At the imperial economic meeting in August of the 36th year of Chengshun, after listening to the export report, Luo Zhixue praised various industrial departments, the feudal affairs department of the Ministry of Rites and Education, the army and navy, and overseas local governments for their export trade in the Great Chu Empire. contribution made.
Exports continued to maintain rapid growth in the first two quarters of this year, which cannot be separated from the mutual cooperation of various departments.
It is hoped that in the future, various departments will increase cooperation, especially the relevant departments of international trade, to further maintain cooperation with the feudal affairs department, overseas local governments and the military, establish an efficient communication mechanism, and effectively guarantee the empire's exports.
The reason why the military was included in the export business meeting... That's because the export of goods these days does not mean that you can seize the market just because your products are good and the price is cheap...
Without an army to clear the way, your goods won't be able to be transported... let alone sell the goods to the target market area.
Specifically, we can see that European countries have almost completely stopped trade activities around the Indian Ocean and the West Pacific coast... Even the Spanish's global trade has now stopped.
Why?
Because their military can no longer guarantee the smooth entry of their goods into these areas, they can only adopt new trade models.
To be precise, it is the new international trade model that the Chu Empire has led the establishment of in the past twenty years.
What is the pattern of international trade on Earth today, especially the trade pattern between the West and the East? There are three main lines.
The first is to rely on the Egyptian region of the Ottoman Empire for transit, mainly covering the Mediterranean coast, especially Greece, Italy and other regions. The overall scale is actually not too large. After all, land transportation is required in the middle and the cost is relatively high. At the same time, the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Europe Unfortunately, it was difficult for the merchants of the Ottoman Empire to pry open the local European market on a large scale.
However, this trade route is completely controlled by the Ottoman Empire, so the Ottoman Empire can still obtain a lot of benefits from it... Otherwise, why do you think the Ottoman Empire made such big concessions in the market and leased land? It's because the Dachu Empire has brought them huge benefits!
By the way, because of the good cooperative relationship with the Chu Empire, many slave traders in the Ottoman Empire have also seized a large number of European slave traders' business.
Because the slave traders of the Ottoman Empire could smoothly enter the eastern coast of Africa under the control of the Chu Empire, and obtain a large number of African slaves by trading with local tribes or directly capturing them. At the same time, they could also pay to help the Chu army process a large number of African slaves. of indigenous prisoners of war.
The slave traders of the Ottoman Empire, who had sufficient supplies of goods, not only transported large quantities of slaves to the Ottoman Empire itself, but also acted as wholesalers, transporting large quantities of slaves obtained from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of Africa, and then resold them to European slave traders. .
The business is huge and the profits are quite huge!
Needless to say, the slave traders of the Ottoman Empire control almost half of the current global supply of slaves.
The second international trade route between the East and the West was carried out through the Port of South Africa, which was completely controlled by the Chu Empire. The specific trade model was that merchants from the Chu Empire purchased various industrial products from the mainland, including cloth, weapons, kitchen utensils, agricultural tools, Daily hardware, porcelain, silk, tea, sugar and other products, and spices and other specialties were purchased from the Spice Islands, the Malay Peninsula and other places in the empire's overseas territories.
These goods from the mainland as well as goods from overseas territories, colonies and other places are transported to South Africa and then sold to businessmen from various countries in Europe... In fact, these businessmen from various European countries are not private traders, but are all companies with monopoly rights. , such as the East India Company of various countries... In order to earn high profits, the dignitaries of various countries have strictly restricted the merchant ships that go to South Africa for trade, and only allow their domestic companies with the only trade license to South Africa, that is, the East India Company of various countries or The so-called South African companies and other nominal monopolies have been newly established in recent years.
The merchants of the Chu Empire sold goods to these monopoly trading companies in various countries in South Africa, and the trading monopoly companies in each country then transported the goods to their respective countries...
Naturally, the traditional program of the Age of Discovery is indispensable in the middle: pirates. Since the Chu Empire occupied and opened the South African port as the main trade port with Europe, the number of ships traveling to and from the west coast of Africa has increased rapidly, and at the same time, it has also brought more pirates of all kinds. As for the contemporary west coast of Africa, which has replaced the Caribbean as the most dangerous sea... pirates are almost everywhere.
The reason why it is so chaotic and dangerous is that not only real pirates, but actually trading companies and even navies from various countries will be involved more or less!
Robbery and being robbed are traditions of the European Age of Discovery.
In addition to merchant ships from European countries coming to South Africa for purchasing, the Dachu Empire also sent ships from the Western Trading Company to European countries for trade. However, the empire's high-level strategy for Europe has not yet been clear, and the Western Trading Company has not irritated European countries too much for the time being. Therefore, the number of ships sent out was relatively small, and they mainly focused on peaceful trade, and no large-scale colonial activities were carried out for the time being.
But many people in the empire believe that this is temporary... because according to the Da Chu Empire's consistent overseas expansion path, the two armed trading companies, Western Trading Company or Dongyang Trading Company, are basically allowed to go there first, mainly to find out the sea conditions along the way. Local hydrology, force composition, etc., and then find a way to find a few places to stay... After completing these preparations, it is basically time for the regular army to take the stage.
As soon as the regular army kills them, they will capture a large area of the city and directly control the entire area.
The Chu Empire had done this in Southeast Asia, Fuso, India, the West Asian Peninsula and Africa, and even in North America before.
The details may be different, but the core idea is basically the same.
Because of the convenience of sea transportation, the scale of trade with Europe currently transiting through South Africa is still relatively large. It is an important way for the Chu Empire to trade with Europe, accounting for more than 60%.
In addition, the third route passes through the transit trade of Jinshan in North America. This trade route is mainly monopolized by the Spanish.
After all, the Spaniards are currently in Mexico in the Americas. When the Chu Empire relied on Jinshan City as a transit trade post, it was mainly to trade with the Spaniards.
By the way, the transit trade in this place is also a compensation for the Spaniards losing their source of goods from the East after the Chu Empire purchased the Luzon Islands... You have to give the Spaniards a stable place and channel to purchase goods from the empire, right? .
Jinshan Port undertakes such a task... In fact, this was also the main task of opening Jinshan Port. As for the later discovery of gold mines here and the discovery of large plains in the inland areas for immigration and development, that was all later. .
Jinshan Port was first a transit trade port and later developed into an immigration port city.
Through the above three trade routes, plus some fragmented small trade routes, such as through the land routes under Russian control, the Chu Empire imported a large amount of goods to Europe every year.
After all, Europe has a relatively large population. Although contemporary Europe has experienced the ravages of the Thirty Years' War and suffered relatively large population losses, with the end of the Thirty Years' War, Europe, mainly Western Europe and Central Europe, The population growth rate is relatively fast.
As of the current thirty-sixth year of Chengshun, which is 1670 AD, the Thirty Years War has ended for twenty-two years, and the population has recovered considerably. The current Western and Central European regions include the British Islands, Spain, Portugal, and France. , the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden have a population of about 100 million.
Then there are countries in Europe such as the Italian Peninsula, Greece, the Polish-Lithuanian Federation, and half-European and half-Asian Russia.
These all add up to a population of over 100 million.
This population is much larger than that of the Indian Peninsula. In addition, the consumption power of the European region is stronger than that of the Indian Peninsula... Although the Indian Peninsula also has a population of hundreds of millions.
It's just that in the past ten years, the local indigenous princes have been too warlike, fighting every now and then. Frequent wars will naturally have a certain impact on the local population, so it is estimated that there are no more than 100 million people in the area.
For the time being, based on the population of 100 million, the problem is that India operates a caste system, and more than 90% of them are at the bottom with little spending power... I am not talking about untouchables. In fact, the number of untouchables in India is not large. .
India is very special in its caste system. It is not a pyramidal structure like most societies, but an oval structure... Brahmins and Kshatriyas occupy a very small part of the population, while Vaishyas and Shudras occupy a small part. The largest population accounts for the vast majority of the population, followed by the untouchable class, which accounts for about 20%.
This resulted in a very stable oval social structure.
Why is it said to be very stable?
Because except for the untouchables, people from several other classes can squeeze down. Even the Shudras, who occupy the largest population and are poor at the same time, can also squeeze the untouchables... and obtain a comparative sense of happiness.
The worst untouchables who have ever lived are those who cannot resist because they have a small population and do not have any means of production or ability!
This is a social structure in which everyone is happy except the untouchables, but the untouchables cannot resist... It is very stable.
Well, when you see this, do you think it is similar to the oval social structure in the United States?
Yes, the two are actually the same thing...
Not to mention these, but overall, the consumption power of the Indian population is much worse than that of Europe...
Therefore, taking over the entire European market and fully developing it has always been something that the merchants of the empire have never forgotten... To use an old saying, if every European buys goods worth one Chu Yuan, that is more than 100 million Chu Yuan!
Whenever they think of this sentence, the businessmen of Chu State can't help but drool...
This is also after this international trade and economic conference. Luo Zhixue received many suggestions from the domestic business community to establish an empire and enter Europe as soon as possible in order to further explore the European market, bring more jobs to the domestic industry, and further enhance the domestic industry. economic level and increase people’s income.
What this means on the surface is that for every job, there is a public income.
But Luo Zhixue knew very well that there was no ordinary worker who was qualified to make suggestions to the empire's high-level officials... and probably few people really cared about the lives of ordinary workers in the country.
As a person with the soul of future generations, Luo Zhixue, who has experienced the explosion of information and clearly understands the nature of capital, understands them very well... doesn't he just want to make more money?
Waging war for money was a common thing in the original time and space, but it was even more common in the Chu Empire.
Luo Zhixue did not express any objection to their approach, and Luo Zhixue also knew that many of the reasons mentioned by these people were also true.
After all, if overseas exports increase, it will indeed bring more jobs to the country, further increase people's income, and ultimately improve people's living standards.
Therefore, from this perspective, the interests of the imperial bureaucracy, the capitalist class, and the ordinary people of the middle and lower classes are the same in further opening up the European market.
Although in the final distribution of benefits, most of the benefits will be taken away by the bureaucrats and the capitalist class, only a small part will fall on the middle and lower classes.
But what can I say? It’s better than nothing, isn’t it?
In Luo Zhixue's view, this kind of thing that can integrate the interests of almost all groups is a good thing that benefits the country and the people and needs strong support.
Therefore, a few days after the meeting, Luo Zhixue summoned personnel from relevant administrative agencies to discuss the benefits that could be brought by in-depth development of the European market.
How much will personally selling goods in Europe and the current wholesale sales model promote the empire's industry and commerce?
The answer given by the industrial and commercial department is that if the empire personally controls the trade of European countries, sells goods directly to port cities in various countries, and then supports a variety of local agents, then shipments in Europe can increase at least five times. !
The five times shipment volume given by the industrial and commercial department...such an optimistic estimate makes many people unable to sit still.
Immediately after many domestic industry associations heard that the empire's senior officials were discussing the development of the European market, all of them showed their enthusiasm and conveyed an unprecedented good message to the empire's senior officials through various channels: As long as we do things for the empire, we will spend military funds. It’s covered!
The Tea Association once again made it clear that once the empire enters Europe and deeply develops the local market, the Tea Association is willing to donate 5 million Chu Yuan military expenses...all cash donations, no discounts!
Soon the Porcelain Association joined in the fun, and various companies in their association were willing to pool one million Chu yuan in donations to improve the living conditions of troops stationed overseas.
As for the real big players, the Textile Industry Committee did not express a unified position, but during the period, many large-scale textile companies successively expressed their willingness to donate... This is much more than other small associations, and there are at least 8 million Chus. Yuan donation.
Finally, Luo Zhixue did the math... Damn it, all walks of life are so enthusiastic about entering Europe. The donation alone is as huge as 23 million Chu Yuan.
The generals in the military were dumbfounded by this, and then they couldn't make any move while staring at these so-called donations...
Twenty-three million Chu Yuan, this is enough for the military to purchase a lot of new equipment... As for war expenses... Although the military generals shout that war is expensive every day, in fact, the so-called march into Europe does not cost a lot of money in terms of military expenses. How many will there be.
Relying on the strong strength of the navy, we can control the routes on the west coast of Africa without spending a few dollars, and then just build a port in Europe... Even the army does not need to be transferred from other places, and the African garrison is directly used, mainly the garrison in South Africa. That's enough.
After all, the Chu army is not really saying that it will go to Europe and wipe out all the European countries... it is just opening up a new route and setting up an outpost. It is expected that the scale of the war will be very small, and it may even win without a fight... No All the natives have the courage to resist the king of the Chu Empire.
The higher the level of civilization, and the more people understand the strength of the Chu State, the less courage they tend to have... On the contrary, the African natives and Native Americans who are still in a primitive state are more courageous to resist the Chu army because they are ignorant and fearless. .
Those who dare to attack the Chu army overseas are basically these two types of people.
As for those countries with a certain level of civilization, such as the Ottomans, Persia, and other European countries, when people see the Chu army, they all walk around... and they will not provoke the Chu army at all.
So if we really march into Europe this time, open up routes, and establish frontline strongholds, there is a possibility that no real war will break out. The military expenditure will most likely be the cost of maritime transportation and the cost of building outposts... It is estimated to be several hundred thousand. .
Even if the European natives on the opposite side don't have the foresight, they can just fight a war casually, attack the port and conduct a landing operation or something like that, which will cost more coal and ammunition... and they will kill millions of Chu Yuan.
Even more optimistic, the military does not need to do it themselves, the Western Trading Company can do it alone... The Western Trading Company's company armed forces also have thousands of people, and the equipment is also very good, and the strength of the armed merchant ships can be compared Fight against the navies of European countries!
This means that out of the more than 20 million donated, the military can earn at least a thousand to tens of thousands... For this reason, the Army quickly stated that opening up European routes and maintaining the empire's interests in Europe are the Army's unforeseen responsibilities. The army's more than 10,000 regular troops and more than 30,000 Indian servant legions in Africa are ready to serve the empire.
The Navy also couldn't wait to find Luo Zhixue, saying that the Imperial Navy's African Fleet can fight for the Empire at any time and expand territory for His Majesty!
As for the Guards, they also expressed euphemistically. The Guards also have a temporary mixed battalion in Africa. The indigenous people who fight in the dark every day are meaningless and cannot get much credit... If possible, the Guards This temporary mixed battalion can be sent to Europe to brush up the qualifications of these soldiers so that they can be promoted after they return to China... Otherwise, there will be no credit. It will be really difficult to arrange this mixed battalion after returning to China!
When the Guardsmen went overseas, they were gold-plated to gain military exploits. Naturally, it would be impossible if they didn’t get these military exploits...
Luo Zhixue took a look and saw, good guys, the business community and the military are more interested in conquering Europe.
In this case, he didn't stop him... Again, if we can expand exports, increase employment, and increase income, why not do it?
The most important thing is that the empire does not have to spend any money
The business community donates money to allow the army to fight to seize the market. This operation is very common in the Chu Empire, but it used to be overseas, and the scale of the war was relatively small, and the impact was not big!
Especially those tea merchants or weapons merchants who spend every day to ask the army to help them pry open an overseas market!
Finally, before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Luo Zhixue formally finalized the 'European Free Trade Plan' in a new round of imperial strategy meetings, and assigned several ministers to be responsible for early discussions on relevant plan contents and preliminary preparations.
After the news spread to the outside world, on the Jinling City Stock Exchange, the stock prices of companies in many industries, especially companies related to international trade business, rose significantly.
The rise in stock prices of export trade-related companies has also driven up the stock prices of many other companies.
The financial circles in the empire are quite optimistic about this European free trade plan!
And when the stocks of these companies are rising, in fact, the empire's European free trade plan only has a name, and there is not even a specific plan... let alone a plan.
Even if everything goes well and a decision is made domestically now, it will take several months to dispatch military supplies and then deliver personnel, supplies, and information to the African region responsible for carrying out the specific tasks.
The most optimistic estimate is that the troops will not be dispatched until the end of the year... When the war begins and the corresponding news is sent back, it will probably be next summer.
There is no way, these days transoceanic communication can only rely on ships, it is so slow.
However, it is impossible for the industrial and commercial community to wait until next summer to organize the production of a large amount of goods and then start transporting them to Europe. If this is done, it is estimated that the first batch of expanded goods will not land in Europe until the year after next.
If you really do this, the day lily will be completely cold... After all, it's not your family that wants to eat this piece of fat meat in the European market, but countless families in China.
In order to eat the richest European meat as soon as possible, as soon as the news of the European Free Trade Plan was announced, many domestic companies engaged in international trade have already begun to take action.
Fuqing Tea Company, the largest tea export trading company in China, has directly expanded the amount of tea purchased and is preparing to expand several more production lines to prepare for the rapid growth of the European tea market in the future.
In addition, a batch of tea was urgently collected, and more than 5,000 tons of tea were shipped to South Africa. For this purpose, a large cargo ship with tens of thousands of tons was hired...
This speed is faster than the preparation speed of the army!
Other export traders were also very fast. All kinds of export goods were quickly transshipped from various domestic ports and then shipped non-stop to South Africa.
These are all aimed at seizing the European market as soon as possible and taking the first bite of the fattest meat.
And these actions have also been passed on to domestic industry and even agriculture (tea, mulberry)... because they found that there was more demand for goods on the market.
Even Anhua Textile Company, which is currently engaged in new cotton yarns and high-end new cotton yarns, is the same. Several of their customers are asking whether they can increase the supply of new cotton yarns because they have received a large number of orders for high-end cotton fabrics for export. .
In response, Wang Liqing comforted customers while urging Songjiang No. 3 Machinery Company to deliver equipment quickly...
In today's new cotton spinning market, export traders are waiting for new high-end cotton cloth, cotton cloth manufacturers are waiting for new high-end cotton yarn, and cotton yarn manufacturers are waiting for new cotton yarn equipment... In the end, the pressure was passed to Hantian Machinery Company and Yitiao obtained patent authorization. in a cooperative machinery company.
(End of chapter)
