Since the Age of Discovery, China's foreign trade has been in surplus for a long time, and it has historically been smooth until the late Qing Dynasty, because of the import of opium, there was a silver outflow.

However, Zhu Cihong is not the kind of ruler of the Celestial Empire who is bent on pursuing a surplus, in fact, he doesn't want a surplus at all!

Not at all!

What does the Ming want to do with a surplus, trade should have dealings, one side is always in surplus, trading partners will be unhappy, maybe it will lead to a trade war or something, it's too discordant.

Therefore, Zhu Cihong does not want a surplus, he just wants to grab the world's most valuable gold and other important resource sources in the future and turn them into the territory of the Celestial Empire, so that there is no need for a surplus...... How nice that is! What else do you need to have a surplus?

In addition, the development of Daming's domestic "import demand" has an obvious advantage, that is, it can avoid the empty running of merchant ships.

Efficiency is highest when a merchant ship leaves and returns with a full load.

And high efficiency is competitiveness, is profit!

If the Ming Dynasty wanted to build a merchant fleet that could compete with British merchant ships and Dutch merchant ships in the Age of Discovery, then it could not blindly pursue a surplus and let its own fleet return empty.

But Huang Jiang and Lin Yihu were stumped by Zhu Cihong's request, the heavens and the earth are vast and have everything, if they don't have it, they will grab it, what else can they buy from Europe?

The two profiteers look at each other and don't know what to say when little Yanmar Mary. Mancini had returned in a long red silk dress that would match a pearl necklace...... This long dress is a little tight, which makes the little Yanmar's figure uneven, which is really eye-catching.

Huang Jiang and Lin Yihu were a little greedy when they saw it, the little Yanmar was so beautiful...... Why don't you buy some of these little Yanmars and come back? I don't know if people sell it or not?

"Mary, you came just in time," Zhu Cihong asked with a smile, "Tell me, what are the specialties of Europa that I don't have in China?" ”

Mary first curtsied to Zhu Cihong, then sat down beside him before smiling and saying, "There are still many European specialties, such as French wine, Venetian glass and olive oil, English woollen wool, Swedish, German and Milanese steel, and Rakshasa fur...... Oh, and butter, cheese, all sorts of leather goods are good. ”

"There's still a lot of good stuff!" Zhu Cihong nodded with a smile and said to Lin Yihu, "You can buy French wine...... After buying it, it should be very good to use exquisite glass bottles to divide it, and then use European-style goblets to taste it! ”

"Your Majesty, we can't make beautiful glass bottles......" Huang Jiang reminded.

There are already many glass factories in Daming, and the products are mainly inferior flat glass, which is inlaid on the windows. It's not good, but it's in short supply - it's better than using papier-mâché windows!

"That's because there's no demand!" Zhu Cihong said, "As long as we buy a large amount of French wine, we can ask the big French wineries to send someone to help us build a bottle factory!" In this way, our glass manufacturing technology should be able to progress faster. ”

Buy wine and send it to the glassworks? Huang Jiang nodded, this method is good!

"You can also buy a little butter and cheese back." Zhu Cihong continued, "These can be used to make Western-style pastries...... There should also be a certain market. There is also woolen wool, which is the clothing of Westerners, although it is rough, but it looks upright and spirited when worn on the body, and it is relatively strong, and it can block the wind and cold, and it is good to use it as a military jacket. ”

Now the military uniforms of the Ming Dynasty are made of cotton cloth and silk as the main materials, and they are easy to be damaged if they don't look spiritual.

Emperor Zhu had long wanted to change the troops into woolen military uniforms, but only Xining under Wu Sangui had a fairly good wool textile industry in the Ming Dynasty, but the output was very limited, and the products were mainly velvet blankets.

Therefore, if conditions permit, it is not impossible to import some European woolen woolen wool for the production of military uniforms - if there is demand, slowly upgrade the domestic industry!

The trade matter was almost explained, and Zhu Cihong's words turned to the financial industry.

"Lao Huang, you've been working in the bank for almost eleven or twelve years, right?"

Huang Jiang said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the minister has been working in Haishang Bank for more than twelve years!" ”

He is actually one of the founders of Haishang Bank.

"You've done a great job!" Zhu Cihong smiled, "It's time to go out and start a business...... Do you have the confidence to do a good job? ”

"Yes!" Huang Jiang nodded, "With Your Majesty's guidance, the ministers have confidence." ”

He is not complimenting Emperor Zhu, in fact, he and Su Sheng Su Laomi, who is in charge of the salt trading house, are puppets manipulated by Zhu Cihong, without the various rules and regulations and business strategies that Zhu Cihong came up with, the two major banks would definitely not have developed to the point where they are today.

And letting Huang Jiang go out to start a business and open a new bank in Europe that can pretend to be the credit of the Celestial Empire was also carefully considered by Emperor Zhu.

Because it is not possible for maritime and salt companies to open branches in Europe, because the head office must be responsible for the actions of the branches, and the European branches cannot be effectively controlled by the head office - it is precisely because of this characteristic of the banking industry that in this era, the bank is a regional industry.

Banks in Europe, on the other hand, must operate independently, must have sufficient capital, must borrow credit from the Celestial Empire, and must have experienced and responsible management...... Therefore, the management must hold a large number of shares in order to completely tie their interests to the bank.

Zhu Cihong said again: "I have a few more words...... First, your bank must pull in the Dutch East India Company, let them take shares, and give them two to three percent of the equity, otherwise the business will not be able to continue. ”

The bank mainly absorbs funds by doing foreign exchange, earning interest and commissions. And the Dutch East India Company is the largest target customer, how can business be done without tying them in?

"Second, you can't pull the Cromwell administration in...... Mary will write to her sister Holstein to help you contact Charles II. Zhu Cihong paused, "After the British and French forces capture Dunkirk, you can give Charles II a sum of money, just give tens of thousands of taels." ”

Zhu Cihong knew that Cromwell would not have a few years to live, and there was no need for all banks to accept the Cromwell government's shares, and wait for Charles II to come to power.

And Charles II would be restored after Cromwell's death, so it must have been good to go and burn the cold stove in his most difficult time.

Zhu Cihong continued: "Banks must lend money to Britain, France and Portugal...... Although they may not have the money to repay, this debt must be released! If you don't let go, it's not enough to win the trust of the Europeans. ”

"Your Majesty, you can't get back the silver that can be released......

"There is no problem," Zhu Cihong said with a smile, "It's okay to have interest every year...... But to offer a preferential interest rate, seven to eight is sufficient. If your bank has credit, you will be able to absorb zero-cost silver through remittances, and there will be European elites who are willing to save money at low interest rates, so you can earn seven or eight points of interest. ”

Interest rates of seven to eight percentage points per annum are extremely low in Europe today, especially for countries such as France, England and Portugal, which often experience defaults and defaults.

The average loan shark would hardly lend them money at such an interest rate, but the banks of Huangjiang had to borrow. If he didn't borrow it, he wouldn't have even thought of opening a business in France, England, or Portugal, let alone getting the support of the governments of those countries.

Zhu Cihong said: "In addition, the location of the bank's head office must be carefully considered, and if possible, it will be placed in Versailles Town...... It's a nice place to be in the west of Paris.

Finally, you have to find a way to make Ming Liang a common, standard unit of currency! The silver that was released was to be counted in Ming taels, and the deposits received were to be converted into Ming taels. ”

This is the first step in grabbing the right to issue world currency!

This kind of thing has to be done step by step, and the first step is, of course, to establish a credible standard currency!