Other than giving Di Chen and the rest a clear warning, Ouyang Shuo was also considering other countermeasures.
The warning was just a temporary solution. When the fleets of Handan and Blood Red City were fully formed, the coal ships of the Xia Dynasty would be at their mercy. This was something Ouyang Shuo would not allow.
The fundamental solution was to strengthen the presence of the Alliance of Mountains and Seas in the Bohai and Yellow Seas.
The Yizhou fleet could still exert some influence in the Yellow Sea. This was also the reason why the Zhoushan fleet of Tyrant City gave the Xia Dynasty a way out.
Xiong Ba did not want to have a direct conflict with the Xia Dynasty.
The key was the Bohai Sea. The Xia Dynasty's navy could not help. The only way was to help Wan Shi City build a fleet to fight against the Handan fleet.
The Binhai Port in the territory of Wan Shi City was a large port with the conditions to station a fleet.
However, without the support of the Great Xia Dynasty, given the current state of Hardstone City, they might not have the ability to build a decent fleet, let alone fight against the Handan fleet.
Thinking of this, Ouyang Shuo wrote a letter to Lao Ai to ask for his opinion. If Lao Ai was not determined, Ouyang Shuo could not force him. If Lao Ai was willing, the Xia Dynasty would take action.
Wan Shi City had plenty of coal. At most, they could use coal to make up for it.
…
During dinner, Ouyang Shuo told Song Jia about Wang Zhaojun. Song Jia's reaction was exactly the same as Qingyi's. After a long while, she smiled and said, "You really dare to dream."
Ouyang Shuo said, "Do you think it's feasible?"
Joking aside, Song Jia immediately became capable when it came to serious matters. She said, "We can try."
"That's good. I will not ask about this matter anymore. I will leave it to Madam."
Song Jia nodded.
…
The next few days were peaceful.
On the 28th of May, the Lords of the Mediterranean Sea finally made a move.
After a consensus, the Lords of the Mediterranean Sea used Queen Kalia as a middleman to convey their willingness to negotiate with the Xia Dynasty on the Mediterranean Sea.
When Ouyang Shuo received the news, he smiled without saying a word.
The reaction of the Lords of the Mediterranean Sea was not out of Ouyang Shuo's expectations. Their relationship with the United States was not monolithic. Both sides cooperated with each other and guarded against each other.
Caesar and the others were guarding against the Great Xia Dynasty as if they were thieves, but unless it was absolutely necessary, they would never allow Jack and the other American feudal lords to have a reason to intervene in the affairs of the Mediterranean Sea.
As the saying goes: It's easy to invite a god in, but hard to send him away.
Jack and the other American lords were not philanthropists. If they really found a chance to intervene in the affairs of the Mediterranean Sea, it would not be a good thing for the Mediterranean Sea.
At the moment, Caesar was the most active in the Mediterranean Sea, actively expanding its right to speak in the Mediterranean Sea, putting on an aggressive posture. Henry kept a low profile the whole time, but he was the most feared.
The Spanish lords, led by Casillas, once again suffered a huge setback. They were busy healing their wounds. Fortunately, Casillas was quite decisive. The backbone of the Invincible Fleet still existed. The Greek lords were busy building a good relationship with the Queen of Kalia and acting as a middleman. The other lords also had their own thoughts, and the entire Mediterranean Sea was in chaos.
On the periphery of the Mediterranean Sea, there were also European countries such as Portugal, England, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Such a situation was a good opportunity for outsiders to fish in troubled waters. If a big fish like Jack was allowed to enter at this time, who knew what kind of mess he would stir up.
It was precisely because of this that at the internal meeting of the [Silver Hand], Jack and others proposed to join forces to suppress the Great Xia Dynasty's new occupation of Morocco Province. It was firmly resisted by the European representatives and was not passed.
Therefore, before the situation was completely stiff, Caesar and others still chose to negotiate with the Great Xia Dynasty, hoping to come up with a plan that both sides could accept.
Ouyang Shuo, who had seen through everything, would not put on airs and immediately agreed to the request of the Mediterranean Sea.
For the Great Xia Dynasty, there were two purposes for taking Morocco. One was to win a stable logistical supply base for the Mediterranean Fleet, and the other was to ensure the smooth flow of the Grand Line.
The latter purpose was even higher than the former.
Taizu once said, "Seeking unity through struggle will unite, and seeking unity through concession will unite and perish."
Ouyang Shuo's series of operations in the Mediterranean Sea this time was based on the above principle. Disbanding the [Mediterranean Alliance] and "drawing a clear line" with Atlantis City was a retreat in order to advance.
Resolutely taking Morocco was a means of "struggle" to gain bargaining chips for "unity".
Imagine, if the Great Xia Dynasty did not take Morocco this time, they would not be able to protect the interests of the Great Xia Dynasty's caravans on the Grand Line with just a base city. In the end, they could only be trampled on.
At that time, the ocean trade of the Great Xia Dynasty would inevitably suffer a heavy setback, and its position as the overlord of the global ocean would also encounter various challenges. The path of the strong would gradually become further and further away.
In that way, it would only be "the pain of the close ones and the joy of the enemies", and it would not win any sympathy.
Therefore, blindly retreating would only cause them to lose all bargaining chips.
Now it was different. With the backing of Morocco Province, the Great Xia Dynasty had the confidence to wrestle with any enemy. Of course, Ouyang Shuo was not a reckless person. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he did not want both sides to suffer losses.
The road to hegemony had to be plotted slowly.
That morning, Ouyang Shuo issued an edict: Violet, the deputy of the Chamberlain of Chamberlain, was appointed as the chief envoy, and Xu Zhenchang, the director of commerce, was appointed as the deputy envoy. From the Chamberlain of Chamberlain, the Ministry of Finance, and the Privy Council, a luxurious negotiation delegation was formed to rush to Atlantis City to negotiate with the Mediterranean Lord on navigation and trade.
In addition to serving officials, the delegation would also invite real experts in trade, negotiation, diplomacy, and European affairs to form an expert advisory group to accompany them.
Before setting off, Violet found Ouyang Shuo.
As the chief envoy of the negotiation group, Violet naturally had to figure out the bottom line of the Lord's negotiation before setting off.
In the imperial study, Ouyang Shuo took the time to meet Violet, who was still so charming and charming.
Violet was chosen to be the envoy for two reasons. First, Violet was a player. When it came to communicating with the lords of the Mediterranean Sea, he had a natural advantage over the natives. Second, Violet was an expert in diplomacy and negotiation.
Ouyang Shuo said with a smile: "The merchant ships of both sides can freely pass through the Grand Line without being disturbed by political, military, and other factors. The trade between each other will not be affected by confrontation. This is the bottom line of this negotiation."
At present, Ouyang Shuo had no ambition to intervene in the territorial disputes of the Mediterranean Sea. What he expected was still to maintain the normal operation of the Grand Line, nothing more.
"As for what kind of trade preferential terms you can get from the Mediterranean countries, it depends on the wisdom and efforts of your negotiation team. If the negotiation goes well, I will reward you heavily. "Ouyang Shuo added with a smile.
Violet nodded. Although His Majesty's trump card wasn't too overbearing, and the pressure on the negotiating team's shoulders had lessened significantly, Violet's expression didn't relax at all.
This envoy had a great responsibility, and Violet was not a person who did not know the importance of it.
Moreover, this was the first time that Violet had taken on such a heavy responsibility. Seeing that Cyan Yi, Red Eagle, and the other sisters had found their positions in the Great Xia Dynasty and were shining again, it would be a lie to say that Violet was not anxious.
This envoy was an opportunity for Violet to prove herself.
Therefore, before coming to see Ouyang Shuo, Violet had done a lot of preparation work and consulted a lot of information and files. She had a general understanding of the situation in the Mediterranean Sea. Before the envoy, she had to finalize some key issues with Ouyang Shuo. Otherwise, there would be no stabilizing force during the negotiation and it would be easy to mess up.
Violet asked: "What if the other party asks our Mediterranean Fleet to withdraw from the Mediterranean Sea?"
There was no doubt that this was a sensitive topic.
Although the Mediterranean Lord agreed to negotiate with the Great Xia Dynasty this time, his words had already revealed that he did not want the Mediterranean Fleet of the Great Xia Dynasty to sail freely in the Mediterranean Sea.
To them, the powerful Mediterranean Fleet was always a hidden danger. If the Great Xia Dynasty did not withdraw the Mediterranean Fleet, the Mediterranean Lord would not be able to feel at ease.
Ouyang Shuo looked at Violet approvingly. Violet had grasped the crux of the problem immediately. It seemed that he had made the right decision to appoint Violet as the head envoy for the negotiation.
"We can solemnly state in the final agreement that the Great Xia Dynasty will not interfere in the territorial disputes of the countries in the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Fleet will also choose a day to withdraw from the Mediterranean Sea and will only sail in the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, in order to express our goodwill, we are willing to change the name of the Mediterranean Fleet to the Atlantic Fleet, "Ouyang Shuo said.
Violet glanced at Ouyang Shuo with an indecipherable look in his eyes. How was this a show of goodwill? It was clearly a greater ambition. The Atlantic Fleet sounded much more domineering than the Mediterranean Fleet.
Of course, for the Mediterranean Sea Lord, this was indeed a relief.
"I understand." Violet nodded again and then asked: "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Ouyang Shuo said: "I reckon that Spain's Casillas and the others may stir up trouble. You have to be fully prepared. Our attitude towards Spain is neither confrontation nor cooperation. Also, when you reach Atlantis, remember to communicate with Queen Kalia. She is an expert on Mediterranean affairs. "
Apart from consulting on Mediterranean affairs, Kalia's role was to act as a bridge between the Great Xia Dynasty and the neutral faction of the Mediterranean Lord as much as possible, as well as to eliminate as much resistance in the negotiations as possible.
Therefore, Kalia and her Atlantis City were a 'super contact'. Ouyang Shuo had already personally written to Kalia about this matter. She would help.
"Understood!"
Ouyang Shuo finally said, "Let's leave it at that for now. We will communicate through letters after the negotiation starts. Keep in touch at all times. Remember, you have to be neither servile nor overbearing in this negotiation. If the Mediterranean Lord is not sincere, don't worry, you can immediately terminate the negotiation. "
Although the possibility of the Mediterranean Lord changing his mind halfway was not high, Ouyang Shuo was still prepared for confrontation. With the Moroca Province and the help of the teleportation formation, the Great Xia Dynasty was not afraid of any challenge.
"Yes!"
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