New Shun 1730

Only by facing the strength of the Netherlands can we enjoy the most fruits of victory at the lowest cost.

It is unrealistic for Dashun to spend money on building ships and bombard London to force Britain, France and Spain to open trade. If one tenth of the money spent on this step was used to aid France, Europe would be in chaos.

Dashun must find a way to inherit the legacy of the Netherlands after its destruction, including the market, transportation capacity and smuggling channels.

Dashun is the factory and the Netherlands is the store.

Dashun is the source of goods and the Netherlands is the transportation company.

One is "a land of vast resources with everything".

One is "a coachman who travels across the seven seas".

The prospects for cooperation between the two parties are certainly very bright.

When he got excited, his eyebrows danced and his face was flushed. The scale under his hand swayed to the left and then to the right.

The people listening below took notes seriously. This was consistent with the perspective of looking at the world they were exposed to on a daily basis. It can be said that they have a thorough understanding, but it is not an epiphany.

There are not many people, and Liu Yu has never expected a small circle to solve future problems. He didn't even seize the military power, so he wouldn't consider means such as the Five Schools.

Moreover, the people in this small circle could not possibly hold high positions in Dashun. They were all marginal people and Liu Yu's confidants in the heart of the emperor. The deputy envoy of the Privy Council could have his own private staff and confidants, but he could never have a regular official.

Liu Yu only taught them a set of formulas, and he expected them to teach this set of formulas to future generations in the future.

In different situations, the "what to do now" obtained by this set of formulas is different. Copying is like looking for a sword on a boat. After the Nanyang vote is done, if both legs are connected, then Dashun will become an imperialist. If you have never been, have no experience, and can't copy, you really don't know what to do with various internal problems, and you can only wait for future generations.

The people in the audience only listened to the way of looking at the world and analyzing the situation.

At this time, they were just listening to the Netherlands, and didn't think about Dashun itself.

By the time Liu Yu finished talking about the various difficulties of the Netherlands, two days had passed.

All the things we talked about these two days can be summarized in one sentence of the mentor: the history of the decline of the Netherlands is the beginning of the subordination of commercial capital to industrial capital.

This is a historical necessity, and the superficial difference in reality is nothing more than the industrial capital it is subordinate to, Great Britain or Dashun.

After two days of closed-door meetings, these people were physically exhausted, but their spirits were vigorous.

From the initial doubts, to the half-beliefs in the middle, to the current 70% or 80% of the belief.

Anyway, it is a sure win, no loss, no matter how big or small.

As long as Europe can fight, Dashun will have the opportunity to extend its feet to Europe completely. Even if the Dutch side fails, at worst it can monopolize spices and other products and find other buyers to bring goods.

Thanks to the hardworking people for thousands of years, Dashun's handicraft industry has a very good foundation, and it can't be better at this time. So at least there is no need to learn from history and worry about the Dutch's mistakes repeating in Dashun.

The weather was good for the next five days. In order to make these people understand what he said more deeply, Liu Yu took them to the sugar factory outside the city.

After all, Batavia was under the rule of the Netherlands. The decline of the Netherlands at this time also had the same projection in Batavia.

Just like the 500 dizzying two-masted fishing boats in the Netherlands at its peak, there are now less than 100 left; just like the amazing wool and linen textile industry in the Netherlands, now it is in decline.

The sugar industry, which was once the pillar industry of Batavia, is clearly depressed.

The naked sugar factory slaves squatted under the coconut trees near the sugar factory. A group of people gathered around a fire, smoking there, muttering whether the distant Ceylon is hope or hell.

The sugar factory contractors were busy selling their property. They would not go to Ceylon, but they didn't know what else they could do in Batavia.

Several sugar mill contractors followed Liu Yu and got over the initial nervousness. After they felt that the imperial envoy was approachable, they began to complain about their own hardships.

The sugar industry today is finished.

It was already shaky, and now the Dutch want to conduct a comprehensive population census and register all people so that they can get more head taxes from Dashun.

These head taxes added by each person will eventually be paid by the contractors of the sugar mill. Counting these head taxes, the purchase price of sugar is already lower than the cost price. If they continue to work, they will lose money every day.

There are more than 200 sugar mills, and only a dozen can still hold on.

Those who can hold on are some with deep financial resources. They all think that everyone can't do it anymore, and if they persist, they may make money next year.

But most of the contractors of the sugar mills can no longer do it.

Because the vast majority of contractors are takers. The ownership of the sugarcane department does not belong to them, but to the Dutch or Kapitan Lei Zhenlan, and they need to pay a certain amount of rent every year to contract it.

The Dutch relied on the monopoly policy and suppressed the sugar price too low. Once the head tax began to be paid, life would be unbearable.

"Your Excellency, we have no choice. This place is so close to Batavia, the Kapitan is strict, the Dutch are also pressing, and the Dutch do not allow others to collect sugar. Sugar can only be sold to the company, and the company's price is too low..."

Complaining, secretly glanced at Liu Yu, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help saying: "This year the court fought Japan. In previous years, we could sell some sugar to Japan. This year, the Dutch ships going to Japan have also stopped. Isn't this sugar no one wants?"

"In fact, this sugar factory has been in trouble for a few years. But there is no way, what can we do? Sugar production often makes money one year and loses money the next. Sometimes we lose money, so we think, hold on, and after this year, maybe sugar will be expensive again. By then, we can not only make back our investment, but also pay back all the loans we owed before."

"The black shirt party and no pants party that have appeared in recent years used to work in the sugar factory. However, business has been bad in recent years, and they can't afford to support them. Many sugar factories have no choice but to let them find their own way to make a living."

"But where can we find a way to make a living? Go back to Fujian? Without land, won't we just hang around on the streets? It's better to stay here. After a long time, some people started to think about cheating, stealing, and there is really no way to make a living properly."

"As for not paying the head tax, everyone knows it well. Aren't there many people in the Celestial Empire who bring land to serve the gentry and are exempted from labor service? Isn't it the same thing to put old wine in a new bottle? Who knew that this year... Should we conduct a strict investigation? "

Liu Yu handed a cigarette to the sugar factory contractor who had been complaining all the way, and after appearing a little more approachable, he asked: "Have you ever planned to change your career?"

The contractor of the sugar factory took a deep puff, and spit out the cigarette after holding it for a long time, and said with a bitter smile: "In the past few years, nothing is easy to do. This is not like the Celestial Empire, where land cannot be bought casually. We cannot buy the land of the Javanese village, and they will not sell it. The land around the city of Ba has owners. "

"Alas... Now the sugarcane department is finished. I am not afraid of being laughed at by adults, but I also have the idea of ​​hanging myself. If I have to pay the head tax in the future, there will be no hope at all. Since the court is negotiating immigration with the Dutch, then we can move. However, the Dutch only allow these slave laborers to immigrate, and do not allow us to contract the industry. "

"Let me see, I'd better sell my property and go back to Fujian. "

It seems that the Dutch have told the people here about some of the immigration to Ceylon.

Liu Yu could understand the Dutch's thoughts very well. Batavia needed Chinese as the middle rulers because it needed to suppress the local natives and needed Chinese to build a network to connect the goods produced in Batavia and the countryside. In addition, Batavia had serious religious conflicts, so it cooperated with the Chinese upper class.

But the result was that the Chinese had people, money, and the power to paralyze Batavia, which was what the Dutch had always been wary of.

Ceylon was very different.

Ceylon had a large number of "forced naturalization" Christians left by Portugal.

The position of the Chinese petty bourgeoisie in Batavia was occupied by the mixed race of Ceylon.

Ceylon's important cinnamon production did not require Chinese as contractors.

Ceylon did not have an ecological niche for the upper and middle classes of Chinese, only an ecological niche for the lower classes of Chinese.

In Liu Yu's opinion, the Dutch made a really bad move.

Batavia could use Chinese to control Chinese and create conflicts. Chinese inside and outside the city would conflict with each other, and the upper, middle and lower classes of Chinese would have their own demands.

But you let Ceylon only accept the lower class of Chinese. Are you afraid that the Chinese national consciousness will not be awakened?

However, thinking the other way, the Dutch may have no other choice.

You can't let the Chinese go to Ceylon and squeeze out the local mixed-blood petty bourgeoisie in the Netherlands; or let Ceylon's most profitable cinnamon betel nut industry be occupied by Chinese high-level people again like Batavia.

Looking at this disheartened sugar factory contractor who was about to return to Fujian, Liu Yu comforted him, "Returning to Fujian may not be a bad thing. Don't you have some property? You won't be without work after you go back."

"Songjiang is organizing some new industries. Isn't there gold in Borneo? The Dutch don't control that place either. These people are going to raise some capital to lease land and mines in Borneo."

"It's easier to get things done with more people, and it's easier to form a group with more people."

"You haven't been back for many years, don't you know that there have been some changes in the Celestial Empire? Before, people were reluctant to form a partnership, fearing that something might happen and they would be implicated. Now, in Songjiang, Tianjin and other places, your majesty has granted special permission, and the trend of forming a partnership is growing. When you go back, you can ask more about it."

Immediately, he mentioned that the court allowed industries to be established in Songjiang, Jingji and other places where the army could definitely control them, and his meaning was very clear.

Now the capital in the Celestial Empire is concentrating in the north relative to Fujian and Guangdong. Songjiang or Tianjin are now in short supply of this kind of liquid capital.

If the Batavia Incident is resolved this way, there will be a lot of floating capital with nowhere to go. Batavia's sugar industry is in a downturn, and the tax farming industry cannot squeeze in. Instead of buying land and becoming a local landlord, it is better to continue to be a capitalist after returning.

The contractor of the sugar factory really didn't know about these changes. He hurriedly asked a few more questions and said repeatedly: "I have heard that there is gold in Borneo, but the local snakes are not to be provoked. If everyone works together, either mining or reclaiming land, this is really feasible. But..."

Although he seemed excited in his words, he was still hesitant in his heart.

In business, although the Dutch are hateful, they are more trustworthy than the court. At least it seems that up to now, the Dutch are still basically reasonable. What is yours is yours and they will not take it away.

But the court, the officials are cunning and plunder, and there are many donations. Don't let all of them be used to make wedding clothes for others.

It's better to go back and find out carefully.