New Shun 1730

Nobility is always bound to things like tradition. But it’s not so much a tradition as it is an elegy for the old times.

Compared with the bourgeoisie's rationality, profit, and humanity, the nobles can only talk about morality, tradition, etiquette, and music.

To the bourgeois whose power is gradually increasing, these people of the old days can only murmur, half elegy, half slander.

The guild system must be disintegrated. If the guild system is not dismantled, how can it be possible to promote the free development of industry and commerce?

However, the people in the tavern did not know what led to the collapse of the guild system. They could only use their sensibility to understand the world, thinking that all this was caused by the regents and oligarchs who "seeked profit rather than justice." .

More and more people are participating in recalling the good old days of the guild system, and more and more people are participating in cursing the new era.

There were too many memories and too many curses, which made Kang Buyao and the young people look at each other.

They heard Liu Yu talk about the pain of the transition between the old and the new era, but that was just something they had heard of.

Today, I witnessed the accumulated anger with my own eyes, and I finally understood why Liu Yu either engaged in underdeveloped or non-existent industries in Dashun, such as glass, shipbuilding, and blast furnace iron smelting; or invested extremely large amounts of money in extremely long-term projects. , railway tracks, steam trains and other things that are like heavenly gods that may take ten or twenty years to see the effect.

Obviously it seems easier to engage in the mechanical textile industry and easier to make money, but I just keep putting off doing it.

Now that I have witnessed the dissatisfaction of the Dutch, I can understand more deeply: What kind of horrific scene will evolve if there are so many "sacrifice" of the new era in Dashun.

In particular, it will have an impact on cities first, and if something happens in the city, it is easier to take it seriously than if something happens in the countryside. How will the county magistrates and state pastoral councils in various places deal with it?

Do they feel like Liu Yu that this is a symbol of the progress of the times and the price of moving forward?

Or will they choose to suppress new affairs because they are worried about damaging stability and endangering world peace?

The perceptual Thirteen Classics neither teach officials the general laws of how human society operates, nor can they define what is good or bad under the dawn of the new era.

The more good officials are in the old era, the more likely they are to hinder the progress of the new era.

Kang Busao and others have always been very close to Liu Yu. As confidants, they have their own perspective on this matter.

Not only are they different from the officials in Dashun, tens of thousands of miles away, but they are also different from the Dutch in the tavern here.

They looked at each other for a few times in tacit understanding, and they all saw the expression of sudden realization in each other's eyes. Several people shook their heads in unison, thinking...it's too difficult.

At this time, the atmosphere in the tavern gradually became manic.

I don’t know which drunkard it was, and shouted loudly: "How powerful was our Netherlands in the past? How about now? When the French approached Amsterdam and had to break the dikes and use water to replace the troops, I was not born yet. Now, I have a lot Strength, if the French dare to come again, I will fight with them. "

"It's a pity that the regents are a bunch of cowards and don't dare to fight at all! During the War of Spanish Succession, our Netherlands could provide 120,000 troops, but now I'm afraid we can't provide 20,000 troops, right?"

"If you ask me, just collect some of the money from those tax collectors and big businessmen. Have a good fight with the French, Prussians, and even the British! When the time comes, I will definitely pick up the gun and go to war. From the battlefield!”

The roars of drunkards were followed by cheers.

"hero!"

"warrior!"

"Me too!"

These people who were born and grew up during the Archon period have been suppressed for too long.

My life is becoming more and more difficult, the myth of the past golden age is still there, and the Netherlands has been reduced from the overlord that kicked Britain, France, and punched Spain and Portugal to the submissive small country it is today. It is really difficult to accept it emotionally.

These Dutch people in the tavern have never experienced the era of real aristocracy or hereditary rule, and they have no personal experience of the fact that the Dutch people endured the highest tax rate in Europe many years ago.

If a small country insists on wearing the crown of unworthy hegemon, it will have to pay an extremely heavy price.

In order to make Russia rise, Peter reduced the average height of Russia by three centimeters during his thirty years in power.

In order to compete for hegemony, the Netherlands endured the highest tax rate in Europe during the golden age, as well as the highest national war death rate in proportion to the population. In addition, the distribution was seriously unfair, and the average height was not as high as that of Dashun North.

But all that has passed. These people who were born and grew up in the era of non-government do not have painful memories of that era because those memories are too specific.

The vague sense of power and dominance has become the most easily remembered feature of that era.

Kang Busao felt this manic atmosphere, and his heart was crazy, but would it last?

If France really reaches Amsterdam, Dashun seizes Nanyang, and the entire Netherlands faces collapse, will you still be willing to fight to the end and dedicate everything?

…………

Back at his residence, the young man summed up these things overnight and was about to rest. Tomorrow they will continue to look elsewhere. In the three levels below the second level, they will have to contact some people, ask some things, and find their "common feelings of dissatisfaction excluding the tax farming system and serious injustice."

That is, the pain unique to the new era.

This unique pain can be dumped entirely on the regent oligarchs.

Kang Busao came to Liu Yu's residence, rejected the others, and talked with Liu Yu about his feelings and his understanding over the past few days.

After listening, Liu Yu was very impressed.

"Brother Zhongxian is on the right track, and he summed it up wonderfully. The common collective pain we need to find is the pain unique to the new era, so that people can continue to have illusions."

"When the Orangemen come to power, people will realize, oh, they're all the same."

Kang Busao worriedly said: "Be afraid...the two roads turned out to be the same as birds. The Dutch chose to take the third road, an unimagined road."

At this time, the "unimagined road" mentioned by Kang Buyao is not the same thing as the road Liu Yu knew that the French would take in the near future.

Although Liu Yu sounded a little confused at first, he soon understood what Kang Busao meant.

At this time, French scholars such as Voltaire and Montesquieu also hoped to have an enlightened master. The radical point is just to think of it as like the United Kingdom, with a large constitution to restrict the monarch's power.

Rousseau, Voltaire's lifelong enemy and the man who truly developed the concept of sovereignty in all people, was still a well-known music critic at this time and was still some time away from embarking on the path of studying politics.

The meaning of Kang Buluo here is probably that a Cromwell-like figure emerged from the Netherlands, or even more so a figure like Liu Bang and Zhu Hongwu, who came from a lower class background and carved out a piece of the sky to truly unify the seven provinces into one and centralize power.

This possibility... can only be said to be slim.

The Netherlands is not the United Kingdom. It is huddled on the island. As long as the navy does not collapse, the country is not afraid of interference.

The Netherlands is not France. It can really rely on Paris to defeat all of France, and then rely on France to defeat all of Europe.

It does not have such geographical conditions, nor does it have such a large population and depth, and it lacks as many of France's best soldiers at this time: yeoman farmers.

Even if it exists for a moment, it will be extinguished in an instant.

"Brother Zhongxian is worrying too much. Although the Netherlands has declined, life is still good. Most people, even those who complain and lose their interests, live much better than the vast majority of people in Huanghuai District. The things they are asking for, such as restoring the guilds and strengthening the influence of the guilds, are pure nonsense. They can't attract either workers or businessmen. Who can stand with them when they think about returning to the guild system? ?”

"In China, only those who win small farmers can win the world. In the Netherlands, only those who win big businessmen and regent oligarchs can win the world."

"Even if the Orangemen came, he wouldn't dare to make reforms and offend those people... Besides, he wouldn't have a chance. Right?"

Kang Buzao thought about it and thought it was true, and then said: "That's true. If he wants to reform, he must first gain prestige in the army. But the young master has already prepared a dead end for him, and all troubles will be caused by him. Doing it while in office will destroy his prestige, so it’s difficult to do this.”

"If a clear program is proposed, this man named William will definitely not dare to accept it."

"But if you don't put forward a clear program, you just vaguely feel that it would be better to change someone else, this is really troublesome to incite."

"Even if he is a fool, I think there must be staff, subordinates, and counselors around him. I'm afraid they will see that this is a sinkhole and advise him not to jump..."

Now that Kang Buyu had found the key to the matter, Liu Yu was full of confidence and said with relief: "Don't worry, Zhongxian. His staff and counselors have made an appointment with me to test some things. I will find a way for the above matter. manage."

"Zhongxian has seen through the situation and figured out the direction for the following things, so he will find a way to do it. I have read a lot of books and newspapers about the Netherlands, why not start from here?"

Kang Bunuo smiled and said, "That's what I meant."

"Oh? Do you have any specific ideas?"

Kang Buluo already had an idea about this. He also noticed that there were many book sellers and newspapers in the Netherlands. Some things could be spread through books and newspapers.

"As for this matter, I really have an immature idea. Master, I think if we don't take the imperial examination, how many people will read the Thirteen Classics? Or read books such as "The Golden Vase", "The Legend of Ruyijun", and "The Romance of Sui Yang" "How many people are there?"

After asking the question, the two looked at each other, smiled, and made no decision.

"So, I think that since we come from the East, the Dutch are curious about the markets in the East; and secondly, they like these sexy things. This kind of thing is expected to have the least barrier between the East and the West."

Liu Yu laughed and said: "No, no, absolutely not. This kind of thing must be the same, there is no barrier."

Kang Buyao also laughed.

"Yeah, so I thought, since there are many printing houses here, why not hire some local people who write such erotic histories, and we can tell some unique stories."

"Let's print some of this stuff first and sell it at a low price. Occasionally, we'll mix in some commentaries on political affairs."

"If we only talk about political affairs, few people will notice and not talk about it, and there will be people who are specifically thinking about it to criticize and oppose it."

"However, if novels about romance, strange customs, exotic styles, etc. occasionally contain some political talk, they are regarded as classics by others."

"Issuing and selling them at a low price first. Anyway, it will be here for a long time. There is a lot to see, and the Dutch people like to pass it around. It depends on these colorful and exotic scenes, and our low-price subsidies, so it will become the first circulation volume in the Netherlands." The biggest newspapers and periodicals are definitely read by more people than regular ones.”

"Then, this controls the tool of speech, holding back and waiting for an opportunity."

"When necessary, a shocking blow."

"Say what you really want to say, what you want to say!"

"Within three days, what I want to say will be spread all over the Netherlands."

"As for whether the Dutch will seal it up later, the job is done. Even if it is sealed up, the mission has been completed. It doesn't matter whether it is sealed up or not."