and establish factories, he also received the free trade rights that businessmen dreamed of. Most importantly, the Turkish emperor treated the British and the Portuguese differently. One was regarded as a close friend of the royal family, while the other was regarded as a shameless predator and parasite.
This difference in attitude soon allowed the British to develop in India more than the Portuguese, who had established strongholds in Goa and Bombay. In original history, by the mid-17th century, the British East India Company's influence in the Indian Peninsula had completely surpassed the Portuguese. The only good thing is that the British did not use armed struggle as the main method of foreign competition like the Dutch. Most of the time, they still valued actual commercial interests. In recent years, they have only used trade means to gain support from the Portuguese. Use pressure rather than crude force to resolve disputes between businessmen from both countries.
However, the British's main area of activity is still on the coast of India, and they have not extended their tentacles too much around the Ming Dynasty. It is unlikely that they will have too many direct contacts with the merchants of the Ming Dynasty. Enrique really can't figure it out. How did the Haihan people living on Qiongzhou Island learn about the status of the British East India Company thousands of miles away? The only thought that Enrique could think of at the moment was that since the Haihan people could grasp the movements of the Dutch and English, it would be difficult to hide their own situation from them.
Looking at Enrique's slightly panicked eyes, Yan Chujie smiled and said, "You don't have to be so nervous. We are not in a hostile relationship now. The reason why I tell you this information is because I hope you will realize that we are seeking cooperation." Sincerity." Enrique took out his handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and responded repeatedly: "Of course, of course, I have fully felt your sincerity."
When Yan Chujie said this, Enrique naturally thought that if the Haihan people had any ill intentions towards themselves, they would definitely not reveal these trump cards to him. At this time, Enrique no longer planned to inquire further about the source of Yan Chujie's intelligence, because he knew that asking would be in vain, and Yan Chujie would definitely use the previous excuses to excuse himself. But no matter what, Enrique had to admit that the intelligence work of the Haihan people seemed to be very good, and it had greatly exceeded his previous knowledge.
"A smart partner is at least better than a stupid partner." Enrique could only comfort himself silently in his heart.
"Why us?" Enrique suddenly asked a confused question.
However, Yan Chujie understood what he meant and immediately responded: "Of course this is not a decision made casually. In fact, we have also gone through long-term consideration and deliberation. Please forgive me for not being able to tell you the specific reasons now. Explain clearly, because this involves the interests of all aspects, and maybe you will gradually feel it after we reach a cooperative relationship in the future.”
It's the same as not saying it! Enrique was speechless at Yan Chujie's roundabout way of dealing with this. He really wanted to understand why the Haihan people chose Portugal as a cooperation partner among many Western countries, and this cooperation partner was on the battlefield not long ago. Rivals who have had direct conflict with.
The reason why the executive committee made such a decision was indeed after comprehensive consideration as Yan Chujie said. If the Executive Committee wants to sell the industrial products produced to the West, and even gradually control the import and export trade in the Ming Dynasty in the future, it must have a trading partner from the Western world. The selection of this partner must be limited to a few limited targets that currently have colonies in the Far East. As for the selection criteria, it is mainly based on future development plans to predict and eliminate objects that may have conflicts of interest in the future, and use the elimination method to select a partner that is most suitable for Haihan.
Using this rule to select, the first to be eliminated is the Dutch. The method of military expansion they adopted has already foreshadowed that there will be a war with Haihan in the future, and the Executive Committee has regarded Taiwan Island as its own since before crossing, and the military aid to Fujian is also to enter the Taiwan Strait in the future. To pave the way, and to achieve this, in addition to the elimination of the existing "Eighteen Zhi", the Dutch entrenched on the island of Taiwan must also be expelled. The Dutch, who had gone to great lengths to establish a stronghold on the island of Taiwan, would certainly not be able to surrender. It would definitely be expected that the two sides would fall out and fight, so it was impossible for the Executive Committee to choose someone who would fall out sooner or later. its main trading partner.
The second person to be excluded is the British. The reason is very simple. Their colony is too far away from Hainan Island and communication is inconvenient. It is useless to say anything. Even if trade relations can be established in the future, it is unlikely that there will be a large scale of trade. Moreover, Britain was one of the main participants in the Thirty Years' War in Europe. The Executive Committee believed that it would be difficult for it to stay out of future arms sales and play a dual role.
The next choices are Spain and Portugal. Spain, like Britain, was an active player in the Thirty Years' War, which affected the final decision-making results to a certain extent. As a slave country, Portugal's investment in the European battlefield is relatively limited, and they are bent on breaking away from Spanish control. Let Spain continue to consume strength in the quagmire of war, which will undoubtedly be a result that the Portuguese are very happy to see. Due to conflicts of interest, the Portuguese are at odds with the other three parties, which greatly reduces the possibility of several European countries joining forces to deceive Haihan.
In addition, the location of the Portuguese colonial stronghold in the Far East is also a condition that the Executive Committee attaches great importance to. In addition to Macau, a stronghold with very convenient communication, the Portuguese also occupied Malacca, which later became Malacca, the throat of the Far East. If there were no outside intervention, this place would change hands in a few years and be taken away by the vicious Dutch East India Company. This situation is certainly something the Executive Committee does not want to see. Instead of losing this key location from the Portuguese, it would be better to find a way to take it over from them and run it on its own.
After fully considering all factors, the Executive Committee finally selected Portugal as its future Western trading partner. Of course, this does not mean that everything will be fine after the selection. After all, the two sides had a conflict not long ago, and it still takes a lot of effort to establish a mechanism of mutual trust and mutual benefit. After repeated weighings, the Executive Committee decided to use the arms trade as an entry point to pull the Portuguese on board their own ship.
The arms trade is a very sensitive business, and you cannot just sell it. If you are too proactive, it will be difficult to explain if it causes unnecessary misunderstandings. After discussion, several senior officials decided to arrange a trick to induce the Portuguese envoy to propose arms trade. Through the display of weapons, let the other party understand Haihan's real advantages in weapons manufacturing, thereby dispelling the other party's idea of using the purchased weapons to fight Haihan. In addition, through repeated explicit hints, Enrique was made aware of the commonalities between the two parties in terms of interest demands, as well as Haihan's exclusive advantages in intelligence and situation judgment, and tried his best to turn his fear of Haihan into a Later awe and dependence.
These things are not complicated to say, but in actual operation, you must be careful at all times. Once you make a wrong step, the Portuguese people's understanding of Haihan may be biased to the other extreme. After losing trust, it will be difficult to restore the image. Fortunately, everything has gone very smoothly so far. Just as designed by the executive committee, Enrique has stepped into this pit step by step and has begun to move forward involuntarily according to the ideas arranged for him.
"As for the status of the weapons, let's stop here today. As for the specific procurement plan, we can discuss it tomorrow." Yan Chujie also knew that the amount of information given to Enrique today was too large, and he probably wouldn't be able to digest it in a while. He took the initiative to propose to postpone the arms trade negotiations for one day.
Enrique did not object to this. It was indeed difficult for him to concentrate on which weapon to buy. Nowadays, this is not just an arms trade. According to the Haihan people, the cooperation between the two parties is likely to involve the Portuguese's future development prospects in the Far East. To put it more seriously, it may even affect Portugal's future national destiny! He had to digest it carefully before deciding how to bargain with the Haihan people.
When the executive committee members saw Enrique the next day, his eyes were bloodshot. Enrique was not insomniac, but spent a whole night drafting a letter to the Macau Council. In addition to mentioning many of his experiences while in Victory Port, the letter mainly reported to the Council the latest progress in the negotiations between the two parties, as well as the cooperation concept proposed by Haihan starting from the arms trade. Although Enrique is a special envoy, after all, there are some things that he does not have the authority to make decisions directly, and must still be reported to the Macau Council for decision-making. If all goes well, there is a good chance that Joao Enrique Badac Thomas will become a heroic figure in Portuguese history for what he is doing now.
(End of chapter)