Friday, January 1, 1644, New Year's Day.

It has entered the most intensive period of the annual holiday, whether it is the Western calendar or the lunar calendar, a large number of colorful festival names will make every Manchester citizen happy.

But on this day of family reunion, the Su family manor in the south of Manchester City seemed a little monotonous. Because Su Fangwei and Yan Shuming have no holidays because of the overtime classes at the Army West Point Military Academy, the happy scene of Su Fangqi bullying Su Fangwei on weekdays is gone.

Probably the same situation is true for his own son, driven by a kind of "sympathy", Yan Xiaosong's family also went to Su's house to eat on New Year's Day. Caterina followed Yuan Xinyi in the kitchen to learn the latest dishes, and the two families combined nine children, who played in and out of the house by age.

Before lunchtime, Su Zining and Yan Xiaosong stayed alone in the study. Both of them have unconsciously abandoned the "vice" of drinking a lot of coffee and smoking over the years, and drinking tea has once again become the main theme of life.

"News has come from the Azores that the Irish Parliament and the Catholic (Catholic) Union have issued a public joint statement declaring Ireland to secede from England, a few months later than it has ever been. Charles I is presumably furious, but he is currently negotiating with Scotland and cannot be distracted. However, the current situation in Ireland has nothing to do with Dai Qingqing's family, and Dai Qingqing has not yet covered the political influence of the whole of Ireland. Yan Xiaosong flipped through the newspaper and said casually.

"If nothing has changed in history, this political farce between the Irish Assembly and the Catholic Union of Ireland will not last much longer. However, Cromwell was more powerful than we thought, especially the light that stained our butterfly wings. Su Zining nodded lightly, and wanted to laugh at Yan Xiaosong's now more and more calm pretending attitude, "Are you already in contact with Frederick V?" ”

"Well, this old man is in good shape right now, because he was at war with Denmark. He had already received the title of Marquis of Kings from the Holy Roman Empire, and was now King Emden. His son, Prince Rupert, was very brave, and with less than 10,000 troops, he defeated the Danes, and the Swedish army became a supporting role. Now that Emden's army has invaded Denmark, I expect Denmark to surrender sooner than in history, and to take more than half of the benefits by Emden. Yan Xiaosong put down the newspaper and smiled mysteriously and proudly, "Frederick V's wife is the sister of Charles I, and his son has the right to inherit the kings of England, Scotland and Ireland...... Maybe we'll have a glorious revolution decades in advance. If Dai Qingqing doesn't object. ”

"Without our support, Charles I's defeat was doomed, Cromwell was very ambitious, and his style and ideas must be deviant in today's Europe. So the plan was to incite European monarchs to intervene in the English Civil War in the next few years, and I believe Frederick V would be most interested in it, and he would not be averse to making his family more glamorous in Europe. As long as someone interfered in the English Civil War, Dai Qingqing could take the opportunity to cut into the political situation in Ireland. This thing. It will be brought up at the wedding of Swenbaugh's daughter at the end of the month. ”

Yan Xiaosong continued, showing great confidence in this long-term script that has been planned for more than ten years.

"Well, it took more than ten or twenty years to lay out and pave the way for one thing. to achieve a little effect. And if we slack or compromise a little in the middle, the whole thread of history may be detached from our hands. Whether it's external or internal......" Su Zining did not directly comment on his friend's diplomatic work, but muttered a little speciously. He flipped the newspaper in his hand and put it in front of his friend, "Take a look." Our Songzhou local council is already 'firing' at us. ”

On the newspaper in Su Zining's hand, a large paragraph of text was revealed, which read: "Regarding the cabinet's decision to reduce the proportion of state fiscal reserves next year, the local council of Songzhou is worried that it will slow down the economic growth of Songzhou, and the second phase of the Baima River Canal project in the north will be delayed again......"

"Hehe, they're also looking at the percentage of state fiscal retention, but it's hard for us to explain the rationale. It's just a good thing, at least it proves that ordinary people are actively worrying about the affairs of this country. Yan Xiaosong read the content handed by Su Zining softly, revealing an embarrassed smile.

"Well, sooner or later, we will hide behind this country, but only if we can leave a rule that is as pleasing to our eyes as possible, a future that can continue to be influenced by us." Su Zining's expression was a little strict, and his fingers pointed at the table, "At least for now, most of us are getting by, making inappropriate compromises for many inappropriate things, and from another perspective, we don't like ourselves." Is this a rule that we should pass down? ”

"You mean the matter of Lu Shengqiang's family a few days ago?" Yan Xiaosong smiled, probably understanding what the other party was referring to.

"You think you've guessed me again?" Su Zining was stunned for a moment, revealing a trace of embarrassment.

"There are so many things you write on your face, definitely simpler than the codebook of the European Intelligence Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you want to spit out someone, you will definitely say a lot of lofty things first. Yan Xiaosong snorted deliberately.

Lu Shengqiang, after the congressional annual summary meeting a few days ago, intercepted the president and the two speakers, as well as Defense Minister Zheng Quan, who participated in the congressional hearings, and other members of the National Security Council.

The theme of the small-scale internal discussion initiated by Lu Shengqiang was to hope that the state would come forward and forcibly transfer all the children of the military from dangerous posts. It is normal to say that the children of the crossing are the most valuable wealth of this collective, and the thoughts and living habits are closest to the first generation of the crossing people, which is of great significance to the future of the country, and should not be put in a dangerous situation like ordinary people.

Lu Shengqiang's eldest son, Lu Yuzhou, is now serving as a battalion-level second lieutenant and medical officer in the Eastern Brigade, but after some walking, Lu Yuzhou categorically rejected his parents' attitude, and even personally expressed his position to the Far Eastern Regional Command, asking to continue to stay in the Eastern Brigade. The transfer order from the army headquarters was finally shelved by Deng Jian, and it also caused a small quarrel for a time.

As for the future combat missions of the Eastern Brigade, all the people who crossed the brigade were clear in their hearts. The president and the two speakers of the National Assembly did not express their stance on the spot, but Defense Minister Zheng Quan spewed Lu Shengqiang inside and resolutely refused to make such a "shameless and cowardly" decision.

To say that Lu Shengqiang is obviously boastful because of selfishness, everyone understands it, but almost no one can refute the practical significance revealed in this. Even many people privately agree with Lu Shengqiang's point of view, just because no one was the first to say it before. So some careful thoughts and small actions are not directly on the table.

"We are entitled to a sense of compensation and privilege from history, and we must enjoy it. I think this is a view that most people have held on to over the years. And along with you and me, I'm used to it. No lofty attitude can hide the selfishness and arrogance in our hearts. ”

"But eventually we will grow old and even die. Should the sense of historical compensation and privilege we hold on to be passed on? To whom? ”

Su Zining said lightly, turned his eyes to the window, and saw several policemen standing outside his manor. All ordinary citizens passing by have a frightened and cautious image.

"Perhaps, we are the exception." Yan Xiaosong thought about it for a while, but still expressed his opinion, "Although I don't agree with Lu Shengqiang's methods, I understand what Lu Shengqiang means. Our business must be inherited by someone after all. ”

Su Zining couldn't help but be stunned when he saw his friend actually answer like this: "Except for this closed collective, who would know that we are a special case?" Who will understand that we are a special case? ”

"When I was a kid. I have a distant relative in my family, who is the director of the industrial and commercial bureau of a certain county, and he has a lot of power in his hands, and few people can control him. Later he retired. Without power and being a little wronged, they began to spray the government power for not being supervised and for the corruption of officials. Forget that his successor did just as he did...... Therefore, the new successor does not know the truth, and does not think that we are a special case. Instead, I feel that the rules of this country are like this, and it is natural to inherit them. If they inherit our privileges, they must also be the result of doing whatever they want, then we cannot really hide behind the scenes, and even for us, it is the most dangerous. ”

"If we want to be truly behind the scenes of the country, we need to put the order and rules of the country in the hands of a new successor. I don't think any of us will dare to pass on our sense of historical compensation and exclusive treatment, so that our successors can do whatever we want. ”

"In order to complete the curtain call of our generation, and even to the smooth and safe formation of our children and grandchildren, it is necessary to remove certain special cases of our habits from the legitimate. Otherwise, today we want to kill a citizen and confiscate the property of the citizen, and no one can resist, and in the future they want to kill our children and grandchildren, confiscate the property of our children and grandchildren, and they will not be able to resist! ”

"We add together a sense of historical compensation, a sense of revenge, and a sense of exceptionality, and compromise it into a special treatment that we take for granted, and this privilege will one day deteriorate in the process of being transmitted...... In a few years, the first elected members of the House of Representatives will enter Congress. After they enter, we must abandon some of our special privileges, or the danger of these special privileges will one day befall our descendants. We take revenge on history and have the cheekiness to enjoy what we once hated and feared. But in order not to hate and fear our descendants, don't stay. ”

After speaking, Su Zining took a deep breath.

"Su Zining, I want to run for prime minister next year, how about you help me?"

There was silence in the study for a long time, and suddenly, Yan Xiaosong spoke. Su Zining, on the other hand, showed a surprised expression.

……

The day after the end of the New Year's Day holiday, the news from the Far East intelligence department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally made the top elites in China and the United States feel the pressure.

Li Zicheng has captured Xi'an, Shaanxi, and is still dividing his troops to sweep the entire northwest, and by the way, he is planning to establish himself as the emperor. Zhang Xianzhong fought several bloody battles with Zuo Liangyu in Huguang and Jiangxi, and finally out of strategic considerations, he gave up the southeast direction and began to move his main force westward, preparing to enter Sichuan. From north to south, the entire Ming Empire has been riddled with holes in the continuous war, covered with water and difficult to recover, and the Jiashen pattern in the late Ming Dynasty in history is about to emerge.

Fortunately, Huamei's own strategic adjustment is quite timely, and various policy preparations have been carried out throughout last year. In particular, in terms of national finance, the Senate approved the national tax adjustment and reform opinions formulated by Cabinet Finance Minister Zhou Qifeng, which were officially released at the end of last month.

After years of continuous adjustment and polishing, Huamei's fiscal and taxation system has basically matured, and in accordance with the provisions of the National Financial Management Law, Huamei's fiscal revenue is mainly divided into two levels, and finally converged into the national central fiscal revenue.

The first level is "city-level finance", which is also the most basic aspect of Huamei's fiscal revenue. Together with state-owned enterprises. All corporate and personal taxes in the jurisdiction are directly included in the calculation of local town revenue, and then submitted to the state government according to the prescribed contribution ratio, and the rest is the fiscal funds that the local town can really keep for its own use.

Among them, 80% of the fiscal revenue of local towns must be submitted to the state government, and 20% of the fiscal revenue must be retained for urban financial funds.

The second level is "state finance". The state government will submit 90% of the collected fiscal revenue from the local towns to the state, leaving 10% as the state's financial funds.

Overseas Viceroyalty is a non-native colonial administrative region with different fiscal and tax policies and local governments. 100 per cent of the local revenues of the towns under the jurisdiction of the Governor's District must be handed over to the Governor's Palace. The Governor's Palace, on the other hand, could only set aside 10% of the amount for local expenses, and the rest was handed over to the state.

Overseas territories are equivalent to the overseas territories of a country, with an administrative status between local towns and states, and 80% of local revenues are submitted directly to the state.

In addition, a part of the state's central fiscal revenue will be appropriately allocated to the state or overseas territories in the annual budget as development subsidies, thus forming a closed loop of fiscal revenue and expenditure from the central to the local government. Leaving aside the overseas governorate districts that the queen raised, in terms of local towns and overseas territories alone. The remaining 20% of fiscal revenue is still far from enough, so enlisting the support of state or state finances has become the key to the development of local towns.

In order to cope with the likely large expenses for overseas military operations in the coming years, the Cabinet began to prepare for a rainy day with the approval of the Diet. From 1644 onwards. The reduction of the state fiscal retention ratio from 10% to 7%, and the reduction of overseas territories from 20% to 12%, is equivalent to a further reduction in the self-retained fiscal funds of local governments.

These "overcharged" funds will be pooled into the Cabinet's "Special Reserve Budget." It will be used for designated industrial support and military spending reserves in the coming years.

The largest of these is to continue to increase the weight on the basis of the "Encouragement of Shipping Act" in 1628, adding a series of shipbuilding subsidies and tax reduction policies. to stimulate the expansion of ocean commercial capacity. The state not only subsidizes a number of designated ocean-going vessels, but also reduces the tax on the civil ship business of shipbuilding enterprises from 25% to 20%.

Under the guidance of this policy, the state-owned Qingcheng Shipbuilding Company once again succeeded in "plagiarizing", and on the basis of the Atlantic Queen large merchant ship built by the Beiyang Shipbuilding Group for the state-owned import and export group, it continued to play the micro-innovation trick of simplifying the structure, and launched a large dry bulk carrier of the national standard 3000 type with a full load displacement of 6,300 tons, and successfully applied for the designated subsidy ship type.

Yacheng Shipbuilding Company, which is good at sailing merchant ships, is not far behind, and immediately launched the 2000 type five-masted longitudinal sail cargo ship with a full load displacement of 3,800 tons. The ship is also suspected of plagiarizing the historical ship type of the Beiyang Shipbuilding Group, and it also plays a trick of how fast and thrifty it is.

However, compared with the old large five-masted schooner merchant ships of Oriental Union, the 2000 schooner merchant ships still use many advanced designs. Although this type of ship requires a lot of good sailors, except for a simple steam-assisted equipment, the consumption of coal is almost zero, so the price-performance ratio is still outstanding.

These two large ocean-going vessels have a common feature, that is, they specialize in transporting bulk dry bulk cargo, with little passenger capacity. But for most shipping companies that don't carry out passenger business, this is precisely their favorite type of ship.

As soon as the favorable policy came out, the large domestic shipping companies all moved, and some of the old merchant ships that they were still reluctant to eliminate were put into the second-hand ship trading list of the state-owned import and export group. Then they take the state's shipbuilding subsidies to the shipyards to order new ships, while the small and medium-sized trading companies that lack funds are happy to get those second-hand obsolete merchant ships cheaply.

In November 1643, when the policy was promulgated, the state-owned Qingcheng Shipbuilding Company and Yacheng Shipbuilding Company received a total of 12 contracts for the construction of large merchant ships, and the Middle East Union Group and Guoxing Group each placed orders for 3 ships. Shi Yige, chairman of the board of directors of Lede Yacheng Shipbuilding Company, directly announced that it will expand its shipbuilding branches in Yacheng and Pearl Island.

Beiyang Shipbuilding Group continues to be sidelined by its competitors, and except for high-speed passenger merchant ships with a monopoly on technology, there are no decent civilian ships that have entered the country's legal eye. However, the Beiyang Shipbuilding Group is not jealous, because it has received a large number of second-hand ship refit and refurbishment contracts, and the company has almost won 80% of the orders in the Navy's eight-year expansion plan. Military ships are not as simple as civilian ships, and the profits are far higher than the civil ship market.

Of course, all of this qiē is prepared for the Far East route, where the demand for traffic will soar in the future. According to the prediction of the Far East Strategy Group of the National Security Council, once a large-scale war breaks out in the Far East in the future, coupled with the support of various Far East agent forces, the transportation volume of various materials will reach 10,000 tons per month.

And after this wave of incentives, the Atlantic commercial sea freight rate in the United States is likely to be reduced to less than 18 cents per 100 nautical miles per tonne. Under the iron law that the level of logistics determines the efficiency of economic development, this will undoubtedly be the second great development opportunity for Huamei since the first Eastern Expedition. It is also a great blessing for domestic trading companies that want to reduce transportation costs as much as possible. (To be continued......)