My British Empire

Chapter 465 Killing two birds with one stone

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"Deng dong dong——" As a guard in the palace and one of the few noble children in Spain, Butchaca has always kept etiquette in mind, and it has been engraved in his bones.

However, when he got the news, he still couldn't help showing a look of shock in his heart, and his footsteps became a little unsteady.

His face was pale, his footsteps were a little floating, and he looked a little overindulgent. When he entered the lawn and disturbed His Majesty the King and the ministers, the noble children like him couldn't help laughing.

But Chaka didn't care so much, and went straight to His Majesty the King, bent down, and saluted.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my impoliteness, but the current situation makes people forget about etiquette!"

As an excellent king, Philip II didn't care about Chabuka's disrespectful behavior. He only cared about what kind of news made him, a noble guard who abides by etiquette, lose his sense of proportion.

Philip II stared at the respectful guards in front of him, frowned slightly, and asked eagerly:

"I forgive your behavior, but, my guard, please tell me, what happened?"

Hearing Philip II's question, Buchak immediately raised his head, calmed down, and said:

"Your Majesty, a mob has rebelled in the Netherlands. At present, Amsterdam has been captured."

Hearing this, Philip II was taken aback. He was not surprised by the Dutch riots, but was surprised that the Dutch had the strength to capture Amsterdam, which is the central city of the North Netherlands.

The Netherlands region includes present-day northeastern France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In the sixteenth century, it was the economic center of the entire Europe and was also known as the Low Countries.

There are more than 300 cities in the small Netherlands, with a population of more than 3 million. The land is fertile and the business is developed. The annual tax paid to the Kingdom of Spain has reached 6 million Duters, accounting for more than half of the Kingdom of Spain. taxation.

At this time, England has several times the land and the population is comparable to that of the Netherlands.

And with the addition of Scotland, Ireland and other places, the tax contribution of the entire United Kingdom is not as much as one-tenth of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is the handicraft center of the whole of Europe. Even the woolen fabrics made in England are sent to the Netherlands for printing, dyeing and coloring.

This is why Britain's international status is not high at this time.

As the pillar of the imperial economy, after Philip II inherited the empire of Charles V, he never let it go.

"Is the Duchess of Parma doing anything?" Philip II was shocked, and then asked quickly with a cold face.

"Before I got the news, I didn't know the Governor's move!"

Buchuck replied softly.

The Duchess of Parma is the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and the sister of Philip II, who has won the trust of Philip II.

In the eyes of the king, his elder sister is the most suitable subordinate, because she will execute her orders meticulously, stabilize the Netherlands, and contribute a steady stream of taxes to the kingdom.

Hearing that his sister didn't take any action or implement any effective measures, Philip II shook his head in disappointment:

Sure enough, when a woman encounters any major event, she will be at a loss.

At this time, the Minister of Finance, Roy Gomez De Heil, was also shocked. As the king's important minister, he certainly understood what the loss of the Netherlands meant to the kingdom.

"Your Majesty, the Netherlands is very important to the kingdom. Huge taxation is the pillar that supports the dignity of the kingdom. The current situation in the Netherlands is complicated and confusing. Peace talks are still the main focus. The economy of the Netherlands cannot be damaged in the slightest!"

When the power of the elderly palace minister was gradually emptied, the Minister of Finance Roy Gomez de Hier and the Duke of Avar, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, became the most trusted nobles of Philip II Minister.

The finance minister, who had always been prudent and prudent, saw very clearly that in the face of France and the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands, which supported the kingdom's huge expenditures, was of great importance.

"Please consider carefully, a war-ravaged Netherlands is of no use to the kingdom! At present, the most important thing is to deal with the Huguenots in France!"

As he said that, the chancellor looked at the king expectantly, and threw out the French war in distress to change the king's mind.

"Your Majesty, those conspiring rebels should have been hanged a long time ago. We can't treat them too leniently. As long as these leaders are killed, the Netherlands will naturally be at peace!"

Duke Avar glanced at the Minister of Finance who tried his best to persuade him, his old enemy, he glanced at him dismissively, and said fiercely.

In this regard, the Minister of Finance was so angry that his neck was thick. After ironing each other with the Duke of Avar for a while, he pushed the problem to Philip II.

At this time, the King of Spain was thinking about the importance of the Netherlands and France.

If you attack France, the entire south of France is full of Huguenots. If you eat it, you will have a little indigestion.

Losing the Netherlands, the entire empire suddenly collapsed, and he was unwilling to face this scene.

In this way, there is only one option at present, to make the Netherlands become the purse of the kingdom again.

"Stop talking, Duke Avar, I authorize you to be the new governor of the Netherlands, and you must stabilize the Netherlands!"

Philip II declared loudly in front of several ministers and palace ministers.

The Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Palace turned pale when they heard the words, but the Duke of Avar agreed with high spirits, with indescribable satisfaction on his face.

Resisting the irritability in his heart, Philip II once again looked up to the direction of France and sighed:

Frenchman, let you escape again!

The uprising broke out in the Netherlands, of course it didn't happen by coincidence, but the young king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain personally ordered the intelligence department to act.

In fact, three years later, that is to say, in 1556, a revolution will still break out in the history of the Netherlands, and an uprising against the Spaniards will continue, which will last for more than 40 years and drain the blood of Spain.

Of course, the British just lightly lit a spark in advance. The real factor was the Spaniards, who built the Dutch powder kegs themselves.

During the time of Charles V, the number of Protestants executed by the Inquisition in the Netherlands reached more than 50,000.

In the period of Philip II, economic warfare was used to force the Netherlands to submit.

Philip II did not allow the Netherlands to trade with the Spanish colonies, but he made the English cheaper in vain; he increased the purchase price of Spanish wool, forcing a large number of handicraft factories to go bankrupt; As a result, the Dutch bankers suffered heavy losses.

His actions did not force the Netherlanders to submit, but aroused opposition from all walks of life in the Netherlandish society.

At this time, the Netherlands has become a veritable powder keg, and the English are just a little spark.

Soon, the news that the Spaniards were preparing to attack the Netherlands reached France, much to the chagrin of the Catholic League and a great surprise to the Huguenots.

In London, England, the young His Majesty the King couldn't help but be very proud of his handwriting.

Igniting the Netherlands in advance will not only allow the United Kingdom to swallow part of the French territory to reduce resistance, but also allow the United Kingdom to weaken the strength of its economic rival, the Netherlands.

Kill two birds with one stone.

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