Looking at the bustling port and business district of Lisbon, Wang Youdun, the deputy governor of the General Office and the new Minister of Lisbon, said with satisfaction and emotion: "It has been thirteen years since Xie Bachi and other sages traveled west, and time has passed. ”

The minister official behind him said: "Yes, if Lisbon is prosperous today, most of it depends on the trade and goods with our Yinghua Celestial Empire, King John V has prepared a grand welcome ceremony in the royal palace, and is waiting for Wang Gong, whether Wang Gong is ......."

Wang Youdun shook his hand and said: "Don't worry, let's talk about today's Europa situation first." ”

Although he already knew it when he came, Wang Youdun wanted to hear the report from the front line.

The officials stopped urging, and as for the Portuguese royal housekeeper waiting in the legation, let him wait for the first time.

Modern Europa has never been peaceful, and even in 1733, the War of the Polish Succession had just begun. The context of this war is deep, and it can be roughly described as the controversy over the succession to the throne in Poland, with the French Bourbons on one side and the Austrian Habsburgs on the other.

As Sweden lost its say in European affairs due to its defeat in the previous Northern War, Queen Anna of Russia adhered to Russia's usual expansionist policy and quickly intervened to eliminate France's dominance over the Polish throne. France turned its attention to Austria, pulling on the Bourbon states such as Spain and Sardinia to besiege Austria.

When Wang Youdun first arrived in Lisbon, the war had just started in Poland, peace was negotiated in 1735, and the Vienna Agreement was signed in 1738, this somewhat anticlimactic war was not very conspicuous in European history, and even less remarkable than the Austrian Succession War in 1740, and it was a subsequent war that laid the pattern of modern Europe, that is, it was evaluated by Winston Churchill as "the First World War in the true sense". But it was the War of the Polish Succession that laid the groundwork for the War of the Austrian Succession and even the Seven Years' War.

The triggers of the Seven Years' War and the characters who appeared were planted in the War of the Polish Succession, including the rise of Prussia and the birth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The establishment of the pattern of European hegemony.

First of all, when France negotiated peace with Austria, France scooped the Duchy of Lorraine and the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily from the hands of the Habsburgs, and in order to appease Austria, the king of Austria was allowed. Maria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI? Theresia succeeded her.

Prussia, on the other hand, because of the co-optation of France and the distrust of Austria, fought in this war without losing its vitality, and the future Frederick the Great as a Prussian prince leisurely brushed up the initial war experience.

Russia's interference in the Polish throne also gave it a greater say in European affairs. It began to be seen as an important player that could not be ignored by the whole of Europe.

Britain stood by in the Polish Succession War, just as it did with the appeasement of Germany's rise two hundred years later, and this was naturally the policy promoted by Walpole, the leader of the Whigs and the beginning of the Chancellor. Britain would pay the price for this, including the restoration of the Stuarts and the Seven Years' War.

All in all, the situation in Europa is rapidly moving towards a maelstrom, the superstructure of Europe. It is on the eve of a storm of decomposition and reorganization.

Wang Youdun and the Anglo-Chinese diplomats naturally could not see the later history clearly, and even the situation in Europa in 1733 explained by the diplomats to Wang Youdun had many deviations, but Wang Youdun keenly grasped the point that had the closest relationship with the British and Chinese. "The Britons sat on the mountain and watched the tiger fight, but why didn't they take the opportunity to take the profit?"

Until 200 years later, Britain's first diplomatic principle was that it would not allow a strong man on the European continent to be superior to the rest of the world, and therefore would never be an opportunist. The difference between the two countries is only whether to speculate boldly or conservatively, and it is clear that Walpole falls into the latter category. …,

The officials explained to Wang Youdun the position and policies of the Walpole government, and at the same time asked why the country was always looking at Britain. Britain's colonies were mainly in the East Continent. The power in the West and Middle Continents was far inferior to that of Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and France. From the perspective of conflict of interest, it seems that Yinghua should regard Spain, France and the Netherlands as global enemies.

Although the consensus of the General Office was to regard Britain as a Qin state on the sea, as a century-old enemy on the sea, and pay special attention to observing Britain's movements, these officials stayed in Europa for a long time and were in the chess game. There has been a great disconnect from this consensus.

Wang Youdun said: "Europa has its own pattern, and Britain happens to ride inside and outside this pattern, and what it is weaving is another global situation, which must not be underestimated." ”

Wang Youdun actually doesn't have a thorough understanding, and only knows a general direction. When he came forward to meet with the head of the Portuguese royal house, he was still speculating about Walpole's thoughts, what direction would the first chancellor of the exchequer take Britain?

"Walpole will take Britain into the abyss!"

In a humble tavern in London, a thin young officer was waving a wine glass and shouting, but no one thought that the officer with the coat of arms of the 1st Cavalry Guards was talking about wine, and the glint in the eyes of the young men around his table was enough to show that.

William Pitt, in order to distinguish himself from his son William Pitt, everyone will call him Old Pete in the future, Old Pitt and Little Pitt are respected as the two greatest prime ministers in British history, it was they who led Britain into the era of the Industrial Revolution, and it was they who laid the foundation of Britain's empire, but Pete, who was twenty-five years old at this time, was still Little Pete.

"The sun never sets on the empire Spain is already a lame tiger, the majesty is long gone, relying on a layer of tiger skin to continue to occupy the rich colonies of the Americas, that is just a layer of tiger skin that can be pierced with a finger! The French stretched their hands too much, too long, and they were like headless flies, scurrying around the Americas, scurrying around Asia, and Britain only needed a fist, whether in America or India, with only one fist......"

Pete used the empty wine glass as a fist, and pompously paused on the wine table: "You can drive them out completely!" ”

"The war of the Polish succession, the French will inevitably intervene, this is the war of the Bourbons against the Habsburgs, France will inevitably pull Spain to act together, what did Britain do? Our esteemed Mr. Walpole said that we will do nothing, we will continue to release pirates and smugglers and fight pirates and smugglers! ”

"We should use our force to seize the benefits that are commensurate with Britain's status! Take the colony from the enemy! Trade the right! When the enemy is weak. We should take the initiative and strike bravely, as in the time of the queen (Elizabeth), the sea is ours and all ours! The world must be under the control of our Britain! The world map must be redrawn! to meet the needs of our Britons......"

Whether it's the young Pete at this time. Or the future old Pete, as the first belligerent prime minister in British history, he has always regarded force as Britain's most reliable reliance on the door to the Mandate of Heaven.

"Britain's mission is to dominate the whole world", "Britain must ensure victory in all directions", "Britain should take the initiative to attack", the philosophy that the elder Pitt upheld when he was in charge of Britain was inherited by the United States of America in the future, of course, it was the United States of America in his previous life.

The young people were outraged. Even the tavern owner shouted "I'm going to have this one!" For Britain! ”

With the free beer, Pete's tavern speech was about to enter**, the tavern owner suddenly let out a miserable scream, if Zhong Shangshang was here, he didn't need a translator, and he didn't even need the boss to say anything, he could understand the meaning of this scream. …,

"Damn Walpole. He changed the duty on tobacco and alcohol to a excise tax, and he was to collect the tax at the yard instead of the wharf! ”【1】

The tavern owner was of course outraged, not to mention that there was no way to evade taxes on the high-end liquor smuggled from France. Even local liquor shipped from Wales and other places now has to pay extra taxes.

The well-informed person who had just told the bar owner the bad news added: "It's not just alcohol and cigarettes, Walpole has lifted the ban on importing Seris......

There was silence in the tavern for a moment, and then there was a cacophony of shouts, cheering and swearing. Pete sneered and waited for the following, even though he didn't know the inside story, he also knew that there was definitely a follow-up.

Sure enough, the man continued, "Lord Walpole is also going to levy a 'Seris tax' on these goods at the branch yard, and the tax is double the value of the goods!" ”

The previous cheers turned into angry scolding. Pete exclaimed, "Behold, this is our esteemed Lord Walpole! When Seris merchandise endangered us in Britain, his way of doing it was not for the army to do justice for us, but to wield a butcher's knife and cut the flesh of us Britons! ”

The tavernkeeper gritted his teeth and shook the flesh off his face, and shouted again, "Mr. Pete." You're so nice, I'm going to invite you for this cup! ”

London, outside the Palace of Westminster, on the corner of the street, another William received a man with a sea breeze on his face.

"Mr. Pultenney, I'm Robert Jenkins and I used to be a captain ......"

The man always tilted his head when he spoke, giving people a strong feeling of imbalance between the left and right.

William Pulteney, who was idle in the wilderness, frowned, gouged in his memory, and suddenly said: "You are the ......"

Jenkins nodded: "Yes, I am the captain of the ship whose ears were cut off by the Spaniards, I have complained to the Caribbean Commander, I have complained to the House of Commons, and even to His Majesty the King, but ...... Nobody paid any attention to me. ”

As he spoke, he turned his head sideways and brushed his hair away, the part that had lost his ears looked very strange.

William Pulteny squinted his eyes and said, "It's Mr. Walpole who ignored you. ”

Jenkins continued to nod: "Such atrocities cannot be tolerated, and my shame is also a shame to Britain, and I am sure that Mr. Pulteney will take care of it." ”

Pultenay sighed, "But I'm a commoner now, no longer a member of the House of Commons, I'm only here to visit my friends." ”

Jenkins hesitated and said, "I heard...... I heard that you have a good relationship with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and His Highness has always said that Walpole bastard is not qualified to remain in the House of Commons and lead all of Britain. ”

Putney was silent for a moment, then chuckled, "Mr. Jenkins, your vengeance has not blinded you, you have not only found the right person, but also the right time......"

Scanning the streets with people rushing to see their faces angry, and occasionally hearing words like "Seris" or "Walpole".

Putney, who was kicked out of the House of Commons because of his political disagreement with Walpole, let out a long sigh: "Mr. Walpole, even if you still have to stay in the House of Commons, you must obey the will of Britain." ”

He continued, "By the way, what about the ear you lost?" Gone? Find another one, it will be of great use. ”

Half a month later, in early May, Walpole's new tax system had sparked discontent among businessmen and even ordinary people across the country, and Walpole was strenuously defending his policies at an emergency hearing in the House of Commons chambers.

"Anyway...... Britain could not rush into a war in which the outcome of the war was uncertain. Our taxes should be used to prop up our industry, our trade, not on warships and artillery! ”

Walpole's statement is also his true heart, and he is not as cowardly and cowardly as his political opponents claim. Rather, he argues, force has always been a risky investment, and that it is only by keeping tax rates low and allowing the country's financial power to focus on trade that it can achieve stable and rich returns. Those who clamored for war all day long are muscular and simple-minded fools, who have no idea where the fundamental strength of a country lies. …,

Hear what these councillors are saying? War with Seris? Forcing Seris to sign a trade agreement. Prohibit them from dumping goods in Europe through Portugal again? Forcing Seris to withdraw from India and recognize India as a colony exclusive to Europeans? Wake up! If the battlefield is in the Atlantic, maybe we in Britain have an 80% chance of winning and can go to war with Seris? I am afraid that the fleet will not survive the storm, and the number of officers and men will die of hunger and thirst far more than the number killed by the Seris!

Walpole felt sad that Britain's armed forces were limited, and beyond the Cape of Good Hope to the east, Britain's naval power was far inferior to that of France. Go to war with Seris. First of all, we must cross the threshold of France. Even if Britain invests in its main fleet, there must be a large port in the Indian Ocean that can dock and replenish.

Asia is too far away for Britain's force to stretch out. And the war with Portugal mentioned by some parliamentarians to force Portugal to cut off trade with Seris is a trigger that affects the whole body. Although Portugal traded with Seris on the one hand, it also maintained an alliance with Britain on the other hand, and at the same time pulled Spain and France by the thighs to fight Portugal, France and Spain were afraid that they would die of laughter, and then join forces to protect Portugal, and Europa was completely chaotic, which completely deviated from Britain's policy towards the European continent.

"Damn the Seris!"

Walpole muttered secretly. He could only count on blocking the country with exorbitant commodity taxes and driving Seris's goods out. And take this opportunity to fulfill his ruling ambition of increasing the consumption tax. Although this was a departure from the low taxes he had insisted on, he believed that the people of Britain (merchants and factory owners) stood with him.

"Your Excellency the First Chancellor, even the East India Company has made the strongest complaints. You are also opposed to war with the Seris, and I think you have misjudged the power of the Seris. The army of the Seris is so strong that they can even organize a modern army of more than 100,000 men in Luzon and Burma for battle, but their navy is very weak, not even a third of our Mediterranean fleet. Don't we even have the confidence to defeat such an adversary? In your eyes, your Excellency, have we fallen to such a state? ”

"Even in the face of powerful Spain and France, we have the courage to defend our interests by force, Lord Walpole, your arguments cannot persuade us to make a decision worthy of our elect! Whether or not to go to war with the Seris may not be a mature issue, but ...... For God's sake, you must end the current tax changes! ”

The opponent's counterattack still fell on Walpole's tax reform, which made him smile lightly and confidently, and he only needed to list the number of tariffs lost last year due to smuggling, and the amount of additional revenue that would be generated by the introduction of the new tax system......

Another voice sounded: "Your Excellency, the Seris are too far away, and Portugal has scruples, but Spain is right in front of us." The Spaniards did not hesitate to use the most barbaric methods to block our trade in the Caribbean, did we not Britain have the courage to retaliate with war in the face of the struggling Spain? ”

A paper bag was thrown onto the table, and the councillor said, "I ask the Speaker to allow one of the victims to enter the Chamber of Commons and explain to you the crimes of the Spaniards." ”

The paper bag was flipped on the table, and something slipped out of the bag, and the distinguished members of the House of Commons saw it clearly, and they were in an uproar, it was an ear, a human ear.

Walpole's face turned pale suddenly, and he stayed on the spot.

In 1733, in May of the 16th year of the Holy Word, Jenkins made a statement in the House of Commons, and Walpole was forced to decide that declaring war on Spain was the only option he could have to appease his countrymen, maintain the "Cyris's Goods Tax", and maintain his position, and the "Jenkins' War of the Ears" broke out seven years earlier. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to (.) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my most

Big power. )