The news was leaked unintentionally? This may not be the case. Wu Sidao glanced at Shi Shipiao and thought to himself that this guy was slick. He had previously said in front of Yinzhen that he would rather return without success, but in fact he had been thinking about how to infer the British and Dutch people. It seems that he deliberately asked Yinzhen to come forward to meet the Portuguese, and he had other plans. Is there any meaning to use Yinzhen as bait? The identity of Prince Yinzhen is still very important in the eyes of Europeans.

After pondering for a moment, Wu Sidao spoke: "The situation of European countries at this time is like during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. In order to compete for hegemony or protect themselves, all countries do everything they can't do. General Shi must not underestimate them. These prisoners are important to Spain, but they cannot be determined that Spain dare not disclose the news.

It has been more than two years since the first battle between the Spanish Far East Fleet of the Qing Dynasty. European countries have probably had a detailed understanding of the combat power of the Qing navy, so they must not be lucky."

After a slight pause, he continued: "Carlos, the deputy commander of the Spanish Far East Fleet, had a clear idea of ​​the Qing Dynasty's overseas expansion and alliance law, and the purpose of the two countries. It has been said before that France has always had the ambition to dominate Europe, and the Qing Dynasty has no possibility of dominating the country. It is impossible for France to give up forming an alliance with the Qing Dynasty.

Spain should have a clear understanding of this point. If Spain is unwilling to ced the territory of America, it will inevitably create opportunities to weaken the strength of the South China Sea fleet, and provoking Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal and other countries to attack us is the best way.

France and Spain can help us when we are in a desperate situation. In this way, we can show goodwill to us and rescue the Spanish prisoners in our hands. How can we have the face to speak out in this situation?”

After hearing Wu Sidao's words, Shi Shipiao couldn't help but secretly praised him. No wonder Yinzhen attached so much importance to this lame master. This person is a rare talent. He immediately bowed and said, "Mr. Wu is a great talent, this insight has really made us suddenly understand."

Fu Anding was also impressed by the Qing Dynasty. However, European countries knew very well about the situation of the Qing Dynasty due to trade. Wu Sidao's analysis was very likely to come true. After pondering for a moment, he said: "The Nanyang Fleet is on an expedition alone, and he does not want to win, but he will first think about defeat. If Mr. Wu is unfortunately told. Wouldn't the Nanyang Fleet be in danger?"

"That won't be." Wu Sidao said, and then he drank tea slowly.

Shi Shipiao and Fu Anding didn't know that Wu Sidao liked to be flirting with her appetite. Seeing this situation, she didn't know how to ask, and they all waited patiently. Shi Shipiao frowned and thought about how to deal with this situation. Portugal knew the actual combat power of the Nanyang Fleet. If he knew the scale of the Nanyang Fleet and the purpose of coming to Europe, the British, Dutch and Portugal would be very likely to organize a large-scale fleet to attack with all their strength.

The chance of winning is very small, even if you can win by chance, it will be a miserable victory. This is something that the Nanyang Fleet cannot bear. What about avoiding war? Shi Shipiao couldn't help but frown, crossing the sea for 40,000 miles, and retreating without fighting in the first battle. The great blow to the morale of the army is self-evident. If the army is alone, if the morale of the army is unstable and the morale is low, it will undoubtedly bring disastrous consequences.

There is no war or retreat. This is actually a dilemma. If the two evils are the least, how should we choose? Shi Shipiao couldn't help but frown and thought hard.

Wu Sidao had a leisurely expression and even drank two cups of tea, but he didn't ask. He also felt bored secretly, but since he had aroused his appetite, he would not take the initiative to speak, so he continued to drink tea. The cup of tea had already been as light as white water.

Fu Anding is the youngest, so his character is not as good as the two. After waiting for a while, he couldn't help but say: "We are not in a position to maintain supplies and are at a disadvantage. We should avoid a war with Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal. How about transferring first?"

Unable to let Wu Sidao speak, Shi Shipiao took it over, "Transfer and avoid war is the best strategy. However, once it is transferred, how can France and Spain find us? Besides, it takes half a year to sail here, and before it has been taken over, it can easily lead to unstable military morale and poor morale. I would rather fight first, so that you can take the opportunity to understand the combat power of European maritime powers and boost morale."

"General Shi said very much. He cannot avoid war. He must fight. Only by fighting a war can the Nanyang Fleet establish a foothold in Europe and open up the situation." Wu Sidao took the conversation and said jokingly: "So what about the Three Kingdoms coalition? Since it is a coalition, cooperation cannot be integrated. Britain and the Netherlands are not in the same heart and virtue. It should be an opportunity to take advantage of it. Moreover, there are many examples of weak defeating the strong and the few defeating the many. The Qing navy has always won the many with less. Why fear? As the saying goes, it is better to cut off one finger than to hurt one finger. To boost the morale of the army and inspire morale, one of them must be annihilated."

Shi Shipiao nodded, Wu Sidao thought to him that avoiding war is not a solution. Once avoiding war, it will be passive everywhere, which will not only lead to unstable morale and poor morale, but also greatly damage the reputation of the Nanyang Fleet. If you want to open up the situation in Europe in the future, you will inevitably pay a greater price.

It is naturally the most ideal to find a fighter jet, take the initiative to attack, cut off one of its fingers, and annihilate one of its bodies. However, it is a broader horizon at sea, and it is not easy to ambush. Moreover, they are fighting in different places and their understanding of this sea area is not as good as that of the Europeans. Moreover, European countries have been fighting for years and their practical experience is not comparable to that of the Qing Navy. In addition to the advantages of artillery, the South China Fleet is at a disadvantage, and this battle is really difficult to fight.

In less than two hours, Yinzhen and Lin Wei ended their meeting with the Portuguese and returned to the command cabin of the flagship second-class battleship "Zhenxi", where Shi Shipiao was located. After several people sat down, Yinzhen said in a deep voice: "The leader of the Portuguese fleet is Cristiano Ronacod, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal. He said that he was representing the Portuguese King Joao V, who came to invite us to visit the Portuguese capital Port, Lisbon, to thank the Qing Dynasty for its care and help for Portugal's trade in the Far East."

Shi Shipiao was not interested in these nonsense, so he asked directly: "Your Majesty has found out about the situation in Europe?"

"Yes." Yinzhen said in a low voice: "The war has basically ended. Last April, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal and France and Spain signed the Utrecht Peace Treaty. A month ago, Austria and the Holy Roman Empire signed the Rastadt Peace Treaty with France. France ceded part of the territory in North America to Britain, and part of the territory of Europe to the Netherlands and Austria."

The war has basically ended? Shi Shipiao and others were stunned. They went through a lot of hardships and sailed for about 40,000 miles away. The war was over? Since the war was over, how could they take advantage of the troubled waters? How to disrupt Europe? How to win time for the overseas expansion of the Qing Dynasty? Will France still form an alliance with them? Where should the Nanyang Fleet go?

The atmosphere in the cabin suddenly became extremely dull. After a while of silence, Lin Wei said cautiously: "Since the war is over, we cannot go for this trip in vain. It is better to go to Lisbon at the invitation of Portugal. If we can form an alliance with Portugal, we will have a foothold in Europe. We cannot disrupt Europe. We can understand Europe and strengthen trade with Europe, which is worth this trip."

This proposal is just a second-best, and it has no new ideas. Shi Shipiao glanced at him, calmed down and thought to himself that since the European war situation was like this, why did the envoys led by Lin Haitao have no news? Since France has been defeated, it is logical that it will not meet Lin Haitao and his party again. Could it be that Spain detained them? There is no reason, Spain cannot be so brainless.

After thinking for a while, Wu Sidao asked, "The two treaties the prince mentioned just now were signed with France. What about Spain? Why didn't Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Austria and other countries sign a treaty with Spain? Spain also has territories in the Americas, and it is far more than France. They have no reason to let Spain go!"

After hearing this, everyone here was filled with energy. Shi Shipiao said in a deep voice: "The war is not over! We still have a chance."

Yinzhen shook his head and said, "In July last year, Britain signed the "English-Spanish Treaty" and the "Spain-Savoy Treaty" with Spain, and outside Gibraltar, there was also a part of Menorca.

"Spain ceded the Strait of Gibraltar?" Shi Shipiao asked in disbelief.

"No, it's a small island on the Strait of Gibraltar." Yinzhen explained: "However, controlling this Island of Gibraltar is equivalent to controlling the Strait of Gibraltar."

"Prince, what treaty has Portugal and the Netherlands signed with Spain?" Wu Sidao asked.

"At present, only the United Kingdom and Spain have signed a treaty."

After pondering for a moment, Wu Sidao said in a deep voice: "Prince, the war has not ended, but it is not far from the end. Portugal and Spain have a border, and the Netherlands is also a maritime power. It is impossible for these two countries not to sign contracts with Spain to seek benefits."

"Even if the treaty is not signed, so what?" Yinzhen stared at Wu Sidao and said in confusion: "The war has come to an end, France and Spain have been defeated. This is an indisputable fact. Signing a contract is just a matter of time."

"Otherwise." Shi Shipiao said flatly: "As long as the war is not completely over, we will have a chance to disrupt the situation. The delay in returning from the envoys we sent to Spain is enough to show that Spain and France are tempted. The binding force of the treaty must be maintained by strong strength. Without strength, the treaty is just a piece of paper and can be torn down at any time."

"What General Shi said is a famous saying that is consistent with everyone." Wu Sidao smiled and said, "Compared with national interests, everything is nothing. Looking at the past and present, it is not surprising that the breach of contracts is common.

To break this situation, the navy needs to fight to completely make France and Spain decide to break the contract. However, in this way, the navy will be under greater pressure. In order to protect the vested interests, Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal will definitely fight us with all their might. France and the West may be at the end of their strength and cannot support us strongly. General Shi, can the South China Fleet turn the tide?" To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations, monthly votes, and your support is my greatest motivation.)

(w/w\w../o/m)

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Chapter completed!