In the summer and May of the twelfth year of Chengshun, Jinling City.
The emperor of the Dachu Empire received an envoy from southern Annan who actually controlled the Ruan family. This was also the first time that an envoy from the Ruan family in Annan was able to meet the supreme ruler of the Dachu Empire.
This meeting also represents a major breakthrough in the diplomatic relations between the two sides.
In order to gain the support of the Dachu Empire to fight against the Zheng family in northern Annan, the Annan Ruan family has always sent envoys to Jinling City to contact and lobby senior officials in the Dachu Empire.
It’s just that in the early years, the Chu Empire was busy conquering the East, and later it was busy suppressing the Qingkang area. More importantly, the Chu Empire at that time wanted to vigorously develop domestic people’s livelihood, carry out various infrastructure construction such as water conservancy, and engage in agriculture. Construction, supporting the development of industry and commerce, etc. Therefore, the military's military expenditure continues to decline.
This military expenditure has dropped, and the military is reluctant to maintain its current scale and change its equipment. How can it have a large amount of funds to launch foreign wars.
Therefore, in the past few years, the Great Chu Empire has rarely ushered in a period of peace!
Naturally, this strategic direction will not change just because of some internal unrest among the indigenous people in Southeast Asia.
But this situation gradually changed twelve years after entering Chengshun!
At the first imperial meeting in the first month of the 12th year of Chengshun, Emperor Luo Zhixue emphasized at the imperial meeting that we should continue to strengthen agricultural construction, strengthen industrial and commercial construction, and uphold and expand free trade.
The first two points are normal, but they are just repeating old talk, but expanding free trade is very interesting.
The so-called free trade of the Dachu Empire is known to the top leaders in the country, that is, the market and raw materials.
Upholding and expanding free trade means, to put it bluntly, expanding overseas markets!
And how to expand the market?
Just shouting a few words is of no use, you must take practical actions!
For example, many countries in Southeast Asia seem to be doing business with the Chu Empire, but in fact not everything can enter their market.
For example, the Dacheng Kingdom seems to have a relatively large trade volume with the Chu Empire. Even though they have purchased a large amount of goods from the Chu Empire, in fact many merchants in the Dacheng Kingdom are second-rate dealers. They purchased silk and silk from the Chu Empire. After porcelain and other popular materials in the international trade market are resold, they will be sold to European merchants or merchants in West Asia, North Africa and other regions.
There are not many silks and porcelain that actually enter the Ayutthaya Kingdom market.
Another example is the direction of India. With its cheap and high-quality machine-made cloth, the Dachu Empire quickly seized part of the Indian market in the early stage. However, after the market reached a certain level, it could not expand.
Why?
Because the local princes and businessmen in India began to boycott the mechanism of the Chu Empire.
It is worth mentioning that India was originally the main area for exporting cotton cloth. The Dutch and Portuguese used to import cotton cloth from India, then buy it in the Southeast Asian market, then buy spices and other goods and sell them to China, and then from China Silk, porcelain and other materials were purchased and shipped back to India and even Europe.
Very typical triangular trade.
However, after the rise of the Chu Empire, a large amount of cheap machine-made fabrics directly impacted the cotton market in the Indian peninsula, not only seizing the cotton market share in Southeast Asia, but even penetrating into India. …
The Dutch, Portuguese and even the English and some indigenous merchants in India purchased large quantities of cotton from Southeast Asia or simply went to the Chu Empire, then transported it back to India for sale, and then transported the cotton from India to Da Chu. The Chu Empire conducts sales.
As a result, a large number of spinning and weaving employees in India, whether weavers or businessmen, were in bad luck.
When their own interests were damaged, local businessmen and officials naturally would not sit idly by and began to use various methods to prohibit the Dachu Empire's cheap machine-made cloth from entering the local market.
This also limited the sales growth rate of the Dachu Empire's machine-made cloth in India.
And these examples seriously violate the free trade policy of the Chu Empire!
Luo Zhixue drew a conclusion from a series of import and export trade data and the situation reported by Nanyang Trading Company. That is, the Chu Empire's various goods exports, in addition to being uniquely endowed by nature, are second in popularity in the world trade system. In addition to gold, silver, silk and porcelain, which are as good as spices, other export commodities, especially industrial commodities, have been restricted one after another, especially cotton!
Due to the trade protection policies in various markets, the export growth rate of a series of industrial commodities such as cotton cloth from the Great Chu Empire began to decline.
Even though the signs of a decline in growth rate were not great, they still aroused Luo Zhixue's attention and even vigilance.
At present, only a few areas have implemented trade protection, but if it continues to be ignored, I am afraid that more areas will implement bans on the dumping of cotton from the Great Chu Empire.
This point has appeared in many countries or regions in the original time and space. For example, in the 19th century, the Chinese region set up various thresholds on a large scale to prohibit British cotton cloth from entering the market, just to protect the homespun cloth in its own region.
The British could not sell cotton cloth and faced a trade deficit. They eventually gradually increased the smuggling of opium, which triggered the Opium War.
The British cotton cloth could not be sold at that time. Although it was actually related to the domestic small farmer economy, it was also closely related to the fact that some local officials in China implemented a certain degree of trade protection policy in the cotton spinning industry.
The Chu Empire is now facing the same situation that the British encountered in the original time and space... Local officials and businessmen in many areas have boycotted the Chu Empire's cotton cloth or other highly competitive industrial products in order to protect Their fragile craft industry.
Faced with this situation, Luo Zhixue felt that it was necessary to alert the empire's senior officials and take corresponding measures to avoid this situation.
Everyone will talk about free trade on such a serious occasion as the first imperial meeting in the twelfth year of Chengshun, and we must persist and expand it!
This is tantamount to revealing an obvious message to the middle and upper levels of the empire, that is, some actions targeting overseas markets can be launched.
After Luo Zhixue set the tone for the general direction, the main responsible departments of the Chu Empire, the Ministry of Ethics and Education, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Navy and the Army, naturally began to influence the situation.
After people from these departments held a small-scale discussion, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated that there was plenty of goods and transportation was not a problem, nor was regular business competition. The problem was that local officials and dignitaries in overseas markets, etc. Blockage from groups whose interests have been harmed. …
This is reflected in the trade protection policies of overseas countries.
The Ministry of Rites and Education stated that barbarians are difficult to civilize, and it is extremely difficult to get people to let go of various restrictions with just a mouthful, requiring the military to provide military support.
The army of the military said... It is not easy to guarantee the force. As long as additional war expenses are paid, I will beat whoever you ask the army to attack... From the Southeast Asian countries in the south to Jungar and Tsarist Russia in the west, it can be anything. .
It doesn’t take much, just give me a military expenditure of fifty million taels, and our army will fight a war to destroy the country for you tomorrow!
Several civil servants in the cabinet had dark faces after hearing this. They asked for fifty million taels of military expenditure. Why don't they go to heaven and have sweet dreams in broad daylight?
The Army still wanted to bargain, saying that if there was no 50 million taels, 30 million taels would be fine... Oh, don't go, 20 million taels would be fine too... Everything is negotiable!
The navy is not as open as the army. The navy's opinions are very pragmatic. It is the navy's unshirkable responsibility to ensure free trade in the empire. The navy does not require much additional war funding, as long as it provides certain policy support. Can.
For example, let's build a few overseas military bases for our navy.
With overseas military bases, our navy's force projection can reach predetermined areas, otherwise we can only stare blankly...
After several rounds of consultations between the military and the cabinet, a series of policies were finalized. The Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and Education took the lead, and the army and navy cooperated. They first strived to build more overseas military bases and expand the scope and speed of overseas troop projection.
Only then can we respond to trade restrictions in a certain region in a targeted manner.
Overseas trade, including overseas bases, is in line with the navy's southward policy, and the navy naturally strongly supports it.
And the Army did not express any objection!
If we really have overseas military bases, we can still count on the navy's warships to be stationed ashore to attack other countries. We have to rely on their army to do so.
As long as there are wars, military expenditures and military exploits, that is a good thing.
After the high-level officials of the empire made a preliminary decision, the Chu Empire increased its diplomatic ties with several countries.
The first one to bear the brunt is of course Annan!
The merchant ships of the Chu Empire were going to Nanyang for trade. They sailed south from Guangzhou, but there was no place to stay along the way...
And the same is true for battleships!
For this reason, they wanted to build a port in the Annan region, mainly in the southern region, to conduct trade and park warships, and to use it as an outpost and logistics base for the Chu Empire in the Nanyang region.
At the same time, the Annan region is now divided between north and south. The Zheng family in the north and the Ruan family in the south are actively seeking support from the Chu Empire.
Because the Great Chu Empire is on the edge of Annan, no matter which side the Great Chu Empire leans towards, it will lead to which side will gain a huge advantage, and unifying Annan will be a piece of cake.
Since both sides have demands from the empire, the empire will naturally open its mouth to ask for benefits!
The attitude of the Chu Empire also made both Annan and Annan more active, both wanting to gain the support of the Chu Empire one step ahead.
Baimeng book
After a series of negotiations, the Ruan family took the lead in making concessions. They were willing to open all markets in their controlled areas and allow the products of the Chu Empire, including cotton and other industrial products, to enter the market at fixed lower tariffs. Cam Ranh Bay and some surrounding areas belonging to the puppet Champa State under the control of the Jin family will be sold to the Chu Empire for berthing ships and setting up commercial centers. …
The Dachu Empire paid a one-time land purchase fee of 50,000 taels to the Champa State for Cam Ranh Bay, and paid a service fee of 100,000 taels to the Ruan family. The Ruan family did not get this money in vain. The Nguyen regime was responsible for persuading the Champa State to agree and a series of other matters.
At the same time, the Da Chu Empire promised to increase the amount of local commodities imported from the Ruan family, including at least double the current amount, and relax restrictions on immigration to the Ruan family to resolve the Ruan family's control. The district has a small population and a vast area with sparsely populated areas, which makes it difficult to open up.
The Da Chu Empire will supply the Ruan family with 5,000 matchlock guns, 15 field guns of various calibers, 1,000 sets of various armors, 5,000 pieces of knives, spears and other cold weapons at a fair price, and will allow the Ruan family to use food, wood, etc. Wait for specialty goods to be discounted.
This series of agreements between the two parties actually meant that the Ruan family sold Cam Ranh Bay and fully opened the market in exchange for financial and weapons support from the Da Chu Empire.
Although the Ruan family was able to purchase various weapons and equipment from merchants in the Dachu Empire before, the prices were expensive!
Although the various types of weapons and equipment exported this time are not brand new goods, they are all second-hand goods retired from various second-class divisions in the Great Chu Empire, but the prices are very cheap... basically just buying scrap metal.
In this way, the Ruan family obtained a large amount of cheap weapons and equipment, a large amount of cash, the human resources needed for future development, and increased trade with the Da Chu Empire, as well as what this treaty represents: The support of the Great Chu Empire!
The Chu Empire obtained a fully open market in the area and a port to be used as an overseas military base.
In June of the twelfth year of Chengshun, the Chu Empire and the Ruan family formally signed a treaty in Jinling City. The next day, Luo Zhixue approved the treaty, and the Chu-Ruan Jinlan Bay Treaty officially came into effect.
A few days after the treaty came into effect, a group of merchant ships carried matchlocks, armor, and cold weapons to the area controlled by the Ruan family. At the same time, a group of merchant ships carried various construction materials and a large number of craftsmen to Jinling Bay to build a base.
In addition to construction personnel and supplies, there is also the Jinling Bay Squadron organized by the Navy, which has a total of more than ten warships and auxiliary warships of various types, and also carries more than a thousand marines and more than a thousand army troops to garrison.
The Chu Empire officially launched its march into the hinterland of Nanyang, and its actions were far greater than the previous Dagon base in Myanmar.
Although there is a base on the Dagon side, due to various restrictions, the scale of construction is limited and the size of the garrison is also limited.
Unlike Jinlan Bay, in order to put the area into use as soon as possible, the Dachu Empire organized a large number of ships and craftsmen to go to construction.
The garrison strength has reached more than 2,000 ground combat troops in the first batch. According to the military plan, after the construction of local barracks and other facilities is completed, further troops will be added, and eventually the local army and navy troops will be garrisoned. Eventually reaching 10,000 people, it became the Chu Empire's advanced military base facing the Southeast Asian region.
Provide various military and logistical support for the further expansion of the Chu Empire in the Nanyang region!
By the way, after learning that the Ruan family had reached an agreement with the Dachu Empire, the Zheng family, the actual controller of northern Annan, couldn't sit still...
While cursing the Ruan family for ceding territory and humiliating the country by losing power, they hurriedly sent people to Jinling City.
I went to the officials of the Ministry of Ethical Affairs of the Da Chu Empire and said, "We can also completely open the market. We welcome businessmen from the Central China the most."
And we have plenty of ports and stuff. You can choose whatever you want. If you want one, I will free it for you tomorrow.
In this regard, the vassal officials of the Da Chu Empire's Department of Ethnic Affairs naturally warmly welcomed the envoys of the Zheng family!
People are taking the initiative to come up and deliver goods to the market and the port. It’s not okay if you don’t welcome them...
