But if we were just negotiating, it wouldn't have taken so long.
Last year, a communications squadron carrying two transceivers traveled thousands of miles to Tang Baolu. Zhao Hao received the negotiation content from the front on the same day and gave instructions to Tang Baolu, the plenipotentiary negotiator. There will naturally be more and more tricks.
Moreover, after the peace talks, the Spanish proposed to form an alliance with the Ming people. Philip II knew very well that the current crisis could not be solved by successfully negotiating peace with the Ming people.
He had to pull the Ming people to his side and help Spain resist the enemies at sea so that he could concentrate his forces to clean up the situation on land.
Spain no longer has the ability to rebuild a large fleet...
Zhao Hao didn't expect that once this fillet steak lost face, it would be so shameless.
Fortunately, he had the same intention. Spain, which had suffered repeated defeats, was no longer a threat to the Ming Dynasty. The rising England and the Netherlands, as well as the Protestant countries in Northern Europe, were the stars of hope that had to be strangled.
There are no eternal enemies or eternal friends between countries. Everything is just a matter of taking advantage of the situation.
For a long time to come, the corrupt and backward Spain would be more suitable to become an ally of the Ming Dynasty to strangle the more reactionary European Protestant Alliance.
The reactionary old forces must be stronger in order to suppress the more reactionary new forces.
Therefore, Zhao Hao did not weaken Spain too much... Although the Spaniards claimed that North America was the king's territory, they simply did not have the strength to expand their business so much. Therefore, even if they gave away the entire North America, they would not feel any pain, let alone suffer a serious weakening.
In the future, our Ming Dynasty may even help Shinra to win the next thirty years' war!
Zhao Hao’s strategic direction is very clear, which is to support the Holy Roman Empire and the Green Roman Empire and let Europe return to the beautiful Middle Ages.
He took great pains to dig the Suez Canal, which also served this purpose. Once the canal was opened, the center of European trade would inevitably return to the Mediterranean.
By then, Western Europe will always be on the edge of the world. The sea coachman and the great pirate will never have the chance to take center stage!
~~
Mr. Zhao, who learned from the big troublemaker... Oh no, the European balance of power policy theory, called Don Paul and asked him to discuss an alliance with the Spaniards.
Of course, the price of an alliance is even higher.
On the premise of not weakening Spain too much, Zhao Hao personally drafted this contract entitled "Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between the United States":
The general idea is that because America is vast and rich in resources, Jiangnan Group and the Kingdom of Spain, as close allies, decided to jointly develop the entire Americas, including South America, Central America, North America and the Caribbean...hereinafter referred to as the entire America.
The treaty stipulates that nationals of both contracting parties have the right to reside, travel and engage in industrial and commercial activities throughout the United States, as well as the right to explore and develop mineral resources, purchase and lease land, and enjoy non-discriminatory national treatment in the economic field.
The agreement also stipulates that the goods of both parties enjoy mutual tariff exemption in the United States, and no prohibition or restriction shall be imposed on any import and export goods of either party in the United States. However, the two parties can negotiate a list of exceptions.
Ships of both sides can freely sail in any open port or inland river in the United States. Ships of both sides, including warships, can enter any closed port or territorial waters of the other side when encountering any distress, and the other side has the obligation to provide rescue and necessary assistance.
Finally, any discriminatory behavior that violates the above provisions may be regarded as a violation of this treaty. If no agreement can be reached after consultation, the friendly premise of the contract will no longer exist and this contract will automatically become invalid.
And because this contract is the premise of the alliance between the two parties, the invalidation of this contract will also lead to the automatic invalidation of the alliance between the two parties.
The above is the main content of the treaty.
When it was delivered to the Royal Palace in Madrid, Philip II was very surprised at first sight.
Because the text of this treaty was very equal, and both sides had equal rights. The other side did not make any unilateral demands, let alone territorial or monetary demands. In the eyes of those stupid noble officials in the country, it was already very friendly and sincere.
But a wise and capable ruler like Philip II could naturally see that things were not that simple.
First of all, North America had not yet been developed, but New Spain, Central and South America, and the Caribbean had been developed for half a century. With the gateways to both sides open, merchants from the Ming Dynasty could flock to the Spanish colonies to do business, open mines, and purchase land.
But what could the Spanish do in North America? If they had the ability to develop North America, would they have waited until now?
Moreover, Jiangnan Group has only opened up North America, but has not opened up its homeland and Southeast Asia, and has even refused to open up Africa. Isn't it obvious that they are on guard against us?
Philip II then expressed his hope that at least the Philippines and Africa could be added.
But they were rejected by the Tang representative. Because the damage caused by the Spaniards to Luzon was too severe, the people of Luzon could not accept it emotionally, and the red-haired ghost reappeared in front of them.
As for Africa, it was restricted by the alliance between the group and Portugal. Therefore, the African route, or more precisely, the West African route, was still exclusively enjoyed by Portugal. Until the Spanish and Portuguese alliance was concluded... Spain and Portugal had a feud of destroying each other, and this clause completely blocked the possibility of an alliance between the two countries.
Portugal is a small country with few people, so it can actually make a lot of money just by relying on this route. Now the whole country depends on it for survival, so how can we let the Spanish get involved and have a share?
In Philip II's view, this was not the worst. The worst thing was that his country's manufacturing industry lagged far behind the Ming Dynasty in terms of quality and scale.
In another time and space, the Ming Dynasty's goods, relying solely on the trade of galleons, squeezed Spanish goods out of their own colonies and caused the Mexican silk industry to go bankrupt.
In order to protect Spain's manufacturing industry, Philip II was forced to issue an order to restrict the galleon trade in 1593, the 21st year of the Wanli reign. The order stipulated that no more than two galleons could be shipped from Manila to Mexico each year, and the load capacity of each ship could not exceed 300 tons.
Now he has to face the invincible enhanced version of the Ming Dynasty. How can he not feel under great pressure?
In addition, he had learned that the population of Ming was twenty times that of Spain. As a result of opening the door to each other, would it be possible that even New Spain and Spanish South America would eventually be dominated by Ming people?
That's almost certain.
But after a painful struggle, Philip II chose to sign the contract.
After all, even if this contract is harmful to Spain, it will be decades in the future. In the short term, it will not only do no harm, but also bring great benefits.
For example, in order to guard against surprise attacks by the Ming Dynasty, Spain even stationed fleets in Acapulco, Panama and Lima on the west coast of America, built a large number of artillery batteries, and maintained a considerable number of coastal defense forces.
After the treaty was signed, at least the west coast of America no longer needed to be fortified. He could move these troops to the east coast, withdraw the elite fleet originally stationed in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean region, and save a lot of military expenditure.
In addition, the treasure fleet could be restored, and the galleon trade could once again bring in Eastern goods... especially the war materials that Spain desperately needed. And most importantly, it would restore the confidence of Italy's creditors and make them willing to lend him money again.
So even if it was like drinking poison to quench thirst, Philip II had to hold his nose and drink this cup. He could only comfort himself by saying that he hoped Spain would be strong again after this hurdle and regain the initiative. Then he could renegotiate with the Ming people...
His Majesty's wish was good, but he didn't know that his descendants would be inferior to the previous generation. Moreover, a series of protracted wars were waiting for him and his descendants.
Although he and Jiangnan Group signed the "Military Alliance Treaty", Zhao Hao, the culprit who caused chaos in Europe, would only make the war in Europe more protracted, more intense, and more widespread...
~~
Baguio, Luzon First Civil-Military Sanatorium.
The telegram sent by Chang Kaiche was Don Paul's report that Philip II had agreed to all the terms of the "Military Alliance Treaty" and the "Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between the United States and the United States".
If Zhao Hao has no new ideas, he will officially sign the contract change on behalf of the group.
"Reply to Don Paul, we can officially sign the contract!" Zhao Hao happily filled his pipe and said, "Notify the fleet in Porto that they can set out to assist in the defense of the Bay of Biscay. Prove to His Majesty Philip that his choice is correct!"
According to a large amount of intelligence, the British have been organizing an expedition since this spring. Whether it is the analysis of intelligence personnel in Europe or Zhao Hao's own judgment, they all believe that this is Queen Elizabeth preparing to pursue the victory and completely eliminate the remnants of the Spanish fleet that fled back to the Bay of Biscay last year.
In the eyes of the British, if they could take this opportunity to destroy these 50 or so warships, it would be difficult for the Spanish naval power to recover. In that case, the British navy could easily intercept Spanish silver ships from America and prevent them from obtaining shipbuilding materials in the Baltic Sea. At that time, even if Philip II formulated a shipbuilding plan, it would not be implemented due to lack of supplies.
In another time and space, because Drake was arrogant and his pirate nature was exposed, he threw the queen's strategic intentions behind his head and just plundered along the way, which wasted two weeks and weakened his own strength, allowing the Spanish to organize their defense in advance.
In addition, the Spanish navy was still strong, so the British expedition ended in a disastrous defeat, with more than 10,000 casualties, and all the gains of the previous year were lost. The situation between Britain and Spain was reversed again. Later, under the attack of the rebuilt Spanish Invincible Armada, the British almost stopped their maritime activities until the Cromwell era.
But now, Britain has lost Drake and Spain has become a weakling, so perhaps Queen Elizabeth's plan will succeed.
After comprehensive consideration, in March, Zhao Hao ordered the expeditionary fleet headquarters on Madeira Island to prepare for battle and move to Porto.
Just a few days ago, the latest intelligence came from the front that the huge British fleet was about to set sail. It is estimated that His Majesty Philip II also learned of this information, which is why he ended his months of hesitation and finally signed the contract.
But he never dreamed that Zhao Hao, who was on the other side of the earth, would be able to learn about the British army's movements at the same time as him, and he had already expected that he would bow his head at this critical juncture.
p.s. Sorry, I have something to do at home today, so this is just one update.