From Chief to Ball

"I know this, so my words are the bottom line of the company. It is a long way from here to Stockholm, and every negotiation takes too much time, and we are not short of time. So, I hope that after you go back, all The conditions can be met, so that we can organize forces and funds as soon as possible to invest. You have to know that businessmen have only one purpose, and that is profit. There are too many profitable places now. If an agreement cannot be reached quickly, these It's hard for me to predict where the capital will go."

Chen Jian thought for a while, and then asked: "Since the official support is unlikely, then I suggest that you better not waste your time here. In a few days, you can go south with me to see the mines in Mincheng with your own eyes. Where, how it’s mined, how it’s smelted. I think that’s going to help you decide.”

"Mr. Governor, although I only stayed in Min City for a few days, I believe that your country's smelting technology is very advanced."

"Some things are completely different from what I saw with my own eyes and what I guessed."

"Okay, I'll see for myself."

"After reading it, you will believe that choosing us is better than choosing the Dutch or those who have mining skills in Bohemia. Whether it is capital or smelting technology, it will not be bad. As far as your country is concerned, the population is sparse. , what is most needed is to improve the labor efficiency of each worker.”

How much was mined and smelted, the Swedes could not decide.However, the more smelting, the more taxes will be collected. If the Swedish royal family insists on monopolizing the export monopoly of copper and iron, this will directly affect the royal family's income.

This point can be used as the content of bargaining. Even if the Swedish royal family monopolizes the exclusive right to export metals, it still needs people from the company to help with transportation and sales.

At this time, Sweden has nothing to export on a large scale except food, but it may affect northern Germany in the future. This is an excellent opportunity for Nanyang Company and other capital groups to bypass the Dutch business monopoly and formally enter Europe.

As the first industry to get rid of the handicraft model, the mining industry has strong capital and the most extensive adoption of new technologies, which is also the best entry point.

For the shareholders represented by the preparatory committee, mining minerals in Sweden can more conveniently supply the European market, excluding transportation costs and some preferential policies for attracting investment, and the profits are very high.

Although it will affect the profits of some products of Nanyang Company, the capital group of Nanyang Company also believes that this investment will be beneficial for a long time.

Even if you give up some profits from wrought iron, pig iron and copper, as long as you can tear apart the Dutch commercial monopoly advantage in Sweden, you can try to invest several times more silver coins.

Under Chen Jian's mediation and coordination, the two forces of the capital group had already reached an agreement, and began to try for the first time a long-term investment with an expected return rate of more than five years, as well as a political investment similar to Lu Buwei's support for Zi Chu.

When the smoke on the training ground ended, the communication between Chen Jian and the Swedish envoy also came to an end.The two sides didn't seem to discuss too many substantive issues, but the Swedish envoy was already very satisfied and convinced that the investment and loan were sincere, because Chen Jian had already nodded.

For the rest of the day, the Swedish envoy just continued to discuss the details with the members of the preparatory committee, quietly waiting for Chen Jian to return to Mincheng.No more looking for others, and no longer trying to contact the official Ministry of Rites of the Republic.The Ministry of Rites is still understanding the intricate relationship between Habsburg, Catholicism, and Spain, and believes that the biggest enemy is Spain. It is not particularly concerned about Sweden, and it does not believe that such a small and weak Nordic country can leverage the whole of Europe. situation.

This is not a problem with Sweden. Even the Dutch, who have fought against Spain for decades, are officially ambiguous in their attitude.

Negotiations are still presided over by seemingly non-government forces. Even if some big families reach out, they are still conducted in the name of unofficial.

The Dutch wanted too many things, especially an official contract, so Chen Jian and the Dutch were the first to contact, but they still hoped to chat.

There are too many conservative forces in the ancient republic, and their interests are not overseas, so they are not very interested in these things.

Dutch Indian companies, bankers, and businessmen monopolize the power of the provincial council and maintain the political situation in the Netherlands. Therefore, the trade issue is the issue of the ruling class in the Netherlands, that is, the issue of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, the incarnation of the ruling class. question.

But among the ruling class here, maritime merchants, factory owners, and capitalists have not gained complete advantages and power, so the entire ruling class pretending to be the main body of the republic is full of differences, and it is impossible to focus all its energy overseas and trade.

The landlord class is eager for land, but what they yearn for is not the rich but uncultivated land like the Great Deserted City and the Black Swan River that can be deprived of labor.If those hostile countries were around and within the cultural circle, they must have shouted slogans such as fighting to the end and establishing a new order to agitate for war.

Some conservative, old-fashioned and reactionary old families are wary of the growth of capital groups, and they have no willingness to invest overseas. Compared with the profits of a large amount of land, the capitalist profit method is very risky, and they do not like.

As for ordinary rich owner farmers, their lives have little to do with overseas trade, and they have neither relationship nor support.

And those Chinese who are richer and lower than the owner-cultivating farmers are not part of the ruling class, even if they are not even counted as the basics, these have nothing to do with them, and even if they have no organization, no influence, they can only speak Fart, no one will listen.

In the end, in the entire Republic, the first batch of imperialists who are most enthusiastic about expansion, overseas investment and naval construction can and can only be capitalists.This is true regardless of whether it is commercial or industrial. Under the advantage of handicraft industry and the advantage that the price revolution has not yet occurred, the interests of industrial capital and commercial capital are the same.

That is, the group of monsters that Chen Jian spent more than ten years raising with Min County as the center, and some family capitals in the north that were affected by this group of monsters.

Imperialists are not only keen on foreign expansion, investment and monopoly, but also at home. Whoever blocks their expansion, they will find a way to kill the other party, and strive to become the real mainstream of the ruling class. means.

Many people in Min County have personally experienced the excess profits obtained from trade with Europe and Spanish colonies. This feeling is like tobacco mixed with hemp leaves, which makes them unable to stop, and the profit-seeking nature of capital itself is also Make them unable to stop.

Some families in the capital city, the prophets of spring river plumbing ducks, have gradually understood the truth. Some families have contacted Nanyang Company and reached a series of agreements on share expansion, trying to promote a joint monster of capital and power.The capital of the Nanyang Company provided support for them, and they relied on the capital and strength of the Nanyang Company to yearn for greater power, and secretly promised to give Nanyang Company greater support after taking power.

These behind-the-scenes transactions, as well as the republic's power struggle and high-level internal conflicts that have already been displayed, became more acute after Chen Jian deliberately publicized banquets or contacts with envoys from the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

On the one hand, those old-fashioned forces don't care about everything outside, because it doesn't involve their existing interests, especially land interests, so the official internal opinions of the entire republic are inconsistent and unresponsive.

On the other hand, it was Chen Jian, Nanyang Company, the Mining and Metallurgical Investment Preparatory Committee and other emerging forces who actively contacted, actively responded, actively fought for, and even bypassed the official level, and officially entered politics with the power of capital for the first time—— Although not domestic.

Under the contrast between the two, some people finally feel dissatisfied.

The reason for their dissatisfaction is not that the official republic prohibits them from making such investments and contacts. In fact, the official did not prohibit them but acquiesced.

But mere acquiescence is not enough. The reason for their dissatisfaction is that the Republic did not take the initiative to safeguard their interests, take the initiative to use the power of the country to help their capital profit, or support them with soldiers and wars at the national level, and even did not Discuss adding special taxes to expand the navy at the National Assembly.

Just when Chen Jian completed contact with the Swedish envoy and started his fourth bargaining with the Dutch over various interest disputes from Asia to the Americas, a seemingly insignificant political group was established in the capital in a low-key manner at the time.

These potential colonialists, imperialists, overseas investment groups, and industrial and commercial capitalists have established an organization called the "New Order Discussion Association" in a very low-key and low-key way.

The organization is very loose, not a party, with a small number of people, and the threshold for participation is extremely high, requiring internal members to recommend each other.

This organization, which looks similar to a living room reception, obviously has a very close relationship with Chen Jian, especially during this time period.

But this organization did not recruit Chen Jian, because they have money and power, but what they lack is a legitimate name, and many ideas of the Mo party are incompatible with them, so they need to hire a group of pens and mouthpieces that are more in line with their legitimate name .

They cannot do without Chen Jian for the time being, but they have already begun to prepare for leaving Chen Jian.They are still within the framework of the old classical republic for the time being, but they have begun to define a new era for the founding foundation and ideology of a new republic.

Chapter 59 Imperialism ([-])

This small-scale living room party group of potential imperialists, colonialists, and foreign expansion interest groups did not attract Chen Jian to join, but they couldn't get around and had to invite Chen Jian.

Now that the power of capital has just started, the power of the twins born at the same time is still very weak, and they even have to deal with the counterattack of the old forces such as reactionary guilds and tenants.Except in Nan'an Mining Area and Mincheng, it is difficult to be regarded as a political force that can affect the situation.

But after all, there are individuals who betray the class, with the support of an anti-capitalist capitalist like Chen Jian, and the early stage of planning at all costs and not for short-term profits, the first thing this small group did after it was established in a low-key way was to invite Chen Jian Jian went to discuss something.

Chen Jian is not too wary of this low-key organization for the time being. The huge domestic market can accommodate the interests of some old-fashioned and conservative classes. Overseas expansion is unlikely to happen when the productivity is insufficient. The old conservative class will become a whole external expansion group .

At the party where Chen Jian was invited, there was not much entertainment.

The newly formed Indian company, which monopolizes power and seeks rent, hopes to reach a condition acceptable to both parties with Chen Jian.

If they want to collect land rent and make profits in India, they have to go through Wangbei City, which is tacitly approved within the Mexican Party.

But the contradiction between the two sides still exists.

For the Mexican Party, Wangbei City is a base for trying to establish a new order and a new world view in Asia. In the case of insufficient strength, it needs to maintain the acquiescence of the domestic power capital alliance.

However, the problem of Manila in Luzon has become a nail in this acquiescence.

Regardless of whether it is Mincheng or the capital city, the mouth of the sea is facing the Pacific Ocean.

For Wangbei City, Manila is a transit point for uniting the merchant groups of the Ming Dynasty.Manila exists, and Luzon is still in the hands of Spain, so it can continuously obtain a large amount of precious metal silver transported by Spain from Potosí.

For merchant groups, silver is an eternal temptation.As for Wangbei City, which is a wedge into Asia, the small triangle trade of Manila, Japan, Wangbei City, and the Ming Empire needs to accumulate strength, and Manila must be in the hands of Spain and the Spaniards will not make the determination to give up.

Manila is a thorn in the side of the Huaxia India Company, which wants to obtain the spice trade and land rent in India.

The Nanyang Company used various legal or "illegal" smuggling methods to import products such as raw silk, cotton cloth, mercury, and ironware into Spain's South American colonies. Manila's status to Spain had begun to decline.

Huaxia’s Indian company wants a safer route, which can take advantage of the wind direction brought about by ocean currents, trade winds and the earth’s rotation, and wants to compete with the Dutch for the spice trade. Manila’s status is extremely important to the Indian company .