"What?" Duke Medina-Sidonia said in surprise when he heard this, "How is it possible? You said that the Ottoman Empire is not worthy of carrying shoes for the Ming Empire, are you right?"
After hearing this, King John IV nodded solemnly and said, "Why should I lie to you?"
"..." When the Duke of Medina Sidonia heard this and saw his expression, he immediately knew that he was not talking nonsense and was stunned.
For a long time, in the eyes of Europeans, the countries in the East were indigenous countries. They could colonize the East by just sending some people there.
The same is true. Many countries have established companies one after another, rushing to go to the East. The Dutch East India Company, the British East India Company, etc., including Portugal themselves, all want to plunder wealth from the East.
The Ming Empire in the Far East is said to be rich in wealth, but it has never been said to be a powerful country!
However, at this moment, I actually heard from the King of Portugal that the Ming Empire in the Far East was actually a country much more powerful than the Ottoman Empire!
Seriously, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia is very unbelievable!
As for Joao IV, of course he will not tell everything he knows. After all, the two sides are still hostile. For example, the steam paddle-wheel battleship is his trump card. If he cannot defeat Spain, at least he can escape!
Therefore, seeing that the Duke of Medina-Sidonia was shocked, he didn't say much and just looked at his father-in-law silently.
After a while, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia came back to his senses, still finding it hard to believe.
Perhaps after what John IV said, his impression of the Ming Empire did change. However, it did not change to the extent that the Ottoman Empire was not worthy of carrying shoes to the Ming Empire.
Therefore, he did not want to say anything else, and withdrew the topic and said to John IV: "No matter what, the Ming Empire is far away. But you, Portugal, are already surrounded by millions of Spanish troops, surrounded by land and sea. Portugal, now His Royal Highness the King has shown enough goodwill. Not only will he recognize Portugal’s independence, but he is also willing to marry the princess over. Isn’t this enough for you to hand over your new guns and Far East trading rights?”
After hearing this, King Joao IV was silent for a while.
Indeed, in the current crisis, it is very difficult for Portugal to stop the crazy Spanish army without foreign aid. It can even be said that it is basically impossible! Even if they have new guns and cannons, the population is too small to stop them!
However, in the end, João IV shook his head and said to his father-in-law: "I will not hide it from you. If I can only choose one to offend, I would rather offend Spain than the Ming Empire!"
"..." When the Duke of Medina-Sidonia heard this, he was speechless. He looked at his son-in-law with a puzzled look. He was extremely puzzled. Why was he so afraid of the Ming Empire in the Far East?
Seeing him like this, Joao IV explained: "Let me tell you, even if Spain attacks Portugal with all its strength, Spain will still not be able to keep me if I leave. In the future, I will definitely fight with the Ming Empire's army Together, we will counterattack and take revenge by destroying Spain!"
When the Duke of Medina-Sidonia heard this, he looked disapproving. But before he could speak, João IV continued: "But if I violate the agreement with the Ming Empire and offend the Ming Empire, then one day in the future, the Ming Empire will destroy Portugal, and I won't resist at all. room."
Having said this, he paused, looked at his father-in-law and said, "You should understand what I said, right?"
"What do I understand?" The Duke of Medina Sidonia was really angry when he heard this. "I didn't expect you to be such a person. You are so afraid of the natives of the Far East? You must know that they are How can we really send troops to Europe from so far away? Even if we come, how many troops can be sent? I was so blind that I married my daughter to a person like you who fears the natives of the Far East to the core!"
When King Joao IV heard this, his face looked a little ugly.
However, the man in front of him was his father-in-law after all. Therefore, after a moment of silence, he still replied: "I actually had the same idea as you at the beginning. However, I can swear on my honor that today's Ming Empire will never Look at it with old eyes. Your nephew, Theodosio, went to the Ming Empire and didn't want to come back. He said that he wanted to learn more knowledge there and then come back to carry it forward and turn Portugal into the most powerful country in Europe! "
"..." When the Duke of Medina Sidonia heard this, he was immediately speechless.
His nephew was the heir to the King of Portugal. Logically speaking, nothing could attract him to stay in the Far East. However, he said that after learning more from the Ming Empire, he could turn Portugal into the most powerful country in Europe? Although he is a child and does not know how to speak properly, he can still reflect that the Ming Empire seems to be really powerful!
And João IV has always emphasized this point. Is it possible that the Ming Empire has really become very powerful?
Thinking of this, he fell silent.
Seeing him like this, King Joao IV thought for a moment and then said: "But since you are here, I can't let you go in vain. What do you think?"
Seeing his father-in-law's eyes staring at him, João IV continued: "To tell you the truth, the products of the Ming Empire will only be sold to Portugal. Therefore, I can sell all the products of the Ming Empire to Portugal. Spain does not sell it to other countries. And the price is very affordable, so I can only earn hard-earned money. In this way, Spain can still make a lot of money by selling Daming products to other countries. In this way, I Bian will not violate the agreement with the Ming Empire!"
Having said this, he paused and then said hesitantly: "As for the new guns and cannons, I can also provide them to Spain, but you have to guarantee that if you want to imitate the new guns and cannons in the future, you must pay them, and then I will transfer them to Spain. Ming Empire!"
In fact, once these new guns are captured by Spain, or if it takes a little longer, there will be no secrets about the new guns, and other countries can also imitate them. Therefore, he came up with this statement and believed that the Ming Empire could also explain the past.
As for the steam engine, since no one else had discovered it, he didn't say anything about it.
The Duke of Medina-Sidonia heard this, and to be honest, he was really a little dissatisfied. No matter how much they change, their impression of the Ming Empire in the Far East will remain the same. Not to mention, the Ming Empire is thousands of miles away from Europe. Is it possible that they can still send large armies to Europe? Why should they be afraid of the Ming Empire?
However, King Joao IV took a step back and gave him a solution because he was his father-in-law. It is impossible to retreat again.
The Duke of Medina-Sidonia was very dissatisfied with this and did not want to stay any longer. He stood up and was about to leave. Before leaving, he said to his son-in-law: "The reason why His Royal Highness mobilized so many troops to gather at the Portuguese border is to make you agree to his request. However, I believe he will be very dissatisfied with your answer. Therefore, you Be prepared to bear his wrath, I have tried my best!"
After he finished speaking, he sighed and left.
For him, he certainly does not want to see Portugal destroyed by Spain. However, there is really no other way. This son-in-law is afraid of the distant Ming Empire. He is so afraid that he has nothing to say.
King Joao IV did not change his tune and sent his father-in-law away silently. Then, I began to seriously consider whether it was time to evacuate to South America.
If they evacuate to South America, he and some ministers will definitely be fine, but his people will definitely suffer. Therefore, he did not want to take this step until the last step.
………………
Besides, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia returned to Spain and met King Felipe IV of Spain.
"How is it? Isn't João IV very grateful?" Felipe IV said with a smile when he saw it, looking confident.
To be honest, he was actually very satisfied with the arrangement he had made.
He had this idea after learning about the situation in Portugal.
If Spain has the right to trade fine goods from the Far East and has such powerful new guns, he believes that Spain will definitely become stronger again and let its enemies, such as France, have a taste of the consequences of challenging Spanish hegemony!
It was also for this reason that he went to great lengths to deal with Portugal, just to force Portugal to agree to his request.
When the Duke of Medina Sidonia saw his happy look, he couldn't help but feel speechless and quickly reported: "Your Highness, things are not going very well..."
Felipe IV, who was in joy, was stunned when he heard this. After he came to his senses, he suddenly became furious and said: "Then what does Joao IV mean? Not agreeing? Doesn't he know his own situation? ?”
He asked several questions in one go, with a lot of anger.
The Duke of Medina-Sidonia could actually understand his anger and quickly explained: "It's not that I don't agree, it's just that there are some modifications."
As he spoke, he told all about the secret mission. Based on the butt issue, although he basically stated the facts, he still defended his son-in-law to some extent.
However, when Felipe IV heard this, he still asked angrily and pointedly: "You mean, Joao IV is more afraid of the Ming Empire in the Far East than he is of Spain?"
After hearing this, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia smiled bitterly in his heart, and finally nodded and replied: "This should be the truth, Your Highness!"
