My British Empire-Chapter 525: colonial strategy
Chapter 525 Colonial Strategy
In 1492, Columbus first discovered America and reached the West Indies.
Subsequently, explorers and navigators from Western European countries successively landed on this rich and vast new continent. The Spaniards and Portuguese focused their attention on South America, while the French, and then the Dutch and the Nordics, Focus on North America.
In the race to explore the New World in the 16th century, the British were a bit slow.
Although John Cabot, an Italian Genoese who served the British king, arrived in Newfoundland in North America as early as 1497, but the British at that time did not take this new land seriously. Cabot received a salary of 10 pounds and an annual salary of 20 pounds.
At this moment, after the American continent began to invest a huge amount of money, gold and silver began to emerge continuously. Spain and Portugal finally began to get rid of the threat of huge deficits and spend a lot of money.
Of course, this is a timely rain for Spain, especially when the Netherlands is getting deeper and deeper into the quagmire, this kind of motivation is indescribable.
In this regard, the United Kingdom decided to speed up its support for the Netherlands uprising troops, with an annual aid amount of 50,000 pounds, and increase the import of firearms and gunpowder.
is to hold back the pressure from the huge Spanish Empire.
At this time, the Ottoman Empire seemed to be restless, and began to tentatively attack the Spanish colonies in North Africa, as if they wanted to set off a new wave of counterattacks.
The huge imperial navy had to refocus its attention on the Mediterranean Sea, and moved away from the rising United Kingdom.
Of course, the actions of the Ottoman Empire do not know how many forces are behind it.
The two major forces in France are still entangled, struggling, and inseparable.
Central Europe is still occupied by various states such as Germany and Italy, and they are engaged in chaotic struggles day and night.
Eastern Europe is still immersed in its ancient customs and cannot extricate itself.
Northern Europe, Sweden In order to control the Baltic Sea and get rid of the control of Denmark, Eric XIV began to seek allies and began Sweden's dream of a great power.
In this regard, the United Kingdom will also carefully participate in it in view of its feud with Denmark.
So, during this period of time, the entire international environment was relatively stable, which also created conditions for colonization.
"Your name is Humphrey Gilbert, are you the one who wants to obtain a commission?"
In the simple and elegant living room, all kinds of porcelain are filled in the whole living room. The colors are different, but there is one common feature: expensive.
Humphrey Gilbert cautiously followed the maid, walked in the living room, kept watching the room full of porcelain from left to right, his open mouth never closed.
Just when he was dazzled, a smiling young man suddenly appeared in front of him.
He has long dark brown hair, azure blue eyes, and a tall nose, with thin lips pursed lightly. From a distance, he looks like a handsome and unrestrained nobleman, outstanding.
But if you look carefully, he is holding a book in his hand, and his eyes have the power to look directly at people's hearts, making people look away unconsciously and avoid them.
It can be said that Gilbert is absolutely certain that the person in front of him is His Majesty Edward, the ruler of the entire United Kingdom of Great Britain and who controls millions of people.
"See you, the ruler of the British Kingdom, Your Majesty the King, your subject Humphrey Gilbert, I am honored that you still remember my name!" 𝑓𝚛𝚎ℯ𝘸𝙚𝘣𝚗𝘰νeƖ.c𝒐𝐦
Gilbert's expression changed immediately, and he knelt down on one knee tremblingly, bowing his head respectfully.
Walked over slowly, looked at the man in front of him who looked imposing, swept his eyes, and asked:
"Did you graduate from Oxford University?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. After I graduated from Oxford University, I went to join the army, and I also joined the conquest of France!"
"Since this is the case, why would you want to go to America? You also want to obtain a commission to carry out colonial activities.
Don't you know that the hottest thing right now is Eastern Trade? But there are a lot of gold and silver, just waiting for the brave to get it? "
Edward became a little puzzled. Although he admired the outstanding gaze in front of him, this kind of non-mainstream behavior was indeed unbelievable.
"Your Majesty, it is precisely because everyone has chosen to go to the East that I will choose America!"
Gilbert looked nervously at His Majesty the King who was close at hand, and said carefully. 𝗳𝒓𝙚e𝓌e𝚋𝙣𝚘𝐯𝙚𝙡.𝑐૦ｍ
"America at present is like a fertile virgin land, with a lot of interests and wealth, not just gold and silver!"
Looking up and seeing the encouraging eyes of His Majesty the King, Gilbert mustered up his courage and said loudly.
"In my opinion, the gold digging behavior of Spain and Portugal is only the most superficial rule, and what I want to learn is to convert the land of the Mediterranean Sea into a large amount of land as the ancient Greeks did!"
In the most prosperous era of the Athens Empire, there were more than a thousand city-states in the entire Mediterranean, paying tribute to it, and commerce spread throughout the Mediterranean.
The Italian peninsula, in the Greek era, was only a colony, known as the Greater Greece region, and was a vassal of the big city-states such as Athens and Sparta.
"You mean, you want the Americas to become prosperous city-states, continuously injecting blood into the kingdom, and prospering the entire United Kingdom!"
Sure enough, he is indeed a person who has read the book. What he said is not different from the brutal Spanish colonization, and it is almost the same as the colonial rule in Edward's mind.
Those who have read the book are quite good.
"En!" Edward smiled slightly, nodded his head, and then looked into his gray-green eyes, and said calmly:
"Mr. Gilbert, your idea is indeed good, a prosperous colony, and the prosperity of the entire United Kingdom!"
"But, have you ever thought about why Athens, Sparta, and Greece failed in the end, and civilization was wiped out by the Macedonians!"
His Majesty's question made Gilbert's agitated mood suddenly tense, and he couldn't help being taken aback. He looked at the king suspiciously, waiting for an explanation.
And Edward didn't let him wait too long, and continued:
“The prosperous small city-states, although each one of them was immigrated by the Athenians, and they still look towards their homeland in their hearts, but after two or three generations, in their view, this is the suzerain’s economic plunder and robbing of their interests!”
"So decades later, these newly established city-states finally broke away from their suzerain, and finally even opposed the suzerain!"
"These are unavoidable and will eventually appear in the strategies you proposed. Do you have any methods to prevent them?"
The last question made Gilbert stunned. Such long-term consideration made his brain a little bit overwhelmed.
(end of this chapter)
