After the Leopolds, Alexander, Nicholas and others are arranged there, the original non-indigenous settlement areas in Africa will become slightly crowded.
But this did not stop the scheming Emperor Haojing from being so resourceful. As a kind-hearted emperor, he would naturally help them find a suitable piece of land.
Of course, Ibrahim or the Zhengs cannot be allowed to suffer losses, and the target can only be...Dutch East Africa!
That is what later became Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and this large area in northern Tanzania!
Dutch East Africa is the territory of the Netherlands, and it is inconvenient for the Zheng Group to go north to interfere. After the local owner is replaced by Xin Yimin, it will be much easier for Zheng Jun to go north to stir up trouble!
As for whether William III will agree... it's easy to handle. A certain emperor can make an offer that cannot be refused!
What exactly is the quotation? That was to pack up the British Isles and Dutch East Africa that William III had just purchased, so that he could continue to retain Dutch India and Dutch South America.
The exchange price is for the four places of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Dongfan. This was the treasure land that the Netherlands had previously dreamed of!
During the meeting at Polo Castle, William III could not believe what he heard. In particular, Fujian was previously the territory of Nicholas Zheng Yiguan. Later, after he moved to southern Africa, the old friend also reinvested in the local shipyards and ports, and all the infrastructure was available.
It can be said that the offer from an old friend is better than that of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands combined. However, after calming down, William III decided that this seemed to be a trap.
After all, it’s not uncommon for pie to fall from the sky, but the most important thing is not to be directly hit to death by the pie!
However, it would be very impolite and easy to offend an old friend to refuse his proposal.
In order to test the other party's bottom line and obtain a higher offer, William III still responded with a counteroffer.
Simply bet on the most valuable bargaining chip in your hand - Dutch India, in exchange for half of the Ming Empire's homeland!
That is, all the areas south of the southern Zhili, Huguang, and Sichuan lines. This can be regarded as sweeping away most of the wealthy areas of the Ming Empire except northern Zhili.
"At most, we can add Guizhou, Yunnan, and Jiangxi! Because in southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Sichuan and other places, I still have to exchange with Louis XIV!"
"……real?"
"He has always envied the advancement and prosperity of Beidu, and he also likes the land of plenty in the south of the Yangtze River. In this case, I think it is possible for both parties to reach an agreement!"
"...This plan is too shocking!"
"Our country has extended its western border to central Germany, which may cause some trouble to both your country and France. In this case, why don't we change our position? Responsibly speaking, our country's infrastructure construction It is a leader in the world, whether it is cities, towns, airports, ports, roads, railways, factories, hospitals, etc. When your country exchanges land with France, not only will it not suffer in terms of area, but its infrastructure will not suffer either. It’s a truly good deal.”
"That's true!" Not to mention Louis XIV, even William III was envious of the infrastructure of the Ming Empire. He originally hoped to follow suit after moving to the British Isles.
Now it is possible to directly exchange land with the Ming Empire. It must be said that this is a huge temptation that even William III himself cannot resist!
"By the way, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Dongfan and other regions have two crops a year. Grain production can be guaranteed, and the climate is much better than that of the humid and cold British Island. Then there are sugar production in Guangxi and chili peppers in Guizhou. Brewing and tobacco in Yunnan have already formed large-scale industries. I will order them to be retained locally. Your country's immigration and related companies will directly benefit from moving there and save a lot of initial investment. These places Except for Qiongzhou and Dongfan, they are all adjacent lands. Unlike the British Island, it is very easy to manage. Even Qiongzhou and Dongfan are not far from the other side." This is equivalent to Zhu Cixiang giving free advertising to the local area. Basically, everything is true, and there is no need to lie to old friends.
"What you said makes sense. I will definitely consider it seriously. I still need to go back and report to the parliament on this matter, but I am personally optimistic about it!" William III thought that based on what he learned about the situation and the introduction of his old friends, This deal is still worth doing.
It would be a pity if you missed it. After all, you may not encounter it once in a hundred or even a thousand years.
Louis XIV arrived at Chateau Polo two days later. Hearing Zhu Cihong's proposal, he was extremely shocked.
After the land exchange between France and the Netherlands, the Holy Roman Empire was about to collapse, which meant that the western border of the Ming Empire was bordering the eastern border of the country.
Although the two parties are still strategic partners, it does not mean that there is no competitive relationship in various fields.
What's more, the Ottomans annexed Austria and southern Germany, which meant that the French Empire would face a pincer attack from the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire at the same time.
It is too passive strategically, but there is no place to move to in our own country. You can't just give up your homeland and move Zimin and the others to West Africa to settle down, right?
"My country's Northeast and North China are grain-producing areas, which can be completely equal to the combined grain output of your country and the Iberian Peninsula. Shanxi and Shaanxi both have giant coal fields, which can also meet the needs of winter heating and industrial production. Northeast China There is also a large iron mine that can be transported by railway. In addition, there is a super oil field in the Northeast with reserves of up to 30 billion barrels. This country has not been exploited. After your country moves, it will be equivalent to a treasure. In addition to the oil fields in the Western Regions and Shaanxi, there is basically no need to transport oil from West Africa. Cities such as Beidu, Tianjin, Baoding, Luoyang, Xi'an, and Penglai are the best places for construction in this country. As long as you agree, it can be intact Completely obtained, with all due respect, it is not inferior to your country’s Lyon, Marseille, Madrid, Lille, Turin, Milan and other places. My country’s naval bases in Lushun, Tianjin, Penglai, Qingdao and other places, your army It can also be used directly. The port can accommodate 50,000-ton battleships, and the related facilities are all available, so there is basically no need to invest in construction." Zhu Cixiang didn't even bother to bargain with Louis XIV, and directly offered the other party the highest price. .
If you want to make a counteroffer again, you will have to pay lower price!
"...Well! I have to say, I can't refuse your offer!" Louis XIV showed no expression on his face, but in his heart he was already looking forward to the beautiful life after moving.
If it can really acquire most of the mainland of the Ming Empire, France will be able to permanently maintain its status as the world's second largest power, and will no longer have to worry about the threats of the Inca Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
"Don't worry, you can think about it for a few years, ten years, or decades!" Zhu Cixiang is not anxious at all, because everything has just begun, and there will be more exciting things to come!
For super important events related to the national destiny and future development, Louis XIV may be hesitant and unable to make a decision.
but! As an emperor who enjoys helping others, Zhu Cixiang can help him!
"Have you considered it? I have submitted the offer to Louis XIV. If he agrees first, I'm afraid you won't be able to share it!" Regarding the change of territory, the person Zhu Cihong knew the most about was not William III, but William III. It was little Frederick.
After the Ming Empire occupied Denmark and was about to acquire the central and eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire.
Prussia was almost semi-surrounded by the Ming Empire, and its geopolitical situation was very bad. This is under the premise that the two parties are strategic partners, otherwise Prussia might be the next one to be eliminated.
Of course little Frederick was very anxious about this, but even with the joint help of Louis XIV, William III, and Karl XI, they might not be able to fight against the behemoth of the Ming Empire.
The Ming Empire alone was terrifying enough, but what was even more terrible was that the Ming Empire and the Ottoman Empire were natural allies in Europe.
If these two empires insist on launching a larger-scale war, I am afraid that France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Prussia, Switzerland, Venice, and Rome combined will not be the opponent of each other!
Moreover, the Ming Empire also had a bunch of servant armies, and the Inca, Kimchi, and Japanese armies could all charge into battle for it. The previous two imperial wars had already revealed this.
For Little Frederick, Zhu Cixiang’s price range covers Zhejiang, southern Zhili, Huguang, northern Jiangxi, and Sichuan, basically covering the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
If Frederick Jr. is not satisfied, he can also trade Sichuan for Fujian. After all, Quanzhou and Xiamen in Fujian have outstanding shipyards in the south.
Of course, Zhu Cihong could not give the entire Fujian to Frederick Jr. Prussia simply could not compare with the Netherlands, just as the value of the Netherlands could not be compared with France.
Huguang has grain, and Zhejiang has silk and tea. With these two places, as well as ports for import and export trade, Frederick no longer has to worry about Prussia's future economic development.
Compared to Prussia itself, the price Zhu Cihong offered to little Frederick was truly astronomical. It is estimated that no other person in the world has done this.
It is necessary to divide the world into three parts, and Louis XIV cannot be allowed to take advantage of it too much. Not only that, but also to support the Netherlands and Prussia.
If France is considered the Kingdom of Wei, then Prussia is the Kingdom of Wu, and the Netherlands is approximately equal to the Kingdom of Shu. Analyzing the situation of dividing the cake, France's national strength is greater than the advantage that Wei had over Wu and Shu combined.
Because the Northeast is France's rear area, it will basically not face military threats from the other two countries. In order to ensure that Prussia could withstand the French army's possible southward movement in the future, Zhu Cixiang even planned to add Nanzhili, the richest region in the south, to Frederick's offer.
The southeastern region lacks large-scale iron ore and coal mines. The coal mines in Huainan and the iron mines in Ma'anshan were of great help to Prussia's industrial development.
Then there is the matter of helping Prussia develop its previously weak navy, which requires at least two to four battleships, four to eight cruisers, and a bunch of destroyers.
By turning East Asia into a veritable monster house and stimulating an arms race in the region, a certain emperor's original intention will be realized... If relocation can become a reality, in the future, France, the Netherlands, Prussia, plus Kimchi and Japan will , as well as the Ming fleet stationed in Luzon.
The competition for sea control in this region will become unprecedentedly fierce, and may even surpass that of Europe. In this way, the arms business of the Ming Empire will be booming again... Originally, Frederick Jr. wanted the northern region of the Ming Dynasty, even the Northeast.
But he really couldn't bring up enough chips to cash in, and the Prussians were intolerant of heat. In the end, we had to choose the eastern region, which is neither south nor north.
Due to the dense water network in the Jiangnan area, large-scale land battles are out of the question. Places suitable for heavy-armed group operations can only be in Huguang or the area east of the Dabie Mountains.
Prussia's military industry, especially the manufacturing level of heavy weapons, lagged far behind France. Even if they really gained the northern region, the Prussian army would not be able to do much in the face of the French armored forces.
On the contrary, the water network of the Jiangnan and Yangtze River tributaries will greatly restrict the southward speed of the French armored forces.
The water net is a double-edged sword. As long as it is used well, it can turn disadvantages into advantages and cause considerable obstacles to the enemy.
Another way is to let little Frederick go to the northeast, while Louis XIV gets most of the area within the pass.
If you do this, Louis XIV may be forced to abandon the northern capital because it is too close to the outside of the pass.
Choose to place France's new capital in Nandu or other places, and there are giant iron ore and oil fields in the northeast.
These natural resources were something Louis XIV was absolutely unwilling to give up, and they were also the main bait for Zhu Cixiang to attract his opponent!
Louis XIV was indeed not in a hurry to reply to this matter, but little Frederick had already agreed. After all, France does not need to worry about being attacked from both front and rear. The situation faced by Prussia is much worse than France.
The Ming Empire did not need the coordination of the Japanese army. As long as it dispatched a huge fleet of aircraft and cooperated with the horizontal push operation of thousands of tanks, it could drive the main force of the Prussian army into the Baltic Sea to feed the fish... Perhaps Prussia could maintain its relationship with the Ming Empire for decades. , even hundreds of years of friendly relations, but after all, it is not as practical as moving directly.
The infrastructure construction in Prussia was also obviously not as good as that in the new territory. After visiting and inspecting it, Frederick had an excellent impression of the place.
Being able to get such a good piece of land for free would make me smile even in my dreams. In order to thank Frederick Jr. for his quick decision, Zhu Cixiang also gave him a seventh-level battleship for free as a token of his gratitude.
It's just that the relocation of millions of people cannot be completed overnight. Even if it is agreed now and both parties try their best to cooperate, the whole process will last for nearly eight to ten years.
As for the fundamental reason for this change of territory, Zhu Cixiang's explanation is very clear, that is, local rebellions are emerging one after another.
In order to completely solve this problem, it is necessary to cut off the roots of those scum through a complete move.
It is necessary to re-plan, divide and disintegrate some families with ulterior motives, make overall arrangements and implement them in place.
Use the move to cut all the local clans that resemble bully gangs into dumpling fillings! Of course, a certain emperor would not execute those clans on a large scale for breaking the law. Millions of people may be involved, which would affect his good reputation as an emperor through the ages.
But if you change the method, you can still achieve a similar goal...
