Domineering Daming

Elizabeth is two years older than Philip IV, both in their 30s, but they still don't have a son and a half daughter, not only Elizabeth has no heirs, but Philip IV also has no heirs!

This is a crisis for Spain, so the two worked very hard.

"I heard that the prime minister sent someone to urge you to go back?" Elizabeth asked, looking at Philip IV.

Philip IV nodded, Madrid is now in a fierce confrontation, not only the arrival of the Ming Dynasty, but also the financial issue, and the extended issue of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has now established a so-called multi-provincial republic, and is fighting Spain to seek independence. At the same time, it is robbing Spanish merchant ships and colonies overseas with impunity.

There are many strong voices in Spain, demanding that Philip IV send the most powerful fleet to teach the Netherlands a lesson and make them calm down.

But Philip IV has been slow to make up his mind. One is the financial problem, and the other is that Frank and England are also involved. In addition, although Ottoman was wiped out of the navy, the army is aggressive, making Spain unable to get out. into the mire.

Moreover, in the politics of Madrid, Philip IV is tied, not only the parliament is blocking him, but the prime minister and ministers are constantly putting pressure on him.

"If Ming people really have that much money, maybe I can get through the financial crisis..." Philip IV said with twinkling eyes, as if talking to himself.

Elizabeth understood that Philip IV would ignore the Prime Minister's urging, and said softly: "Mingren's fleet is really strong."

Holding a glass of wine in his hand, Philip IV stared at the swaying red wine, his eyes flickered slightly, and said, "I know, they must have a conspiracy to come here, but I need them, for now."

Elizabeth understood what he meant, and said, "I heard some people say that the Ming people encountered a drought and there was a shortage of food."

Philip IV frowned, and said, "I've also checked, but the impact is not great. They have a vast land, and maybe they can recover in a year or two."

Elizabeth understood that Philip IV was determined to use the power of the Ming Dynasty to alleviate the current predicament.

"Not only in Europe, but overseas, we also need them." Philip IV said expressionlessly.

Spain has the most extensive colonies, and the biggest problem it faces is pirates. These pirates are real and fake, but the losses due to these pirates are more than ten million every year.

At the same time, Spain's colonies are also facing competition from the Netherlands, Frank, England, etc., and crises are everywhere.

Philip IV understood the current situation in Spain very well. Spain was full of enemies everywhere, and the war was always there, and it never stopped. Spain looked strong, but in fact it was strong outside, but it seemed to be strong, but it was gradually declining. In many things, Spain has already Powerless.

The Ming Kingdom that suddenly appeared in the east was naturally an enemy in the eyes of Philip IV, but this enemy was too far away to threaten Spain.He needs to rely on the power of the Ming Dynasty to overcome the financial crisis. At the same time, he also needs to use the power of the Ming Dynasty overseas to attack the Netherlands, Frank and other enemies.

In short, Philip IV's strategy is very simple, far and close attack!

Elizabeth said: "The Minister of Finance will be here tomorrow, are you ready to have a talk with that prince?"

A smile appeared on the corner of Philip IV's mouth, and he said, "I can feel that Ming people also need us. Perhaps, the benefits will be more than I expected."

Listening to his words, Elizabeth suddenly raised her head and said, "I heard that Bishop Tang has already gone to the Pope's Kingdom. Calculate the time, he should be here soon."

Although the Papal State is not big, the people living in it are not simple, and their influence is too great. The whole of Europe and even the whole world cannot be ignored. Even Philip IV, the European overlord, has to bow to the Pope.

Philip IV's expression moved, and he said, "Don't worry, the negotiations will start tomorrow, and the Pope's people will not see them until our negotiations are completed."

Elizabeth blinked, but said nothing.

Philip IV glanced at Elizabeth, and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.The queen beside him was the younger sister of the Frankish king. The relationship between Spain and Frank was quite delicate. It was also difficult for Philip IV to guess what the queen was thinking.

Early the next morning, a carriage drove into the Portuguese royal palace, where Philip IV's confidant, right-hand man, and Spanish finance minister were located.

Chapter 1200 Silent Negotiation

When the carriage entered the palace, Philip IV warmly invited Zhu Youjian to leave the palace for an outing outside the city.

Zhu Youjian felt a little uneasy, so he got into Philip IV's carriage.

Today, Philip IV was not as enthusiastic as he was a few days ago, with a reserved smile on his face, and the introduction of the scenery and history on both sides was not so interesting, as if he followed the scriptures.

Queen Elizabeth was in high spirits, talking more between the two of them, faintly grasping the right to speak, and guiding their topics.

Zhu Youjian was not used to women being so strong, or being ostentatious in public, and his expression was not much better than that of Philip IV.

At the same time, Oquendo held a small reception with the Admiral of the Navy, the Minister of Finance and Spanish officials from the Department of Trade, and invited Feng Zhu, Zheng Zhilong, Obai, Li Yizao and others.

At the reception, a fat bearded old man, Feng Zhu couldn't tell the exact name, only knew that it was the fat man of the Minister of Finance, holding a wine glass, looked at Feng Zhu with a little drunkenness and said: "I know you come from a big country far away, rich and rich. , powerful, and culturally developed, it is really full of respect.”

Feng Zhu already knew the purpose of this banquet, and said calmly: "Our country is also full of surprises to the far west. Your religion, technology, and artwork are enviable."

The translator tried to use vocabulary acceptable to both parties, and kept turning heads.

The Minister of Finance blinked his small eyes, looked at Feng Zhu and said, "You have a vast territory and a large population. I'm curious, how much will your treasury earn in a year?"

"8000 million taels of silver." Feng Zhu said without changing his face.

For countries that open their mouths to talk about "2000 million silver per year", 8000 million a year does not seem to be an astonishing figure.

The bearded man frowned, as if expressing surprise, and then said: "I really envy you, there is no war, no hateful heretics, no so many ambitious warlike people watching..."

Feng Zhu held a big wine glass that he didn't like, and said: "We hate war as well, we yearn for peace, war has no benefit, except dead people..."

The bearded man looked at Feng Zhu, and after a while, he suddenly shook his head and said, "Eunuch Feng, we are full of goodwill towards the East, and we hope to have a peaceful trading environment. This is only good for our two countries. China’s porcelain, silk, spices, tea and many other things, we all like it, the price is not a problem... Of course, we will satisfy you as much as possible for the food you need, or other things, we have, we can do it ..."

Feng Zhu's heart skipped a beat, and he was finally convinced that Spain chose "friendliness".

Feng toasted a little higher, and said directly: "Our country believes that trade needs some rules. We are not robbers. We want to conduct trade in peace, order, and mutual respect. Only in this way is it in our mutual interests."

The bearded man remained unmoved, raised his wine glass and said, "We hope that our merchant ships can freely enter and exit the East, and trade is not restricted. At the same time, we don't like those pirates..."

"It's easy to say..." Feng Zhu's expression became deeper and deeper, showing that you understand me.

"We hate pirates, no matter where they are!" On the other side, Oquendo and the admiral were expressing their anger with Oboi.

"Because of pirates, we lose too much every year. They are everywhere, all over the world, and they can't be wiped out at all. The disappearance of merchant ships and caravans is often not because of storms, but those hateful pirates..." Navy The admiral scolded angrily, his face was full of anger.

Aobai smiled, cursing inwardly, as if Spain had no support or sent troops to pretend to be pirates, pretending to be a wolf with a big tail.

Aobai waited for a while, and when these people were almost spitting, he said: "We Daming hate people who don't follow the rules. Everything should be in order. Only in this way can we make better progress. Pirates are outside the rules. Exist, we don't allow..."

"Of course, we are the same. Not only pirates, but also those countries that do not abide by the rules. They appear in dirty places like hateful flies, fly to the dining table full of fragrance, and drive them away. We must find a way ..." The admiral's voice was loud, echoing throughout the banquet hall.

Obai listened, quietly echoed, and at the same time expounded the Ming Dynasty's point of view, putting everything in front, righteous and irrefutable.

But not long after, as Feng Zhu, Obai, Zheng Zhilong and others met, their expressions became serious.

What these people said seemed to be what Daming cared about and what he wanted to do, but the Spaniards said it in advance, concentrating almost all the things they wanted to solve.

"There is a problem!" Feng Zhu frowned, feeling uneasy.Their hole cards seemed to have been lifted, allowing their opponents to take a closer look.

Zheng Zhilong's eyes flickered in the banquet hall, watching Ao Kundo and the others gather together, looking at them strangely from time to time.

"Could it be those missionaries?" Obai asked.They had to deal with those missionaries along the way, and it may not be surprising that these people guessed some from their scaly claws.

Li Yizao said: "Some missionaries have been in our country for many years. It is not surprising if they hear the news from newspapers or other places. This is not important. The key is how to negotiate next. Spain seems to be very confident and asking for prices. "