Empire Rise: Spain

Chapter 173: Envoy From Lanfang

“Lanfang Republic’s representative?” Carlo was stunned, his gaze turning to Butler Loren who was reporting the news.

“Yes, Your Majesty, it is precisely the Lanfang Republic as you previously instructed.” Butler Loren nodded, affirming once again.

In fact, such a small-scale Asian country theoretically should not alarm King Carlo of Spain.

But because the Lanfang Republic was related to Spain’s strategic plans in Borneo, and due to Carlo’s prior instructions, when the Lanfang Republic actually dispatched an envoy to Spain, the guards still reported it layer by layer to Butler Loren.

“Lanfang.” Carlo turned his gaze to the map of the East Indies hanging in the office, where the name of the Lanfang Republic was on Borneo, and it had been specially circled.

Posterity had too much praise for this overseas republican country established by Han Chinese, and Carlo also had some fondness for it.

But this did not mean Carlo would violate Spain and the royal family’s interests to help Lanfang; rather, he would make his own decisions under the premise that it was beneficial to Spain and the royal family’s interests.

Currently, for Spain, the existence of the Lanfang Republic was still very necessary. With the Lanfang Republic attracting the Dutch’s attention, Spain’s annexation of the Sultanate of Brunai would become much smoother.

Spain could even stand aside like the British, supporting the Lanfang Republic in a way that turned it into its own thug to confront the Dutch.

The benefits of doing so were obvious. Spain did not need to participate in the war, so it naturally did not have to bear personnel casualties. Providing weapons and equipment to the Lanfang Republic could also exchange for some income; anyway, the weapons and equipment eliminated by Spain’s military reform were worrying about having no place to sell. At this period, European countries had already entered the era of breech-loading rifles; those muzzle-loading rifles could hardly be sold except for equipping colonial armies.

It would be better to sell them cheaply to the Lanfang Republic, letting them cause trouble for the Dutch, stirring up the waters of Borneo as muddy as possible.

“Let him in.” Carlo waved his hand, signaling Butler Loren to bring in the Lanfang Republic’s representative.

Not long after, a yellow-skinned man who was obviously different from East Asian attire walked in led by Butler Loren.

“Diplomatic representative of the Lanfang Republic, Wu Yongxiang, pays respects to His Majesty King Carlo of Spain!” The Lanfang Republic’s diplomatic representative named Wu Yongxiang bowed very respectfully to Carlo, introducing himself along the way.

“Spanish? You speak Spanish?” Carlo was somewhat surprised, not expecting the diplomatic representative in front of him to be proficient in Spanish.

However, Carlo had no mood to speak Chinese to show off; after all, in diplomatic occasions, proactively speaking the other party’s language was equivalent to bowing to others. In Spain, one had to speak Spanish, and Carlo would not forget his sense of proportion just because of his previous life’s identity.

“Yes, esteemed Your Majesty the King. As you know, proficiency in foreign languages is the basic ability of a diplomat. I know some Dutch, Spanish, English, and French; please forgive me if I do not speak them well.” The Lanfang Republic’s diplomatic representative Wu Yongxiang first nodded, answering Carlo’s question, and then explained.

“You are impressive, Mr. Diplomat. Being able to master so many languages at the same time is your ability.” Carlo nodded, expressing affirmation of the diplomat’s language ability in front of him, and then asked his own question: “The Lanfang Republic is far away on Borneo. Why has it dispatched a diplomatic envoy from such a great distance to Spain?”

Wu Yongxiang nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, carefully organizing his words before saying in Spanish word by word: “Esteemed Your Majesty the King, President Mr. sent me here, wishing to conclude a friendship treaty with your country and establish an eternal alliance.”

The full name of the Lanfang Republic is Lanfang Grand Governor-General Governor-General Republic, and the head of state is called Governor-General or Great Tang Governor-General, meaning the overall leader of overseas Han Chinese.

Because there is no similar translation in Spanish, Wu Yongxiang used the somewhat similar “president” when translating.

How to translate the head of state was no longer important; what was important was the purpose of Wu Yongxiang’s trip, which was to conclude an alliance treaty with the Kingdom of Spain as much as possible to help the Lanfang Republic continue to survive.

Yes, to continue to survive.

This overseas-established Han Chinese republic actually had a fairly glorious history. At the peak of the Lanfang Republic, most of western Borneo was under the republic’s rule.

But with the colonial invasion of Britain and the Netherlands, the Lanfang Republic’s territory was continuously eroded, ultimately leaving only a small part in the west of Borneo, about only a few tens of thousands of square kilometers of land.

If it were not for the successive Governor-Generals of the Lanfang Republic being quite clever, skillfully borrowing the name of that East Asian great power and claiming to be a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, the Lanfang Republic would probably have been annihilated by the Dutch long ago.

Of course, such a title was destined not to last long. Because the so-called Qing Dynasty had long decayed, and what awaited it was a period of humiliating history.

Moreover, the composition of the Lanfang Republic also doomed this country not to receive support from the Qing Dynasty.

The Lanfang Republic was a republican country composed of Han people, while the Qing Dynasty was a feudal empire under minority ethnic rule; the two had the most fundamental differences.

One could tell from both sides’ clothing and ethnic composition. The Han people of the Lanfang Republic did not have long braids, and their clothes were more like standardized military uniforms in Dutch and French styles.

The other side naturally went without saying; the long braid was a characteristic.

“Friendship treaty? Eternal alliance?” Carlo smiled, saying as if unconcerned: “Mr. Diplomat, give me a reason.”

No matter what, the identities of the Lanfang Republic and Spain were ultimately not equal. Rather than letting him give a reason, Carlo might as well make the other party understand that the one currently seeking help was the Lanfang Republic, and the one who should bow its head was also the Lanfang Republic.

“Your Majesty the King, currently Spain and Lanfang have a common enemy, which is the Dutch. Once we conclude a friendship treaty, we can unite to confront Dutch rule.

We are willing to help your country seize the Dutch colonies, which is also to strive for more survivable land for ourselves.” The Lanfang Republic’s diplomatic representative Wu Yongxiang stated his reason.

“The Dutch?” Carlo smiled, his eyes filled with disdain and indifference, as if he had heard some joke, and said: “Do you think the Dutch pose a threat to Spain?

As long as I wish, the Spanish Army can defeat the Dutch army at any time, any place. The Dutch have never been Spain’s enemy, nor do they qualify to be Spain’s enemy.”

Although Carlo’s words were somewhat arrogant, the situation in Europe was indeed like this. A country’s strength determined its diplomatic status, which was an eternal unchanging truth in any era.

Do not look at the Netherlands’ equally long history, and it once being one of Europe’s hegemons. But the current Netherlands was just a small country with only a few million population.

Without British protection of the Netherlands, its colonies would have long been partitioned by other countries. The Netherlands had never been a threat to Spain; the real threat to Spain was the British behind the Netherlands.

“Spain is indeed very powerful and can easily defeat the Dutch.” Wu Yongxiang first affirmed the power of Spain in Carlo’s words, then elaborated his own view: “But is Borneo only inhabited by the Dutch?

The British behind the Netherlands are the real trouble, whether for the Lanfang Republic or for Spain. As long as your country is willing to support us, we are willing to help your country jointly confront the British and the Dutch.”

This sentence truly hit the point. Spain’s real worry was not the Dutch; the Dutch did not qualify to play a game of chess with Spain.

The real players on Borneo were the British; if the Lanfang Republic wanted to find a common enemy with Spain, its gaze should also be on the British.

“Although that is said, for Spain, there is currently no need for allies.” Carlo nodded, acknowledging Wu Yongxiang’s point, but at the same time expressing his opposing attitude.

“Your Majesty the King.” Wu Yongxiang still wanted to strive, but Carlo directly waved his hand to interrupt his words, then said: “Although there is no need for an ally, I do not mind having a loyal subordinate in the Southeast Asia region. Mr. Diplomat, I suppose you understand what I mean?”

No matter from the comprehensive national strength or the current situation, the Lanfang Republic had no qualification to be Spain’s ally.

In the end, it was still that the Lanfang Republic’s strength was too weak. Without Spain’s support, the Lanfang Republic was destined to perish in the Dutch colonial aggression.

Currently, only Spain could help the Lanfang Republic, which was also the purpose of the Lanfang Republic coming from such a great distance to Spain.

Unfortunately, they underestimated Carlo’s ambition. For Carlo, he was unwilling to support a foreign country that could threaten Spain.

Lanfang could obtain Spain’s support, but the premise was that it must submit to Spain’s rule and become Spain’s loyal little brother.

Otherwise, Carlo did not mind supporting other countries anew to confront the Dutch; anyway, for Spain, it was not difficult.

Wu Yongxiang’s face alternated between pale and green; of course he understood the meaning in Carlo’s words, which was to make the Lanfang Republic submit to Spain’s rule.

This was not simple submission. If it were submission, the current Lanfang Republic claimed outwardly to be a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and was actually forced to submit under Dutch colonial rule; this was also submission.

But such submission was false; the Dutch wanted to annex the Lanfang Republic at all times, and the Lanfang Republic wanted to resist Dutch rule at all times.

The submission Carlo demanded was naturally not this superficial false submission, but submission in the true sense.

If agreeing to such a demand, the Lanfang Republic’s economy would be infiltrated by Spain, and even its army would be interfered with by Spain.

Was it to become a true vassal state, submitting under Spain’s rule in exchange for the country’s survival, or to sternly refuse and strive to forge ahead in the colonial competition between the Netherlands and Spain?

This was a difficult choice for the Lanfang Republic, and an even more difficult choice for its diplomatic representative Wu Yongxiang.

As a diplomatic representative, Wu Yongxiang certainly had some authority. His authority might be sufficient to directly agree to Carlo’s demands, but did he dare? Of course not.

This was not a small matter; what was sacrificed was the rights and interests of the entire Lanfang Republic.

Wu Yongxiang’s expression changed for a long time, but he did not dare show the slightest dissatisfaction. The little figures in his mind fought for a long time, and Wu Yongxiang ultimately could not make up his mind: “I am very sorry, Your Majesty the King. But such conditions are not for me to decide; I will convey your requirements faithfully back home and request our President Mr. to make the decision.”

Carlo nodded, not surprised at all: “That is of course, Mr. Diplomat. Since you have come to Spain, you are Spain’s guests; I will have the government arrange your food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

If your government has any reply, I will be very happy to listen.”

Under Butler Loren’s lead, Wu Yongxiang walked out of the Madrid Royal Palace with a complex expression.

As a diplomatic representative of a small country, the Spanish Government naturally would not pay too much attention. However, since there was Carlo’s instruction, the government’s diplomatic department still arranged a relatively quiet residence for Wu Yongxiang and his attendants, and provided them with a carriage for travel.

Along the way from the royal palace to the residence, Wu Yongxiang looked at the city of Madrid with a complex expression, envy almost overflowing from his eyes.

Compared to Madrid, the capital of the Lanfang Republic, Pontianak Pontianak, was indescribably dilapidated.

Although the small Lanfang Republic also had nearly 4 million population, whether in infrastructure construction or technology and economy, it was completely incomparable to these European countries.

“Sigh! If my Han people had such technology, how would Lanfang be like this?” Wu Yongxiang sighed, his face very complex.

“Master, we will eventually learn these foreigners’ things. When our weapons also become as powerful as the foreigners’, whether Dutch or Spaniards, we won’t have to fear them.” Wu Yongxiang’s attendant, also his confidant and subordinate, said at this time.

“I hope so. Will these foreigners hand over their things to us so easily? Hateful, my great country’s civilization, destroyed in one morning by the pigtailed ones. The Ming’s red barbarian cannons are still vivid in memory, but now the pigtailed ones actually use weapons like knives, guns, and sticks—ridiculous! Ridiculous!” Wu Yongxiang sighed and ended the topic.

Although Wu Yongxiang used the excuse of needing to contact Lanfang domestically, in reality, was there any way to contact home?

Contact between a European country like Spain and the East Indies colonies was already very troublesome, let alone for a small country like Lanfang with no diplomatic missions.

If there was a contact method, it was to send someone back to Lanfang, confirm the message, and then come to Spain to inform.

But a round trip would take several months, not to mention the quite troublesome process, and it might miss the timing.

Lanfang already had to beg others; if it made Spain wait several months, even if cooperation could originally be reached, it would probably fall through.

Therefore, before Wu Yongxiang left the Lanfang Republic, he had already confirmed with the current Grand Governor-General Liu Asheng and other important personnel the specific content of cooperation with Spain and the areas where concessions could be made.

If Spain’s conditions were within the range Lanfang could accept, then it was naturally better to reach cooperation as early as possible. But if Spain’s conditions were too harsh and exceeded Lanfang’s bottom line, then this negotiation could only regrettably end.

Although the residence provided to Wu Yongxiang by the Spanish side was not simple, he had not slept well these past few days.

No way, the mental pressure was too great. So great that as soon as Wu Yongxiang closed his eyes, it was the problems the Lanfang Republic might face in the future: either completely submitting under Spanish rule, or being completely defeated and annihilated by the Dutch.

After being tormented like this for several days, Wu Yongxiang finally made a decision. In other words, the two fighting little figures in his heart finally had a winner.

No way, for the Lanfang Republic, the most important thing currently was to survive.

What the Spaniards wanted was only part of the Lanfang Republic’s sovereignty, only the Lanfang Republic’s submission. But what the Dutch wanted was the complete annihilation of the Lanfang Republic; what they targeted was not the Lanfang Republic, but the land reclaimed by the Lanfang Republic.

The establishment of the Lanfang Republic was approaching 100 years. In these 100 years, the Lanfang Republic’s population had expanded from around 100,000 initially to nearly 4 million; the population seemed considerable.

But the bad news was that the true dominant ethnic group of the Lanfang Republic, the Han Chinese, or Hakka people, did not account for that high a proportion. Currently, the number of Han Chinese was just over 500,000, with more than half being local indigenous people who had submitted to Lanfang’s rule, that is, other ethnic groups.

This was also the reason why the Lanfang Republic could only submit when facing the Dutch; after all, only 500,000 population was truly united, and the other population would not fight to the death with the Dutch for Lanfang.

Because so many people continuously reclaimed this land, the land controlled by the Lanfang Republic had quite fertile arable land and a relatively developed economy.

Although not comparable to European countries, compared to the nearby local indigenous tribes, the Lanfang Republic was absolutely a tempting piece of fat meat, which was why the Dutch targeted the Lanfang Republic.

Even the Brunei Empire that once controlled this land was far less important than the Lanfang Republic. If able to control the Lanfang Republic’s 4 million population, it could greatly promote the development of Borneo, allowing the Dutch to have a large granary on Borneo.

Because of the over 500,000 Han Chinese domestically, the Lanfang Republic actually had no choice.

Only the Lanfang Republic could protect these over 500,000 Han Chinese. If the Lanfang Republic was annihilated by the Dutch, what awaited these Han Chinese might be a situation even worse than that of the local indigenous people.

The Lanfang Republic had existed on this land for nearly a hundred years; of course they understood the Europeans’ attitudes and strategies toward local indigenous people.

Because of the Lanfang people’s diligence, they reclaimed large areas of land and created enormous wealth. This wealth was not only targeted by European colonists but also by the local indigenous people.

If the Lanfang Republic perished, even if the Dutch were not too harsh on the Lanfang people, the local indigenous people would definitely unleash crazy retaliation.

Even for the survival of these Han Chinese, the Lanfang Republic had to continue to exist.

As for having to submit under Spain’s rule, this was something the Lanfang Republic had done long ago.

During the prosperous period of the Qing Dynasty, the Lanfang Republic outwardly claimed to be a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty and had always wanted to seek protection from the Qing Dynasty.

But the pigtailed ones would not trust a Han Chinese republican country; no matter how much the Lanfang Republic showed goodwill, the other side always treated it as a pirate group rather than a legitimate country.

The former Lanfang Republic, for survival, was also forced to submit under Dutch rule. Now it was merely changing the ruler over its head; for Lanfang, the change was not that great.

A little sacrifice in exchange for the survival of the entire Lanfang was worth it in Wu Yongxiang’s view. Moreover, Lanfang did not necessarily have to submit under Spain’s rule forever. If it could learn Spain’s powerful technology and weapons, the future Lanfang might still be able to master its own destiny.

5400-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!