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"It's too much, the Qin people have gone too far, Oh my God! They are naked blackmail, blackmail!" Lan Bai looked excited, as if he wanted to send Zhang Haoran and his group to the gallows immediately.
Cromwell sat on a chair with a gloomy face, his sword lying across the long table in front of him, exuding an oppressive chill.
At the beginning of the Shura Conference, Zhang Haoran gave him a difficult problem, asking Britain to immediately stop supplying weapons to the Mughal Empire, which led to the end of the Shura Conference on bad terms.
Judging from Zhang Haoran's attitude, he is fearless and has no intention of compromising.
But can Britain compromise
Cromwell was well aware that the direct economic benefits of the arms trade between Britain and the Mughal Empire were secondary, and the key lay in its political significance.
Britain opened the door to the Mughal Empire through arms trade, and thus gradually infiltrated the core of power of the Mughal Empire, thereby obtaining many trade privileges and obtaining a special exemption from tariffs in the Bengal region from the Mughal emperor.
Now, with the support of the Qin Empire, Otsa and other countries had just defeated the Mughal army. The Mughal Empire, which was regrouping and preparing to invade the south again, was in urgent need of weapons supplies from Britain.
At this critical juncture, if the Qin State stopped supplying weapons to the Mughal Empire as requested, it would undoubtedly make the Mughal Empire very unhappy, and Britain's interests in India might be at risk.
"Then, can we reject the Qin people's request?" Cromwell held the hilt of the sword with one hand, but his eyes were looking at the sky outside Windsor Castle. His gaze seemed to be able to penetrate everything, including the sky.
If she could refuse, Lan Bai wouldn't be so angry. She could just reject Zhang Haoran directly.
But Britain has its own pride. As soon as it sat at the negotiation table, it was completely bullied by the Qin people. How could Lan Bai swallow this
"Are you ready to agree to the Qin people's unreasonable demands?"
What if they didn't agree? The Qin Empire had already gained dominance over the Indian Ocean. Britain's interests in India were just a handful of sand in the hands of the Qin Empire.
If the Qin people are willing, they can give you some sand. If they are not willing, can Britain still go to war with Qin in the Indian Ocean
"God has said that everything in this world always has its pros and cons. It just depends on your choice."
Lan Bai was a little stunned. Did God say such a thing? Perhaps. Cromwell was now God's spokesperson in Britain. He said it was God who said it. So it must be God who said it.
Cromwell continued: "By cutting off the arms trade with the Mughal Empire, Britain may lose a lot of interests in India, but at least it can retain trade with Qin and may get a larger share of the trade.
If we reject Qin's request, we will not only lose India's interests, but also become Qin's enemy. Unless God blesses us, we can defeat them in India. "
Seeing your own weaknesses and facing them is not only bravery, but also wisdom.
"Commander, I heard that during the Ming Dynasty, some small countries in the Far East paid opium as tribute to the Ming Empire, and the Ming Empire used opium as medicine. Some people also liked to smoke opium. I heard that there was even a Ming Dynasty emperor who hid in the palace and smoked opium for decades, ignoring state affairs. Perhaps I can sell opium as a commodity to the Qin State."
The Bay of Bengal is now an important opium production area. As early as 1610, the British East India Company was able to establish its first factory in Majilipatnam, Saikui, Bay of Bengal. After the company landed in India, it reported high profits, prompting King James I of England to issue charters to other companies.
"We can give this a try." Cromwell did not seem to be too interested in the opium trade. "With the Qin trade, India can relax a bit. We should turn our attention back to Europe and look to America at the same time."
Lan Bai could be Cromwell's confidant, so he was certainly not a fool. After hearing what Cromwell said, he immediately realized something and couldn't help asking, "Commander-in-Chief, are you ready to go to war with the Dutch?"
The contradictions in Britain were becoming increasingly intensified, and the contradictions between Cromwell and Parliament also needed to be diverted. Waging war abroad has always been a very effective means of diverting domestic contradictions.
Along with the bourgeois revolution in Britain, the strength of the British Navy has been growing over the years. Whether in America, Africa or India, it has been trying to challenge the dominance of the Netherlands.
Although the Netherlands is known as the "Coachman of the Sea" and ranks first in Europe in terms of maritime strength, this time, it offended an enemy that should not be offended.
In Quanzhou Bay in the Far East and in the Indian Ocean, the Netherlands suffered two devastating defeats at the hands of the Qin State. Especially the defeat in the Indian Ocean, they lost dozens of elite warships and dozens of armed merchant ships, which was a serious blow to their vitality.
I will kill you while you are sick.
Cromwell felt that now was the best time for Britain to challenge the Netherlands and replace the Netherlands as the maritime hegemon in Europe and America.
Once this goal is achieved, Cromwell's own prestige in Britain will reach an unparalleled height, and it will not be difficult for him to use the power of victory to force Parliament to hand over all power.
At this critical juncture, if Britain chooses to be the enemy of Qin, it will have to fight on two fronts, which will be a burden that Britain cannot bear and will be the most foolish behavior.
After Cromwell discussed with Lanbai, he brought Zhang Haoran back to the conference table the next day and quickly reached a series of agreements.
Britain promised not to supply weapons to the Mughal Empire. At the same time, all ports in India and Africa allowed Qin merchant ships to dock freely for trade and provided corresponding supplies and military protection.
Open a port in England, Scotland and Ireland respectively, allow Qin merchants to freely enter the ports for trade, and allow trading companies or factories to be established in port cities, implement a zero tariff policy for Qin's goods, and allow Qin merchants to freely purchase stocks issued by British companies.
In response, Daqin opened four trading ports to Britain, namely, Gaolangbu Port, Temasek Port, Guangdong Port and Ningbo Port, and provided relative protection for British merchant ships. Each port gave zero tariffs to British merchants, and allowed British merchants to open warehouses and factories in the four port cities.
Cromwell also wanted to sign a military alliance treaty with Daqin, but was rejected by Zhang Haoran.
Britain's military expansion at sea has become very obvious. If this military alliance is signed, even if Daqin does not provide any military assistance to Britain, it will at least be enough to make it feel fearless.
As the Netherlands suffered repeated defeats in wars with the Qin Dynasty, it was foreseeable that Britain would replace the Netherlands as the maritime hegemon of Europe, if nothing unexpected happened. This was actually not in the interests of the Qin Dynasty.
If Britain continues to be strong in Europe, will he still be so obedient
Obviously, the answer is no.
Moreover, once the military agreement was signed, the Qin Dynasty would lose its room for maneuver.
Now Daqin is an enemy of the Netherlands and Spain, but who says they can't become partners in the future? It is very important to leave yourself a chance to choose.
The people who came to England with Zhang Haoran asked around for Newton, a person that the Qin Emperor had personally instructed them to look for. However, after much effort, they did not find any trace of a person named Newton who had made great achievements in science in England.
Zhang Haoran asked about this matter every day, but the reply he got was that nothing was found, which made him very anxious. However, in terms of science and technology, culture, and art, he did collect a lot of good things in the UK this time.
After Zhang Haoran put pressure on Cromwell, he was able to obtain a lot of information, including from Cambridge and Oxford universities. Zhang Haoran and his party stayed in the UK for a full twenty days.
In this era, the best of Britain were concentrated in London, and twenty days was enough for them to roughly screen the best of all aspects of London.
However, many things cannot be mastered in a short period of time, so Zhang Haoran decided to let some people stay in the UK temporarily and pick them up when he returns.
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ps: Here is today's second update. Please support me, brothers and sisters. I will continue to write. (To be continued..)
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