"What is the situation in the Black Sea area now?" The arrival of the Portuguese Albuquerk mission made the diplomatic department a mess, but also made the courtyard of the State Intelligence Administration, which was not far away, busy. Sheng Dehong, who had just been promoted to deputy director, was asking questions. He is now an official in charge of the Ottoman Empire, so he is also very concerned about the situation in the Black Sea area, known as the Ottoman back garden.

"Not very good." An analyst in a black uniform flipped out a large handful of documents from a filing cabinet, picked out several copies, and replied while reviewing it: "Although Russia and the Ottomans have reached an agreement and are no longer in a hostile state, the Russians have not left all of them. They still have tens of thousands of troops on the left bank of the Dnieper River, and there are also thousands of troops in the city of Kiev, which was divided into the Russian Empire. It seems that the Russians will not give up on Ukraine, because the conditions here are so good."

Russia and the Ottoman reached an agreement last year (1681). According to the agreement, the boundary between the two sides was officially determined to be bounded by the Dnieper River, the left bank belonged to the Ukrainian Cossack emirates controlled by Russia, and the right bank was the territory of the Ottoman puppet Cossack country, but the famous city of Kiev was divided to the Russians.

This agreement basically reflects the strength comparison between the two countries, that is, the Ottoman Empire is now too large and there are too many enemies. In addition, the newly appointed Koprulu family Davizi wanted to take advantage of the favorable opportunity of the main army of the old enemy, the Austrian Kingdom, to confront the French in foreign countries and take advantage of the Hungarian area. Therefore, they really have no energy to entangle with the Russians on the north coast of the Black Sea, so this agreement that basically maintains the original state is a good diplomatic result for the Ottoman Empire. After all, their power is still there, and the emerging country Russia is still a little bit confident when facing the Ottoman Empire, which was dominant for two centuries, so it finally signed a peace agreement with the Ottomans.

The agreement was finally signed in Bekchisale, the capital of the Crimean Khanate. The Crimean Khanate, as the main delivery force of the Ottoman Empire on the northern coast of the Black Sea, also participated in the negotiations of the agreement. The two sides finally decided to truce for 20 years, and Western Ukraine cleared the central and southern regions of Kiev, and used the already broken area as a buffer zone between the two countries. All parties would constrain East and West Ukraine and not provoke at will.

It can be said that this agreement is very good for the Ottomans and Russia, and cannot be said to be unfavorable to the Crimean Khanate, but it is very unfavorable for Ukraine, which was originally a unified country and the more than 2 million Ukrainian people living on this land, because it means that the continued division of their country and nation, and the Ukrainian prairie will still fall into tragedy.

I believe that Doroshenko and Samoylovic, who had fought for a lifetime, could not accept this result. Even Khmelnikki, who had just been executed by the Ottomans, opposed it very much. The reason is self-evident. They are all Ukrainians and Cossacks. Although they are hostile and fight each other, their ultimate goal is to achieve independence and unity of the country of Ukraine. However, Ukraine is too weak and the surrounding enemies are too strong, so they gradually become a tragic ending for Ottomans, Poland, Russia and other countries to compete for the Ukrainian prairie.

Now Western Ukraine has completed the Ottoman puppets, and even the puppet duke, they established, was executed because they could not control their subordinates. The Crimean Khanate, who was responsible for monitoring them, was also a cruel man. They still had a long hard life in the future, and some were blackmailed and ravaged by others.

In fact, Eastern Ukraine is not much better. They are even going to be abolished as the Ukrainian Cossack emirate, and replaced it with the "Getmann jurisdiction" under the Tsarist rule, or "Little Russia", which shows the attitude of the Russians. Especially recently, the Russians have been in various settlements in Eastern Ukraine. Because of the unpopularity and repeated defeats of the Western Ukrainian government, Eastern Ukraine has occupied the title of great power and attracted a large population. Therefore, the area east of the Dnieper River has flourished rapidly in recent years - many officials have been stationed, which is obviously to divide the power of Cossacks at all levels and eventually take this so-called "Little Russia".

Perhaps some people say that Russia ruled Ukraine, and perhaps the people of East Ukraine will be exempted from the suffering of war and live in peace and peace. The facts proved that this was just a shameful imagination. In the view of Moscow, the Eastern Ukraine under their rule was just a defense, blocking the Crimean Tatar cavalry to the north, so as not to be invaded by these fierce nomadic peoples to the soft hinterland and destroying local towns and agricultural facilities. Therefore, the people of East Ukraine have never been captured.

How much breathing opportunity did the Russians constantly ask them to pay, feed, and horses to train together with the Russian troops stationed in the local area (the supplies of these Russian troops may be burdened by the people of East Ukraine) as the front line to resist the Tatars. As everyone understands, the front line is easy to be broken through, so there is no need for investment and construction, it is just a barrier and buffer zone, so this is doomed to the tragedy of East Ukraine.

The merchant stations located in Haji Port on the east coast are not for nothing. Over the years, they have deeply penetrated into the Crimean Khanate, which is close to each other. There are many "informers" among the upper class of its capital Bekchisale and the feudal manor owners on the north coast of the Black Sea, providing a steady stream of information for the east coast. Therefore, they understand the current changing situation on the Ukrainian prairie in a timely manner, and do not have to be silly.

The chaos in Ukraine naturally made people on the East Coast worry about whether their investment and markets in the local area can be guaranteed. Especially the rise of Russia is becoming increasingly obvious, while the Ottoman Empire is in a tumultuous state. Although the Crimean Khanate has not shown signs of decline, and even in recent years, its national strength has improved, it is not the same size as Russia. Once a war breaks out, it may not be able to withstand the 100,000 troops that the Russians may have mobilized. The Black Sea, the "sea of ​​hospitality", may be out of the control of the East Coast people in the near future.

"This Russian bull is a slut!" Sheng Dehong moaned when he heard this, and then said in a helpless tone: "The huge Russian Empire is like a slut with infinite strength. We once tried our best to turn its horns and turned it around and no longer went east to oppose us. If this slut begins to collide south again, we have to think of ways to turn its center of gravity to the west and fight against the Poles and Swedes."

"Director, do we need to target the Russians like this? This seems to be a thankless thing. Even if the Russians really occupy the entire Ukrainian prairie and drive the Crimeans into the peninsula to the south, it may not be a disaster for us, right? Our Don, Dnieper, and Danube trade is still sustainable, right?" The young analyst brought Sheng Dehong a cup of espresso and asked in confusion.

"You speak like a businessman, not a qualified intelligence officer." Sheng Dehong glanced at the other party and said, "Can this kind of thing be measured by business? The Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of France, and even China, India, these huge mainland countries are our targets of containment. Don't stop doing it because of difficulties. So what do we apply for funds every year? Drink coffee and read newspapers? The Russian Empire unified the entire northern coast of the Black Sea, but it may not be a bad thing for our Three Rivers trade. It may even bring many conveniences because of political unification, but can this little money make up for our huge strategic losses? Don't think that we are just a small new continent with a population of four or five million, and think that curbing Russia is a thankless thing. Some things are better to do earlier than to do later than to do later than to do later than to do."

"Inducing them to move west is one of our main strategies. In addition to appropriately strengthening their influence on Russia, adding more resistance to them on the northern coast of the Black Sea is also an important means. We have strengthened the strength of the Crimean Khanate, and at the same time introduced the forces of Honaya, Venice and other countries on the northern coast of the Black Sea. If we can introduce some other European countries and at the same time strengthen the power we can control or influence locally, it is the kingly way to put pressure on the Russians." Sheng Dehong said: "So it is very important for the Portuguese to join us at this time. Their countries are also short of food and often buy from the Amsterdam market. If we introduce them to the northern coast of the Black Sea, like Honaya and Venetians, it will be a sure thing for us to make a profit."

Regarding the grain-producing areas of the North Black Sea, the East Coast people have had a private agreement with Venice and Tengna*a. That is, if something happens due to the Russians, then everyone can form a joint force to join the Ottoman Empire to interfere. The two Italian countries have almost no trade share with Russia, and there is little contact. It is thousands of miles apart, so there is no burden to oppose Russia. Therefore, it should be no problem for the two countries to form an armed force of thousands of people. If the East Coast people have an armed force of about a thousand people in the local area and the 3,000 people agreed by the Portuguese, the number of this force may be expanded to nearly ten thousand people.

All ten thousand people are equipped and tactics higher than those of Russian Western European troops, and their combat effectiveness is still greater than that of ordinary Russian troops. Although due to language barriers and the expeditions of Lao Shi will lead to a certain decline in combat effectiveness and morale, it is still a powerful force. If you cooperate with the tens of thousands of cavalry of the Crimean Khanate and the Cossack infantry of Western Ukraine, you may not be able to withstand the first wave of offensives. When the Ottoman Empire adjusts its direction and dispatches the elite main force to stabilize the front.

"Of course, the means of war are our last resort, because no one can predict the outcome. The best way for us to force Russia to move west is to maintain a certain degree of economic and trade ties with them, that is, let them slowly rely on our goods and technology (but they can't learn the most advanced and cutting-edge things, and even the next level). At the critical moment, we threaten to cut off trade, no longer provide technical help, and make the Russians clear-headed. This is the best way." Sheng Dehong said: "If Russia plays this card well, it will also play a very huge role in seeking various benefits in the vast Central and European regions."

The analyst nodded repeatedly after hearing this, but he still felt a little dissatisfied. He had studied Russia in depth and knew their national character. He always felt that if there was a day when the East Coast people threatened them not to go south to embezzle the northern coast of the Black Sea through various means, the Russians might not buy it, and they might even be very angry and feel betrayed. Especially when the Tsar has very strong power, it is really hard to say what effect this method will have, but at this time there is no need to talk back to his boss, and let him talk to him later.

"In the future, we may work with the people from the Army Department to send people to Lisbon to examine the equipment and combat capabilities of the Portuguese soldiers, and find out whether they have the ability to face the Russians headed by the Russians. If not, it may be necessary to suggest that the Portuguese government led by the Regent Prince Pedro increases investment in the army and improves its combat effectiveness. How about it, Xiao Qin, are you interested in going to Lisbon's foreign station, and the office is still short of people. Our company wants to draw someone over. I hope this person is you." Sheng Dehong put down the white porcelain coffee cup in his hand and asked with a smile.

"If you want me to go, of course I have no objection." Analyst Xiao Qin said: "The Portuguese Army is actually okay, much stronger than Spain. In the early years, the British helped them to transform. Later, during the French and Spanish War, the Duke of Shishuangberg from Paris carried out training for the Portuguese Army and introduced France's military training and logistics system. Therefore, the combat effectiveness has improved rapidly. The defeat of the Spanish Army with the dominant numbers in the next two battles is a proof of this. Now that time has not passed, I think the Portuguese Army has not degenerated so quickly. If we provide help, their combat effectiveness will be restored to a considerable level."
Chapter completed!