Chapter 97: The Navigation Act Repercussion
The British declaration sent shockwaves across the entirety of Europe, with the Navigation Act causing considerable offence among major naval powers on the continent. The act seemed like a direct challenge to their rivals, particularly the Dutch.
The English Navy's effective blockades of Dutch access to lucrative trade routes in the Baltic Sea added a layer of tension. The Dutch, deeply involved in the Baltic trade, especially in commodities like grain, found their economic backbone disrupted. The English, by limiting Dutch access to these crucial routes, sought to undermine the Dutch economy.
Another strategic move by the British targeted the Dutch East India Company, a major player in the spice trade in the East Indies (Present Day Indonesia). The British aimed to block Dutch access to these valuable spice trade routes, recognizing the significance of disrupting this source of wealth for the Dutch.
A pivotal blow came with the British limiting Dutch access to Atlantic trade routes, including those in the Americas. Dutch colonies and trading posts in the Americas became focal points, reflecting the British strategy to curtail Dutch economic activities in this region.
The entire European nations are watching from the sidelines as these two colossal powers engage in their struggle. Both nations are traditional maritime powers, emphasizing naval operations and trade.
The nature of the conflict restricts the involvement of other countries, as none possess the naval expertise and force required to meddle with these two formidable nations. The only potential contenders, Spain or Portugal, find themselves grappling with severe economic and regional challenges, leaving them with no capacity to address the English and the Dutch.
As for other powerful countries like the French and the Holy Roman Empire, they do not have the time or resources to take part in this battle, as both nations are not maritime powers and focus solely on land expansion in Europe.
Just a month after the Navigation Act came into power, Just as expected, the Dutch responded to the British offence. They immediately increased the naval budget for the production of new battleships, sought new trade routes as alternatives to British trade, and employed privateering companies to harass British ships with the intent of causing losses and bringing the British to the negotiation table. The two maritime nations were now embroiled in a large-scale conflict.
But, It is not all bad news, as Alphonso IV De Braganza of porchugal, who just received the information from his trusted knight, is laughing his heart out. He holds his stomach and laughs happily.
The knight is puzzled by his Highness's actions, but he does not comment on it.
Finally, Alphonso himself reveals the information.
"Ha ha, Barren, did I not tell you that the Dutch are very likely to encounter huge resistance in Vijayanagara? Look at this, they were totally wiped out, and they even lost the island they had occupied before."
"Haha."
"Turns out my guess is correct; Vijayanagara has successfully developed a new cannon, no different from the last-generation cannon widely used in Europe, but this shows that they are catching up very quickly."
"And now I have received news that they have even captured a lot of flintlock guns and the new cannon developed by the Dutch, along with the man-of-war battleships they got from this war."
"If I am not mistaken, they should be able to catch up with some of our weaker European nations within the next few years."
The knight who stood next to him was astonished by the predictions of his majesty Alphonso De Braganza, but soon he calmed himself down. Considering that his Lords previous prediction came true, he still knows that this could be a possible outcome that may happen in the future. But he couldn't figure out something as he asked, "But your Highness, I don't understand. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for us?"
Alphonso, pondering the knight's question, responded after a moment, "It depends on the situation we are in. In the current scenario, a strong India is very beneficial for us. Considering that we ourselves have no ability to contend with both the Dutch and the English, along with our neighbour Spain, capturing India—a place where every inch of land is flowing with gold—is beyond our means. However, a strong India would be able to deter our neighbours, preventing any one of them from becoming too powerful, which is in our interest. Moreover, India is not a seafaring nation; it has a large amount of land and population, along with its troubles and constant border conflicts with its neighbours, ruling out the possibility of it becoming a colonial empire. Additionally, India, being in a distant corner of the world, is illogical as a threat to us. So, I think we can establish good diplomatic relations with this rising Vijayanagara Empire."
The knight, excited by the explanation, seizes the opportunity to flatter Alphonso for a brighter future. "It is brilliant, Your Highness. Your knowledge is no less than that of the sages in the legends..."
Alphonso swiftly raises his hand to stop him and commands, "Alright, alright, stop quickly. Send a delegation to Vijayanagara to establish better diplomatic relations with them and discuss beneficial trade between our two countries."
Barren, the knight, was taken aback by the order, confused and somewhat hesitant. He asked, "Your Highness, Vijayanagar is in a remote part of the world. If we suddenly send a diplomatic delegation to that place just after they finished their war with the Dutch, won't it expose our intelligence personnel in India?"
Alphonso shook his head and responded, "It is worth it. Let's just do this as a favour to the monarch over there. From the very beginning, our intelligence personnel consisted of separatist forces, fueling a separate nation from Vijayanagara. Now, after we stop our funding, they will be at the mercy of Vijayanagara. Just pull out our core personnel and have them assigned to accompany the diplomatic personnel we are sending."
"It is very profitable to exchange a little to no profit organization for a good diplomatic relation with a rich country that could potentially be our long-term trading partner," Alphonso responded.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
The knight, having received the order, quickly bows his head in salute to Alphonso and leaves promptly.
Alphonso, now alone, mutters to himself, "If the bet this time is successful, it will only take a while longer to finance my war against Spain for an independent nation." His eyes brim with determination.
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