On the last day of December 1647, on the outskirts of Valladolid, Mosan and Alesandro welcomed Mr. Balboa, the clerk of the West Indian Affairs Department of the Kingdom of Spain. This article was first published by...

Mr. Balboa is a scholar. He is currently one of the two major clerks of the West Indian Council of the Kingdom of Spain and is directly responsible to the chairman of the court (the main organization of the West Indian Council is: 1 chairman, 1 ** official, 1 chief prosecutor, 8 senators, 2 clerks, 1 cosmologist, 1 mathematician, 1 historian, and a large number of low-level officials such as secretary, administrator). Therefore, his opinions are crucial, especially when His Majesty King Philip IV also favored him, his influence has gradually surpassed the ordinary West Indian Council officials.

Although Mr. Balboya is a scholar, he is still strong and strong from an aristocratic family. Kong Wu is powerful - this is why he often participates in hunting activities. For example, he is wearing a red hunting suit today, and he still sweats slightly on his forehead when he just returned from hunting.

It was actually a very rude thing to meet diplomatic envoys from other countries in informal clothing such as hunting suits. However, after seeing Ale Sandro's familiar expression, he suddenly felt a little clear-headed. It turned out that the Spanish nobles were all a group of thick bodies.

It is not unreasonable for him to say this. Among the Western European countries, Spain's political, economic and social systems are undoubtedly the most backward and primitive. This country still adheres to the traditional feudal system, and the king's power is supreme, far exceeding that of other Western European countries. Almost every noble has his own fiefdom, and they are the most primitive, stubborn, and most hostile to the emerging bourgeoisie. At the same time, they are also very brave and aggressive.

Aristocrats of all sizes hunted, played, and practiced sword skills all day long. After driving away Jewish capitalists and Moorish craftsmen, their economic sources were also very primitive - relying on land taxes and colonial plantation income. Such an economic basis determines what kind of guys the superstructure of this country is: religious maniacs, serfs, militants, old-school aristocrats who knew nothing about the economy, etc. This is actually the main reason why the country is trapped in continuous wars and long-term recession, because the level of the ruling class in this country is so poor - in addition to having a little talent in war.

"What a bunch of scumbags." Mo San muttered a few words in Northeastern dialect, then stood aside reservedly, waiting for Alessandro's introduction.

Alesandro didn't let Mo San wait for too long. He saw him approaching Balboa after talking and laughing for a few words, and then approaching him.

"The good thing you did this time. The grain of two grain transport ships of 400 Rasters (about 800 tons) sank to the bottom of the sea. Do you know how many people inside and outside Valladolid want to kill you?" As soon as they met, Barboya said to Mo San with a smile. He was in Spanish and his speech speed was not very fast, and he seemed to be taking care of Mo San's hearing.

"I personally regret the losses suffered by your country and the accidental casualties of Naples civilians." Mo San thought for a while and said, "But this is war. Your country has also attacked our merchant ships, so this does not mean that our navy has done anything wrong. They are also fulfilling their war duties. That's all."

"Okay, I'm not arguing with you about this." Balboa waved his hand and said indifferently: "The people who lost their food were some damn Portuguese Jewish merchants. As for the life and death of the more than a thousand lowly Italian immigrants, I think no one will really care about it. I came here today mainly to ask you, is your country just trying to drag it on like this? Don't you want to end this war?"

"The people of our East Coast Republic of China love peace, and they oppose all unjust and unnecessary wars. I don't want to mention the cause of your country and our country, which has lasted for 15 months, but it is indeed time to end it. If your country does not object, I think both of us can start setting a time to start negotiations." After hearing Balboa's words, Mo San was ecstatic and he was reluctant to believe his ears. However, the temperament he had trained for many years made him not lose his composure on the spot. He concealed his excitement well, and then tried to start expressing his opinions in a stable tone.

"Of course, negotiation is not impossible." Balboa stroked his right hand against a stabbing sword, and was holding a horse whip in his left hand. After walking twice, he suddenly turned to Mo San and said, "His Majesty the King is very angry at your repeated challenges to his authority. He asks you to first compensate our country for a certain degree of losses, and at the same time return our property, release the captured prisoners, and then the door to negotiations can be opened. Otherwise, what awaits you will be a cross-sea expedition of tens of thousands of Spanish Army soldiers."

After hearing Balboa say about war compensation, Mo San felt that there would be no results today. What a joke? How could he have the habit of vomiting out the things in his stomach! The people of the East Coast have never had the habit of war compensation, and most of them could not afford it. If the Spanish insisted on asking for compensation, then the peace talks would probably be ruined.

"Mr. Balboa, I wonder if your country has figured out something, a very important thing." After careful consideration of the sentence, Mo San slowly spoke: "After so many years of cruel war, does the Kingdom of Spain have the ambition, perseverance, and financial resources to organize another national expedition, including hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of naval and army soldiers? As far as I know, your country has owed tens of millions of pesos in the markets of Lisbon and Amsterdam. These heavy debt burdens make your country breathless. Most of the gold and silver transported from the Americas every year are probably used to pay the interest here. Then the question is, can your country still raise more than 20 million pesos of military expenses within a certain period of time to pay the preliminary expenses of a cross-sea expeditionary force of tens of thousands of people?"

Balboa did not answer Mo San's words, and his right hand subconsciously grabbed and loosened on the hilt of the sword, making people wonder whether the middle-aged noble would draw his sword to face each other in the next moment - this is not surprising. By European standards at this time, the Spanish nobles were rude, and they often drew their swords to duel for some trivial matters.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief and said a little depressedly: "Pagan, although some of your words made me very angry, I have to admit that many of what you said are true. The Invincible Fleet in 1588 spent a huge amount of money in the Kingdom of more than 8.5 million pesos to arm the Kingdom Treasury. The current kingdom treasury does not provide so much money. And even if this money can be raised, the king will not allow it to be spent in a war. You are indeed... fearless!"

"No one likes war." Mo San heard Balboya say this and immediately followed his words: "Since modern times, the scale of wars has become larger and higher and higher. Your country itself should also understand that even some of the wars that your country has won over the years have been economically lost. The newly occupied land is full of aboriginal people who hate you. In addition, you must deal with the counterattack of the enemy at any time and pay the huge salary of the occupying army.

These are undoubtedly dragging down your country's finances bit by bit. So, why do we still have to engage in such a huge but meaningless war? You must know that ending these wars early can save a lot of military expenses, which means that you have received a war reparation from the Dutch and the Jews, right? There are only two types of beneficiaries of war between your country and our country, one is your old enemy, the French, and the other is the vampire bankers."

"Maybe what you said makes sense, and I hate those Jews too, but this is not the reason why you can still obtain peace after attacking the great Kingdom of Spain. His Majesty the Great King has given you a chance, East Coast people, you need to pay enough for your crimes, otherwise I will not be able to convince the displeasure of Your Majesty and the gentlemen of the West Indian Affairs Department." When Balboa said this, he raised his entire chin, and only heard him continue: "The glory of the Kingdom of Spain cannot be defiled. The dust on His Majesty's crown must be wiped with blood. I will give you three days, and if you still do not agree to the compensation in three days, you will lose a precious opportunity for peace."

"It's really a pity that even if you are wise, Mr. Balboa, can't you see who your real enemy is? Who is constantly occupying the cities of the South Netherlands? Who is invading Italy? Who is ravaging Roussillon? Who is conquering Franche Conte? All the difficulties of your country today come from France, a strong neighbor in the north of your country. If your country still does not take effective measures, I dare to assert that the French will definitely put their king flags over Madrid, and this day will not be long. At that time, the kings and gentlemen of your country will be so self-harmed?" Mo San shook his head and said in a regretful tone: "If that day really comes, it will be the end of the Catholic world, and Spain will truly fall into deep despair and the beginning of endless winter."
Chapter completed!