Chapter 926 Pre-War Public Opinion Preparation (Part 1)

"I think this is a good thing. Since the imperial court sent you to supervise, the merchants need to see profits increase before they can support the supervision. As long as the British do not abolish the tea tax, it will also be of great benefit to the imperial court to strengthen its control over these merchants."

Duke Guo of Qi thought for a moment and then smiled and said: "You can't expect a group of people who just knew that American ginseng is not produced in the hot Southeast Asia to fight against those old oilmen who have been engaged in trade for a hundred or two hundred years. If you expect them to fight, you have to fight You can’t lose all your money.”

"When I went to Europe this time, what I saw and heard was that in terms of the control of the industrial economy, Europe has the style of the Song Dynasty, and this dynasty is definitely not as good as it. Only when the economy is controlled by legal persons can it be possible to have reforms like Jinggong. I North Korea can’t do it.”

"The policy of banning seas, I don't think there is much difference between the East and the West. Countries such as Denmark, Britain, and France also banned their own sales in Asia, and gained monopoly benefits. Unlike the previous three treasures of the previous dynasty, they prohibited private sailors from sailing to the sea to obtain spices. What’s the difference?”

Liu Yu does not completely agree with this, but considering the education Qi Guogong received since childhood, it is rare to see this step.

But the Duke of Qi hit the point when he said something. In fact, all countries are enforcing some degree of maritime ban and monopoly, and all are directly intervened by administrative forces.

Europeans, especially Protestant countries, have always had double standards and are shameless. Liu Yu has learned this in recent years. After all, the Netherlands that was the first to be dealt with was a Protestant country.

I can prohibit private trade at sea, I can regulate navigation, and I can prohibit your cargo ships from selling goods in our country.

But you cannot allow us to receive the goods, nor can you allow us to cede your Zhoushan and rob Macau, otherwise you will be guilty.

This way of thinking is not only difficult for Dashun people to understand at this time.

Even in later generations, it is still difficult for Chinese people to understand.

So when some people read about the subsequent humiliation, many people will think, "As long as trade is opened, the British will be happy and won't attack us."

First reflect on whether you have done anything wrong.

But the reality is that the United Kingdom issued two consecutive laws banning Oriental cotton; it levied a tea tariff of up to 220%; and the British East India Company directly sank any non-company Oriental cargo ships.

So the essence of this matter is that I was really deceived.

I believe they have a set of non-double standards, unified and universal evaluation standards.

Lao Ma said in the 1840s that the essence of Britain's so-called "free trade" was a monopoly. Once "free trade" threatens the essence of his monopoly, he will inevitably be the first to stand up against "free trade."

The root cause of the Opium War was not because of free trade, but because "the Qing government banned the cultivation of poppy," which allowed external opium to create a virtual monopoly because the country did not allow the cultivation of opium.

Eliminating the evil attributes of opium, if we simply treat it as a commodity, once it is allowed to be grown casually, no one will want the British goods that can be produced in Sichuan Province. This has been proved later. There was no need for Sichuan to take action, as Yunnan was enough at that time.

Just like the directors of the British East India Company complained in Congress in 1820 [In the previous 23 years, the company was forced to sell textiles and hardware to China, which caused the company a loss of 1,688,103 pounds].

The directors of the company are speaking in Congress. It is impossible that all the people in Congress will be dead in 20 years and 39 years, right?

So do the British know that even if there is zero tariff, their textiles and hardware cannot be sold?

Or do you know it clearly, but pretend not to know, and find a reason for free trade to sell opium that is a virtual monopoly?

However, what Lao Ma said to the point in the 1840s was still not listened to or believed by more than a hundred years later. Instead, he first reflected on what he had done wrong, which led to him being beaten.

Fortunately, a Georgian who read Lao Ma's book reflected on this and concluded that "if we fall behind, we will be beaten. But we are not willing to be beaten, absolutely not."

Finally, I didn’t reflect on the fact that because of unfree trade, I deserved to be beaten. Well done.

Do the British know that opium is banned in China?

The reason why Macartney could become the representative of the mission was that his predecessor, Charles Cathcart, died of illness on the way to China.

The prime minister's instruction before the Cascade mission came to China clearly stated, "If the business contract stipulates that opium cannot be transported, you must agree." Never fight for this aspect of ‘freedom’ at the risk of losing other important interests. 】

[Our opium in Bangladesh should find a way out through the "scattered and tortuous trade opportunities on the eastern sea"] - What do we mean by "the scattered and tortuous trade opportunities on the sea"? All I can say is that it is worthy of being written by Shakespeare, and smuggling can be described in such a euphemistic way, with a unique "hazy beauty".

[If the land is ceded to us to build a store, it should be between 27 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees north latitude, because it is said that excellent tea is produced in this latitude range]

Therefore, the British knew very well that the opium trade was prohibited, not only clearly, but also very clearly, so they chose "the scattered and tortuous trade opportunities on the eastern sea."

Do the British know that textiles cannot be sold in China?

Of course I do.

But why can it still be sold?

Because of one word.

roll.

In 1767, the East India Company approached the supplier Pan and said that if you can sell the woolen cloth, I can collect tea from you instead of others. And I will increase the price for you, one tael of silver per load of tea.

Pan calculated that even if he sold these woolen cloths at a loss, as long as the British took tea from him and gave him an extra 1 tael of silver for each load of tea, he would still make a profit.

So in history, Pan relied on this kind of money to be named the world's richest man in the early 18th century by COTE PARIS, and his family's silver could buy the British and French fleets in the Battle of Trafalgar.

As for why they couldn't unite and raise prices together?

This... is probably also a characteristic of the bourgeoisie in China. So in Nagasaki, Arai Shiraishi used a simple two peaches and three men strategy to provoke the Ningbo Gang, Zhangzhou Gang, and Fuzhou Gang to give up the pricing power of copper and let Japan set the price. The Chinese bourgeoisie is a group of weaklings who must be supported by a strong man. Without a strong man with an iron fist to whip them, they are the most effeminate bourgeoisie in the world.

Why did the East India Company have to bring woolen cloth?

Because they wanted to please the domestic industrial bourgeoisie, so that they would not attack the company as a comprador, they would rather lose money than bring woolen cloth, and at most they could make up for it with tea.

For example, you are a member of parliament and you run a woolen cloth workshop. You tell the East India Company that if you don’t bring my woolen cloth to China, I will propose a motion in parliament, saying that you are a comprador. What else can you do? Bring it.

As a result, textile workers have jobs, industrial capital sells woolen cloth to China, the East India Company is given a break in parliament, the East India Company claims to lose money while making money, and the tea supplier Pan also beat his peers and became the richest man in the world in the 18th century.

Everyone seems to make money, so who paid for it?

It seems that the British who drink tea paid for it.

But in fact, it is not.

Even if the East India Company did not assume the obligation to sell woolen cloth at a loss, would it have a conscience and reduce the price? The price of some things does not depend on the cost, but on how much the buyer can pay. The housing allowance of the British Poor Law is a perfect example. The increase in housing allowance means the increase in rent.

The only ones who suffered losses were Chinese textile craftsmen.

No one would buy British textiles at normal prices, but some people sold them at a loss.

Who the hell would have thought that British textiles sold in China in 1767 were lower than the factory price in London factories?

Why did the British government put tea trade first in the Charles Cathcart Mission Instructions when it knew that tea trade led to the outflow of silver?

Because at that time, [tea tax could provide the government with 3.25 million pounds in tax revenue each year], which was already a lot, equivalent to 10 million taels of silver, enough for three years of Liao salary.

This is the same reason why the Dashun forced Japan to open up, and the shogunate knew that "gold and silver are like bones and cannot be regenerated", but still supported it. Because it can provide the shogunate with huge tariff revenue. In order to establish an absolute advantage over the other princes.

When the fog hidden outside is torn open and the essence is seen, many things will be very easy to solve.

Isn't it a fight?

Then do it in one step, directly "fully compete" to the point of monopoly. How can we fight each other after monopoly? You can set up the East India Company with exclusive monopoly, so I can't?

Isn't it double standards?

Then go to the Netherlands to ask why the Netherlands can build a trading house in China, but Dashun can't build a trading house in Amsterdam? Because the legal authorization of the parliament is sacred? That's simple, the authorization of the emperor is also sacred, fight to take back Nanyang, occupy Ceylon, invade India, and push the Dutch power from Nagasaki to Persia in one wave.

Isn't it necessary to buy tea to tie up woolen cloth?

Then monopolize, crush all small merchants, buy tea with cash, don't want any woolen cloth, even if the navy uses it, only buy French. If you can get tea from somewhere else, the local officials will be punished tomorrow. The Duke of Guo and the Jiedushi will go to say hello. What is the bureaucratic accountability system?

Isn't it that opium seeks scattered and tortuous trade opportunities on the sea?

Let's start with an opium case and tell the British clearly that they should not seek scattered and tortuous trade opportunities, otherwise Dashun will close its doors to the outside world, shouting that silver is not wealth and national wealth is gross product.

His method of using magic to break magic, of course, requires the support of the court.

At least, the policy of "uniting with France to oppose Britain" must be absolutely supported.

In fact, from the perspective of trade, Britain is a far better partner than France.

The British tea tax will make the emperor hesitate in his heart-if Britain abolishes the tea tax and expands tea sales, why doesn't the emperor learn from the Song Dynasty system or the Russian rhubarb monopoly system, and control all tea exports in his own hands and sell them exclusively to Britain? Britain can collect 10 million taels of tea tax every year, and the Dashun emperor can't make less money if he kills the tea monopoly, right?

If Britain's trade volume surges and the emperor gets high profits from tea trade, why should he go to war with Britain? The French are doing domestic substitution, they are poor and don't buy anything, why don't they help Britain fight France?

To seek maritime hegemony, it is necessary to invest huge sums of money in fleets, and fleets cannot suppress peasant uprisings that may occur in the future. If the British trade volume surges, why must it build its own fleet to open up markets in Europe, or even fight a war?

In the past, Liu Yu monopolized external information himself, especially after Liu Yu slapped the missionaries in the face, he did control Dashun's foreign policy for a long time.

But now, with the increase in exchanges, especially this time when Duke Qi returned from his visit to Europe, Liu Yu can no longer monopolize external information.

At this time, he needed to take advantage of the opportunity of Duke Qi's return from Europe to turn the "alliance with France against Britain" from a simple economic issue to a "political issue" that was politically correct in Dashun.

While Duke Qi was talking about the maritime trade policies of European countries, Liu Yu had collected a lot of negative information about the British over the years. At this time, he smiled and said, "The so-called closing the door and banning the sea reminds me of an interesting story."

"In the tenth year of Chongzhen in the former Ming Dynasty, the British Weddell came to China with a fleet. At that time, it was said that [China closed the door and opened a door to the Portuguese conditionally, but this door was locked and closed to the British. I plan to use the Portuguese door to humbly knock on the door]."

"[Of course, if I knock on the door and get a cold shoulder, I will break in!]"

Liu Yu laughed after he finished speaking.

Duke Qi was stunned for a moment. Maybe he felt that this was too shocking for a while and didn't react.

Then, he raised his head and laughed heartily.

"In the tenth year of Chongzhen, breaking into the house? Hahahahahaha... this Englishman Weddell is really bold."