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Now Daqin is still at war with the Netherlands and Spain, and no ceasefire has been announced yet.
There has never been any contact with France, and Italy is locked in the Mediterranean. The Strait of Gibraltar, the throat to and from the Atlantic Ocean, is controlled by Spain. Strictly speaking, Italy is already a semi-landlocked country.
Only Portugal and England, although they had conflicts with Daqin, have made peace with them, and both are Atlantic coastal countries, which is conducive to trade between the two sides.
After all, in the future, it will not only be merchant ships from European countries that will go to the East to trade, but Qin's merchant ships will sail directly to Europe more often, dumping domestic industrial products directly to Europe, earning a larger price difference and gaining greater trade initiative.
In order to ensure the safety of Daqin's merchant ships in Europe and to have a stable port of call, it is very important to choose a good friend in Europe.
In addition to looking for allies, Zhang Haoran also wanted to lease a port on the coast of continental Europe.
The so-called allies are a combination of interests, and interest relations can change at any time. In short, allies cannot be relied upon forever. At critical moments, you still have to rely on yourself.
If Daqin could lease a port in the coastal areas of Europe and station a few warships there, Daqin's interests in Europe would be better protected.
So which country is suitable and likely to lease a port to Daqin? The Netherlands and Spain are out of the question, unless you send warships directly to attack their homeland and force them to sign a humiliating treaty.
France is also unlikely. The two countries have never had any contact. Would they rashly rent a port to you
Italy is not within consideration. Unless you can open the Suez Canal and control it, you will have no choice but to watch once Spain locks the Strait of Gibraltar.
It is possible to lease a port from England, after all, there are many ports in England. Cromwell urgently needs trade with Qin to improve England's poor financial situation.
However, England was independent of the European continent, and leasing ports in England was not conducive to the large-scale entry of Qin's goods into the European market.
After much consideration, the only option left is Portugal. Portugal is in a difficult situation right now, and the greatest chance of building a port is from Portugal.
Faced with Earl Brewster's proposal for marriage, Zhang Haoran certainly would not directly refuse. He discussed with Deputy Envoy Zheng Jie and asked, "What do you think, Lord Zheng?"
Zheng Jie answered very straightforwardly: "Princess Katrina is dignified and beautiful, and Your Majesty is at the age of vigor and vitality. There are not many concubines in the harem, so you should take in more concubines. In other words, even if you don't like Princess Katrina, it will only give the palace more mouths to feed. This marriage will benefit Daqin, so I think you might as well agree to it first."
Zhang Haoran nodded slightly and said to Earl Brewster: "Your Excellency, we have no objection to the marriage between the two countries. And we are very happy to hear this good news. I believe that this marriage will definitely make the relationship between the two countries closer and form an unbreakable alliance, but..."
"Your Excellency the Ambassador, please speak frankly if you have anything to say."
"Your Excellency, in order to strengthen the exchanges and friendship between the two countries, Daqin's ships will come to Europe for trade in the future. However, you should also know that Daqin is still in a state of hostility with the Netherlands and Spain. The two sides may have another conflict at any time. So we hope that your country can lease a port to Daqin so that we can station a few warships to protect the safety of Daqin merchant ships."
Lease the port? Upon hearing this, Count Rubster immediately rejected it and said, "I'm afraid that leasing the port is not an option. However, as your close ally in Europe, we promise to do our best to protect the safety of your ships coming to Europe."
"I hope your country will seriously consider our small request and regard it as a testimony to the marriage between our two countries."
Zhang Haoran said this, and Rubster knew that this was not a condition Zhang Haoran proposed casually. But Portugal is just a small country. If it rents out its ports to other countries to station troops, it is tantamount to placing a bomb in the heartland that may explode at any time.
Brewster was able to negotiate with the Qin envoys as the plenipotentiary representative of John IV, so his ability was not bad. He considered for a moment and said resolutely: "Your Excellency Ambassador, our Majesty is sincere and hopes to form a close alliance with Qin, so he did not hesitate to marry Princess Catalina to the far east, which is enough to show our sincerity.
As for the port, we can give the Safi Port in northern Africa to Daqin as Princess Catalina's dowry. Safi Port is an excellent port, only two days' sailing from the Strait of Gibraltar, and its location is also very advantageous.
Your country has the port of Safi, which is enough to protect your country's ships. After passing the Strait of Gibraltar, our warships will also do their best to provide protection for your country's ships. Is this satisfactory to you, Excellency?"
It has to be said that Brewster was a man with a very flexible mind. On the one hand, Cromwell of England was very angry because the royalists used the port of Lisbon to attack his fleet. John IV was intending to give up some colonies in America and Africa in exchange for Cromwell's forgiveness and support.
Secondly, Spain has always been eyeing the port of Safi in Morocco because it is not far from the Strait of Gibraltar and is a must-pass place for Europe to travel to India and the Far East.
Such an important port was the focus of competition among all parties. Portugal was struggling to survive due to internal and external troubles. Instead of continuing to hold on to the hot potato of Safi Port, it would be better to give it to Daqin as a favor and let Daqin fight with Spain and England.
On the other hand, Safi Port is not far from the Portuguese mainland. After forming an alliance with the Qin Dynasty, Portugal may soon receive support from the Qin army stationed in Safi Port.
In short, no matter how you look at it, giving away Safi Port will bring more benefits than disadvantages to Portugal.
When Zhang Haoran and his party came to Europe, they docked at Safi Port. It was definitely a good place. As a strategic stronghold between Daqin and Europe, it was definitely the best choice. At the same time, it could also have a certain clamping effect on the Strait of Gibraltar, known as the throat of the Mediterranean.
Thinking of this, Zhang Haoran said happily: "Since your country is so sincere, we cannot refuse it. Here, on behalf of Daqin, I would like to express my gratitude to Portugal for its generosity. I hope that the friendship between Daqin and Portugal will last forever."
After Zhang Haoran took over Princess Catalina's dowry, Saphir Port, Earl Brewster felt that the matter was settled and was very happy.
He was about to make some requests, but Zhang Haoran said again: "My Lord, in fact, in my opinion, if Portugal is willing to lease another port to Daqin, it will be beneficial to Portugal.
As far as I know, countries such as England, France and the Netherlands are unwilling to accept your country, and Spain does not recognize your independence and is preparing for war in an attempt to destroy Portugal.
Your Majesty, please think about this, Count. If your country leases a port on its own soil to the Qin garrison, then Spain will definitely have some reservations when attacking your country. If the war is not going well, our garrison can provide support to your country at any time.
In addition, after my country leased the port, it was mainly used as a trading port to trade with the whole of Europe. There is a Chinese saying that goes "the one who is near the water gets the moon first". Your Excellency, you can imagine that the more merchant ships from Daqin come and the more goods they bring, the more tax revenue your country will get from it. By then, it will not be difficult for your country to become the commercial center of Europe and the richest country.
But unfortunately, your country seems to be unsure of the ally Daqin and missed such a good opportunity. It seems that we can only go to England to find another port to rent. "
Although Safi Port is good and is one of the strongholds that Daqin wants along the way, it is a pity that it is not Europe after all, but Africa.
Daqin's goal was to dump large quantities of goods directly into the European continent, not to engage in resale trade with others.
Earl Brewster, who had thought that the problem had been solved satisfactorily, was secretly happy, but Zhang Haoran's words were like a blow to the head, making him a little dizzy.
If you think about it carefully, for Portugal at the moment, leasing a port to Qin is not necessarily a bad thing. On the one hand, it can make Spain have some concerns. On the other hand, once Qin's merchant ships arrive in large numbers, Portugal can become the commercial center of Europe with the help of this port.
What is said is that opportunities are always accompanied by risks!
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ps: I was a little confused when I woke up this morning, and I made a mistake in the chapter serial number, causing some book friends to subscribe to an extra chapter. I would like to express my sincere apologies to you all again, and please forgive me. (To be continued..)
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