Laoshan Palace, Zuoyuan.
Mary Mancini's mansion was once again brightly lit tonight and full of guests.
The main building of Zuoyuan is in the shape of an H, surrounded by dense shady green grass, the kind of Western-style lawn courtyard. Stepping into the lobby, it is also completely Western-style. The hall on the first floor is high-ceilinged and looks very grand. Especially the stairs that extend down from the two-story platforms on both sides and finally merge together give people a feeling that the owner of this place is superior.
Under the stairs, in a completely Western-style decorated hall, a Chinese-style dinner was taking place, with everyone sitting at several tables. There were Chinese and foreign guests scattered among them, and the table was full of exquisite dishes. However, the foreigners had knives and forks in front of them, while the Chinese-looking guests had chopsticks in front of them. Aunts in white clothes shuttled back and forth, serving wine and food.
There are still three empty seats at the main table, and neither Zhu Cihong nor Mary Mancini showed up - this is the rule for dinner parties in Zuoyuan. What are the identities of Zhu Cihong and Mary Mancini? Of course, I won’t accompany everyone to exchange cups and drinks, but I’m just showing up. I haven’t shown up yet, so I’m probably still enjoying a candlelight dinner with Mary Mancini in the small restaurant on the second floor! As for who the third vacant seat belongs to, that is unknown.
However, the atmosphere at the main table, which was missing three people, was still very lively at the moment. A Chinese man in his forties, with a ruddy complexion, big eyes, a long beard, and a suit was talking loudly about a suffocating dream.
"...who can be a guest in Zuoyuan, who cares about two or three million taels of silver? Who doesn't have two or three million taels in his family? Who doesn't have more money than he can spend in a lifetime? But? Who can guarantee that all children and grandchildren will be prosperous and wealthy? Who can guarantee that there will be no prodigal son in the family? Of course, we are not afraid of the kind of prodigal son who eats, drinks and has fun, and the bastards who play around with women outside are no big deal... We don’t need that much money. But the problem is that some little bastards don’t know how much they weigh and have to imitate other people to start a career. This is a bottomless pit! Those of us who are old are still here, so we don’t have to worry about this. I'm afraid that if I step off my feet, my descendants will mess around with the inheritance, and they will go bankrupt!"
As he said this, the man's face suddenly became solemn: "So, instead of letting the unworthy descendants toss around, it's better for us to toss! Let's work harder and leave a share for our descendants. No matter what, we can't lose. Industry. What kind of industry is not easy to fail these days? In my opinion, it is the foundation of a country and a city!
Look at it, aren’t most of the inheritances left to our descendants by our richest man Long Live the Ming Dynasty are the United States, kingdoms, and principalities? This illustrates the problem...Wan Guan's wealth is gone after just a little effort. It is not easy to clean up a country and a city.
Of course, we people can't compare to Long Live Lord, and a country wouldn't dare to think about it, but the opportunity for a city now exists! "
As he spoke, the man stood up from his seat, spread out his arms and raised them high, with an expression of great yearning on his face: "Think about it, leaving a free and independent city-state to future generations, a city that can exist A city that has existed for hundreds or thousands of years, a city that belongs to us that can allow future generations to enjoy prosperity for a long time!
Such an opportunity is right in front of us! "
Needless to say, the one who was bragging was Lin Yihu, who had just been appointed as the deputy governor of the Southern Continent...or the one named Jabs.
"well said!"
"That's so well said..."
As soon as Jabs finished speaking, two Westerners wearing Chinese python robes already shouted and applauded.
Everyone turned around and saw that the people applauding were none other than Luo Dongni and Luo Afang... They were the two major shareholders of the Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, and they were also the leaders of the Portuguese who settled in the Ming Dynasty.
"Mr. Jia, is it true that anyone can open a city-state in the southern continent this time?"
The person who asked the question was a Japanese businessman wearing a Wu suit. He was not sitting at the main table, but at the round table on the right side of the main table. He is about the same age as Steve Jobs, but his words and deeds reveal a calm temperament.
Jabs didn’t know him, but soon Yun Rushui (Yun Shangqian’s nephew), the assistant of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, introduced him with a smile: "Mr. Jia, this Japanese friend is Mr. Sumitomo Tomoyo, the boss of Izumiya and Fujiya in Japan." .”
"I have admired you for a long time!" Jobs had heard of Sumitomo Tomo. This was a famous wealthy businessman in Japan, and he was also a royal businessman of the Japanese court. This time he came to the Ming Dynasty under the order of Guangguo to hire a mining master to return to China to help develop the Bezishan copper mine. When he was recruiting people in Shanghai, he heard that the Ming Dynasty was going to open up the southern continent and recruit "franchisees" "I thought it was an opportunity, so I came to Yingtian Mansion and got the invitation for tonight's banquet through the Japanese Imperial Academy (Japanese Imperial Academy).
After the two parties exchanged greetings, Jabs smiled and said: "Sumitomo-kun, His Majesty said that anyone who can scrape together four ocean-going sailing ships is qualified to negotiate exploration and development contracts with the Southern Continent Yamen... Theoretically, they are qualified to open a city-state in the southern continent.
Of course, the specific conditions depend on the provisions of the contract... Every contract is different, and the conditions will vary. And one contract can only open up one city-state. "
This is an opportunity!
Sumitomo Yuyi is so excited! It's not that he wants to go to the Southern Continent to open a city-state, but that his master Xu Guangguo needs to go to the Southern Continent to open a city-state for his nephews and retainers.
There are always a surplus of samurai in Japan!
Even though the Malacca War and subsequent development consumed nearly 100,000 samurai and ronin, it greatly reduced the pressure on the Japanese court after the merger of the public and military forces. But Xu Guangguo still had to prepare for a rainy day and find a way out for the steady stream of "produced" warriors.
In addition, it is not only samurai who are surplus in Japan, but also farmers! Samurai could go abroad to serve as soldiers, but farmers had no good place to go. Although some samurai who went abroad were taken to farm as coolies, there were not many in the end. After all, the number of warriors who have acquired territory overseas and need to be cultivated by farmers within the territory is also very limited.
And opening a "samurai city-state" in the southern continent can obviously kill two birds with one stone, exporting both warriors and farmers... Moreover, this method can also export high-level warriors at the level of city lords!
"Mr. Jia, what will be roughly stipulated in the exploration and development contract of the Southern Continent?" Someone asked again, this time the question was from the British East India Company's Chief Banworster, who accompanied Rear Admiral Blake to Yingtian Mansion. , and then got the invitation from Uncle Ho, the chief officer of the East India Company in Yingtianfu.
"Roughly, the number of exploration ships, the number of crew members, and the number of colonists who will accompany the ships will be stipulated..." Jabs said patiently, "Of course, the political system of the city-state to be built will also need to be stipulated."
"What?" Vorster was surprised, "Can the political system be discussed in the contract?"
He thought to himself: Isn’t this too progressive?
Jabs smiled and said: "Of course we can discuss it! This is an important matter! Whether the autonomous city-state will implement royal government or republic, and whether the city lord will be called governor, duke or city protector, all have to be agreed in advance."
Can it still be a republic? Can he still be called the Protector of the Country? No, the Protector of the City? Vorster thought to himself: Can the political system of the Southern Continent vassal countries be discussed? The kingdom sounds backward, so let’s call it the Southern Continent Republic! The leader of the country will be called the Protector of the Country, and it will be hereditary from Emperor Zhu's family...
Jabs seemed to have guessed what Worster was thinking, and then added: "In addition, the way in which the autonomous city will participate in the establishment of the Southern Continent vassal state must be agreed upon in the contract."
This is how the constitutional government of the Southern Continent came about... It was not a gift from anyone, nor was it created by people below, but was negotiated one contract after another.
Zhu Cixiang was also open-minded about the republican system - Zhu Hexi could be a king or a protector of the country, which was pretty much the same anyway.
