The frigate gunboat "Tuna" and the flute-type transport ship "Abbot" slowly docked in the port of Bordeaux.

Gao Mo, who was wearing an alpaca woolen coat, walked out of the cabin with the help of the secretary, his symptoms of seasickness were originally a little severe, but when he saw the land, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if the discomfort in his body had been reduced a lot.

I really can't take this flute-shaped boat that is as slow as a snail anymore, it's really going to die. Although the captain gave up his room to Gao Mo, he was still dazed. For this reason, the ship loaded with 30,000 horses of high-quality dyed cloth even had to stop in St. Augustine, East Florida, for a whole week to give the great man time to disembark and recuperate.

After stepping down from his post as a member of the Central Committee, Gao Mo, a veteran diplomat, took up the post of special envoy for state diplomacy and began to visit the European continent with a diplomatic mission of more than 20 people, in order to lay a favorable external environment for the country's development. After so many years of development, it is time for the country to have a clear foreign policy. However, diplomacy is first and foremost about strength, and if you don't have the strength, then it will be difficult to avoid hitting a wall everywhere in diplomacy. At present, it has been more than ten years since the founding of the East Coast People, but in the impression of Europeans, the East Coast Republic of China is still a country with a very little sense of existence.

Especially for the aristocratic elites of Spain, Portugal, HRE (Austria), France, England, Sweden, Poland and other old European powers, their first impression of the East Coast is the endless textiles, from the largest sales of white cotton cloth to ordinary dyed cloth and calico, and then to the new high-grade dyed cloth and calico that have been launched for less than two years; From ordinary gloves, scarves, handkerchiefs, socks, burqas to the latest introduction of easy-to-cut ready-to-wear, the achievements of the East Coast in the textile industry are undeniable. By the end of 1643. The annual profit of textiles sold by Dong'an people has exceeded 1.6 million yuan. Among them, it made a profit of more than 750,000 yuan in the Kingdom of France. 47%; profit of 480,000 yuan in the Ottoman Empire, accounting for 30%; Most of the remaining markets are located in the Spanish Mainland (American Colonies), Brazil, Tuscany, Livonia, Portuguese African Colonies, and the domestic market.

Therefore, for the Français, the big benefactor of the people of the East Coast, the people of the East Coast meant a large number of fine textiles. Although the aristocracy preferred high-end clothing blended with silk and wool, they were more or less repulsed by the cheap novelty of cotton. However, thanks to the unrivalled dyeing skills of the people of the East Coast, these cotton cloths were still strongly sought after by all classes of French society. Especially after the East Coast people bribed some of the celebrities who were at the forefront of fashion, they were immediately imitated by the ladies and ladies of all France, and the market opened up all at once.

The aristocrats bought those high-quality dyed cotton cloths that sold for a high price. Middle-class people such as petty merchants and petty bureaucrats bought ordinary dyed cloth, while commoners could only buy some white cotton cloth. If it weren't for the agreement with the British, the textiles of the people on the east coast would have reached the northern provinces of Île-de-France, Normandy, Picardi, Champagne, etc., thus occupying the entire French market. Of course, the bureaucrats in the foreign trade department on the East Coast are not all fools, and only the Dutch can do this kind of thing of eating alone and not giving others a way to live, and it is very unwise for the people on the East Coast not to try to challenge the interests of others when they are not strong enough.

"Dear Gao, it looks like your journey isn't going very well." Julian in a tuxedo dress. Pasquier stepped forward to support Gomo, who was a little weak-footed. "Maybe we should have two days off first, your condition looks terrible." ”

"Ahh Maybe you're right, dear Julian, my friend. I think I do need to take a break, and maybe it would be a good option to visit Baron Lloris in a few days. Gao Mo said a little weakly, and then he smiled bitterly, "Thanks to you this year, our business has become bigger and bigger, and there are more coveters. Now it seems that we need to contact some of the ancient families in the north who have won the king's trust as soon as possible. Forget it, now is not the time to talk about this, let's go back to the merchant station first. ”

Gao Mo said this is not without purpose. In fact, with the large sales of textiles on the east coast in France, especially in the southern part of the country, there were few merchants and aristocrats who were interested in this business. In the past few years, thanks to the energy of the partners of the East Coasters, the Pasquier family of Gascony and the Baron of Lorris, and the real power Baron Toulouse, who had deep influence in Lower Gallen and Provence, these people have not made any big waves, and even under their joint manipulation, the East Coasters have evaded a large amount of taxes due to them.

However, today, when the business has achieved annual sales of nearly two million yuan, the light of East Coast Textiles cannot be concealed in any way. A large number of East Coast textiles smuggled into the market in north-central France through Provence, not only British merchants complained, but even French textile craftsmen also complained, coupled with the promotion of some well-intentioned people, some big men in Paris have gradually turned their attention to East Coast textiles.

Before the cannon fire of Rocroix, the French authorities had been tolerant of this, pretending not to see the proliferation of East Coast textiles in the French market, they also pretended not to see the angry bankrupt craftsmen dragging their families to Quebec to make a living, and they pretended not to see the ugliness of the customs officials who were bribed by the East Coasters; And all this finally came to an end after the defeat of the Spanish Flemish legion at the Battle of Rocroix.

At the end of 1643, the king dismissed a number of officials from Gascony and Provence, and some of them were imprisoned or transferred to the North American colonies, and the connections that had been operating there for many years were severely damaged. Not only that, but the new Bordeaux customs and tax officials imposed a 12.5 per cent import duty and a 17.5 per cent sales tax on all goods (including textiles and leather goods, except arms) from the East Coasters. This is a slap in the face for East Coast Textiles, which pursues a policy of small profits and quick turnover, because if the sales price is adjusted (that is, the tax is passed on to consumers), the sales of white cotton cloth, which occupies the majority of profits, will inevitably decline significantly; And if the price is not adjusted, it is equivalent to the loss of 30% of the extra tax revenue on its side for no reason.

High-end dyed cloth, calico or something is good to say, this thing is aimed at different customer groups, their purchasing power is very strong, and they will not care if you raise the price or not, but ordinary white cotton cloth and its derivatives are troublesome. Taking calico as an example, the production cost (including freight) of the East Coast is about 0.75 yuan/horse, the wholesale price for large agents such as the Pasquier family is 1.75 yuan/horse, and the retail price in the market ranges from 2.25-2.75 yuan/horse (different regions). The French are taxed at a CIF price of 1.75 yuan, which is equivalent to paying more than 0.5 yuan per piece of cloth, which is 200,000 yuan a year. If the price of cotton cloth does not rise, the money will have to be borne alone, and even if the loss is shared with the agent, it will cost an additional 100,000 yuan a year.

That's enough money to build one or two battleships! If you add the taxes levied on leather goods, grain, high-grade cotton and other goods, the huge expenses worth two or three battleships that were expropriated this year did not run. When it comes to such a huge loss, it is impossible for the people on the east coast not to be nervous, and this is also a major reason why Gaumo came to Bordeaux by boat. In addition to seeing if he could recoup some of his losses commercially, another major task of Gaumore's trip was to try to figure out the motives of the French for suddenly taxing goods on the East Coast, whether they were purely commercial or political.

Gaumo had vaguely heard that the French colonial expedition in Madagascar had offered Shi Qinjie of Xinhuabao last year to buy some building materials for the construction of their fortress and pier at Fort Dofan, but this request was ruthlessly rejected by Shi Qinjie. Without even giving a reason, he directly and bluntly rejected the request of the French, because in his opinion the whole of Madagascar belonged to him, and the French were encroaching on his sphere of power, so he naturally refused all the demands of the French.

In addition, the French may have been annoyed by the fact that the East Bankers were selling large quantities of cheap army weapons (mainly flintlock rifles, arquebuses, and sabers) to their annexation targets, certain German states on the west bank of the Rhine (such as Strasbourg), to help them rebuild their army quickly, which would undoubtedly raise the cost of French annexation of these regions. In fact, the people on the east coast were also a little wronged, because they had never traded directly with Strasbourg, and most of those weapons were sold to them by the Spaniards. But the proud French don't care about that, they just think they're offended, or they're simply playing on the spot, and the East Coasters seem to be in trouble now. If they don't want to lose such a huge market as France, they'd better find a way.

Gaumo's suggestion was to first quickly contact the Lorris family, who had some connections in the religious circles, and the Baron de Toulouse, who also had some methods in Paris, and ask them to help mediate, first find out the cause of the matter, and then find a solution. France, a country that only became involved in the late Thirty Years' War, is now in a thriving situation with a clear rise of great powers, and it is time to deal with them more cautiously. And, I heard that they had a new prime minister and a cardinal last year, so maybe the change of things is here. (To be continued......)