From Chief to Ball

"I have a distant relative who has lived in Luzon for a long time. He escaped a murder a few years ago. Last year, the governor of Luzon returned part of the looted property, and the governor has agreed not to pursue the matter. However, others do not know, but we know , the two countries occupying Macau and Manila were originally a kingdom of one king.”

"The so-called enmity between fathers and brothers is not against the soldiers, and the enmity between friends is different from the country. This is exactly the reason. Your Excellency the Governor can send troops to bombard Macau, and all of them will come down. At that time, it will be said that it was entrusted by the relatives who were killed. I am filled with righteous indignation at this time, out of justice and public indignation."

"Of course, it can also be said that some of the victims were from your country. Anyway, they are similar in appearance, and they can't tell them apart. Revenge by blood relatives is justified. As for the wrong call to Macau instead of Luzon, you can also say you It is hard to tell the difference between two countries with the same monarch and two countries with separate administrations."

"At that time, Macau will be conquered, occupying this place, and paying more bribes, or it may become a port of commerce like the old things in Macau. Only in this way, I am afraid that the court will worry about the instability of the people. Moreover, the governor of Luzon has already returned part of the property. This matter has already been settled, and it is unreasonable to make waves again, although there is a reason for revenge by blood relatives, I am afraid that the court will worry that other people will follow suit. Therefore, this is the middle policy."

Before Chen Jian could inquire, the businessman said again: "If it is the worst policy, it is to send envoys to write a letter in order to ask for tribute. This is the most difficult thing, so it is the worst policy."

Chen Jian knocked on the armrest of the chair, said with a smile in silence for a while: "Just take your own identity as a sea merchant, which one do you prefer? You don't need to consider our gains and losses, just look at it as a sea merchant."

The businessman hesitated for a while, seeing Chen Jian staring at him all the time, he finally said: "That is of course the best policy. The middle and the bottom are two strategies, and you can benefit from business. What does it have to do with our maritime merchants?"

"Originally, a piece of silk crossed the sea to Luzon, Manlaga, and Japan, and made a lot of profits. If the governor could directly purchase trade at the port, we might not make much money. The governor's ship has many guns, and we don't need to buy it. Worrying about Japanese pirates’ harassment is something we can’t compare to. If the sea is open to trade, the governor can buy goods directly in Zhangzhou, so if the governor eats meat, we can only drink some soup along with it.”

"If it is far away from Dayuan, it is different. If Dayuan is expensive, our maritime merchants will go to Dayuan; if Luzon is expensive, we will go to Luzon; if Manlajia is expensive, we will go to Manlajia. You Compete with each other, and our maritime merchants benefit."

Chen Jian nodded and said: "It's right to think so. Individual interests are different, so how to solve this problem is also different. Let's take the wrong strategy first, and if it doesn't work, then find other ways. Presumably you are also proficient in the hydrology and geography nearby, and you can Knowing the languages ​​of various countries has something to do with being on the shore... Regardless of the three strategies, up and down, you need to contribute a lot, and the gold and silver that was agreed at the beginning are naturally a lot, so please take care of yourself."

He asked someone to bring up the little deposit promised at the beginning, and put his hands in the hands of the merchant, asking the merchant to stay temporarily and pay a certain monthly fee.Promise him that he can protect the ship as part of the company's ships after the deed.

The businessman was very happy about this and thanked him repeatedly.He saw Chen Jian's fleet in his eyes, and the most feared thing in foreign trade was being robbed.It's a pity that the navy of the imperial court is only in the coastal waters, and they cannot retaliate. It is very risky to sail in the open sea.

Chen Jian's promise was a surprise, and it was more important than the gold and silver that Chen Jian promised.

The businessman said again: "If you want to use the best strategy, there are not many opportunities this year. You must prepare now. It takes time to set off from here to Penghu. If you catch up with the spring and autumn flood soldiers, you will have trouble. Only from the end of June to September, flood soldiers It has been withdrawn, and it is the best time."

"What if I miss it?"

"If you miss it, you will have to wait another half a year until the winter floods evacuate. In half a year, logging and building walls, there are fortresses to rely on, and a thousand people can be three thousand. If not, you can't hold on."

Chen Jian only said that he would think about it again, and asked the businessman to tell the situation nearby, as well as some untrue news he heard, and told the rest of the fleet to listen.

Half a month later, the negotiations with Thailand had progressed. Some Portuguese warned the King of Thailand. The King of Thailand passed the warning to Chen Jian to show his sincerity.

The content of the warning is nothing more than telling the King of Thailand not to accept the people of the Republic, which obviously means some force coercion.

Chen Jian wasn't afraid either. The Portuguese were exhausted to deal with the Netherlands with their strength, and they could play tricks if they messed up like this.

With this excuse, some original negotiations progressed rapidly.

When the people in the fleet were excited, Chen Jian called some high-level personnel in the fleet and representatives of various parties together to discuss the future development direction of the trade here.

After these days of inquiring and systematic analysis and summarization, I used induction and deduction to summarize some scattered news into a lot of useful information.

A representative of Nanyang Trading Company pointed out the possible direction of trade here, and expressed his views in internal discussions, but this view was not to Chen Jian's liking.

"Everyone, I think so. Now, it is obvious that the trade here is completely different from our trade with Europe, Africa and Spain's viceroyalty. Just like the Dutch Indian Company, our trade focus Not India. In view of the agreements Mr. Chen signed with the Dutch with the Nanyang Trading Company, and for the convenience of our future business, our company can be called the West Asia Company, or the Sino-Japanese Company.”

Hearing such a statement, Chen Jian felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything out of politeness.

As I said to the businessman before, with different perspectives, the interests are different, and the views on some things are completely different.

Seeing that no one objected, the man went on to say: "The trade here is self-contained. Based on the information collected now and some analysis by Mr. Chen, the problem is already very clear. If it is just trade, we can use our Handicrafts are brought here by the Pacific routes, and as long as we gain a foothold, we will be able to squeeze out other products that compete with us."

"If you want to make a profit, don't get involved in the spice trade in the early stage. Use this as a foothold to be a transit merchant between China and Japan. After we gain a firm foothold, we can monopolize the trade here, whether it is handicrafts, food or temporarily. The spices we don’t get involved in – for us, we don’t need monopoly, we just need to not allow others to monopolize, a large number of spices will be oversupplied, and they can’t make a profit, so they can only choose to retreat. And we started from the beginning It's not spices, so we can do more with ease."

The man looked up at the crowd, and said in a nonchalant manner: "It's just that there are many ways to earn income. Why do we have to focus on the transshipment trade? Can we use other methods?" Invest less money and earn more?"

"In addition to trade, there is also a means of exploiting the local people. According to my analysis, this is an investment that is more profitable than normal trade. A thousand soldiers can get tens of thousands of silver coins in the profit of goods transshipment."

As soon as the words came out, everyone present was quite surprised, not knowing what this person wanted to say.

This is a well-known person in the fleet. When he was in Tianya Haijiao, as a representative of a trading company on board, he vetoed Chen Jian's plan to immigrate and cultivate in Tianya Haijiao in the name of the company, and at the same time proposed the idea of ​​slave trade.

From the rational perspectives of cost, empty ship loading, maximizing the use of any voyage, wind direction, ocean currents, etc., this person's original opinions are pertinent, if you look at it purely in terms of profit.

This is a talent, but it is the talent that Chen Jian dislikes and fears the most. This kind of person has learned some tools that Chen Jian has been promoting, but he has not used these tools where Chen Jian hopes.

It's like dragon slaying technique, which can slay dragons, but if you learn it well, you can protect yourself from being slaughtered, it just depends on how you use it.The same is true for things like benefit analysis, induction and summary, logical deduction, and investigation and analysis. If they are used inappropriately, the most senior colonial leaders will stand out.

Chapter 49 Up, Middle, Down Three Strategies

From the perspective of his own profit, this person's previous ideas are commendable. Chen Jian knows that this person will soon emerge in the Nanyang Trading Company after returning, but this emergence is a bit scary.

After saluting the people around him, the young man said: "When I was an accountant in Mincheng, I read a pamphlet of the Progressive Alliance. It contained some reflections and ideas after the Lanhua incident. It mainly talked about wealth. Composition, source and profit, currency, gold and silver, etc. This book made a deep impression on me.”

"Afterwards, before we headed to Europe, we followed Mr. Chen to the Great Deserted City. The form of currency there can also be said to confirm some of the speculations in that book."

"Since this is the case, since the first demand of each shareholder is to obtain benefits, and since profit is the foundation of a joint-stock company, I have to use this as a basis to say some ways we can make profits."

"For example... some small islands in the south, there are people on them, but they are very backward. From that pamphlet, we can know that labor is the basis and source of wealth appreciation, and from the perspective of the workshop owner or the person who runs the farm , the profit is equal to the money sold after harvesting the goods, minus the land rent, minus the labor cost, and minus the input of seeds.”

"This is valid in Mincheng, in the capital, and in the homeland. Why, because the land already has an owner, and the land rent is given to the owner of the land."

"On some of the smaller islands in the south, the formula still works, but the most important issues have changed."

"That is: Who owns the land? To whom does the land rent go?"

"Operating profits are based on market changes. As for land rent, there is no need to worry about market changes."

"If we can obtain land with guns and guns, then the land rent will belong to us. From the perspective of profitability, at least in a short period of time, the profit of trade is not as good as obtaining land rent. This is beyond doubt."

"Secondly, on some islands, like Thailand, the landowners of this land system live on land rent. And the bottom farmers, in addition to paying the land rent to the landowners, have to pay the state Taxes and fees. If we break the land model of the feudal system and instead collect land rent directly, reducing the intermediate links, plus we can collect poll tax, how much profit will it have? How much will it cost?"

"The cost issue can be considered in this way. As long as we install some local people and allow them not to pay poll tax and various fees, they will help us collect taxes and help us maintain stability. It doesn't cost much, and it is very profitable. many."

Chen Jian frowned and coughed lightly, thinking that this was hitting him in the face with his own things.Theory is always a tool, the key is to see who uses it and how to use it.He did not write the pamphlet, but the influence it caused was inseparable from him, and now it is intoxicating to use this method to clearly guide the colonial system.

The man glanced at Chen Jian and said with a smile: "Mr. Chen is a good man, so he is soft-hearted. It is just a joint-stock company, not based on good intentions, only profit is the goal. By the way, I would like to thank Mr. Chen for letting us see Looking at the banknotes in Dahuangcheng also reminded me of many things."

He smiled and pointed to the south: "The places in the south are rich in spices, but they have nothing but spices. Since Mr. Chen is in the Great Deserted City, relying on farm tools, grain, salt, tools and land ownership, he can promote banknotes. From this, it can be said that paper currency is a kind of medium. It does not necessarily have to use silver and gold.”

"This question is very simple. If we want to control the spices in the south, what is the most profitable way? It's very simple! Block food and cloth, and promote paper money. As long as we can control the island, then everything on this island will be closed Let’s face it, banknotes are used as a medium to buy food, cloth, and everything necessary for life. And they can only exchange spices for banknotes.”

"If we can control rice and cotton cloth, we don't even need silver as a barter. In this way, the company can save huge current expenses. Also, based on these two points, add salt, tobacco, sugar , metals, etc., all transactions on the entire island use paper money, and the paper money is in our hands, in fact: paper money buys spices, we earn once. They buy rice and cotton cloth with paper money, and we earn again once."

"And for those people, they don't even have the courage to resist us. If they resist, the banknotes in their hands are waste paper, and they will get nothing, because they don't have silver, and they don't recognize these banknotes when they trade with others. Besides trading with us, what else can they do?"

He thought for a while, and then said: "The pamphlet says that labor is the source of wealth. Then what we want to grab is the labor of the people on those small islands. As long as they can work, we can profit. Spice Picking, continuous flow, this is the wealth brought by labor. Wealth does not come from gold and silver, it is just a medium."

"This is the future plan for the future spice trade in the south. For some countries that already have population and arable land, the most profitable way is to kill their monarchs with guns and guns, in exchange for us to collect land rent. You can think about it, This will not affect our trade profits, but also we can get land rent tax and poll tax income every year after investing a sum of money. Is there anything more profitable than this?"

"Besides, I counted the investment, but it's really not much. For example, in a piece of territory, we pay the tax to a local. The local is responsible for us and pays the tax. For the place he contracted, he can still get Li. Of course, we can introduce a rule to stipulate the standard of local tax collection. If the lower class resists, we will kill a few tax collectors. Let the anger of the lower class be concentrated on those tax collectors instead of us. Instigate them Infighting among ethnic groups, dividing their ethnic groups, can be controlled without any religion at all."

"Nowadays, land rent is more profitable than normal profits. Moreover, without affecting the profits of trade, even lower tariffs can be controlled."

"So, in terms of land rent as profit, our goal should not be here, but focus on India. It is rich there, it is said that there is enough land, the population is large, and there are many states. We can control it and get what we can The income is by no means comparable here. It is impossible for the profit of trade to exceed the rent of the land. The profit of the factory cannot exceed the rent of the land. At least we will not."