I

Chapter 973 969 [Enemies on all sides]

Jin Wang Zhao Kuanglui didn't know it yet, but a crisis was slowly approaching.

The Dutch are up to something secretly!

In this historical year, the Netherlands and Portugal signed the Hague Agreement. The two sides delineated the colonial scope, with the east coast of India belonging to the Netherlands and the west coast to Portugal. The Netherlands recognized Portugal's sovereignty over Brazil, and Portugal paid the Netherlands 4 million reais in compensation, payable in 16 years.

This led to Portugal remaining neutral after the Anglo-Portuguese marriage and not intervening in the second Anglo-Dutch War. Even if the Netherlands broke the contract in the second year and captured Cochin on the west coast of India in the third year, Portugal would completely pretend to be stupid and just want to win. Preserve suzerainty over Brazil.

The Dutch used all-round methods to seize Indian coastal ports. They not only captured them by force, but also colluded with Indian princes.

Now that China and Portugal are married, Portugal has not signed the Hague Agreement, and the economic situation in the Netherlands is even worse. Zhao Kuanglui is expanding under the nose of the Netherlands again. How can the Dutch still sit still?

They dare not go out to fight in person, but they still have the courage to carry out sabotage secretly.

It is raining heavily in Madurai city.

The old king passed away two years ago. The only thing he is remembered by future generations is the construction of the magnificent Tirumalai Nayak Palace. This palace is named after the king.

Madurai is a Hindu country ruled by a Sultan!

Just 1.5 kilometers away from this magnificent palace is the Meenakshi Temple, one of the holy places in Hinduism. There are four gate towers around the temple, the shortest one is 45 meters and the highest one is 50 meters.

The palace seems to want to compete with the temple in terms of splendor, with a vast area and exquisite architecture. Unfortunately, in another time and space, it became a granary and arsenal for the British, and only a small part of it remained after hundreds of years.

King Udaji Nayak received the Dutch envoy Leinster in the palace.

Leinster said a lot, but the king remained unmoved. He continued to speak with great difficulty: "The Chinese are different. Whether it is Portugal or the Netherlands, we only want to obtain ports for business. But China has countless With a population of tens of millions, they not only want to do business, but also occupy the land here. There will be more and more Chinese, and the land in Tanjore cannot satisfy their appetite, and they will come to attack Madurai."

Udaji Sultan said: "China is very far away and very powerful. I don't want to take the initiative to provoke them. Of course, if the Chinese invade Madurai, of course we will rise up to resist and drive the Chinese out of here completely."

"It will be too late by then," Leinster said. "There are more and more Chinese. When they attack, no country can resist them."

Sultan Udaji asked: "Will the Netherlands send troops together?"

Leinster said: "The Ceylonese are revolting, and Dutch soldiers need to put down the rebellion. We do not have enough troops and cannot send troops together for the time being, but we can provide help."

"What help?" Udaji Sultan asked.

Leinster said: "300 matchlock guns, two cannons, some ammunition, sold at the previous 30% discount."

Udaji Sultan sneered: "I thought it was a free gift."

Leinster said: "The King of Mysore in the north of your country has agreed to send troops. Prince Arikamedu of Tanjore has also agreed to send troops. If your Majesty sends troops together, the Chinese will be attacked from three sides. By then, Tanjore will Joer City and the surrounding areas belong to His Majesty."

Sultan Udaji was suddenly moved. It was the rich city of Tanjore and the fertile river delta.

However, his father had spent more than ten years building a majestic palace, and the whole country had been struggling for more than ten years. The people's livelihood at home was in decline, and he had no ability to expand externally. It had only been two years since Udaji succeeded to the throne, and he had barely managed to bring order to the domestic nobles. It was unrealistic to send out a large army at this time.

However, as a young Sultan, Udaji also had the desire to expand his territory, and the bait offered by the Dutch was irresistible.

"I promise to send troops, but you have to send the muskets and artillery first," Udaji said. "I will pay half of the price first, and I will pay the balance after the war is won."

"Of course." Leinster smiled.

Both sides are playing dirty tricks!

Udaji wanted to wait and see after getting the arms, and when the time came, he would march on the border between the two countries. If the Chinese really besiege them, he will take advantage of the situation and kill them. If the Chinese were not besieged, he would find an excuse to withdraw his troops, buy weapons at a 30% discount, and forfeit the rest of the balance.

As for the Dutch, it doesn't matter, as long as Madurai sends troops symbolically. Regardless of victory or defeat, as long as it disgusts the Chinese people, it will make the Chinese people always wary of their neighbors and unable to develop in peace and contentment. As for the balance of the weapon, just throw it away and just use it as a meat bun to beat a dog.

At the same time, Dutch envoys also appeared in the Kingdom of Mysore, the Kingdom of Jinji, and the city of Camme, which nominally submitted to Zhao Kuangli.

In a word, cause trouble everywhere!

Taiwu City.

Before the rainy season had passed, Zhao Kuangyi received the envoy from Jinji Kingdom.

"The Netherlands wants you to go to war, but also says that other countries will send troops together?" Zhao Kuangluo was surprised.

The envoy from the Kingdom of Jinji said: "Yes, a partition plan has been formulated. The northernmost corner of your country belongs to our country, a large area of ​​land in the northeast and north belongs to the Prince of Arikamedu, the west belongs to the Kingdom of Mysore, and the south belongs to the Kingdom of Madurai .”

Zhao Kuangluo couldn't help but sneer: "It's a good plan."

Jin Jiguo said: "Our Majesty is willing to have good relations with your country and hopes to marry the princess to you. From then on, the two countries will form an alliance. When one side is attacked, the other side must send troops to help."

"I need to think about it." Zhao Kuangyi said.

The envoy was taken out of the palace, and Zhao Kuangluo summoned the civil and military ministers for discussion.

Ma Jue took the lead and said: "Your Highness, I have already inquired and understood. The biggest enemy of the Jinji Kingdom is the very powerful Golconda Kingdom. Once we form an alliance with the Jinji Kingdom, it means going to war with Golconda."

The country of Jinji has a long and narrow territory and occupies the area with the most rainfall in South India, and there are also two large gold mines being mined.

At the same time, its entire long and narrow land borders Golconda. Golconda is a country that can compete with the Mughals, and a small part of its land borders Zhao Kuangli. It will be difficult to solve the quagmire of war in the future.

Wang Chongxi said: "The news brought by Tamil merchants is that Golconda is at war with the Mughals and will not use troops in the south in the short term. We need an ally, otherwise we will face enemies on all sides. I suggest that your highness and Jinji National marriage."

Sun Kewang also said: "I also suggested marriage. Only with northern allies can we expand to the west and southwest with confidence."

After repeated discussions, the ministers all felt that a marriage should be formed, otherwise they would offend Jin Jiguo, and it would be difficult to deal with enemies on all sides.

Zhao Kuangluo followed suit and said: "When the merchants come back, I will order some brocade, silk, clocks, etc. from them as a betrothal gift for marrying the princess of Jinji Kingdom. I treated the envoy well and said that I am willing to get married, and I will officially marry the princess next year. Next. , let’s talk about the war issue.”

Wang Chongxi said: "In order to fight against foreign aggression, we must first pacify the interior. We should send troops in advance and attack Camme City as soon as the rainy season is over."

"I second the proposal!" Zhao Kuangyi's classmates agreed one after another.

Zhao Kuangluo looked at Weng Yingqi and Sun Kewang: "What do you two think?"

Weng Yingqi was the commander of the infantry. He was afraid of offending these civil servants. After all, they were all old classmates of the King of Jin, so he spoke more tactfully: "Gentlemen, what you said makes sense, but I think Madurai should be attacked first. Whoever is closest will be attacked!" "

Sun Kewang also said: "It is best to attack Madurai first."

The countries of Tanjore and Madurai are very interesting. One is in the southeast of the territory and the other is in the northeast of the territory. The capitals of the two countries are not far away from each other.

Zhao Kuanglui only studied at the Naval Academy and did not know much about land warfare. At this time, the civilian officials said to attack Camme City first, but the two generals said to attack Madurai first. He felt that professional matters should be left to professionals, so he preferred the generals' suggestions.

"Why attack Madurai first? Explain in detail." Zhao Kuangluo said.

"General Weng has experienced hundreds of battles and must be more discerning than the minister." Sun Kewang did not want to be the first person. The civil servants were all classmates of the King of Jin, and the infantry commander was from the Datong Army. Only he was a pure outsider.

Weng Yingqi said: "These surrounding forces were forced together by the Dutch to form a coalition. How could they work together? After the rainy season, most of the parties will send troops, but I am afraid they will all be slow. Even if they invade the country, they will only plunder. The village community does not dare to go straight to Taiwu City."

When the civil servants heard this, they all thought it made sense.

Weng Yingqi continued: "Since the enemy is scattered, we should attack the most threatening ones. Madurai is the closest to Taiwu City. If we send troops elsewhere, Taiwu City will most likely be besieged by the Madurai army. We The Madurai army should be defeated quickly and then immediately return to Taiwu City. By then, the coalition forces will have different ideas and may collapse on their own. Even if they do not collapse, they will not be able to cooperate in the battle. If they want to deal with the noble princes of Camme City, Isn’t it easy to catch it?”

Zhao Kuangluo looked at his classmates: "What do you think?"

"What General Weng said is absolutely true." The civil servants replied in unison.

Everyone came from afar to establish the Jin State, but it was not yet stable, it was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and there were not even enough officials. At this time, there was no possibility of civil and military disputes, and they were all thinking about how to survive the crisis smoothly.

Zhao Kuangluo asked again: "What if we defeat the enemies of Madurai quickly?"

Lin Chengzong, the naval commander with only three old ships available, spoke: "Madurai's navy is very weak, and its capital is on the seaside, so troops can be transported directly to its capital."

Sun Kewang said: "If Madurai has not yet sent troops, besiege the city for reinforcements and kill the army of King Qin. If Madurai has already sent troops, the infantry will go to surround its capital by boat, and the cavalry will cross the border by land. The enemy's capital is surrounded, and the front line The army will definitely return to Qinwang, and the cavalry can wait for the opportunity to follow and attack!"

Weng Yingqi said: "General Sun has thought carefully and decided to fight like this."

"Well, it's settled," Zhao Kuangluo said, "We all go back, prepare food and grass, and recruit civilian men. As soon as the rainy season is over, send out troops immediately, marching by sea and land!"

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like