New Shun 1730

"Please go ahead."

"I want to say that there is a possibility of cooperation between us. I admire them very much for lending money to Spain during the Eighty Years' War, and I also agree with them selling arms and food to France during the Franco-Dutch War. This is the true spirit of free trade, the true freedom of capital! And this is exactly what I have always longed to pursue in Europe. The cost of industry in our country is so high, why is it selling out the country if we don't invest in our country? I see that those guild craftsmen and factory owners have no spirit of free trade at all... Capital is profit-seeking, you should continue to invest abroad. I heard that they bought another 3 million guilders of French government bonds just as the war was about to start?"

This made Anthony twitch his cheeks involuntarily. He couldn't tell whether Liu Yu was speaking the truth or was it ironic?

But looking at Liu Yu's facial expression, he was particularly solemn, and it didn't look like irony at all.

"Our Chinese sages have a saying, 'unity of knowledge and action', which means that if you know the theory and agree with it, you should practice it... Since I agree with free trade, of course I have to implement free trade..."

Kang Budai, who was standing by, couldn't help laughing as he listened to Liu Yu's nonsense, thinking that the young master was deliberately misinterpreting and taking the words literally.

Young master, you think you are a Da Shun person, but in fact you are not a Da Shun person at all.

Unity of knowledge and action is not what you often say about the connection between theory and practice. Knowledge is conscience, and this conscience is not the conscience in the vernacular today, but comes from Mencius's "Those who know without thinking are their conscience", and if you go deeper, it comes from "human nature is good".

Because "human nature is good, so the thoughts of nature are conscience; the thoughts of nature are conscience, so human nature is good". This is a complete circle.

Young master, you don't even believe that human nature is good, how dare you talk about unity of knowledge and action? If human nature is not good and knowledgeable, how can we have conscience without thinking? The story about the thief who didn't take off his pants told by Mr. Yangming, we have seen many naked people during our stopover in Africa, which shows that conscience without thinking is pure nonsense. You really misinterpreted the original intention of the sages and made up nonsense. This is only in the Netherlands. If you talk about the connection between theory and practice in China, you will be scolded for being ignorant.

Liu Yu didn't care. Anyway, he talked a lot of nonsense, and he said a lot of benefits of free trade to Anthony.

In the end, Anthony didn't believe Liu Yu believed in this thing.

According to his observation, everything Liu Yu supported was not good for the Netherlands; everything Liu Yu opposed was mostly good for the Netherlands.

The question now is whether Liu Yu knew that Russia was pro-British and anti-Prussian and Prussia withdrew from the war?

If he knew, then this matter would be a big deal. Such a big conspiracy must have some bad intentions. If they didn't know, the Netherlands could be proud of themselves, thinking that Liu Yu was shooting himself in the foot.

"My Lord Marquis, it's useless for you to tell me this now. I have resigned from the position of Grand Speaker, and now the formulation of policies must be agreed by the Archons of the Orange Family. I want to know, what do you think of the East India Company's trade with China?"

Liu Yu asked back: "Are you willing to trade?"

"Of course!"

Anthony answered hurriedly, thinking that this is nonsense?

Tribute trade is more inconvenient than before.

But it's better than nothing, right? Now is not the end of the Ming Dynasty a hundred years ago. It is impossible to support pirates for privateering, because it is no longer competing with Manila, but with a large number of East India Companies in Europe.

Britain also supported the rebels in Java, and the East India Company has been hiding this.

If it is made public, coupled with the abolition of trade with Japan, the possible interruption of trade with China, and the anti-Dutch uprising in Java...Wouldn't the share price of the East India Company dive? The East India Company's shares, loans, and borrowings are related to nearly 60% of the Dutch joint-stock companies. They really don't want to cut off trade.

If Dashun really cuts off trade, it will hurt for two years at most. After two years, the share that originally belonged to the Netherlands will be divided up by various countries. But the Netherlands will not hurt for two years, but the channels that have been developed over a hundred years will be completely destroyed.

Liu Yu smiled, snapped his fingers and said: "Let's do this. As you said, I have also retaliated against those who should be retaliated. Those who make me unhappy will also be unhappy for the rest of their lives. It's almost done. You have lost tens of thousands of people and spent one or two hundred thousand silver coins. I feel a little better now."

"Give them a message. Regarding trade, let your parliamentary people follow me to the capital and we will talk about it. As for the Orange faction, I also know his difficulties. I can't lose face, and it's not good to show weakness at this time. You send a message Let them secretly send people to the Celestial Empire to pay tribute, and then you can cheat the people as you want when you come back. "

"On the surface, if you want to act like a tough guy and drive us away, I won't bear a grudge. The main thing is that if you tell me in advance and give me enough face in private, I won't make trouble, right?"

"The Celestial Empire needs to let the people see that the Celestial Empire is still the Celestial Empire, and the Netherlands needs to let the people see that the Netherlands is not a tributary state. We each get what we need, isn't it beautiful?"

At this point, Anthony was even more confused.

What is Liu Yu trying to do?

In general, Liu Yu has no credibility in the Dutch political arena.

This person is a concrete explanation of negative words such as cunning, mean, shameless, treacherous, and bullying.

But, at this time, what Liu Yu said was the result that Dutch politicians wanted most.

Although he was confused, Anthony had been the Speaker for so many years and had been active on the national stage. He vaguely knew one thing, that is, "what the enemy supports, we should oppose; what the enemy opposes, we should support."

Especially when you can't see through what the "enemy" wants to do and can't guess the enemy's true purpose, it is often right to do so.

Anthony looked at Liu Yu with a calm expression and made a judgment in his heart: Is Liu Yu an enemy?

After five minutes of silence, carefully weighing and recalling everything Liu Yu did, the former Speaker came to a conclusion: Yes, Liu Yu is definitely an enemy.

However, knowing that the enemy might be holding back something bad or not, the conditions proposed by the enemy are really good.

It can not only avoid terminating trade with China, but also prevent the Orange faction from being forced to oppose China out of populist sentiment. It is beneficial to both the overall interests of the Netherlands and the big business class represented by Anthony.

It's good to cheat the people and have an explanation. Anyway, the Netherlands is so far away from Dashun. How many of the Dutch people who are shouting happily at this time can actually go to Dashun to see the real situation? As long as you control public opinion, you can keep deceiving.

"My Lord Marquis, please forgive me for being frank. Your words, every word and every proposal of yours, make me extremely cautious. I always feel that there is a trap hidden in it."

Liu Yu smiled and said, "It's up to you whether you believe it or not. You can choose not to accept it, right? I'm just making a suggestion. Besides, you are not the Grand Speaker anymore - of course, when you were the Grand Speaker, it was useless. The Grand Speaker who held a meeting for a year without any results for a little centralization, hehehehe - so I'm not bewitching at all, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste of time to bewitch you?"

This is indeed the truth, but Anthony couldn't see through it even more. He really couldn't have thought that Liu Yu's ultimate goal was to turn the VOC into a comprador. This time he had to drag the Netherlands into the war. He was killing with a borrowed knife, using France's hand to clean up the "patriots" in the Netherlands.

Without considering that Liu Yu wanted to turn the VOC into a comprador, it would be impossible to understand the Dashun's step-by-step actions.

Even in later generations, most people think that going to Southeast Asia and defeating the East India Company will solve everything. After so many years of education and knowledge in later generations, this kind of thinking is still the case, let alone the current former Dutch Speaker.

It is wrong to respect the past and despise the present. Any university graduate of science and engineering in later generations, if he gets to the era of Galileo, says that he is not as good as Galileo in some common sense issues, it is not modesty, it is an insult to the four hundred years of human development.

At this time, the Dutch Speaker was considered a top figure in the Netherlands, but he had not received those basic political and economic education, and he was born in a wild way, so he could not understand Liu Yu's various actions at all. He could not understand the subordinate relationship between commercial capital and industrial capital, nor could he understand the transformation of confrontational contradictions and non-confrontational contradictions.

In the end, there was only suspicion in his heart, and he instinctively felt that there was a conspiracy in Liu Yu's suggestion, but he did not know what the conspiracy was.

After a long silence, Anthony said: "Mr. Marquis, your suggestion is like the apple in the Garden of Eden. It sounds very tempting, but because of our faith, we know that this delicious fruit must hide some danger. You are like the snake in the Garden of Eden, tempting us to sin little by little."

"But, we are human after all, the descendants of Adam and Eve, so... I think we can't resist the temptation of the venomous snake."

"I will convey your suggestion."

"But I must also tell you. Before you leave the Netherlands, we will neither allow you to open a newspaper nor allow you to speak in public."

"We will cut off any way you can deceive the Dutch people."

"Please forgive me, because your shamelessness, cunning and betrayal make us have to guard against it."

Liu Yu nodded, thinking that I have done my work, and it is too late for you to block my mouth now.

"Okay, I understand. So, you guys just act as much as you want for the people, I will leave Amsterdam soon."

"However, I hope that the former Grand Speaker can go to the Celestial Empire together. Anyway, you must retire from politics now, and there is no chance of making a comeback. Even if the Orange Party makes the people dissatisfied in the future, the people will not push you up again. If you are willing to go, I can reserve a seat for you on the ship."

Since Anthony is the former leader of the parliamentary party and a representative of the big business class, he is a suitable bridge for communication.

When Dashun really goes to Southeast Asia, the future negotiation conditions with the Netherlands should be discussed with him first, and he will check it.

Communication is not easy, Liu Yu hopes that a top diplomatic talent from the Netherlands will go directly to Dashun and directly reach a real cooperation treaty that the Netherlands can accept.

Anthony, who has lost power, is undoubtedly the best candidate.

Just as Kang Budai felt that Liu Yu was not a Dashun person at all. Liu Yu is certainly not a Dutchman, and there is a big difference in thinking. He thinks some things are very rational and natural, but the Dutch may not understand them. He still needs some top talents who represent the Dutch way of thinking at that time to check.

It is not to ask Anthony to sign the "traitorous treaty", he is not qualified. It is just to let Anthony see whether this "traitorous treaty" can be passed.

This proposal did make Anthony quite excited.

As a politician, his road has come to an end. As Liu Yu said, no matter how badly the Orangemen do in the future, the people may elect someone else, but they will never push him back.

In the political arena, he actually did not live an easy life. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear the weight. In the position of the Grand Speaker, sometimes you still have to fight for something for the overall interests of the Netherlands, which deepened the contradiction between him and the big businessmen and oligarchs who were the basis of his rule.

Now that he has taken off the "crown", he is no longer the Grand Speaker of the United Provinces, but Anthony, a famous businessman, a merchant family, and a shareholder of the East India Company. Instead, he can really do something for his own interest group.

This trip to Dashun seems to be a great opportunity to completely solve the problem of the East India Company. Even if there is no chance to rise again in the political arena, if you get the trust and gratitude of your interest group, your descendants will still have the opportunity to step into the political arena.

In those days, John Dewitt was hanged, skinned alive, and his meat was sold and eaten by angry people. But didn't his grandchildren still become the Grand Speaker?

As long as he could gain benefits for his interest group, the family would be stable. Anthony thought that he had been the Speaker for too long, so long that he had quarreled with his base for the sake of centralization. Now it was time to "make amends".