New Shun 1730

"If the Dutch allies also declare war on France, will your country also declare war on the Dutch allies?"

Faced with this exciting topic, Count Maurpa asked the most critical question on this topic.

Is this alliance an alliance against a third country? Or is it a Sino-French offensive and defensive alliance?

"Not for now. But maybe in the future. If we can't defeat the Netherlands and take back the political legacy of the Ming Empire's heyday, we can't leave Southeast Asia. And there are only Dutch in Southeast Asia. A hundred years ago, the Dutch drove the British out of Southeast Asia."

Liu Yu's answer was very calm and reasonable.

If you can't defeat the Netherlands, you can't get out of the Strait of Malacca. If you can't get out of the Strait of Malacca, you can't fight Britain at all.

The Dutch used massacres and intimidation, and made trouble in Japan, forcing Britain away, leaving Britain with no power in Southeast Asia.

As for the rest of the Netherlands' allies, such as the Habsburgs, does Austria have a navy?

In fact, there is another European country in Southeast Asia, Spain.

Britain and Spain had a bad relationship. After the Treaty of Seville, Britain was forbidden to trade with Spanish colonies, but Jenkins, a smuggler, went to trade and had his ears cut off.

This kind of shit triggered a war, which was actually for the purpose of competing for sea power and colonial trade rights. This war was very famous because the British Navy completed the first naval fleet circumnavigation of the world.

During this voyage, 60% of the sailors died of scurvy, and only one of the six ships remained. Moreover, the officer who led the team was a person who was very hostile to China: this was a fool. He didn't even know that chickens needed to eat stones and sand to digest food. Then he bought chickens in Guangdong and said that the Chinese were cunning and fed the chickens with sand; he said that Chinese farmers were shameless and used some means to prevent pigs from going to the toilet, so they gave the pigs water before selling them.

This person was the first to blacken China in Europe, so Liu Yu was quite impressed.

Because of this deep impression, Liu Yu could conclude that Britain could not gather many troops in Southeast Asia now. Britain could not afford a 60% mortality rate on the voyage.

Therefore, Liu Yu actually had a good idea about going to war with Britain at this time.

It was not until the independence of the United States that Britain was able to transport a team of more than 2,000 people across the ocean, and only then could battleships sail between the two oceans and improve the marine supply system.

At this time, Liu Yu was not afraid of Britain at the doorstep of Nanyang. At most, one or two old-fashioned third-class ships could come, which was not a big problem. If a real fight broke out, there was still Spain, a wartime ally.

It was just unnecessary.

Fighting with Britain would not benefit Da Shun Mao, and a large part of export trade would be cut off. If Britain could remain neutral, it would be the best.

The reason for the high-profile negotiations with France this time was also to stimulate Britain, so that Britain would take the initiative to send envoys to sign a temporary neutrality agreement.

If Britain was shameless and had to fulfill the obligations of the Anglo-Dutch Alliance even if it gave up the trade of the East India Company, then it would have to declare war together.

Anyway, we are not going to London, so we don’t have to be afraid of fighting at home.

If they really lost the war, they could stimulate the Dashun court to build ships and produce as many ships as possible, squeeze out tens of millions of taels of military expenditure, and just spend money.

However, this was only the last resort. It would be best if they could stimulate Britain to take the initiative to be neutral.

The conflict with the Netherlands was the biggest.

In trade with Japan, the Netherlands took away a part of the trade share, but still took Dashun's raw silk and sugar to Japan to exchange gold, silver and copper to maintain the company's cash flow.

In Southeast Asia trade, the Netherlands had the least trade deficit among many Western countries, because pepper and other things could be directly exchanged for tea.

Malacca and Batavia were important military towns for Dashun, the "Western Regions Protectorate". If they did not control Malacca, the problems of smuggling and tax evasion could not be guaranteed by Dashun's long coastline and opening and closing policies.

Only after taking Malacca did Dashun have the conditions for self-selection, whether to continue to expand or shrink its territory and build the Celestial Empire.

Otherwise, it could only be a paramecium, responding to external stimuli, and there was no way to choose the future path independently. The long coastline, the initiative of being stimulated is always in the hands of Europeans.

Count Maurepa carefully considered Liu Yu's words and thought that what Liu Yu said was indeed reasonable.

Even if Dashun declared war on Britain in the future, it would not be possible to send its fleet to the Atlantic. As long as it could hold back the Netherlands and attack the Dutch East India Company, this ally would be very worthwhile.

France now has no appetite in Southeast Asia. It has not yet gained a firm foothold in India, let alone Southeast Asia, which is farther away.

Count Maurepa felt a little absurd. He, a navy and colonial minister, talked for a long time but failed to reach a trade cooperation or a commercial cooperation.

Instead, he talked about better firearms for the army, at the cost of the navy's new battleships.

Count Maurepa also had a clear understanding of the new battleships.

As long as the war started, being captured was inevitable. The British had a keen eye and would soon learn to replicate the construction. Therefore, this new battleship was like the rifled gun bullets in Liu Yu's hand: it could only be sold at a high price before the war started.

Now Dashun has clearly expressed its awareness of free trade, so it will not impose an embargo on Britain and the Netherlands, nor will it allow the French East India Company to make more profits to fill the market after the embargo.

It also clearly expressed technical control measures for silk and porcelain. With Count Morpa's understanding of Dashun's centralized system, he must have thought that Dashun's grassroots control was extremely terrible, so he did not think that Liu Yu's nonsense about technology export control might not be implemented at all.

After weighing the pros and cons, Count Morpa approved Liu Yu's proposal.

"Such cooperation is beneficial to both parties. What your country lacks is just some excellent ship designers."

"Since your country will not declare war on the Netherlands' allies, then France will not declare war on Dashun's enemies other than the Netherlands."

"This secret agreement is just a treaty against the Netherlands. France is responsible for the seven provinces of the Netherlands, and Dashun will deal with the trading companies in the seven provinces."

Liu Yu nodded and said, "Yes, that's it. This is a very fair secret agreement."

Both parties reached a consensus on fairness, and they all had their own little calculations in their hearts.

Since France has loosened its mouth and revealed its intention to cooperate, the progress of the negotiations will be much faster afterwards.

In mid-July, the Duke of England, as the emperor's plenipotentiary, signed the "Sino-French Beijing Secret Treaty" with France. Then in late July, another treaty that could be made public was signed, as well as some international law conventions.

For the time being, the former seems to be more important, which can be measured in units of three to five hundred years, while the latter is more meaningful. This is the first time that the Celestial Empire has broken the Celestial Empire system and tried to be the overlord of the princes and formulate new "rituals and laws".

The content of the Sino-French secret treaty as a whole revolves around how to cheat the Dutch.

After returning to Paris, the French mission will send outstanding ship designers and craftsmen to the shipyard in Weihai to help Dashun build the first new battleship.

After the first battleship is launched for trial, Dashun will transfer the technology of rifled gun Minié bullets to France, which will be kept absolutely confidential before that.

Dashun Customs will exempt French American ginseng from tax. On the contrary, France's obligation is that Dashun will send a team of more than 100 craftsmen and children to France to intern in the shipyard or in the accounting department. The living expenses there will be paid by Dashun, and France shall not interfere with the beliefs of these people.

If France wants to declare war on the Netherlands, it will inform Dashun in advance. Dashun must declare war on the Netherlands as soon as possible.

France recognizes that Dashun inherits the political legacy of the Ming Empire in Southeast Asia and recognizes the tributary system. It is not allowed to negotiate and conduct diplomacy with Dashun's tributary states alone. All diplomacy with Dashun's tributary states must be completed in the capital. If diplomacy is conducted alone, it will be regarded as a declaration of war on Dashun.

Dashun recognizes France's sovereignty claim over Flanders and recognizes France's concept of natural borders. After the war with the Netherlands, Dashun will send people to Europe to declare Dashun's recognition of France's sovereignty.

If French warships encounter a crisis in the East Asian waters, they can lower their flags and dock in Weihai, and can obtain supplies and ship repairs in Weihai; if Dashun captures Malacca, French warships can also repair and replenish supplies in Malacca.

If Dashun's warships go to Europe or India, they can also anchor and replenish supplies at designated ports such as Pondicherry.

The cost of supplies and repairs will be temporarily advanced by the East India Company, and both parties can transfer the money directly to the French East India Company.

French merchants can spend the winter and stay in various ports, but they are not allowed to carry out any form of missionary activities. China promises not to send monks, Taoists, etc. to France to preach.

Dashun will ensure that there will be no smuggling to France. If Dashun's merchant ships stop in Europe, all goods must not be sold in France.

The arms trade between China and France is exempt from tariffs.

The French East India Company can make special loans to Chinese trading companies. The use of these loans must have a clear purpose, such as purchasing arms or warships from the Weihai Arsenal.

France can build warships in Dashun at normal prices, and Dashun will send people to India for delivery. If necessary, warships of the Dashun Navy can be withdrawn after payment.

All matters involving loans and transactions are paid in silver.

This secret agreement will last until Dashun completely inherits the political legacy of the Ming Empire and completely drives the Dutch forces out of Southeast Asia.

After the exchange of battleship and rifled gun technology is completed, Dashun will send a 200-man officer corps to France; France will also send a 100-man naval officer corps and sailors to Dashun.

Both sides serve in each other's army and obey the orders of each other's king.

After this secret agreement is completed, the two sides will proceed to the next stage of negotiations.

Including France can lease a piece of land near Macau; Dashun can also lease a piece of land in a French port.

Neither side shall engage in smuggling activities in the leased land. Dashun once again promised to protect the interests of France, and all goods shipped to Europe will not enter France.

After the completion of this secret agreement, Dashun will not collect tolls from French merchant ships passing through the Strait of Malacca. If necessary, it will close the passage permit for third countries based on the negotiation between the two sides.

The above three items are additional clauses of this secret agreement, and they will be confirmed again after the secret agreement is completed.

This secret agreement shall not be leaked to a third party. If leaked, the trade between the two sides will be cut off and the people of both sides will be expelled.