Tea and porcelain are both highly profitable commodities, especially tea. It is conceivable that it will cause madness among European high-level officials, and porcelain has even set off a wave in Europe.
At this time, the Governor-General of Luzon was willing to sell these goods at large price reductions, which was a support to the British.
The sale of silk at reduced prices made the British even more happy. It was not a question of how much money they could make.
As we all know, there were three things that supported the finances of the Spanish Empire: taxes from the Netherlands, silk from Italy, and silver mines from Peru.
The Spanish mainland is quite barren. The small territory, the only desert in Europe, and a large number of mountainous plateaus have actually always relied on blood transfusions from other places, and the United Kingdom is actually watching these.
The silver mines were harassed by British pirate ships, and taxes were collected. Since the naval battle failed to defeat Spain, the equipment of the Dutch rebels had become inexplicably much better, leaving only the silk trade in Italy that the British had no choice about.
And being able to purchase cheap silk from the Luzon Governor's Palace can compete with Italian silk, reducing their income and further attacking the other party.
The British ministers turned their heads and figured out the benefits, and their eyes couldn't help but shine with excitement. This is a good thing that benefits oneself at the expense of others!
The Luzon Governor's Mansion is also happy with this. Although the price of external sales has dropped, they still make a profit. Originally, the price increase above the cost price of this thing was terrible. It was a huge profit, but now they only make a little less. Just a little bit.
Although Britain spent a lot of money, not only did it gain something, but if it could exchange it for the collapse of the Spanish Empire, it would be so worth it.
Spain was indeed powerful in this era, especially since their king Philip II also obtained the throne of Portugal and formed the Iberian League. The combination of two maritime powers was indeed difficult to deal with, and the British also lost their Galen. The battleship failed to win that sea battle.
Today's Spain is the real "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets", and its strength is terrifying.
The eyes of the British Queen and ministers shone with excitement, as if they had seen the huge empire disintegrate in front of them.
"Sign the contract!"
the queen said impatiently.
…
Not long after the contract was signed, merchant ships loaded with gold and silver sailed out of the British port and slowly sailed toward the east. On the side of the Luzon Governor's Palace, the workshop also supplied much less supplies to the outside world, which once caused a stir. The rise in commodity prices has actually hurt businessmen from other countries.
At the same time, tea, a mysterious object produced in the East, also became popular in Europe through the British high-level officials.
In any case, drinking tea during a meeting is much more stylish than drinking boiled water or wine. After drinking tea, the Queen and a group of nobles felt that their spirits were obviously much improved, and the news that it can prolong life spread. , which made the nobles even more crazy.
The story, expensive tea sets and etiquette were added as a supplement, which subtly gave the nobles a feeling: this is a valuable item.
Naturally, they rush to buy.
Later, it even developed to the point where when two nobles meet, if one party does not bring out tea to entertain them, they will be looked down upon and considered to be a symbol of poverty or even the decline of the family.
Who dares not to buy this!
If they can't buy the best tea, they settle for the second best. Anyway, at least when entertaining guests, they must have tea. In order to cover up the tea that is not as good as the best, they choose to add some milk or sugar to it. , but it has also won the love of some people.
Some businessmen who wanted to move into the upper class saw this and imitated it, so that the custom of drinking tea soon spread from top to bottom throughout Europe.
The Governor-General of Luzon took the opportunity to raise the price and made a huge profit.
Britain, which had a lot of tea, also made a lot of profits. Even the Spanish aristocrats who liked luxury goods purchased large quantities of their tea and porcelain through some channels.
The money was then invested in the production of weapons and pirate ships, which were then used against Spain.
However, the share of silk was squeezed out. The influx of a large amount of exquisite silk from the East caused the silk trade in Italy to drop a lot. The Spanish nobles were unwilling to give up their luxurious life, so they had to transfer this burden to the Netherlands and levy taxes. heavier taxes.
The result is that uprisings become more frequent and larger in scale, requiring more military spending and soldiers to suppress them.
It has to be said that this is a vicious cycle. Under this operation, the Spanish Empire's finances quickly became desperate, and the empire soon fell into crumbling.
When the British upper class saw this, they naturally burst into laughter. They invested a lot of money in the navy and were ready to go to America to seize colonies at any time.
However, what they did not expect was that Yan Zichong would appear in front of Philip II, the royal palace of the Spanish Empire, at this time.
When Philip II saw him, his face was extremely ugly. He almost squeezed out the words from between his teeth:
"I summoned you just to see where you got the courage to come to see me!"
He drew out his long sword with a "swipe" sound, pointed it at the center of Yan Zichong's eyebrows, and almost roared:
"My empire's finances have almost collapsed, and it's all your fault!"
Philip II naturally saw the culprit of all this. It was when the share of silk was squeezed out and income dropped significantly that the vicious cycle officially began. However, now that tea and porcelain are popular throughout Europe, he has no way to stop the nobles. Even he himself, because of his face, also made some purchases.
It wasn't the most fundamental reason, but it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. How could Philip II not be angry?
However, Yan Zichong did not panic when faced with this situation. Instead, he held the long sword between his two fingers, gently moved it to one side, and then said calmly:
"Your Majesty, I am here to save your empire."
?
Listening to Yan Zichong's words, Philip II fell into confusion.
Save the empire?
Judging from the series of operations the other party has done to help Britain, it is obvious that the other party is on the British side! Why do you still say such things?
However, this is indeed true. Yan Shiyi's purpose has never been to collapse the Spanish Empire. This is not in their interests.
His real purpose was to plunge Europe into chaos, let the Spanish Empire, Britain and France bleed each other, and even lead to a protracted war that would delay their development.
He was actually very helpless.
Zu once told him about the Age of Discovery, and he longed for the glory of the empire on which the sun never set. If he could rule such a vast empire, it would be too late for him to be happy.
The problem is, this is unrealistic, too unrealistic.
Chinese and Europeans are different.
(End of chapter)
