Domineering Daming

Philip IV naturally thought farther than him, and he had thought about it a long time ago. He sat up, picked up the red wine, shook his head slightly, and said: "That Zhu's attitude seems to be hesitant, but in fact he is firm. The Ming Dynasty does not want to get involved In war, the Ottoman Empire is too strong, and they don’t want to face it directly. Russia, that coward, won’t dare to go west after several defeats. I heard that they turned to the east. Do you think they will fight with it? Collide tomorrow?"

Oquendo was startled, and then he understood in his heart that Oquendo was still full of vigilance against those yellow-skinned people, and he had no real intention of forming an alliance, but just to take advantage of them.

Elizabeth listened to Philip IV's dejected words, and comforted her softly: "Honey, don't worry, it will pass, as long as we endure for a few years, we will be fine."

Philip IV raised his head and looked at her with tenderness in his eyes, and said: "Of course, it won't take a few years, as long as I survive next year, I will be able to solve the big troubles in front of me. I am confident that Spain will regain its glory and those who are not Those who obey are taught a lesson!"

Oquindo looked at Philip IV and said calmly: "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty must form an alliance with us, not others."

The tenderness in Philip IV's eyes disappeared, his face suddenly sank, and he did not speak.

They all know that the Ming Dynasty is not without options. Frank, England, or even the Netherlands are all available, and even Ottoman is not without opportunities.

These are not what Spain wants to see. If the Ming Dynasty forms an alliance with them, not only will their power increase dramatically in Europe, but the threat from Spain overseas will also increase dramatically. This is a win-lose situation!

Philip IV looked up at Ocundo and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on them, I don't want outsiders to contact them."

Ocundo said: "Yes." After speaking, he strode away.

On the other hand, Zhu Youjian told Feng Zhu and others about his conversation with Philip IV, especially the last one, which made everyone fall silent.

Chapter 1205 Difficult Negotiations

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, a group of people were thinking.

After a while, Li Yizao said: "Spain looks powerful, but in fact it is also precarious. It makes enemies everywhere, keeps fighting, and its national power is getting weaker day by day. However, it has a vast territory. I don't know how many people die every year and how much food it uses. I heard that the Spanish treasury Already empty..."

Ao Bai said: "Although the Netherlands claims to be a multi-province alliance, it is actually not a big country and there are not many people, but Spain is actually unable to suppress it and allows it to grow. It can be seen that Spain is a strong foreign country, and the name of the largest country in Europe does not match the truth. , if we form an alliance with them, the gains will definitely outweigh the losses.”

A few people talked to each other, and they all opposed the formation of an offensive and defensive alliance with Spain, thinking that this matter is harmful and has no benefit.

After listening for a while, Zhu Youjian's expression became more determined, and he said: "My Ming Dynasty has not threatened all around, and Spain can't help. Similarly, if something happens here in Spain, my Ming Dynasty will be beyond my reach. This offensive and defensive alliance is mostly Conspiracy, this king does not approve."

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, he looked at Feng Zhu.

Aobai, Li Yizao and others also turned to him, their eyes seemed to be waiting.

Feng Zhu is the admiral and eunuch appointed by the Qianqing Palace, and the real person in charge this time is carrying Zhu Xu's secret mission.His words are decisive here.

Feng Zhu looked at everyone, especially Zhu Youjian, and hesitated to speak.

From the bottom of his heart, he also opposed the alliance proposed by Philip IV. Spain was precarious, and there was no benefit except to implicate Ming Dynasty.

However, for one thing, Philip IV's attitude was quite firm. If they refused to agree, they might not only fail to negotiate, but also have a fierce battle.Secondly, according to Feng Zhu's understanding of Zhu Xu, doing things is often contrary to common sense, and there is a high probability that he will agree to this matter.

However, Feng Zhu looked at the attitudes of several people, especially Zhu Youjian's expression, thought a little in his heart, and said: "My lord, we can't refuse this matter explicitly, but we can't agree to it either. In this way, the offensive and defensive alliance negotiations can proceed." , you can adopt a vague attitude, do not agree or object, just say, this matter is too important, you need to go back and wait for the emperor and the court to decide, what do you think?"

With this excuse, even Zhu Youjian couldn't give a reason to object for a while. After thinking about it, he didn't object, especially for others.

In the Portuguese royal palace, everyone seemed to know that things had reached a critical moment, and the calm on both sides was like the calm of a storm.

The Spanish royal palace is now airtight and watertight, and no one can enter or leave.

On the surface of the sea, Zheng Zhilong's fleet seemed to be conducting a military exercise, firing cannons from time to time to test the usability of the cannons.

However, these actions disturbed the shore from time to time and reached the ears of Philip IV.

These are silently adding to the dark clouds on the upper layer of the palace, and there are hidden thunder flashes.

Early the next morning, Philip IV took Zhu Youjian for a walk in the garden of the palace.

Philip IV was quite confiding, and said: "Dear Zhu, do you know? Spain has many enemies and they are very powerful, and the biggest threat is Ottoman. Its sphere of influence has crossed Egypt and reached Gibraltar. Spain is just a step away..."

Zhu Youjian has done a lot of research on Spain and knows that these are facts.In the past, Europe's sphere of influence basically revolved around the Mediterranean Sea. Now Spain not only faces Ottoman directly in the east, but now Ottoman's tentacles have extended to the vicinity of the Spanish mainland.

Philip IV did not wait for Zhu Youjian to speak, and continued: "Our country has a huge territory, too many enemies, and great financial pressure. The most important threat now is not the external enemies, but the empty treasury. I need to understand The financial support of the Ming Dynasty, for this reason, if necessary, I will make more concessions to the Ming Dynasty..."

Philip IV's "heart-to-heart", Zhu Youjian's character naturally had to respond, he said: "Your Majesty, our dynasty is not a country that is insatiable and aggressive. Our pursuit is to trade fairly with all countries in the world and benefit each other It's not a one-sided plunder. I can understand your Majesty's difficulties, and if necessary, I will provide more help. In addition to direct grain purchases, Spain will be given the highest priority in terms of Ming and Asian trade. I believe this , will bring at least 2000 million silver profits to Spain every year..."

In fact, relying solely on the spice and other businesses monopolized by the Ming Dynasty is huge profits. The annual profit is tens of millions of silver, plus other things, 2000 million is still a little.

Philip IV smiled without saying a word, and continued walking.

Both parties have already negotiated the relevant trade, and the financial crisis in Spain is no longer a problem in Philip IV's view. The problem has turned to another angle: political union.

Spain needs a strong ally. This ally may not be reliable, and may not really help, but it is enough to have a name. It will exert pressure on Spain's enemies, not just the Ottoman Empire on land, Also at sea.

The fleet of the Ming Dynasty is so powerful that it can pose a strong threat to the Netherlands, England, etc. overseas, forcing them to restrain their piracy. If this is the case, not only the overseas colonies will be safe, but the sea routes will be smoother and safer. loss.

Philip IV had finished talking nonsense, and started to get to the point, saying: "Zhu, I know that you are very close to the Red Sea. I hope that our combined fleet can have a base near there."

Zhu Youjian did not hesitate this time and said: "Our country does have some plans. It is also contacting relevant countries near the Red Sea and is trying to contact the Ottoman Empire. If a canal can be opened in Egypt to connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, it will be closer. Connecting Europe and Asia, the length of the road will be shortened by seven to eight out of ten..."

Philip IV blinked, he hadn't thought about it at all, and when Zhu Youjian mentioned it, he couldn't help being startled.

In this way, it is indeed the case. It is too far to go around Africa, and it is far inferior to even opening Panama.

The most important thing is that Egypt is now in the hands of the Ottoman Empire. If the Ming Dynasty has this idea, then the Ming Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire will definitely face each other!

Philip IV's eyes flickered for a moment, and the corner of his mouth smiled even more. He said, "This can indeed be discussed. Zhu, I want to know, what do you think about the alliance between our two countries?"

Zhu Youjian said: "Your Majesty should know that we don't want to get involved in the war. Our Majesty did not authorize this visit. What I can do is to reach a good agreement with Your Majesty, and then return to my country and hand it over to His Majesty." , if His Majesty agrees, this matter will become..."

Philip IV seemed to expect that Zhu Youjian would make excuses, and said calmly: "Of course, please go back to your majesty, alliance is the foundation of everything, if we can't form an alliance, other things will be impossible to talk about, we need Daming's friendship, I believe, is also true of Daming."

After all, Spain is the most powerful country in Europe and has the largest colonial territory. If Ming Dynasty fails to reach a trade agreement with Spain, it will become an obstacle instead.

This is quite a direct threat, Philip IV smiled and raised his sword.

Chapter 1206 The Success of the Two Major Organizations

Regarding the threat of Philip IV, Zhu Youjian was indifferent and always responded vaguely.

However, the economic and trade negotiations between the two sides did not stop. Zhu Youjian called out the admiral of the fleet and other officials on board the ship, which opened the prelude to the formal negotiations.

The same is true for Philip IV. Some officials from Madrid have arrived long ago, and the two sides have begun meticulous negotiations on the details of trade, military affairs, alliances and other aspects.

Negotiations on the size of ships, flags, navigation rules, scope of trade, types of commodities, taxes, etc. are being negotiated without compromise.

It’s okay not to mention the content of these negotiations, but it’s quite complicated when it’s said. The two parties seem to be well prepared, but they were still caught off guard when discussing it.

The negotiation of the joint fleet is mainly carried out by the Marshal's Mansion and the Ministry of War. This is easier, mainly on the issue of money and food and who controls it. On this issue, Spain's finances are exhausted and it is impossible to compete for it, and it will soon tend to be second.

However, Spain requested that the cruise range of the United Fleet be extended to the Americas and Africa, and decided to plan as many as [-] bases to deal with pirates and protect the safety of the route.

The combined fleet is all small ships, and the fleet is relatively scattered. It is enough to deal with pirates, but it is far from enough to face a country, so it does not pose much threat. This is one of the reasons why Spain is willing to let go.

This was exactly in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, taking advantage of the trend to rapidly expand the size of the United Fleet, standardize authority, and scope of activities. Naturally, a new route was also planned, and a general understanding of Spain's sphere of influence was obtained.