After signing a military alliance treaty with France and expelling Britain and Spain from the Americas.
The military threat facing the Dutch mainland is greatly reduced, unless France suddenly goes back on its word.
But it seems unlikely that this will happen in a short time, which will cause Louis XIV's personal credibility to plummet.
France ate half of England and all of mainland Spain, plus the Naples region of the Apennines.
Not counting New France in North America, the newly acquired territory in Europe alone is enough for France to digest for fifty years.
For the Netherlands, this is undoubtedly a God-given development opportunity.
Even if there is a conflict or conflict with France in the future, the Ming Empire can be entrusted to mediate it.
"Fortunately, such large-tonnage ironclads are so expensive that even Louis XIV couldn't afford them!"
Tromp believes that it is a good thing that the Ming Empire's military strength ranks first in the world.
At least it can indirectly help the Netherlands and play a strategic role in containing and suppressing France.
Having a powerful neighbor with a population six or seven times its own is not something the Netherlands should be happy about.
"Perhaps the next 20 to 30 years will be a rare cooling-off period, and everyone will spend their main funds on newly acquired land!"
Not to mention the arms race with the Ming Empire, even if it were to do this with France, the Netherlands would not be able to persist at all.
A war with Britain before and a confrontation with France later would severely damage the Dutch national power.
Although Ruit is a soldier, he does not want the Netherlands to be often involved in wars.
"I heard from Little Putmans that Colbert and d'Estre were trying to purchase three-class ironclads, but the emperor of the Ming Empire said that the export of such ironclads would not be allowed until 1680!"
Tromp's arrival in the Ming Empire was an eye-opener, especially for young Putmans, who was the Dutch ambassador to the Ming Empire.
With the connections his father had accumulated over the years, he was enjoying a good time in Beidu, so it was not too difficult to get information about his colleagues.
"Actually, there is nine years of preparation time, which is good for us and France. If an ironclad ship of the same level can be developed by then, there will be no need to spend huge sums of money to introduce it. Otherwise, a considerable amount of military expenditure can be saved."
Ruit is currently unable to estimate what will happen in nine years, but he still hopes that local shipyards can compete and produce a third-class ironclad ship.
After seeing the Ming Empire Navy's fourth-class ironclads being put into service in batches, Ruyter believed that the industrial technology gap between the Dutch shipyards and the Ming Empire was more than twenty years.
This is the most conservative estimate, plus some uncertain factors that have not yet appeared, such as the fifth-level ironclad ship that the other party may be building.
The gap may widen to about thirty years, and this is only a technological gap, not counting the gap in national power and military power.
According to Putmans Jr., the Ming Empire's annual purchase cost of ironclad ships was about 14 million taels of silver, equivalent to about 21 million silver coins.
It may not seem like much, but it must be analyzed based on actual purchasing power.
The Ming Empire purchased its own ironclads, and with this money, it could buy two level four ironclads.
If the Netherlands were to purchase from the Ming Empire, they wouldn't be able to buy even half of a fourth-level ironclad ship.
The external sales price and the internal purchase price are two different amounts. It is said that Duke Zheng Yiguan can enjoy the internal purchase price.
It can be said that the Dutch Navy's annual ship purchase expenses are almost equal to Zheng Yiguan's financial resources.
Although this comparison is a bit embarrassing, this is the actual situation...
“I wonder when they will hold a similar event next?”
Tromp is very interested in learning about the world's top navies and battleships. Participating in this kind of thing is addictive for senior generals. After all, listening to reports from his subordinates is far more intuitive than observing with his own eyes.
"As long as there is a next time, little Putmans will tell us!"
As long as a large-scale naval battle does not break out in Europe, Ruyter is not willing to miss similar activities.
If the French are not involved, then probably the Dutch are too.
But if the other party participates every time, our own side cannot fall behind in this aspect.
The development of military equipment in the Ming Empire has actually become a benchmark for the same industry around the world.
As long as finances permit, everyone just needs to follow up in a timely manner, and at least there will be no detours.
"Even Tromp is here this time. Maybe the Dutch also want to buy a third-class ironclad!"
D'Estre looked at the figures of his allies and chatted meaningfully with Colbert.
"If we can't buy it, I believe they can't buy it either. If we can use this time to persuade His Majesty to save military expenditures and save nearly ten years of financial resources, we can still buy it even if we and the Netherlands purchase third-class ironclad ships from the Ming Empire at the same time. More. Our population is seven times that of the Netherlands, and we are also working hard to develop foreign trade. As time goes by, the gap in national strength with the Netherlands will widen."
Before the two left Paris, the king agreed to the proposal of having one man and many women in an attempt to double the population. In the future, France's population would grow explosively.
In another twenty years, France's population will be nine to ten times that of the Netherlands, and the taxes and fees it will receive will inevitably increase sharply.
Kolbe does not believe that the Netherlands also has the corresponding prerequisites and capabilities, and will eventually be dumped to the third echelon by France.
Apart from the Ming Empire, in terms of population and territory, only Russia and the Ottoman Empire could compare with France.
But I heard that the Ming Empire had sent troops to regain Siberia, and Russia should not be a match for the Ming Empire.
The Ottomans, who currently occupy southeastern Europe and North Africa, are considered France's potential opponents, but the two sides had reached a tacit understanding before and did not fight.
The number one enemy in the eyes of the other side is still the Habsburg dynasty, with the stated goal of occupying Vienna, and the threat to France is not too great for the time being.
On the premise that it needed to use the canal to shorten trade routes, France was unwilling to directly engage in hostility with the Ottomans. After all, that was a lose-lose option.
"We have obtained a third-level ironclad ship. The local shipyard can conduct research on this ship. No matter what method is used, it is best to copy it within nine years. Otherwise, we will have to purchase a third-level ironclad ship after nine years. -class ironclad ship, from both a military and commercial perspective, is also somewhat loss-making!”
D'Estre believed that even if the Ming Emperor promised to purchase this class of ironclad ships at the time promised, the funds he would have to pay would not be too small.
At that time, with the unit price of 70 to 80 million silver coins, it would be more cost-effective to at least purchase the fourth-level ironclad ship in front of us.
"We can only let them do their best!"
Colbert understood France's shipbuilding level. Previously, it was not as good as the Netherlands in building wooden warships.
Now that we are transforming to build ironclad ships, it is too difficult to catch up.
But what can be done?
His Majesty the King wants this kind of giant ironclad ship, and so do the naval admirals...
Louis XIV, who had no time to escape, had made a clear request to himself that he must bring back all the photos and images of the Ming Empire's latest ironclads.
The young King's love for this "big toy" is beyond imagination. He said that even if it takes five years to buy one, he must purchase it!
Colbert even imagined that if African slaves could be exchanged for such a giant ironclad ship, His Majesty the King would definitely not mind sending all African slaves to the Ming Empire!
If it is only used to deal with low-intensity wars, such as against the wooden battleships of Britain and Spain, then the first-class ironclads equipped by the navy are enough.
The area of New France is second only to the area controlled by the Ming Empire in North America, and maintaining the security of this route is crucial to France.
The furs, timber, gold, grain, etc. produced in North America can all be used to feed the local area.
If the royal family does not move to New France in the future, they will have to drain all the resources there!
The West African region newly included in French territory is also important, so it must meet the minimum requirements for naval development.
After the exciting show of force is over, a certain new emperor's tour group will not leave immediately, but will stay in Tianjin for a while.
The purchasing teams of the two small partners, France and the Netherlands, will have to embark on the return journey after the goods are loaded on the ship.
A certain new emperor didn't know when he could meet these people next time.
Anyway, they are not big treasures, so they don’t need to see each other every day...
Major projects that should be shown to them, such as shopping areas, bonded areas, development zones, logistics parks, etc., have all been displayed to them.
Relevant instructions are also included. It is up to them to copy it when they go back.
What the other party got was the first-generation bound volume. After a certain new emperor refreshed it, the second-generation bound volume was about to be released.
Therefore, there is no fear of copying, and those allies cannot copy Ming's core technology.
24K pure technology is on the one hand, and on the other hand it is Ming Dynasty’s population, food, capital and huge productivity.
A certain new emperor has connected these five aspects through the first thirty years, and now he is about to knead them together.
Make it your own use so that you can develop stronger comprehensive strength!
Especially after the scapegoat abdicated, the Ming Dynasty had only one emperor, and the efforts to integrate all aspects of resources were greater than before.
During this period, Qu Xuanpin, the first assistant of the Southern Court, and Chen Yongji, the second assistant, also arrived in Tianjin.
The two received the decree in the southern capital and were very happy to learn that they were lucky enough to enter the northern court, which would be the cabinet of the imperial court in the future.
Not all the officials of the Beiting were disliked by Jiangnan scholars. For example, Huang Zongxi, a disciple of the Confucian master Liu Zongzhou, was the Minister of Rites of the Beiting.
Huang Zongxi and Chen Yongji were both from Shaoxing Prefecture in Zhejiang Province, but the former was older than the latter.
After Liu Zongzhou's death, Huang Zongxi, who received the true biography, suddenly became a master of Northern Confucianism.
Unlike respecting his master, Huang Zongxi, who was influenced by Emperor Haojing, even advocated using force to civilize the barbarians!
At first, such an initiative was criticized verbally and writtenly by Jiangnan Shilin, and Huang Zongxi's rhetoric was extremely violent.
Until the Jiangnan area was looted by the Spanish army, a large number of scholars surrendered to the enemy.
These people also argued that their actions were excusable and forced out of necessity.
Then after his words were published in the newspapers, they became a ridiculous explanation...
The translation is - I surrender and I am justified!
You said I just stand and talk without backache!
No matter how I behave, I am righteous!
If you dare to speak against me, you are evil!
My rules are the laws of heaven. If you dare to violate them, you should be punished by heaven and earth!
Even Peng Bin, who is known as the "dog thief", would be ashamed to hear this shameless sophistry.
Hou Fangyu, Zhou Maoyuan, Song Zhengbi and others all confidently surrendered to their Spanish masters.
Then with the disastrous defeat of the "Hegemonic Fleet", they were captured again by Zheng Zhilong.
Of course, it would be useless for Duke Zhenhai to keep these scum. If they were handed over to the court, they could be converted into military exploits.
When Emperor Chongzhen gave these hot potatoes as a gift to a certain filial son, the fate of these traitors became obvious.
There is no need to be punished by Ling Chi and let them lose the opportunity to show their faces in front of the people. They should be sent to the Monan Gold Mine to mine until they die!
At that time, there were still people who complained about the thousands of scoundrel scholars, saying that they were coerced by the Western Yi.
When Chongzhen arrested those who complained and sent them to Beidu, there was silence in the south of the Yangtze River.
One after another, the total number of traitors and their family members sent to Beidu reached more than 10,000 people.
For a certain new emperor, no matter what the academic qualifications of these people are, when they get to the mine, they should work hard!
If you are not doing well and are deliberately lazy, then let the supervisors use whips to stimulate these people...
They must understand that mining does not distinguish between academic qualifications and positions!
For example, the former Governor of Peru, Guzman, and a group of his men dug mines in Monan for ten years because their king was too stingy and unwilling to pay the ransom!
Some of them did survive until they were released. When they finally returned to their homeland, they caught up with Zheng Chenggong's troops and the French troops advancing from the north to the south...
It would be even more exciting if he could escape death and follow Carlos II to the Americas, and then be attacked by the French army, Zhang Xianzhong's troops, and even Indian tribes.
A certain new emperor believes that such a life is wonderful!
The scholar who betrayed the Ming Dynasty is really worse than a dog!
Once the group is drained, they can be burned to ashes nearby.
There is no need to waste land to bury it. Once it is blown by the wind, it will disappear into ashes.
In Beiting, capital punishment such as Zoshi is generally not used in non-extreme cases.
Generally, the penalty for mining is used to solve the problem. According to the sentencing, it is divided into mining for half a month, one month, three months, half a year, one year, three years, five years, ten years, twenty years, and life!
Ten levels, from low to high, extremely exciting.
It can make the prisoners think about changing their minds and start a new life after they go there!
A certain new emperor can give any prisoner who behaves well a chance to be a new man, but the place of reform is in North America!
These people are huge hidden dangers if they stay in the Ming Dynasty, so they are sent as far away as possible. They will never come back in their lifetime.
Zhang likes friends who can make a new life. As long as they can kill and dare to kill Spaniards, they are the warriors of the Dadong Empire!
In the past, ordinary people could not quickly replenish the combat effectiveness of Zhang's troops who had been fighting against the Western Army for a long time.
If it were the Ming Dynasty King's master, Zhang Xianzhong would be suspicious again.
For him, moderate or serious criminals are the best supplements.
Some people kill in self-defense, and because their families have no money, they will not receive a fair sentence.
Even after a new emperor came to power, it was difficult to overturn many cases due to long backlogs.
The simplest compromise is to send him to a mine to serve a few years in prison. As long as he doesn't commit another crime during the period, he can be released early.
This has an explanation for the court and the local area, and then you can take your family to North America to start a big adventure...
