"The situation in England is turbulent and there are many different opinions. But one thing is certain that Congress is currently very dissatisfied with James II, and James II is also very dissatisfied with Congress. This not only involves political and economic factors, but also religious factors that are causing this tense situation today." After asking the secretary to bring a few bottles of wine, Lin Dingzhi said while asking him to pour it on: "Please forgive my words. It may be impolite, but I strive to express my meaning accurately. Yes

Yes, that's right! Religious factors have been the main obstacles to communication among countries over the years, but Louis XIV's actions instantly intensified this contradiction, allowing more people to recall the terrifying emotions of religious confrontation decades ago. In this case, King James II's Catholic identity is very dazzling. You should know that although England's religious policy is also tolerant, the power of the church is also very great, not to mention that political factors are mixed here, which makes it easier to be used."

Several bottles of wine were brought from the local area by Lin Dingzhi. There are Xianghe wines produced in the River Central region of South Africa, Xiangshan Dried Red from the Yazi Lake Basin, white wines produced in Patagonia, and even a bottle of sake produced in the Hejian region and made by Japanese immigrants: Shenhe Soul Dayinjiu, the rich collection is really enviable.

Of course, this is why Lin Dingzhi owns shares in the East Coast company, and his family operates with Persia and India, and they are still profitable in business. Ordinary people are afraid that they can't afford it. This actually shows that after more than 50 years of development, although a large number of middle-class people have emerged in the East Coast Republic, the lives of its wealthy people have reached a very high level, not worse than the old nobles in the Old Continent, and even have it.

"This wine is very good." After Yao raised the wine glass in his hand, Conrad van Boyningen said: "Actually, I understand what you want to express. As a Protestant country that has experienced a revolution, the English have always been very alert to Catholics, and the overall atmosphere of society is not very friendly to Catholics. To be honest, at this point, the United Provinces with more than 40% of Catholics are much more tolerant than them. How can we say that the religious environment in England is, as strong as King Charles I, and he did not dare to announce himself when he was alive.

The true belief. You know, he "converted" to Catholicism before his death, which scared me. I can guarantee that he was a Catholic from the beginning, but he didn't dare to reveal his identity. But the Duke of York is an exception. He publicly stated from the beginning that he was a Catholic and had more sympathy for Catholicism in terms of words and behaviors, which caused many people to be dissatisfied. Of course, if it was just that, it didn't matter, the problem was that he wanted to fight for greater power from the noble parliament, which was very deadly."

Van Boyningen's words were a bit heart-warming. He was a Protestant himself, but he did not avoid talking about the religions of Britain and the Netherlands in front of Lin Dingzhi. He also analyzed in detail the differences in religious policies between the two countries and the tolerance of the people. He did not hide or embarrassed at all, and was indeed very frank.

Of course, what he said was very real and there was no problem at all. According to Lin Dingzhi's knowledge over the years, James II has always been a bit more agitated. When he served in the army, he liked to show off and compete for merit, and did not hide his religious beliefs and preferences at all. It was much more high-profile than his brother Charles II.

After becoming king, this guy still did not change his style, which aroused the disgust of more and more religious conservatives. Of course, disgust has always been both sides, and James II also disliked those people very much. After all, how did the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth reach such a large scale? Everyone knows it. It's just that you don't like me, a Catholic, to be the king.

Moreover, the members of Congress did not agree to continue to control many taxes, including tariffs, by the king. If they wanted to bring them to the national finances, they had the final say on how to use them. This undoubtedly greatly stimulated James II. You should know that when his brother Charles II was in power, the bourgeoisie and enlightened nobles in Congress were very easy to talk about. They authorized several taxes, including tariffs, to the royal family for life, and their income was freely controlled by the royal family. There was no doubt that these taxes have made the royal family's finances much more abundant and had a much greater influence. They no longer had to rely on selling land to fill the deficit like before. Of course, this also included factors that the total tax amount was much higher than before. This shows that Britain's import and export trade has really flourished in the past twenty years, and can govern calmly with its own financial resources.

But what happened when James II succeeded to the throne? Congressmen had an excuse that Charles II was dead, so they wanted to take back the tax right of these taxes. Isn’t this obvious difference? James is not as good-tempered and skilled as his brother. He is just a fool who likes to rush and beat hard. He may be a good player in war, but his political struggle is not his strength, so he suddenly became angry and his relationship with Congress is extremely cold.

Therefore, although King James II's religious belief issue was raised by many MPs in Britain, it was actually a cover! What really made him lose people's hearts was his aggressive attitude, his aura of wanting to control the overall situation and undermining the parliament. No one was willing to lose the power in his hands. James was like this, and so did the members of Congress! They finally sent Charles I to the guillotine through war, limiting the king's power. Now a James II popped up, and he was ambitious, and anyone was afraid!

"James II is now somewhat isolated in England, with only a few favored officials around him, and only a part of the army outside is still loyal to him, but how long can those officers be loyal to him under the continuous enlistment of Congress and corruption is a question. After Cromwell's death, wasn't most of the army pulled away by Congress? His son got nothing and could only be forced to announce his resignation! James II must have realized this, so he is now increasingly dependent on the French in order to fill his subordinates' troops.

The officials' appetite can only take money from Louis XIV again and again, but this is a poison to quench thirst. The French's money is not that easy to get! Especially in England, anyone who is wearing a Tongfa hat will get into big trouble. James's problem is serious." Lin Dingzhi put down the wine glass in his hand, sighed softly, and said: "The situation in London is very delicate now. Congress is not satisfied with James II, and James II is also dissatisfied with Congress. The relationship between the two has broken down."

"In ancient Chinese history, there have been many cases where the monarch was dissatisfied with others, and in the end there is a high probability that the monarch was replaced. In this situation in England, it is also a question whether the throne of James II can be stable." Lin Dingzhi said again.

"Is there any tangible evidence for James II taking money from the French?" Van Boyningen asked suddenly, obviously he was very concerned about this issue.

In fact, this is easy to understand. If these two countries are mixed together, it will definitely be a nightmare for the Netherlands and will definitely not be acceptable. It is ridiculous that they signed a friendly agreement with France before (later the persecution of the Huguenots was abolished), and they found that this was actually the French delaying strategy, and they immediately felt a burning feeling on their faces. Although Van Boyningen and others had deep conflicts with the Orange family, this does not mean that they were not patriotic and did not value the interests of the Netherlands. They were still clear about the issue of major issues, otherwise they would not have received support from many people in the country.

They had not heard of all the things between James II and Louis XIV before, but they had always lacked solid evidence and were unwilling to admit this. But the ambassador of the East Coast to Paris openly pointed out this point, so this is definitely not groundless, and there must be a slight connection between the two. In this way, many of the Republican policies need to be changed, otherwise they would not be caught by the Orange faction in the future and would be devastated to death, so that they would lose their support in United Province.

"Of course there will be no tangible evidence, but we have received some information from our friends in France, which should be quite credible. Besides, in the current situation of James II, it is strange that he does not seek sponsorship from the French, right?" Lin Dingzhi looked at Van Boyningen and said in a strange tone: "Or, Conrad, do you want the text of the agreement between Louis XIV and James II? No, that's impossible, save some attention."

"Of course not, in fact I just want to confirm how likely this is." Van Boyningen shrugged and said with a wry smile: "If there is a collusion between London and Paris, then the United Provinces will have to adjust their policies. I think we should no longer try to establish close ties with the Kingdom of France, which is stupid and will also push us into a dangerous situation."

"But the danger of Prince Orange's entry into London is not considered? This is a very serious matter. Once he alone is in power in the United Provinces and has two major positions in the King of England, can you still fight him?" Lin Dingzhi increased it and said: "It must be restricted, which is what you can do. Mobilize domestic supporters and fight for some neutral factions. You can do it! Do you still remember the conditions when Princess Theresa of Spain married Louis XIV?

Yes, yes, it is to ask Princess Teresa to voluntarily give up her demands on the Spanish throne so that she can get married. To be honest, if the Spanish were not able to pay all the dowry (actually war reparations), there would be no subsequent legacy transfer war. I suggest that your shareholders go to the other members of the third-level parliament to put collective pressure on Prince Orange to make a public commitment that once he takes office as the throne of England, he will automatically lose his position in the United Provinces."

Lin Dingzhi's words made Van Boyningen nod his head. This matter did not violate his principles, nor did it harm the interests of the United Provinces, and might even have benefits. At the same time, Prince Orange was their irreconcilable enemy. They despicablely killed several Republican MPs and exiled the Dewits brothers to return. How could this hatred be cleaned? It must be to deal with them hard to relieve their anger.

"This matter is indeed very important, I will find a way to promote it." Van Boyningen said with a solemn expression.

After saying this, several Dutch people looked at each other, with a little solemn expression. There is no doubt that this is a difficult task, and Prince Orange will definitely not miss this great opportunity. If he wants to force him to sign this agreement, he can only contact more people and unite more Dutch businessmen, politicians and religious figures, so that everyone can understand that once Prince Orange becomes the king of England, the United Province will be seriously injured.

Prince Orange had the army in his hands, which was his greatest advantage. However, Van Boyningen and others believed that if more people were allowed to know the impact of William III as the Queen of England on the United Provinces in military, diplomacy and trade, some officers who were determined to the Netherlands should be shaken. The Duke of Normandy could be the king of England, but had to give up the territory of France, and William III must do the same!

"Tell me something else, Conrad. Are you interested in investing in the Ottoman Empire? I mean financial investments, not too much, 10 million gulf is enough, how about it? Are you interested?" After seeing everyone agree on this issue, Lin Ding's heart was settled, so he turned the topic elsewhere.

"I'm afraid it won't work." Van Boyningen said a little apologetically: "Now the finances of the provinces are not very abundant. Especially the Netherlands, Zelan, which has undertaken the largest share of the expenditure, have been forced to raise a huge sum of more than 30 million ruts. William III has begun to restore the scale of the army that was once cut. Military expenditure is believed to reach an astonishing 100 million ruts in a year. He believes that the French will launch a war of aggression and must be prepared in advance. Many people oppose him

, especially those plucked geese (referring to the large Amsterdam wholesalers, business owners and bankers who were sent to donate), but he insisted on restoring the size and combat effectiveness of the army. Oh, by the way, he placed a large order of arms to England and did not give you, I am sorry, we won not win every time in Parliament. The goods produced on the East Coast are cheap and good, much better than those British goods, and William III harmed the interests of the Netherlands in this matter."

"Okay, I understand the focus of your government. So, the country's finances are tight, is there any private capital willing to invest in it?" Lin Dingzhi refused to give up and continued to ask.

"Maybe there. Because of the smell of war, there are quite a few people in Amsterdam who want to leave their funds and avoid risks. In addition, the East India Company seems to be interested in easing relations with your country. If you don't object, I would rather be an intermediary and help you convey the news. Maybe they can borrow some money. But please be honest, almost no one is optimistic about the Ottoman Empire's finances on the verge of collapse. I heard that they just lost again in Transylvania.

Once, the loss of tens of thousands of troops, the Austrians became more and more dominant. In this case, it seems unwise to lend to the Ottoman Empire, and the risk is too great. In my opinion, they may be more willing to lend to your country because your reputation is very good and your balance of payments is amazingly good. You can get a loan at a lower interest rate and then transfer it to the Ottomans by yourself. No one will object to this." Van Boyningen said after thinking about it.

"It's a good news." Lin Dingzhi nodded, expressing his approval of this model, but he could not help but ask the Ottoman Empire for defense: "But seriously, according to the latest news I just got, the Russians, led by an inexperienced young commander, went deep into the coast of the Azov Sea and besieged a strong city when they were not prepared. Once the Russians failed, the Ottoman Empire could transfer some troops stationed in the north and devoted themselves to the battlefields of Hungary and Transylvania. In addition, the Duke of Moldavia could not continue to be half-hearted and began to attack the Poles and Austrians. This had a very far-reaching impact."

"Maybe this is the case, but you know, bankers won't study what's in it, and they won't take big risks. In fact, what they are most pursuing now is the security and stability of investment, rather than how high interest rates or returns. They have passed that stage, I hope you understand." Van Boyningen explained immediately after hearing this.
Chapter completed!