Dominate the Country

Chapter 623 Louis XVI

In the British embassy in China, Watson, who had not yet left China, had a splitting headache. Even his bright wife could not allow his attention to be diverted at all.

Bronte shrank aside like a defeated old rooster. It was said that his presence had been infinitely low since Watson arrived in China. Then there was the Dutchman Deckerma in the room. This man looked very bad!

This news from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not cause any substantial harm to Britain and the Netherlands, but the principle of the rabbit dying and the fox mourning is not only in China.

The Spanish in Manila were the innate allies of the Dutch in Batavia. Even if Britain and France broke up in the Far East, Manila and Batavia were absolutely good friends. The two helped each other and signed a secret alliance with each other, which was recognized by Madrid and Amsterdam.

However, the official war between Britain and France now put this treaty in an extremely embarrassing position. Spain was a follower of the Gallic rooster, and the windmill was an absolute ally of London. Manila and Batavia were actually in two opposing clusters. How could they join forces?

Not to mention that the current situation in Nanyang is that the Chinese are only looking for trouble with the big duck, and have not yet paid attention to the big windmill.

The Chinese took the opportunity to announce that they would launch an offensive against Spain, and the only condition they put forward was to "buy" the half of Timor Island in the hands of the Dutch. This is bullying, but it also gave Dekelma a little hope of survival. If the Chinese are also determined to clean up Batavia, why would they go to "buy" the half of Timor Island in the hands of the Dutch?

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Portuguese probably traded with the Timorese because of sandalwood. In the early 20th century, the Dutch settled in a hidden bay at the southwest end of Kupang, and the Portuguese moved to the north and east. Although the two countries did not formally sign a treaty to divide this island, which is about the size of Taiwan Bay, into two, the Dutch and Portuguese actually control the island.

Chen Ming's goal is to take Honolulu for himself, so he is unwilling to leave a foothold on the South Pacific Islands for the Europeans. He wants to completely take this area for himself and build a "route" connecting Nanyang and Honolulu as quickly as possible.

And Timor Island is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed on the "route"!

Although Dekelma is not clear about Chen Ming's purpose, he can see the "sincerity" of the Chinese.

"I will not declare war on the Chinese on behalf of Batavia. Unless the Chinese cannons are aimed at Batavia!" Dekelma is unwilling to let Batavia "seek death". According to the current situation, once Batavia is captured by the Chinese, the Netherlands may not have a real foothold in the entire Far East. Will the Japanese continue to leave the outer islands outside Nagasaki Port to the Netherlands?

This is even worse than Portugal at the beginning. The latter can still live comfortably in China, and one of them even became a close minister to the two great emperors of China.

Another thing is that the loss of the East Indies was a sad ending for the once glorious Dutch East India Company.

Watson and Bronte were not surprised by Dekkerma's reaction. No one would step into a dead end. Allies are to help themselves, not to drag themselves into death.

But Batavia escaped the first day, can it escape the fifteenth?

"It's just the difference between dying early and dying late." Bronte looked at Dekkerma with disappointment, but he couldn't make Dekkerma's decision.

In his eyes, the two European powers of Britain and France fought, which gave the Chinese an opportunity.

The struggle for interests between countries is a bright trend, and it will not change at all because of "friendship". The Chinese, who have long coveted Nanyang, have finally waited for such an opportunity. They will definitely take this opportunity to swallow up the entire Nanyang, and there is no way they will hold back! At this time, the Dutch in Batavia should work together with the Spanish in Manila and gather all their strength to fight the Chinese.

Even if they fail in the end, as the Chinese say, they should: lose the battle but not the battle, and let the Chinese feel the fighting spirit and courage of the Europeans.

However, Dekkerma took his words as shit.

"You have to die early or late, why should you be so particular about life!" This Chinese saying makes sense. Bronte thought to himself.

If he could be the master of Batavia, he would rather die in a glorious battle than live in disgrace. His choice is: rather die in glory than live in disgrace. But Dekkerma would rather live in misery than die in disgrace.

"The difference between dying early and dying late is huge. There is hope only when there is existence!"

Maybe Britain and France will not fight next year. As long as Dekkerma still has a glimmer of hope in his heart, he will not fight to the death.

Dekkerma is essentially a businessman, and the Netherlands is also a businessman to a large extent. From the moment they voluntarily gave up their authority on the sea, they no longer had the passion to fight to the death.

After piercing their relatively solid outer shell, the Dutch were left with only a soft heart.

In one night, everyone who should know the news knew it.

Potemkin looked at the map hanging on the wall and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. This is an ordinary world map, with red China in the middle of the entire map. And in this area dyed red, their north, northeast, and northwest are all marked with symbols of war. Although China and Russia have signed a peace agreement, Potemkin knows very well that it is a fart.

When Russia takes a breath of relief, Her Majesty Catherine II will not indulge the Chinese.

Below Northeast China, North Korea is marked with a big 'X'. At the same time, the Japanese's position is marked with an 'X' consisting of dotted lines.

Then there is the southern part of the empire. The position of Annan is also marked with a cross, and the position of Myanmar in the southwest is also marked with an 'X'.

Now the Chinese's tentacles have penetrated deep into Southeast Asia. Just like Bronte's perspective, Potemkin also felt the same.

First Manila, then Batavia, it was just a matter of early death and late death. China will not give up such a great opportunity, and the direction China ultimately represents will not change.

Then a very strange 'picture' appeared in front of Potemkin's eyes.

——A China that is constantly provoking wars all over the world! This fact is really contradictory and so different from the external feeling that China gives people.

Take a closer look at the time when China had wars with its surrounding 'neighbors'. Ever since China's current Chen Dynasty established its rule, there has really been no day without war.

And such a militaristic emperor was more eager to expand than any monarch in Europe that Potemkin knew. The current Chinese emperor is far more dangerous than any king in the world. He is simply a monster who will not feel comfortable without war.

But it just so happens that this is a country that has been waging war. Relying on the influence accumulated in its past history, it does not let outsiders feel its war-loving nature at all. On the contrary, the wars they provoked were quite just according to the concepts of civilization on this land. This made Potemkin so envious.

The China inherited by the Chen Dynasty had too deep influence in the Eastern world.

And why is the reputation of the Russian Empire in Europe, which has also launched wars one after another, so different from that of China? The whole of Europe regards Russia as a robber with endless greed and a source of war. All surrounding countries are extremely wary of Russia.

Although the war between Russia and the Ottomans was a full-scale war, and the Chinese investment in neighboring countries was only a very small local war, was it still a war?

There is no difference in nature. The difference is only in scale, and that’s because China’s advantages in the East are too powerful. Even if all the countries that are so powerful here unite, they will not be China's opponent. Of course, such a war fought by China is a local war!

In the East, in this distant and unfamiliar world, not to mention the hundreds of Korean women who respect China, even the Japanese women whose homeland was really bullied by the Chinese, do not hate China at all. There is only endless yearning.

Potemkin was really envious.

A good reputation really has many benefits for an expanding country.

Thinking about China now, and then thinking about Russia, the envy is like the sun at noon, extremely hot.

As far as Potemkin was concerned, sooner or later North Korea and Annan would not be able to escape China's tiger's jaws. But many Koreans and Annan people will never hate China to the core, but will only be happy and encouraged.

The Koreans hate the Manchus, and so do the Annamites, not China and the Chinese.

What a monster it is for a country to have such a rich historical legacy.

The newspapers early the next morning all heavily publicized the hatred between the Chinese and the duck, paving the way for the declaration of war between China and the West.

The notes on the agreement signed between the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Watson had not yet dried up, and Watson took the initiative to initiate new negotiations.

This negotiation was carried out on the basis that Britain and France had already gone to war, and it was very different from the previous one. While new negotiations were underway between the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Watson, Perrier also approached an acquaintance of his. Even though the Chinese mission was thousands of miles away, Gao Yanming was very busy these days. He traveled frequently between Paris and London.

Britain and France officially went to war, and Madrid quickly declared war on London.

There is no doubt that the involvement of these two countries in this war was largely motivated by the psychological stimulation of feuding and the desire to avenge the recent past. In France, celebrities are very sympathetic to the struggle for freedom of the residents of the thirteen North American states, and sometimes hold rallies to express solidarity. Although emotional sympathy and solidarity will powerfully influence the actions of various European countries, only by taking some substantive measures can they It can enable these countries to have a say and adjust the current situation.

France hopes to regain its territory in North America, but the bad memories the French brought to North America back then are still fresh in the minds of many Americans, but the distrust of the French that North American residents have always had will be reflected in France's war of independence from North America at this moment. The effective sympathy and support given were diluted, and even the strong feelings of gratitude generated by them gave Paris a sense of hope of regaining its former rights.

Gao Yanming was well aware of the Franco-American agreement, for it was no secret. The French formally renounced their claims to any part of the territories they had held in the North American continent or the former French territories that had recently come under the control of the British crown, but the Gallic rooster insisted on the condition of occupying and maintaining freedom of action on any island in the West Indies, which made all other British colonies in America vulnerable to French attack. So, in this Anglo-French re-war, the French "target" was the British colonies in the West Indies. At the same time, after the Americans had fully and beneficially contained Britain, France also had the responsibility to promote the independence of the United States at the appropriate time.

With the exclusive trade policy that characterized the era, it was expected that the loss of some important territories would reduce the huge trade on which Britain's prosperity depended, and there was a possibility of a chain reaction, thus weakening Britain and making France stronger.

"In fact, France's goal was to expand the scale of this struggle and summarize all its goals into one most important goal, which was to surpass Britain both at sea and politically..." This was really the sequel to the Seven Years' War.

It rained in Paris at night, and Gao Yanming was writing notes under the oil lamp.

After coming to Europe for such a long time, Gao Yanming spent the most time writing notes, except for those boring court balls. Not only did he write, but many clerks of the mission also wrote.

They were carefully observing everything in Europe, from the noble and wealthy to the poor workers and beggars.

This made them have a lot of things to record.

The current war is changing the overall social trend of the two countries.

A large amount of materials were tilted to the army, and the rising war sentiment among the people made the slight inconvenience caused by the war no one cared about.

When Gao Yanming sent Xie Qinggao back to report the news, the Seven Years' War between Britain and France began, and now a series of naval battles have broken out. A large French fleet immediately sailed to the West Indies from Europe.

After the outbreak of the war, the British also sent more land infantry and naval warships to the West Indies than the North American continent.

In Europe, because of the existence of the Spanish fleet, the British still could not relax their vigilance.

The next day, it was still raining. Gao Yanming took a carriage to the Palace of Versailles. He was going to meet Louis XVI in person again that morning.

Gao Yanming still respected Louis XVI, the new king of France who had just ascended to the throne. This king did not look so bad. Although his character was a little weak and his political skills were a little lacking, he was stuck between the poor French people and the powerful aristocracy, unable to shake either side. But he still had time. Louis XVI was just 24 years old.

"Your Majesty, we will definitely go to war with Spain and seize their Luzon region in Southeast Asia. But we will not have anything to do with the British." There was no one else at the meeting today. Louis XVI bluntly asked Gao Yanming about the dispute between China and Spain, and Gao Yanming gave a definite answer without hesitation.

The conflict of interests between China and Spain is irreconcilable, so what is the future direction of China and France?

"Will China be satisfied with just taking Luzon? What do you think of the Dutch in Batavia and the British behind them?"

"Nanyang is China's sphere of influence. Batavia will belong to China one day. But when will His Majesty take action? This is not something that foreign ministers can tell."

China's attack on Manila is based on the prerequisite that Britain and France go to war, so after Britain and France declare war, Gao Yanming can bluntly say that China wants to eat Luzon. But for the Dutch, it's another story.

"France cannot ignore the damage to Spain's interests. If Spain loses Luzon, although it is very reluctant, China and France will inevitably enter a state of war." This is a very crazy move. So Louis XVI really hopes to get a definite answer from Gao Yanming. Can China and France 'declare but not fight'?

As China's second largest trading country in Europe, France is very clear about China's strength.

Population, tax revenue, number of troops, these figures all show that China is extremely powerful. Fortunately, such a giant country is farther away from Europe, otherwise it would receive more "hostility" than the Ottoman Empire.

Although the French have no interests in the Far East, if Guangnan is not counted, after Spain lost Luzon, Paris should not be afraid of Nanjing even if both sides declared war. Can China still send a large fleet to Europe or the east coast of America? This is impossible.

However, the French, who still have extravagant hopes for India, are very afraid that their mortal enemies will get help from the Chinese, and then completely collapse all their plans on the Indian continent in one fell swoop.

Of course, Gao Yanming did not know about the British plan. He only thought that the British had ambitions for the West Indies. It seems too difficult for the Gallic rooster, which has been completely defeated by the British on the Indian continent, to turn the tables.

If Gao Yanming knew about France's idea, he would definitely not agree to Louis XVI's request.

After Gao Yanming left, Louis XVI's most trusted minister, Foreign Minister Count Vergennes, appeared in the room. The 62-year-old count had a relaxed smile on his face, just like Louis XVI's smile.

The latter rejected Gao Yanming's request not to declare war on China, "This should be the last time Gao makes such a request." Louis XVI smiled easily.

"You can only get what you pay for." Count Vergennes' voice was very brisk. Why did the Spanish declare war on London so quickly? It was obviously because they wanted France to contain China and protect the Luzon colony. If China officially declared war on Daban Ya, France would also have to declare war on China.

Spain is a loyal younger brother of France, but Spain is not a part of France.

"Now it depends on when the news of the fall of Luzon can reach Europe. I really hope that the Chinese can also eat Batavia."

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