Same as the previous chapter, not an update. It's just that most of the content of this chapter is rewritten from the previous article, and you can eat it at your discretion.

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The next day, the meeting resumed. The next focus is on Chinese trade.

China's trade is so important that Lin Tongwen has prepared a separate document on this.

"Since the Wanli years, when Europeans were deeply involved in the East Asian economic circle, China's foreign trade can be roughly divided into four systems. The core goal of the trade was to obtain silver, with Japanese silver accounting for the majority and Manila galleons bringing in a small half of American silver.

The first system was dominated by Hui merchants, Jin merchants, and Denglai merchants, and Suzhou and Hangzhou merchants also participated in the Sino-Korean trade between North China and Denglai - Bohai Strait - Lushun - Liaodong Island Chain - Phi Island. In addition to the sand boats along the coast, Shandong can also obtain southern goods through Linqing, an important canal town. With the help of the Tsushima Domain, which was a vassal to Korea and Japan, this trade route extended all the way to Japan. It was also once a channel for China to obtain Japanese silver.

Mao Wenlong of Dongjiang Town can feed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians on several small islands, and maritime trade is his lifeline. Dongjiang Town is also one of the few northern soldiers of the Ming Dynasty with an international perspective. Of course, in the context of the border town trade that lasted for a hundred years in the Ming Dynasty, the international market of Phi Dao was also indispensable for goods from Jianzhou. ”

Chen Shouxu saw that the officers' expressions were a little dazed, and he was obviously confused about the names and place names mentioned by Lin Tongwen. He tapped lightly on the table, "Gentlemen, we have established a country in Southeast Asia, and in the future, we will inevitably deal with China, an Asian behemoth. The Ministry of Trade and Shipping will provide you with some translation materials from time to time, and I hope that you can do your homework and deepen your understanding of China when you go back. ”

Seeing Chen Shouxu's gesture, Lin Tongwen continued:

"Ten years ago, in 1631, Huang Taiji, the chief of Jianzhou, wrote a letter to Liu Xingzhi, the younger brother of Liu Aita, the actual controller of Dongjiang Town after Mao Wenlong's death, and the letter read, 'Its satin, gold and silver, nothing, but bow noodles, tea and other miscellaneous goods, this side is not out, so obtained, fortunately, do not hesitate to exchange it.'

Of course, Liu Xingzhi did not agree to Jianzhou's participation in the Phi Dao maritime trade on the surface, but in response, Liu Xingzhi gave Huang Taiji a gift of '200 bows, 100 catties of tea, 50 needles, 12 small mouths of stone blue, and 80 strands of gold thread'. After Yuan Chonghuan banned the sea, the influence of this northern route was greatly reduced. Yuan Chonghuan recovered to a certain extent after his death, and when Jianzhou conquered Korea, he was completely paralyzed. ”

Chen Shouxu said: "Army smuggling, not only in the Ming Dynasty, but also in any country. We should understand this issue from the standpoint of the circumstances at the time. Phi Island is in the north, and the natural conditions of the port should not be good? ”

Lin Tongwen: "Yes, my lord. Although I have never been to Liaohai, I have heard from the elders of my family that Phi Dao is closed for five months from October to March every year. ”

Sterling was a little curious: "A place like this, which is closed for a small part of the year and a half, can also become a maritime trade center?" ”

Lin Tongwen: "Captain Stirling, in the trade of Asia, the natural conditions of the port are not necessarily the first choice for the formation of a trade center. Historical inertia, maritime exchanges, and familiarity with shipping routes are perhaps even more important. Similar to Phi Dao, there is also Zhangzhou Moon Port, which is not a good port, but it is the largest window of China's maritime trade. ”

Chen Shouxu really admired Mao Wenlong in his heart, "Is this Mao Dudu's vision very powerful, he saw that because Chinese ships mostly chose offshore routes, then he controlled Lushun and Liaodong Island Chain, which actually stuck the only way for North China's maritime trade, and on this basis, he made something similar to a commercial acceptance bill, and sent people to Shandong and Anhui to attract investment." Mao Wenlong's trade awareness and means are very admirable. ”

Lin Tongwen said: "What the adults said is very right. After Phi Dao, there is no maritime trade force in North China that is worth mentioning.

Chen Shouxu: "You continue to talk about Ryukyu. ”

Lin Tongwen: "The small island of Ryukyu can become a trade center because our ships are not good, unlike the plywood ships of foreigners, local Asian ships need to rely on island chains to sail on the sea. Due to its excellent geographical location, the Ryukyus are well-positioned for triangular trade between China, Japan and the South Seas. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, Shimazu Iehisa, the lord of the Satsuma domain, wrote to Tokugawa Ieyasu several times to prove the importance of trade. After the unremitting efforts of the Shimazu family, Tokugawa Ieyasu allowed the Satsuma clan to send troops in 1609.

In front of Satsuma's army, Ryukyu had no ability to defend itself, and was easily conquered by Satsuma. From then on, the king of the Ryukyus became a de facto vassal of Satsuma. However, the Satsuma clan never banned the Ryukyu Kingdom, and he continued to use the Ryukyu vest to declare himself a vassal to China and participate in maritime trade.

Since Japan's seclusion, the status of the Ryukyus has become more and more important. Only the Netherlands and China were able to trade directly with Japan, and the Sino-Japanese route, in fact, was in the hands of Zheng Zhilong, Nikolai. In the hands of an official. Because of its unique political outlook and the position of Japan's de facto control, the Ryukyus became another window of trade with Japan, and the Satsuma Domain was very dependent on the Ryukyus for its finances. ”

Philip. Edward: "I like a smuggling port like Buenos Aires. ”

Cortinho: "I also feel that the Ryukyus will have our chances, and since the Dutch have monopolized trade with Japan with the Chinese general in Fujian, we may be able to take advantage of the Ryukyus, which is in a good location." ”

Chen Shouxu said: "The issue of the Satsuma Domain, we will study it in the future, I won't go into detail today, please continue with Minister Lin."

Lin Tongwen: "The third is the Oriental route in South China. At this time, although China's so-called Oriental Ocean also included Japan and Ryukyu, it more often referred to 11 countries and regions: Taiwan, Luzon, Sulu, Gaole, Maoliwu, Wangzhong Jiaodao, Shayao, Na Bi, Ban Pass, Merokhu, and Brunei. In addition to the city of Geranza in Taiwan, the Oriental Route has six sub-routes, and the core of these six routes is Manila, Philippines.

Because the direct route between China and the Philippines must first arrive in Taiwan, go south along the coastline of Taiwan and then travel in the open sea, it was developed quite late. It was not until the Spaniards arrived in Asia that there were direct flights between China and the Philippines. Prior to this, if you wanted to go to Luzon from Quanzhou in Fujian, you had to go west, from Guangdong, Guangxi, Vietnam, Siam, Pattani, Malacca, Borneo, Sulu, and the entire South China Sea to reach Luzon. ”

The officers all snorted, "Spaniards." ”

"The fourth is the Western route to South China. The Western route is the most traditional, oldest and most mature sea route in China. There is a record of Western shipping routes in the Book of Han, and there are many countries and ports on the routes, and there are likely to be Chinese ships.

Today's Western shipping route also starts from Zhangzhou Yue Port, passing through Guangzhou, Guangdong, Macao, Guangzhou Bay, Beibu Gulf, Tokyo under the Zheng regime, Hoi An under Quang Nam Nguyen, Chenla - Siam Ayutthaya - Pattani - Malacca - Batavia. Because of the long voyage of the Western route, the Chinese ships that haunt the Western route are generally larger. In previous years, the number of migrant ships going to Batavia was more than 10 feet long, and the largest number of people on the United East India Company's record was more than 500 people. ”

Chen Shouxu yawned when he saw someone listening to the meeting, and knocked on the table to attract everyone's attention, "Gentlemen, China's Western shipping route is the foundation of our country's trade, so let's listen carefully." ”

Chen Shouxu's reminder, everyone sat up straight, drinking tea, smoking, and the spirit was raised.

Lin Tongwen continued:

"Because the Dutch do not have as much hard currency silver as the Spanish who are most interested in the Chinese, and the number of merchant ships on the Western route is not as large as that on the Oriental route." At a time when the imperial court still had control over maritime trade, it initially controlled the two oceanic ships to maintain the same number, each at 44 ships per year. Therefore, some merchants deceived the Ming Dynasty Yuegang Governor's Office into sailing to the Western Ocean as the destination, and turned around and sailed to Manila. ”

Collingwood was curious, "In a country as big as China, there are only 88 junk ships a year, is this number enough?" ”

Chen Shouxu was a little disdainful, "88 ships can be regarded as the emperor's grace, in the past, they were forbidden to the sea and did not allow any trade. ”

The forbidden sea is simply an incredible thing for these Europeans, and the profits of sea trade are so high that European countries are sharpening their heads and drilling into it, and they will not hesitate to fight a few bloody battles for this. It is incomprehensible that China has taken the initiative to ban the sea.

Chen Shouxu said: "China is too big. Maritime trade may not be indispensable to them either. The ban was later reopened because countless Chinese maritime pirates fought the Ming Dynasty for decades along with European warships. It can be regarded as a cannon bombardment to open the country. China's choice of national policy is not the focus of our discussion today. Don't talk about it, Minister Lin, you continue. ”

Lin Tongwen turned to the next page, "What Lord Collingwood said is actually right. 88 ship citations was definitely not enough, and China later successively increased the number of ship citations in some ports, and finally reached 210 tickets. The ship guide cannot reflect all, and the ship guide destination on the information we have compiled is only for your reference. With the deterioration of the war situation in the imperial court in recent years, the ship guidance system has now existed in name only, and at the peak of the previous few years, China would send thousands of sea ships every year. ”

Philip. Edward: "In a country as big as China, 1,000 ships is a reasonable number. 100 ships, I will smuggle in exchange for me, and I will fight whoever stands in my way. ”

Lin Tongwen: "There is a problem with China's maritime trade, except for a few routes between the north and Guangdong, China's foreign maritime trade is now in the hands of one person. He monopolized the Zhangzhou Moon Port. ”

Sterling thoughtfully said: "Nikolai. A official, that is, what you call Zheng Zhilong. The Fujian general of the Ming Dynasty did not look very strong in his navy, and although the ship was certain, he did not have much combat effectiveness in the open sea. ”

Holren said: "Even if the Dutch go up in person, even if they can defeat his fleet for a while, can they still land and occupy Fuzhou?" Zheng Zhilong also has the army. ”

Chen Shouxu smiled, "This Feihuang General used to be a big pirate. You see, he's put himself in the right place. The navy is stronger than him, but his army is not the same. The imperial army is stronger than him, and he will be beaten by him again at sea. ”

Holren: "In Asia, I think that the victory or defeat of naval battles is only temporary, and ground battles are decisive. ”

Several captains of the Navy were a little dismissive of Holren's words, and Chen Shouxu made a round, "It's not unreasonable. However, the navy and the army are indispensable, do you think Zheng Zhilong is very good at giving full play to his advantages. His fleet had been wiped out, but he was able to get back on his feet because the enemy could not threaten his land power. ”

René. Allemand asked, "Then what should we do with this general from Fujian?" It looks like he's one of our biggest contenders on the China route. ”

Chen Shouxu said: "There will be no direct conflict for the time being. China is so big, business can't be done, let's put down our posture and find some business that he can't take care of. Maybe at some point, we and the Zheng family will become partners. ”

Chen Shouxu paused, "After a few years, we will develop, and the Zheng family may not be a problem......

Everyone in the conference room heard too much of Chen Shouxu's sometimes mysterious prophecy, and they didn't care at this time, and listened to Lin Tongwen continue.

"The ports in Southeast Asia on the Western route were also destinations for Japanese ships. After Japan closed off the country, Hoi An, Ayutthaya, and Pattani did not have Japanese maritime merchants wielding large sums of silver, and there was one less scenery. At present, under Japan's lockdown order, the Netherlands and Zheng Zhilong, who can go to Nagasaki for direct trade with Japan, are the biggest beneficiaries.

According to Dutch records, the three ports with the most merchant ships on the Western route were Pattani, Banten and Batavia. In 1624, 15 Chinese ships arrived in Batavia, which of course was not comparable to the more than 50 that sailed to Manila.

As for Pattani, the Dutch recorded the most Chinese merchant ships in 1622, with 8. Later, the Dutch removed the Pattani Merchant House, and there is no exact record. ”

Someone laughed, "We really found a nice place for ourselves." There is wood and tin, and there is a good harbor. ”

At this point, Lin Tongwen's framework introduction to maritime trade in Southeast Asia is over.

Chen Shouxu praised: "Minister Lin has spent a lot of effort on this material, sifting through the Dutch and Chinese materials, and translating it into a manuscript. ”

Lin Tongwen said: "My lord praised it falsely. Preparing materials was also a learning process for me, and I also learned a lot from adults by translating a lot of situations from China and Southeast Asia. Fortunately, I was able to receive careful guidance from the ruling lords. ”

Whether the military people can understand it or not, they can see the weight of the material in their hands and the difficulty of the work. Honest people were welcomed everywhere, and the officers applauded them. Chen Shouxu watched with satisfaction that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Lin Tongwen's first task had achieved very good results.

Chen Shouxu waved his hand and signaled Lin Tongwen not to be too modest.

Then, he called the name of the chairman of Nanyang Bank, Drep, "Chairman, please introduce the recent work of Nanyang Bank." ”

Drep stood up, "Yes, Your Excellency. He walked over to the podium.

Soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Nanyang Bank provided a loan of 300,000 taels of silver to the government of Jincheng for the purchase of slaves, grain, and other supplies in Siam and Chenla. Considering the inseparable relationship with the Jincheng government, the monthly interest rate of the loan is only 2.5%. ”

Speaking of this, for fear of being sprayed, Derip added, "This is already a very low interest rate in Asia, where commercial loans often have 100% interest for half a year." And we have allowed the Jincheng government to capitalize the interest during the construction period, simply put, you can borrow new to repay the old, and the interest can also be repaid through borrowing, and the Ministry of Finance and Nanyang Bank do bookbuilding. ”

Chen Shouxu looked at everyone and said, "Nanyang Bank belongs to all the personnel of the original fleet, and considering their interests, it is necessary to charge a certain amount of interest, please understand." ”

Everyone here knows that in the early days, the Jincheng government only seized the spoils of war from the original Pattanii royal palace and treasury. The part of these loot that can be realized has to buy materials from outside, and Jincheng's treasury is now empty and can run rats.

Drepu: "The terms of the second batch of loans are already being negotiated. The influx of silver in a short period of time has caused prices to rise all around, which is also the price that has to be paid. ”

Chen Shouxuan is less inclined to spend the money now, and half of the dividends and loans to the government have been distributed.

Nanyang Bank must retain some silver liquidity, and he hopes to leave more reserves in order to implement an important reform in the future. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, this money did have to be spent, but Chen Shouxu felt that Dorp was still too old and good at some times, and it was necessary for him to personally intervene in the management of the bank at the right time.

Lin Tongwen said: "I have heard that in the face of attractive profits, the Phayas on the eastern border of Siam have now stepped up their invasion of Chenla in order to capture slaves and earn silver in the golden city. ”

"In accordance with the instructions of His Excellency, in order to leverage more resources, we are preparing to issue standardized bonds. In order to absorb more silver, we currently want to set the coupon rate of the bond at a lower rate than the yield of lending to the Jincheng government. ”

"Thank you to the banks for their support, at the expense of an inverted interest rate," Cochlin said. ”

Chen Shouxu explained: "Bonds are what I want to do. Some time ago, in order to celebrate the founding of the People's Republic of China, we distributed a dividend to the officers and soldiers. Some people spend their money, some don't. In order to support construction, it is now necessary to recycle some of the liquidity with bonds. ”

With the state, Chen Shouxu's long-standing ideal can finally be realized, and what most officers and soldiers actually need directly is not silver, but all kinds of services such as women, tobacco, and alcohol. The state can provide them with these services to recover a significant amount of silver at once. Much of the silver they spend on private companies has not flowed out, and the state can still recover it through taxes or debt. Originally, the Ministry of Finance was supposed to issue bonds, not the banks, but now the Ministry of Finance has no ability to pay, and the banks still have some credit, so they can only use the banks as a medium.

Drip: "The Archon bought almost all of his fortune into this bond. At present, the issuance of bonds is not large, and it is mainly purchased by insiders. Our plan is modelled on the Piacenza trade fair, where the market framework for the trading of bonds and promissory notes has been put in place, laying the foundation for future development. ”

Chen Shouxu said: "Thank you, Chairman of the Board, for your hard work during this time. Gentlemen, we are taking advantage of the fact that all the surrounding forces have not yet reacted to our rapid rise, and we are spending money at an astonishing rate, turning money into materials and manpower. However, no matter how much silver Nanyang Bank has, it will be empty if it continues like this. So we need to get the trade income as soon as possible. ”

Collingwood and Edward, who had been employees of the British Monopoly Company, reacted more quickly than the others, and almost simultaneously asked, "Where should we start?" ”

Chen Shouxu: "Siam is very close to us, and the trade is relatively mature. At present, our key trade partners are the Dutch and Chinese, and our energy is limited, and other countries can only take care of it. I've decided to get Ernst. Feng. Demeiden went to Batavia as our envoy, he was a German nobleman, and it was more appropriate. ”

Holren agrees: "Ernst is the right man. ”

"This China ......," Chen Shouxu looked at Lin Tongwen.

Lin Tongwen stood up, "Lin Mou is responsible for opening China's trade routes. Now that the wind is right, I'm ready to go. ”

Chen Shouxu smiled: "I can only ask Minister Lin." But I'm not in a hurry for the next few days, so I'm ready to go again. ”

Then he said to everyone: "As you know, there is a trend of mercantilism in Europe today. I don't want to talk about theories and big truths, but maritime trade determines whether our country will survive for a long time, or whether it will die out quickly like the Portuguese saren. I hope that everyone will attach great importance to it, and if Minister Lin has any needs, please cooperate with everyone. ”