In fact, before the agreement was signed, Alonsoden was aware that the meeting would be a painful choice for the Spaniards. Idiots know that once an agreement is reached, merchant ships from the Ming Empire in the north will continue to appear on the sea surface of the South Seas, constantly plundering the wealth that should have belonged to the Spaniards.

Those merchant ships from the north really had too many advantages compared to the Spanish merchant ships. Nanyang was originally the doorstep of the Ming Empire, and the merchant ships of the Ming Empire took a short time to travel to and from Nanyang, and the cost required was also very low. Moreover, the most lucrative goods such as silk, tea, and porcelain in the Nanyang trade came from the Ming Empire.

In recent years, glass has also become a straining commodity. Large quantities of glass from the Ming Empire continued to completely wipe out the Italian market, and also flowed into Europe in large quantities, becoming the new upstart of maritime trade. Glass, once again, has become a hot spot for trade. As long as it is a big business with a little strength, it will try its best to insert a foot in the glass business.

In the past, it was the merchant ships of the Western powers who transported a large amount of glass from the Western Ocean and sold it in the territory of the Ming Empire to obtain a large amount of profits. Now, it is the merchant ships of the Ming Empire, selling large quantities of glass to the merchant ships of the Western powers, making huge profits. Previously, the amount of glass arriving on the shore has been very small. And now, it's a shipload of arrivals.

In the past, only very powerful people had the ability to buy glass, and sometimes it was not available. No matter how high the price of glass sells, after all, the market is limited, and the total profit is not very high. The production of glass was limited, and the Italians had no choice. Now, it is glass flying all over the sky, as long as there are big businesses to arrive, there are glass figures.

Even chieftains, tribal chiefs, and the like in many colonies are eligible to buy them. The entire glass market has expanded tens of thousands of times or even hundreds of thousands of times compared with the original. Naturally, along with it, there are huge profits. In fact, the sale of glass alone can basically maintain the regular consumption of the white army.

In addition to glass, there is another kind of goods from the Ming Empire that are very popular with Westerners. That is white marble porcelain. This kind of fine porcelain is very much in line with the aesthetics of Westerners. The royal families of Western countries began to use a large number of white marble porcelain as tableware. Since the royal family has set an example, other powerful people will naturally follow suit. As a result, white marble porcelain in the European market can be described as Luoyang paper expensive, and the tide rises.

Alonsoden was able to become the Spanish governor in Manila, in addition to having a strong background, his own ability should not be underestimated. He was very worried that the economic strength of the Ming Empire itself was too large, and there was no other country that could compare with the Ming Empire. Therefore, in world trade, it is inevitable that a whirlpool centered on the Ming Empire will be formed.

A large amount of profits from overseas, through normal maritime trade, actually flowed into the territory of the Ming Empire. Silver is a prime example. A large amount of silver looted by Spain from the colonies, and when it bought porcelain, silk, tea and other goods unique to the Ming Empire, it was unknowingly earned by the merchants of the Ming Empire. The Spaniards wanted to reverse such a result, but regrettably found that it was impossible to face such a behemoth as the Ming Empire.

Unless, it is to start a war with the Ming Empire and take the wealth of the Ming Empire for himself.

However, this is simply not realistic. The navies of the Western powers are certainly powerful, but their land forces are simply impossible to come to the East in large numbers. Alonsoden vaguely knew that the Ming Empire had a regular army close to one million. To be honest, the regular armies of all the countries of Europe combined may not be able to exceed this number.

"What the hell should I do?"

Poor Alonso den again did not know how to be good.

According to his conservative estimates, the number of merchant ships from the Ming Empire would quadruple every year in the coming years. Such a growth rate is absolutely terrifying. What's worse is that this is still the most conservative estimate. If the White Army deliberately pushes behind it, this growth rate may continue to climb and eventually reach a perverted number.

Even if the Spaniards were the first to arrive, they had the right time and place, and they couldn't stand up to the merchant ships of the white-clothed army. The merchant ships from the Ming Empire will definitely eat up all the trade shares of the entire Nanyang market. It's like an elephant, facing the siege of countless wolves, and the final result must be extremely tragic. As soon as there was not enough profit, Spain's maritime trade in the South Seas would be dealt a fatal blow.

At present, the total tonnage of Spanish merchant ships in the South Seas is only about 500,000 tons, that is, 3 to 400 merchant ships. Among them, the largest tonnage merchant ship has a displacement of about 2,000 tons. And the merchant ships that went south from the Ming Empire are constantly blowing out, and in a short period of time, it is possible to exceed this number. Perhaps, in a year or two, the total tonnage of merchant ships under the White Army will exceed 5 million tons.

The gross tonnage of five million tons of merchant ships means that at least three or four thousand merchant ships are flocking to it. What is the concept of three or four thousand merchant ships? The entire Nanyang region is likely to be covered. Each larger port can be divided into more than 50 ships. Just imagine, under the encirclement and suppression of so many merchant ships of the Ming Empire, what advantages did the Spaniards' merchant ships have? I'm afraid that the last copper plate will be snatched up by the merchant ships of the Ming Empire.

However, if this agreement is not signed, it will be even worse, and the consequences will be even more serious.

Idiots know that the reason why the white army is willing to seek the near and far and take the initiative to pick up with the Dutch is the result of the Spaniards' forbearance. It was precisely because they realized the serious consequences that the Spaniards decisively chose to retreat and maintain friendly relations with the White Coats. Otherwise, Manila, which was closest to the Ming Empire, would inevitably become the first target of the White Navy.

To be honest, if Alonsoden had been the supreme commander of the White Army, he would have chosen to fight the Spaniards first. Because, Manila is the closest to the Ming Empire, and it is the most suitable target for attack. From a strategic point of view, the white-coated navy needs a bridgehead the most when it goes south. And Manila is the most suitable bridgehead.

Between the loss of economic interests and the imminent start of war, the Spaniards chose the former. It's a very helpless situation. After all, the damage to economic interests can be endured for a while. The consequences of an immediate war were too serious for Spain to bear for the time being. Of course, the Spaniards will not sit still. They are secretly accumulating strength. As long as there is a chance to fight back, they will not hesitate.

"Leave it to fate!"

Alonsoden muttered to himself helplessly.

He said this in vague Chinese.

...... "Things seem to be going more smoothly than we thought......"

In his report to Xu Xingxia, Chen Xinhai used a more optimistic statement.

However, Xu Xingxia's instructions are still in my ears. Therefore, Chen Xinhai only dared to use a very small number of optimistic statements, and in other content statements, he was modest and respectful. He knew very well that the Dutch were going to show their fangs to the whites in the end. The huge competition of interests between the two, as well as the struggle for hegemony, can only be resolved by war.

The reaction of the Dutch was actually unusual. The current reaction of the Dutch is far from commensurate with their maritime supremacy. For such an act, which seriously threatens the interests of the Dutch at sea, the Dutch will definitely fight back. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Dutch are making concessions on the surface and are secretly actively preparing for war. If the white-coated navy is fooled, the consequences will be serious.

The reason why the Dutch will not move is mainly because they have not figured out the details of the white army and navy for the time being. As soon as they have an understanding of the White Coats Navy, they will act. The strength of the naval fleet of the sea coachman is still quite strong.

Therefore, the white-coated army and navy must seize this time to vigorously build all kinds of port defense facilities near Pakistan, and equip the newly developed 105-mm howitzers on the port batteries, so as to perfect their own attack and defense capabilities as much as possible.

In the rear, the White Coats Navy was to produce a large number of Taishan-class and Wutaishan-class warships in order to maintain the number of warships against the Dutch Navy. At the same time, the construction of Tianshan-class warships should also be accelerated. It is necessary to strive to contain the large warships of the Dutch with the Tianshan-class warships with a displacement of 1,500 tons before the main fleet of the Dutch Navy arrives in the Far East.

In order to further speed up the speed of shipbuilding, Xu Xingxia personally served as the chief manager of the shipbuilding department, so as to coordinate the contacts of all parties more conveniently. The chairman of the committee personally went out to work, and the shipbuilding efficiency of the major shipyards was naturally greatly improved.

…… In the spring of the third year of Taichang, it was long overdue and his footsteps were faltering.

However, there is no spring on the surface of the South Sea, and the smell of gunpowder is stronger.

The reason is simple, there is news that a reinforcement fleet from the Netherlands has secretly departed from Amsterdam and will be able to reach the Far East in about five months. It is said that this is a very large mixed fleet, with a large warship of a full fifty. Among them, the largest warship has a displacement of more than 1,500 tons, and the number of cannons equipped with it is more than 100. At the head of this large fleet was a Dutch admiral.

In the Netherlands at that time, there were only five admirals, and each of them had a very strong force. Generally speaking, all five of them are active only in the Atlantic region. Now, for the needs of the East, an admiral was actually sent to lead a huge fleet. For a time, the whole of Europe was speculating about what was happening in the East that could make the Dutch Navy so aggressive.

Afelé immediately reported the situation to the Netherlands after the arrival of the White Navy in the South Seas, and as a result, the Netherlands reacted quickly. Those familiar with the situation know that this is the fastest response time in the Netherlands. Because, unlike the army, the dispatch of the naval fleet can be dispatched at any time. Especially to go to such a distant sea area as the east, the fleet needs at least a month to prepare in advance.

It can be seen that the top level in the Netherlands is not at all as indecisive and hesitant as Afellai. They were very decisive. Also, if any country vacillates and looks ahead, it will not be able to become strong. When it's time to be decisive, it's time to be decisive. When it should be iron-willed, it should be iron-willed. Otherwise, the Dutch could not achieve their own maritime supremacy. As for the risk of defeat, it is not so much to take into account.

If it was only the Dutch side that there was news of reinforcements coming in, then the southward movement of the Fifth and Sixth Fleets of the White Army Navy would be regarded as the beginning of a major war. Both sides are increasing their troops in the South China Seas, and it is simply impossible not to fight. Even idiots can sense that an unprecedented sea battle is about to take place in the South China Seas.

At the end of March of the third year of Taichang, the white-coated navy successively had two fleets southward and stationed next to Palin. In this way, the White Coats Navy has five fleets stationed in the port of Pakistan, with more than 80 large warships. Pakistan is only a few hundred nautical miles away from Jakarta. The goals they are aiming at are self-evident.

For a time, the entire Nanyang sea became trembling. The other forces have secretly warned their merchant ships that it is best not to pass through the sea between Pakistan and Jakarta. I'd rather take a detour than lose my life.

Not only that, but the White Army Navy also had a large number of transport ships heading south, bringing a large amount of supplies to the ports of Pakistan. Among them, the most important combat readiness material is the recently produced howitzer with a caliber of 105 mm. This heavy weapon, with a maximum range of more than 10 kilometers, was deployed on the battery of the port, and the black muzzle was aimed at the entire port. This kind of large-caliber artillery, with just one shot, can easily destroy a battleship.

The port batteries were basically fixed, and as long as the cannons were installed, there was no need to move. Therefore, the heavy 105-mm howitzer can give full play to its power. A total of eight batteries were set up on both sides of the port in Palin, and six howitzers were deployed in each battery. Thus, in the entire port, there were forty-eight heavy guns in total.

Chen Xinhai is still very confident in the defense of the port in Pakistan. If the Dutch fleet wanted to capture the Patrick neighbors, it would have to pay a fatal price. Under the cover of heavy artillery, it is still unknown whether the Dutch warships will be able to enter the port of Palin. Even if all the Dutch navy arrived, what awaited them would be a crushing defeat.

However, with Chen Xinhai's surname, or in other words, according to Xu Xingxia's instructions, it is impossible for the white-clothed army and navy to hide in the harbor and rely on heavy artillery to fight. The white-coated navy will inevitably fight face-to-face with the Dutch navy on the vast sea.

The key question is, where, and when, to engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the Dutch navy?

(To be continued)