With a shrill whistle, a schooner, puffing black smoke, slowly left the harbor and headed out for the open sea.

This is a battleship that has just completed replenishment in the harbor, that is, the "Tsurotto" class frigate gunboat designed and manufactured by the people on the east coast, and its strength is not bad, and it is a ruthless character who can go on the battle line to bombard. It stands to reason that such a warship will not appear in this part of the Mediterranean, and the East Coast Navy has entered this sea area several times in history, but this time it appeared, which has to be reminiscent.

Of course, that was a frustration for the French, and for the Genoese, who had suffered from the threat of war for the last year, these battleships flying the East Coast flag were really lovely! They will not forget who stood up and actively mediated when the French Eastern Fleet blockaded the ports, foreign trade was cut off, the stocks of the Office of Abundance were in dire straits, and more than 600,000 people of Genoese were in dire straits, and who used ships to bring in large quantities of wheat from the Black Sea to stabilize the price of grain in the Genoese market.

At that time, when the invincible French warships saw the grain ships on the east coast, they even opened their gun windows for a while, but in the end they still did not fire their guns, and let the ships on the east coast leave, which undoubtedly officially declared the bankruptcy of their policy of blockading the port of Genoa.

Why were the arrogant French so weak and restrained in the face of the merchant ships on the East Coast, and to put it bluntly, not that they were afraid that the East Coasters would take revenge on them elsewhere? Considering the growing business of the French in India, Burma, Siam, Vietnam and China, as well as their vigorous operation of plantations in the Caribbean islands, the country is not without overseas interests. Although it was really about to come to a critical moment, Louis XIV could certainly weigh the pros and cons and choose whether to give up these overseas interests, but wasn't that the point yet?

The reason why they shouted and killed the Genoese was because the country had built four warships for the Kingdom of Spain. Strictly speaking, this is actually a bit of a fuss. It's just four warships, what a big deal! What is the strength of the Spanish navy, they themselves don't force it, don't you French know it?

But the French just grabbed this and blocked the port of Genoa, so that this country with a high dependence on foreign trade instantly fell into a miserable situation, and the French also bombarded the port of Genoa in history, which was even more miserable, so that they had to ask grandpa to tell grandma and ask others to mediate. The reason why the French did this, in fact, in the light of the fact that they were now encroaching on the territory of the South Netherlands, it is not difficult to conclude that they should severely hammer and warn any country that tried to help Spain so as not to affect their own annexation cause.

To be honest, this trick of the French is still very clever. Their use of Genoa, a soft persimmon, not only served as a warning, but also avoided direct conflict with other powerful countries, which should be said to be a successful strategic warning or test. During the test, they found that the Austrians did not stop it, the English were indifferent, and Sweden, Prussia and other countries did not even react at all, and the United Province strongly condemned it from the perspective of cold lips. This result should have made the Paris court ecstatic, although at the last moment the east coast did not give face, and united with the Dutch to mediate, but the purpose of the strategic test has been achieved, and the French put the Genoese under the donkey and let the horses go, and collected the troops back to the camp.

Subsequently, before the departure of the consul Lescarlo, who had gone to Paris for peace talks on behalf of Genoa, the court temporarily granted him immunity from leaving the country, because Genoese law stipulated that once the consul left the country, even if it was only for a minute, he would automatically lose his position, although he was humiliated by the French, but the cease-fire finally did not change, and after guaranteeing a bunch of things and paying two million bank lira in compensation, the French finally turned their attention to the South Netherlands.

After this experience, the Genoese finally abandoned the promises of assistance to the French and Spanish Spaniards, but during the war they did not dare to let out the last illusions, and at the same time the favorability of the East Coasters was greatly increased, because they kept their promises, which was too fucking righteous. It is believed that the feelings of the Genoese people will be slowly transmitted to other parts of Italy and made more Italians aware of them, and this undoubtedly has a very positive significance for the influence of the East Coast Republic in the Mediterranean.

"The Garden newspaper reports: Councillor Garibaldi publicly declared that before his departure, the French had hosted a banquet at the Palace of Versailles for the Consul de la Carlo, the four members who accompanied him, and the East Coast Ambassador. At the end of the banquet, a French official asked him what was the most peculiar thing in the Palace of Versailles, and His Excellency the Consul replied that I myself was the most peculiar of my presence here...... "In a small two-story villa near the harbor, Paul Doria stood behind a bright glass window, watching the departing battleships on the east coast, while listening to the sound of the servants reading the newspapers."

"The Garden newspaper is really getting more and more powerful, and it can actually let Gary Baldi, an old old-fashioned councilor, be interviewed, it seems that this incident has really made our old gentleman angry enough." Paul Doria said with emotion. 、

The warships of the East Coasters were gone, but there were still many Genoese watching them on the docks. For the first time, many people clearly realized that in this world of great contention, if there is not enough force to protect them, then no amount of wealth is vain, which makes many Genoese people begin to think about their future, that is, whether it is really appropriate to allocate all their wealth in such a narrow and weak country?

The Dutch in the United Provinces have set an example for everyone. Those Protestants with a lot of money crossed the sea to England, flocking to London, Norwich, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool to set up factories and shops, and at the same time providing a large number of skilled workers and low-interest loans to the original industrial enterprises in England, which drove the English economy to take off while maintaining and increasing the value of their assets.

The same is true of the Huguenots in France. Feeling insecure, these people fled France to start a new life in other countries that were willing to accept them. And since many of these people were elites above the middle class and belonged to high-quality immigrants, the wealthy merchants and artists who were preferred by the countries went to London and Amsterdam, the craftsmen went to the industrial regions of England and Germany, the peasants went to the North American colonies of England, and the soldiers went to the enemy countries of France to help them fight.

"After this battle, I am afraid that the immigration boom will rise again." Paul Doriah said this with some sorrow. Genoa is small, but it is its hometown, the place where it grew up. But now that it is no longer safe under the military threat of foreign enemies, and the country can no longer give them adequate shelter, even if it is not occupied militarily, a small country like Genoa will definitely lose a lot of rights and interests in the case of being threatened, and it is time to go to a new place and start a new adventure with a new identity.

"Sir, there happens to be an immigration-related report in the Garden Newspaper, do you need me to read it?" The servant asked respectfully.

"Read." Paul Doria raised an eyebrow and said.

"French officials have warned Geneva not to accept defectors from their country anymore. Louis XIV was embarrassed by the fact that this Protestant city, with a population of only 16,000, was now home to thousands of French Huguenot refugees. ”

King James II, at the urging of his MPs, had to order appropriations to help Huguenot immigrants to make it easier for them to integrate into the economic and political life of England. Mr. Spencer, a member of parliament, pointed out that although England could not take measures to organize the persecution of Protestants in France, it was necessary to give them the necessary help for the benefit of England's economy and future. ”

"The Elector of Brandenburg openly announced the arrival of the French Protestants, saying that Berlin had the right faith and that experienced French Protestant officers and soldiers were welcome to settle in history, and by 1697 more than one-fifth of Berlin's population was French."

Under pressure from the Prince of Orange, the Estates-General of the United Provinces had to change their policy and open their doors to thousands of houses in the provinces to accommodate the fleeing French Protestants, declaring full citizenship and providing long-term loans at low interest rates to stabilize the lives of the Huguenots. The churches in the Dutch provinces also raised funds, and the Jewish merchant community made a lot of donations out of sympathy, and at the same time vigorously recruited these savvy and capable French into their commercial system. ”

"The Huguenot Marshal Schumberg fled to England with his family, and the marshal himself vowed to return to France with his army and regain all that he had lost."

"The French economy has been hit hard. Caen's textile industry has almost completely shut down, half of the silk weaving industry in Lyon and Tours has ceased production, only a tenth of the more than 100 shops in Le Havre are still open, the once-thriving tanning industry on the outskirts of Paris has disappeared, the paper mills in Nantes have closed three-quarters, and the famous commercial port of Marseille has fallen into a depression. ”

As the servant continued to read the newspaper report, Paul's brow furrowed more and more, and after a long time, he sighed and said: "The French industrial system, which the three prime ministers Richelieu, Mazarin, and Corbert have painstakingly built, has now been shaken. These Huguenots, who had always been the main force in commerce, industry, and the arts, should have been in England, the United Provinces, and North Germany, directing the techniques and operations of those factories, and producing goods that were very homogeneous with those of France, right? The export industry of the Kingdom of France should be hit hard in the coming period, and the import volume is afraid that it will also surge due to the impact of this time, how can they balance their finances? I'm afraid that there is only one way to increase taxes and plunder externally. ”

Paul Doria thought of the two million bank lira that Genoa had paid to France before, and although the money was not much, it was extremely disgusting, and it made people panic. Paul vaguely felt that now that the outflow of silver from France was accelerating and the government's revenue was decreasing, it was inevitable that he would have to start a foreign war as soon as possible to divert his attention, which made his sense of insecurity and powerlessness even more serious.

The Huguenots in France fled the world, but what should the Catholics in Italy do about themselves? Paul Doria looked left and right, and found that there was not even a single powerful prince in the divided Apennine Peninsula who could resist the French! The most powerful of the Republic of Venesia had already exhausted its national strength in the twenty-year war with the Ottoman Empire, and was no match for France at all, not to mention that Venice was still Genoa's old enemy, and it was impossible to take refuge in them under any circumstances.

Then come to think of it, the most ideal place for the elites of Genoa to emigrate, apart from the Kingdom of Austria, is the East Coast Republic of China in the Southern New World! Although this country is a pagan country, it is more religiously tolerant, and the persecution of Catholics and Protestants is decades ago, plus there is a relatively large group of Italian expatriates there, and the Genoese immigrants are still relatively comfortable in the past.

But after all, it is a little too far away, far from the Italian homeland, after all, they are a little different from the French, and they are still more homely. Louis XIV had already acquired the Château de Casal, the road to Italy had been opened, and although it seemed that the focus of his expansion was in the lowlands, it was impossible to turn the spearhead to rich Italy one day, and it would be too late to run!

"It seems that the time has come to allocate more possessions on the east coast." Paolo Doria sat back at his desk, intending to write a letter to his youngest son, who was studying on the East Coast, so that he would not be in a hurry to return to Italy after his studies, but that he would run an industry there, and that the family would send more people to help him with those businesses.

Paul believed that there must have been many Italians who thought the same way, and that they could be found in Genoa, Lucca, Milan, Tuscany, Venice, Naples, Sicily, Modena, etc. The Eastern Republic was civilized, and its policies toward infidels were as tolerant as those of the Ottoman Empire, perhaps even more so. Coupled with the country's unrivalled leadership in industry, commerce, and technology, it is impossible not to be optimistic about its future.

That being the case, then what is there to hesitate about! The French acted in such a perverse way that even Italians, who were also Catholics, were afraid. Now that the Apennine Peninsula is no longer safe, and the Republic of Genoa is completely unable to shelter its own citizens, it is only natural that the Doria family has begun to shift its focus overseas.

"I heard that the envoy of the people from the East Coast came a while ago and negotiated a long-term low-interest loan worth 10 million bank lira with the St. George's comptoir at an annual interest rate as low as 2, which is not much different from borrowing for nothing, and then they used this money to recruit French Huguenots into the army and form a mercenary army, which is simply amazing." Paul Doria sighed: "Using Italian money to recruit French cannon fodder, this East Coaster's business is too shrewd. ”