"The Kingdom of France has missed a great opportunity!"

This phrase spread quickly through the streets of Paris in mid-to-late April, and every Parisian citizen who spread the message always recounted it in as spicy and sarcastic tones as possible, and they mercilessly mocked Mr. Mo San, the diplomatic envoy of the East Bank Republic of China, who uttered it.

Isn't it? It's ridiculous that a desolate and remote new Big 6 country founded by the Tatars would want to form an alliance with the Kingdom of France! How many people do they have? Thirty thousand or fifty thousand? How many cities are there? One or two? How many ships are there? Five or ten? How many troops are there? One thousand or two thousand? They even boasted that they had repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on the 6 armies of the Kingdom of Spain and captured several cities, which was really the most shameless lie.

Although some well-informed businessmen have pointed out that the fleet of the people of the East Coast seems to have dealt a heavy blow to part of the Spanish Mediterranean fleet in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and that cotton cloth from the East Coast was sold very well in many provinces and regions of the South - this was the result of two successive tariffs on the import of textiles from the East Coast by the Kingdom of France, one can imagine how much the East Coast textiles had been rampant in the South before that. Therefore, such a country should not be so underestimated. But their rhetoric was soon drowned out in more gossip, and most people simply didn't want to believe anything beyond their imagination, and an inexplicable sense of superiority prompted them to use the sight of the East Coast envoy walking away in a wolf outside the Louvre as an after-dinner joke.

It is said that after Mo San separated from the noble son named Talon that day, he began to look for a way around Paris. He first visited the family of the Baron de Toulouse, a small Parisian nobleman, but the family's low status, limited social circle, and unenthusiastic attitude quickly broke off the idea of making a breakthrough from him.

After several days of bumping into the city of Paris like a headless fly, Mo Sanxin, who was almost caught as a spy because of wandering around, decided to try his luck at the Louvre, maybe then he could meet His Excellency Mazarin. It's just that reality quickly gave him a cruel response, and he didn't know if the diplomatic letters he handed in through the guards were due to the slackness of the handler or whatever. It was like a mud cow entering the sea without the slightest news. Unwilling to be defeated, he wandered outside the Louvre for a few more days, accosting every nobleman or official who entered and left the palace, but his clumsy French voice caused it to be ridiculed endlessly, and at the end some of the nobles' guards were impatient enough to attack him.

Disheartened, Mo San knew he wouldn't make any progress in Paris. Maybe if you continue to wander outside the Louvre, you will one day be able to see the Queen Mother Anne or Cardinal Mazarin, but so what, the power of the country is also held by the Prince Condé and the Prince Gaston. I don't know which way the door of their temple opens. Besides, continuing to stay outside the Louvre will only damage the image of the country, although Mo San no longer cares much about personal honor and disgrace, but he still pays attention to maintaining the national image. The French are so arrogant, so we don't need to put a hot face on a cold ass, we East Coasters. I can't afford to lose that man!

Satisfied, Mo San left Paris, the city where he felt very uncomfortable, and arrived in Lyon on May 15. Arriving in Lyon, he found Mario, who was still staying here. Doria, and then said to him bluntly, "Mario, do you want to go to the East Coast?" I can write you a letter of introduction. I can introduce you to the Minister of Trade of our country, I can introduce you to some officials of the Ministry of Finance, and I will definitely not let you go home empty-handed. ”

Mario, who was talking to the maid **, immediately looked at Mo San with a smile when he heard this. After a long time, he smiled lightly: "I knew you would be scared by those Parisians, who usually don't even pay attention to the provincials, let alone you?" And in Paris at this moment, whether it is the royal faction with Mazarin or the parliamentary faction with the big nobles and big merchants, I am afraid that there is no time to greet you. They are still very happy at this time, and they can't even take care of the things on the battlefield, let alone you. ”

"So you foresaw the outcome before I even went out?" Mo San sat down a little depressed. Then grab a glass of red wine from the table and drink it down.

Mario's face twitched when he saw Mo San drinking his wine like this: "I guess you won't have much to gain in Paris, so I'll wait for you here after I finish handling the family affairs to see if you will come to me." And now sure enough, God has sent you here again. So, do you need me to provide you with good news? ”

"Say it." Mo San poured some more red wine into his cup, and then continued to drink it all.

Mario's face twitched again, and then he said, "My family is coordinated. At present, the Government of Genoa has allowed your country to publicly issue war bonds in the financial markets of no more than 10 million bank lira (about 1,640,000 yuan). The bonds have a maturity of 5 or 10 years and are paid in a lump sum at maturity at an interest rate of 7.5% per annum. Of course, bonds don't work. The amount of bond depends on the needs of your government, and we do not interfere in any way. ”

"The interest rate of 7.5% is okay, which is lower than the interest you lend to Spain. But how did I hear that the interest rate on the life annuity bonds of St. George's comptoir, the most prosperous company in your country, has fallen to 2%? Your country's capital is in excess, and now you are looking for cooperation opportunities all over the world, our East Coast Republic will definitely be able to win this war, you don't have to worry about the bonds in hand will become waste paper, so why set such a high interest rate? Mo San shook his head and said with some dissatisfaction: "The total interest on the ten-year bond has reached 750,000 bank lira, which is too dark for me to accept." ”

"God, you must know that our family has provided a guarantee for your bonds, and the interest rate of 7.5% is already the most favorable terms we can get, and you are not satisfied." Mario slapped the plump buttocks of the maid beside him, motioned for her to leave, and then said to Mo San in an exaggerated tone: "You must know that we have not even gone to the East Coast for any expedition, and we have provided you with such a huge guarantee, which is a big risk. We've even secured a very low bond sales fee for you, and we have pledged to subscribe to 3o% of your bank's war bonds, which is a decent rate of 7.5%. ”

"Don't tell me that your family didn't put any strings attached, that would surprise me, because it doesn't fit the character of the Genoese as I know it." Mo San ignored Mario's eyes and continued to pour wine into the glass.

"Of course, we have prepared a cooperation package." Mario restrained his exaggerated smile and said in a slightly formal tone: "The bonds are open only if your country accepts some of our family's cooperation proposals, such as cooperative factories, monopoly rights for some commodities, and most importantly, financial reforms. ”

"The first two are easy to understand, what is the financial reform?" Mo San picked up the wine glass and was about to drink it all, when he heard the words, he immediately asked Mario vigilantly.

"The so-called financial reform is that your government authorizes us Genoese to go to your country and open a bank, well, or to set up a bank in partnership with your businessmen. As you are aware, there is a shortage of professionals in the financial sector in your country, and we in the Republic of Genoa can provide you with professional consultants, train you bank staff, and even provide you with reserves and permits to open a commercial clearing bank. You know, in Europe, international bulk trade is generally settled with commercial paper. I see that your merchant station is still using the original cash settlement, which is too backward. In Italy, the Netherlands, and North Germany, no one carried a large amount of silver coins with them. They usually trade using a variety of bills issued by reputable banks, but if a bank in your country wants to join the system, it needs to be recognized and referred......"

"So you plan to take this opportunity to control our country's financial sovereignty? No, I'm not going to say yes! Mo San drank the wine in the cup again, and then said: "Allowing foreign capital to set up factories will cause controversy in our country, let alone open a bank." IMHO, the odds are not high, unless it brings great benefits to our country. ”

"Don't be so hasty to deny, dear Mo." Mario snatched the wine bottle with a twitch on his face, poured himself a small glass, and then said with peace of mind: "The energy of the Genoese banking community is more powerful than you can imagine, we have a large number of branches in the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and we have even set up many trading stations or bank branches in New Spain and Peru. We've built up a lot of connections over hundreds of years, and we can turn them into business if we want to. In other words, with our help, your country's commodity exports will surely increase dramatically. Trust me, Mo, it's a win-win according to your words. ”

After seeing that Mo San was still silent, Mario chuckled again and said, "Okay, I know you can't do this either. Next, I will take a delegation to visit your country, and I hope that a cooperation agreement can be reached with your government at that time. Don't frown, you at least got a promise from us that you can raise money publicly, and it's not without gain, is it? We charge 1o% interest on our loan to the King of France, be content, Mr. Mo. Of course, you have to give me a letter of introduction before you go, and it would be helpful to send one or two more competent assistants with us. ”

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