Alfredo had imagined many situations after his meeting with the two powerful figures in Dingnan City. It should be said that yesterday's meeting with Gao Mengnan also had some unexpected situations. For example, Gao Mengnan used "The Book of Changes" to practice Tai Chi Push Hands. He was unwilling to express his attitude, but overall, Alfredo was not helpless.
However, today's meeting with Huang Zhiting was truly beyond Alfredo's expectations. He now discovered that Huang Zhiting should be a person with extremely clear goals and firm will. Of course, he also thought she probably didn't engage in diplomacy very often.
Not only did this "Her Majesty the Baroness" go straight to the topic as soon as she opened her mouth, she refused to speak even a single word of diplomatic terminology, and her words were filled with murderous intent. In Alfredo's opinion, although her lark-like voice was pleasant to the ear, her extremely indifferent language and indifferent attitude in talking about war made him have a deeper understanding of the rumored achievements of "Her Majesty the Baroness". direct knowledge.
This is a person who is used to seeing bloody war scenes. Perhaps in her eyes, the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood are no different from the calm Chao Phraya River, and neither can change her will at all.
However, her demands are so unreasonable. Take a look at these demands:
"The Kingdom of Portugal handed over the city of Malacca to the Kingdom of Siam free of charge. No armed personnel belonging to or hired by the country were allowed to stay in the city of Malacca. The transfer of defense must be completed within one day. The entire army must withdraw from the city of Malacca before noon the next day. The Portuguese Transported away by warships or merchant ships. Those who fail to leave Malacca within the stipulated time will be regarded as rioters by the army of the Kingdom of Siam and will be killed without mercy once discovered."
"All future production, trade and other economic activities in Malacca City will be entrusted by the Kingdom of Siam to Jinghua Company with full authority to manage it to ensure its characteristics as a commercial hub.
The city's defense is the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Siam, and the Kingdom of Portugal has no right to interfere. Without the consent of both the Kingdom of Siam and the Jinghua Company, the Kingdom of Portugal is not allowed to enter the city of Malacca with a single soldier or gun.
If commercial ships from the Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces want to enter the Port of Malacca, they must apply for approval according to Jinghua Company's requirements, and Jinghua Company or its client will board the ship for inspection. Only after passing the inspection can they enter the port. "
“The Kingdom of Portugal also needs to ensure that it will not interfere with any other activities involving military, government affairs, and economics in the Malay Peninsula. No matter what happens in the future of the Argentinian Peninsula, it will have nothing to do with the Kingdom of Portugal.
If the Kingdom of Portugal has intervention forces locally, it must withdraw completely within one month after the signing of this treaty, otherwise the Kingdom of Siam will not guarantee the safety of life and property of such people in the future. "
“After the above conditions are met, Jinghua Company will ensure that the Kingdom of Portugal’s normal trade activities in Malacca and Argentine Peninsula will not be affected, and will not set up any artificial barriers to trade activities.
The Kingdom of Portugal needs to ensure that its businessmen shall not violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty and the relevant regulations of the Jinghua Company. Otherwise, the Kingdom of Siam and the Jinghua Company have the right to punish them in accordance with their own laws and the regulations of the company. Punishment measures include, but are not limited to, imprisonment, beheading, tattooing, distribution, prison, flogging, and silver fines.
If those who have committed crimes or violated regulations and have not been caught and absconded are sentenced by the Kingdom of Siam or convicted by Jinghua Company, the Kingdom of Portugal is obliged to pursue them. If the Kingdom of Portugal does not pursue or pursues ineffectively, the Kingdom of Siam does not rule out the possibility of treating it as a serious provocation, and therefore reserves the right to respond at will, including banning trade or even war. "
“The Kingdom of Portugal needs to recognize the sovereignty or suzerainty of the Ming Empire over the entire Nanyang and Oriental regions and waters, and ensure that its merchant ships will not conduct any activities in violation of this sovereignty or suzerainty in the region and waters.
If this clause is violated, the Ming Empire, the Kingdom of Siam, the Kingdom of Bago, the Kingdom of Burma, the Kingdom of Nanzhang, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Kingdom of Luzon, the Annan Governor's Office, the Taiwan Reclamation Corps, etc., will reserve the right to respond in any way, including Trade and even war were prohibited. "
“The Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces need to recognize that Jinghua Company has undisputed jurisdiction or custody rights over the relevant waters in the Nanyang and Oriental regions, and ensure compliance with all Jinghua Company’s regulations in the region.
Without other special authorization from the Ming Empire or Jinghua Company, all warships and troops of the Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces are not allowed to set foot in the above areas and related waters.
If the Kingdom of Portugal and its affiliated forces violate this clause, the Ming Empire, Jinghua Company, etc. will reserve the right to respond in any way, including banning trade or even war. "
...There are a total of eleven paragraphs and twenty-nine articles in total.
He didn't know whether he was angry or scared, but Alfredo's hands holding the draft contract were shaking a little. He wanted to tear it up angrily on the spot, or slap it on the table hard, and then He yelled loudly, saying that this kind of clause was simply unreasonable and that he would never sign it.
However, when he glanced at "Her Majesty the Baroness" with a calm and even leisurely expression, especially the coldness in her eyes after seeing hundreds of thousands of troops fighting fiercely, he felt as if he had been poured over the head. Liang Shui didn't dare to do anything, and didn't dare to say anything.
Not only that, he also found with some sadness that he now simply did not dare to offend this seemingly charming "Her Majesty the Baroness" at all. Of course, this is not because of her beauty, but because of the powerful power she represents.
The Ming Empire had 1.6 million troops, and the private army owned by Mr. Gao Pragmatic numbered at least 200,000. These troops were not at all the highly weaponized ones that Portugal faced in Africa, the Arabian Sea, or India. An army that is so low-level that they don’t even know what firearms are.
Not to mention whether there were other private armies in the Ming Empire (note: this was a misunderstanding. After listening to Pedro's introduction, he thought that the nobles also had their own private armies), these 1.8 million firearms alone Alfredo felt like his calves were spinning under the pressure brought by the army.
1.8 million, the population of the Kingdom of Portugal is not much more than this number! [Note: At that time, Spain (Castile + Aragon) only had a population of 6 million, while Portugal was weaker than both of them and had a smaller population. ]
The big and small countries in India also have a large population, but their military technology is very poor, and their fighting will is even worse. In many cases, they have to go to the countryside to capture a group of people to make up the numbers.
However, even this so-called army can sometimes push back the Portuguese expansion in India just by relying on numerical superiority (of course, this is because the Portuguese army is relatively weak in Europe, and the number is always very small), So can Portugal afford to offend the Ming Empire, which defeated the Castile Army and Navy in the Philippines?
Don't be kidding, the "Ming Empire" doesn't even need to personally take action. His Excellency Gao Jingshi's at least 200,000 private troops and hundreds of warships can probably crush Portugal's power in Asia to the ground ten times!
What is the essence of so-called diplomacy in this era?
The essence is that if the gun barrel is hard, the waist will be hard. If the gun barrel cannot be hardened, the waist will be soft and cannot be hardened at all. Not to mention straightening up, I didn't even dare to speak loudly for fear of being misunderstood and getting beaten.
Don’t believe it? If you don’t believe it, just look at Spain’s attitude towards Portugal. When Philip II was not yet the King of Portugal, what would Spain do if there was a dispute over the division of colonies between the two countries? Philip II and his father, Charles V, were still arguing with Portugal in front of the Pope. By the time of Philip II, this man didn't bother to talk nonsense at all and directly sent troops to the border, while Portugal could only give in immediately and defeat them. Teeth and blood swallowed.
Why? Of course, the Spanish Army has absolute strength and absolute certainty that it can defeat the Portuguese Army! The Spanish Grand Formation during the "God Favors Spain" period, did Portugal dare to go up and take a lick?
In the Far East, Spain was defeated by the private army of His Excellency Gao Pragmatic and the "Ming Dynasty Military Nobles" and was unable to fight back. What hope does Portugal, whose strength is far inferior to Spain, have?
Join forces with the Castilians? Not to mention that there have always been conflicts between Portugal and Castile in terms of overseas expansion. They cannot be eased or even solved by sharing the same monarch. Do we have the strength to resist together?
Don't forget, the Spaniards have too much time to take care of themselves now. Not only was he stuck in the quagmire of the Netherlands, but there was also an Ottoman Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean that was killing all directions. Now it was at war with the English. Even the French's religious issues forced Philip II to Take action... Even if the Spaniard is an octopus, he can't take care of him now, okay!
To be honest, when he heard the news about Spain's failure in the Philippines, Alfredo's first reaction was not at all sad or sad. His first reaction was overjoyed - the damn Castile bastard is finally leaving. I'm out of Portugal's Far East!
[Note: According to the "Pope Meridian" and the "Treaty of Tordesillas", not only the Philippines should be its, but also China and Japan. This later became the origin and so-called basis for Portugal's stubborn insistence that it had "protection rights" in the East (including China and Japan). However, this thing was adjusted later, but even after the adjustment, the Philippine Islands is still a colonial area that the Pope allowed Portugal to exclusively expand and expand - of course, non-Catholic countries can ignore this. ]
But when the military exercises in Mousali began, the Portuguese finally realized: The Castilians were unlucky, and now it seems to be our turn.
However, even so, the vast majority of the Portuguese are still unwilling to join forces with Castile, because even if they join forces to win the war, so what?
The Portuguese may be able to gain a foothold for the time being, but Castilla will surely come back again. When Castile began to expand in the Far East, could Portugal, which was far inferior to them, be able to do it?
The selfishness in Western thinking played a huge role at this time: It doesn't matter if I lose Malacca, as long as the "Pope Meridian" and the "Treaty of Tordesillas" are still valid, I will still have a chance to come back in the future.
However, if the damned Castilians come in and still refuse to leave, according to its current status in Europe, especially its importance to the Holy See under the wave of religious reform, the Holy See will change no matter which country the pope comes from. , will definitely choose to support Spain rather than Portugal.
Then when the time comes... the Far East will really say goodbye to Portugal.
"Your Majesty, Baroness." Alfredo tried his best to calm his breathing, but his voice was still slightly trembling: "Any reciprocal treaty should not only impose responsibilities and obligations on one party, but the other party should also have reciprocal obligations." Rights and responsibilities, which is not reflected in your draft.”
"Really? Isn't it said here that you are allowed to trade freely in Nanyang and the East, as long as you abide by the regulations of Jinghua." Huang Zhiting glanced at him lightly and said, "Or do you have other requirements?"
"Yes, on behalf of the Governor of Goa - oh, according to the authorization, he has the power to decide our country's challenges and major events in the East - I must say: The Kingdom of Portugal has always attached great importance to the Catholic Patriarchate, and we believe that if the conditions you propose If it cannot be changed, then our country should at least be given full guardianship rights in the entire Far East, including the Ming Empire."
"What right to protect the teachings?" Huang Zhiting frowned: "What does that mean?"
Alfredo made a sign of the cross on his chest and said with a pious expression: "The patronage is a right and obligation granted by the Holy See to the secular government to protect the spread of Catholicism in non-Catholic countries. It is an important part of the Catholic missionary undertaking. A preferential privilege.”
"If you say it, you haven't said it yet." Huang Zhiting said with an unhappy face: "I'm asking what is the use of this thing, that is, what do we need to do for it?"
"Ah, as far as you are concerned, you or Jinghua, or even the Ming Empire and its subordinate governments do not have to do anything, as long as we are allowed to preach freely and set up churches freely throughout the Far East."
Huang Zhiting was a little surprised and a little suspicious. She frowned and asked, "That's it?"
Of course, the patronage itself does not only have this power. For Portugal itself, the "patronage" has several key contents. For example, missionaries to East Asia should register with the Portuguese government and take Portuguese merchant ships to Asia. Bishops in East Asia should It is recommended by the King of Portugal to the Pope that local negotiations for missionary matters should be represented by the Portuguese government. When religious ceremonies are performed locally, representatives of the King of Portugal should precede representatives of various countries, etc. These are typical religious privileges.
Of course, the Portuguese government also has some obligations, such as providing missionary subsidies.
However, even after the special envoy Alfredo, who was now afraid of offending Huang Zhiting, explained it, Huang Zhiting still felt a little baffled.
What is the practical significance of this thing? Except that "Bishops in East Asia should be recommended to His Majesty the Pope by the King of Portugal" sounds somewhat useful, aren't the others just so-called privileges for the sake of appearance? Is this thing worthy of being brought out and mentioned solemnly?
Obviously, Huang Zhiting did not know how abnormal the Three Iberian Kingdoms' insistence on Catholicism was in this era. This power, which was almost worthless in Huang Zhiting's eyes, was of extremely great significance to Portugal.
In addition to the so-called honor brought to Portugal by the "protection rights" itself, once the Ming Empire and its tributary territories recognized Portugal's patronage rights, it would mean that Portugal had an overall victory in the competition with Spain in the region.
Even if neither of them got an inch of land, it still represented Portugal's huge contribution to the Catholic cause. Accordingly, the provisions in the "Pope Meridian" and the "Treaty of Tordesillas" came into effect, and the Spanish automatically It loses the qualification to compete for the territory of this area - unless it converts, but that is absolutely impossible.
Huang Zhiting recalled it, and felt that Gao Pragmatic had always talked about freedom of religious belief, and did not seem to reject Catholicism, so she was a little moved. But after thinking about it again, I felt that the Portuguese conditions were too simple, and there might be some conspiracy in it.
She really didn’t understand these missionary issues, and was afraid that Gao Pragmatic would be dissatisfied with the decision by then, so she thought for a long time before asking: "If this treaty includes the missionary rights you mentioned, you can now sign it on behalf of the Kingdom of Portugal. Really? Or do you need to go back and ask your governor for instructions?"
Alfredo did not expect that Huang Zhiting actually gave him some choice. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and said quickly: "Of course it is best to go back to Goa and ask the Governor for instructions."
Huang Zhiting immediately said: "Okay, I'll give you this opportunity. You can go back and ask your governor for instructions now, and wait until I return to Dingnan from the capital next year."
Alfredo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly expressed his complete agreement.
But Huang Zhiting added: "But I can't guarantee whether I will change the terms by then, regardless of whether I change it or not. If you don't agree to sign by then... you should know what that means."
Alfredo's mouth twitched and he nodded stiffly.
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Thanks to book friends "Cao Mianzi", "Zhi Yujing Fengchen", and "Yan Yunhe" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!
